---

The Season Was Still Autumn

The season was still autumn.

It was just when the leaves began to change color and the fallen leaves started to swirl.

I climbed along the tranquil path for quite a while.

There was no time to admire the beautiful scenery or captivating views.

All I could hear was the shallow sound of breaths.

Clearly, the people gathered didn’t appear to be struggling much as they climbed the trail.

Just yesterday, everyone was complaining about hardships, but today, not a single grunt was heard.

The destination was right ahead, and by now, they had no strength left to complain.

It had been such a grueling march that it could drive anyone to despair.

“Ah, I can see the destination ahead!”

The moment someone uttered that, the people’s breaths quickened.

Seeing the place they longed for infused their weary emotions with newfound energy.

After climbing the stairs for just a bit longer, they finally arrived at the large door, and as soon as they did, the door swung open as if it had been waiting for them.

Thanks to the guards who had already been stationed there by the door.

<Creeeak!>

As the door opened, a figure appeared.

A middle-aged man with a friendly smile greeted the gathered crowd.

“Welcome from the Main Sect—.”

“Uwaaa…!”

“W-We’re here—!”

“G-Give way—!”

“…A lot of you?”

Before the middle-aged man could finish his statement, the crowd pushed through.

The desperation was so overwhelming that no one could stop them.

The group streamed through the door and, as soon as they entered, they started to collapse on the floor.

“Gahhh….”

“P-Pleas—give me some water.”

“…Uhm… What is… this?”

They looked as if they had lost their minds, staggering around in a way that was quite frightening.

The administrator, who appeared startled by the unexpected scene, was obviously bewildered.

What on earth was going on?

While the man was deep in thought—

“Greetings!”

A light voice called out.

Startled, the man turned his head.

A young man approached, smiling, and his grin was quite terrifying.

He needed to recover quickly.

“Ah, my apologies. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

As soon as he recognized the young man’s appearance, it hit him.

This young man was exactly the one he had been anxiously waiting for.

It was impossible not to know this young man in the central plains.

Especially with that splendid robe he wore.

It was the official robe of the Main Sect’s sword team, granted only to those of Lord rank.

It was as good as having his identity verified.

The middle-aged man laughed wearily and addressed the young man.

“It’s an honor to meet the Star King. I am Mokriseon, the Branch Leader of the Sichuan Branch.”

“I am Gu Yangcheong of the Star Dragon.”

“You must have struggled greatly coming such a long way.”

“Not at all. It wasn’t that difficult to get here.”

“Oh, I see then.”

While speaking, Mokriseon sneaked a glance to the side.

The members who seemed to be from the Star Dragon were collapsed, gasping for breath as if they were zombies.

If it wasn’t hard at all, then why did they look like that?

And—

‘Is this young man really the new Great Lord?’

He looked extremely young. Younger than his own son, even.

Could it be true that such a young man had saved people in Hanam and risen to the rank of a King-Ranked Martial Artist?

It seemed unbelievable. Yet—

‘…If the Main Sect says so, then I guess I have to believe it.’

It was a statement made by the Main Sect, of all places.

Whether Mokriseon believed it or not wouldn’t change the situation.

As he pondered this while casually surveying his surroundings—

“Hm?”

He noticed something odd.

“Excuse me…”

“Yes?”

“I heard that the Cheongryong Great Lord accompanied you as well…?”

According to the letter received beforehand, it was said that the Cheongryong Great Lord and his members would be among those arriving, but oddly enough, Il Cheonggeom was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh, that.”

As he heard the question, the Star King chuckled slightly and replied.

“The Cheongryong will arrive about two to three days late.”

“Pardon?”

“We came in quite a hurry. It seems the Cheongryong will be taking their time.”

“I see…”

Acknowledging that they had rushed, Mokriseon nodded.

As he said, they had indeed arrived quickly.

He had expected them to arrive at least five days later, but to arrive already meant the Star Dragon had moved impressively fast.

‘…Could that be the reason?’

Only then did Mokriseon realize why the members looked so exhausted.

They had arrived five days earlier than scheduled.

To do that, they must have traveled at a considerable speed from Hanam to here without much rest.

Perhaps that was the cause of their weary states?

