Light Novel: Volume 24 Episode 15
Manhwa: N/A
So Bok was the inn servant at the Changpa Guest House.
The Changpa Guest House was quite an old establishment located on the outskirts of Haimen.
On a typical day, the inside of the guest house would be bustling with guests, but now it was quiet.
Guests had stopped coming, and those who were staying were holed up in their rooms.
In all the years So Bok had worked as an inn servant, this was the first time something like this had happened.
“What on earth is going on?”
So Bok was not only highly curious but also had a close relationship with Geomyeon.
Even after Geomyeon became Tarha’s disciple, they kept in regular contact.
“There’s definitely something strange going on.”
It was the instinct of someone who had spent many years at the bottom.
So Bok took off his apron and left the guest house.
“Hey, kid! Where are you going?”
The owner’s voice called from behind, but So Bok replied casually.
“I’m just going to take a quick look and be right back.”
“Come back quickly. You never know when another guest will arrive.”
“Got it.”
Bang!
So Bok closed the door and surveyed the street.
Not a single ant was in sight.
Although this was supposed to be a remote part of Haimen, there was definitely something wrong that no one was around.
“Damn!”
So Bok muttered a curse involuntarily.
He knew something was wrong.
That’s when So Bok’s eyes caught a suspicious movement.
Someone dressed as a sailor was loitering in an alley not far from the guest house.
It could have been someone just passing through the alley, but So Bok didn’t let it go.
He cautiously approached the alley, trying to make as little noise as possible.
But the person he had seen was already gone.
“What the…? I definitely saw someone.”
So Bok looked around with a bewildered expression, but he couldn’t see the person he had spotted earlier anywhere.
“Did I just see a ghost?”
It was then.
So Bok smelled something burning.
The pungent smell that irritated his nose made him frown unconsciously.
“Damn! What’s that?”
So Bok looked around, searching for the source of the foul smell.
After a moment, he spotted a fist-sized object deep in the alley.
The round object, which seemed to be made of metal, had a long thread attached to it, and the end of the thread was burning.
The pungent smell he had noticed was coming from the burning thread.
So Bok instinctively sensed something ominous.
“Damn it!”
The only thing on his mind was that he had to cut the burning thread. He took out the small dagger he usually carried and tried to cut the thread.
Sizzle!
The thread, made of some tough material, only produced a metallic sound and didn’t cut easily.
“Eek!”
So Bok put all his strength into it.
Finally, the thread was cut.
“Huff, huff! What the heck is this? Why did they leave this behind?”
The cold sensation in his hands felt somehow eerie.
He felt this wasn’t something he could let go and ignore.
Immediately, So Bok grabbed the metal sphere and ran towards Hae-won Manor.
Geomyeon had told him to let him know if there was anything even slightly strange.
“Brother, what’s going on?”
“Where are you running to?”
Seeing So Bok running, the nearby inn servants poked their heads out of the windows.
So Bok saw them and called out to them.
“I’m taking this orb to Geomyeon.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t know, but the end of a thread was burning. You guys should look around for more of these just in case.”
“Is it serious?”
“Seems like it.”
“Got it.”
“Oh! And if you find any with burning threads, make sure to cut them.”
“Okay!”
Leaving the inn servants’ responses behind, So Bok ran at full speed. Not long after, he witnessed a massive group heading towards Hae-won Manor.
It was Dok Gohyang and the Martial Sword Alliance warriors.
They were killing everything in their path and advancing towards Hae-won Manor.
“Fuck!”
So Bok immediately changed direction and took a shortcut.
The path was so narrow that only small children could pass through it, and it was so dirty that adults rarely used it.
It was a path known only to So Bok and a few other inn servants.
So Bok cut through the shortcut and arrived at Hae-won Manor in no time.
“Huh?”
“Who are you?”
The martial artists guarding the main gate of Hae-won Manor looked at So Bok, who suddenly appeared, with a puzzled expression.
So Bok caught his breath and said,
“I, I’m a friend of Geomyeon’s.”
“A friend of Young Master Geomyeon?”
“Yes. I need to see Geomyeon urgently right now.”
“For what reason?”
“I have something to deliver to him. This.”
So Bok shook the metal orb he was holding.
The martial artists looked at the metal orb with puzzled expressions.
“This is not the time to be doing this, some martial artists are coming toward this place.”
“What?”
“Is that true?”
“Yes! There were at least over a hundred of them. They are killing people as they come.”
“Damn it!”
The warriors did not take So Bok’s words lightly.
The situation was already tense due to the Red Bandana Association.
They quickly struck the small bell hanging next to the main gate. It was an emergency alarm.
Ding, ding, ding!
In an instant, the sound of the bell echoed throughout Hae-won Manor.
“You, go inside quickly. The second room in the first pavilion straight ahead is Young Master Geomyeon’s room.”
“Yes!”
So Bok ran inside, leaving the martial artists behind.
“Hurry, move!”
“It’s an attack!”
The martial artists of Hae-won Manor, who had heard the emergency alarm, rushed out the main gate.
They rushed past So Bok without giving him a second glance.
So Bok also hurried past them and arrived in front of the room the martial artist at the main gate had indicated.
At that moment, Geomyeon was coming out.
He had also dashed out upon hearing the emergency alarm.
“Huh? What are you doing here?”
Spotting So Bok, Geomyeon hurried over.
“This!”
So Bok hurriedly held out the object in his hand.
“What is this?”
