As the martial artists from the Do-mun stepped into the mansion, they were greeted by a fog so thick that not even an inch ahead could be seen.
Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, usually had dense morning fog, but this was extraordinary—fog in broad daylight! The weather had been clear until just before entering the mansion.
Even waving their hands to disperse the fog did nothing. Despite being right next to each other, they couldn’t see a soul.
While all the Do-mun martial artists were bewildered, someone finally grasped the reason for the fog.
“It’s a formation! Damn it! It’s the Zhuge clan’s formation!”
It hit the Do-mun warriors that Zhuge clan’s youngest daughter, whom they had underestimated, had trapped them in this nightmare.
“It was a trap…! Cough!”
The sound of the first warrior who charged in getting pierced through the neck shattered their eardrums.
“Damn it! The warriors of Man Geum Battlefield are lying in wait inside the formation!”
“Escape! We need to get out and regroup!”
“I can’t see the exit! It should’ve been right behind me!”
“I jumped over the wall, but there’s no wall behind me!”
It felt like they had stepped into another world after just one step inside. Voices of panicking martial artists echoed everywhere.
“We’re already in the formation! Once you’re in, you can’t escape! Keep your wits about you!”
Once trapped in the formation, there was no way to break free until they smashed the caster or the item being cast.
Running away was futile; moving steadily forward was their only chance of survival.
Of course, whether just keeping calm would actually break the formation set by the direct line of the Zhuge clan was another question entirely.
“What a bunch of idiots. Frightened by just fog… Cough!”
Another martial artist from the Do-mun breathed his last.
“Gather where you hear my voice! If we scatter, we’re dead! Damn it! Is even the fog swallowing up our voices?”
A martial artist yelled out to give orders, but his voice was swallowed into the empty space around him.
The Ten Thousand Forms Mist Formation was more than just a fog-inducing trap.
The water vapor blocked their sight and sense of smell. As the fog thickened, it gradually even muffled their hearing. The stronger the formation became, the more it devoured their senses, systematically isolating them from the enemy.
“Ugh! I can’t feel anything! Cough!”
A martial artist barely twisted away to avoid a knife that had been thrust towards him from inches away.
“Not a chance!”
Enemy movements were too exaggerated. Even trapped in the formation, did they really think they wouldn’t be able to dodge this?
Using the recoil from his waist, the martial artist thrust his sword with full force towards where he thought a neck might be.
“Gack!”
“I’ve got one! Oh, what the hell! Y-You’re why?”
The body collapsing before the martial artist, clutching its neck, was definitely one of the Do-mun’s own who entered with him. Why was someone aimed for his neck a comrade?
He couldn’t fathom what was happening.
“I thought he was from Man Geum Battlefield? N-No way, does the formation really make it impossible to distinguish friend from foe?!”
What in the world was happening? Fighting among themselves while trapped in this formation?
A deadly situation. The martial artist finally realized the slim chances of coming out alive.
“Damn it, Zhuge-clan!” Cough!
It didn’t take long until he heard the despairing cries of the martial artists who had been desperately fighting back, but the formation put forth by the direct line of the Zhuge clan had only just begun.
“This is the Zhuge-duo’s Ten Thousand Forms Mist Formation. Impressive.”
They said it was called the Ten Thousand Forms Mist Formation. Truly, it was a formation crafted by the Zhuge clan, unmatched in trapping and beating down opponents.
“I’ve prepared hard for your proposal, but this is more impressive than I expected.”
“I didn’t expect the Zhuge clan’s formation to be this formidable either.”
Nodding in the living room, I could hear the cries fading away.
Setting up the formation in the mansion was something I had prepared for a long while.
I anticipated that someday the Do-mun might recklessly target the mansion. After revealing Ha-yeon’s identity to Miss Zhuge, I slowly began my preparations. When ten days remained until the ceremony, I accelerated the installation of the formation.
I thought I’d at least be able to support the warriors of Man Geum Battlefield, but I never thought they would destroy themselves.
I gazed at Zhuge Hyang with disbelief.
“Hehe. Master Kang gave us ample time!”
Miss Zhuge seemed even more pleased with our astonished faces, fanning herself with a fan I had no idea where she got it from.
“Are all Zhuge clan members this skilled?”
Clearly, every Zhuge clan member was a master of formations.
“Um, well, if my mother was to find out I was slacking, she’d definitely give me a whack on the back of my head. I had to act like I was doing something.”
