Sorcery Countered by Sorcery (4)
With his sword pressed to her throat, Seo Baek forced Joo Eun-ri to scramble for a way out.
But no good ideas came to mind.
A boy crossing the revenant-infested Central Plains to reach the Shaolin Temple.
She'd already guessed he had considerable skill despite being not yet twenty. But she never dreamed his martial prowess ran this deep.
He'd dispatched Eon Ja-seong and Moyong Hwa-jeong—two of the Five Families Alliance's peak experts—like they were mere novices, without even trading a dozen exchanges!
Yet it wasn't just Seo Baek's superior martial arts that left Joo Eun-ri at a loss.
It was the overwhelming pressure in his gaze.
Suddenly, she recalled a conversation from her childhood with her grandfather.
"Sorcery is ever-changing, fooling the eyes of the world. Most martial artists can't stand against it."
"You're right, Grandfather. The Gohomun sorcery is the best under heaven."
"Not quite. There are those you must beware of."
"Who might they be?"
"Masters of inner arts."
"Inner arts..."
"Before those who've amassed profound internal energy over a single jiazi, sorcery can be pierced as easily as paper."
"Like the Shaolin Temple's Lion's Roar?"
Her grandfather smiled faintly at his unusually sharp granddaughter for her age.
"Exactly. Beyond the Lion's Roar, the jianghu hides countless unknown inner arts masters. Be cautious."
"Hmph! Unless it's the Shaolin abbot himself, there can't be many in the world who could break Grandfather's sorcery."
"That's true enough."
At the time, her grandfather hadn't scolded her—he'd just chuckled quietly.
Now she understood the meaning behind that smile.
The inner arts master her grandfather had warned about stood right before her.
Seo Baek's eyes were clear and serene as a mirror lake, drawing in the viewer's very soul.
"Remember this. Inner arts masters have clear, profound gazes. Never act rashly against such people."
Recalling her grandfather's words, Joo Eun-ri instinctively knew her sorcery wouldn't work on Seo Baek.
Realizing she couldn't escape, she resolved to lay all her cards on the table.
"Long ago, in Zhejiang Province, there was a sect called Gohomun. It's been wiped out now."
"Are you from Gohomun, Lady Joo?"
"Yes."
Joo Eun-ri nodded and repeated to Seo Baek the same story she'd told Moyong Hwa-jeong.
Once she'd finished, Seo Baek spoke.
"So you planned to take revenge on the Moyong Family, North Paeng Family, and Pearl Eon Family."
"Exactly. But before revenge, there was something more important."
Joo Eun-ri approached the fallen Moyong Hwa-jeong.
Moyong Hwa-jeong, her elbow severed by Seo Baek's sword, lay unconscious in a pool of blood. Eon Ja-seong, his bones shattered throughout his body, had long since passed out from the pain.
"This belt she wore is a sacred relic of Gohomun—and my grandfather's keepsake. Yet the Moyong Family stole it and replaced it with some cheap decorative belt for playing music. Infuriating, isn't it?"
Joo Eun-ri knelt and removed the belt from Moyong Hwa-jeong's waist.
"The Moyong Family probably saw it as just some treasure. Like stringing pearls around a pig's neck."
Her story continued.
"I got word that the Five Families Alliance was building this fortress, so I bided my time."
"Conveniently, this inn sat vacant after the revenant outbreak, so I bought it."
"Then I ran the inn while waiting for a chance to infiltrate the fortress and reclaim the relic."
"Everything I know about the fortress is in the letter I left. I've done my part, so we each pursued our own goals."
Her account rang true, fitting together neatly. No reason to lie now.
But one thing Seo Baek couldn't overlook.
"Then why abandon Wang Il and Wang Yi?"
"I had no reason to save them. Wang Il and Wang Yi were infamous black path assassins from Zhejiang Province."
"..."
"My grandfather caught them and meant to make them answer for their crimes before the world. But they begged for their lives, claiming they had an old mother and young children."
"..."
Seo Baek had suspected Joo Eun-ri, Wang Il, and Wang Yi all had hidden stories.
Running an inn in a remote wasteland amid the revenant plague demanded some ulterior motive.
But this was beyond anything he'd imagined...
"Wang Il and Wang Yi swore never to return to the black path and cut out their own tongues."
"In exchange for sparing their lives, Grandfather ordered them to serve Gohomun for life."
"Of course, he never forgot to give them silver each year to send to their families back home."
"When Gohomun fell, Wang Il and Wang Yi fled with me as a child, vowing to Grandfather to protect me even at the cost of their lives."
"But risk our necks to save them now? No—they'd be the first to oppose putting you in danger."
"I've fulfilled my role in the infiltration team. Do as you please."
Joo Eun-ri tilted her head haughtily, arms crossed. Back to her usual arrogant self.
Chorang poked its head out from her sleeve.
Sensing the tension between Seo Baek and Joo Eun-ri, the spirit beast cocked its head back and forth, glancing between them.
Seo Baek kept his sword at Joo Eun-ri's throat.
