Light Novel: Volume 16 Episode 9
Manhwa: N/A
Pyo-wol bought a sword and left the workshop.
The middle-aged clerk followed him to the entrance and bid his farewell to Pyo-wol,
“Thank you. Please come and visit us again.”
By the time the clerk straightened his back from his nearly ninety-degree bow, Pyo-wol was already out of sight.
The clerk stared in the direction where Pyo-wol disappeared for a moment.
“Was he simply a customer who came to buy a sword?”
The clerk frowned slightly.
The expression on his face was the kind he would wear whenever he was bothered by something.
The clerk had sensed something off about Pyo-wol, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what exactly was off about him, so he approached him directly and sold him the sword.
He thought that by talking to him, he would be able to figure out what exactly was wrong, however, contrary to his expectations, he couldn’t feel anything off about Pyo-wol anymore.
The clerk scratched his head and muttered,
“It seems like I’m getting old. My senses are declining…”
He entered the workshop with a weary gait.
The craftsmen were still wrestling over a lump of iron.
They were real craftsmen.
Since they were only focused on making weapons, they did not know how the rest of the workshop operated.
The true owner of the workshop was the clerk.
The clerk stepped out through a side door at the back of the workshop. Then, a shabby warehouse came into view.
After double-checking that no one was around, he went inside.
Inside the warehouse were stacks and stacks of iron ingots used to make weapons.
Pushing aside the shelf where the iron ingots were stacked, a secret space at the back appeared. Even the craftsmen of the workshop did not know that such a space existed.
The clerk entered the secret room.
After descending about twenty stairs, a fairly large underground space appeared.
There were about a dozen people gathered in the basement.
Eight men and two women.
As the clerk walked down, all eyes focused on him. Then the clerk smiled and said,
“Is everything going well with the preparations?”
“Yes!”
They replied, brief and strong.
The clerk nodded as if he was satisfied with their response and said,
“This is a mission where a Ten Blood Assassin is deployed. We need to support her as best we can. Prepare for every possibility since we don’t know when she will move.”
The clerk’s name was Lee Myung-hak.
Lee Myung-hak was an assassin of the Hundred Wraith Union.
At one time, he boasted tremendous skills that made him a member of the Ten Blood Assassins. However, when he retired and withdrew from the front lines, his name was erased from the ranks of the Ten Blood Assassins.
But, Lee Myung-hak was not at all disappointed or regretful.
After all, it was impossible to live as an assassin forever.
Sure, a person may be able to easily handle nerve-wracking tension without a care in the world, but that is only the case when they are young, as the person ages, there inevitably comes a point when it becomes too much.
Even for Lee Myung-hak, who had been active for fifteen years as one of the Ten Blood Assassins, this kind of crossroads also arrived.
Furthermore, he realized that if he continued to kill, his humanity would end up being destroyed, and he was tormented by the terrible thought that he would no longer be able to live as a human being if that were to happen.
So, at this crossroads of choice, Lee Myung-hak decided to retire. However, even if he wanted to retire, it would be useless if the leader of the Hundred Wraith Union did not allow him to.
Naturally, the leader of the Hundred Wraith Union did not allow his retirement.
It didn’t make sense for him to let go of a useful assassin like Lee Myung-hak.
Lee Myung-hak wanted to retire, but the leader of the Hundred Wraith Union did not want him to.
The two eventually came to a compromise.
Lee Myung-hak would take a step back from the front lines, and instead work as a support.
He would stop killing on the front lines, and instead, be working behind the scenes, helping the assassins deployed on important missions.
His job was to gather information and move bait to distract the enemies’ attention, laying the groundwork for the Hundred Wraith Union’s assassins to run wild.
Lee Myung-hak was well-versed in the way of the assassins, having been active as one of the Ten Blood Assassins.
Naturally, the support he provided was second to none.
As a result, assassins who went on dangerous missions hoped that Lee Myung-hak would back them up. However, Lee Myung-hak seldom went out to provide support. He only did so for extremely dangerous missions.
This mission was one of those extremely dangerous, which was why Lee Myung-hak himself had come out to provide support.
