After returning to Hangzhou, the next several days were consumed by meetings with Woon Seorin.

Though calling them meetings was generous. They were closer to lessons.

“The Seven Families are what hold the Dark Alliance together. And the Seven Families are also what weaken it.”

Factions.

Factions split along political lines had kept the Dark Path from ever uniting as one.

“Wouldn’t there be reason enough to unite? When there’s an external enemy, people tend to pull together.”

The Murim Alliance.

The more seriously he had studied the Dark Alliance, the clearer it had become. In all but name, the Dark Alliance was a subordinate organization under the Murim Alliance’s thumb. If they had chosen that arrangement willingly, it would be one thing — but Dark Path warriors were not known for their gentle natures. Their hostility toward the Murim Alliance ran deep.

Which was what he couldn’t understand.

Splitting into factions while facing a common enemy.

“If that enemy were manageable — they would have united. But the Murim Alliance is in an era of unprecedented dominance right now. The general consensus is that even a fully united Dark Path couldn’t overcome them.”

Hearing that, the existence of factions made sense.

“Are they divided into hardliners and moderates, roughly speaking?”

Woon Seorin let out a quiet sigh.

“That’s how it started, yes. The hardliners who wanted to throw off the Murim Alliance’s interference. The moderates who said the time wasn’t right and preached patience. But now — most of them will stand on whichever side benefits their own clan.”

That tracked.

The grand ideals of the beginning would erode over time. Eventually, present gain would eclipse original principle.

“Which side holds more power?”

“When the Alliance Lord was alive, the moderates had a slight edge — barely. But no, comparing them feels pointless now. To be blunt about it, the hardliners’ strength grew steadily, and by the time just before the Alliance Lord passed, they were no longer beneath the moderates.”

The bitterness in Woon Seorin’s expression confirmed it.

The Black Dragon Woon Clan was a moderate faction.

From what he had gathered, the Black Sword Cheon Clan and the Tyrant Blade Gok Clan led the martial rankings within the Dark Alliance. Even with the prestige of being the Dark Path’s old ruling family and the leverage of controlling trade routes, going up against those two clans would be no easy feat. Or rather — the Woon Clan had probably only survived this long because of that trade leverage.

“Still, the hardliners can’t move carelessly either. They shout about overthrowing the Murim Alliance — but they can’t afford to ignore them.”

Naturally. The original cause had faded, which meant they had more reason than ever to be cautious. Their goal now was standing at the top of the Dark Path without the Murim Alliance’s interference — not getting destroyed by it.

Seo Woojin thought for a moment, then tilted his head.

“What about the Murim Alliance?”

“Pardon?”

Woon Seorin’s brow furrowed at the sudden question.

Seo Woojin shrugged and pressed on.

“I asked how the Murim Alliance currently views the Dark Alliance.”

“……”

For the first time, the mouth that had answered every question without hesitation fell shut.

“Why……?”

At Seo Woojin’s puzzled look, she let out a deep sigh.

“Hah. I don’t know.”

“What?”

“Our intelligence doesn’t reach inside the Murim Alliance. So I genuinely don’t know. How they see us.”

Seo Woojin let out a short laugh.

“Well — that means for all we know, the Murim Alliance couldn’t care less about the Dark Alliance, and everyone here is reading shadows that aren’t there.”

Woon Seorin sighed again.

“You’re right. That’s partly why the hardliners have been gaining momentum. Their argument is that when the Murim Alliance’s eyes aren’t on us, we should exploit the opening.”

“Wait, but just now you said they couldn’t ignore the Murim Alliance——”

“I meant that they started watching their step after you appeared.”

“Oh!”

The realization landed.

His existence would register as a threat to them. The Murim Alliance — which they had assumed had lost interest in the Dark Alliance — had sent the Dark Alliance’s own successor back to them. That meant the Murim Alliance’s eyes were still very much on this place.

