Light Novel: Volume 16 Episode 22
Manhwa: N/A

Pyo-wol cocked his head.

“Snowflake Sword Squad?”

It was a name he was hearing for the first time.

At least, it wasn’t a name used by any sect or organization active around Poyang Lake.

As Pyo-wol guessed, these people must have come from outside.

The warrior’s face stiffened.

He had realized his mistake.

There were still only a handful of people who knew the name Snowflake Sword Squad. 

It wasn’t a name to be ashamed of, but it was still a burden to expose carelessly.

“Chaa!”

The warrior swung his sword at Pyo-wol without hesitation.

His sword sharply aimed for Pyo-wol’s throat

The throat is one of the vital spots of a person. Aiming for the throat meant he intended to end Pyo-wol’s life at once.

However, his sword did not reach Pyo-wol’s throat.

Thump!

Before he knew it, Pyo-wol had struck him in the chest. 

At a glance, it seemed like a light hit, but it left him gasping for breath.

The warrior’s mind flew away with the intense pain.

“Keugh!”

He groaned and collapsed on the ground.

Soon, his consciousness returned, but his limbs were weak and limp as if they were broken.

Pyo-wol grabbed his chin and lifted his head.

“Who are you chasing?”

“Do you think I’m going to tell you?”

The warrior wore a strong expression.

He was showing a will that he would not give in to any torture, but it didn’t take long for him to find out just how flimsy his resolve was.

“AHHH!”

He let out the loudest scream he could muster. His colleagues would have normally come rushing to his aid right now, but unfortunately, no one was around. 

He trembled as he looked at the dagger embedded in his shoulder.

Just when he was looking confident, Pyo-wol had plunged a phantom dagger into him without warning.

Pyo-wol twisted his muscles with the phantom dagger.

“Keuk!”

He gritted his teeth in an attempt to endure the pain, but soon he succumbed.

“An assassin! We were chasing after an assassin!”

“Which assassin?”

“The one who… killed Noh Kang-hyun. Keuk! Please pull out the dagger–!”

Pyo-wol frowned.

If it was the assassin who killed Noh Kang-hyun, then it must be Hong Ye-seol.

‘She still hasn’t left Poyang Lake?’

With her abilities, she should have left Poyang Lake long ago.

Preparing an escape route is one of the basic principles of an assassin. A fox-like Hong Ye-seol would have definitely prepared two or three exits.

The fact that she hadn’t escaped yet meant that those chasing her were not ordinary.

“Who is the leader of the Snowflake Sword Squad?”

“Lady Namgung… Seol is the leader.”

“So the Snowflake Sword Squad is a group protecting Namgung Seol?”

“T, That’s right–!”

“Why is Namgung Seol chasing after the assassin?”

“That’s because– Keuh!”

The moment the warrior hesitated, Pyo-wol twisted the phantom dagger again. The bone-scraping pain made the warrior scream at the top of his lungs.

He could not maintain his sanity amid the terrible pain.

Pyo-wol asked again.

“Why?”

“I-It was a request from Young Master Lee Geumhan.”

“Lee Geumhan?”

Pyo-wol’s expression hardened at the mention of the name.

No matter how disinterested he was in the hegemony of Jianghu, he couldn’t not know about the Frenzied Warrior Sect.

Along with the Celestial Martial Sect, the Frenzied Warrior Sect is an extremely powerful force that divided the hegemony of Jianghu. 

For the past several decades, they had not once directly exercised their martial power. Yet, people did not hesitate to place the Frenzied Warrior Sect above the Three Sects. 

Though their history was short compared to other sects, the martial prowess that Lee Gwak, the founder of the Frenzied Warrior Sect, had shown was shocking.

A peerless martial artist who ended the Great Heavenly Blood War by wielding just a single sword.

His halo still hung heavily over the Frenzied Warrior Sect.

And, Lee Gwak’s grandson is Lee Geumhan.

Naturally, his talent pierced the heavens.

A martial artist who is said to be the only talent comparable to Jang Mugeuk, the successor of the Celestial Martial Sect. 

Bam! Boom!

At that moment, another series of firecrackers exploded in the sky.

