Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Ambush on the Mountain Path
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The mountain path had grown too treacherous for the carriage to proceed any further.
Dang Heeran stepped out and stretched her arms languidly, looking up at Dang Jinhu perched on the driver's seat. No words were exchanged, but Dang Jinhu nodded.
“Will it take long?”
“This is my first time too, so I’m not sure how long it’ll be.”
“Hmm, it shouldn’t take too long. There was a vacation assessment back in my day as well. The longest part was the debate duel, and even that wrapped up in half a day.”
“I hate debate duels, though…”
Dang Heeran scrunched up her face and grumbled. Dang Jinhu burst into hearty laughter.
“I’ve met the Absolute Life-or-Death Sword Hero a few times myself. Since we’ve come this far, maybe I should say hello…”
“No need, Uncle. You can head back. The Yicheon Academy made it crystal clear from the start—no family or sect elders allowed during vacation assessments.”
“And bringing me here to drop you off?”
“I told you a dozen times it was fine, but you insisted.”
Wi Seongcheon watched their bickering with wide, vacant eyes. He hadn’t fully climbed down from the carriage yet, half-hanging off it awkwardly.
“What are you doing?”
“Can I really come along?”
“There’s no rule against it. You’re enrolling in Yicheon Academy anyway.”
“I haven’t enrolled yet.”
“It’s fine.”
Wi Seongcheon hopped down from the carriage. Dang Heeran spent a brief moment bidding farewell to Dang Jinhu. It didn’t take long.
“Then, Young Master Wi. Until we meet again.”
“Yes. Safe travels.”
Dang Jinhu stared intently at Wi Seongcheon, who bowed politely. He still couldn’t quite figure the young man out.
He’d said they’d meet again, but would there really be a next time? Who knew.
Whether the recommendation letter Wi Seongcheon carried was genuine remained a mystery. If it was fake… they’d likely never cross paths again.
But if it was real.
‘I’ll have to look into it properly once I’m back.’
About the Cheonhwa Sect, its leader Sa Hyop, and his son. If that letter truly came from Won Gwang Bul…
It would stir up a massive storm. In that light, meeting Wi Seongcheon today and forging a connection with Dang Heeran held considerable value.
“He’s a good man.”
Dang Heeran murmured as she watched the departing carriage.
“He didn’t have to come all this way, but he did. And he’s always kind to me.”
“Anyone would be kind to someone like you.”
Wi Seongcheon asked with a puzzled expression, but Dang Heeran just smirked. She spun on her heel and started ascending the mountain path.
Wi Seongcheon gazed at her back for a moment before following. That fleeting stiffening of her expression. She’d worn the same look when speaking of her cousin Sa Hui, Dang Seona.
‘Even kids from prestigious families don’t have it easy.’
The silence felt a bit awkward.
“Heavenly One.”
The quiet grew uncomfortable. Wi Seongcheon called out to Dang Heeran.
“Have you met him?”
“Would I have?”
The reply came instantly. He couldn’t see her face as she walked ahead, but her tone was unchanged.
“Why? You interested in the Heavenly One too?”
“I’d be lying if I said no. Isn’t everyone?”
The Heavenly One.
The hero who perished alongside the Demon King during the Divine-Demon Great War, saving the world.
The first Heavenly One had died long ago, but the Heavenly One’s ‘fate’ was passed down.
Not through bloodlines, though. The Heavenly One’s destiny was truly ordained by heaven.
When a Heavenly One died and time passed, a new one was born somewhere in the world.
Each time, the Murim Alliance ‘found’ the Heavenly One born amid the masses. They protected them and raised them as ‘heroes’ from childhood. The current Heavenly One… Mu Yeonjun was no different.
The sixth Heavenly One, Divine Sword Ji Munhyeok, had been brutally defeated and slain by the Heavenly Demon Hyeok Wolun. The Murim Alliance, witnesses to their duel, learned firsthand just how terrifying the Heavenly Demon was.
Heavenly One, Divine Sword Ji Munhyeok. Revered not just as the pinnacle of the righteous sects but as the unrivaled master of the martial world—yet he couldn’t even withstand ten exchanges against the Heavenly Demon.
Thus, Mu Yeonjun had been under the Murim Alliance’s protection from childhood, enduring grueling training.
He received personal instruction from five of the Ten Masters aligned with the righteous sects—the Five Heroes—and diverse training from the heads of the Nine Great Righteous Sects.
And that wasn’t all. He was treated like a golden child.
From youth, he consumed elixirs like meals, with qi mastery experts aiding his meditation, clearing his meridians, and stimulating his acupoints.
“…The Heavenly One… how to put it. He was someone hard to approach.”
How strong Mu Yeonjun had become after maturing was not widely known.
But one thing was certain: the current Mu Yeonjun far surpassed his abilities at that age.
In truth, he had no need to learn anything at Yicheon Academy. He was already beyond the academy’s teachings, having received guidance from masters far superior to its instructors.
“People were always swarming around him. Plenty of fools desperate to exchange even a word. You too?”
“I doubt he’d like me much.”
“Yeah, probably not. He might even hate you.”