Makes sense. That’s why they went as far as using assassins against me despite the risk.

Getting caught using assassins meant risking annihilation. And yet they had sent them without hesitation — which said something about just how much of a problem he was to them.

But I’m a fake. What does the real Young Lord going missing mean?

If the Murim Alliance had a deliberate hand in the Young Lord’s disappearance——

A chill ran down his spine.

If I hadn’t been here. If there were no one in this position——

Civil war.

There would be civil war.

The clans would tear the Dark Alliance apart along factional lines to claim the top seat for themselves. The Dark Path would fracture — and with it, weaken dramatically.

Which would make it a great deal easier. Pulling the Dark Alliance around like a puppet on a string.

The moment the thought reached that point, Seo Woojin shook his head sharply.

That’s too much of a leap. The Murim Alliance has no reason to run schemes that devious.

All the while, Woon Seorin’s voice continued.

“So for now, we need to maintain the status quo.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll be standing before the heads of the Seven Families soon. And to hold that status quo, you need to make a good impression.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Woon Seorin’s eyes slid away from his for just a moment.

“Exactly what it sounds like. Stand before them and appear appropriately righteous — and appropriately soft. Give them reason to let their guard down around you.”

Seo Woojin’s brow creased.

“I asked what that has to do with maintaining the status quo.”

Woon Seorin exhaled quietly.

“If their guard comes down, they won’t move recklessly. They won’t resort to things like assassins again. They won’t feel the need to push you to prove yourself. They’ll watch and wait and try to use you for their own ends. And that — standing at the top of the Dark Path without directly defying the Murim Alliance — is the only path available.”

Seo Woojin barely swallowed the sigh rising in him.

What she was describing was a puppet. That was all.

She must have read his expression, because she added:

“This is for your benefit as well. If keeping you alive serves them better than killing you, the threat against you diminishes proportionally.”

“And what do you gain from this?”

“Time.”

“Time?”

Woon Seorin nodded.

“When their guard is down — we find their weaknesses. And with you as Alliance Lord at our back, we move against them.”

“……”

“A unified Dark Path. That’s the goal I intend to work toward, for now.”

She said it simply, but simple it was not.

Whether through politics or force, she was talking about crushing entire factions.

He was skeptical.

Even if things went according to her plan, the Black Sword Cheon Clan and the Tyrant Blade Gok Clan — as the hardliner faction’s leaders — would have to be destroyed. Two of the most powerful clans in the Dark Alliance, wiped out?

The Dark Path’s overall strength would collapse.

Achieving Woon Seorin’s goal wouldn’t change the Dark Alliance’s future. In the end, what she was describing was simply maintaining its position as a subordinate faction under the Murim Alliance — indefinitely.

None of this concerns me.

He had no investment in what happened to the Dark Alliance. His goal from the start was finding his enemy. Which meant he had no intention of moving according to Woon Seorin’s designs.

Puppet.

Woon Seorin was asking him to be a figurehead. To use the title of Alliance Lord as a blade for the Woon Clan.

And when the time comes to discard me — she won’t hesitate.

Because he was a fake. Once she had squeezed out everything useful, it was entirely possible she would cut him loose and seat herself at the head of the Alliance directly.

He had pieced together their intentions. Even so, Seo Woojin nodded.

“Understood. So for now — I present a compliant face and let them lower their guard.”

“Are you serious?”

Woon Seorin looked at him with undisguised suspicion.

Seo Woojin gave her an easy smile and nodded.

“Didn’t you say it’s the path to keeping me safe? Then following that advice would be the smart move.”

“But——”

Woon Seorin started to say something — then stopped herself.

She studied him in silence, expression unreadable.

Seo Woojin offered an awkward grin.

“Haha. Staring at me like that is a little embarrassing. Was there something you wanted to say?”

Woon Seorin let out a quiet sigh and shook her head.

“Hah. No. It is true that it’s the safest path for you.”

