Canal Winds and Clouds (5)
The assassins realized one more crucial fact.
Underestimating the Shaolin-bound traveler as a mere boy not even in his twenties had been their gravest mistake.
In the prestigious orthodox sects, prodigies who surpassed first-rate mastery often emerged regardless of gender, sometimes before they even hit twenty.
The assassins now suspected Seo Baek was one such prodigy. A realization that came far too late.
In that case... no mercy!
The prodigy not yet twenty spoke in his signature impassive tone.
"Ah, my mistake. It's not four of you—it's three. One just left us."
"Not bad, kid."
"Gotta earn my keep to survive this brutal jianghu."
"We'll make sure you never eat rice again—just maggots for life!"
They'd hesitated briefly, glancing at one another after falling for Seo Baek's ploy.
Now convinced he was no pushover, the three exchanged sharp looks and synchronized their movements.
Whoosh.
The central assassin anchored the formation as the other two flanked left and right.
They aimed to encircle Seo Baek on three sides and strike as one.
But Seo Baek responded with his usual detachment.
"Not from the same sect, not even friends—your makeshift formation's bound to be sloppy. Better to just fight straight-up."
"Kill him... no, capture him alive!"
The three assassins lunged from three directions.
Their weapons were these:
A chain scythe, sickle dangling from the whipping chain.
Claw gauntlets with long, curved prongs gripped in both hands.
A serrated blade, jagged like beast teeth.
All optimized for snagging foes' clothes or weapons, locking them down.
But the assassins hadn't anticipated one thing.
Shika Manor's secret arts—the Shika Heart Method and Shika Sword Technique—were designed precisely to shatter encirclements by revenant hordes.
Seo Baek had carved through hundreds, thousands of revenants to reach the Central Plains.
So three assassins' amateur formation?...
The outcome was obvious.
Flash. Whoooosh.
A gale whipped their hair in an instant, followed by a semicircular sword-flash over thirty feet wide erupting along the prow.
Then the three severed heads tumbled through the air, rolling across the deck.
Thud. Roll roll.
"Not much to them," Seo Baek muttered with a detached sigh.
Chain scythe, claw gauntlets, serrated blade.
At a glance, terrifying unorthodox weapons.
Unusual weapons demanded caution, of course. But those that looked grotesquely vicious often served the opposite purpose in reality.
To intimidate the enemy.
Warriors seeing such bizarre arms froze in terror, imagining their flesh shredded—hands and feet going rigid.
That was the black path's aim.
Yet those freakish weapons had a fatal flaw.
They didn't work on true masters.
"No need to fear weapons that miss anyway."
In short, the assassins' arms shone only against weaker foes.
True experts didn't threaten with appearances. If anything, they hid truly unique weapons until the decisive moment.
These sprawled assassins were small fry.
But complacency was forbidden. Muddy waters didn't guarantee only loaches lurked.
The real issue: how far had word of the Shaolin envoy spread?
Namgung Sega likely schemed like Jegal Hyeok to seize the intelligence Seo Baek carried to Shaolin.
Sukju was a gateway city en route to Namgung Sega.
One by one, the black path rabble who'd boarded in disguise would reveal themselves.
Seo Baek was no longer the problem.
It meant no one among the boat's passengers could be trusted.
The prow offered space, but the rest of the barge was cramped. In narrow corridors, his greatsword could snag.
Seo Baek sheathed it on his back and drew a dagger from his bosom.
"Come one by one or all at once—your choice."
He'd cut down anyone blocking the path to Shaolin.
Seo Baek lowered into a stance, ready for threats from any angle, and glided silently from the prow on soundless steps.
A shadow slipped soundlessly through the corridor's gloom.
Song Hyeon.
His goal: confirm if Seo Saeng targeted the captain's quarters.
The quarters lay at the barge's stern—one more staircase up.
But as he ascended, Song Hyeon halted.
Something's off.
The captain's quarters had the barge's tightest security. Yet here, steps away, no guards stood watch.
The captain had declared expulsion for anyone caught out after curfew—but now that warning rang hollow.
More like they'd deliberately skimped on guards.
Or...
No guards at all?
Time for a shift in thinking. Maybe the crew shortage explained the lax watch.
Or perhaps every crewman was elsewhere?
Song Hyeon crept up silently, peeking over the top. Still no guards.
And an unnaturally silent captain's quarters.
If my guess is right, it's empty.
The barge's grandest cabin.
But per Song Hyeon's deduction, far too cramped for that.
