Chapter 532: The Most Famous Mask in the Murim
Chapter 532: The Most Famous Mask in the Murim
The carriage continued its relentless pace.
There was no time to admire the scenery. Nameless trees and flowers blurred into a green haze, and the sharp scent of dust pricked the tip of Cho-hui's nose.
Though they were still being pursued, Cho-hui felt more at ease than she had at the start of their journey.
She had sensed the absolute sincerity in his voice when he promised to take her to the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion, even if the entire Murim stood in their way. She, more than anyone, could spot a man’s lie from a mile away.
Her gaze flickered toward Geom Mu-geuk, who was driving the carriage.
The more she looked at him, the more extraordinary he seemed.
I wonder what kind of history he shares with the Pavilion Master.
She was deeply curious about the relationship between this man and her master.
Suddenly, Geom Mu-geuk spoke up.
"They must be getting desperate."
"Pardon?"
In that instant, Cho-hui felt herself hoisted into the air. Geom Mu-geuk had snatched her by the waist and leaped.
Caught off guard by his sudden movement, Cho-hui’s mind went blank. The only thing she could process was the sharp whistle of hidden weapons slicing through the air.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Then came the heavy thud of projectiles burying themselves in wood.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Masked men, the sky, the trees, and the ground blurred past her vision in a dizzying whirl.
Screeeeeech!
It was the first time she had ever heard the sound of Sword Qi being unleashed—especially from such a close distance.
Thump.
By the time she regained her senses, she was sitting back in the now-stationary carriage.
Looking around, she saw the bodies of masked men strewn across the road. She hadn't even seen how they died. Everything had happened in the blink of an eye, and now, it was over.
Geom Mu-geuk was crouching down, inspecting the corpses.
As she moved to step out of the carriage, he spoke without turning around.
"Be careful when you step down. There’s poison on them."
As if to prove the ordeal hadn't been a dream, several hidden weapons with gleaming, bluish blades were embedded in the side of the carriage.
When she realized that dozens of these terrifying things had been flying through the air while she and the Young Cult Leader were mid-leap, her heart sank. A sudden, irrational fear that she might slip and cut herself on one of the poisoned blades made her sit right back down.
"They’ve hired assassins this time."
Geom Mu-geuk had recognized them as assassins just by the way they moved during the attack. He had inspected the bodies to find their origin, but he found no identifying marks.
"Whoever wants you dead is taking great pains to hide their identity."
First, they had hired ronin, and now assassins. Like the Seven-Road Pursuit Squad before them, these assassins were highly skilled.
Anyone with the financial power to hire such experts surely had reliable masters of their own. Yet, they chose to use "borrowed knives" to do their dirty work—hiring people who were nearly impossible to track.
After finishing his inspection, Geom Mu-geuk returned to the driver's seat.
Cho-hui realized that the reason he had allowed the tail to follow them was to gather information on the enemy.
Wouldn't it be better to just kill the pursuers and get there as fast as possible?
The thought crossed her mind, but she didn't voice it. She had entrusted everything to him, so she had to believe in him—whatever his reasons might be.
Before boarding the carriage, Geom Mu-geuk reached out his hand, and the hidden weapons embedded in the wood pulled out on their own. He then buried the poisoned projectiles deep in the ground.
It was another moment where Cho-hui glimpsed his unique character. An ordinary martial artist would have simply pulled them out and tossed them aside. But he was worried that a passerby might stumble upon them and die.
The feeling that this wasn't just an act confused her. After all, the man was the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.
"Thank you for saving me."
Cho-hui bowed her head politely to express her gratitude.
"Don't mention it. Let's move."
He could have easily made a joke or boasted about his deed, but Geom Mu-geuk simply began driving the carriage again.
Cho-hui watched him quietly before taking a deep breath to steady herself. She didn't know when she might find herself flying through the air again.
*
The second ambush occurred two nights later.
Cho-hui was sleeping by the campfire.
How long had she been out?
She woke up suddenly, though she didn't know why. When she opened her eyes, she gasped in shock.
Hot blood was dripping onto her body. A masked man stood over her, his dagger aimed at her throat.
But Geom Mu-geuk’s sword had already pierced the man's heart.
Geom Mu-geuk pushed the body away, letting it slump beside her.
"He was an assassin skilled in stealth and infiltration."