Of course, he had no intention of killing her outright. Her contributions outweighed her faults.
Listening to her story provided ample justification.
The issue was her betrayal of the group.
'We're in the midst of infiltration.'
Though only four strong, they were a sworn infiltration team.
Suddenly, his master's teachings surfaced.
His master had instructed him on escort agents' infiltration tactics.
Seo Baek had questioned it then.
"Why learn escort agents' operations?"
"Someday, you'll need to traverse or infiltrate revenant zones."
His master's foresight was uncanny. Those lessons proved invaluable now.
Yet compared to true experts, what he'd learned was basic—especially after meeting Song Hyeon.
Song Hyeon's insights cut sharper, missing no detail, unlike his master's general advice.
Theory from words paled against hands-on execution.
Seo Baek led the Shaolin expedition, but Song Hyeon effectively commanded this infiltration.
Thus, Joo Eun-ri's desertion should fall under Song Hyeon's judgment.
'Consult Senior Song and decide.'
"If you betray the group again, I won't hesitate to take your head."
"..."
Seo Baek withdrew his sword from Joo Eun-ri's throat.
Chorang wailed kyaeng! at the sight before vanishing back into her sleeve.
Joo Eun-ri hadn't expected this from Seo Baek.
He'd declared he'd behead her if unsatisfied—yet a boy not yet twenty acted with the seasoned calm of a centenarian elder.
What surprised her most was his lack of ego.
Most martial artists, once drawing steel, spilled blood for face.
They viewed passing up a kill as planting future trouble.
Seo Baek could end her with a flick of the wrist if he wished.
Suddenly, her grandfather's words echoed.
"Sheathing the blade takes more courage than drawing it. Remember that."
'A courageous man...'
Seo Baek had turned to the window, scanning outside, his back to her.
Was it an illusion that the back of this youth not yet twenty loomed larger than any martial master she'd known?
It reminded her of watching her grandfather leave her in safety to face enemies.
His back had looked just like this.
"Grandfather..."
Joo Eun-ri murmured unconsciously, then clamped her mouth shut as Seo Baek turned.
"Warriors could arrive anytime. We should move."
Seo Baek approached the unconscious Eon Ja-seong and Moyong Hwa-jeong.
Suddenly, Joo Eun-ri blocked him, as if struck by an idea.
"Wait a moment."
"You want to spare them? Using the revenant outbreak warrants death."
Seo Baek had no plans to let Eon Ja-seong and Moyong Hwa-jeong live. Beyond their crimes, survivors bred trouble.
"I have a better idea."
Joo Eun-ri whispered into Seo Baek's ear.
He nodded in agreement.
"Then hurry. Time's short."
"Got it."
Footsteps thundered up the stairs—over a dozen warriors heading to this floor.
"...!"
Seo Baek could handle them, no doubt.
But slaughtering a dozen in a cramped room instantly? Tricky.
If a rear guard blew a horn, their presence—and position—would be exposed.
'What's most vital in infiltration?'
'Concealment.'
'Wrong. The best is ensuring the enemy never suspects your existence.'
His master's final emphasis on infiltration tactics.
'The Art of War says subduing without fighting is supreme. Same for infiltration. If they don't know you exist, why hide at all?'
Executing and escaping while the foe remains oblivious.
That was his master's pinnacle of infiltration.
'To maintain infiltration and execute Lady Joo's plan...?'
As Seo Baek pondered, the warriors pounded on the door.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Big trouble!"
Seo Baek and Joo Eun-ri exchanged glances.
Joo Eun-ri shook her head regretfully.
"No time. Abandon it and flee."
"..."
No reply. The Moyong Family warriors smashed the door and burst in.
Crash!
"Sorry. The situation's too urgent..."
They froze, gulping at the sight within.
The window flapped open and shut in the wind. No one saw the man and woman leap out.
Seo Baek and Joo Eun-ri slipped through shadows, cloaked in darkness.
Nearby flames still roared.
Warriors dashed about with water buckets, of course. Yet none spotted the pair hiding in the adjacent shadows.
Then a Pearl Eon Family warrior approached silently from behind.
Seo Baek turned abruptly.
"So here you were."
"Found you properly."
It was Song Hyeon, clad in Pearl Eon garb.
Seo Baek had guessed he'd lurk near the burning building.
Remote spots risked watchtower detection. But chaos at a fire? Hard to discern faces from afar.
As the saying went: darkest under the lamp. Song Hyeon hid nearby, spotting and approaching the pair.
A feat possible only because he and Seo Baek read each other perfectly.
Seo Baek briefed Song Hyeon on events: the warehouse's Thunderbolt Bomb facility, the clash with the alliance experts.
"Original plan was slipping the fortress's back gate to Shaolin. But we must adjust."
"Why?"
"We can't ignore the Five Families Alliance manufacturing Thunderbolt Bombs to defy the Murim Alliance."
"Next plan?"
Seo Baek answered resolutely.
"Cut down all five of the Five Families Alliance's peak experts."