Light Novel: Volume 21 Episode 20
Manhwa: N/A
Their voices were neither loud nor soft.
It was the kind that blended with the wind, indistinguishable unless someone listened to it with focus. But the voices of the Black Assassination Squad sent shivers down Do Yeonsan and others.
Their skin crawled and their fingertips tingled.
The thirty members of the Black Assassination Squad were not just ordinary assassins.
They were the last line of defense supporting the assassin group, the Hundred Wraith Union.
Devils who pledged loyalty only to their leader.
They were not the type to casually use the term ‘Supreme Master.’
Even towards their previous leader, they had not used such a title. Yet here they were, looking at Pyo-wol and calling him as such.
Such was the impact of Pyo-wol’s demonstration of his martial prowess.
It was to the point that even Hong Ye-seol, one of the greatest in Jianghu, could hardly do anything against him.
The assassination techniques Pyo-wol displayed sent chills down the Black Assassination Squad.
They were assassins themselves.
Naturally, they could recognize the supreme level of assassination techniques shown by Pyo-wol.
It was at a realm they would never hoped to achieve, even in their wildest dreams.
Pyo-wol’s assassination techniques opened their eyes.
It was no coincidence that their shoulders were twitching as they knelt on one knee.
The same was true for the Elder Assassin.
The Elder Assassin looked up at Pyo-wol with eyes filled with awe and excitement.
“Finally, the Supreme Master of the assassin sects…”
He was not merely talking about the Supreme Master of the Hundred Wraith Union.
He was referring to the Supreme Master who would unify all assassin sects under heaven.
“To witness the rise of the Supreme Master who will unify all assassin sects in my lifetime…”
Pyo-wol had not yet unified all assassin sects.
He had only brought three under his command, including the Hundred Wraith Union. But that made it even more exhilarating.
Because he would be able to witness his journey from the beginning.
How much longer would he live?
He had lived enough and had little attachment to the rest of his life.
If he had one last wish, it was to witness the birth of the Supreme Master of the assassin sects.
Thud!
The Elder Assassin fell to his knees and bowed his head.
“This subordinate, the Elder Assassin, greets the Supreme Master who will reign over all assassin sects under heaven. Wherever the Supreme Master commands, I shall leap without hesitation, even if it means going into the flames. Just give the order.”
“Just give the order! Supreme Master!”
The Black Assassination Squad shouted, echoing the Elder Assassin’s words.
Their unified voice once again stirred the reed field like waves.
Hong Ye-seol said something from the side,
“Say something to them.”
Finally, Pyo-wol looked at the Black Assassination Squad.
They were assassins who rarely showed emotion, yet they were now staring at him with uncharacteristically fervent eyes.
They were now his to command.
He had to heed Hong Ye-seol’s advice and say something.
“I will make good use of you.”
Pyo-wol spoke simply, without any ornate language.
The Black Assassination Squad was deeply moved by his words.
They sensed the sincerity in Pyo-wol’s words.
“We will serve you with all our hearts.”
Whoosh!
They shouted in unison again.
Pyo-wol nodded his head and waved his hand. Then, as if by magic, the thirty members of the Black Assassination Squad vanished from sight.
They intended to guard the leader in hiding, as they had always done.
The Elder Assassin stood up and approached Pyo-wol.
“I sincerely thank you for becoming the leader of the Hundred Wraith Union. I, too, will serve the Supreme Master with all my heart.”
“Manage the Hundred Wraith Union as you have been. Just report the important matters to me.”
“I will obey your command.”
The Elder Assassin replied respectfully.
Hong Ye-seol, interlocking her fingers on her head, spoke.
“Then, I’ll return to being one of the Ten Blood Assassins.”
She looked relieved.
Having shed the heavy burden that had been oppressing her, she regained her usual cheerfulness.
Do Yeonsan, Nam Shin-woo, and Eunyo approached them.
“Are both of you okay?”
In reality, Do Yeonsan’s concern was more directed towards Hong Ye-seol than Pyo-wol.
