Three days had passed. During that time, the disciples' mental concrete had begun to harden under Instructor Ma's tutelage. However, for Yoe Choin, a foreman couldn't simply sit behind an office desk and receive reports on paper. A project could only be understood when the manager's feet touched the dust at the most basic level.
That morning, without any ostentatious escort, Moen Kang Yo stepped out of the Evernight Gate. He wore a simple sect robe, devoid of any flashy ornaments. Gwi-Hyuk remained at the main headquarters, serving as a pillar of security while his master conducted his "field inspection."
Inwardly, the real Moen Kang Yo snorted in surprise.
"You really want to walk to those villages? We have more important things to do than watch farmers hoe, Foreman."
"Listen, Boss Demon,"
Choi replied as he stepped down the moss-covered stone steps.
"These villages are 'raw material suppliers' and 'human resources' for our sect. If the foundations down here are shaky or feel unsafe, the Evernight buildings up there will lose their footing. This is called an environmental audit."
Gray clouds drifted low over Shady Dragon Village, bringing a damp air that seeped into the pores of the wood of the old buildings in the corner of the settlement.
There, a building with a sloping roof and weathered wood stood like a tombstone of past glory. Its sign, which should have read "Evernight Gate – Southern Branch Office," was now barely legible, covered in moss and cracks that resembled scars.
Yoe Choin stepped in through the wooden fence that had fallen off its hinges. His blue eyes, glowing with blue, immediately began an automatic scan.
Structure Status:
Critical.
Deterioration level: 75%.
Foundation chronically infested with termites.
Roof leaks at seven load points.
Operational safety: Zero.
"Crazy..."
Choin muttered softly, his voice almost drowned out by the creaking of the wooden floor beneath his feet.
"This isn't a branch office. This is a piece of junk that's been forced to stand."
In a dimly lit room filled with the smell of dust, a middle-aged man in his sect's robes that had faded to a dull gray sat cross-legged.
His name was Liem. He was holding a whetstone, trying to sharpen a rusty sword that had lost its luster.
As soon as Liem saw Moen Kang Yo, his hands trembled violently. The sword fell to the floor with a mournful clang.
"Young...Young Master Moen Kang Yo?"
Liem stuttered, his voice hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken to a human being in a long time.
"Is this an illusion? Or has death finally come for me?"
Choin didn't respond with sweet words. He walked over to Liem's desk, brushed off the inch-thick dust on it, and then fixed Liem with a sharp but steady gaze.
"Stand up, Liem. An Evernight retainer shouldn't greet his guests with such trembling."
Liem rose with difficulty, his knees creaking—a sign of malnutrition and chronic exhaustion.
"Forgive me, Young Master. It's been three years since anyone from the Main Pavilion last set foot here. We... we thought we'd been removed from the sect's inventory."
Choin pulled out a chair, the wood of which was brittle. He sat down carefully so as not to break it.
Ye Choin noticed a stack of financial reports that had some irregularities.
"I saw the stack of reports in the corner over there. Why haven't there been any signatures for approval?"
At that, Liem's face twisted into a mixture of suppressed anger and deep despair.
"Report? Young Master, I've tried. Every month, I climb Black Dragon Mountain just to meet Elder Gong. I want to report that the villagers' irrigation has been destroyed, that the outer disciples here are starving..."
Liem sobbed softly, his hands clenched tightly.
"But every time I reach the pavilion gate, Elder Gong's guards spit on me. They call me a 'beggar in uniform.'"
Elder Gong even once ordered his guards to throw me off the pavilion steps because I was considered a 'blight on the luxurious scenery' of his guests. He said this branch office was nothing but a useless expense."
"That dog..."
The real Moen Kang Yo's voice growled within Choin, his cold aura dropping the temperature in the room several degrees.
"He let our territory rot just so he could buy more ceramic vases?"
Moen Kang Yo continued in his mind.
"Calm down, Boss,"
Choin replied mentally.
"We're auditing the damage now."
Choin leaned forward, his eyes locking with Liem's.
"Besides Elder Gong cutting your budget, are there any outsiders exploiting this weakness? Thugs? Or small sects acting as illegal 'subcontractors'?"
Liem nodded weakly.
"There's a group calling themselves the Black Crow Guild. They're thugs funded by crooked merchants in the underworld. Since we no longer have the power to protect the villagers, they took over. Every week they collect 'protection tribute' from the villagers, even from this office. If we don't pay, they destroy what's left of this building."
"They collect tribute in Evernight Gate's territory?"
Choin asked in a very flat tone, but his Internal Finishing Level 3 aura began to seep out, making the dust on the floor vibrate.
"Yes, Young Master. They know Elder Gong doesn't care. To them, Evernight Gate is nothing but a paper tiger whose teeth have been removed."
Choin stood, the creaking of his chair sounding like a battle cry.
"Liem, listen to me carefully. The restoration procedure begins this very second. I will not allow 'pests' to eat away at the foundation I am rebuilding."
Choin took out a heavy bag of silver coins and several gold coins confiscated from Elder Gong's residence. He placed it on Liem's desk with a heavy thud.
"This is emergency operating funds. "Use it to repair the roof, buy decent food for you and the local residents, and rid this place of termites, both wood termites and human termites,"
Choin ordered.
Liem stared at the pile of gold with wide eyes.
"Young Master... this is too much..."
"This is just a down payment for the initial repairs,"
Choin replied.
"I will also send five of my most outstanding Year 2 students to be stationed here as a 'permanent security unit.' They will be under your command, but they will report directly to me every week."
"Young Master... do you really want to revive this place?"
Liem asked, a glimmer of hope beginning to shine in his dull eyes.
"I'm not reviving the office,"
Choin replied as he walked toward the door.
"I'm installing steel pillars at the foot of this mountain. From now on, this branch office is the 'Quality Control Post.'" Anyone who dares to collect tribute here without my written permission, consider them scraps to be thrown into the ravine."
As Choin stepped out, Liem ran after him and prostrated himself on the muddy ground.
"Thank you... Thank you, Young Master! For years we've lived in darkness, feeling betrayed by our own family. Elder Gong stole our dignity, but today... you've given it back."
Choin paused, his back to Liem.
"Dignity isn't given, Liem. It's built on a solid structure. Make sure the funds are used efficiently. I'll be back for a physical audit in two weeks. Don't disappoint me."
"You've given them a purpose, Foreman,"
whispered the real Moen Kang Yo.
"This is far more effective than simply scaring them with a sword."
Moen Kang Yo continued in inner conversation.
"The sword only cuts, Kang Yo. "Management is building,"
Chōin replied.
They walked away from the branch office, which no longer felt like a tomb, but rather like a project site that had just received a fresh injection of funds. However, in the shadows of the pine forest, a pair of eyes with a sword-hilt symbol in the shape of a black crow were watching them.
Reports of the return of "Mr. Moen's Illegitimate Son" to the field below would soon reach the ears of those who had been feasting on the villagers' suffering. And Yoe Choin couldn't wait to send them the bill for "environmental damage."