CFZ

"Star King---!!!"
A harsh roar swept through the branch.

The sheer volume suggested it had been amplified with qi, making it thunderous. Given the cultivation level of the one shouting, even the trees trembled from the force of the lion’s roar.
“…Ugh…”
“Grrr…!!”

The martial artists guarding the branch staggered, one after another.
Hwagyeong-level.
And not just any Hwagyeong—someone almost guaranteed to join the ranks of the Ten Great Masters in the next generation.

"Where is he?!"
The owner of the roar—Ilcheon Sword, the Azure Dragon Commander—was unable to restrain his emotions, openly displaying his fury.
And—

"Gu Yangcheon-!"
He repeatedly shouted my name.
Thanks to that, everyone in the branch was trembling, especially the branch leader, Mok Ri-seon, whose eyes were shaking violently with panic.

Rumble—!!
The aura spread out, pressing down on the surroundings of the branch.
It seemed his qi reserves were even greater than expected.

“Ugh…!!”
“Urgh…”
People began to do more than just stagger; some were already vomiting. It wouldn’t be surprising if they started coughing up blood next.

Seeing this, I finally revealed myself.
"What are you doing?"
Appearing with a bewildered expression, I watched as Ilcheon Sword rushed toward me the moment he saw me.
He immediately grabbed me by the collar.

The impact shook my body.
Feigning confusion, I looked at him.
“…Hey, senior. What’s going on here?”

"You bastard—!"
Ilcheon Sword, his face contorted in rage, shouted at me.
"You dare mock me? You—how dare you!"

He bellowed, then threw something at me.
I caught it—it was a sealed letter.
It bore the seal of the Alliance, specifically a direct order that Ilcheon Sword must have received about two days after the Sichuan Expedition began.

If I remembered correctly, the contents were something like:
"The Azure Dragon Commander is to return to the main Alliance immediately with his troops."
It had that kind of directive.

When Ilcheon Sword received it, he had no choice but to comply.
The seal bore the mark of Muk Yeon himself.
With such authority backing it, he couldn’t refuse.

So Ilcheon Sword left for the Alliance, while I continued with the expedition to Sichuan.
That was why there had been a time gap in our arrivals.
And now—

Why was Ilcheon Sword so furious?
The reason was simple.
When he returned to the main Alliance, he likely learned something.

The letter was fake.
Or rather—
'Fake' isn’t exactly the right word.

The seal and paper were genuine. In every way, it was a real command.
But ultimately, it wasn’t authorized by Muk Yeon.
So, Ilcheon Sword had been sent on a wild ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) goose chase.

And now he was pissed off.
"Senior, why are you acting like this? Calm down."
I put on an innocent face.

"Calm down? You expect me to calm down? Ha—!"
"You left and then suddenly reappeared, and now you’re acting like this?"
"You think I don’t know it was you?!"

"What exactly are you accusing me of?"
"You forged the Alliance’s seal and issued false orders—and you dare feign ignorance?!"
Grinding his teeth, Ilcheon Sword spat out the words.

I narrowed my eyes slightly, feeling the intensity of his anger.
"Forgery? What are you talking about?"
"How long do you plan to keep pretending? Do you really think I don’t know?!"

"You’ve got to be kidding me."
I grabbed his hand and shoved it off my collar.
Rip—!

The fabric of my robe tore as he let go.
"What nonsense is this? Forgery? False orders? And you storm in here yelling—."
I barely swallowed the words I wanted to add—"like a lunatic."

Sure, I could’ve said it outright, but now wasn’t the time.
Ilcheon Sword was already convinced I was the culprit.
And the truth was—

'This bastard’s sharp.'
I really was the one behind it.
I hadn’t delivered the letter myself, but the plan was mine.

So, I was a little surprised.
'He’s not just suspicious—he’s certain?'
How did he get so sure?

That part intrigued me.
"Why are you making such a fuss?"
I tried to soften my words, but Ilcheon Sword’s anger wasn’t subsiding.

If anything, it was escalating.
"I don’t care how much Muk Yeon or the world favors you—this concerns the Alliance itself! It’s not something a brat like you can tamper with!"
I tilted my head.

