Chapter 17 - Thunder Sword's Fury
Noegeom left the agonized screams of his subordinates behind and ran like a madman. Once he had put some distance from the scene, he deployed his concealment technique and glanced back.
Jeok Yong and the Jeonga experts were charging after him, but Noegeom didn't move anymore. He was confident that if he fully committed to his concealment, no one would detect him.
Whish!Whish!
Jeok Yong and the Jeonga experts flashed past Noegeom like the wind.
Crunch. Noegeom ground his teeth.
'How did it come to this?'
A wave of resentment surged through him. He had left Wall Thunder Manor on orders to kill the Iron Blood Family's second young master, and everything had gone smoothly until now. He had lost a few subordinates, but that was part of the plan, and he had successfully lured them to the optimal spot by exploiting their carelessness.
If Wi Yeon Gwang hadn't shown up there, the mission would have been complete by now.
Fool.
Wi Yeon Gwang's voice echoed relentlessly in his mind. The sky had already fallen, and bitter regret filled his chest in place of loyalty.
That was when it happened.
"Hey, you there."
A sudden voice from behind made Noegeom's eyes widen. His hand flew to his sword hilt as he whipped around.
A fresh-faced young man stood there, looking straight at him with a boyish smile.
It was Seobaek.
'He saw through my concealment...'
Noegeom was stunned. It was the same technique that had even evaded Jeok Yong. His concealment was still active, and he believed only an Absolute Realm master could detect it.
Yet this young man stared right at him, smiling innocently. What shocked him more was that this was one of the men who had been with Yeon-hoo—the very man he had been ordered to kill.
'Then the one who let me live...'
At that moment, Seobaek wrinkled his nose.
"As expected, the tracking scent smells so good."
'Tracking scent...? When the hell did he sprinkle it on me?'
"Don't act like a startled rabbit. Shouldn't we get to a safe spot first? If you linger here and get spotted, I can't help you anymore."
"......"
"Follow me. Oh, and fair warning—our lord is several times scarier than Jeonga's sword fodder. So don't get any funny ideas."
Seobaek took the lead. Noegeom fell in beside him and demanded, "Why are you saving me?!"
"Honestly, I'm curious too. Why our lord saved trash like you. And since you accepted, he's helping you, right? Isn't he?"
"......"
"If you said yes just to survive, then shut up and follow. And one more warning... Piss off our lord, and you'll learn what living hell feels like with every fiber of your being."
Noegeom followed Seobaek, inwardly conflicted.
'Just kill this guy and vanish...'
"Oh, I forgot something."
"......"
"You're poisoned. The kind where your bones slowly melt away when the time comes... Or so he said. Don't worry, though—as long as you don't pull any stunts, our lord will detox you himself."
Tremble...
In that instant, Noegeom realized something was terribly, terribly wrong.
* * *
Once the commotion that had stirred up the marketplace died down and the crowds began to disperse, Yeon-hoo—who had slipped out under the pretext of using the outhouse to aid Noegeom's escape—returned and lifted his cup to his lips, staring at Wi Yeon Gwang.
The man had been sitting there the whole time, steadily sipping his drink.
As if the chaos outside had nothing to do with him.
And perhaps because of that, even as his subordinates screamed while being slaughtered by Jeonga's warriors, his expression hadn't changed once.
'Good. He's got to be that level to make crushing him worthwhile.'
Yeon-hoo turned his gaze to the Jeonga table. It was much the same there. Despite losing subordinates, Jeok In-hoe calmly conversed with his aides.
'When you become the head of one of the White Night Eight Great Families, do you only think about how you'll look to others in situations like this? If that's why you're putting on such airs...'
Yeon-hoo smirked.
One might call it the demeanor of a true heavyweight, but to him, it just looked like the bluff of someone at the pinnacle of power.
[Are we just going to let that guy go, my lord?]
It was Cheol-u's sound transmission.
[You want to kill him?]
[He's your lord's mortal enemy. Of course...]
[Everything has its order. You'll learn what that is in time, so eat your food.]
[......Understood.]
Meanwhile, Yun Hoe felt like he was dying of discomfort in this gathering.
Northwest Murim, eternal foes like iron-blooded enemies; Jeonga, always on guard at the borders; and even Geomga. Four heads of the eight clans that commanded the world, all crammed into one inn—on the same floor, no less.
Yet Yeon-hoo maintained his calm, unflappable demeanor amid it all.
'Not a single flicker of unease.'
Yun Hoe had admired Yeon-hoo countless times before, but this ironclad composure pleased him most. It wasn't something you could fake.
Yun Hoe suddenly wondered anew what kind of life Yeon-hoo had lived to become so impassive and resilient.
"Commander."
"Yes?"
"Let's head out."
"Ah, yes. Of course."
Yun Hoe flushed slightly, like a girl caught daydreaming, and rose from his seat.
That was when two men in blue robes entered.
