Chapter 228
Chapter 228
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 228
Chapter Title: Blood Kill
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Hyeong Du moved straight away to meet the Saam Valley Master.
The Small Hall located at the edge of the main compound.
Strangely enough, with blackout curtains drawn over every window, the place gave off an eerie, chilling atmosphere.
The subordinate guarding the entrance soon opened the door at the Valley Master's permission and stepped aside. Brushing past him, Hyeong Du slowly advanced straight ahead.
And shortly after.
Kiiiek—
With the sound of the door closing behind him, he stepped into a complete world of darkness.
In the pitch blackness where he couldn't see an inch ahead, he relied on his assassin's razor-sharp senses to keep his bearings and press forward.
As he trudged straight ahead with steady footsteps, at one point...
Sruruk—
He felt a killing intent slither over his neck, like a snake coiling up and flicking its tongue.
"Stop."
Hyeong Du halted at the chilling voice resounding from the front.
It was a short command, but from it alone, he instantly realized the Valley Master's mood was far from pleasant.
Stopping in place at the Valley Master's words, Hyeong Du carefully bowed toward him and asked,
"Valley Master, was there some problem with this mission...?"
The Valley Master had gone out yesterday to handle a mission on his own.
He didn't know the details, but it was the kind of job where they wanted him to wipe out a rival sect lurking like a thorn near the client's turf.
And Hyeong Du was certain the mission had succeeded.
The Valley Master he knew possessed the skill to eradicate any foe short of the Nine Great Righteous Sects.
And his assumption was correct.
"A problem...? The mission was a simple success. I slaughtered every last member of the Returning Sword Sect within a day of arrival and even took out their fleeing sect leader."
Then why...?
As Hyeong Du swallowed his doubts at the Valley Master's irritated tone, the man spoke again.
"But the clients tried to delay payment even after the mission's success, refusing to hand over the completion fee right there."
Ah.
Hyeong Du squeezed his eyes shut at those words.
The Valley Master he knew was a master assassin who had never failed a single mission.
However, compared to his phenomenal success rate, he rarely collected the completion fees—and the reason was straightforward.
"So I killed them all. The clients and every member of their sect."
The Valley Master had a habit of immediately killing clients who didn't pay up on the spot.
And so, having wiped out two sects overnight, he had returned to Saam Valley in a foul mood.
'If you're going to commission a job, at least do your homework first.'
The Valley Master had already killed countless clients like that. And it was common knowledge. Yet people still lined up to hire him.
Because assassins of his caliber were exceedingly rare.
In the end, it was a problem that could have been solved if the client had just paid immediately.
But they got cocky, asking for a little time.
It was probably deliberate.
With the mission successfully completed.
Sects and families with some confidence in their own strength had started dragging their feet on payments, unlike before.
They figured he wouldn't kill them—and thus forgo the money altogether—since they were the client.
But the Valley Master remained utterly consistent, regardless.
Fail to honor the deal on the spot, and you die.
He didn't care about the money. That was it.
His reputation was well-known, yet fools who tested fate like this popped up now and then.
'If it were me, I'd have backed off a step and collected the fee later.'
But Saam Valley belonged to the Valley Master.
If that was his will, there was no need for Hyeong Du to argue.
"But now it's my turn to ask. What brings you here?"
The Valley Master's icy voice turned toward Hyeong Du.
For the past few years, Hyeong Du had rarely sought him out first. For him to show up suddenly like this meant it wasn't a trivial matter.
"Two new recruits joined the valley today."
"That's something you handle yourself."
"But I couldn't gauge their skills."
"...That impressive, huh?"
"Yes. One of them even completely fooled my senses right in front of me."
Hmm.
The Valley Master let out a meaningful hum, lost in thought.
"And right on time, these recruits show up..."
"Pardon? Did something happen?"
The Valley Master didn't answer Hyeong Du's question.
He just pondered to himself for a moment before chuckling dryly.
"Perfect. Throw them into that mission."
"Pardon? A mission already? They're skilled, yes, but they still need time to adapt to the valley's ways."
The Valley Master responded to Hyeong Du's words with frigid silence.
Hyeong Du quickly backpedaled.
"That was presumptuous of me. Please forgive me."
"I won't tolerate it twice."
Fortunately, the reprimand ended as a mere warning. Unable to contain his burning curiosity afterward, Hyeong Du cautiously asked,
"What mission did you have in mind for them...?"
They were skilled but still rookies, so probably nothing too tough—just something to test their abilities.
Hyeong Du was curious about the job.
But the Valley Master's next words shattered his expectations entirely.
"Blood Kill."
"...!"
"I'll have them join Jeok Igim's team on that one."
Hyeong Du's face drained of color at those words.
And for good reason—Blood Kill meant assassinating the Little Palace Lord of Blood Heaven Divine Palace.
Recalling that, Hyeong Du spoke in a trembling voice.
"Isn't that a mission that's practically impossible from the start? Adding just two rookies won't change the outcome much."
"I know. We'll probably get wiped out. No doubt about it."
The Valley Master flashed a sinister smile and continued.
"That's exactly why I'm sending them."
Because when death is staring them down, they'll spill every detail of their purpose.
Blood Kill.