I let him have that one.
"Even if you don’t like me, personal feelings shouldn’t interfere with duty—."
And then I cut him off.

"Personal feelings? Who’s talking about personal feelings?"
Ilcheon Sword flinched.
His Adam’s apple bobbed.

"You’re one to talk about personal feelings, aren’t you?"
"You bastard."
"Let’s set this aside for now. Senior."

I had no intention of letting it go, of course.
But pretending to back down worked to my advantage.
"Do you have any proof it was me?"

"..."
He had nothing to say.
Of course, there was no proof.

I wasn’t foolish enough to leave evidence.
That’s why I could push him like this.
"Personal feelings? Sure, I’ll be honest. I don’t like you, senior."

In fact, I hated him.
I hated him enough to want to kill him.
"But I don’t think you like me much either, do you?"

"..."
"No response? I’ll take that as a yes. Honestly, it doesn’t matter. We don’t need to get along, right? But—"
I flicked his collar with my fingers.

"I get that you’re upset over being tricked. That’s unfortunate, but—"
I locked eyes with him.
"You can’t go around accusing people without evidence, especially in front of all these witnesses. As you said, we’re here for an important mission."

I let my gaze drop slightly.
His trembling hand was itching to draw his sword.
I smiled.

"So calm down—unless you plan to draw your sword right here and now."
Go ahead and try it.
Let’s see you fight me in front of everyone.

I provoked him while giving him an excuse to back down.
I could see the veins bulging in his forehead.
Would he take the bait?

I already knew the answer.
"Grrr…"
Grinding his teeth, he suppressed his rage.

For all his bluster, Ilcheon Sword was cautious.
Though his outburst surprised me, he wasn’t reckless enough to act without thinking.
I just had to keep pushing.

Make him think he was the predator—while I set the trap.
He stepped closer, his expression twitching.
I didn’t back away.

"Don’t misunderstand. I’m letting this slide—for now."
"Of course, senior."
"No matter how much you deny it, the truth will come out when we return to the main Alliance."

He ground his teeth again.
"I’ll dig into every detail—along with your connection to the Golden Dragon Commander."
His voice made it clear—this wasn’t over.

I gave a slight nod and responded,
“Yes. I’ll be looking forward to it. For now, why don’t you get back to work, oh great Azure Dragon Commander?”
At my words, Ilcheon Sword, who had been barely holding back his anger, abruptly turned around.

His direction? Straight toward where the branch leader was standing.
“Gather the troops.”
Ilcheon Sword issued an order to the Azure Dragon Division.

“We’ve arrived at the target location. Begin the search immediately. Ensure there are no setbacks in the plans we prepared beforehand.”
“Yes, sir!”
Without even taking a moment to rest after their arrival, they moved straight into the operation.

Yet, none of the soldiers showed any hesitation—they responded with loud, disciplined voices.
They were certainly well-trained.
Watching this, I asked Ilcheon Sword,

“Should I pass along the information I’ve gathered? If you need it—”
“No need. I’ll hear the details directly from the branch leader.”
“Ah, I see.”

Somehow, his tone had reverted to being formal.
After speaking so casually earlier, what was the point of switching back now?
It was something I couldn’t quite understand.

Ilcheon Sword cut off the conversation and headed to speak with the branch leader.
Honestly, since we were supposed to be working together, it wouldn’t hurt for him to hear the intel I’d gathered.
Tsk.

‘Not that he would’ve listened anyway.’
I smirked to myself and turned away.
As I did, I noticed some of the Azure Dragon troops flinch slightly before quickly moving out.

It seemed they had already prepared a plan, just as Ilcheon Sword had mentioned.
Watching them, I recalled his parting words.
"As soon as I return to the main Alliance... I’ll dig into everything you’ve done, along with the Golden Dragon Commander’s case."

He didn’t have proof, but it was clear he had his suspicions.
Ilcheon Sword’s reaction made it obvious he was onto something.
If he did return to the Alliance, things could get a little complicated.

But that didn’t bother me.
‘Not that he’s going to make it back.’
For Ilcheon Sword, fulfilling that vow wasn’t going to be an option.

