Light Novel: Volume 24 Episode 24
Manhwa: N/A

News of the catastrophe at Haimen quickly spread to Jianghu.

Rumors spread throughout Jianghu that Dok Gohyang of the Martial Sword Alliance and a group of mysterious pirates called the Phantom Fleet had teamed up to plunder Haimen, only to be annihilated themselves.

At first, people didn’t believe the rumors.

There was no reason for Dok Gohyang of the Martial Sword Alliance to raid Haimen, and most had never even heard of a group called the Phantom Fleet.

The Golden Heaven Society, in particular, denied the rumors outright.

There was no one who didn’t know that Dok Gohyang belonged to the Golden Heaven Society.

He wasn’t just anyone either—he was the second-in-command, right after the society’s leader, Jang Mugeuk.

If it turned out that he had indeed conspired with pirates to raid Haimen, it would deliver a fatal blow to the morality and reputation of the Golden Heaven Society.

Because of this, the Golden Heaven Society desperately tried to refute any connection between the Martial Sword Alliance and the Phantom Fleet.

The Golden Heaven Society mobilized all the sects associated with them to suppress the rumors, but despite their efforts, the rumors refused to die down.

Instead, they spread even faster, like a wildfire.

Testimonies supporting the rumors began to emerge.

People claiming to be from Haimen said that it was indeed Dok Gohyang and the Martial Sword Alliance who attacked.

If only one or two people had said it, the claims could have been dismissed as nonsense. But with hundreds saying the same thing, it became impossible not to believe it.

It was then that Yu Suhwan of the Martial Sword Alliance officially released a statement.

[ Dok Gohyang, a traitor of the Martial Sword Alliance, committed the heinous act of imprisoning and torturing his master, Jeon Mu-ok.

He further committed the crime of conspiring and joining hands with pirates known as the Phantom Fleet to raid Haimen.

In response to this, I, Yu Suhwan, as Jeon Mu-ok’s direct disciple, have punished him and restored order to the broken laws of our alliance.

The crimes committed by Junior Brother Dok Gohyang are crimes of the Martial Sword Alliance.

Therefore, I, Yu Suhwan, apologize for Dok Gohyang’s sins on his behalf and pledge to compensate Haimen.

Once again, I emphasize that the wrongdoing lies with both Dok Gohyang and the Martial Sword Alliance.

To all fellow martial artists of Jianghu, I bow my head in apology.

—Yu Suhwan, the new head of the Martial Sword Alliance. ]

It was a formal statement issued by none other than Yu Suhwan, the new leader of the Martial Sword Alliance.

This dealt a fatal blow to the Golden Heaven Society’s reputation.

The series of incidents left the Golden Heaven Society deeply shaken, while the Silver Lotus Society seized the opportunity to strike back.

As a result, the Golden Heaven Society temporarily halted all external activities and began working on reforming its internal atmosphere.

The morale of their martial artists had plummeted and hit rock bottom.

“Hoo!”

The loss of morale wasn’t limited to the ordinary martial artists alone.

Even Jang Mugeuk, the leader, sighed in frustration.

“He acted recklessly, and in the end, caused a massive disaster.”

He couldn’t even begin to imagine how to clean up the mess.

The chaos caused by Dok Gohyang was that enormous.

The fact that someone representing the Martial Sword Alliance had recklessly teamed up with the Phantom Fleet to attack Haimen was disastrous.

There wasn’t even a single sect in Haimen that could properly defend city. 

There were groups like the Sea Dragon Clan, the Red Bandana Association, and Hae-won Manor, but none of them were involved in the power struggles of Jianghu.

The mere fact that the Martial Sword Alliance had recklessly entered such a place was a problem in itself.

The Martial Sword Alliance was a sect powerful enough to be classified as one of the Three Supremes, and for such a sect to send its elite members to enter Haimen without authorization was akin to revealing their impure intentions.

Indeed, the head of Hae-won Manor, Tarha, had been seriously injured by Dok Gohyang.

There was no excuse, even if they had ten mouths to explain.

“The real issue is figuring out how to clean up this mess…”

Jang Mugeuk frowned deeply.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with a proper solution.

If Dok Gohyang were still alive, he could have shifted the blame onto him, but since Dok Gohyang was already dead, that wasn’t an option.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been this cornered.”

It was so absurd that he couldn’t help but laugh.

Jang Mugeuk smiled coldly and walked over to the window.

From the window, he could see the scenery of Golden Heaven Society.

