Light Novel: Volume 16 Episode 15
Manhwa: N/A

Bang!

Yong Hasang slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

“What do you mean Master Noh Kang-hyun was killed?”

“I just received the report, so I don’t know the details.”

“My goodness!”

Yong Hasang spat out in response to Namgung Wol’s reply. Noh Kang-hyun’s death was that shocking.

He was a respected martial artist, regardless of the circumstances.

It was impossible to even guess what kind of impact his death would have on Jianghu.

“We shouldn’t be here. Let’s go to the pier. I heard that his disciples are there.”

“Let’s go!”

The two hurriedly headed to the pier.

Many people had already gathered in the place.

Most of them had rushed over after hearing the news of Noh Kang-hyun’s death.

“Make way.”

“Please step aside.”

Namgung Wol and Yong Hasang pushed through the crowd and moved forward. Only after struggling their way to the front could they see.

Noh Kang-hyun’s disciples weeping as they surrounded the body of their master. 

“Master!”

“Heuk! Heuk!”

Namgung Wol and Yong Hasang approached them but stopped in their tracks. There was an unexpected figure on Noh Kang-hyun’s side.

“Jang… Hoyeon?”

The person standing next to Noh Kang-hyun’s disciples was none other than Jang Hoyeon of the Rain Sword Mountain Manor.

Jang Hoyeon’s appearance at this place was unexpected, so Namgung Wol and Yong Hasang could not help but show puzzled expressions on their faces.

Namgung Wol couldn’t help but ask,

“Why are you with them?”

“I invited him.”

“What?”

“I invited Master Noh Kang-hyun to come here.”

“You invited Master Noh Kang-hyun?”

Namgung Wol blinked his eyes.

He didn’t understand Jang Hoyeon’s words. Then, Jang Hoyeon scoffed at him and said, 

“Yes, I invited him.”

“For what reason?”

“Why? Because I wanted him to mediate with the Silver Lotus Society.”

“Mediate? You?”

Namgung Wol mumbled, a disbelief expression on his face.

Jang Hoyeon’s face became sad. 

“Yes! No matter how I thought about it, the conflict with the Silver Lotus Society would only dampen Jianghu’s spirits, so I asked Master Noh Kang-hyun to mediate. If it’s him, the Silver Lotus Society would surely listen. Fortunately, he readily accepted my request. He said he was willing to sacrifice himself to mediate between us, but… to think that he would pass away like this, ambushed by an assassin in the middle of Poyang Lake.”

Jang Hoyeon’s eyes were red and bloodshot as he spoke.

Thick tears were dripping from his bloodshot eyes.

It was clear to anyone that he was sincerely grieving Noh Kang-hyun’s death. His appearance was enough to touch the hearts of many people.

Jang Hoyeon looked around at the gathered crowd on the pier and raised his voice further.

“Who would dare send an assassin to kill Noh Kang-hyun? They must be someone who doesn’t want the Silver Lotus Society and Golden Heaven Society to reconcile. But, who wouldn’t want the two factions to reconcile? A greedy person, no doubt. And if it’s greed we are talking about, the person must be someone greedy for gaining dominance in the Poyang Lake region. Who could possibly…”

Jang Hoyeon’s gaze fixed on Namgung Wol and Yong Hasang.

Though he didn’t mention their names directly, it was clear that they were the ones he was referring to.

Everyone’s gazes naturally focused on Namgung Wol and Yong Hasang.

‘Damn it!’

Namgung Wol couldn’t hide his defeated expression.

Because the atmosphere on the pier had completely shifted towards Jang Hoyeon’s favor.

Martial artists were often highly emotional.

They were more likely to be swayed by the emotions of the moment than by rational judgment.

Those present in the area were like that.

They naturally became absorbed in Jang Hoyeon’s passionate speech, causing their emotions to be heightened. They looked together at the place Jang Hoyeon was glaring at.

Namgung Wol and Yong Hasang were there.

There was no one who didn’t know that the two of them had founded and were leading the Silver Lotus Society.

