I’ve seen some truly ridiculous shit since getting stuck in the Moyong Clan. What I’m looking at right now? Definitely up there.
“…The hell’s he doing here.”
It was just after dinner. The attendants were busy inside, tidying up for the night. More specifically, they were prepping for the overnight—stoking the fire, heating bathwater, laying out medicines and snacks.
In the middle of all that rush, one guy just… slipped in. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. Even acted like he’d been working with them the whole time.
And who else could pull that off? Obviously Sahyeon.
“Unbelievable.”
He was so shameless, I actually let out a snort. I’d stepped out for a moonlit walk, trying to shake off the pressure in my chest, and instead got served this comedy act.
Then Sahyeon and I locked eyes. He did that stupid eye-squint thing again—like he had a twitch—and I gave him a crooked smile in return.
But then, out of nowhere, he picked up an armful of firewood and started walking toward me. It was awkward as hell, but everyone else was so busy they didn’t even notice what he was doing.
“Oh, my lady. Going for a walk?”
“Yeah.”
“L-let me carry the l-lantern for you.”
“Sure, whatever.”
I played along with the bastard’s little act. But as he stepped past me to take the lead, something in the air caught my attention—a faint, sharp scent that tugged at my nerves.
“Wait.”
I stopped him. That smell… it was blood. Faint, but there. And not just blood. As soon as I placed it, my gut went cold.
“You. Get inside.”
“What? But I—I thought we were going for a walk…”
“Shut it and get in.”
I grabbed his sleeve and dragged him along. He looked confused but didn’t resist.
I shoved him into the guest salon and slammed the door behind us. I didn’t bother lighting a lamp—just let the moonlight do the work, casting the room in shadows.
“What’s going on?”
He lowered his voice slightly. He was asking me what’s going on?
“That’s my question. What the fuck is going on with you? Why the hell do you smell like that?”
“Huh? Smell?”
I grabbed him by the collar and yanked him close. Then I peeled off that damn mask of his—because with it on, I couldn’t read his face properly.
“Uh… Would you mind explaining what you’re doing? You’re a little too close right now.”
“Shut it.”
I slapped a hand over his mouth and pressed my nose to his collar, then to the back of his neck. As I sniffed him like a damn bloodhound, my mind was racing to match the scent. His whole body went tense.
Unless I was completely off base, this was…
“What’s your connection to the Hao Alliance?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“I’ve felt it before, too. Are you here because of them?”
Sahyeon didn’t answer right away. He just stared at me. Probably trying to figure out how much I knew.
He wouldn’t spill a word unless I showed my hand first.
I hesitated—debating how much to reveal—then spoke.
“You smell like tracking incense. Did you know?”
At the word tracking incense, his expression shifted slightly. So, no—he hadn’t known.
“How do you know that?”
“…I told you. I could smell it.”
“They say Hao Alliance’s tracking incense is strong enough to carry across a thousand li, but that’s only for people who’ve been trained to detect it. Regular folks can’t pick it up. So are you with the Hao Alliance?”
That question hit like a punch to the lungs. No way to answer it cleanly.
I’d never been part of the Hao Alliance. I was from the Black Ring Sect, and I’d led the Blood Rain Corps. But I had ties to the Hao Alliance—and during that time, I learned about the incense. Let’s say it was a mix of personal connections and a bit of light blackmail.
Even when I first met Sahyeon, I’d felt faint traces of the Hao Alliance on him. That’s why I’d kept an eye on him. I assumed he was here on a mission.
But this time was different. This was unmistakably tracking incense. The kind the Hao Alliance uses on high-value surveillance or kill targets.
If I wanted to explain all this, I’d have to admit way too much—starting with the fact that I’d once been part of the unorthodox clans.
“…I’m not with the Hao Alliance.”
“Then how do you know?”
“I can’t tell you that. But you need to answer me. What’s your connection to them?”
Sahyeon clamped his mouth shut. Definitely wasn’t planning on talking. And I couldn’t offer more on my side either. It was driving me insane.
The atmosphere between us, so warm just a few nights ago, had turned painfully awkward.
I let go of his collar. In the end, there was only one thing I could say.
“I can’t tell you how I know. But I’m not making shit up.”
“……”
“Stay away from the Hao Alliance. I know they’ve got you marked, and yeah, you can’t exactly cut ties overnight. But don’t get too deep.”
He didn’t say anything. I couldn’t tell what the hell he was thinking, and that silence was grating.
Outside, the noise had started to die down. Seemed like the household was wrapping up for the night. Finally, Sahyeon spoke.
“Okay. Got it.”
“……”
“You’re just worried about me, right?”
“Yeah.”
That one, I could say without hesitation. Sahyeon gave a slow nod.
“I’ll trust you.”
I kept watching him carefully, but he didn’t press for more. Instead, he smoothly changed the subject—just small talk.
“So what’d you do today?”
“Me? Met with my master, had a chat… ran into Iheon and talked with him a bit too.”
“Hm.”