He could feel the lowered morale of the people.

The martial artists of the Golden Heaven Society had lost their smiles and vitality.

No matter how much they said that they would stop at nothing to achieve their goals, the criticism they were receiving from the public made them feel down.

“This must also be because of that man, right? Dok Gohyang wouldn’t have gone into Haimen for no reason.”

In Jianghu, the only person who could make Dok Gohyang lose his reason was Pyo-wol.

Yet, none of the rumors mentioned Pyo-wol or any assassins being involved.

Dok Gohyang had also gone out in secret, knowing that Jang Mugeuk would try to stop him if he knew he was tracking Pyo-wol.

“Even with the Martial Sword Alliance and the Phantom Fleet joining forces, they still suffered a crushing defeat? No matter how incompetent Dok Gohyang may have been, he’s not that bad so that doesn’t make sense.”

Dok Gohyang was by no means incompetent.

In terms of martial prowess alone, he was so overwhelmingly capable that he was unrivaled by any other talent in the world.

So, the idea of him being defeated by Yu Suhwan or Tarha didn’t add up.

There must be some hidden, untold story behind it.

“Pyo-wol— he must be the one who intervened.”

It wasn’t just a simple guess.

The circumstances surrounding the events strongly supported his suspicion.

Jang Mugeuk’s eyes sunk deeply.

Nothing involving Pyo-wol had ever gone smoothly.

Now, things had reached a point where he could no longer ignore him.

“Hoo! To think that he’s pushed me this far. I have no choice but to acknowledge you— Pyo-wol!”

Pyo-wol had pushed the Golden Heaven Society into a corner.

In terms of strength, they were in no way inferior to the Silver Lotus Society. But war is not fought with force alone.

The public sentiment in Jianghu also affected morale.

If the people’s hearts continued to turn away, no matter how strong Jang Mugeuk’s will was, the Golden Heaven Society would inevitably collapse.

He was left with only one option.

“In the end, the path of tyranny.”

* * *

Haimen quickly found its way back to stability.

Hundreds of workers were mobilized to rebuild the ruined mansion and remove the bodies that littered the streets.

The owner of Hae-won Manor, Tarha, was gravely injured, making it difficult for him to move. Therefore, his granddaughter, Yul Ayeon, took charge and led the efforts.

She mobilized the martial artists of Hae-won Manor and the workers of the Red Bandana Association. Additionally, the brothers, Tae Musang and Geomyeon assisted her.

It was a moment when her strong leadership truly shone.

The people of Haimen praised Yul Ayeon.

Hae-won Manor was able to turn the crisis into an opportunity, gaining complete control of Haimen.

Now, there was no force left in Haimen to oppose Hae-won Manor.

Thanks to this, Pyo-wol and the assassins could stay at the Sea Dragon Clan while regrouping their strength.

“The crisis seems to have passed. As long as he rests for a couple of months, his life will no longer be in danger.”

The physician said to Hong Ye-seol as he packed his acupuncture needles and medicinal herbs into his bag.

He was a doctor sent by Yul Ayeon.

Known for having the best medical skills in Haimen, he had been taking care of Elder Assassin for the past ten days.

Thanks to him, Elder Assassin was able to survive despite losing one arm and one leg.

“Thank goodness.”

Hong Ye-seol breathed a sigh of relief.

Elder Assassin smirked and responded.

“What’s so fortunate about this? Even after being reduced to this state, I still have to carry out the tasks and do the work of the Assassin Sect.”

“Well, just think of it as karma.”

“Karma?”

“Wouldn’t it be easier on your mind to think that way?”

“You’re speaking too lightly about someone else’s affairs, aren’t you?”

“What can I do? That’s how I was raised and taught.”

Pat!

Hong Ye-seol lightly tapped Elder Assassin’s shoulder as she stood up from her seat.

Elder Assassin grimaced slightly at the touch.

Since his wounds hadn’t healed completely yet, even the slightest impact caused pain.

Still, Elder Assassin was satisfied.

The pain reminded him that he was still alive.

Even though he had lost an arm and a leg, as long as he was alive, there were still many things he could do.

“Are you going to see the Supreme Leader?”

“Yes!”

“Better keep an eye out.”

“For what?”

“That Lady Yul of Hae-won Manor. The way she looks at the Supreme Leader is not normal.”

“I know.”

“Really?”

“What can I do? He’s just that amazing. But I would not let him be taken away from me easily.”

“Heh heh! Of course, you wouldn’t.”

