Revenant Detection Operation (5)
Jang Su and Wang Pyo.
A man in his fifties, seasoned beyond middle age, and a youth in his twenties, in the prime of life.
A veteran thick with the blood of the unorthodox paths, and a green newcomer just dipping his toes into the shadows.
A freakish manja-shaped blade and sleek but ordinary twin swords.
Everything about them was opposites, not a single thing in common—except for one precise match right now.
Their eyes.
At Seo Baek's words, a feral killing intent began to bloom in the assassins' gazes.
"You? Gonna cut our heads off? By yourself?"
"Keep flapping your gums like that, and you might lose your tongue."
The two flashed cruel smiles as they spat their retorts.
But the leisurely smirks vanished in an instant at Seo Baek's next words.
"The operation has to go forward. It was always about taking your heads from the start."
"What?"
"Revenant detection? Like I said, that was a lie. No leads at all—what kind of deduction could there be? I just..."
"What?"
"...dug a trap. We already knew a bunch of unorthodox types were on that boat."
"......"
"But no guarantee they're all unorthodox. Who knows if some upright soul might show up trying to keep the peace of the jianghu."
"What're you getting at?"
"Unorthodox or not, if you're not gunning for me, I won't kill you. Meaning... this trap was dug specifically for you two."
"You little...!"
As Wang Pyo ground his teeth, the more experienced Jang Su caught on and asked,
"Don't tell me scattering to the eight directions was..."
"Exactly. I made sure you two ended up by my side. That way, you'd come at me first."
"Ugh......"
A single bead of cold sweat trickled down the backs of Jang Su and Wang Pyo.
The trap Seo Baek had laid wasn't for revenants—it was to fool them......
Wang Pyo licked his lips viciously and snarled,
"Doesn't matter. You're still just a brat not even in your twenties."
"Cut the bluffing. What about that swordsman?"
"......!"
At Jang Su's point, Wang Pyo's face twisted like crumpled paper. If they'd fallen into Seo Baek's trap, then that swordsman Song Hyeon would come charging in soon enough, right?
The assassins figured they could handle Seo Baek, but Song Hyeon was no joke.
The two quickly exchanged glances.
-Quick and clean. Subdue the kid fast and get outta here.
-Got it.
With a sharp thud, Jang Su and Wang Pyo split to Seo Baek's left and right.
"Die!"
The two assassins lunged at Seo Baek in unison.
In that instant, Seo Baek's form blurred—then vanished completely.
"......?"
The assassins swung their weapons wildly, crossing paths.
Jang Su whipped around and asked,
"Where'd the kid go?"
But Wang Pyo just stood there, dumbstruck, saying nothing.
As Jang Su opened his mouth to ask again, Wang Pyo's head lolled sideways—then tumbled to the ground.
Thud.
Then Seo Baek stepped out from the shadows in a dim corner.
"Looked like you two were coordinating a pincer attack. Why'd you hold back on that manja blade? Thanks to that, the guy on the side just screamed his way to hell."
"......"
At Seo Baek's observation, Jang Su clamped his mouth shut.
Truth was, he'd jumped at Seo Baek a half-beat slower than Wang Pyo.
A crafty ploy worthy of a longtime unorthodox survivor.
If Wang Pyo took him down, great. If not, trading a single exchange would reveal the kid's strengths and weaknesses—pure profit either way.
But Jang Su's scheme failed spectacularly.
A proper pincer needed simultaneity. His late entry left Wang Pyo diving solo into Seo Baek's sword net.
The moment he realized it, their two-on-one advantage was gone—now it was one-on-one. And he hadn't even seen when or how Seo Baek had swung, let alone gauged his pros and cons...
This kid's no ordinary brat.
Not even twenty. Sword bigger than his frame.
That mismatched sight had made them mistake him for some greenhorn fresh to the jianghu—their fatal error.
In the martial world, mistakes meant death!
Seo Baek rolled Wang Pyo's severed head with his sword.
"No blood thread worm in the heart meridian. Not a revenant."
"......"
"Twin sword arts from the military exams do have their limits. Government martial arts are simple, efficient—quick to learn—but they're only powerful in mass formations. Not enough to make a living with sword or blade in the jianghu."
"......"
"Oh, right. No more meals for you now."
Jang Su swallowed hard.
Seo Baek's indifferent tone dissecting Wang Pyo's skills sent chills down his spine worse than any rage.
Jang Su lowered his raised manja blade and said,
"I won't fight. I'll leave now and make sure you never see me again. Just spare my life."
Beyond surrender—groveling for his life.
But Jang Su didn't care.
Life was worth a hundred times more than petty pride.
"What's this about the Namgung family putting a bounty on me?"
"Word's spread all over Anhui Province and around here."
Seo Baek's question drew it all out—no holding back.
"Rumor has it the family head's daughter died on Murim Alliance business, so they're at odds now. Makes sense they'd put out a warrant for anyone heading to Shaolin Temple. Capture that guy alive at Yongjeong Inn, and they pay up."
"Pretty solid intel."
Seo Baek nodded.
He'd suspected as much, but confirmation never hurt.
"So you'll let me live?"
"Huh? Why would I?"
"But you just promised..."
"I never promised anything."
"......!"
"Three reasons you have to die."
