As the tension between Cheon Ryu-yeong and Dokgo Seol thickened, Neung Un-bi stepped in.
"Fifth Unit Leader, I understand how you feel. But don't take your impatience out on this man. Not only I, but also the Invincible Sword Han Dae-hyeop, and your father, the Clan Leader, agreed that this is a sound strategy. Is this any way to treat a benefactor who is helping us?"
"Unit Leader…"
"Trust him and follow his lead. Things are proceeding exactly as he said, and when the moment is right, you'll be told more. We're keeping an eye out in case the battle shifts unexpectedly, but so far, all is going according to plan."
Dokgo Seol's body trembled slightly. What exactly had Cheon Ryu-yeong said to the three leaders on their way here?
Regardless, a direct order from her superior meant she could only bite her lip and step back. At that moment, Jo Jeon-hu spoke up.
"Unit Leader, isn't it time we were told this strategy? Until now, I understand there was no time to explain it to us, but that's no longer the case—especially if everything is unfolding as expected."
Neung Un-bi stifled a wry smile.
The Yacha Sword, Jo Jeon-hu.
Truth be told, he had no business merely serving as vice-leader of the Fifth Unit. He was a master on par with Neung Un-bi himself. If not for his assignment to guard Dokgo Seol, he should have been at least the deputy leader of the entire Black Tortoise Unit.
Cheon Ryu-yeong's low, steady voice cut in.
"I said from the start—if we all charged in together, we would suffer heavy casualties. So we created a delay between attacks and formed a pincer instead. As a result, the two sides are now deadlocked."
Dokgo Seol, Jo Jeon-hu, and the other waiting warriors turned their eyes to him as he continued.
"Human psychology is complex, but in moments of crisis it becomes surprisingly simple. If every remaining fighter had gone down with Han Dae-hyeop from the start, what would the enemy think?"
"…"
"They would feel a grave sense of danger. Like a rat cornered, they'd fight with desperate ferocity. They'd strain every nerve to break through the Dokgo Clan—accepting heavy losses if it meant survival."
At that, Dokgo Seol and Jo Jeon-hu swallowed hard. If the black-clad warriors, ready to die, all rushed the Dokgo Clan at once, it was certain the clan would suffer irreversible losses.
"Of course, you might think—what if we send the Black Tortoise Unit to join the Dokgo Clan, and also have all of Kunlun attack from the other side? But the result would be the same. The enemy would still go mad trying to smash through one side, and we would still take heavy damage."
"…"
"One powerful shock only makes them more determined. But if the shocks are split, the effect changes. The first blow will be hard to bear, but survivable—something they feel they can handle. Then, after a short pause, the second blow hits. And if a third follows…"
"…"
"The fear they've kept buried will surge to the surface. Panic will set in. Many will give up. Some will run for the far side of the mountain—because they'll think, 'If I can just make it out alive, friendly forces await me at the Sichuan Branch.' Once a few break and run, you mustn't pursue. That will only encourage more to flee."
Everyone listened in silence, gazes flicking between the battlefield below and Cheon Ryu-yeong's calm face. Who was this man, really? How could someone like him have worked in an escort bureau as a mere baggage handler?
Below, the air rang with shouts and screams, but here, a heavy stillness hung—broken only by Cheon Ryu-yeong's smooth baritone.
"Look—the Invincible Sword Han Dae-hyeop is slowly being pushed back. That's because I asked him to. It's to widen the gap between the divided enemy forces. The Dokgo Clan is also deliberately focusing on defense and yielding ground."
Many had grown anxious seeing not only the Dokgo Clan but even a hundred Kunlun warriors gradually pushed back. To learn it was all by design was startling.
With a sharp clap, Cheon Ryu-yeong smiled.
"In about a quarter of an hour, the gap between the black-clad forces will be wide enough. That's when you, who have been conserving your strength, will make your move."
He turned to a man in his fifties, a Daoist priest.
"Master of the Taecheong Hall."
The master of Kunlun's Taecheong Hall, Seok Hyeon-ja, nodded.
"As you said earlier, I've split our remaining three hundred into two hundred and one hundred."
"Take the two hundred down quietly. When you reach halfway, charge the enemy's empty center—swift as the wind, gijilyeopung. Seize it with a mighty roar."
This would be the second shockwave Cheon Ryu-yeong had planned. Seok Hyeon-ja's eyes gleamed with resolve.
"Leave it to me."
"When you roar, the Dokgo Clan and Kunlun will switch from defense to offense. The enemy will be thrown into confusion and suffer heavy losses in a short time."
Cheon Ryu-yeong turned to Neung Un-bi.
"Unit Leader, take the remaining hundred of Kunlun and the Third Unit of the Black Tortoise. Move quickly and quietly along this path. When the Taecheong Hall Master charges and the enemy falters, they may still rally—they are elites, after all."
