Heavenly Copy-Paste Technique

The silence that followed the battle felt heavy with possibilities, like the moment before thunder breaks across a clear sky. Jinmu stood among his twenty copies in the carved stone pavilion, watching as Palace Master Danhye Yeoryeong helped her disciples recover from their ordeal. The immediate rescue had been successful, but success in one battle didn’t guarantee victory in the larger war that was clearly coming.

I need to think this through carefully, he thought, studying the faces of the defeated Night Drizzle Sect assassins scattered across the stone floor. Simply eliminating the guards and leaving would create too many questions. Do Giseon would know immediately that something went wrong. But what if we didn’t eliminate them? What if we replaced them?

The idea took shape in his mind with crystalline clarity. The Night Drizzle Sect operated under strict protocols of concealment and minimal communication. Their own superiors wouldn’t necessarily know every operative by sight, and their techniques emphasized anonymity over individual recognition. With the right preparation, his copies could assume the identities of the fallen assassins without arousing suspicion.

"Palace Master," he said quietly, approaching Danhye Yeoryeong as she finished helping one of her disciples counteract the drugs in his system. "I need to ask something that may sound strange, but it’s crucial for everyone’s safety."

Yeoryeong looked up at him with the sharp intelligence that had made her legendary throughout the orthodox world. "I’m listening."

"Can you and your people maintain the appearance of being prisoners for a while longer?" Jinmu asked, gesturing toward the cells that had held them captive. "Not actually imprisoned, but appearing to be held under guard by the same assassins who captured you originally?"

She’s going to want an explanation, he realized, watching Yeoryeong’s expression shift from confusion to calculating interest. But I can’t tell her about the copying ability. That secret is too dangerous to share, even with someone I trust. I need to frame this in terms of conventional tactical deception.

"You’re suggesting we stage our continued captivity," Yeoryeong said slowly, her voice thoughtful rather than alarmed. "Using some kind of infiltration technique to place your people in positions where they can maintain the illusion while actually protecting us."

"Exactly," Jinmu confirmed, relieved that she was grasping the concept without requiring explanations he couldn’t provide. "Do Giseon will expect regular reports confirming that you’re still secure. If those reports stop coming, or if they indicate that something went wrong, he’ll know his plans have been compromised."

One of the rescued Yeonhwa disciples, a middle-aged woman who had been serving as Yeoryeong’s administrative aide, looked alarmed at the suggestion. "You want us to pretend we’re still captured? To return to those cells voluntarily?"

"Not pretend," Jinmu corrected. "You’ll appear to be held prisoner, but the guards will be my people using specialized techniques to maintain their cover. If Do Giseon sends investigators, they’ll see exactly what they expect to see—prisoners under heavy guard by professional assassins."

The beauty of the plan is that it turns Do Giseon’s own paranoia against him, he thought, imagining the First Blade’s reaction when his scouts reported that the prisoners were still secure. He’ll be so focused on maintaining control of his supposed hostages that he won’t realize they’ve already been freed and are being protected by enemies disguised as allies.