Chapter 36
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Chapter 8: The Straggler (1)
“Hey! Th-that!”
“Fire? Fire?!”
Hanbi and Jaja couldn’t hide their astonishment.
Vanguard was just as shocked. He didn’t say a word, but his eyes widened involuntarily.
A blunder like this in a martial sect!
An unbelievable scene was unfolding right before their eyes.
The Merchant Sword Sect compound looked incredibly bustling. With people coming and going everywhere, it seemed chaotic and disordered. It almost appeared as if they were excitedly preparing for a feast.
That’s how it would look to eyes that couldn’t read beneath the surface.
But they could see through to the core. They could spot the blades hidden within the estate. Feigned emptiness hides solid strength—it might look full of gaping holes, but in truth, it was airtight.
No one could breach that place.
They had come down the mountain early that morning and had been observing the estate ever since. They had scoured it with burning eyes, searching for even the tiniest gap to slip through.
Of course, there was none.
Their missions were always like this. Nothing was ever easy. Every task seemed impossible at first. The order to assassinate the Merchant Sword Guest had been no different from the start.
It wasn’t for nothing that so many from One-Four-Six had died.
There had always been ample reason for their deaths.
All Vanguard expected from Four Thousand Four was a minor disturbance.
Four Thousand Four had to play the role of assassin.
The Merchant Sword Guest would have already been warned of the assassination attempt, so it was a given that he’d be fully prepared. That meant a genuine assassin needed to appear to take him down.
All Four Thousand Four had to do was handle that.
Vanguard hadn’t given Four Thousand Four detailed instructions precisely because he needed a real assassin.
Four Thousand Four had to act on the fly.
Like a true killer, with the iron resolve to actually slay the Merchant Sword Guest.
Without that sincerity, they couldn’t fool them.
If there was even a hint of following a script—some pact, a set pattern of behavior, predetermined moves—they wouldn’t bite and would only tighten their defenses.
Four Thousand Four’s mission was to become a real assassin and draw them all out in a frenzy.
That was all Vanguard expected from him.
And yet, so many assassins had died. Even playing just that role came with immense risks. Performing it required steeling oneself for death.
Now, with Four Thousand Four gone, Hanbi was stepping up to take his place. Originally, he’d planned to lure out the outer perimeter guards, but without Four Thousand Four, he had to take the lead attacker role.
He would strike from the rear, using the artificial rockery as cover.
They had half a shichen left.
Enough time for a sneak attack, but not with much margin to spare.
Hanbi spoke up.
“That bastard… looks like he really bolted. We can discuss what to do next later—I’ve got to move.”
“Got it.”
Vanguard gave a curt reply.
This mission was more dangerous than any before. What should have been a four-man job had one man missing, making it perilous beyond measure. Every step meant contemplating death.
And then… the flames erupted.
The blaze shot up from the heart of the estate, spreading uncontrollably as if drenched in oil.
“That Four Thousand Four bastard…”
Vanguard muttered, a smile tugging at the corner of his eye.
“This guy, this punk! What an unreadable son of a bitch.”
Hanbi shook his head in disbelief. But a grin crept onto his lips too.
He was thoroughly pleased.
“How the hell did he even slip in that far?”
Jaja was full of admiration as well.
“That’s a massive blaze. It won’t be put out easily… This’ll shake even the guards on duty. No one stays calm with flames creeping up behind them.”
“Stick to the plan?”
“Let’s stick to the plan.”
Vanguard watched the servants rushing about to extinguish the fire.
His eyes narrowed slightly. Among them… could Four Thousand Four be one of those diligently carrying water to douse the flames? A ridiculous notion that popped into his head out of nowhere?
Hanbi would attack from the east. Jaja headed to the opposite side, the west. Fierce combat would erupt there.
All of them shared the same mission as Four Thousand Four.
To draw them out.
Four Thousand Four as the primary attacker, Hanbi as the second assassin.
Then third—Jaja slipping in covertly.
Of course, Jaja was just bait to lure them out too. But by moving stealthily, she’d emphasize her role as the final killer.
Jaja would deploy her stealth arts to the utmost.
Most wouldn’t even notice her presence. She’d infiltrate the estate. Then she’d be blocked at the final hurdle: the Merchant Sword Disciples.
The Merchant Sword Disciples were masters rivaling the Merchant Sword Guest himself.
Though his students, the Merchant Sword Guest had lavishly praised them as having surpassed him long ago.
Jaja couldn’t break through the Merchant Sword Disciples.
The next role… everything hinged on him.
“This bastard might meet his end today, too.”
Vanguard muttered, tapping the sword at his waist.
Shh! Shh!
A black shadow vaulted silently over the wall.
The shadow was incredibly agile and stealthy. It crossed the wall swiftly, but hiding itself was even faster.
Someone had scaled the wall, yet was already nowhere to be seen.
The shadow held still for a moment.
All around was silence. Dead quiet like a field of mice. Servants scurried to and fro fighting the fire, shouts echoing loudly—but to one person, no sound reached.
The clamor of the world faded; their realm was hushed.
