The moon had risen high above Yujeong Crossing by the time Ji-Mun led them through the forest path hidden behind the shrine's garden wall.
A lantern swayed in her hand as she moved silently, with the natural grace of someone who had lived a life in shadows. The others followed cautiously — Sun-Ho, So-Ri, Yeon, Yul-Rin, Ma-Rok, and Master Jang — each sharp-eyed despite the quiet peace of the woods.
"So where exactly are we going?" Ma-Rok muttered.
"To a place even the clans forgot existed," Ji-Mun replied. "A training grove. My people call it the Willow Flame Hollow."
Yeon blinked and scribbled a note onto his slate:
"Too many poetic names. Suspicious."
Sun-Ho chuckled quietly. "You'll get used to it. Half the martial world speaks in metaphors."
The trail opened into a sunken glade rimmed with stone lanterns. A circle of wooden dummies, shattered targets, and dried blood hinted at its true purpose.
Ji-Mun bowed to a moss-covered post. "This is where I trained. If I'm to join you — truly — I want you to test me."
"Test?" So-Ri asked.
Ji-Mun turned to face Sun-Ho. "We've both fought. But never together. Let me prove I can keep up."
Sun-Ho tilted his head. "You want to spar?"
"No," Ji-Mun said, drawing two short curved blades from behind her back. "I want to be your shadow. For one night. Unseen. I'll follow your party without being caught until dawn."
Yul-Rin smirked. "And if we catch you?"
"You don't trust me."
"And if we don't?" So-Ri asked.
"Then I've earned your trust."
Sun-Ho nodded. "Deal."
"Are we allowed to cheat?" Yul-Rin asked.
"Absolutely," Sun-Ho said with a grin.
---
[That Night – Forest Path]
They resumed their journey westward, along the trade road toward Mount Geumgwan, where rumors whispered of a sect rising in secret.
Ji-Mun was gone — melted into the night like a leaf into still water.
So-Ri scanned the trees, her senses sharpened. Yul-Rin tossed powder into the air at intervals to catch any passing shadow. Ma-Rok stomped loudly on purpose — "to draw her out by annoying her," he claimed.
Sun-Ho led quietly, every now and then dropping a feather from his sleeve. Ji-Mun would have to dodge it silently — or risk exposing her position with a step too harsh.
But after three hours… no sound, no sign.
"Should we be worried?" So-Ri muttered.
Yul-Rin flicked her fan. "She's good."
"She's excellent," Master Jang confirmed. "I haven't sensed her since we left."
Yeon held up his signboard:
"Maybe she's a ghost. A helpful one."
Then suddenly—
rustle.
A faint pressure in the air. Not Ji-Mun.
Sun-Ho's eyes narrowed. "Wait."
The air grew colder. From the hill's edge, several robed figures stepped forward — embroidered crimson silk and masks of black clay.
"The Red Veil Sect," So-Ri whispered.
A low voice rang out. "Baek Sun-Ho."
No title. No pretense. Just his name.
"So much for staying hidden," Ma-Rok grunted.
The lead figure continued. "Your path ends here."
Sun-Ho stepped forward, his tone calm. "That's quite the declaration for strangers on a moonlit path."
"You stand in our way. You gather ghosts and traitors. The clans do not tolerate infection."
Master Jang muttered, "They're testing the waters. Cowards. They're not even using their true elites."
"Then let's send them a message," Sun-Ho said.
---
[Battle Begins – Crushed Leaves and Flying Dust]
Wheee—!
Wind howled as So-Ri darted forward, her fans slicing through the first wave. Crimson cloth fluttered — swish!
Clang!
Yul-Rin's needles deflected a hidden blade.
Ma-Rok charged with a roar — BOOM! — flattening a masked figure into a tree trunk.
"Still breathing!" Ma-Rok called. "Sort of."
One enemy leapt at Yeon — bad idea. The boy merely ducked, grabbed the man's arm, and crack! flung him over his shoulder.
Sun-Ho watched, not drawing his sword, only observing. He wasn't needed yet. His people — his party — were holding their own.
One Red Veil member broke formation and dashed straight for Sun-Ho, blade low, eyes desperate.
Fwish!
A curved knife from nowhere embedded in the attacker's thigh.
He dropped, howling.
Ji-Mun reappeared from the shadows, breathing slightly heavier than before. "Permission to rejoin the group?"
Sun-Ho smiled. "Approved."
"You passed," So-Ri muttered. "But next time, don't make it so hard."
Ji-Mun looked around. "You were already surrounded."
"We knew," Sun-Ho said. "Just wanted to see how long you'd wait before stepping in."
---
[Post-Battle — Warm Fire and Decisions]
The group settled in a nearby abandoned cottage, with a flickering fire and light bruises all around.
"So," Sun-Ho said, "how do we want to handle this?"
"Those sect members weren't scouts," Master Jang said. "They were messengers. Which means we're making waves."
Ji-Mun added, "The Red Veil works under the Third Patriarch of the Crimson Spine Clan — the one trying to place his puppet in the Murim leader seat."
Yul-Rin muttered, "And we just killed their messengers."
"They attacked us first," Ma-Rok said, flexing his shoulders. "That makes it self-defense, right?"
"Depends," Yul-Rin replied, "on who's writing the report."
Sun-Ho stared into the fire. "Then we move ahead. Quietly. Musang Oje will pay them a visit soon."
So-Ri leaned against him slightly. "And the real you?"
He looked at her, smiling faintly. "The humble candidate continues his journey."
Yeon scribbled on his board, yawning:
"Too many yous. Keep track."
Everyone laughed.
But outside, hidden by the trees, a shadow watched.
And reported everything back to a crimson-robed elder.
---
Later that night, the group sat around the crackling fire. Ma-Rok gnawed loudly on a dried meat stick, Yeon stared into the flames, Yul-Rin adjusted her hair ornaments for the fifteenth time, and Ji-Mun sat stiffly on a log, still unsure if she was officially part of the group or just a tolerated shadow.
"So," So-Ri said, raising an eyebrow, "do we have any official rules for this party?"
"Like a creed?" Ma-Rok asked. "Ooh, can it rhyme?"
Sun-Ho shook his head. "Not that kind of party."
"We could start with basic etiquette," Yul-Rin said sweetly. "Like not stealing someone's dumplings while they're meditating."
Everyone looked at Ma-Rok.
"What? I was spiritually hungry."
Ji-Mun tilted her head. "Do I get a role?"
"You're the shadow," So-Ri said.
"Which means I do everything and nobody thanks me?"
"Exactly."
Ji-Mun smirked. "Perfect. Feels like home."
Sun-Ho looked around, warmth rising in his chest. The firelight danced across familiar faces — the loud, the quiet, the careful, the reckless. None of them were perfect, but all of them were real.
And maybe… just maybe… this strange little group was becoming something more than just a resistance cell.
They were starting to feel like a family.
Yeon suddenly held up a new sign, having scribbled it with practiced speed:
"Rule 1: Don't die stupidly."
Yul-Rin tapped her fan against her palm. "Honestly? That might be the most useful rule we've got."
Everyone nodded in agreement — even Ji-Mun.
---
[End of Chapter - 25 ]