“It’s something that a suspicious person hid near our guest house. I saw the end of the thread was burning, so I extinguished it.”
“Really?”
Geomyeon took the metal orb.
“What is this?”
Geomyeon examined the metal ball, but he couldn’t make out its identity even then. He had never seen such an item before.
Just then, a voice spoke.
“That’s a grenade.”
The voice belonged to Pyo-wol.
He had approached without them noticing.
Geomyeon’s eyes widened.
“This is a grenade?”
“Yes, it is. Where did you find it?”
Pyo-wol asked So Bok.
“A suspicious person left it near our guest house.”
“Do you know how many of these there are?”
“I don’t know. But I had sent the other inn servants to look for more.”
“This is a very dangerous item. If the wick burns out and explodes, it can thoroughly destroy an area of five to ten zhang.”
“Oh my god!”
So Bok’s face turned pale.
Pyo-wol said to Geomyeon.
“We don’t know how many grenades they have hidden. You need to find them with the others and remove the wicks.”
“Got it.”
“This is a dangerous task. Be careful.”
“Don’t worry, my brother will come with me.”
“Alright.”
Geomyeon quickly called Tae Musang and explained the situation.
Tae Musang’s face turned as pale as Geomyeon’s.
He hurriedly left Hae-won Manor with Geomyeon and So Bok.
Immediately after they left Hae-won Manor, a commotion broke out at the main gate.
“Who are these people?”
“Stop!”
The voices of the Hae-won Manor warriors were heard, followed by the clashing of metal and screams.
“Argh!”
“Keuh!”
“It’s an attack.”
Pyo-wol glanced towards the main gate and disappeared in an instant.
* * *
Chaos erupted at the main gate of Hae-won Manor.
The martial artists of the Martial Sword Alliance had stormed in.
Without any warning or dialogue, they attacked the martial artists of Hae-won Manor. Under their relentless onslaught, the martial artists of Hae-won Manor helplessly fell apart.
In an instant, dozens of warriors were killed or fell, groaning in pain.
Boom!
The main gate of Hae-won Manor shattered with a loud explosion.
The Martial Sword Alliance warriors poured through the now-broken gate.
“Stop right there!”
At that moment, a booming voice echoed through Hae-won Manor.
The owner of the voice belonged to none other than Tarha.
He had appeared, accompanied by Yul Ayeon.
Behind him, martial artists from the Mara Sect followed.
Tarha glared at the Martial Sword Alliance warriors with eyes full of rage.
A formidable killing intent was already emanating from his entire body.
“Who are you people and how dare you commit murder in my manor?!”
“We came here because I know Pyo-wol is here. Hand him over to me.”
Dok Gohyang stepped forward and responded.
With his hands clasped behind his back, his posture clearly showed disdain for Tarha.
His refusal to observe even the most minimal courtesy to an elder made Tarha even more furious.
“Are you threatening me?”
“I said, hand over Pyo-wol.”
“Are you from the Phantom Fleet?”
“Don’t compare the Martial Sword Alliance to those lowly scum.”
“So it’s the Martial Sword Alliance. For such a renowned sect to commit such cowardly acts. Truly shameless.”
Tarha harshly criticized Dok Gohyang. However, Dok Gohyang’s expression remained unchanged.
“Shameless? Is there anything more shameless than harboring an assassin? This isn’t a shameless act, it’s delivering justice. The people of Jianghu will praise me.”
“How twisted is your thinking? Committing such slaughter without clear evidence. How can you still call yourself part of a reputable sect?”
“What difference does it make if others call us a reputable sect? I’ve had enough. I don’t care about what others think of me anymore.”
“Hah!”
Tarha sighed at Dok Gohyang’s obstinate response.
Demanding to hand over Pyo-wol was merely an excuse.
After barging in like this, Dok Gohyang would never leave Hae-won Manor unscathed.
The best way to cover up his wrongdoings was through complete eradication.
The murderous aura emanating from Dok Gohyang was proof that he had already resolved to kill.
Dok Gohyang murmured,
“If we kill them all, Pyo-wol will eventually come out.”
He gestured to his subordinates.
In an instant, the Martial Sword Alliance martial artists leaped out and attacked the Hae-won Manor martial artists.
“Ha!”
“Stop them!”
“Die!”
With desperate cries, martial artists from both sides clashed.
The Martial Sword Alliance’s martial artists were truly terrifying.
They cut down the martial artists of Hae-won Manor as if they were harvesting in the middle of the fall. Seeing the situation escalate, Tarha became desperate.
Tarha spoke to the warriors from the Mara Sect.
“Perhaps it’s time for you to step in.”
“Leave it to us.”
“I entrust this to you.”
“Don’t worry. Your enemies are also the enemies of the Mara Sect.”
The leader of the martial artists sent by the Mara Sect removed the cloth covering his head, thus revealing a smooth, shiny, bald head.
The other martial artists also had shaved heads like his.
These were elite martial artists tasked with protecting the Mara Sect. They shaved their heads because they deemed long hair to be a hindrance in battle.
“Om! Bara Om!”
Chanting a strange mantra, they soon entered the fight.
With the Mara Sect warriors entering the fray, the battle situation dramatically shifted.
At that moment, Dok Gohyang came up to Tarha.
It was now time for the leaders to settle things.
Tarha gathered his energy into his fist and looked towards the rear of the Martial Sword Alliance warriors.
‘I leave it to you.’
LUNACAVE
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