Light Novel: Volume 20 Episode 6
Manhwa: N/A
The New Moon Manor was truly huge.
It started out as just a somewhat large manor house, but over time, it kept expanding out of necessity.
As a result, the New Moon Manor had transformed to the point of being unrecognizable from its initial appearance. Because of the continuous expansions, even the members of the New Moon Manor didn’t fully understand its internal layout.
They only knew about their assigned areas, and few had a detailed grasp of the overall structure.
Each area of the New Moon Manor was completely isolated that, in some cases, people didn’t even know who was in the adjacent area.
Since even those inside did not know about the manor’s entire layout, there was no way for those outside to know.
Even for the people who lived nearby, the New Moon Manor was a mysterious place. The only place outsiders were allowed to enter was the main training ground, adjacent to the main gate. All the other spaces were off-limits to outsiders.
Such was the thoroughness of the New Moon Manor’s security.
At the gates leading to each area, dozens of warriors were stationed, rigorously standing guard and keeping watch. Furthermore, there were also a number of trap mechanisms and formations.
Though not widely known to the world, the New Moon Manor could truly be called a fortress.
But, the normally ironclad security network of the New Moon Manor had numerous gaps visible throughout right now.
This was because many of the manor’s warriors had left in a hurry the night before.
While the traps and formations were still operational, there were places that required human vigilance. The absence of personnel had weakened the security in those areas.
Of course, this didn’t mean that an outsider could easily infiltrate. There were still martial artists standing guard. However, that was from the perspective of ordinary people.
Song Cheonwoo looked into the interior of the New Moon Manor with a deep-set gaze.
He also noticed gaps in various places.
If he had been planning to infiltrate the New Moon Manor secretly, he wouldn’t have missed such an opportunity as this.
Song Cheonwoo suddenly looked at So Yeowol standing beside him.
She was walking with her mouth firmly closed.
Just from her external appearance, it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. She was that good at hiding her thoughts and feelings. But that was the story for ordinary people.
Song Cheonwoo was no ordinary person.
He had spent his whole life with So Yeowol and would continue to walk the same path with her in the future. Therefore, he understood So Yeowol’s inner thoughts and emotions better than anyone else.
Now, So Yeowol was engaged in the gamble of her life. That’s why she was tense.
That iron-blooded woman.
Song Cheonwoo quietly took So Yeowol’s hand. She then looked up at Song Cheonwoo.
Song Cheonwoo smiled and said,
“It’s going to be okay.”
“What is?”
“Just everything…”
“Hah!”
So Yeowol suddenly burst into laughter.
Song Cheonwoo’s out-of-the-blue remark made her tension disappear as if it was a lie.
Song Cheonwoo was always like that.
He didn’t say much, but his presence alone was reassuring.
With him always by her side, she managed to go through the highs and lows of her life, from being raised as an assassin in an underground community until now.
Song Cheonwoo asked,
“When do you think it will happen?”
“Soon!”
“That quickly?”
“It’s Pyo-wol. He always moves one step ahead of our expectations.”
“Hmm!”
Song Cheonwoo nodded his head reluctantly.
He didn’t want to admit it, but he had to.
Their opponent was Pyo-wol.
He had always done things they had all thought impossible.
Although So Yeowol and Song Cheonwoo prided themselves on reaching the pinnacle as assassins, they were not confident in facing Pyo-wol head-on.
His assassination methods were at an unfathomable level.
So Yeowol kicked a stone on the ground. The small stone then rolled away and plunged into a nearby pond.
Ripples spread across the surface of the pond.
The ripples caused by the small stone spread throughout the entire pond.
“Everything in this world is like this. A trivial matter that no one cares about eventually ends up affecting the whole world.”
“Is the pebble supposed to be Pyo-wol?”
“Something like that.”
“Just keep this one thing in mind. Pyo-wol is a double-edged sword. If we’re not careful, we might be the ones who get hurt.”
“If we can’t take that level of risk, we don’t deserve to be the leaders of the Kowloon Assassin Guild.”
So Yeowol revealed her inner thoughts.
She had been sold to a slave trader through Woo Dam-ha’s scheming and raised to become an assassin, one of the most despised professions in Jianghu.
After enduring many hardships, she escaped Sichuan and returned to the New Moon Manor.
