When Seo Woojin got back to his quarters, they were all waiting.

The Four Black Dragons and Woon Seorin. And a woman who looked to be a courtesan.

Seo Woojin asked first, urgency all over his face.

“How did it go? Warrior Yoo?”

Instead of answering, the Four Black Dragons paid their respects to him first.

“We greet the Alliance Lord.”

It was their own small congratulation, but the situation left no room for it.

“The answer first. Warrior Yoo?”

Woon Seorin answered in their place.

“They say it was already too late by the time Chief Bae and Muk-yeong arrived. That all they could do was watch him being dragged away bound…”

Seo Woojin set his teeth and closed his hand into a fist.

‘Warrior Yoo is a level-headed man. For him to be hauled off like that means they committed to it. It was a trap laid for Warrior Yoo alone from the beginning.’

Woon Seorin turned her head toward the courtesan.

“This is White Blossom Hall’s acting Hall Mistress. Her name is Aengwha. She’ll explain what happened.”

Aengwha began to speak, slowly, fear on her face.

Her voice shook badly, but everything that had happened came through.

Seo Woojin rubbed his face and let out a deep sigh.

The thing he had been afraid of had happened after all.

‘That was the most lethal move there was for draining my strength.’

Whether they had done it knowingly or not, his strength came from the Four Black Dragons and Woon Seorin.

And the Four Black Dragons held to each other like blood family.

So although only one of the four had fallen into the trap, the effect ran through all of them.

And his own strength was that much weaker for it.

Seo Woojin shook his head and cleared the stray thoughts out.

There was no time to admire his enemies’ scheming. Seo Woojin asked Woon Seorin,

“They’ll have taken him to the Gok Clan, I assume?”

“Yes. That’s where he’ll be.”

“Is there any hole in what they’ve done—?”

Woon Seorin shook her head.

“Unfortunately, no. Every step of it went through proper procedure.”

Seo Woojin made a low sound in his throat and thought again.

‘They went through proper procedure, but it was a short window. Building a flawless plan would have been too much even for them.’

The trouble was that this time it was his side that lacked the time to find the flaw.

In the end Seo Woojin had to ask her.

“Do you have something?”

Woon Seorin let out a small sigh and looked at the Four Black Dragons.

“We can’t save both.”

“…?”

“Yoo Geonwoo and White Blossom Hall. You have to choose one of the two.”

Bang!

Song Biryeong slammed the table.

Her eyes had gone cold, and they spoke for her anger.

“Don’t say it that easily.”

Woon Seorin answered just as coldly.

“Do you think it was easy to say?”

“You—!”

Bae Seokjin raised a hand and stopped Song Biryeong. Then he bowed his head to Woon Seorin.

“First… let’s hear it.”

Woon Seorin looked at them a moment and then spoke, slowly.

“White Blossom Hall’s debt has to be paid by tomorrow. That much money is beyond what I can raise on short notice. And Gok Taejun will start tearing the hall apart immediately.”

“…”

“It’s the same for Warrior Yoo. Muk-yeong says the wound was faked with pig’s blood, but what matters is that Gok Taejun fell down bleeding. Plenty of people will have seen him carried to the Gok Clan on someone’s back.”

Song Biryeong shot back at once.

“We have proof it was pig’s blood! If we put that forward—”

“Who would believe it? Proof produced by the Four Black Dragons to clear one of the Four Black Dragons.”

“…!!”

“Frankly, if the Gok Clan hires a few people, they’ll produce proof that looks more real than ours.”

“Then—!!”

Song Biryeong bit her lip.

“Then… are we supposed to just take this?”

Woon Seorin sighed.

“I said choose. I didn’t say take it.”

“What…?”

“Both are urgent, but White Blossom Hall comes first.”

Seo Woojin asked what she meant to do.

“You have a plan?”

“First — they say the magistrate of Qiantang County came out in person to investigate the death of the man at White Blossom Hall. I’ve sent the Cheongeum Envoy to him.”

“Meaning you think the Gok Clan has gotten to the magistrate?”

A short laugh escaped Woon Seorin.