Mokriseon harbored cautious doubts.

No, he was almost certain of it. Yet, there was another reason he couldn’t fully be confident.

‘Why are only half of them this tired?’

While many of them looked like utter wrecks, the other half appeared worn out but considerably fine.

Especially the women, who looked remarkably okay.

‘Moreover, how come they’re all so stunning?’

Each one of them was strikingly beautiful.

While Mokriseon found himself transfixed watching them, he caught sight of one woman and his eyes widened.

“Gah…! Could it be Lady Tang Soyeol?”

“Ah.”

The woman with emerald green hair.

He recognized Tang Soyeol, a member of the Tang Clan, and was surprised to acknowledge her.

Tang Soyeol, in response to his reaction, awkwardly smiled and nodded.

“It’s been a while since we’ve met.”

“Have you been well?”

“Yes, I’m doing well.”

“Who would have thought you would join the Martial Alliance…. By the way, how is the Clan Leader?”

“… Yes, the Clan Leader is well…”

An awkward conversation continued.

The Sichuan Branch was tight-knit with the Tang Clan, and they were familiar with each other.

As Gu Yangcheong quietly observed them, he slightly furrowed his brows.

“Deputy Lord.”

“Ah, yes. Great Lord.”

He quietly called out to Tang Soyeol.

“Since we’ve arrived, please guide them to their accommodations to tidy up. I need to talk with the Branch Leader for a bit.”

“What about our rest?”

“Rest….”

Gu Yangcheong glanced sideways, seeing the expressions on the members’ faces as if they were ready to drop dead.

Observing this, Gu Yangcheong smirked slightly.

“Take today to rest. Gather by the Third Watch tomorrow. Don’t skip your night watch duties because you’re tired.”

“Understood.”

Upon hearing that, a tired cheer erupted.

The fact that they could rest for even a day seemed to please them immensely.

Seeing this, Gu Yangcheong shook his head.

He didn’t seem very pleased.

‘What kind of hardship did they endure?’

They had only rushed a little faster than usual to arrive, yet it seemed so tiring for them.

Of course, given the presence of those with relatively lower realms, they must have had a rough time.

‘The speed was adjusted for the slowest member.’

He had adjusted the pace so that everyone could keep up.

If he had set the pace so that it suited him, they could have easily arrived much faster.

Despite that, they still looked like they were about to collapse.

‘Tsk, tsk.’

Though he had much to say, he decided to let it slide since they had at least managed to arrive.

What mattered was no matter what.

In the end, they had made it to Sichuan.

After sending the group under Tang Soyeol’s care, Gu Yangcheong followed the Branch Leader into the room.

“Thank you once more for coming…”

“Not at all. I’m merely here to do what I’m assigned.”

“Hahaha. You must be tired, having just arrived. Are you sure you don’t want to take a rest?”

“I’m fine. It’s not that exhausting, so please go right ahead.”

“Oh, understood….”

After some light conversation, Gu Yangcheong produced a letter from his belongings and handed it over.

“This is the Sect’s seal and confirmation letter.”

“Thank you. I have received it.”

It signaled that they were acting on behalf of the Sect, and they would be proceeding with their duties from that point on.

Once he accepted it, Mokriseon handed over a letter of his own.

“These are the gathered pieces of information thus far.”

“There doesn’t seem to be a great deal of it?”

“Yes. It has been summarized as much as possible.”

Counting up, it seemed to be about five sheets.

“Hmm.”

Rustle.

He quietly examined the written lines.

The contents were not significantly more than what Muk Yeon had provided.

If he had to nitpick—

‘The frequency of contact with unidentified individuals has increased.’

The previously received information pegged the frequency of contact at about five instances over the period of fifteen days.

However, now it had reached nearly a majority surplus.

Feeling this, he asked Mokriseon.

“Do you know the identity of the individuals you’re meeting at the Gyecheon Sect?”

“Well… From what we’ve gathered, they seem to be from the Upper House….”

“Not precisely clear, then.”

“…Correct.”

Hearing this, Gu Yangcheong nodded.

“Indeed. The Gyecheon Sect is known for its aggressive tendencies, and if they’re involved with the Upper House, there are numerous peculiarities.”

