Gwangtae Shrine – Elder Hwa's Courtyard
The wooden gate creaked as Sun-Ho stepped inside, scroll case in hand. The courtyard smelled of pine needles, old parchment, and the faintest whiff of fermented plum tea.
Elder Hwa Jin-Do sat cross-legged under a stone pavilion, surrounded by towers of books, a tea set, and a small fox snoring at his feet. He looked like a man grown from the mountain itself — white beard flowing like winter mist, eyes bright behind craggy lids.
"I see the wind has brought me visitors... and trouble," the elder said with a faint smile.
Sun-Ho bowed low. "We've come with truths too dangerous to be stored in the dark."
Yul-Rin handed over the sealed scroll case. Hwa turned it in his hands, thumb trailing over the wax sigil.
"Crimson Spine Sect seal. I expected forgeries. Let's hope I'm pleasantly disappointed."
He tapped the edge of the seal — tik — and it broke cleanly.
A few long seconds passed in silence as the elder's eyes moved across the contents.
Then his expression... changed.
His breath slowed. His fingers tightened on the scroll.
"…These are real," he whispered.
So-Ri stepped closer. "Can they help?"
"They do more than that," Hwa said grimly. "They show something older than the corruption we thought we knew."
---
Meanwhile, Back at the Trail – The Party Rests
Sunlight filtered through the tall cypress trees as the rest of the party waited below the shrine. Yeon played with a dried leaf, shaping it into a tiny crane. Ji-Mun watched with half-lidded eyes.
"You think the old man's going to help?" Ma-Rok asked, chewing on jerky.
"Better question," Yul-Rin said, "is whether we want him to."
So-Ri turned to them. "If we don't trust someone like Elder Hwa, we may as well admit this whole mission is pointless."
Yeon held up his chalkboard: "Pointless = your stew."
"Traitor," Ma-Rok muttered.
---
The party sat beneath an old cedar tree near the shrine's entrance, enjoying warm barley tea served by a very polite, very judgmental fox.
Yes — the fox.
It walked upright like a trained beast and had a perfect sense of timing, always delivering the tea when someone started to complain.
When Ma-Rok loudly proclaimed he'd been stabbed "at least three and a half times" by rogue sect rangers, the fox plopped a steaming mug into his hands with a silent sniff.
"Thanks, I guess?" Ma-Rok blinked. "Did… did it just roll its eyes?"
"It did," So-Ri said. "You're being outclassed by a woodland mammal."
Ji-Mun poked at the fox's tail. "What sect teaches manners to animals?"
Yul-Rin looked up from the scroll she was transcribing. "Don't question the fox. Just drink the tea. It's better than your soup."
Yeon scribbled on his slate: "I bet it cooks better, too."
Sun-Ho laughed under his breath. "If the Murim Alliance is run by people this fox disapproves of, I suddenly have more confidence."
Even Master Jang was watching the creature with narrowed eyes. "I once knew a badger that brewed peach wine. Turned out to be an ex-grandmaster under a transformation curse."
There was a collective pause.
Sun-Ho asked, "What happened to him?"
"He opened a tavern. Still sends me birthday rice cakes."
Everyone laughed — even Yeon cracked a grin.
For a brief, glowing moment, the party wasn't made of saboteurs, assassins, or flame-wielding prodigies. They were travelers under starlight, sharing warm drinks, teasing each other like old friends.
So-Ri looked across the group, her gaze settling on Sun-Ho. "We may not have much time before this world tries to break us again."
Sun-Ho met her eyes. "Then we'll make these moments matter."
The fox gently dropped a chestnut in Yeon's lap and padded off with a haughty flick of its tail — as if to say: And that's enough sentiment for one night.
---
Back in the Pavilion
Elder Hwa poured a second cup of tea, set it before Sun-Ho, and exhaled slowly. "Do you know how the Murim Alliance was founded, boy?"
Sun-Ho's eyes narrowed. "The ten great sects united to suppress the Warlord Era. The alliance was formed with a rotation of leadership. Balance in strength and governance."
Hwa chuckled. "That's the polished version."
He unfurled a second scroll — one older, yellower, brittle with time.
"The truth is, five sects created a puppet alliance. They wrote the laws, selected the initial leaders, and made sure only the clans they favored held true power."
Sun-Ho's jaw tightened. "So this entire system…"
"Was rotten from birth." Hwa met his gaze. "Your scrolls show the current leaders merely continued what was always broken."
Sun-Ho stood slowly. "Then it's time to tear it down and rebuild."
The fox at the elder's feet yawned.
Hwa laughed quietly. "And you think you're the first with such fire?"
"No. Just the last who'll succeed."
---
Later That Evening – Beneath the Pavilion
With the scrolls now in trusted hands, the party regrouped. Elder Hwa offered his library and safe haven for two days.
"So…" Yul-Rin asked, eyes glinting. "What now, fearless leader?"
Sun-Ho held up a sealed map Elder Hwa had given him.
"We follow the next lead. A hidden archive beneath the ruins of the Iron Banner Sect — supposedly untouched for centuries. If we can find what's buried there... we'll uncover everything."
So-Ri leaned in. "And we just walk in?"
"Of course not. It's supposedly haunted."
Ji-Mun grinned. "About time we visited a haunted ruin. I was getting bored."
---
Meanwhile – In a Distant Chamber, Crimson Spine Sect
A single red lantern flickered in the bowels of the sect's underground vault.
The air reeked of oil, blood, and scorched metal.
A robed figure leaned over a low-burning brazier. His face was hidden by a bronze mask shaped like a fox, and his hands — bare and pale — etched new glyphs into a jade tablet.
Behind him stood another elder. "They reached Hwa."
"I know," said the Fox-Masked Man. "He read the scrolls."
"Should we move the plan up?"
"No." The voice was cool, calculating. "Let them dig. The more truth they find… the more they'll choke on it when we twist it."
He held up the tablet — symbols glowing red.
"Besides, the Elementless Sovereign has returned."
---
Nightfall – The Party at Rest
As night cloaked the mountains, So-Ri sat beside the fire scribbling a list of items they'd need for their journey.
Ji-Mun juggled knives lazily. Ma-Rok debated with Yeon about whether the "haunting" of Iron Banner ruins could just be raccoons.
Sun-Ho watched the group quietly, then turned to Master Jang.
"They're growing stronger. More trusting. Like a real... unit."
The master nodded, sipping from his ever-full gourd. "Friendship is the most unstable cultivation method. When it works, it defies all rules."
Sun-Ho raised a brow. "That sounded almost wise."
Jang snorted. "Don't get used to it. I was drunk on stew fumes."
---
The Masked Stranger
Beneath the stars, a shadow stepped to the edge of the cliff — his long robe fluttering gently.
He gazed down at the campfire far below.
The masked man clenched his fist once.
"They've made their first move."
And then, like smoke, he vanished.
---
[End of Chapter - 29]