But even after returning to the New Moon Manor, her suffering did not end.
The lord of the manor, Go Jang-myung, did not particularly welcome her return, and Woo Dam-ha obstructed and plotted against her at every turn.
Against all odds, she managed to get to where she is today. Even Go Jang-myung, who initially did not welcome her, had come to recognize her abilities, and Woo Dam-ha could no longer treat her like a young girl. However, So Yeowol’s ambitions extended far beyond just that.
“I will definitely become the master of this place and rise to be the ultimate ruler of Jianghu. You’ll continue to be with me even in the future, right?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I live only for you. And I will continue to live for you even in the future.”
So Yeowol’s lips curved into a slight smile at Song Cheonwoo’s response.
In a different sense from Pyo-wol, Song Cheonwoo was always a man of consistency.
It was with his steadfast support that she had made it this far and would continue to do so forever.
So Yeowol gripped Song Cheonwoo’s hand firmly and thought,
‘Come, Pyo-wol! I’m ready for you.’
* * *
Pyo-wol stood atop a dangerously swaying tall tree.
Every time the wind blew, the slender branches seemed as though they might snap at any moment. But Pyo-wol’s expression remained unchanged, entrusting his body to the swaying branching
He could see a huge manor in the distance.
It was too far away and surrounded by high walls reminiscent of a fortress, making it impossible to discern the interior.
The huge manor, reminiscent of a mighty fortress, was none other than the New Moon Manor.
The heart and main stronghold of the Kowloon Assassin Guild was right before his eyes.
“Hoo!”
Pyo-wol steadied his ragged breathing atop the tree branch.
aving diverted the Red King’s attention to Do Yeonsan and Eunyo, he had rushed here to Qiyang with all his might.
He would have been preferred to have ridden a horse on the way here, but that would have undoubtedly attract attention. So, he had used qinggong to rush to this place, which was hundreds of li away from Shaoyang.
Even for Pyo-wol, sustaining qinggong all day long was bound to be exhausting. He relieved the accumulated fatigue by meditating on top of a tree.
It was a race against time.
He had no way of telling how long Do Yeonsan would last.
With Eunyo and Nam Shin-woo by his side, Pyo-wol believed that they would be able to pull through, but he still had to finish his job before they got into the worst possible situation.
The problem was that he knew nothing about the internal layout of the New Moon Manor.
The manor has been thoroughly concealed that even the entire intelligence network of the Hao clan failed to gather information about the inside.
In the end, he would have to go in directly and judge the situation as it unfolded.
A split-second judgment would determine life or death.
From now on, he had to bring his senses to their peak.
Pyo-wol closed his eyes for a moment and reflected on his body’s condition.
Apart from a little remaining fatigue, he wasn’t in bad shape.
Pyo-wol then leaped down from the tree.
The area around the New Moon Manor was open and deserted except for a few residential houses.
If anyone approached without permission, they would surely be found out.
Whether they had deliberately chosen this location for this reason or not, the location was certainly the best when it came to monitoring external threats.
It was certain that even now, the manor was thoroughly guarding against any intrusion from the outside.
Pyo-wol chose to approach via the waterway.
Maintaining a manor of that size with just wells would be insufficient. They must have been drawing drinking and utility water from an external source.
That’s why most manors were situated near rivers or streams, especially for the larger ones, they required a substantial amount of water.
As Pyo-wol suspected, there was a small stream that ran through the manor.
Pyo-wol moved stealthily along the stream.
After walking for a while, Pyo-wol frowned slightly.
It was because he sensed a couple of presences from afar.
The New Moon Manor had positioned surveillance personnel by the stream.
It was clear that they had anticipated the possibility of someone using the stream to infiltrate, just like Pyo-wol. However, Pyo-wol was unfazed and employed his stealth techniques.
He moved stealthily, blending in perfectly with his surroundings.
After traveling a bit further, he came upon an area where the warriors were hiding.
Although they were hidden from sight, Pyo-wol could hear their heavy breathing.
They might have thought they have perfectly concealed their presence, but to Pyo-wol’s senses, their presence was vividly clear.
They were not individuals who had been expertly trained in the art of stealth like he was.
Since they had simply hidden themselves in the bushes, they were clearly ordinary warriors. Deceiving their eyes was a trivial matter for Pyo-wol.