“Isn’t that obvious? Do you know how many people die on the streets of Hangzhou in a day? White Blossom Hall is an unusual place, but this was never something a magistrate turns out for. So the fact that he came himself is obviously suspect. I intend to hear the truth out of his own mouth. And at the same time.”

Woon Seorin stopped for a moment. She seemed to be weighing something.

But then she spoke.

“We have to take Gok Taejun.”

“Gok Taejun?”

“He’s the surest thing. If we take Gok Taejun, we can get White Blossom Hall back for certain. The problem is—”

Seo Woojin finished it for her.

“Gok Taejun is injured at present. That’s the pretext he used to take Warrior Yoo. Which means he won’t be showing himself outside easily.”

“Yes. So we have to put out bait he’s certain to come for.”

A short laugh escaped Seo Woojin.

“Then isn’t that simple?”

“Simple?”

At her question, Seo Woojin’s smile deepened.

“It seems I’ll have to go and see the Military Advisor’s father.”

And so, with no time even to celebrate becoming the sky of the Dark Alliance.

Seo Woojin had to move again, and quickly.

The meeting with Woon Taeryun did not take long to arrange. Seo Woojin had become Alliance Lord as promised, so there were grounds for it.

The two of them faced each other again on the top floor of the hall where they had met before.

Unlike last time, there was nothing in front of Woon Taeryun but a tea set.

“Congratulations, first of all. On becoming the sky of the dark path.”

Seo Woojin gave a small nod.

“Thank you.”

Clink.

Woon Taeryun poured tea into a cup and glanced at Seo Woojin.

“You won’t be taking anything I give you this time either?”

“No.”

“Hoho. Still cautious.”

Woon Taeryun let out a small laugh and sipped his tea.

Then he wore a gentle smile and asked,

“First, I’d like to ask one thing. Was there a reason to keep the Cheon Clan’s daughter alive?”

“She’s a hostage.”

“Is that so.”

It was an answer with no effort in it, but Woon Taeryun took it in at once and let it stand.

“This time I’ll ask.”

“Hoho. You do hate coming out behind. Very well. Ask.”

Seo Woojin held his eyes and spoke, slowly.

“Do you happen to know? That one of the Four Black Dragons has fallen into a Gok Clan trap.”

“I know.”

“And you intend to sit and watch?”

Woon Taeryun frowned.

“Do you mean to go and save him?”

He answered a question with a question.

But his meaning was as clear as anything.

“He is one of the Four Black Dragons.”

“Tsk, tsk.”

Woon Taeryun clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Let me advise you. Now that you’re Alliance Lord, widen your view a little. I can guess why you want the Four Black Dragons, but that cannot be allowed to become your weakness. Why? Because in the end they are your subordinates.”

“…”

“A subordinate is something to be used. Not something you protect.”

Woon Taeryun wet his throat with the tea and spoke again.

“You already have the Cheon Clan’s daughter in hand as a hostage. Don’t go opening a gap in yourself for the sake of saving Yoo Geonwoo. Consider it advice on the occasion of your becoming Alliance Lord, and don’t let it slip past you.”

Seo Woojin looked at him without speaking.

It was what he had expected.

He had thought the Woon Clan could brush the Gok Clan’s bullying aside easily enough, but the man had no will to step in.

Which was natural, perhaps. There was nothing in it for him.

Out of habit Seo Woojin reached for a teacup, then wore a wry smile.

He let out a small sigh and shook his head.

“I intend to save Warrior Yoo.”

Woon Taeryun frowned.

“So you’ll make the foolish choice after all?”

“I’m not moving on sentiment alone.”

“Denying it changes nothing. Saving him will cost you more than it gains you.”

“That depends on who’s running it. And as it happens, I have a capable Military Advisor.”

At the mention of Woon Seorin, Woon Taeryun’s brow twitched.

“If you keep throwing yourself at things this recklessly, our agreement will become something that never happened. As I told you before, I can take my daughter back whenever I choose. By force.”

Seo Woojin shrugged and kept his composure.