His eyes narrowed slightly at Iheon’s name. Like he was analyzing something. Honestly, it was weird how he always seemed to know what was going on inside the Moyong Clan. One guy, two ears—how the hell did he hear everything?
Come to think of it… maybe he’d already heard my whole conversation with Iheon.
Sure enough, he asked without a shred of hesitation,
“You want to go to Sichuan?”
“…I don’t know.”
So I answered honestly. If I was going to run off before the Moyong Clan was wiped out, it might be easier to disappear from Sichuan. My brothers wouldn’t be able to pursue me immediately.
The Dang Clan wouldn’t be easy to shake either, but since I wasn’t married to Iheon yet and still just some outsider’s daughter, they wouldn’t chase me as hard as the Moyongs would.
If I staged a kidnapping, the Sichuan Dang Clan would waste time looking in the wrong places. That’d buy me time, even if I didn’t have much martial skill.
Considering everything, going to Sichuan would be the smarter move.
“With your personality? You’d suffocate inside the Dang Clan.”
“Eh. It’s not like I plan to stay there forever.”
“Food’s spicy.”
“I like spicy.”
“…So this is about marriage?”
“What?”
I’d been answering absentmindedly, then jerked in surprise. This bastard—after all that, he still didn’t believe I wasn’t trying to get married?
“I’m not going there to get married, okay? We’re just checking if there’s a way to restore my energy center. That’s what Iheon said too.”
“And you believe him? Wow. That’s adorably naive.”
“Naive? Me? You realize that’s the first time anyone’s said that to my face?”
I snapped back, and Sahyeon sighed like he was the one who had to put up with something exhausting. The hell?
“Iheon said you didn’t have to answer right away, right? That he needed time to wrap up the remnants…”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t think he’ll be staying here much longer.”
“What? Why?”
“I just don’t think he will.”
Sahyeon unfastened his hair and started tying it back up again. He looked… annoyed. Like a sulky brat. Which, frankly, didn’t suit him at all—but there it was.
“How do you know that?”
“Because I—…”
He started to answer but cut himself off. No follow-up. Instead, he changed the subject entirely.
“There’s a lantern festival next month. Want to go? We could finally get that noodle dish we missed at the night market.”
“Noodles? Really? Back up. How do you know Iheon won’t be here long?”
Dodging the question like that was not his style. I gave him a sharp glare, and he just looked right at me and sighed.
“There’s nothing I don’t know. Moyong Clan is the palm of my hand.”
“Wow. Talking big right in front of a Moyong.”
“You gonna punish me?”
He gave a greasy smile.
What was I supposed to do, torture him to get a real answer?
“Forget it. If you don’t want to talk, don’t. Go out the window. If someone sees us leave together, it’ll be a pain in the ass.”
“Let’s talk a bit more.”
“Get out.”
I shoved the grotesque mask at his chest and turned away. When he didn’t move, I physically pushed him toward the window.
As he let himself be shoved along, he kept looking back at me.
“So… you don’t want to go to the lantern festival?”
“You said it’s a month away. We don’t even know what’s happening tomorrow. How the hell am I supposed to commit to that?”
“You’ve gotta make some kind of long-term plans in life. Come on, let’s go. Yeah?”
“Oh my god, just get out.”
I gave him one last shove and turned my back.
Then, remembering why I’d dragged him in here in the first place, I added quietly,
“Don’t brush off what I said. Stay away from the Hao Alliance. It’s dangerous.”
“……”
“Even if you can’t cut ties right away, don’t take any more jobs from them. Not until at least two winters have passed.”
I didn’t wait for a reply. Just left the room.
I didn’t check whether he went out the window or not. He wasn’t going to hole up in there forever. He’d sort it out.
In my past life, I had ties with the Hao Alliance. The Hao Alliance and the Black Ring Sect had an unofficial alliance.
Most unorthodox clans don’t bother forming coalitions. But the Hao Alliance is different. Since they deal in information, they’ll work with anyone if there’s something in it for them.
And betray them just as fast.
They’ve got the intel to know when a partnership stops being worth it—and they’re the first to cut ties.
The Black Ring Sect managed to stay allied with them for quite a while. We had a clear give-and-take. Since the Hao Alliance wasn’t full of top-tier martial artists, we protected them. In return, they became our eyes and ears.
“…Hah. Not like I can go confirm anything now.”
I couldn’t prove it, but I had a bad feeling. At the very end, the Hao Alliance might’ve sided with the Heavenly Demon. Just like the Black Ring Sect had.
That’s why I warned Sahyeon.
They clearly didn’t trust him. So why the hell should he keep dealing with them and risking his neck?
If anything, it’d make more sense to use me—Moyong Clan’s precious daughter—to get in touch with the Beggar’s Union instead.
As those thoughts swirled, something deep in my chest twisted with unease.
💟 Translator Notes 💟
“천 리 밖” (thousand li away): 1 li = ~0.5 km, so “thousand li” is ~500 km; this is a Korean metaphor for extreme range.
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