Pyo-wol passed right in front of them, but even then, they didn’t notice him at all.
They were diligently watching the stream with wide eyes, but the human field of vision has many blind spots.
Squinting one’s eyes like what they were doing doesn’t mean that they would be able to see everything. Only the area where one is focused appears clear while the rest of the space is merely perceived vaguely.
The same was true even when several people were looking at the same space.
In fact, being in a group often leads to a relaxation of vigilance because they rely on one another. Furthermore, the presence of others increases the blind spots in one’s field of vision.
Pyo-wol silently slipped through their blind spots.
Not a single one realized his presence even as he passed right by them.
Pyo-wol left them behind and kept moving along the stream.
Eventually, he arrived safely in front of the manor.
The stream connected to the interior of the manor. However, at the point where the stream entered the manor, thick iron bars closely blocked the way.
Pyo-wol took a closer look at the iron bars.
Inside the iron bars, thin wires were connected.
If one of them was forcibly cut off, the wire would send a signal to the inside.
He didn’t want to go through the trouble of cutting through the iron bars.
Pyo-wol brought his face close to the iron bars.
The gap between the iron bars was so narrow that not even a child could pass through, but for Pyo-wol, this was no issue.
He first pushed his face between the iron bars.
Hiss!
Like a snake, his face slithered through the narrow iron bars.
Once his head was through, the rest was easier than flipping a palm.
Crack!
The sound of bones shifting accompanied Pyo-wol’s shoulders dislocating.
As he exhaled the air he had been holding in his lungs, his chest visibly shrank.
Pyo-wol slid through the iron bars like that.
It was a method unique to Pyo-wol, one that ordinary people wouldn’t dare to attempt.
Crack!
His dislocated shoulders snapped back into place on their own, and his once shrunken chest returned to its original form.
Even the wires that were precariously connected inside the iron bars remained intact.
But, passing through the iron bars did not mean he had entered the New Moon Manor.
There were trap mechanisms installed on the inside.
If one carelessly stepped on the ground after passing through the iron bars, a trap would be triggered.
It was a simple yet effective method.
But it did not work on Pyo-wol.
Pyo-wol simply leaped over the mechanisms and entered the New Moon Manor.
But even as he entered the New Moon Manor, he couldn’t let down his guard.
He could feel the presence of people everywhere.
Even though many warriors had left in haste, creating vacancies here and there, the internal defense of the New Moon Manor was still quite thorough.
Pyo-wol hid in a blind spot where no one’s gaze reached and waited for someone to pass by.
After waiting for a while, he saw someone walking past at a steady pace.
Judging by the person’s shabby clothes, it was clear that he was a low-ranking warrior or a worker.
Pyo-wol snared the person with the Soul-Reaping Thread.
“……”
Suddenly caught by the snare, the man couldn’t even scream and was pulled toward Pyo-wol.
Pyo-wol pressed a dagger to the man’s throat and asked,
“Where is the manor lord’s residence?”
“Over here–”
Swoosh!
At that moment, Pyo-wol slightly pricked the man’s neck with the dagger.
Blood dripped from the blade, causing the man’s pupils to shook. He tried to scream, but Pyo-wol immediately noticed his intentions and reacted like a ghost.
Only then did the man realize.
That common tricks would not work on the man before him.
Pyo-wol asked once more,
“Where is the manor lord’s residence?”
“In the deepest part of the manor, in the Mixed Heaven Palace Hall.”
“And the level of security?”
“Guarded by the highest-ranking warriors.”
The man answered obediently.
Pyo-wol stared intently into the man’s eyes.
The man found it painful to face the hostile gleam dwelling within Pyo-wol’s eyes.
So without realizing it, the man bowed his head to avoid Pyo-wol’s gaze.
At that moment, the man heard Pyo-wol’s steady voice.
“It seems that the manor lord is not present.”
The man looked at Pyo-wol in alarm.
At that moment, Pyo-wol slashed his throat.
The man couldn’t even scream as his breath was cut off.
For such a seemingly staunch warrior to give in and answer readily was obviously not normal.
Such a thing could only happen when he had something to be confident about or there was another ulterior motive at play.
The man’s final reaction confirmed it.
The lord of the New Moon Manor was not here.
Pyo-wol then changed into a man’s clothes and took on the man’s face.
luna-cave
You cannot copy content of this page