The Ruler of Darkness

Imperial City, Emei Sect Headquarters.

‘What the hell is going on…?’

The Sect Master of the Emei Sect almost collapsed in her seat upon hearing the report that the Prince Hyeon was personally meeting with the family of Daseollang

‘It’s fine. It’s okay. Things haven’t gotten twisted yet. It must just be a coincidence.’

However, it didn’t take long for him to conclude that it was no coincidence.

The moment a nun entered the office with a pale face,

The Emei Sect Master realized that something had gone terribly wrong.

Imperial officials who usually wouldn’t even make eye contact barged in with fully armed Imperial troops.

They accused the Emei Sect of embezzling taxes owed to the Emperor.

At the same time, news flew in from all the battlefields they traded with that all of the Emei Sect’s assets had been frozen.

“Who the hell dares to do this under whose orders?!”

One official smirked, twisting his lips slightly.

“It’s by order of the Imperial City Governor.”

***

To think that the usually insignificant Imperial City Governor would pull something like this.

It was impossible.

He couldn’t possibly touch them, as they were under the protection of their alliance with the Dali Clan.

Then…

‘This is the doing of the Dali Clan.’

Her face distorted.

“But why the hell…?!”

The Sect Master thought of the face of the Imperial City Governor’s wife, who hailed from the Dali Clan, and opened the door to the Governor’s office.

“Sect Master, I’ve been waiting for you. Please have a seat over here.”

The Imperial City Governor offered her a seat as if he had been expecting her.

There was no conversation between the two.

Until his wife entered the office and sat at the head of the table.

“The Dali Clan has received some highly credible information.”

The Governor’s wife spoke with her usual cold, expressionless face.

“According to that information, the Emei Sect is currently planning an assassination of Daseollang”

All color drained from the Sect Master’s face.

‘How did they find out about that…?!’

The assassination plan for Daseollang was supposed to be top secret within the Emei Sect, known only to a select few.

“Wh-what do you mean…?”

Ignoring the Sect Master’s words, the Governor’s wife unilaterally announced what she had to say.

“My daughter Sanggwan Nanhwa is also a daughter of the Dali Clan. If the information about the assassination plan is true, it’s as if the Emei Sect has attacked our alliance.”

Her inanimate eyes turned to the Sect Master.

“Therefore, this alliance is suspended until the truth is revealed.”

She then clutched her chest.

“Personally, it’s a very shocking and surprising turn of events.”

The Sect Master screamed internally as she looked into those emotionless glass bead-like eyes.

‘What the hell kind of nonsense is this now?!’

No matter what they did to Daseollang, which included Sanggwan Nanhwa, she couldn’t believe the words of this woman who had never said a thing about it until now.

‘No. Let’s calm down. This woman is just a proxy for the Dali Clan.’

The seasoned Sect Master quickly composed herself.

‘There’s no way the Dali Clan would abandon the Emei Sect, a valuable ally in Sichuan, over such a trivial reason.’

This was just a “justification”.

‘Something unknown has been going on under the surface…!’

It must be something so huge that the Dali Clan was willing to abandon an alliance that could keep the Sichuan Clan in check within Sichuan.

The Emei Sect had gotten entangled in this absurd situation without knowing anything.

“Just based on information received, you’re severing the alliance. Isn’t that too much?”

“That’s why I said it’s suspended.”

The Governor’s wife replied, still maintaining her signature lack of expression.

“If there is no assassination attempt, the Dali Clan will withdraw all of this. Of course, there will be an apology and suitable compensation to go along with it.”

It was an answer that left no room for negotiation.

There was no intention to compromise.

‘…Is it over?’

The Emei Sect Master closed her eyes tightly, shattering the composure she had barely maintained.

If she could cancel the assassination request even now, there would be no problem, but it was impossible in this situation.

‘All the effort I put into contacting the assassins guild in Henan Province Province without leaving a trace is now what’s holding me back…!’

Moreover, the assassins who had already received the request would have gone into hiding, leaving no trace behind to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.

The Sect Master wiped the sweat flowing down her face with her hand, not even thinking to take out the handkerchief in her pocket.

“…Then what about the tax evasion charges?”

The answer came from the Imperial City Governor, who had remained silent until then.

“If that assassination plan turns out to be true… don’t even think about getting away with laying a hand on my daughter!”

“…!”

The Sect Master involuntarily flinched back.

It was a aura that she had never imagined from the usually weightless Imperial City Governor, to the point that the Sect Master’s body, which had reached the apex, reflexively moved to recognize it as a danger signal.

‘…Surrounded on all sides.’

The knife was already at her throat before she could even assess the situation.

And it wasn’t a knife that had stopped close by, but a blade that was getting closer with each passing moment.

Furthermore, the Emei Sect had an even bigger problem than this furious Imperial City Governor.

‘If the alliance with the Dali Clan ends, we’ll have to face the losing Sichuan Clan in Sichuan alone.’

The Sect Master shook her head as she desperately sought a way out while internally chanting Buddhist scriptures.

‘…We’ve been had, completely.’

Now was the time to find a path to survival.

Taking a deep breath, the Sect Master opened her eyes that had been closed.

“…The Emei Sect admits defeat.”

Her voice trembled.

“Who should we contact?”

The Imperial City Governor and his wife answered simultaneously.