Hong Ye-seol shrugged her shoulders.
It was a gesture that meant she was fine.
Only then did Do Yeonsan and the others let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing the three of them, Hong Ye-seol smiled.
* * *
Pyo-wol and his party returned to the horse-ferry boat.
In the meantime, the boat had almost finished loading new cargo and was ready to depart.
As they boarded, the horse-ferry boat left the dock as if it had been waiting for them.
Although Pyo-wol had become the new leader of the Hundred Wraith Union, not much had changed.
Pyo-wol was still Pyo-wol, and the others treated him just as they always had. Only the Elder Assassin’s attitude became even more respectful.
He stood by Pyo-wol’s side, reporting on the current state of the Hundred Wraith Union.
He informed Pyo-wol of everything– the Hundred Wraith Union’s strength, finances, hideouts, and allies– without leaving out a single detail.
Even though Pyo-wol wasn’t directly managing the Hundred Wraith Union himself, these were still essential things he needed to know.
Pyo-wol listened to the Elder Assassin’s report in silence.
The report continued for almost half a day.
“That’s all.”
The Elder Assassin said as he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Not at all, I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do.”
“Reporting for half a day isn’t something just anyone can do.”
“It’s something I do because I enjoy it. It’s not something for the Supreme Master to worry about.”
A smile flickered across the Elder Assassin’s wrinkled face.
It was then.
Peep!
A faint whistle suddenly sounded.
The Elder Assassin and Hong Ye-seol’s expressions stiffened at the same time.
It was a signal from the Black Assassination Squad.
The Elder Assassin said,
“It’s a signal that a ship is approaching from ahead.”
“A ship?”
“The Black Assassination Squad wouldn’t react this way to an ordinary ship. It’s probably a ship related to a powerful sect or faction.”
“It’s likely a ship related to the Golden Heaven Society or the Silver Lotus Society.”
“What shall we do?”
“Let’s observe and decide.”
“Understood.”
They still don’t have a clear picture of what’s going on.
So they first needed to find out why the ships were approaching.
Pyo-wol, with his arms crossed, looked ahead.
After about an hour, he saw a large ship approaching from the opposite direction.
It was a large ship with a black hull, like a black whale.
It was clearly no ordinary ship at first glance.
It was a type of ship that would never be seen on a river with a gentle current like the Yangtze River.
“Is it an ocean ship?”
“Yes. It’s designed for navigating high seas, ideal for sailing through strong ocean waves.”
“So, it’s a ship that operates primarily on the ocean.”
“That’s right.”
Pyo-wol closed his eyes for a moment.
As far as he knew, there were only two sects that would bring such an ocean vessel to the Yangtze River.
One was the Phantom Fleet, and the other was the Martial Sword Alliance, the ruler of the South Sea.
The leader of the Phantom Fleet was Go Il-won, a descendant of the New Moon Manor.
Go Il-won had every right to hold a grudge against Pyo-wol. However, it was too soon to assume that he had come looking for Pyo-wol already.
More importantly, if Go Il-won were to make a move, he would have brought the entire Phantom Fleet with him, not just a single ship like this.
“It seems to be a ship from the Martial Sword Alliance.”
“I agree. It’s likely that the Martial Sword Alliance has mobilized their ship because of the Blood Rakshasa. What should we do?”
“We’ll have to confront them. It’s tricky to avoid them in the middle of the river.”
“Understood.”
The horse-ferry boat was built for transporting horses, carriages, and cargo. They were well suited for steady travel on the river, but their slow speed made it difficult to escape.
Rather than acting rashly, it was crucial to make contact with the approaching ship to understand their intentions.
The ship of the Martial Sword Alliance approached the horse-ferry boat that Pyo-wol was on.
It was clear that their target was the horse-ferry boat.
The ship of the Martial Sword Alliance pulled up close to the horse-ferry boat.
“What is it?”
“Why are they doing this?”
The passengers trembled with anxiety.
They were worried they might be facing a robbery in the middle of the Yangtze River.