Lee Myung-hak murmured,
“This should already be okay, right? Given the preparation, the mission should easily be doable.”
* * *
Yu Suhwan had a puzzled look on his face.
That was because there was an unfamiliar sword in Pyo-wol’s hand as he returned to the inn.
“What’s that?”
Yu Suhwan was well aware that Pyo-wol did not use any kind of sword, so it was only natural that he found it strange for Pyo-wol to show up with one.
Pyo-wol tossed the sword to Yu Suhwan and said,
“You use it.”
“Me?”
“You use a sword as a weapon, right?”
“But I haven’t even recovered my martial arts yet… Well, regardless, it seems like a gift, so I will accept it gratefully.”
Yu Suhwan gently caressed the sword.
It had been a while since he last held a sword.
Although he had lost his martial arts, he had never forgotten for a moment that he was a swordsman.
Yu Suhwan said,
“This is a fine sword. The skill of the craftsman seems to be quite good.”
“It seemed that way.”
“I will make good use of it. Thank you.”
“Use? Isn’t it a bit too early for that?”
“It is indeed early, but it seems like the time for me to recover my martial arts might be shortened.”
“How?”
“The doctor who can fix my body happens to be nearby. I initially thought I would have to go to the South Sea to meet him.”
A small smile tugged at the corners of Yu Suhwan’s mouth.
The unexpected news came from a gathering of Namgung Wol, Yong Hasang, and Yeom Hee-soo.
In the midst of various conversations, Yeom Hee-soo mentioned that she had met a strange doctor.
On her way here, she had met a doctor wandering around a nearby mountain, and his characteristics were exactly the same as the physician Yu Suhwan knew.
“So, you’re saying this physician was spotted moving around nearby instead of staying in the South Sea?”
“That’s right, and that’s also why I’d like to leave for a while.”
“To look for the doctor yourself?”
“Yes!”
“Can you find him on your own?”
“I know the physician’s habits best. I know roughly where he is, so I can find him on my own. Besides, I received a good sword just now, so I want to find him as soon as possible.”
Pyo-wol nodded at Yu Suhwan’s words.
He understood his feelings.
Even a normal person would feel a sense of loss when they were weakened, much less a martial artist who had practiced martial arts to a high level.
When a person who has transcended human limits loses everything they have built up, the feeling of deprivation they feel is many times more severe than the feelings an ordinary person experiences when they become weak.
Yu Suhwan was no different.
On the outside, he acted as if nothing was wrong, but he was hiding a great sense of loss.
He was constantly worrying about whether or not he would recover his martial arts. However, he could not reveal his inner feelings in front of Pyo-wol or others.
“Do you need any help?”
“No.”
Yu Suhwan stated firmly.
Pyo-wol studied his face for a moment, then nodded.
He could see the strong determination on Yu Suhwan’s face. People with such strong will do not easily change their minds.
Even if the consequence was their own death.
For Pyo-wol to offer to help here was tantamount to insulting Yu Suhwan.
“Good luck.”
“Thank you.”
“When are you going to make your move?”
“I plan to go right away.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The sooner I go, the better. If he moves somewhere else while I’m out here wasting time, it’ll be a big problem.”
“I see.”
“Well then…”
After cupping his fists in goodbye to Pyo-wol, Yu Suhwan left the inn, carrying only his brand new sword.
Pyo-wol watched him go for a moment, then sat down to the place where Yu Suhwan had been sitting.
The panoramic view of Poyang Lake came into sight.
It was a landscape similar to the South Sea where Yu Suhwan had grown up in. Although the said lake couldn’t be compared to the sea, it would have been enough to cause ripples in Yu Suhwan’s heart.
Even though Yu Suhwan left unexpectedly, Pyo-wol didn’t feel a sense of emptiness.
This was because all encounters in Jianghu are like this.
No one knows when a connection would come and go.
Out of the blue encounters could last unexpectedly long, while connections assumed to be long-lasting could be cut short. Such is the world of Jianghu.
Just as his meeting with Yu Suhwan had been unexpected, their sudden parting was not strange at all.
While watching the scenery Yu Suhwan had been looking at, Pyo-wol sorted out his thoughts.