Seo Baek folded three fingers one by one.
"First, you've lived killing innocents—time to pay up. Second, letting an assassin who came for me just walk? Ridiculous. Third, no way to confirm if you're a revenant or not."
"I'm not! Please believe me!"
"Really?"
"I swear on the heavens!"
Jang Su's eyes were desperate.
Seo Baek eyed him a moment, then sheathed his sword on his back. Turning away, he said,
"Go."
"Thanks... hahaha!"
The second Seo Baek turned, Jang Su lunged at his back.
He swung the manja blade at Seo Baek's right arm.
"Gotta claim that bounty—I'll leave your head and just take an arm!"
A flash of light streaked, a gale howled, scattering Jang Su's hair.
Whoosh. Whiiir.
"......?"
In Jang Su's vision, Seo Baek's form leaped into the air—then vanished.
Then came the heavy thud of something hitting the ground and rolling by his ear.
Thump. Roll roll.
Only then did Jang Su realize: his own head had been severed by Seo Baek's sword, tumbling across the dirt.
His sight faded to black, forever.
The ploy to sever an arm, drag him to Yongjeong Inn—it had cost Jang Su his life instead.
"Well done. I never planned to let you live anyway."
Seo Baek muttered flatly, rolling Jang Su's head with his sword. No blood thread worm in the heart meridian.
"Neither of you were revenants."
Indeed. Seo Baek had never intended to spare Jang Su.
If he was a commander, he'd lead blood ghosts after the group—endless trouble.
Turning his back was to test how the unorthodox vermin would react.
And sure enough, the beggar turned beast the moment opportunity knocked.
Jang Su had sought an opening, but he'd fallen into yet another of Seo Baek's traps.
"Wonder if Senior Wang's doing alright."
Seo Baek murmured indifferently, then leaped into the darkness.
The operation was only half done.
* * *
Wang Yi Sam stood stock-still in the dark house.
Did I even come to the right spot?
His assigned direction: seventh of the eight, southwest.
Moving in silence to avoid revenants, he'd slipped into the first house he saw and hid. Straight line the whole way—should be correct.
Junior, what the hell are you thinking?
Wang Yi Sam couldn't wrap his head around this plan.
Splitting up when blood ghosts gathered around a commander? Seo Baek's claim didn't add up.
We really gonna find the commander like this?
Then the window rattled open, then shut.
Wang Yi Sam whipped around in alarm—but no blood ghost. Just a gust shaking the frame.
Damn. Ghosts wouldn't surprise me here.
Turning back, a shadowy figure stood right in front of him.
"Gah... Junior?"
"That damn 'junior' of yours—you sure love hunting him down."
A rough, raspy voice.
The figure was none other than Dohwa Gwang. His clown-painted face floated like a reddish orb in the gloom.
"Dohwa Gwang? What the hell are you doing here?"
Wang Yi Sam folded his fingers, reciting the eight directions as Seo Baek had ordered.
"...Song Hyeon, Dohwa Gwang, me, So Samnak. You're supposed to be southeast, next to me. You get lost too, you directionless hack?"
Wang Yi Sam thought of Yu So Un, their resident lost puppy who'd wandered off before.
But Dohwa Gwang's reply blindsided him.
"Nah, I came right. Came looking for you."
"What?"
"Thought the kid was smart beyond his martial skill, but disappointing. Who splits the group up like this? It's like shackling your own ankles, kekeke!"
"......"
Wang Yi Sam had harbored the same doubt, leaving him speechless.
"You gunning for my junior?"
"Still haven't figured it? Everyone on that boat was after the kid."
"......!"
"Kekekeke, you didn't know? Two sharp comrades, but one's a total moron!"
"You unorthodox scum!"
Wang Yi Sam yanked his broad dao from his belt and bellowed,
"What good's scheming in the martial world? Let's settle it with steel!"
"Music to my ears. The kid's doable, but that swordsman's a pain."
Pop. Blades sprang from Dohwa Gwang's sleeves.
"You're my hostage to snag the kid. Don't care if the swordsman lives or dies, but the kid seems to like you— that'll work."
"......"
Wang Yi Sam, dao raised boldly, swallowed hard.
He recalled Dohwa Gwang slicing an unknown escort's throat with flashy swordplay before boarding.
By those moves, Dohwa Gwang was clearly a cut above him.
Seeing Wang Yi Sam hesitate, Dohwa Gwang grinned.
"Don't worry. Need you alive as bait—no beheading. Worst case, a couple wrists?"
"My junior doesn't let anyone who hurts his comrades walk away."
"Exactly! So why split up and hand me this chance? Makes no sense to scatter instead of sticking together."
"......"
Wang Yi Sam was stumped again.
Even his slow brain agreed with Dohwa Gwang.
Then a thick shadow flickered behind Dohwa Gwang.
"It could make sense."
"......!"
Dohwa Gwang spun in shock.
Recognizing the sudden intruder, he groaned.
"You... that damn swordsman......"
"We exchanged names once—'damn swordsman'? Rude, even for unorthodox trash."
The figure in worn blue robes, single sword at his waist, was Song Hyeon.
"To repeat: I'm Song Hyeon, formerly of Cheongwi Escort Agency. Gone now, but we were famous for butchering unorthodox packs like rats back in the day."