Geom Mu-geuk inspected the corpse. He tried to determine which organization the man belonged to, but the assassin had no tattoos or scars on his body.
She bowed her head deeply.
"You saved me again."
He had been able to save her thanks to the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art. No matter how faint a presence was, it could not deceive the art once it had reached Great Achievement.
"You're awake now, but try to get more sleep."
Geom Mu-geuk began burying the assassin's body.
Cho-hui could tell. He hadn't buried the other enemies, but he was burying this one for her sake. He wouldn't let her sleep next to a corpse.
Sitting there, staring at the campfire, she brought up something she had never mentioned before.
"The Pavilion Master created an information network within the Heavenly Flower Pavilion. It’s a gisaeng house and an intelligence organization at the same time."
When people get drunk, they tend to talk. In that regard, there was no better place than a gisaeng house to extract information from the Murim.
"Of course, not all gisaeng handle information. Those who do are called 'Hidden Flowers.' I am one of them."
It was a secret she revealed as a sign of her trust in him. She had braced herself to share it, but Geom Mu-geuk’s reaction was surprisingly calm.
"Did you already know?"
At her question, Geom Mu-geuk nodded. He had already known that the Pavilion Master was collecting information for the Smiling Demon. He just hadn't known the specific term "Hidden Flower."
Now she was certain. This Young Cult Leader truly had a deep connection with the Heavenly Flower Pavilion.
"Go back to sleep. We leave early tomorrow."
"Yes."
A moment later, as she lay with her back to him, she asked, "The Pavilion Master... she'll be alright, won't she?"
Seeing how relentlessly they were trying to kill her, she suddenly feared for the Pavilion Master’s safety. Though there were masters protecting the pavilion, what if an assassin as skilled as the one tonight attacked?
She hoped for a reassuring answer, but Geom Mu-geuk’s reply was like a bolt from the blue.
"They’ll likely try to kill the Pavilion Master as well. They might have already tried."
Cho-hui bolted upright in shock.
"Do you really think so?"
Geom Mu-geuk nodded.
"If you can't kill the person delivering the information, wouldn't it be easier to kill the person receiving it?"
"!"
Cho-hui turned pale and fell silent.
Then, she cried out, "Please, go and save her!"
She was usually calm, but she became frantic when the Pavilion Master’s life was at stake. Geom Mu-geuk realized she valued the master's life more than her own.
"Please! Please go and save her! You said you were close enough to take me to her even if the whole Murim tried to stop you!"
In contrast, Geom Mu-geuk remained composed.
"That’s right. I did."
"Then go now! Don't worry about me. I'll hide somewhere and wait. Just go and save her!"
Only then did Geom Mu-geuk reveal the reason for his calm.
"There is no need to worry. I’ve already set a countermeasure in motion."
"A countermeasure?"
Her eyes trembled with surprise.
"She is someone precious to me. Do you think I would just leave her be? I am not that much of an optimist."
If he hadn't had a plan, he would have carried her on his back and sprinted there using the Rapid Speed Step.
"The day I heard you were trying to reach the Pavilion Master, I sent an emergency missive immediately. So, we only need to focus on our own task."
"To whom?"
Geom Mu-geuk gave her a meaningful smile.
"There is someone. Someone I always want to see, no matter where I am or what I'm doing."
* * *
A group of martial artists arrived at the main headquarters of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion in Guizhou.
Their movements were agile. Their lightness skills alone proved their prowess, and their cold gazes betrayed their cruel natures.
They were the Ghost Killing Squad, a group of contract mercenaries known as the most heartless among all ronin.
As former assassins, they never hesitated to kill. They were cold-blooded killers who would cut down a child if they stood in the way, or a parent if they interfered. It was said they would kill a ghost if the price was right—hence their name.
If the Seven-Road Pursuit Squad represented the darkness among those who tracked people, the Ghost Killing Squad held that title among those who killed them.
The man standing before them was the Ghost Killing Squad Leader. Having successfully completed fifty assassinations during his time as an assassin, he was a man of peak skill and unparalleled cruelty.
"Kill them all—gisaeng and guests alike! Leave no one alive!"
Despite the leader's command, the Ghost Killers didn't even emit a faint trace of killing intent. They didn't look like they were anticipating the slaughter, either.