“The Eldest Young Master of the Luoyang Sword House, Yeon So-hyeon.”

***

Imperial City, Sichuan Clan, Reception Room.

‘Not yet. There’s still one last chance left.’

The Emei Sect Master waited alone for the owner of the reception room to show himself.

‘Because I pretended to admit defeat in front of them, I obtained an important clue.’

Luoyang Sword House, Eldest Young Master Yeon So-hyeon.

She had no idea how that Eldest Young Master, who she knew was not even of age yet, was involved in this matter.

But she had gained one more clue than before and had not given up yet.

“Oh ho? What’s this about? The Sect Master of the Emei Sect personally enters the heart of the ‘enemy camp’?”

An elder of the Sichuan Clan, who entered the reception room after a long while with a leisurely appearance, sneered openly.

“My, my, the sun will rise from the west tomorrow.”

The sight of the Sichuan Clan elder bursting into laughter while clutching his belly, as if he was having a lot of fun.

However, the Sect Master was not bothered in the slightest and brought up her business.

“You must have already heard about what happened this time.”

“Of course. I’ve heard of it.”

The elder’s gaze, devoid of any warmth, and his blatantly exposed greed were directed at the Sect Master.

“Have you perhaps come to make a deal? Or request mediation? You’re surely not here to beg, are you?”

“…Call it whatever you like.”

The Sect Master forced a smile, wrinkling her face full of wrinkles.

“We’ll hand over 50% of the shares in the businesses currently owned by the Emei Sect.”

“Hmm…”

The Sichuan Clan elder showed an indifferent attitude despite the enormous sum.

“Then how about we transfer the operating rights to the Emei Sect?”

“…Well…”

The Sect Master didn’t give up.

The enemy of an enemy can become an ally.

It was time to take a gamble, even with the slimmest of odds.

If they joined hands with the Sichuan Clan, even at a great cost, couldn’t they aim for a comeback at any time?

“My, my…”

The Sichuan Clan elder, who had only been shaking his head for a long time, sighed.

“I’m getting bored now, so let me tell you.”

“What do you…?”

Was he just toying with her all this time?

The Sect Master’s gaze turned fierce, but the other party paid no heed.

“If you want to resolve this matter, there is someone else you need to contact, Sect Master.”

A name flashed through the Sect Master’s mind upon hearing those words.

“Don’t tell me…?”

“The Eldest Young Master of the Luoyang Sword House, Yeon So-hyeon.”

“…!”

The Sichuan Clan elder burst into mad laughter, incomparable to before, upon seeing the Sect Master’s expression.

“….”

“…Ah, and Sect Master.”

After bending backwards and laughing alone for a long time, he met the Sect Master’s eyes.

“I recommend you don’t even think about trying anything funny.”

His mouth stretched into what seemed like a long tear.

“The shadows of our clan are monitoring the Emei Sect’s every move.”

***

Luoyang, Mount North Mang, Gongsun Clan Residence.

“With the Young Master’s explanation, I roughly understand the situation the Emei Sect is in.”

The former clan heads had heard an explanation about the “net of Yeon So-hyeon” that had befallen the Emei Sect.

However, they felt that they had even more questions than before hearing the explanation.

“Young Master, before continuing the story, please answer our questions first!”

“There’s no way the Dali Clan would abandon their most important ally in Sichuan over something like that! The assassination plan for Daseollang is just a pretext! What kind of deal was made?!”

“And how did the Young Master know there was an assassination plan by the Emei Sect in the first place?!”

“For what reason did the Emei Sect try to assassinate Daseollang, whom they themselves were trying to claim?!”

Yeon So-hyeon waved his hands with a smile at the barrage of questions pouring down like a summer shower.

“Now, now, everyone calm down. You’ll understand once you hear the whole story, but I’ll explain one thing at a time for now.”

The former clan heads barely shut their mouths and sat down at Yeon So-hyeon’s words.

‘Good. This is going very well.’

Yeon So-hyeon gave them a bright smile, looking at their excited appearance as if they could scream at the sky at any moment.

“First, I will explain later why the Dali Clan abandoned their ally, the Emei Sect. It’s related to the content that comes after now.”

“Alright. Whatever it is, just give us an answer!”

Yeon So-hyeon stroked his smooth chin.

“And as for how I found out about the assassination plan for Daseollang, it’s difficult for me to reveal that source.”

“It’s naturally hard to disclose an informant. I understand. So hurry up with the next question!”

In fact, even Yeon So-hyeon didn’t have an informant who could reveal a plan that was treated as top secret within the Emei Sect.

He just “remembered it”.

In the history before he returned with the power of the Dark Heavens Scripture, there was an incident where some of Daseollang’s group was murdered.

Yeon So-hyeon, who was secluded as usual, knew the rough timing through rumors among the servants at Wongak Pavilion.

And the rest was him finding the optimal assassination point by putting himself in the position of the assassin.

That assassination point was so perfect that even Elder Yeom and Old General No of the War Advisory Group acknowledged it.

There was no way his prediction could have gone wrong.

“Then tell us why the hell the Emei Sect tried to assassinate Daseollang!”

The former clan heads were even more impatient with Yeon So-hyeon, who was stalling for time.

“Alright, I’ll start by explaining why the Emei Sect tried to assassinate Daseollang”

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