The thought that the Silver Lotus Society might have refused negotiations with the Golden Heaven Society and even ambushed Noh Kang-hyun naturally went into their minds. 

‘How cunning–!’

Namgung Wol’s heart trembled at Jang Hoyeon’s intentions.

People only believe what they want to believe and see what they want to see.

‘Could it be an assassin?’

A question sprouted in Namgung Wol’s mind.

“Bastard! Don’t play innocent!”

Yong Hasang lunged at Jang Hoyeon with a roar.

“Oh, no!”

Namgung Wol cried out too late, but it was useless.

Kwah!

The attack released by Yong Hasang aimed straight at Jang Hoyeon. 

“Heh! Are you trying to kill me because you’re afraid of having the truth revealed?”

Jang Hoyeon sneered and defended himself from the attack.

Kwah!

Yong Hasang’s strike was instantly blocked by Jang Hoyeon’s qi barrier. 

At that moment, Namgung Wol closed his eyes tightly.

Everyone had witnessed Yong Hasang attacking Jang Hoyeon.

The word ‘kill’ mentioned by Jang Hoyeon would have been etched into people’s minds.

Although Yong Hasang had simply attacked Jang Hoyeon because he couldn’t control his anger, it was clear that people would think that Yong Hasang had attacked Jang Hoyeon with the intention of killing him. 

“Young Master Yong attacked Young Master Jang.”

“Did the Silver Lotus Society really hire an assassin to kill Master Noh Kang-hyun?”

“Otherwise, they would have no reason to attack him.”

The chattering voices of the people stabbed into their ears like daggers.

Their voices enraged Yong Hasang even more.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Why would we kill Master Noh Kang-hyun?”

“You must have thought Master Noh Kang-hyun’s existence was cumbersome–”

Jang Hoyeon parried Yong Hasang’s attack and retorted.

“We didn’t even know Master Noh Kang-hyun was coming here! How can you say we hired an ambush?”

“Of course, the person who arranged the ambush wouldn’t honestly admit it was their doing!”

“Don’t feign innocence!”

“Who is truly the one feigning innocence? Wasn’t it you who attacked first? You must be trying to shut me up because you’re cornered!”

“Enough!”

Furious at Jang Hoyeon’s taunts, Yong Hasang attacked even more fiercely.

Kwaaang!

His ferocious attack shattered the pier. However, it did not cause any significant damage to Jang Hoyeon.

The martial arts of both individuals were evenly matched.

As long as Jang Hoyeon solely focused on defense, it was impossible for Yong Hasang to subdue him in a short time.

Jang Hoyeon deflected Yong Hasang’s attack and said,

“Ah, didn’t you say that you were friends with that Reaper? Maybe you commission him to kill Master Noh Kang-hyun?”

At that moment, Namgung Wol narrowed his eyes.

‘So this is it. He’s targeting not only us, but also Master Pyo-wol.’

Only now did he see the big picture Jang Hoyeon had drawn.

He did not believe that Jang Hoyeon said such a thing on the spur of the moment. It was clear that he had this planned for a long time.

The people who stood to gain the most from Noh Kang-hyun being killed by an assassin were Jang Hoyeon and the Golden Heaven Society. 

So regardless of the truth, the people here would have already been made to believe that the Silver Lotus Society had arranged for Noh Kang-hyun to be killed by Pyo-wol.

It was easy to misrepresent the truth, but explaining it was dozens of times more difficult. The atmosphere had already shifted to their disadvantage.

‘Damn it!’

* * *

Pyo-wol looked at the workshop.

The walls of the workshop were in shambles. The flames of the furnace, where the craftsmen had been sweating and melting iron bars, had long gone out.

Although the workshop was a front, the craftsmen who worked in the workshop were real.

The fact that the craftsmen had abandoned the furnace and fled meant something unusual had happened here.

Pyo-wol touched the furnace.

The fire was out, but the heat remained. It meant they hadn’t left long ago.

“For them to leave their hideout in a hurry meant that something has happened. Did they fail their mission?”

“Failed what mission?”

A calm voice suddenly sounded.

Pyo-wol looked behind him, not at all surprised. Then, he saw a beautiful woman he had seen once before.