Jeok Igim, assigned the mission to assassinate Blood Heaven Divine Palace's Little Palace Lord, couldn't calm his pounding heart even right before departure.
'Can we really pull this off?'
He knew it all too well.
He'd succeeded in countless high-difficulty missions before, but this one was on another level.
Near impossible.
But he had no other choice.
Refusing a direct order from the Valley Master would mean death on the spot.
'Still, it's not zero chance, so let's hold onto hope.'
Before setting out, Jeok Igim—clad in a dark blue mask—glanced at his subordinates.
A dozen or so assassins assigned to follow him on the mission.
They were all masked, preparations complete, staring at him with resolute eyes.
No executives among them except himself.
To break through Blood Heaven Divine Palace's guards and assassinate the Little Palace Lord with these guys? It felt like smashing eggs against a rock.
And moreover.
He glanced sideways.
Jeok Igim's gaze shifted to the two rookies hastily thrown into yesterday's mission.
'Blood Kill as their first job.'
Had they pissed off someone upstairs?
Feeling a twinge of pity, Jeok Igim quickly looked away.
It was regrettable, but he had no spare attention for rookies right now.
Even focusing every sense on the mission, success wasn't guaranteed.
He gave his subordinates a brief rundown of the mission.
"As you all know, the target is Blood Heaven Divine Palace's Little Palace Lord. She hasn't left the palace lately, but this time she's personally gone to the Gui Domain to meet with the Taam Mok Family."
Jeok Igim nodded firmly and continued.
"We'll strike on her way back, at Jujeong Mountain."
In his view, attempting it in the village was impossible.
The guards protecting her would make even approaching the building a nightmare.
To have any shot at all, they had to ambush her while traveling through the rugged mountains.
Of course, most of his men would die in the process, but that was the only path with even a sliver of possibility.
"Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Good. Let's move out."
Jeok Igim led the assassins out of Saam Valley.
Arriving swiftly at Jujeong Mountain, they selected a chokepoint she had to pass—one rich in ambush spots.
Then, without eating or sleeping, they hid for three days on empty stomachs.
And at the end of it all, finally.
'She's here!'
In the distance, a splendid crimson steed pulled a blood-red carriage toward them.
The assassins instinctively knew upon seeing it.
Blood Heaven Divine Palace.
If that wasn't Blood Heaven Divine Palace, what was?
The faint shadow cast inside the carriage.
That shadow's owner had to be the Little Palace Lord.
As the target drew near, the assassins' tension peaked.
And Jeok Igim was no different.
No matter how many assassinations he'd succeeded before, targeting a heavyweight like her was a first.
Hoo— Hoo—
Steadying his breathing to calm his chest, Jeok Igim signaled his men with a glance.
Locking eyes with the assassins, he held his breath, waiting for the carriage to approach.
When the thin branch they'd laid on the ground snapped under the carriage's wheels, he counted down silently.
Three.
Two.
One.
And in that instant, every hidden assassin sprang out, charging toward the carriage.
Jeok Igim moved to join the assault as well—right then.
Puk!
Someone pressed down on his head from behind.
Ugh!
His face slammed into the underbrush. Thrashing, he turned to see—not a Blood Heaven warrior, but one of his own assassins pinning him.
Jeok Igim spat in fury.
"You bastard, what the hell are you doing?!"
The assassin pinning him slowly removed his mask.
Seeing the revealed face, Jeok Igim was stunned.
"H-Hyung?!"
It was Jeok Mugun, who had tackled and pinned him to the ground.
"What are you—what, how are you even here...?"
As his thoughts froze and his words stumbled, Jeok Mugun spoke.
"If you don't want to die, stay down."
"What do you—"
As he voiced his confusion, a thunderous boom erupted from the side.
Pow!
Jeok Mugun whipped his head around at the explosion, witnessing a horrifying sight.
Not a single charging assassin was left intact—their heads had all flown off.
Fountains of blood erupted, soaking the mountain path.
Gulp.
Jeok Igim, whose life Jeok Mugun had just saved, swallowed dryly.
The carriage rolled on without stopping, as if it had merely encountered ants by the roadside.
But Jeok Igim, grasping the situation, pleaded with him.
"Hyung, we have to try now. There's no other chance to get close, and failing the mission means death anyway."
Jeok Mugun shook his head.
"No need. Our lord will handle this."
Our lord?
Hyung had a master?
As he wondered how anyone could resolve this mess, a man appeared directly in front of Blood Heaven's carriage.
Dressed as an assassin yet boldly showing his face.
As the Blood Heaven warriors raised their hands to attack the blocker, the man spoke.
"I came to meet an old friend after so long, yet you're hiding away."
"...Old friend?"
As the warriors frowned at his words, a curt voice rang out from the carriage.
"...Stop."
At the command, the carriage and warriors froze in unison.
Kiiik.
Soon, the carriage door opened, and the woman inside stepped down.
Confirming the man ahead, her facial muscles began twitching like spasms.
Her shoulders trembled as she jabbed a finger at him, unleashing a voice thick with rage.
"Who the hell are you calling your 'old friend' over there...!"
Flames of fury blazed in the eyes of Yeon Jeokhwa, Little Palace Lord of Blood Heaven Divine Palace. Facing her, Hyeok Mulin merely offered a light smile.