To these men, who were weary of killing, what was about to happen was just a job. It was no different from ordinary people carrying luggage or selling goods.
One of the Ghost Killers looked at the brightly lit building and remarked, "A fine tune to go to the afterlife to!"
Unaware of the cruel intruders, the sound of festive music drifted from the Heavenly Flower Pavilion.
The Ghost Killers leaped over the wall in unison.
They expected to find a gisaeng or a servant greeting guests, but the courtyard happened to be empty. Thus, they were able to rush into the building undetected.
The first floor of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion was designed with a central plaza-like space surrounded by rooms for guests.
"Sweep through the first floor and move up!"
At the leader's command, the Ghost Killers kicked open the first door.
They were prepared to storm in and slaughter everyone inside, but the man who opened the door froze in shock.
The moment the door swung open, a bizarre sight met his eyes.
Men wearing white masks were sitting inside.
What the? Who are these crazy bastards!
The masks were stark white with only holes for the eyes. They bore a smile that looked like a crescent moon lying on its side. Each mask had a slightly different crescent shape.
The reason the Ghost Killer was startled was that the eyes peering through those smiling holes were not smiling at all. The dissonance was chilling.
"What are those things?"
At the question from another Ghost Killer behind him, the one in front replied, "Those are the masks worn by the Faceless Guests."
The mention of the Faceless Guests made everyone stiffen.
But soon, someone laughed.
"Are you kidding me?"
The Faceless Guest mask was the most famous mask in the Murim. They were sold in every marketplace; whenever children played at sword fighting, they invariably wore Faceless Guest masks.
"Is today some kind of Faceless Guest company dinner?"
The laughter spread. Naturally, they assumed these weren't the real deal.
The Faceless Guests were famous for never removing their masks in front of others. There was no way they would be at a gisaeng house like this.
"If you're coming here, you should have poked holes for your mouths, not just your eyes!"
"I bet the gisaeng won't even take you guys, huh?"
Then, the Ghost Killing Squad Leader intervened coldly.
"Enough!"
With that single word, the laughter vanished from the Ghost Killers' faces. Just as they were about to rush in and start hacking...
Slide.
The door right next to them opened.
Normally, a drunkard supported by a gisaeng should have emerged. Instead, the Ghost Killers were startled once again.
Inside that room, too, sat men wearing white masks.
This time, no one spoke out of turn.
Even seeing the mercenaries with their swords drawn, none of the masked men flinched. Instead, they sat in silence, their sheer presence overwhelming the intruders. The eyes within the hollow sockets all seemed to be staring at them.
What is with these freaks!
It was eerie and unsettling, but even then, they still had their doubts.
Slide, slide, slide.
One after another, the doors began to open. As the surrounding doors slid back in succession, a startling scene unfolded.
Every single room was filled with masked men.
The music that had been playing abruptly cut off.
In the heavy silence, the Faceless Guests stared at the Ghost Killers in unison. Because the expressionless masks only had holes for eyes, the sight was incredibly grotesque and terrifying.
The Ghost Killers huddled toward the center. Overwhelmed by the enemy's pressure, they had instinctively backed away. Since they had begun operating as the Ghost Killing Squad, they had never felt such fear.
The Ghost Killing Squad Leader drew his sword. A fight was, above all else, a battle of momentum.
"There's no way these are the real Faceless Guests. Kill these bastards playing at being demons!"
At that very moment!
Whoosh!
A single, sharp gust of wind whistled past their ears.
Simultaneously, a dull thwack followed.
The Ghost Killers looked toward the source of the sound. Their eyes widened in horror.
All eyes were fixed on the Ghost Killing Squad Leader.
The leader looked back at his men with a confused expression, as if asking why they were staring at him.
Drip.
A hot liquid began to stream down from his forehead over his face.
The leader touched his brow. There was a hole clean through his forehead.
"Dammit...!"
With that final curse, the Ghost Killing Squad Leader collapsed backward, dead.
The Ghost Killers were paralyzed with terror. An attack that their leader couldn't even attempt to dodge? It was unbelievable.
Who did it? The terrified mercenaries looked around. The white masks facing them were all smiling.
Then, one of the Ghost Killers pointed somewhere with a trembling hand.
"...There!"
In the distance, there was one room whose door had not opened.
And in that closed door, a single hole had been pierced.