The short intervals between explosions were unusual and ominous. 

Pyo-wol stood up, feeling the killing intent of a martial artist.

He didn’t know why Lee Geumhan was chasing Hong Ye-seol. However, he knew for a fact that Hong Ye-seol could not beat Lee Geumhan.

The direction of the bursting fireworks was opposite the Southern Heaven Pavilion.

Hong Ye-seol had come to the Southern Heaven Pavilion to make love to Pyo-wol numerous times, but now, here she was fleeing in the opposite direction of the inn. This could only mean that she does not have any intentions of involving and dragging Pyo-wol into her affairs. 

Any other woman would have asked Pyo-wol for help or relied on him, but Hong Ye-seol made no such choice.

Boom! Bam!

Firecrackers continue to explode one after another.

Pyo-wol leaped in the direction of the fireworks.

* * *

‘Damn it!’

Hong Ye-seol looked at her hand that was gripping her side.

Her palm was soaked with blood.

It was blood that had flowed from the wound in her side.

‘How could a human–?’

Her body trembled as she recalled what had happened. 

It was a mere second.

The time it took for her to suffer a fatal injury.

It was an attack she hadn’t even been able to react to.

In the second that Lee Geumhan attacked, she felt her mind go blank.

Fortunately, the survival instinct ingrained in her body reacted first, and she barely managed to save her life.

After that, she remembered nothing.

When she came to her senses, she was already fleeing through the back alleys of Poyang Lake.

Even though her mind had flown away, her body had reacted on its own.

She was one of the top assassins in Jianghu.

Naturally, her movements were light, and her qinggong was excellent.

In addition, she was perfectly familiar with the back streets of Poyang Lake.

No matter how skilled Lee Geumhan was at the technique of traversing the sky and earth, catching Hong Ye-seol, who was darting and scurrying through the alleyways like a squirrel, would be no easy task. 

In the end, Lee Geumhan turned to Namgung Seol for help.

Namgung Seol used the Snowflake Sword Squad to pressure Hong Ye-seol.

On the surface, it looked like the Snowflake Sword Squad was simply following Hong Ye-seol, but in actuality, the warriors were being maneuvered and deployed in a way that would force Hong Ye-seol into a corner.

The pursuit of the Snowflake Sword Squad was relentless.

They were like hunting dogs, pouncing on her.

Had it been the usual Hong Ye-seol, she would have easily shaken off their pursuit and gone into hiding.

However, she had suffered a fatal wound, making it impossible to perfectly conceal her traces.

She had lost so much blood that she was dazed, her consciousness on the brink of fading away, but Hong Ye-seol did not stop.

She knew that the moment she stopped, it would be the end for her, so she desperately ran and endured the pain, but her speed had noticeably slowed down.

It was then.

She saw a woman standing in front of the alleyway she was fleeing through.

The moment she saw the woman’s bright appearance and curvaceous figure, Hong Ye-seol recognized her identity at once.

“Namgung Seol!”

“You’ve come to this place as expected.”

The woman, Namgung Seol, looked at Hong Ye-seol with a smile.

Hong Ye-seol glared at Namgung Seol and said,

“Was it you who unleashed the hunting dogs?”

“That’s right.”

“Why? We don’t have any grudges against each other.”

“We don’t have to have a direct grudge to act.”

Namgung Seol’s eyes curved into a smile.

That smile irritated Hong Ye-seol even more.

Being a woman herself, she knew exactly what Namgung Seol’s smile meant.

Namgung Seol was mocking her.

Though she may not care about other things, the fact that she was being ridiculed by another woman made her feel miserable.

Snap!

Hong Ye-seol clenched her teeth and lunged at Namgung Seol.

She aimed for Namgung Seol’s neck with her sword.

She wanted to cut off her breathing and escape in one fell swoop.

Despite seeing Hong Ye-seol’s approach, Namgung Seol did not move. Her reaction puzzled Hong Ye-seol. 

Bang!

Suddenly, a powerful impact struck her.

Feeling as though she had been crushed by a massive rock, she was thrown against the alley wall without even a chance to scream.

The wall collapsed, half-burying her.

