The following morning, before they even realized it, the Renan escort mission was already nearing its destination, Sichuan. During the trip, Seolyeon could not stop thinking about what Dan Hyunwoo had said the previous night. She began wondering what kind of life he had lived, to believe that the temptation of a beautiful woman inevitably led to death.
That was when Hyeong Pio appeared and warned everyone to stay alert from that point onward. According to him, the closer they got to their destination, the stranger the atmosphere became. And the worst part was that his sense for danger was almost never wrong.
Both Tang Hogwan and Tang Ilhyeon were feeling the same thing. While analysing the situation, Tang Hogwan thought they would probably arrive the next day, and if there was still any remaining threat, then it could only be the Black Viper sect. The sect had grown enormously over the last ten years, and had become the only force in Sichuan capable of threatening the Tang clan. Because of that, Tang Hogwan began suspecting that information about the mission might have leaked from inside the Tang clan itself.
Shortly afterward, Seolyeon warned Dan Hyunwoo that there might be an ambush along the way, but he calmly replied that yes, he already knew, and he even gave the exact number. Around a hundred people.
At that very moment Wuan Hai was shocked. She began wondering if he could truly sense people's presence, and even identify exactly how many were hiding. It was becoming far too absurd.
And indeed, only a few seconds later, dozens of warriors emerged from all directions, surrounding the escort caravan. Dan Hyunwoo immediately realized that only fifty of them had appeared first. But before he could act, Tang Hogwan told him to keep protecting the cargo. Then he declared that those Black Viper sect trash would die by his sword.
Right afterward the old man charged forward and unleashed a true storm of poisoned needles against the enemies. While watching the battle, Hyeong Pio asked Dan Hyunwoo whether he thought they would really be all right. But he simply told him not to worry. He only said that the old man would win.
And he truly did. The Tang clan took responsibility for dealing directly with the Black Viper sect warriors. Even though the sect had grown greatly over the last ten years, numbers meant nothing before true experts, especially in front of Tang Ilhyeon and Tang Hogwan.
Even so, several hidden observers could not hide their discomfort. While watching the scene, Wuan Hai realized they had completely underestimated the Tang clan of Sichuan. After all, they were eliminating fifty men with extreme ease. One of her guards even commented that even if another fifty Black Viper warriors appeared, they still would not stand a chance. So Wuan Hai decided that the best option was to retreat for now.
The problem was that she did not know how to give the withdrawal order without drawing attention. But at that moment Dan Hyunwoo calmly said that if she wanted to leave, he would not stop her. Immediately one of the guards realized something terrifying. He had heard their entire voice transmission. Then Dan Hyunwoo coldly warned them that if they did not retreat now, he would kill everyone there.
Wuan Hai immediately realized he was not bluffing. So she ordered her subordinate to transmit the retreat message at once. Afterward she commented to Dan Hyunwoo that thanks to him, the warriors of her clan would not need to waste their lives in that place.
But the reason Dan Hyunwoo allowed them to escape was not because of the ambush. In truth, something else was bothering him. A monstrous killing intent that had been scraping against his nerves since earlier.
Meanwhile Tang Hogwan was effortlessly crushing the Black Viper sect warriors. But hidden within the shadows, an assassin was watching everything. He realized the vanguard had been completely annihilated. But that was part of the plan. The fifty men sent earlier were merely bait. The moment the Tang clan warriors relaxed because of their victory, they would be attacked by the true main force, the Crimson Moon Troop. Everything was proceeding exactly as planned.
Since Dan Hyunwoo pretended not to notice the retreat, the other fifty men managed to escape alive. Even so, he continued sensing that disgusting killing intent surrounding the area.
That night the group set up camp once again. During the preparations, Hyeong Pio asked whether Miss Jo Seolyeon could sleep together with Miss Wuan Hai, since her tent would be set up beside the carriage, but Jo Seolyeon replied that it was fine for her to sleep together with the others.
