Three days had passed since Yoe Choin formed the Structural Intervention Unit and appointed Gwi-Hyuk as the shadow auditor. That morning, dawn over the Black Dragon Mountains was shrouded in white vapor—not from natural mist, but from the limestone calcination process taking place on the sect's northern slopes.
Old Man Hang, a veteran who had regained his sense of pride, stood beside a massive mortar-mixing pit. Around him, disciples and former miners busily mixed burnt limestone powder with river sand and water.
"Young Master! This sand mixture is perfect!" Old Man Hang shouted in a gravelly voice, wiping sweat from his white beard.
"In two days, this mortar will harden into concrete as solid as solid bedrock!"
Yoe Choin (in the body of Moen Kang Yo) stood atop a wooden scaffold. His eyes, glowing with the blue light of the Blueprint, scanned the casting process of the defensive trench at the Evernight Gate's main entrance.
"Good work, Old Man Hang," Choin said flatly, his voice cutting through the construction noise.
"Ensure the process is carried out correctly. Cover the surface with wet cloths to prevent shrinkage cracks caused by rapid water evaporation."
"The physical foundation of Evernight Gate has reached 80% stability," Choin assessed inwardly.
"But the internal conduits of my body are still problematic."
Deep within him, the turbulence of the original Moen Kang Yo's "Reversed Qi Path" began to boil up again. The meridians in Choin's chest felt like stiff rubber hoses ready to burst under high pressure. To solidify his power within the Mastery realm, he needed a special lubricant—a high-grade Stabilizing Pill.
Hurried footsteps broke Choin's concentration. Han So-Wol approached the scaffold, clutching an abacus and an intelligence report from the lower markets. The financial manager's stern face looked even more tense than usual. "Young Master, there is a problem with our medicine distribution channels," So-Wol reported without preamble.
"Since yesterday, the entire stock of 'Red Crystal Pills' and Qi-stabilizing elixirs in the Dawn Gate Village market has suddenly been bought up by a mysterious buyer."
Choin leapt down from the scaffolding with efficient grace.
"Bought up in bulk? Who would squander such a massive budget in the lower market?"
"Empress Wei's assassination squad—the Structural Saboteurs," So-Wol replied coldly.
"Reports from the Crow Guild indicate the buyers bore the 'Silver Termite' emblem beneath their garments. They had no need for the medicine; they were deliberately cutting off our supply. And even more suspicious... they planted rumors in the market that the last of the pills were in the hands of an exiled physician in the Valley of Mist."
Choin narrowed his eyes.
"A clumsy piece of bait. They've choked off local supplies to lure me out of the stronghold and into an execution ground of their own making."
"Foreman! Let me go down to the Valley of Mist and slaughter those termites!" The true voice of Moen Kang Yo hissed with bloodlust within the space of his consciousness.
"Patience, Boss," Choin thought to himself.
"Their bait is indeed a trap, but our objective remains unchanged: we need those stabilizing pills to keep our meridian circulation from melting down when the great war arrives."
Choin turned toward So-Wol and Jin-Pyo, who had just arrived.
"So-Wol, maintain the work schedule here. Let Old Hang continue casting the concrete walls. Jin-Pyo, tighten security at the trench using the Intervention Unit. I'll head down to Dawn Gate Village myself to check for any remaining traces at Old Oh's smithy before cutting across to the Valley of Mist."
"Young Master, it would be safer to take an escort!" Jin-Pyo suggested anxiously.
"Bringing a squad would only make those 'termites' scurry back into the woodwork," Choin replied, picking up the burlap wrapping that encased his Black Iron Heavy Sword.
"An exterminator looking to catch pests must pretend to be isolated prey." Choin adjusted his gray robes, slung his massive sword across his back, and stepped out of Evernight Gate, heading down the mountain.
A cold mountain wind blew fiercely, carrying the scent of wet cement from the sect's headquarters and the scent of danger from the lower market, which awaited the arrival of the Demonic Overseer.