Dang Heeran giggled. Her words grated on Wi Seongcheon’s nerves.
Hate him? What had he done to earn that? He was about to ask.
“Stop.”
Something prickled.
It tugged at Wi Seongcheon’s senses. Instinctively, he called out and reached out a hand.
His tense voice made Dang Heeran flinch. She halted her step and turned her head to look back. In that instant, Wi Seongcheon grabbed her shoulder.
What are you doing?
That’s what she meant to ask. But before she could, Wi Seongcheon yanked her shoulder.
Naturally, Dang Heeran braced her legs to resist. It was only natural to push back against such a sudden pull.
Yet, despite her effort to hold firm, her body tilted toward Wi Seongcheon with eerie ease.
Her eyes widened in shock. The strength in his pull exceeded her expectations.
A trap after all? The thought flashed through her mind. It spurred her body into action.
Panic subsided in an instant. No hesitation. Dang Heeran’s hand shot upward. Her grown nails, coated with a poison-detecting salve—but their purpose went beyond that.
For a Tang family member, nails were fine hidden weapons too.
“Miss.”
Wi Seongcheon tilted his head aside sharply. A beat late, Dang Heeran’s nail pierced the space where his head had been.
Wi Seongcheon didn’t panic at her sudden attack. He’d anticipated she might react this way. As he pulled her, he dragged his feet backward.
It was then. Dang Heeran thrust out her other hand.
It didn’t fly toward Wi Seongcheon. She reached toward the spot she’d just vacated, snatching something that had been silently approaching.
She twisted her waist immediately, aiming her catch at Wi Seongcheon’s throat.
“What are you doing?”
That was what Dang Heeran wanted to say.
Now, she was half in Wi Seongcheon’s arms, glaring at him with venomous eyes.
The needle-thin dart she’d snatched hovered at his Adam’s apple, gripped in her fingertips.
“…A trap after all?”
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
“This hidden weapon. One of your allies threw it, right?”
“If so, would I have stopped you?”
“To make me panic. Or maybe you figured the dart couldn’t finish me, so you prepped your next move.”
“You really think that?”
“No.”
Dang Heeran snorted and shook her head. She’d faintly sensed the assassin’s presence when the dart was thrown.
She hadn’t shown it because… she suspected it might be Seok Ijin.
Countering ambushes. She thought it could be part of Seok Ijin’s vacation assessment, so she’d planned to observe a bit more.
But then Wi Seongcheon had suddenly yanked her over.
‘He was faster than me.’
Dang Heeran had sensed the presence just after Wi Seongcheon spoke. Even without his warning, she wouldn’t have been hit by the dart.
But… it would’ve been close.
‘A trap… no.’
She might grind her teeth over it later, but that’s what Dang Heeran concluded. At least in this ‘trap,’ Wi Seongcheon wasn’t involved.
If he were… there’d be no need for this now.
The moment Wi Seongcheon grabbed her shoulder and her counterattack failed. She was already ‘dead.’
The same held true now. Though the dart she’d snatched was poised at Wi Seongcheon’s throat, his fingertip had reached her acupoint faster. That’s why she’d halted the dart. Had she pressed forward, Wi Seongcheon would have struck her acupoint without hesitation.
“…Can you let go first?”
“Promise not to stab me.”
It went without saying. Dang Heeran lowered the needle. Wi Seongcheon grinned and released her.
The faint presence vanished. The ambusher had concealed themselves the moment the attack failed.
“Poison?”
“Yeah.”
Dang Heeran nodded as she examined the dart closely. The underside of her nail was stained brown, like dirt. She brought it to her lips for a moment, then licked the tip without hesitation.
“…Paralysis toxin mixed with qi-dissolving poison. Not great quality.”
“You can just eat it?”
“I’m from the Tang family. I’ve ingested more types of poison than meals in my life.”
Dang Heeran worked her lips, then spat. Her grimace suggested it didn’t taste good.
“Is this Professor Seok Ijin’s test by any chance?”
“No way.”
Dang Heeran crushed the dart in her grip.
“Professor Seok Ijin doesn’t use hidden weapons. Or poison. Besides, he knows it’s ‘me’ coming here today. Fling a poisoned dart at Poison Hand Dang Heeran? Ha! That’s an insult to the Tang family—no, to me.”
Still, she hadn’t entirely dismissed the possibility. Fury flickered in her eyes.
“I see.”
Wi Seongcheon nodded.
“The worst case would be if Professor Seok Ijin was attacked and killed by someone… but that doesn’t add up either.”
“Why?”
“It’s not some amazing poison, right? And that stealth and dart skill—we both sensed it. No way someone like that could kill Yicheon Academy’s Professor Seok Ijin.”
“What if they’re not a hidden weapon or poison specialist?”
“Then why hide and throw darts? They’d just come at us head-on.”
Dang Heeran smirked at Wi Seongcheon’s response. She agreed.
‘So. Just trying to provoke me?’
The logic still didn’t quite fit. She didn’t want to dwell on it, but it pissed her off.
Dang Heeran tossed the crushed dart aside and resumed climbing the mountain.