Then she began saying that she had never truly valued the escort agency before. In the past everything had always seemed calm and peaceful, so she believed transporting goods was simple work. But after participating in that mission she had finally understood the truth. The escort warriors and the porters were always risking their lives to protect others. That was why she decided that, as a member of the Renan escort agency, she would sleep alongside all of them.
And on top of that she made another important decision. She would become a true escort leader, and not simply because she was the young lady of the clan.
At that moment Dan Hyunwoo appeared and said that work inside an escort agency actually began as a porter. Hyeong Pio replied that technically he was not wrong. Then Jo Seolyeon asked them to teach her how to become an elite porter. Hearing that, Hyeong Pio felt extremely proud of young lady Jo's growth.
Meanwhile, the Crimson Moon Troop was a group of assassins carefully created by the Black Viper sect. Because of their peculiar techniques, they specialized in ambushes, stealth assassinations, and completely hiding their presence.
At that moment Dan Hyunwoo was walking alone through the forest, searching precisely for that killing intent he continued to sense. Hidden within the shadows, one of the assassins ordered all members of the Crimson Moon to prepare themselves, because the time for the ambush had arrived. But at that exact instant Dan Hyunwoo finally found them. Then he coldly stated that he knew they were hiding there.
While the escort group slept without realizing anything, the assassins prepared to attack. But before they could make a move, Dan Hyunwoo charged forward. It was so fast that it looked like teleportation. In complete silence he appeared in front of one of the assassins and took him down instantly. Right after that another one died without even having the chance to react. Two of them were already gone without making a single sound.
Then the captain of the assassins finally gave the order to attack, telling everyone to charge forward and leave no one alive. He himself rushed straight toward Tang Hogwan, saying that the old man had worked hard to bring the thunderbombs all the way there. But in the end the Black Viper sect would be the one taking them.
At the very last second his attack was blocked by a cracked blade. Dan Hyunwoo's sword.
The leader of the assassins became furious and demanded to know what the Crimson Moon members were doing, because there was still a sentry alive. The other scouts were also shocked, because they had not sensed the slightest presence until that moment. Then the leader finally realized something terrifying. Dan Hyunwoo had been listening to all of their voice transmissions.
Then Dan Hyunwoo calmly asked if Crimson Moon was really the name of the group. Crimson Moon. Dan Hyunwoo explained that the Crimson Moon Troop had already been wiped out, and that he was the sole survivor.
The assassin leader was horrified, and asked where a monster like him had come from. But Dan Hyunwoo simply replied that he could keep the others company in death. Then, in a single lightning-fast motion, he cut off the leader's head without giving him any chance to react.
When Tang Ilhyeon woke up, he told his uncle that the entire forest was filled with the bodies of assassins. Seolyeon asked what had happened, and Hyeong Pio explained that they had suffered a surprise attack. Even so, all the porters were alive and only the enemies had died. All because Dan Hyunwoo had appeared in time to protect the group once again.
Wuan Hai realized once again that he had saved everyone, but she could not understand that man at all. Before, she had thought he was merciful, but now she was no longer so sure. To her, Dan Hyunwoo was someone impossible to read.
With his help, the escort group managed to escape the crisis. And since there was no one left to threaten them on the road, they continued their journey until finally arriving in Sichuan province. As soon as they delivered the cargo, the first thing the porters did was go out drinking and relax after everything they had been through.
At that moment Tang Ilhyeon felt slightly bothered by Wuan Hai's presence, and asked if she had not said she needed to stop somewhere else before Chengdu, since they were practically there already. But she told him not to worry, because when the time came she would leave on her own.
Meanwhile, Hyeong Pio warned Dan Hyunwoo that once they arrived at the Tang clan they would probably become very busy. Not understanding, Dan Hyunwoo asked why. Hyeong Pio then reminded him that he was not very good at jokes, and explained that the Ak clan was located near the Sichuan Tang clan, since he had mentioned a friend from there. He would probably want to visit them.
Hearing that, Dan Hyunwoo immediately remembered Ak Sei, the friend who had asked him to find his family someday.