“Kurgh!”

Hong Ye-seol coughed up blood.

Red blood stained her jaw and chest, but she had no strength even to wipe it away.

It felt as though her entire body was shattered into pieces that she couldn’t even breathe.

“Heuk! Huff!”

After much struggle, she finally managed to catch her breath.

That’s when she heard someone’s voice.

“My, how the treacherous assassin has fallen!”

Hong Ye-seol looked towards the direction of the voice with difficulty.

The tremendous shock had burst all the blood vessels in her eyes, causing her eyes to turn red as if they would spill blood at any moment. With her retina losing its focus, she couldn’t see the owner of the voice clearly.

Still, she knew who the voice belonged to.

It was the man who had been pursuing her since the moment she assassinated Noh Kang-hyun. 

Due to his relentless pursuit, Hong Ye-seol ended up being cornered and unable to escape from Poyang Lake.

The one chasing her was none other than Lee Geumhan.

Lee Geumhan retracted his sword and approached Namgung Seol.

“Are you alright?”

“Thanks to you.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to bother you if I could help it.”

“Serving you is my duty. There’s no need to apologize at all.”

“Thank you for always being so understanding.”

Lee Geumhan smiled.

Namgung Seol looked at him with affectionate eyes.

Anyone could see that the two were lovers.

Hong Ye-seol’s lips twisted.

“Fooling… around, huh?”

“I’m sorry. We got caught up in the mood when you’re here injured.”

Namgung Seol apologized to Hong Ye-seol without looking sorry at all.

Lee Geumhan and Namgung Seol approached Hong Ye-seol, who was pinned against the wall, shoulder to shoulder.

Even as she watched them approach her, Hong Ye-seol couldn’t move a finger.

Her injuries were so severe that it was a wonder she was still alive.

The only reason why she was still breathing right now was because Lee Geumhan had shown mercy on her. If he had truly intended to kill her, she would already be gone from this world.

Lee Geumhan asked Hong Ye-seol,

“Who hired you?”

“Hired?”

“The one who ordered you to assassinate Noh Kang-hyun. Surely you must know.”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t expect me to believe that, do you? For an assassin of your caliber to not know the identity of your client? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Make of that what you will… but I’m saying the truth.”

“Tch! You’re stubborn, indeed. Even in this state, you won’t talk.”

Lee Geumhan clicked his tongue, looking at Hong Ye-seol.

Though he had suspected it, it was clear that Hong Ye-seol was stubborn among the stubborn.

Lee Geumhan shrugged his shoulders and looked at Namgung Seol.

“What should we do? Should we torture her? I’m not good at that.”

“There’s no need to resort to torture.”

“Why not?”

“Everyone has a weakness. If we touch on that weakness, we can find out the truth without torture.”

“A ruthless assassin like her has a weakness? Ha!”

Lee Geumhan waved his hand, as if he found the idea absurd.

He, who had been pursuing Hong Ye-seol for days, knew better than anyone how tenacious she was.

He couldn’t believe that such a person had a weakness, but Namgung Seol looked confident.

Namgung Seol approached Hong Ye-seol and said,

“Pyo-wol.”

“……”

“You purposely came to this place, far away from the Southern Heaven Pavilion, to protect him, right?”

“W, What are you talking about?”

“You’re in love with him.”

“You crazy bitch–”

“Do you know? That he almost became Jianghu’s public enemy? He was somehow lucky to get away with it, but what if people find out about your connection to him?  Do you think he will escape so easily then?”

“You–!”

“People only see what they want to see, and believe what they want to believe. It’s not that hard to mislead people. Furthermore, since he’s already disliked by many, the moment I leak the information that you are somehow connected with…”

Namgung Seol trailed off, but it was enough for anyone to understand what she was trying to say.

Hong Ye-seol shouted,

“You think he’ll even blink an eye at that?”

“Of course, he will. In the end, he’s still human, so he’ll be shaken. He seems perfect now, but his flaws will eventually show itself. Aren’t you curious about what will happen next?”

“I’m curious. I wonder what will happen…”

Someone answered, and it was not Hong Ye-seol.

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