“I’m not one to sit still, and Lady Woon isn’t one to be dragged off quietly… but in any case. I don’t only intend to save Warrior Yoo. I intend to go for Gok Taejun as well.”

Woon Taeryun tilted his head.

“Go for Gok Taejun?”

“Didn’t I tell you? That I would give you the Gok Clan and the Cheon Clan. I didn’t foresee this, but isn’t it a good opportunity? To put a hand on the Gok Clan.”

Only then did interest show in Woon Taeryun’s face.

“You talk as though you have a method. Gok Cheonmu is brutal, but he isn’t a stupid man. Schemes don’t work on him easily.”

Seo Woojin conceded that.

“I know. Even so, at the very least I can dispose of Gok Taejun. And the man is a wastrel, but he is the Gok Clan’s heir. If one stroke can clear away the Gok Clan’s succession, isn’t that a profitable trade in its own right?”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Woon Taeryun drummed the table and fell into thought.

“The Gok Clan’s succession…”

The Gok Cheonmu that Woon Taeryun knew was a cold-blooded man.

Heir or not, if the boy fell short in Gok Cheonmu’s eyes he would be discarded without mercy.

But that had to be something Gok Cheonmu did of his own will. With anyone else’s hand in it, he would never accept it.

Because that was his pride.

And that meant.

“It’s not without a chance.”

Woon Taeryun gave a small nod.

“So what do you want from me?”

Seo Woojin’s eyes flashed.

“I’ll ask two things of you.”

“Two, then. Say them.”

“I need information on Gok Taejun.”

Woon Taeryun stroked his beard and narrowed his eyes.

“Rin should have that sort of information too, shouldn’t she?”

Seo Woojin smirked and answered lightly.

“And they say where information is concerned, more is better. Besides, wouldn’t it be different? Information gathered out of habit, and information gathered while aiming at an enemy’s vital point — the quality?”

It sounded, at a glance, like a provocation.

The Gok and the Cheon were thorns in the Woon Clan’s side, so of course the quality of the information would differ.

Woon Taeryun read the meaning under it and let it go by.

“I’ll have a word with Clan Head Cho. And the second?”

The second.

Bait strong enough to draw Gok Taejun out.

“Spread a rumor for me.”

Seo Woojin’s mouth opened slowly, and ripples began to move across Woon Taeryun’s untroubled face.

Drip. Drip.

In the dark, the only sound was water falling.

Manacled and hanging against the wall, Yoo Geonwoo was only now able to come around.

No. Was this what coming around meant?

The pain was so extreme that it left him hazy instead.

Still, perhaps because his brain had woken up.

His senses began to come back, a little at a time.

Smell was first.

Blood and rusted iron. And a raw, sour smell with old damp mixed into it.

Next his eyes adjusted.

A table with an assortment of implements laid out in order. Walls thick enough that no sound could possibly get through them.

Clank!

Yoo Geonwoo looked at the manacles on both wrists.

They were joined to a ring set into the wall.

His arms up over his head, the tips of his toes barely reaching the floor.

The whole weight of him hung from his wrists.

Only then did the state he was in become real to him.

“Heh heh… Kuh—!”

A self-mocking laugh turned into blood coming up.

But the smile stayed at Yoo Geonwoo’s mouth.

“You can tell it’s a dark path clan. That’s some fierce torture.”

Even he, who could bear most things, had not been able to beat the pain and had passed out.

“Pah!”

Yoo Geonwoo spat blood-mixed saliva on the floor.

Creeeak—!!

The door opened on rusted hinges.

Someone stepping in, past a field of vision that had gone dim.

As though pain itself had taken human form and were walking toward him.

“You have to save White Blossom Hall before me. I come after that. I’ll hold out somehow until then.”

Who was he saying it to?

Yoo Geonwoo did not know either.

Only that at the end of it, Seo Woojin’s face came to mind.

Yoo Geonwoo looked at the man coming toward him with a whip in his hand, and smiled brightly.

Whether it was fortune or misfortune.

Yoo Geonwoo’s pain stayed shut inside those thick walls and did not get out.

And so a very long night went by.

(End of Chapter 52)