Shadow of the Shadow God (5)
“My lord, urgent report.”
Though the words were urgent, the voice remained calm. The assassins under the Shadow God were all like that—utterly devoid of emotion.
Yayul Jeok spoke with a languid expression.
“Report.”
“A force that appears to belong to the Martial Alliance has entered Guangdong. The exact number is unknown, but given their light armor and the fact that they are leading horses, we believe it to be one of the Alliance’s mobile units—the Myeolsa Army.”
“The Myeolsa Army, is it?”
Yayul Jeok had heard of them. A small elite force that had swept through vicious Black Path factions the moment it was formed.
“The Martial Alliance has two mobile units. Has the Tangma Army come as well?”
“We are still investigating, but the Dark Bird Unit believes the probability is high.”
“I see.”
Yayul Jeok’s eyes gleamed. The Tangma and Myeolsa Armies. If it was the Three Sects—especially the Saeum Sect—they could not possibly be ignorant of those two units. They were the ones who crushed those starving wolves.
The starving wolves referred to the Hoerangdan, the most notorious bandit group beyond the frontier. Under the command of the formidable demon Pasaryeok, they had grown powerful enough to rival a great sect.
And the ones who had shattered that sect-level force were none other than the Tangma Army and the Myeolsa Army.
So Bang spoke.
“We expected them to come, but they sent better men than I thought.”
“Indeed.”
“Still, their leaders are nothing but brats.”
So Bang smiled thinly.
“Yeon Hojeong and Moyong Woo, wasn’t it? The so-called Tiger-Sword Duo, the rising stars of this generation.”
The Tiger-Sword Duo was the title given to Yeon Hojeong and Moyong Woo, the strongest young talents of the current era. Among them, Yeon Hojeong’s name stood higher.
Moyong Woo had already reached the age of thirty, while Yeon Hojeong was barely past twenty. Despite being younger, he had broken through the wall of Martial Master before Moyong Woo, so it was only natural that public opinion favored him more.
Of course, almost no one called Moyong Woo second-rate either.
Regardless, to Yayul Jeok and So Bang, they were nothing more than brats.
Yayul Jeok said, “You were the one who told me not to be careless.”
“I know. I’m just saying. I’m not being careless. The Martial Alliance isn’t stupid enough to send real brats to what they consider a critical battlefield.”
“True.”
“Still, when the head of any organization falls, the morale of those below drops.”
So Bang stroked her chin.
“So wouldn’t it be better to take the leaders first?”
Yayul Jeok agreed. That was why he trained his assassins so thoroughly—making extreme emotional desensitization mandatory so they would not waver even if their commander died.
“For now, let us observe carefully.”
“Of course that would be best.”
So Bang rose from her seat.
“You do things your way. I’ll do them mine.”
Yayul Jeok frowned. With his corpse-like, bluish complexion, the atmosphere instantly turned cold.
“Do you intend to interfere?”
“What do you take my words for? I said I’ll do it my way.”
“Guangdong is my territory.”
“No, it’s merely the region the main sect entrusted to you. It is not your territory.”
“Whatever the case, I will not permit reckless action.”
“Sorry, but I’m not your subordinate. In fact, I was sent here under orders from above. You’re the one who should be following my commands. But I said I wouldn’t concern myself with you, didn’t I?”
Killing intent settled in Yayul Jeok’s eyes.
“Do not complicate matters, So Bang.”
So Bang’s smile grew chill.
“I’m doing this to simplify things. Why stop me from helping an idiot who only carves away at his own flesh under the excuse of caution?”
“……”
“I have no intention of interfering. I’ll just capture one of them—either Yeon Hojeong or Moyong Woo—and leave the rest to you. That should be enough, right?”
Her words were enough to make one’s neck burn with anger. Yayul Jeok genuinely considered executing So Bang on the spot.
But only for a moment.
“You’re not wrong. Even if you fail, we’ll at least learn the enemy’s strength.”
“Now you’re thinking. If you’re not going to step forward yourself, there’s no one more useful as a vanguard than me. Of course, I don’t think I’ll lose.”
“Very well. I’ll entrust one of them to you.”
So Bang slowly turned her neck.
Crack.
The chilling sound that echoed from her neck made the atmosphere in the room even colder.
“Hey, brat.”
So Bang was not addressing Yayul Jeok, but the assassin prostrated before him.
The assassin remained motionless, head bowed. From the beginning, he obeyed no orders and gave no replies except to his lord, Yayul Jeok.
So Bang continued.
“If the Tangma Army isn’t visible, then the one who showed themselves must be Yeon Hojeong.”
“……”
“Where is Yeon Hojeong?”
The assassin did not answer.
A mocking smile appeared on So Bang’s face.
“Look at this?”
Whoosh!
A terrifying killing intent erupted from her body.
The qi that had been still exploded in an instant. The change was so dramatic that the assassin’s mask and back were instantly soaked with sweat.
But that was all. Though his body reacted first to So Bang’s fearsome killing intent, the eyes of the assassin with his head bowed did not waver in the slightest. He had been thoroughly brainwashed by Yayul Jeok.
So Bang looked at the assassin with unexpected eyes.
“Quite impressive. Yayul Jeok, you trained him well.”
Yayul Jeok nodded.
“In assassination, emotional disturbance is absolutely forbidden. This much is natural.”
“……Hmm.”
Yayul Jeok spoke.
“Am-pal. Report the location of Myeolsa Army Commander Yeon Hojeong.”
The assassin, Am-pal, immediately opened his mouth.
“Currently, Myeolsa Army Commander Yeon Hojeong is descending the official road from Yangsan. As the commander, he is leading at the front, moving while hiding his soldiers at regular intervals.”
Yayul Jeok nodded.