“Well, don’t worry about me. Just rest and recover.”

“I will.”

Only after confirming that Elder Assassin had closed his eyes did Hong Ye-seol step outside.

Hong Ye-seol frowned and squinted slightly at the blinding sunlight. But it was only for a moment before she headed toward the back garden.

The head of the Sea Dragon Clan, Jang Hamun, was a man of extreme greed and an affinity for extravagance. He spent an enormous amount of money beautifying the back garden he used for his private use. 

There was a large pond big enough to go boating on, surrounded by rare and exotic flowers and plants. In the center of the pond, he built an artificial island adorned with ornate bridges carved with beautiful designs.

Pyo-wol was sitting alone in a beautiful pavilion on the artificial island, which could only be reached by crossing the bridge.

Without hesitation, Hong Ye-seol walked across the bridge to the artificial island and climbed up to the pavilion where Pyo-wol was sitting.

Despite knowing that Hong Ye-seol had arrived, Pyo-wol did not even glance in her direction.

He sat on the railing of the pavilion and watched the fish swimming in the pond. The brilliantly colorful fish were among the ones that Jang Hamun, the Sea Dragon Clan’s clan head, had raised as a hobby.

Hong Ye-seol followed Pyo-wol’s gaze and looked at the fish.

Whether they knew they were being watched or not, the fish swam together in groups, darting back and forth through the pond.

The largest fish, which led the group, swam ahead, and the others followed wherever it went.

Pyo-wol finally spoke.

“The nature of Jianghu is not much different from those fish. They follow wherever their leader takes them without thinking, not knowing why he’s doing what he’s doing.”

“The fish behind will never see what the leader sees.”

Hong Ye-seol’s reply made Pyo-wol turn his head to look at her.

His expression was as unreadable as ever.

Hong Ye-seol was known for her talent in reading people’s thoughts, but it didn’t work with Pyo-wol.

Even though she was staring at him right in front of her, she couldn’t begin to guess what he was thinking. Yet, for some reason, it didn’t bother her.

One of the first things she learned as an assassin was to read body language, including gestures and facial expressions.

People unconsciously reveal a lot of information through their behavior. Hong Ye-seol would gather those subtle clues and little bits of information to understand her targets’ weaknesses and exploit them.

Furthermore, Hong Ye-seol had a natural gift for this sort of thing. No one could hide their true feelings from her.

Because of that, she could clearly see their negative and ugly sides.

Given her circumstances, she couldn’t open her heart to anyone. Thus, she never allowed herself to become attached to others.

But Pyo-wol was different.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t grasp what was going on inside Pyo-wol’s mind.

And that actually made her feel relieved.

Hong Ye-seol suddenly smiled softly.

“Why?”

For the first time, Pyo-wol showed a curious expression.

Hong Ye-seol clung to his arm and said,

“I don’t care if you hold another woman.”

“……”

“You’re too exceptional for me to keep all to myself. What woman wouldn’t be swayed by you?”

It was a world where having multiple wives or concubines wasn’t considered a flaw.

The common perception was that if a man was a hero, it was only natural for him to have many women.

Even ordinary people, once they had a bit of wealth, would bring in a second wife or keep a concubine for pleasure.

So it was inevitable that a martial artist like Pyo-wol, at the pinnacle of Jianghu, would attract many women.

It was the same as bees being drawn to a vibrant and beautiful flower.

Pyo-wol was undeniably a charming and attractive being to anyone.

In addition to his heaven-shattering martial prowess, he possessed a beautiful appearance that surpassed even that of a woman.

Anyone who wasn’t swayed by Pyo-wol’s presence couldn’t be considered human. Moreover, Pyo-wol wasn’t the type to reject women who approached him.

He didn’t feel any shame in using his good looks to his advantage.

Therefore, it was inevitable that there would be many women swarming around him.

Hong Ye-seol was just one of the many women drawn to him in that way.

Even though she had tried to use her beauty to make him submit, but in the end, it was she who became captivated by Pyo-wol.

Hong Ye-seol had acknowledged the fact.

That she had fallen for Pyo-wol.

Even if Pyo-wol asked her to go to hell to carry out an assassination, she would gladly accept.

Still, there was one thing she needed to make absolutely clear.

“Just… don’t give your heart away. If you ever give your heart to another woman, I’ll kill her. So, don’t ever give your heart to anyone.”

“That won’t ever happen, not even with you…”

“That’s a little sad, but it’s okay.”


LUNACAVE

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