One glanced their way and spoke in a rather cold tone. "We've come from the Punishment Bureau. Please remain seated; we have questions."
All eyes turned to the blue-robed men.
Yeon-hoo donned his robe and met their gaze.
The blue-robed man scanned the inn before addressing the Jeonga group.
"This city is a direct territory of the Punishment Bureau, where duels to the death are forbidden. We need explanations for what happened outside."
One of Jeok In-hoe's aides replied, "Unscrupulous assailants attacked our family's warriors. Our great young master and others simply pursued the culprits."
"The family head must answer."
"Hey, you...!"
Jeok In-hoe silenced his fuming aide and spoke calmly. "What he said is the truth. Consider it so."
"Understood."
The blue-robed man bowed his head, then turned to Geomga.
Bukgung So stepped forward. "Our family is uninvolved."
Next was Wall Thunder's turn.
Yeon-hoo stared straight at Wi Yeon Gwang.
'He'll give the obvious answer.'
"Our family is uninvolved as well."
As expected, Wi Yeon Gwang dodged.
Now it was Iron Blood's turn.
Yeon-hoo held up his chopsticks. "We were just eating."
"Are you the Iron Blood Family's second young master?"
'He knows me?'
As Yeon-hoo was mildly surprised inwardly, the blue-robed man turned to Yun Hoe.
"I'll ask Commander Yun. Can we take this as the Iron Blood Family's official stance?"
"He's our family head and future lord of Northern Murim. Do so."
"Understood. Then everyone except your family must remain here until the investigation concludes. Non-compliance will result in punishment per Punishment Bureau regulations."
No sooner had he finished than Yeon-hoo rose and headed for the stairs.
The two blue-robed men from White Night Cartel stepped aside slightly and bowed.
Yeon-hoo inwardly admired their extraordinary aura. Compared to Iron Blood warriors, their eyes and presence were on another level.
"You've worked hard."
"Thank you, young master."
"Next time we meet, you'll need a new title for me."
"......"
Yeon-hoo and his group were the first to exit the inn.
The heads of the other three families watched with varied expressions. Jeok In-hoe and Bukgung So looked surprised; Wi Yeon Gwang hid it well, but a faint killing intent lurked deep in his eyes.
For him, the situation was infuriating. Not only had his plan to kill Yeon-hoo failed, but he'd lost the valuable Noegeom too.
Then Jeok Yong returned.
Jeok In-hoe asked immediately, "What happened?"
"One got away..."
"You useless...!"
"I'm sorry."
Wi Yeon Gwang's expression changed right then.
'Got away...? Does that mean Noegeom escaped?'
He couldn't believe it. Jeok Yong was young but renowned as an expert. Plus, dozens of Jeonga masters had formed a net.
No matter how skilled Noegeom was, escaping without concealment should have been impossible.
'Damn...'
For Wi Yeon Gwang, this was worse than death. He had ordered Noegeom to die. How would Noegeom take that?
[Send a messenger pigeon to the family. Have Noegeom's younger brother imprisoned immediately and guarded strictly.]
* * *
Seobaek, who seemed headed straight out of the city, instead climbed to the roof of the tallest nearby building.
Noegeom asked, "Is this a safe spot?"
"Wait. Still got work to do."
As Seobaek slung his greatbow from his shoulder and nocked an arrow, Noegeom frowned.
Smirk. Seobaek bared his teeth in a grin.
"I'm just following orders."
"What orders?"
"Dunno. Just wait around here and shoot any bird that flies by."
That was when it happened.
Seobaek's eyes sharpened. "For real?"
Noegeom's head turned to follow his gaze.
A bird was flying over the inn where they had been moments ago.
Even more astonishing, it was heading straight for them.
Screeech... The bowstring drew taut.
The arrow flew silently and struck the bird dead center.
Noegeom was impressed inwardly. Hitting a bird with an arrow wasn't remarkable. But the pierced bird was plummeting right toward their position.
Seobaek flicked his hand casually, and the bird—half its body gone—fell into his palm.
Snap!
'This is...'
Noegeom's eyes trembled.
A small message tube was tied to the bird's leg—the kind Wall Thunder used.
"A messenger pigeon, huh?"
"I'll open it."
"Hold on."
Seobaek removed the tube, unrolled the paper inside, and spread it out.
Thud!
"Well, damn..."
Seobaek, having read it, wrinkled his nose at Noegeom. "Tch. Looks like you need to see this."
Noegeom took the paper and unfolded it.
Immediately imprison Noegeom's younger brother and guard him strictly...
[abridged]
Tremble...
The tremor in his fingertips spread through his entire body.
Seobaek stared at him blankly, picked his nose with a finger, and said indifferently, "Now Wall Thunder's on my hit list because of you."
Noegeom said nothing. He just trembled with rising fury.
Seobaek's next words stabbed into his chest like a dagger.
"Your so-called lord is a real bastard. Even if you're a traitor, dragging innocents into it? Tsk tsk tsk."