“He knows tactics. Proof that he didn’t rise to that position with martial arts alone.”
He turned to So Bang.
“You heard?”
“I heard clearly.”
So Bang, who had been quietly watching Am-pal, smirked and passed by his side.
Swish.
Standing behind the prostrated Am-pal, So Bang smiled and turned her head.
“He’s a talent worth coveting. How many like him are there?”
“That is not something you need to be reported on.”
“Well, that’s true.”
So Bang placed her hand on Am-pal’s shoulder.
Twitch!
Am-pal’s body trembled for an instant.
So Bang spoke with a cheerful face.
“You’re quite good. If you ever get tired of working under that guy, come to me anytime. I’ll make good use of you. I thought all Central Plains people were spineless no matter the region, but there was someone like you.”
Yayul Jeok glared at So Bang with fierce eyes.
“So Bang.”
“Yes?”
“……Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“I told you to stop.”
So Bang smiled brightly.
“Stop what? You mean don’t try to recruit your subordinate? Or……”
“The last thing I said……!”
It was then.
Drip, drip, drip.
Thick blood flowed from Am-pal’s eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
Shudder!
After convulsing once, Am-pal collapsed. His eyes had already turned cloudy like rotten fish eyes.
He was dead.
“You mean don’t devour him?”
“……So Bang.”
Whoosh!
A flame-like killing intent burst from Yayul Jeok’s body.
His killing intent was quite different from So Bang’s. If hers was sticky and indescribably murky, his was as fierce as fire and carried a strong scent of blood.
So Bang shrugged.
“If you can eliminate the commander of a Martial Alliance mobile unit with the life of a single subordinate, isn’t that a complete profit?”
“……You wench.”
“Think positively. Since you trained him, this toy ultimately belongs to the main sect. Is there any need to get so worked up over breaking one of the sect’s belongings?”
Further argument was meaningless.
Yayul Jeok spoke in a cold voice.
“Remember this one thing. From this moment on, if you cross my mood even once more, I will execute you immediately.”
So Bang smirked.
“Scary. I’m so scared.”
“If you think it’s a lie, go ahead and act up. Before you catch those Martial Alliance stragglers, I’ll tear your limbs apart and feed them to the dogs.”
So Bang’s face gradually turned expressionless. She had sensed the sincerity in Yayul Jeok’s words.
“You’re getting too angry over one broken toy. That’s not like you.”
“I’ve said all I have to say. Now go capture Yeon Hojeong.”
So Bang stared at Yayul Jeok for a moment before snorting and turning away.
Before leaving the room, she left one final cold remark.
“I’ve never liked you from the start.”
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
Yayul Jeok’s qi, which had been radiating fierce killing intent, instantly calmed.
“Hmm.”
Returning to his usual indifferent expression, Yayul Jeok placed his hand on Am-pal’s corpse.
Hum.
A strange gray-black energy rippled like smoke from his hand.
A moment later.
“Your skill has improved.”
Yayul Jeok’s eyes narrowed.
“You’ve mastered the Blood-Drinking Palm…… At this rate, you might even receive the Yin-Huang Art.”
Her talent was certainly exceptional. Throughout Saeum Sect history, few had mastered the Blood-Drinking Palm at So Bang’s age.
“Well, even if it’s only half, she carries ‘that person’s’ blood, so it’s only natural.”
But the limitations of that bloodline were also clear. Even if one inherited that person’s blood, if it was mixed with lowly blood, they would be seen as beasts, not humans.
That was precisely why So Bang was twisted, and why Yayul Jeok could treat her so harshly.
Yayul Jeok smiled coldly.
“It would be best to eliminate rivals in advance.”
* * *
“Commander.”
Muk Bi approached Yeon Hojeong’s side.
“We’ve deployed most of the soldiers, except for Ok Cheong and Yeo Guk, at the checkpoints.”
“Good.”
“Should we deploy Ok Cheong and Yeo Guk as well?”
“No.”
After a brief moment of thought, Yeon Hojeong spoke.
“I’ll take the two of them with me.”
Tension appeared on Muk Bi’s face. She remembered what Yeon Hojeong had said before entering Guangdong Province.
“……Will the enemy appear?”
“I’m not certain. But I can smell it.”
“Smell?”
“Yeah.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled coldly.
“A thick, foul stench. Someone’s coming this way. And……”
Whoosh. Whoosh.
White haze rose from Yeon Hojeong’s body.
The combat-oriented White Tiger Qi burned fiercely. The Vermilion Bird Qi controlled his heartbeat and blood flow, the Black Tortoise Qi sharpened his senses to the extreme, and the Azure Dragon Qi infused in his legs made his body light and ready to react at any moment.
“A master. At the very least, not inferior to me.”
Muk Bi’s face hardened.
“Already?”
That was why he needed Ok Cheong and Yeo Guk. Including Yeon Hojeong and Muk Bi, if there were three or more people, they could activate the Killing Formation. Yayul Jeok, is it? Whoever it is, it’s a wise decision. They intended to immediately send a vanguard to break the enemy’s momentum without weighing the pros and cons.
And before entering Guangdong, Yeon Hojeong had already considered most of the enemy’s possible reactions and prepared countermeasures. If it’s Yayul Jeok, he would likely attempt an assassination. In other words, if the opponent is approaching while openly radiating killing intent like this……
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes flashed.
Bang!
His foot stomped the ground.
“Starting off hot, aren’t they?”
Whoosh!
Yeon Hojeong, Muk Bi, Ok Cheong, and Yeo Guk all looked in the same direction.
In the distance, a woman was running toward them at terrifying speed. Her figure, running as if flying, was ghostly and menacing.
A smile of delight appeared on Yeon Hojeong’s face.
“……Saeum.”