Night crept in with a biting chill, enveloping the Black Mist Valley, which served as a natural barrier between the Demon Faction's domain and the Orthodox Faction's trade routes. Amidst the oppressive silence, the gurgling sound of the river beneath the ravine sounded like a relentless whisper of death awaiting its prey.
Yoe Choin, clad in a black robe that now fit Moen Kang Yo better, stood at the end of the old wooden bridge connecting the two territories. Beside him, Gwi-Hyuk stood like an unmoving pillar of stone, his sharp eyes piercing the darkness, while his hand remained on the hilt of his long sword.
Choi didn't take a step forward. His blue eyes, glowing with the Blueprint, began automatically scanning the bridge structure before him.
"Old oak structure... the binding cables are made of low-quality hemp... there are fatigue cracks in the left main support. The maximum allowable load is only about two hundred kilograms if it is to remain stable. This bridge is an engineering failure waiting to collapse,"
Choi muttered quietly, mostly to himself.
"Foreman, forget about that rotten wood,"
the real Moen Kang Yo's voice hissed within his inner space, its aura roiling with hatred.
"I can sense the nauseating scent of plum blossoms on the other side. They've arrived. And they carry the same arrogant aura as Elder Gong."
"Patience, Boss. In a negotiation, the first to lose composure is the one with the most fragile mental structure,"
Choin replied calmly.
Suddenly, from behind the mist at the opposite end of the bridge, three figures appeared, dressed in pristine white robes embroidered with pink plum blossoms on the chest, the proud uniform of the Mount Hua Sect.
In their midst stood a young man with a handsome yet stern face, his hand holding a thin sword that radiated a subtle, cold aura.
Their footsteps were light, barely touching the wooden planks of the bridge. A technique that, in Choin's eyes, was a waste of potential energy for the sake of aesthetics.
"Stop right there, Demon,"
the young man's voice was clear but filled with contempt.
"You have crossed an unjust line. I am Song Jin, the third senior disciple of the Mount Hua Sect. And I am here to retrieve what you corrupt rats stole from us."
Choin raised an eyebrow, then slowly stepped forward to the center of the bridge. Each step he took exerted a steady static pressure, a stark contrast to the light steps of the Mount Hua disciples.
"Song Jin, huh?"
Choin began, his voice baritone and calm, as if speaking to a contractor on the job.
"You're talking about Elder Gong's shadow ledger? In my eyes, that ledger doesn't belong to you. It's an internal 'Audit Document' that proves illegal collaboration between my officials and outsiders who claim to be 'holy' like you."
Song Jin's face flushed, his eyes narrowed sharply.
"How dare you insult Mount Hua's honor! Elder Gong was merely a middleman. The gold and Black Iron materials he sent were compensation for territory that should have belonged to the Orthodox Faction!"
"Compensation? That's a fancy term for underhanded 'Project Bribery,'"
Choin chuckled, a laugh that provoked his opponent's ire.
"Listen, Song Jin. As the new manager of Evernight Gate, I have already canceled all illegal contracts made by Elder Gong. Any assets leaving without my express permission are considered material theft."
"Manager? What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Song Jin drew his thin sword, its tip vibrating with a sharp 'ting' sound.
"Hand over that book now, or this bridge will become a grave for an ungrateful bastard like you!"
"Foreman! Let me out! I'll rip out that arrogant tongue of his!"
roared the real Moen Kang Yo, triggering an explosion of black Qi around Choin's feet.
"Not yet, Boss. We're conducting a 'Tensile Test' on their patience,"
Choin whispered to himself.
Choin stared at Song Jin with a blue glare.
"You're threatening me on this bridge with its crumbling supports? Very unprofessional. If we fight here, the vibrations from your unstable Qi will disrupt the bridge's resonance frequency, and we'll all fall into the abyss."
"You think I'm afraid of the abyss?!"
Song Jin lunged forward. His Plum Blossom Sword Art exploded, creating a beautiful yet deadly shadow of flower petals, aiming for Choin's vital point on the neck.
Choin didn't draw his broadsword. Instead, he shifted his foot three inches to the right, directly above the sturdiest support beam according to his scans.
SLASH!
The tip of Song Jin's sword cut through thin air just millimeters from Choin's face. With an efficient movement, Choin grabbed Song Jin's wrist and spun his body around, using the law of inertia to throw Song Jin's momentum toward the bridge railing.
CRACK!
The wooden railing shattered as Song Jin's body slammed into it. The bridge swayed violently, emitting a terrifying creaking sound.
"I told you, your mental foundation is poor,"
Choin said flatly.
"You attack with emotion, ignoring your own stability. In the construction world, someone like you will only cause accidents for your teammates."
Song Jin rose to his feet, his face now filled with pure rage.
"You... you're just a lucky piece of trash! Attack him!" he ordered the other two disciples.
Gwi-Hyuk, who had been silent until now, suddenly shot forward. His dense Internal Finishing aura exploded, creating a gravitational pressure that stopped the two Mount Hua disciples in their tracks, their knees trembling under the weight of the immense Qi.
"Gwi-Hyuk, hold on,"
Choin ordered.
Choin walked over to Song Jin, who was still panting. He took the Withered Plum Blossom metal piece from his pocket and threw it at Song Jin's feet.
"Take this wreckage back to your master, or whoever sent you,"
Choin hissed coldly.
"Tell him this field audit has only just begun. If he wants this ledger, have him come in person with a reasonable 'Budget Plan' to compensate for all the material losses you've stolen from my sect."
"You'll regret it, Moen Kang Yo! Mount Hua will not tolerate this insult!" Song Jin shouted as he retreated with the help of his two comrades.
Choin watched their backs disappear into the mist with the gaze of a foreman crossing subcontractors' names off his work list.
"Foreman... you let them live?"
asked the real Moen Kang Yo, his tone filled with disappointment but also a hint of admiration.
"Killing them now will only accelerate the timeline of a conflict we're not ready to bear, Boss,"
Choin replied, turning toward headquarters.
"We need time to clear the 'Death Labyrinth' at the front gate. Let them carry the message so our opponents will underestimate us for a while."
Choin walked past Gwi-Hyuk, who bowed respectfully. Dawn was beginning to break over the eastern horizon, illuminating the Evernight Gate, which was being renovated with sweat, logic, and blood.
"Gwi-Hyuk,"
Choin called without looking up.
"Tomorrow morning, order the blacksmiths to double the production of steel nails. We have a much larger 'visitor' coming to try to tear down our home."
The pacing of the story remained slow, but beneath the calm surface, Yoe Choin had just drawn the battle lines that would change the power structure of the entire Jianghu forever.