Neung Un-bi nodded—he already knew his role as the third shockwave.
"I know. We'll lie in ambush at the edge of the forest. When the enemy pulls forces from the Dokgo Clan's front to block the Taecheong Hall Master, we'll strike."
It was a way to make sure his men understood the plan.
Jo Jeon-hu, who had been listening with his mouth agape, spoke in awe.
"Ah! So you even anticipated that they would commit most of their strength against the Dokgo Clan."
Neung Un-bi answered,
"Exactly. The Emei Sect's numbers are too few, so the enemy matched their strength there. They'll naturally pull from where they have more troops—the Dokgo Clan front—to guard the center."
Cheon Ryu-yeong added evenly,
"When those redeployed troops pass your ambush, charge toward the Dokgo Clan with a roar. Those headed for the center will find themselves trapped between the Taecheong Hall Master and you."
It would create overlapping encirclements—meaning that even if they broke one ring, they'd still have to punch through another to escape.
Neung Un-bi's eyes lit up.
"Those caught between us and the Taecheong Hall Master will be the first to run for the opposite mountain. The thought of being caught between two encirclements will chill them. Once the first deserters flee, the battle is as good as over. They'll suffer three successive psychological blows and collapse into self-destruction."
No one spoke.
To think this fearsome strategy had been devised in such a short time—it was almost enough to make them doubt he was even human.
Cheon Ryu-yeong looked back at the battlefield.
"Go."
Seok Hyeon-ja and Neung Un-bi nodded and led their forces away.
That left the Fourth and Fifth Units of the Black Tortoise with Cheon Ryu-yeong.
Scanning the battlefield, he glanced at Dokgo Seol standing close beside him and gave a faint, knowing smile.
"Why don't you ask?"
"So you already know what I was going to say."
"Well, yes."
She thought to herself, Of course. This man must have a reason for keeping me from going with the Unit Leader to help Father.
Still watching the fight below, Cheon Ryu-yeong nodded.
"There are three reasons."
Her eyes flickered.
"Three?"
"First, watching from here and seeing your father fight up close are very different things. If the Clan Leader were to be in real danger, you might abandon the ambush and rush out."
Dokgo Seol let out a long breath and nodded—she couldn't deny it.
"Don't worry too much. I've already ordered that top masters be stationed near the Clan Leader and Han Dae-hyeop in case of emergencies. The early danger was probably just because the lines hadn't settled yet."
She unconsciously exhaled in relief, clutching her chest. Looking more closely, she saw indeed that two elders of her clan were fighting close enough to save her father if needed.
The shadow over her heart lifted, and sunlight poured in.
"What's the other reason?"
"Reserve forces."
"…?"
"Just as we have, the enemy might also receive reinforcements at any moment. In war, you must always have at least some contingency for whatever may happen."
From right behind Dokgo Seol, Jo Jeon-hu interjected.
"So you're saying… if the Demonic Sect's reinforcements appear, we're the ones to stop them? Hmph. With just our sixty?"
"Are you afraid?"
At Cheon Ryu-yeong's question, Jo Jeon-hu's brows slanted sharply.
"Afraid? I could block the Heavenly Demon Sword even if he brought all the troops from the Sichuan Branch, without batting an eye."
Cheon Ryu-yeong shrugged with a faint smile.
"Well, that's much better to see than fear."
"I'm not joking."
"Yes. But the Heavenly Demon Sword still has to defend the Sichuan Branch he just captured, so he won't be able to send that many reinforcements."
"Really? Now that you say it, that's true. What a shame."
Seeing the man's genuinely regretful expression, Cheon Ryu-yeong clicked his tongue. And yet, there was a trace of concern in his mind—Orthodox warriors knew far too little about the Heavenly Demon Sword, choosing to believe the rumors were exaggerated.
But Cheon Ryu-yeong thought otherwise.
If the Heavenly Demon Sword hadn't changed from the Baek Yun-hoe he once knew… then he was truly a frightening man.
Dokgo Seol spoke again.
"And the last, third reason?"
Cheon Ryu-yeong's expression turned sheepish for the first time. Scratching the back of his head, he replied,
"Honestly, the important reasons are the first two. The third isn't worth mentioning."
"Now I'm even more curious."
"Uh… haha. Well… we need a few people left to protect me. I am, after all, a powerless man."
His words drew chuckles from those around him—until they quickly stifled their laughter, remembering their comrades were still fighting below.
Dokgo Seol shook her head with an incredulous look.
"A powerless man… I can't agree with that. Anyway, since we're on the subject, I have another question. How do you think the Heavenly Demon Sword managed to capture the Sichuan Branch?"