‘If Hong Ye-seol is targeting someone, there is no way they are an ordinary opponent.’
Under normal circumstances, there was no reason for Pyo-wol to concern himself with Hong Ye-seol’s targets. She led the life of an assassin, and life as an assassin is fulfilled by killing someone.
The problem was that the person she had been hired to assassinate happened to be near Lake Poyang.
Poyang Lake was akin to a volcano on the brink of eruption.
The Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society.
The Imperial Yuan Merchant Group and the Blood Ant Gang.
Numerous martial artists and sects centered around these groups, creating numerous conflicts due to their intertwined interests.
Although the balance was currently being maintained, it was still so fragile that it could be shattered with the flick of a finger.
In such a situation, an assassin named Hong Ye-seol happened to appear.
Depending on who she assassinates, the intensity of the volcanic eruption would vary.
The Hong Ye-seol that Pyo-wol knew had a very strong pride.
So much so that she would abandon a mission if another assassin was brought in for a joint operation.
And such a person accepted help from another assassin.
The clerk at the workshop was an assassin, and Hong Ye-seol had stopped by the workshop.
This meant that the mission was important enough that she had to swallow her pride and enlist the help of another assassin.
There was too little information to infer Hong Ye-seol’s goals.
The easiest way to get information was to subdue the assassin in the workshop she had been in contact with. However, that might provoke Hong Ye-seol and bring about the worst possible outcome.
‘This is tough.’
Although Pyo-wol was confident in psychological battle, the situation in Poyang Lake was so complicated that even his mind couldn’t easily draw the big picture.
At times like this, he wanted to forget everything and have a drink. But he didn’t want to change his principles and drink now.
While drinking is enjoyable, it relaxes the nerves and slows physical reactions.
So no matter how complicated the situation was, he couldn’t rely on alcohol.
Instead, Pyo-wol ordered tea from the inn servant.
After drinking a cup of well-brewed tea, he felt his head become a little clearer.
“Hoo…”
Just as Pyo-wol let out a soft sigh.
Someone opened the door of the inn and walked in.
In an instant, the gazes of the guests inside the inn focused on the newcomer.
Normally, when receiving so much attention, the person would feel awkward or embarrassed, but the newcomer didn’t show any signs of that.
The new guest just looked around the inn for a moment, then walked straight towards Pyo-wol.
Only then did Pyo-wol turn his head and look at the newcomer.
The new guest was a woman.
A woman with a very beautiful appearance at that.
The moment Pyo-wol saw her, he thought of an ice flower.
Because she had a cold beauty, like a flower made of ice.
A sword could be seen hanging at her waist. She was not an ordinary woman, but a martial artist.
As Pyo-wol looked at her, the woman’s red lips parted,
“Are you Master Pyo-wol?”
“Who are you?”
“I guess you are. My name is Namgung Seol.”
“Namgung?”
“I’m Wol’s sister.”
“You’re from the Heavenly Guardian Association.”
“That’s right.”
Namgung Seol nodded her head.
Everyone knew that the Heavenly Guardian Association was an organization made up of the old Five Great Families, with the Namgung Family at the center, acting as the main pillar.
After the Great Heavenly Blood War, many martial artists began to be accepted from the outside, causing the traces of the Five Families to become more faint. However, the one leading the Heavenly Guardian Association still remained to be from the Namgung Family.
There is a reason why someone of the Namgung Family continues to be head of the Heavenly Guardian Association, even when succession is not passed on based on bloodline, and that is because of their outstanding ability in martial arts.
The same was true for Namgung Seol.
From a young age, she had been famous for her extraordinary talent.
She had shown such genius that despite being a woman, she could aim for becoming the next sect leader.
It has been said thousands of times that if it were not for her brother, Namgung Jin, she would definitely become the next leader of the association.
Her brother Namgung Jin, who was also the elder brother of Namgung Wol, was an immense genius. Namgung Jin, who showed his genius early on, ascended to the position of heir that did not allow competition.
Namgung Seol didn’t particularly show ambition for the position of leader. Rumors about her only told that she shows great desire and ambition about martial arts that she spent most of her time practicing.
Namgung Seol asked,
“May I join you for a moment?”
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