Miss Zhuge said, fidgeting with her hands shyly.
“Ah, I see. Your mother made sure you practiced diligently.”
Although I had never met her, I could imagine a mother reacting with ‘Oh my, this brat’ when her child is entranced by a computer screen.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Miss Zhuge expected to have her multi-strip taken away until her grades came out this month, compelling her to achieve good results.
“I want to read novels too! I want to draw, but there’s just not enough time to do both, you know? Besides, once the formation is spread out, you can’t really tell what’s happening inside.”
It seemed she was into optimizing stealth.
“Haha. But it seems you practiced hard.”
“In the end, Mom became aware, and it was a bit tricky. But I figured as long as I wasn’t found out, I’d put extra effort into it.”
Learning how to be a Zhuge clan member goes beyond only martial arts. Just how dedicated must her zeal be for her hobbies for even the other Zhuge clan members not to notice her training a formation?
It reminded me of that student who’s always top of the class, claiming to reveal the secret of studying both the latest anime and 30 years ago anime at the same time—studying hard while indulging in their hobbies.
“I’ve organized everything. Most of the guards on watch have been dealt with. You can come out into the inner court now.”
While we had been leisurely chatting inside, the captain of the guards came to announce the end of the siege.
—————–
Before long, the fog had lifted.
Once the intruders were all dealt with, the fog dissipated. As I stepped into the inner court, the guards were all safe, dragging out the corpses of the assailants.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“How dare they attack a mansion guarded by the warriors of Man Geum Battlefield? Must be feeling braver than usual.”
“It seems the grudge from the Lush Green Post Office incident has festered in their bones.”
I scuffed the green hair lying on the inner court floor.
There was no way I could tell the truth about the Shadowless Thief and Ha-o’s story. Around the folks of Man Geum Battlefield, I’d cloak it as revenge for the Lush Green Post Office as I had said to Man Geum Jeon.
Fortunately, it seems even the Do-mun had prepared hair to tie them to the Lush Green Post Office.
“If the Ho Pil gang is linked with martial artists, they sure know how to avoid getting hurt.”
“My heart feels heavy knowing someone got hurt because of me.”
I let out a quiet sigh and bowed my head towards the martial artists hauling out the assailants’ corpses.
“Hahaha! We did only what we were supposed to, but you, Master Kang! No, Ho Pil! You took care of matters that none dared to handle yourself. Truly righteous work.”
Ho Pil wasn’t a powerful official; he didn’t hold a rank. He was just one of the foot soldiers fighting against outright crime.
Who in their right mind would want to associate with martial artists, risking their necks for a low-paying job? It’d be easier to pick on innocent merchants and wring out pennies.
People were talking about me in Wuhan precisely because Ho Pil actively intervened in the issues concerning martial artists.
“I merely did what needed to be done.”
“Recently, stories of Ho Pil are making waves in Wuhan. It’s natural that whenever someone does the right thing, envy and jealousy arise in the world. So please, don’t bear too much guilt.”
Looking around, the warriors of Man Geum Battlefield were actually bowing their heads to me.
“I’m grateful for your words.”
I thanked the captain of the guards and looked around, only to hear the loud creaking of the outer court’s door being thrown open.
“Let go! Let go!”
“We caught a guy trying to run!”
Two guards entered, dragging a figure who looked like he belonged to the Do-mun. I recognized that face.
“I know him.”
I remembered—he was one of the guys behind Do-mun Hyang-joo.
“Kang Yoon-ho! You bastard! How dare you trap us!”
“Ever seen a moth dive into a flame and blame the flame for being too hot?”
“Your plan is ruined because of you, Yoon-ho!”
If your plan fails multiple times, maybe it’s time to cut your losses. Aren’t you just betting ever more deeply, hoping to eventually win, thus leading to ruin?
“If you have another madman’s plan, I suggest you let us know; is running all that’s left for you now?”
“Cough! Just kill me!”
The spokesperson of the Do-mun frowned and turned away as if having nothing more to say.
“That’s not the kind of phrase I’d like to hear from a scruffy old man.”
Even a noble knight with a perfect record wouldn’t have indulged such a statement.
“We’ll take care of any inquiries regarding the martial arts.”
I thought about interrogating the spokesperson directly but ultimately just nodded.
I wasn’t equipped with expert interrogation skills, and I didn’t have time to waste on someone unwilling to share anything. I looked in the direction where the sun was setting.