“Namgung Seol.”

“Tell me. What do you mean by failing the mission?”

Namgung Seol asked again in a calm voice.

Her voice was devoid of any emotion.

There was no favor, no hostility. But it had the power to make the listener feel uncomfortable.

Pyo-wol asked,

“Why are you here?”

“Because my favorite person in the world asked me for help.”

“A lover?”

“Think what you will. The important thing is that I was asked, and I need to find the people who were here. And it just so happens that Master Pyo-wol is also here. Do you have any connection to the people who were here?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I want Master Pyo-wol to answer me honestly, otherwise we’re going to have a serious problem.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Don’t you know what happened at the pier?”

“……”

“Yong Hasang of the Silver Lotus Society and the Rain Sword Mountain Manor, no, Jang Hoyeon of the Golden Heaven Society got into a fight.”

“The reason?”

“Master Noh Kang-hyun was killed by an assassin.”

“An assassin?”

“Yes. Right in the middle of Poyang Lake.”

From Namgung Seol’s answer, Pyo-wol easily deduced who the culprit was.

‘It’s Hong Ye-seol.’

Aside from himself, Hong Ye-seol was the only other assassin in the vicinity with that level of assassination skills. 

“Master Noh Kang-hyun is a highly respected person in Jianghu. He had built up countless merits in his lifetime. His death will–”

“Bring great chaos to Jianghu.”

“That’s right. It was Jang Hoyeon who invited Noh Kang-hyun to Poyang Lake. He wanted Noh Kang-hyun to mediate between the Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society.”

“Jang Hoyeon must have gained enough justification.”

At that moment, Namgung Seol felt goosebumps rising on her arm.

With just a few words of conversation, Pyo-wol had gotten to the heart of the matter.

Her gaze became even colder.

‘This man is indeed dangerous.’

Once again, her vigilance was triggered.

Namgung Seol concealed her inner thoughts and calmly said,

“You’re right. With Jang Hoyeon gaining justification, the Silver Lotus Society found themselves in a disadvantageous situation. But it’s not just them who is in trouble, Master Pyo-wol is also in the same difficult predicament.”

“Me?”

“Because Noh Kang-hyun was killed by an assassin.”

“So I’m the one who’s being pointed out as the culprit?”

“That’s right.”

“But, I have no reason to kill Noh Kang-hyun.”

“You know very well that’s not the point. The point is that someone manipulated the situation, and people followed the mood.”

“Sly.”

“If you don’t reveal the truth, you might become a target of suspicion, no, even a target for elimination.”

Namgung Seol calmly said such frightening words without batting an eye.

“Are you saying that I might become a public enemy of Jianghu?”

“You’ve already experienced it in Sichuan. It’s not that difficult to be pointed out as a public enemy of Jianghu. You just need to make most people want to kill you.”

“I don’t care if I become a public enemy of Jianghu.”

“I know. I know full well that you’re not the kind of person who would blink at that kind of threat, but as you’ve already experienced, being a public enemy of Jianghu makes life very inconvenient. You can’t even dream of walking out in public. You will have to live in the shadows forever. You won’t be able to openly show your face and act like this.”

“So what do you want to say?”

“All I’m saying is that both the Silver Lotus Society and Master Pyo-wol are in trouble, and there’s only one way out of this crisis. And that is to find the assassin who killed Noh Kang-hyun and reveal the truth.”

Namgung Seol looked straight at Pyo-wol.

Her eyes were filled with certainty.

She was convinced that Pyo-wol knew the assassin who had ambushed Noh Kang-hyun. Otherwise, there was no reason for Pyo-wol to come here.

“Who is it? Who attacked Noh Kang-hyun?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t be like this. I’m really just trying to help Master Pyo-wol.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“I thought you were a reasonable person, but I’m disappointed in you, Master Pyo-wol!”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“You’ll surely regret your answer today. Even if you don’t tell me, the assassin is going to be caught anyway. Once the assassin is in our hands, everything will be beyond remedy. Is that okay?”

Namgung Seol’s voice was calm, and eerie.


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