Cheon Ryu-yeong answered as if it were obvious.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Dokgo Seol, Jo Jeon-hu, and all the warriors of the Fourth and Fifth Units gave him looks of disbelief. She tore her eyes away from her father below to stare at him.
"Obvious?"
"There must have been someone helping him from inside. Or an infiltrator already in place."
"…"
"The fight would have ended quickly—disappointingly quickly—so fast they wouldn't even have had time to send messenger birds to the Emei Sect or the Dokgo Clan. The only way that's possible is to first stir up chaos from within, then strike from outside at the peak of that confusion. There are plenty of ways… I can think of a few off the top of my head."
The sixty warriors felt a wave of emptiness. They had agonized over how an impregnable branch could fall overnight to a force not even that large.
But hearing it laid out so simply, it really did seem obvious.
They wondered why they hadn't thought of it themselves, chiding themselves for their blind spot. Only Dokgo Seol was different.
It was "obvious" but not obvious—because in their minds, the Sichuan Branch of the Martial Alliance was fixed as invincible.
A place that could not be taken.
That preconceived notion had stopped their thinking cold.
Cheon Ryu-yeong, however, was utterly free from such mental shackles.
Open-minded, one could say.
It was the same when he'd seen through the disguised infiltrators in the Emei Sect.
When they had heard that both the Sichuan Branch and the Emei Sect were under attack, their minds had been filled only with the thought of rushing to the rescue. There had been no room for any other considerations.
That was the normal reaction for most people.
Dokgo Seol fixed him with a steady gaze and asked again.
"How is it you can do that?"
"Do what?"
"I mean… you call it obvious, but nothing you've done today is something just anyone could do. From spotting the infiltrators in the Emei Sect to this strategy—you've shocked us over and over."
"…"
"So, are we all fools? Or are you some kind of extraordinary genius?"
Suddenly Cheon Ryu-yeong's expression turned serious. After a brief moment of thought, he smiled faintly.
"Do you know how to play Go?"
The sudden question caught her off guard. This man had a singular talent for disarming people.
"What? Ah, no. I tried to learn a few times, but decided that time was better spent on martial training."
"I'm not very good myself, but there's a saying in Go—dang-guk-ja-mi, bang-gwan-ja-myeong."
A glimmer lit her eyes.
"The one playing is lost in the game, but the onlooker sees clearly."
"Yes. Perhaps it's because I'm an outsider that I can observe and think with a little more detachment."
Dokgo Seol bit her lip and shook her head. His point was valid—but even a bystander's insight had its limits.
What Cheon Ryu-yeong had shown today went far beyond the perspective of a mere onlooker.
"Cheon Ryu-yeong, you don't realize it yourself… you're not like ordinary people."
He didn't hear her quiet words—because down below, Seok Hyeon-ja of the Taecheong Hall had given the order, and Kunlun's great roar was rising.
The Orthodox counterattack had begun.
It was also the first moment Cheon Ryu-yeong's genius as a military strategist would be revealed to the world.
The problem was… he himself had little awareness of his gift as a tactician—or the hidden talents he possessed as a martial artist.
At least, not yet.
Cheon Ryu-yeong rubbed his hands together.
"Now it begins. Let's hope the Heavenly Demon Sword, Baek Yun-hoe, doesn't interfere."
Dokgo Seol, eyes fixed on the slopes below, suddenly seemed to remember something.
"If the Heavenly Demon Sword does interfere—you have a plan for that too, don't you?"
Unlike Jo Jeon-hu, she didn't believe they could block the Heavenly Demon Sword's elite personally led troops by themselves. She had pride and fighting spirit as a martial artist, but not the recklessness to ignore reality.
They might hold for a short while—but they would need a follow-up plan for what came after.
If, by some chance, the unbelievable rumors about him were all true, then no matter how many of them there were, they would have trouble facing him—though much would depend on how many subordinates he brought.
Cheon Ryu-yeong only shrugged and smiled without a word.
It was a strange smile.
But it stirred faint ripples in Dokgo Seol's heart.
This man—
His looks were ordinary, but his voice and his smile had an inexplicable pull.
Somehow, she found herself trusting him—trusting him in a way that none of the high-born young masters she'd met, no matter how handsome, nor any of the famed young heroes with sterling character and peerless martial skill, had ever inspired in her.
Her eyes stayed on her father most of the time, but she caught herself glancing at Cheon Ryu-yeong from the corner of her eye.
Her heart beat faster.
Not with the nervousness before a fight—but with something else. She laid a hand quietly over her chest to steady it.
Then her expression twisted.
That man had touched her chest last night!
In the press of events, she had forgotten—but now the humiliation and anger flared back, making her head throb.
I have to get revenge…
But how? In what way? Should she just… touch his chest in return?
The absurd thought made her let out a wry smile. An inexplicable sigh slipped from between her lips again and again.