Chapter 224
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 224
Chapter Title: Golden Heaven (4)
“The Four Slayers have entered Gwangju.”
“Hm!”
The Lumberlord let out a low groan first.
He had heard early on that these Four Slayers were heading straight for Gwangju, killing without restraint.
They made no effort to hide their murders.
They slaughtered people indiscriminately, heedless of prying eyes or the authorities and martial clans watching their every move.
Who the hell were these Four Slayers?
Even more ridiculous was that the victims they left behind were complete mysteries.
There was no clue to their identities—who they were or why they had died.
They weren't locals from nearby villages, nor famous martial artists, not even any traces hinting at their sects.
You could almost say the Four Slayers and some other group had dropped from the sky, fought among themselves, and one side got massacred.
Some killed, some died, yet there was no way to tell who any of them were.
The slain showed no further movement.
But the Four Slayers paraded openly along the main roads.
The man and woman with twin swords wore broad hats that hid their faces entirely, while the other two lurked in the shadows.
“Their destination... is it really Gwangju?”
“It seems so for now.”
“Hm!”
The Lumberlord groaned again.
It had quietly spread that Gwangju was the Four Slayers' final target.
No one had approached them, no one had spoken to them, yet everyone knew where they were headed.
This was undoubtedly a rumor the Four Slayers themselves had spread.
They openly declared their destination—with their own mouths.
“Where are they now?”
“They've holed up at Anpyeong Pavilion. The pair in hats rented two rooms... but after that, not a single hair has been spotted.”
“And the other two?”
The Deputy Lumber Officer shook his head instead of answering.
Two assassins trailed behind the pair in hats.
This was established fact.
The hatted duo never lifted a finger; the killings were always done by the hidden assassins shadowing them.
Yet no one had laid eyes on those two assassins.
They couldn't be found. Not even if you scoured the area with eyes wide open.
The victims they killed probably never even spotted them.
And yet the name "Four Slayers" circulated, and rumors persisted of two assassins following the hatted swordsmen.
This, too, was a rumor deliberately spread by the Four Slayers.
How could anyone know if it was two or three when no one had seen them?
“Are they gunning for Elder Suwol?”
The Deputy spoke cautiously.
“Hm!”
The Lumberlord couldn't give a straight answer and just kept groaning.
Elder Suwol had many enemies.
The more you owned, the more foes you made.
Of course, Elder Suwol had done plenty of good deeds. In famine years, he'd given grain for free; when typhoons destroyed homes, he'd opened his own houses to the victims.
He donated vast sums every year.
In short, every soul in Gwangju had benefited from his kindness.
But undeniably, he was a businessman.
How could business be done without enemies? Without stepping on toes?
With Elder Suwol's massive maritime fleet, no small-timer with one or two ships could grow their transport business. They'd stay minor players forever—or worse, struggle just to survive.
That's why most avoided overlapping with his ventures.
Overlap? Even a slight similarity, and they'd steer clear entirely.
This could breed enemies. Ones Elder Suwol never saw coming.
Take the Lumberlord himself.
He controlled fifteen mountains around Gwangju—practically an entire range.
He monopolized the timber from those vast woods.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say every ship in Elder Suwol's fleet was built from his trees.
The Lumberlord supplied the wood, shipyards built the vessels, and they went straight to Elder Suwol.
No room for outsiders.
A kind of alliance... or symbiosis, between the Lumberlord, the shipyards, and Elder Suwol.
Or more like a lord-vassal bond.
Elder Suwol dominated the ports. Without his mercy, switching suppliers would bankrupt the Lumberlord or shipyards overnight. They say even ruined rich men last three years—but Elder Suwol could strip you bare in a day.
To cement this alliance, Elder Suwol had arranged a political marriage.
The Lumberlord's daughter lived as his favorite concubine.
Officially his third wife—but what difference did that make?
For her, the Lumberlord had prepared a secret residence.
He even fretted over Elder Suwol's personal security. He had to serve as a shield.
The Lumberlord's feelings toward Elder Suwol were a tangled mix of love and hate.
When business flowed smoothly, symbiosis held. But any snag, any clash of interests, and he'd grip the knife by the blade without hesitation.
With Elder Suwol, friend and foe weren't clear-cut.
Everyone was an ally—until they weren't.
There were other issues, too.
Who in the Central Plains didn't know Elder Suwol was a merchant prince?
That's why all sorts flocked to him.
Honest traders, con artists, extortionists now and then. Plenty of martial artists figured they could bully him into paying up.
There was good reason he kept his residence hidden.
What sort were the Four Slayers?
From their actions so far, not extortionists. They wouldn't rack up this body count just entering Gwangju. And their victims were total unknowns.