Because—
‘This is where his journey ends.’
Sichuan would be his final destination.

   ******************
   
"Are you really sure it’s fine not to send it?"
As soon as I stepped into the room, I heard the question and turned my head.

It was Cheol Ji-seon who spoke, handing me an item as he did.
"What is?"
I asked, taking the item with a puzzled look.

Cheol Ji-seon spoke again, his expression tinged with concern.
"The intel for the Azure Dragon Division."
I loosened up a bit, slipping off my training robe, which was soaked with sweat.

A faint pressure of qi filled the room.
"I heard you decided not to share it. Is that true?"
"Oh, that? Yeah, they said they didn’t want it."

"...Didn’t we spend two days organizing it?"
"We did."
That was right.

We’d prepared the intel, expecting the Azure Dragon Division to demand a briefing.
Well—not me.
Cheol Ji-seon had done all the work.

And now, hearing that it wouldn’t even be sent, he clearly didn’t understand.
"What can we do if they don’t want it? It’d be weirder to force it on them, wouldn’t it?"
It wasn’t like anyone else—let alone Ilcheon Sword—would take it if he outright refused.

"But… what about the plan?"
"What plan?"
I responded as though I had no idea what he was talking about.

Cheol Ji-seon gave me a strange look and clarified.
"I mean, weren’t you going to clear up the misunderstanding about Celestial Stream Sect being tied to the Demonic Cult? And then use Ilcheon Sword to handle it? To do that, you’d need to share some intel, right?"
"Huh?"

Hearing that nonsense, my eyes widened.
What the hell was he talking about?
I shot back immediately.

"You bastard, are you serious? You’ve done a few bad things, and now you’re just bad to the bone, huh?"
"...What?"
Cheol Ji-seon stammered, clearly confused.

"What do you take me for? Use him to clean things up? What do you think Ilcheon Sword is—a straw mat I can just weave together however I like?"
"So... that wasn’t the plan?"
"Of course not."

Seriously.
I was so dumbfounded I didn’t know what to say for a moment.
"Ji-seon, you need to watch how you talk."

"Huh?"
"Clearing up a misunderstanding? That’s wrong right from the start."
Smiling, I patted Cheol Ji-seon’s shoulder.

"The Celestial Stream Sect is already in bed with the Demonic Cult."
"W-what…?"
With a gentle voice, as if correcting his misconception, I continued.

"Those bastards are allies with those lunatics from the Demonic Cult who want to burn the entire martial world to the ground. Not just them—the branch leader here and even Ilcheon Sword are in on it too."
"...What are you saying…?"
Cheol Ji-seon still couldn’t process what I was saying.

But I maintained a completely sincere expression—absolute certainty.
"That’s why we’re here—to eliminate these vile bastards in the name of justice. And you’re talking about tying them together? What a scary thought. That almost makes it sound like… we’re the bad guys."
"..."

"There’s no need to tie them together. They’re already tangled up, aren’t they?"
I smiled sharply.
Cheol Ji-seon stiffened, then nodded as if something had clicked.

It seemed he understood now.
He was sharp enough to catch on quickly.
"So."

While buttoning up my outer robe, I said,
"Keep that in mind. I’ll be going to meet one of those bad guys, so take care of the task I asked you to handle."
Cheol Ji-seon opened his mouth to speak, but I didn’t bother listening and stood up.

The preparations I’d made over the past three days were complete.
And with Ilcheon Sword here, things were finally about to start.
Clear up the misunderstanding about Celestial Stream Sect?

Not a chance.
‘Why clear it up when it’s so useful?’
If I could exploit it, I would gladly do so.

Because—
‘Might as well deal with all the nuisances at once.’
Considering how busy the past three days had been, there was no way I’d let this go to waste.

I checked the item Cheol Ji-seon had handed me earlier.
Unwrapping the cloth revealed a fine, white powder.
It was the key to making Ilcheon Sword believe he was the predator—

Powdered silkroot (Gyeon Yeolcho).
And it was poison I’d be ‘forced’ to ingest—courtesy of Ilcheon Sword’s hand.