Sss! Sss!
He made his second swift move. At that moment—
“You’ve arrived!”
“Which master sneaks in like a rat? Show your face already.”
A clear voice cut through the din, and swordsmen appeared from all sides, blades drawn.
The shadow didn’t stir. It held its breath, utterly still as if it didn’t exist.
“Haha! Not coming out, eh?”
“A rat who couldn’t even enter through the front gate—think it has the guts?”
“Why make it a public assassination, then?”
“Wants to show off every trick in the book, I guess. Haha!”
They were brimming with arrogance. They bantered casually, as if the shadow were already caught.
“Hey! Doesn’t wanna come out. Drag it out!”
At those words, five greatsabers whistled through the air.
Whiiish! Rrrrip!
“Damn it!”
Suddenly, the wall groaned and shifted.
The shadow blended perfectly with the wall. The stealth cloak draped over him mimicked its pattern exactly.
Clang! Clang-clang!
The greatsabers swept the spot where he’d been.
Stone dust flew in clouds. Deep saber gouges scarred the wall.
Now, the shadow was gone.
“You’ve got a name, at least!”
The wielder of the greatsaber raised his blade and declared.
“Hanbi. They call me Hanbi.”
“Oh! You’re the Seven-Inch Sword Demon Hanbi!”
The saber-wielder let out a satisfied laugh.
In the jianghu, Hanbi was known as the Seven-Inch Sword Demon.
Examine those he’d slain, and the cause of death was clear: wounds exactly seven inches long.
To be precise, seven inches long and two inches deep.
He wielded the sword not as a piercing blade, but as a slashing one—like a saber.
The saber-wielder said,
“This one’s mine. Everyone else, fall back!”
Sss!
The black shadow crept forward, inch by inch, agonizingly slow.
Suddenly, a clamor erupted from the east wall. Movement from the swordsmen there.
‘He’s been spotted!’
Hanbi had been detected far sooner than expected.
He couldn’t be found yet. He needed to penetrate deeper inside first. Only then could he draw out the Yi Sword Sect disciples, followed by the New Moon Sword Sect ones.
They needed to pull out a horde of outer and inner experts…
The commotion died down quickly. Silence returned.
But tension didn’t ease. It thickened more than when crowds bustled about.
‘Hm!’
She bit her lower lip hard.
Hanbi must have run into the wrong opponent.
By plan, his side should be in chaos. Endless clashes of weapons ringing out. Hanbi fighting fiercely, surrounded by a swarm of swordsmen.
Hanbi excelled at such missions.
Back in Vanguard’s squad, it wasn’t just that he sent One-Four-Six to their deaths. When One-Four-Six faced peril, the others were in even greater danger.
Martial arts! They died because their skills were lacking.
Hanbi’s were strong. Strong enough to entrust with missions. A battle-hardened veteran who’d survived dozens of such ordeals.
No need to worry much about a melee.
But… this wasn’t a melee. A powerhouse capable of killing him had met him head-on.
That’s why it was so quiet.
‘Hang in there.’
She moved calmly.
She knew Hanbi’s plight but could do nothing about it. Rushing to him now wouldn’t help—and she couldn’t anyway.
They weren’t absolute powerhouses who could clash head-on with famed sects like Yi Sword Sect or New Moon Sword Sect.
Sss! Sss!
She glided like a serpent over oil, smooth and slick. But then—
Sss! Sss! Sss!
Swordsmen suddenly lined the surroundings.
She froze.
Enemies swarmed in force. The slightest twitch would give her away.
Sss! Sss!
More swordsmen poured in. Far more than normal. Likely every New Moon Sword Sect disciple was converging.
‘Tch!’
She chuckled inwardly.
Anyone who couldn’t grasp what this meant was a fool.
She’d been made.
How? When?
She pondered briefly.
She’d scaled the wall just ahead of Hanbi. Years of synergy meant no words were needed; actions spoke.
Her perfect stealth drew attention as Hanbi leaped in.
Had she been spotted crossing, their roles would swap: she as second assassin, he as third.
Left or right leading, it didn’t matter.
Fortunately, she hadn’t been detected. So Hanbi, following, became the second assassin.
He hadn’t slipped up. He’d crossed deliberately to be seen.
But she was the opposite. She couldn’t be spotted. She’d crossed as silently as possible, cautious of any mistake.
Yet she’d been found? How?
She retraced her steps but couldn’t pinpoint her error.
Spotted nonetheless.
She shed her camouflage cloak and stood.
“Ho! A woman, eh?”
A middle-aged man with a returning saber eyed her in surprise.
‘Hm!’
She swallowed another groan inside.
On the man’s chest gleamed a golden crescent emblem.
Golden crescent—one of the New Moon Sword Sect’s top ten disciples.
The strongest in saber arts, save the sect leader himself.
Not just one; a quick scan revealed five or six more.
She grasped Hanbi’s situation.
They knew their movements. Already anticipated the direction and method of infiltration.
Then Vanguard was in danger too.
“Tch!”
Jaja gritted her teeth, gripping her sword tight.