“The sun will set soon.”
Before I knew it, the sun hung low in the west.
“It’ll be setting soon.”
Soon, dusk would settle in and night would follow. The ceremony for the long-awaited Do-mun Hyang-joo would be held soon. I also needed to head to the promised location as the former agenda.
Ha-yeon seemed to have her own reflections watching the sun, murmuring the same as I did while gazing at the western sky.
“Miss Zhuge.”
I turned my head and caught Miss Zhuge looking towards the western sky with me.
“Yes?”
“You should return to the mansion for a while.”
“Yeeeee?”
Miss Zhuge, understandably shocked, seemed to take my words the wrong way. But that wasn’t my intention.
“The mansion is in disarray, and we don’t know what might happen while we’re away.”
I pointed to the blood-soaked inner court.
Once Ha-yeon is inaugurated as Do-mun Hyang-joo, everything will end. It was time to eliminate any possible variables and secure our position.
Who knows, the cornered Do-mun Hyang-joo might flip 540 degrees and take Zhuge Hyang hostage. We must be cautious of potential happenings.
“…You mean you’re coming back?”
Miss Zhuge asked me in a trembling voice.
“Of course. Once today’s matters are settled, I need to return to normalcy.”
“…….”
Miss Zhuge didn’t respond to my words or nod; she merely looked back and forth between me and Ha-yeon with trembling eyes.
Did she have something on her mind?
Miss Zhuge opened and closed her mouth several times increasingly losing her energy and eventually dropped her shoulders, casting her gaze down.
“Hm?!”
What’s wrong?
Ha-yeon suddenly yanked my ear and whispered close.
“Don’t you get it? Miss Zhuge is worried.”
Worried? Why?
I glanced at Miss Zhuge, who had her head down. She seemed like a puppy about to be abandoned.
Ah, I see.
‘The reason we lived in the mansion was for Ha-yeon’s sake.’
There were multiple reasons, but the main one was to protect Ha-yeon. Although Miss Zhuge might have been initially fooled, she likely knew the truth by now.
Once this day passed, the issue concerning Ha-yeon would be resolved. There would no longer be a reason for us to live together.
Telling her to go back to the mansion in this situation must have felt like declaring our cohabitation was over.
‘I promised to take responsibility, yet only cared about Ha-yeon.’
Had she experienced a sense of neglect during that time? Maybe she thought I would disregard her once this matter was settled.
In any case, it was reasonable for her to worry.
“Miss Zhuge.”
How could I alleviate Miss Zhuge’s worries? After a brief moment of thought, I approached her.
“Yes? Eep?! K-Kang Gong-ja?!”
I could hear Miss Zhuge’s startled voice ringing in my ears. It was indeed a surprise.
Since I had just hugged Miss Zhuge tightly.
“Miss Zhuge.”
I called her softly once more with affection.
“Hehe.”
I could hear the rapid beating of her heart.
“Once I return, we’ll go for a stroll together. Just casually chatting about novels.”
While warmly holding Miss Zhuge in my arms, I whispered sweetly into her ear.
“R-Really?”
Was she genuinely that worried? I felt her anxious tremble against my chest. While keeping her embraced, I gently stroked the back of her head.
Through her gentle body, I could smell the fragrance of hydrangeas. If I held too tightly, she might just dissolve.
“Yes. I will return safely.”
If I could, I would love nothing more than to hold her longer. Even separating took superhuman willpower.
“Yeeeee. P-please have a safe trip!”
“I trust you’ll take care of Miss Zhuge. I’ll take care of Ho Pil’s matters.”
I looked at the nearby captain of the guards with a sorry expression as if asking him to look after things.
“Ahem. Understood.”
Did I show too embarrassing of a sight? The martial artists glancing my way wore somewhat bitter expressions.
“Hehehehe.”
“Ha-yeon, it’s time to move. Ha-yeon?”
Leaving the now melting Miss Zhuge behind, I spoke to Ha-yeon.
“…….”
What’s up with that pouty face again?
“If we’re not going soon, we’ll be late for the meeting point.”
“Y-Yes! Let’s go!”
Seemingly coming back to her senses, Ha-yeon nodded and turned to leave.
“Let’s hurry.”
The sun seemed to lay low across the west like it was celebrating our prevention of the Do-mun’s struggles.
The long-awaited night was finally approaching.