To do that... they'd need a massive water tank.
If true, whether Seo Saeng was a revenant mattered little. Something colossal would erupt beyond it.
Then—a presence approaching from behind.
He turned to three warriors.
"Aren't you that kid's companion?"
"......"
The kid—Seo Baek, no doubt.
Their faces and eyes reeked of sleaze and malice.
Black pathers after Seo Baek?
But their attire was odd.
Sleeves bulging, chests unnaturally puffed. Hidden projectiles or freakish blades, clearly.
Assassins.
"We got no business with you—scram."
And sure enough, they openly admitted targeting Seo Baek.
"No business with me? Then you must have business with Seo Baek."
"Kid's name Seo Baek? Whatever—beat it, you're annoying."
"And if I don't?"
"What?"
"Seo Baek's my companion. It's only right to swat the flies buzzing him."
Song Hyeon's retort caught them off-guard. The assassins glanced at each other, then drew concealed blades from their bosoms.
"Refuse the wine and demand punishment? Fine!"
Clang. They charged Song Hyeon.
No time. Finish quick.
Swish. Song Hyeon's hand drifted to his sword hilt.
Wang Yi Sam checked the latrine—no suspicious signs.
Damn, empty.
He took the chance to relieve himself thoroughly, then whistled turning away.
Then he froze, mouth snapping shut.
Oh crap—crewmembers!
The captain warned against night wanderings—getting caught spelled trouble.
Problem was, after prowling the barge, he'd seen no guards anywhere.
If crewmen patrolled, he could've hidden or dodged. But none appeared, lulling one into carelessness.
They hiding somewhere, waiting for an opening?
Temperamental Wang Yi Sam hated skulking more than risking capture.
Tense, he traversed corridors and finally reached his room.
Phew, made it undetected.
Then—footsteps behind.
Shit!
He bolted inside, slamming the door.
Footsteps echoed closer. Thud thud thud. And halted right outside?
Caught?
But the voices outside were strange.
"This the kid's room, right?"
"Yeah. Checked daytime."
Kid? Only the junior fits.
Among passengers, only teenage Seo Baek got called "kid."
Whoever they were, these corridor lurkers sought Seo Baek.
And their talk grew fishier.
"Hey, chef. Ready for two-legged lamb?"
"Chill. Cooking later—we're just hauling meat tonight."
"Right, yeah."
Wang Yi Sam, veteran of jianghu grub, decoded their slang instantly.
Black path cant from the underworld.
Two-legged lamb meant a sheep on two legs—human.
Two-legged mutton? Human flesh.
And "chef" meant sword-handler—assassin.
Assassins cooking human meat meant they'd come to kill!
And sure enough—shing—swords drawn in the corridor.
Black path scum after the junior! Like Jegal Sega, grabbing him for intel!
Unlike his usual bluntness, Wang Yi Sam's hunch nailed it—he'd seen it once before.
He didn't suspect Namgung Sega's plot, though. Pure Wang Yi Sam.
Head average, heart hotter than most.
Seo Baek in peril? He flung the door open, bellowing.
"Hold it, you black path dogs!"
As expected. The three before Seo Baek's door looked ordinary, but their eyes screamed killer.
Assassins hiding nothing!
"Who the hell are you?"
"I'm the senior guarding my junior! You won't lay a finger on him!"
They exchanged glances, then sneered.
"Seems empty here—what're you yapping about?"
"...!"
Wang Yi Sam realized too late.
Seo Baek and Song Hyeon scouted prow and captain's quarters—wide areas, possible guards.
His latrine? Never heard of latrines under heavy guard.
So he'd returned first; Seo Baek wasn't here.
The assassins grinned, cottoning on.
"Where's the kid? Spill, and you live—heh heh heh!"
"......"
Wang Yi Sam's bold charge stemmed from his fiery temper—and brotherhood.
Masters rivaling orthodox elites.
But absent masters helped no one.
Anyone—hurry up!
Then shadows flickered behind the assassins.
Relieved, Wang Yi Sam called.
"About time! Why so late?"
The assassins whipped around.
But it wasn't Seo Baek or Song Hyeon. A barge crewman.
Instantly, the assassins signaled.
Caught breaking curfew by crew?
Obvious move: silence the witness. Kill and erase evidence.
They lunged, stabbing chest and gut.
Stab. Stab.
Urk. The crewman crumpled without a proper scream, dead.
"We'll spare you—for now. Spill the kid's spot."
The three advanced on Wang Yi Sam, swords raised.