She composed her expression back into its usual cool lines and continued.

“A half-hearted performance won’t lower anyone’s guard. Enough time has already been lost — none of them are going to look at you with warm eyes.”

Seo Woojin nodded.

“They’ll be looking to pick me apart at the first opportunity.”

“Yes. And there’s a chance some of them come in harder than you might expect.”

“Harder — meaning?”

Woon Seorin’s expression pinched as someone came to mind.

“Hard to say. There’s one person who’s unpredictable in the worst way. Either way — you need to keep your presence as muted as possible. Become thoroughly agreeable and dismantle their defenses from the inside.”

“Understood. No need to worry. When are you planning to schedule it?”

Woon Seorin offered a faint smile.

“Tomorrow.”

The meeting with Woon Seorin didn’t end until well into the night.

Seo Woojin staggered back to his quarters and collapsed face-first onto the bed.

“Haah…… A puppet, hm……”

The entire session had been nothing but an exchange of ideas on how to appear more foolish, how to seem more harmless.

A complete waste of time, as far as he was concerned.

He had no intention of playing along with Woon Seorin’s plan.

I need to create a variable.

He was depending on Woon Seorin for now — but trusting her outright was dangerous. Following her lead blindly could sweep him into a current he didn’t see coming.

I need to make it so that Woon Seorin and the Woon Clan can’t afford to throw me away. And for that, I need a variable.

But nothing was coming to him at the moment.

He was mentally and physically drained, and the information he had crammed into his head about the Dark Alliance was still too raw to apply.

“Haah. What a headache.”

Back on Cloud Pavilion Mountain with his grandfather, there hadn’t been anything to worry his head over. Then again, the biggest problem back then had been how to sneak down to White Cloud Village without the old man catching him.

Seo Woojin smiled ruefully and pushed himself upright.

He was exhausted — but remembering those days somehow made him feel like he could get up and move after all.

He reached for the book sitting on the side table.

A history of the Dark Path. He had set it aside with the intention of reading it, but things had been too hectic lately.

He deliberated for a moment, then turned the cover.

If he had no clear plan yet, he may as well learn what he could about the Dark Path’s past.

[The Dark Path was a group that yearned for freedom. But the world condemned that freedom, and the Dark Path had no choice but to unite in order to survive……]

He burst out laughing before he’d even finished the preface.

Yearned for freedom? Nonsense.

Living however they pleased was not something that deserved a noble word like freedom.

He nearly snapped the book shut right there — but managed to exercise some patience.

Fortunately, beyond the self-congratulatory preface, the actual content was refreshingly unvarnished. The crimes committed by Dark Path warriors. The way righteous heroes of the white path had dealt with those evildoers.

It read almost like it had been written by the Murim Alliance.

He was reading along with genuine interest when his hand slowed.

A familiar phrase had caught his eye.

“Sword…… Saint……?”

His eyes moved faster. His hand flew through the pages.

Thud.

He closed the book. A small sound escaped his lips.

His gaze traveled to the sword hanging on the wall.

The Sword Saint’s blade — one of the keepsakes he had brought back from his grandfather’s home.

Seo Woojin crossed toward it as though pulled by something.

Thud. Shhring.

As he drew it, an eerie tone rang in the air and the faint blue dragon motif revealed itself along the flat of the blade.

Could Grandfather have been the Sword Saint?

His grandfather had never once said so himself.

He had only mentioned the Sword Saint once — in passing. But if the old man had lived the life of a wandering hero from his youth, the possibility was very much there.

Was it coincidence that he had stumbled onto the Sword Saint’s name at this particular moment?

Or perhaps — his grandfather watching from the heavens, pointing the way.

Thud!

He sheathed the sword.

Something in his eyes settled.

He turned over everything from his conversation with Woon Seorin. And everything he had just read in the Dark Path’s history.

Found it. The variable.

Seo Woojin had found the variable that would shake the board.

(End of Chapter 10)