The luxurious carriage moved slowly again, its wheels creaking rhythmically over the limestone of the Northern Valley. Silence reigned within. The scent of sandalwood from the recently lit incense tried to dispel the lingering stench of blood and fear that had crept into the silken cabin.
Namgung Shiri, the only daughter of the head of the Blue Sky Trade Alliance, rested her head on the soft velvet pillow. However, her thoughts were not in the carriage. Her clear eyes stared blankly out the small window covered by thin curtains, but behind her eyelids, the image of a young man in a dull black robe continued to swirl.
"Who is he really...?"
Shiri whispered softly, her voice as soft as the whisper of the night breeze.
She remembered the man standing before her caravan. There was none of the maniacal, demonic screams often described in the books of the Orthodox Faction. There was none of the low lust that usually emanated from the eyes of bandits. What she saw was a remarkably stable calm—an authority that needed no validation with shouts.
"He's so... different,"
she muttered again.
The man, whom she knew to possess extraordinary heavy sword techniques, cut through the ranks of bandits as if dusting off a construction site. However, what impressed Shiri most wasn't his strength, but his principles. He spoke of "safe trade routes" and "security management." A very unconventional logic for a Jianghu warrior, let alone someone from the Demon Faction.
Shiri opened her palm. She remembered the logo emblazoned on the back of the man's robe: a black circle accented by the faint moonlight.
"That logo... the Gate of Eternal Night,"
Her father, Lord Namgung, entered the cabin, his face still slightly pale but calmer.
"I've heard of them. A Demon sect that's nearly bankrupt and forgotten. But that young man... he doesn't look like a member of a dying sect."
"Father, do you think all people from the Demon Faction are cruel?"
Shiri asked suddenly.
Lord Namgung paused for a moment, stroking his neat beard.
"The world isn't as simple as black and white, my boy. But in Jianghu, reputation is everything. Evernight Gate is known for its internal turmoil. But that young man... he has a very clear purpose. He didn't help us for the gold, he helped us because we are part of his 'ecosystem'."
Shiri nodded slowly. She felt something intriguing about the mysterious man. His handsome yet stern features, and the sharp, blue eyes that analyzed the situation, continued to haunt her thoughts.
"After we leave this valley and reach Red Cloud City, I want to find out more about Evernight Gate,"
Shiri said in a firm tone, a sign that her curiosity had reached its peak.
"I want to know if that 'Foreman' is truly a Demon, or if he's a new pillar trying to straighten up a crumbling structure."
Meanwhile, Moen Kang Yo and Yoe Choin...
The sun had just completely dipped behind the horizon when Yoe Choin, in Moen Kang Yo's body, crossed the main gate of Evernight Gate. The cool mountain air greeted him, but this time there was something different. The sound of clanging metal and shouted work instructions echoed throughout the headquarters.
Choin didn't immediately enter his pavilion. His steps took him to the front gate area, which was now filled with defensive trenches and wooden barricades reinforced with Black Iron plates.
There, he saw Gowon, the head of the Black Crow Guild project, crouching beside a large hole with several Year 2 students.
"Gowon! How's the static trap installation progress?"
Choin shouted in a steady baritone.
Gowon gasped in surprise and immediately stood up, bowing deeply.
"Young Master! You're back! Progress has reached sixty percent. We're installing the 'Shock Floor' system using the frequency vibrations you requested yesterday."
Choin approached, his blue eyes glowing with blueprints automatically scanning the installation.
"The wooden peg structure is two inches off. If the enemy's Qi shock load is too great, this hinge will jam,"
thought Choin.
"Gwi-Hyuk, help them lift the support pillar,"
ordered Choin to his silent protector. Gwi-Hyuk nodded, and with one powerful movement of his hand, he lifted the iron pillar weighing hundreds of kilograms as if it were a piece of wood.
"Let me adjust the angle,"
said Choin. He removed his luxurious robes, leaving him in practical clothes worn by the dust of travel. He descended into the trench, his delicate, but now calloused, hands gripping a steel crowbar.
"Young Master! You don't have to do this alone! This is dirty work!"
a worried Class 2 student shouted.
Choin turned and smiled faintly, a smile that made the students feel appreciated.
"A leader who doesn't touch the ground is a manager who doesn't know where the foundation will crack. Here, we are all comrades. If this house collapses, we will all be buried, not just you."
Those words struck a chord with the students and members of the Black Crow. Until now, they had been treated as mere slaves or tools by Elder Gong. But this new Moen Kang Yo treated them as "pillars."
"Ready, Young Master! We will work even harder!"
they roared in unison.
For the next four hours, the atmosphere at the Evernight Gate transformed into a state of intense cooperation. Choin didn't just give orders; he helped carry wood, tighten steel bolts, and ensure every detail of the sonic maze was assembled with millimeter precision.
"Foreman, you're truly insane,"
whispered the real Moen Kang Yo from within his inner chamber.
"You're the prince of the Moen clan, yet you're sweating it out with former thugs and outer disciples in this mud pit."
"This is precisely the quickest way to build loyalty, Boss,"
Choin replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Concrete hardens more strongly when mixed with a strong sense of ownership. Look at them... their eyes are no longer blank. They feel like they're building their own home, not just a military base."
Gowon, watching Choin work so diligently, felt his chest tighten with emotion. He approached Choin with a bottle of water.
"Young Master, take a break. If you get sick, no one will be able to draw the next blueprint for us."
Choin accepted the water and drank it down.
"Thank you, Gowon. Make sure the Black Iron supply from the South arrives tomorrow morning at six o'clock sharp. I want this gate to have pristine structural integrity before that 'inspector' from Mount Hua returns."
The night deepened, but the torchlight at the Evernight Gate never faded. Under the guidance of the Demon Overseer, the ruins were slowly transforming into a fortress not only physically sturdy but also imbued with an unwavering foundation of loyalty.
Yoe Choin stood atop the newly reinforced walls, gazing out into the darkness of the forest. He knew that beneath this calm, a storm was preparing to strike. However, with the structure he had now built with his people, he no longer felt alone in facing this cruel world.
"The initial physical audit... is complete,"
Choin murmured with satisfaction.
"Now, let's see who is brave enough to try to break down my gate."