With a rustle, he flipped through the papers and then looked at Mokriseon as he added.

“However, do you have any particular reason for believing they’re from the Upper House?”

“Oh, that’s…”

Oh?

Upon starting to speak, Mokriseon squinted, noticing something was amiss.

‘Why does everything feel too convenient?’

Reporting to a Great Lord was only natural, yet somehow, it felt suspicious.

‘…Why does everything seem so smooth?’

From what he heard, the Star King had been a Late-Stage Talent before becoming a Great Lord, yet their words flowed too fluently.

It felt as if they were having a conversation with seasoned, experienced individuals—at least as capable as a squad leader.

The sense of communication was prevalent amongst them.

“When we tracked them, we found out they were operating out of the Guangdong region….”

“Guangdong?”

“Yes. The Choya Gang. It was indeed a real organization… but…”

As Mokriseon trailed off, Gu Yangcheong immediately added to his thought.

“They could have merely borrowed their name. They wouldn’t be insane enough to openly deal with a sect that’s on the Martial Alliance’s bad side.”

“…You’re right.”

“Hmm.”

After exchanging a few more thoughts.

He was intending to read further into the details as he flipped through the letter.

Time passed a little.

“I understand that the Gyecheon Sect is planning to initiate a scheme… but I don’t see any connections with the Demonic Sect. What’s the deal with Gwiakchang?”

At Gu Yangcheong’s question, Mokriseon swallowed lightly before responding.

“I discovered a figure that bore a remarkable resemblance to Gwiakchang among those presumed to be guarding the Upper House.”

“Hmm. But that’s not affirmative.”

“Yes, however, the recent odd actions of the Gyecheon Sect are concerning. If they’ve prepared something similar to what they did in Hanam under the influence of the Demonic Sect…”

Mokriseon swallowed again with a tense expression, adding.

“In particular… with the Tang Clan likely weakened, there’s a necessity for taking different measures.”

“So, you sent information to the Sect and requested support… is that it?”

“Precisely.”

With Mokriseon’s confirmation, Gu Yangcheong neatly folded the letter, tucking it away.

“Nice point. The summarization is well done and easy to read. You’ve clearly been through a lot.”

“Haha… Not at all. I’m just doing my duties as Branch Leader.”

“I agree with your point that the Gyecheon Sect’s actions seem strange… We did come here for investigation, after all.”

At Gu Yangcheong’s words, Mokriseon displayed a bright reaction. It felt like a relief had washed over him.

“Got it. Should I gather the personnel from the branch to prepare for support?”

“Yes, that would be great. Ah, and.”

Gu Yangcheong tilted his head, speaking to Mokriseon.

“Please also prepare the full content before the summarization.”

“Pardon?”

Taken aback by what he said, Mokriseon asked back.

“Why would you need the unabridged information… Ah, if you felt there was a lack of data, you could summarize again…”

“That’s not it. I just feel it might be easier to analyze the unedited data directly. So, I’m requesting it.”

“Uh… understood.”

Though Mokriseon appeared slightly flabbergasted, he quickly masked his surprise.

As Gu Yangcheong stood up, he spoke.

“Well then, since I’ve heard everything I needed, I’ll be taking my leave.”

“I’ll guide you to your accommodations.”

“No need for that. I just need to step outside for a moment.”

“Pardon? You’re heading out?”

Mokriseon was startled by Gu Yangcheong’s words.

He’d only just arrived, and yet he was leaving already?

“But earlier you said today was for resting…”

“That’s for the members to rest. I have errands to run, but it won’t take long.”

Gu Yangcheong smiled as he said it, giving a slight bow.

“Well then, I’ll see you later.”

“No, a-ah… Yes… I’ll see you later.”

Mokriseon appeared somewhat perplexed. Gu Yangcheong turned away and grasped the door handle.

At that moment, Gu Yangcheong had wiped the smile off his face.

With his expression now serious, he thought to himself.

‘I see.’

He may not fully understand what was going on with the Gyecheon Sect yet, but one thing was certain.

‘First, I need to take care of the Branch Leader.’

Mokriseon of the Sichuan Branch.

This man was a spy.

 

---