Thud!
Finally, the ship of the Martial Sword Alliance docked perfectly alongside the horse-ferry boat.
The hull of the horse-ferry boat creaked as if it was going to break at any moment.
“Everyone, move over.”
Following someone’s command, the people from the Martial Sword Alliance’s ship jumped onto the horse-ferry boat.
“Hey, what is this? What are you doing?”
The captain of the horse-ferry boat protested loudly.
Despite his fear of martial artists, he was the captain responsible for the safety of the horse-ferry boat.
He had no choice but to protest.
Thwack!
“Keuh!”
But what returned was brutal violence.
One of the martial artists who had crossed over to the horse-ferry boat kicked the captain in the stomach. The captain was sent flying far away, hitting the railing before losing consciousness.
“How dare a mere captain—!”
The martial artist who had kicked the captain exuded a murderous aura.
He looked around the deck, scanning the people with a cold gaze.
The passengers, frightened, quickly bowed their heads or turned away.
It was nearly impossible for ordinary people to withstand the intimidating stare of a martial artist.
Escorted by the martial artists, a woman was the last to cross over.
The woman who emanated an overwhelmingly cold aura that dominated everyone around was none other than Um Soso.
After looking around the deck for a moment, Um Soso made her way directly towards where Pyo-wol and his group were.
The atmosphere around Pyo-wol’s group was distinctly unusual.
Pyo-wol and Um Soso had seen each other’s faces several times before. But all of those instances were when Pyo-wol was in his true form. She had never seen him disguised like this.
Because of that, Um Soso did not recognize Pyo-wol, yet she felt a strange discomfort emanating from him.
Trying to maintain a calm expression, Um Soso addressed Pyo-wol,
“I am Um Soso, a martial artist from the Martial Sword Alliance. I apologize for the inconvenience, but if you choose to cooperate with us, I promise to not make it any more uncomfortable than necessary.”
“……”
“What is your name?”
Um Soso directly addressed Pyo-wol.
After looking at her for a moment, Pyo-wol replied,
“I am Jin So-myung of the Sanqing Clan.”
“The Sanqing Clan?”
“You might not have heard of it. It’s a small sect—”
“No, I have heard of it.”
Um Soso replied firmly.
The Sanqing Clan was a sect almost unknown in Jianghu. But Um Soso was well aware of it nonetheless.
She stared intently at Pyo-wol.
“I once stopped by the Sanqing Clan a very long time ago, and I even saw Young Master Jin So-myung there.”
“……”
“But the Jin So-myung I remember didn’t look like you. Who are you, really?”
“I said I am Jin So-myung.”
“I told you, I once stopped by the Sangqing Clan before.”
At that time, she had been training to perfect her sword technique.
So, she had visited various sects in Jianghu, searching for worthy opponents, among which was the Sanqing Clan.
There, she had challenged Jin So-myung, the young leader of the Sanqing Clan, to a martial contest.
The reason she still remembers Jin So-myung is because his martial prowess and performance were so poor.
At least by her standards.
Anyway, even though it was a long time ago, Um Soso had competed with Jin So-myung, and the face in front of her now was very different from back then. Not only that, but his aura had also changed so much.
It was to the point that it was impossible to think of them as the same person.
Staring intently at Pyo-wol, she then seemed to sense something.
“Those… eyes?”
She was sure she had seen those eyes somewhere before.
There were only a few people whose eyes had made such a deep impression on her.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Um Soso drew her sword, and the Martial Sword Alliance martial artists behind her also drew theirs in unison.
Um Soso shouted,
“Pyo-wol! You are Pyo-wol, aren’t you?”
“……”
“You can disguise your face, but you cannot hide those eyes!”
Um Soso was certain that she was facing Pyo-wol.
The fleeting red light flickering in Pyo-wol’s eyes.
The subtle glow in his eyes, which was almost indistinguishable to the average person— she could clearly see it.
“Pyo-wol! Reveal your true self!”
At her outcry, Pyo-wol smiled faintly.
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