Maybe they were just passing through... but no, they'd named Gwangju as their final stop. So they had business here...
The Lumberlord shook his head, mind a whirlwind.
“Should we... muster the lads? Just in case, it might be wise to prepare.”
The Deputy pressed earnestly.
The Lumberlord shook his head.
“No. Not yet. Raising a fuss about mustering men would just draw eyes. Better to stay quiet for now. Let's watch and wait.”
“Where are you headed now, sir...? Ah! Forgive me.”
The Deputy cut himself off and bowed hastily.
The Lumberlord shot him a fierce glare. Gwangju's strongest powerhouse tensed his muscles.
Asking about Elder Suwol's whereabouts was the city's ultimate taboo.
“My apologies.”
The Deputy bowed again.
Elder Suwol had six wives.
All hidden in secret retreats—his true sanctuaries.
The Lumberlord oversaw one.
He'd tucked his own daughter away there, accessible only to Elder Suwol.
Not even his right-hand man, the Deputy, knew the location. Catch a whiff of it, and you'd vanish without a trace.
The Lumberlord spoke.
“Keep eyes on them. Don't let them out of your sight.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Deputy replied like a man granted pardon.
The Lumber Officer managed the carpenters.
In the vast mountains, the Deputy was second only to the Lumberlord—proof of how vital carpenter oversight was.
Tree planters, log haulers, transport handlers... all fell under the Deputy.
The Lumberlord himself came from carpenter stock, and as Gwangju's mightiest laborer, it fit.
The carpenters were his strength.
His public face ended there... in the light.
He had a shadow side, too.
“The Four Slayers holed up at Anpyeong Pavilion—what's their aim?”
“Their identities are unknown, so how could we know their goal? Though...”
“Though?”
“There's a rumor with only about fifty percent credibility.”
“What is it?”
“They're planning to target Elder Suwol.”
“Hmph! As expected...”
Blood vessels bulged red around the Lumberlord's eyes.
A voice emerged from the darkness.
“To believe this fifty-percent rumor, you must accept its premises first.”
“Premises? What are they?”
“First, that the Four Slayers use Heavenly Annihilation Division martial arts. Thus, the Four Slayers are...”
“Heavenly Annihilation assassins!”
“And second, you must believe the dead are Non-Triad warriors.”
“Non-Triad? What the hell's going on? What's happening here?”
“Just gains and losses? Then pretend you don't know.”
“Pretend... I don't know.”
The Lumberlord muttered.
Heavenly Annihilation assassins hunting Elder Suwol. Some mission they had to settle. What else could it be? Even hearing it secondhand reeked of blood.
“You're saying my daughter might end up a widow?”
“Yes.”
“Hahaha! You're underestimating Elder Suwol.”
“Forgive me, but... we know the jianghu better than you.”
“The jianghu... war?”
“If Elder Suwol were warring with someone specific, that'd be preferable. We'd simply tell you which side to back. But this...”
“Out with it.”
“I suspect a massive clash between the Non-Triad and Heavenly Annihilation Division. Elder Suwol's just caught in the fallout. He's merely one piece in this grand conflict.”
“If I sent you against these Four Slayers, could you handle them?”
“If ordered, we go.”
“And?”
“We won't return.”
“Scared?”
“The pair at Anpyeong Pavilion, the hatted man and woman—we could take them. They're no pushovers; it'd take our all, but it's possible.”
“Then?”
“We couldn't touch the Non-Triad warriors they killed. No—not the victims, the killers. From the corpses...”
“Two things?”
“First, only one assassin struck. Most victims fell to a single hand. If two moved... hah! We wouldn't get near.”
“That good?”
“Undoubtedly top-tier: Old Monster, Azure Flame, Iron Whip, Crimson Moon, Beauty's Regret—that level to match.”
“Hm!”
The Lumberlord groaned.
He'd named the shadows he raised "Dark Flame."
Flames bursting from darkness, flames of death, incinerating targets in an instant—Dark Flame!
Yet they were admitting defeat.
Before their master who raised them, the entire Dark Flame said they couldn't win.
The voice came again.
“Second—and obvious, but—the dead never knew what hit them. Instant kills, we surmise. At our level...”
Now the Lumberlord understood why Dark Flame said to play ignorant.
To him, Elder Suwol seemed invincible... but to the Four Slayers? Maybe a paper tiger. Something to snuff out in a blink.
The Lumberlord glared wide-eyed.
“Prepare for war.”
“To aid Elder Suwol?”
“Think after my daughter becomes a widow. Strike fast, claim the empty seat. Gear up thoroughly. Watch the others' moves closely.”
“Understood.”
A quiet reply echoed from the dark.