Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: The Physician's Gambit
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Ma-un wore a strange expression.
When Bu Eun-seol, who had been expressionless all this time, offered a smile, it felt as though the dark stone chamber had brightened.
‘He has such an ordinary, unremarkable face...’
As he stood there blankly, Bu Eun-seol changed the subject.
“Does that mean the Gap-ho missions are the most difficult?”
Ma-un was puzzled, but he soon answered.
“That’s right. Gap-ho missions are assigned to the best masters in our unit. They aren’t chosen; they’re ordered.”
“So, aside from Gap-ho missions, I can choose any other mission I want.”
At that, Bu Eun-seol picked up a booklet.
“Then I’ll take this one.”
“Did you not hear my explanation?”
Ma-un’s eyes flashed.
“This is someone who can’t be killed with some half-baked assassination technique...”
“I never said I would kill him through assassination.”
Bu Eun-seol said with confident eyes.
“I’m taking it because it seems doable.”
The booklet Wang Geol had given him at Nang-ya-gak contained evaluations not only of martial clans but also of renowned masters.
It was a calculated decision on Bu Eun-seol’s part, but Ma-un grumbled with a dissatisfied look.
‘I guess it can’t be helped.’
The choice of mission was entirely up to the members of the Gu-sal Unit.
“Do as you wish. Mission selection is a member’s unique right.”
Having organized his thoughts, Ma-un began his explanation.
“Seok Jeong is a figure extremely hostile to the Ma-jeon. As the vice-master of the Seop-hon Hall, he manages the drugs needed for the Seop-hon Grand Art...”
Even as he explained, Ma-un’s brow was furrowed.
The Hyeol-eum-sa-gyo didn’t belong to the Ma-jeon, but it was one of the factions wielding considerable power near Dongting Lake.
If the mission went wrong, the consequences could spread to the entire Ak-yang branch of the Gu-sal Unit.
‘I won’t be seeing this one for much longer.’
This Ak-yang branch was notorious enough that even veteran members died without a sound.
Even if Bu Eun-seol possessed outstanding skills, the chances of him taking care of Seok Jeong, a man who had made a name for himself for over a decade, were nil.
‘I have no idea which clan sent such a greenhorn.’
After finishing his explanation, Ma-un placed his hand under an oil lamp on the wall.
“All the clothes and tools needed for the mission are prepared over here.”
With a slight twist of his fingertips under the lamp, a *click* sounded, and a section of the wall with a bookshelf flipped over, revealing a large space inside.
Inside were not only various weapons but also assassin's garb, night-crawling suits, and even the attire of innkeepers or merchants.
And in one corner were all sorts of tools and hidden weapons used by assassins.
“However, it’s not free. You have to buy them.”
“Hm.”
Bu Eun-seol let out a troubled hum.
He had no money left on him, having paid a month’s rent in advance at a nearby inn.
“You must be from a rather poor clan, I take it?”
With a sneer, Ma-un tossed him a night-crawling suit, an assassin’s sword, and a belt studded with throwing daggers from the storeroom.
“Take them. I’ll make a special exception and put it on your tab.”
*Thud.*
Ma-un threw the items on the floor.
The assassin’s sword that was thrown down was rusted, and the tips of the throwing daggers were broken.
The night-crawling suit was stained with blood, clearly having been worn by someone before.
‘Hm.’
It was a clear sign of disrespect, but Bu Eun-seol’s expression remained unchanged.
“I don’t know how to use throwing daggers, so I’ll just take another sword.”
He put the bundle of daggers back in the storeroom and picked up another old assassin’s sword.
Then he looked at Ma-un and said calmly.
“I’ll pay you when I return.”
“I hope you do.”
*Clank.*
After Bu Eun-seol left, Ma-un sighed, looking up at Sang-ryang.
“That one. I doubt we’ll be seeing him again.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“He chose a Byeong-ho mission.”
“A Byeong-ho mission?”
“The elimination of Heuk-sa-do Seok Jeong.”
“What?”
Sang-ryang’s small, rat-like eyes widened.
Heuk-sa-do Seok Jeong’s martial arts had long reached the pinnacle. On top of that, he always stayed deep within the Hyeol-eum-sa-gyo, making him difficult to approach.
Even the most skilled members of the Gu-sal Unit had failed, making it a mission that had been issued nine times over...
A rookie who just joined is taking on a mission like that?
“You just stood by and watched him choose it?”
“Of course I tried to stop him... but he was adamant.”
“Now that I think about it, it is strange. What kind of clan would send such a young man to the Gu-sal Unit?”
For the sake of secrecy, each branch was kept in the dark about the members’ clans of origin and even their names.
“He must have joined for the money. It’s not uncommon among the youth these days, is it?”
Among the young masters of the demonic path, quite a few sought to earn a large sum of money and retire from the martial world.
Ma-un seemed to think that Bu Eun-seol, too, had chosen this path for money.
“I know we’re short on new recruits for the Gu-sal Unit, but... I think the main hall should start being more selective.”
Sang-ryang clicked his tongue, shook his head, and turned away.
“The Hyeol-eum-sa-gyo will have another body to dispose of.”
***
Man-hyang-da-ru.
It was a teahouse near Dongting Lake. The facilities were a bit old, but the prices were cheap, so it was mainly frequented by down-on-their-luck scholars and merchants.
By the window on the third floor of Man-hyang-da-ru.
Bu Eun-seol sat at a table, his gaze fixed on the scene outside the window.
He appeared to be idly gazing at the scenery of Dongting Lake, but in reality, he was carefully observing the people coming and going on the street.
‘So that’s how it is.’
Bu Eun-seol nodded, recalling the secret manual Master Cheol had given him before he left Nang-ya-gak.
Gye-myeong-gu-do-sul.
It was a secret art of spies that allowed one to naturally change their aura to fit any place.
It was an essential technique for agents who disguised themselves in various professions.
‘Each profession comes with its own unique aura and habits.’
Bu Eun-seol resolved to observe an even wider variety of people to master the Gye-myeong-gu-do-sul and the Hwan-myeon-yeok-gol-sul.
The waiter at an inn has a specific way of speaking and posture when dealing with customers.
The merchant making dumplings at a street stall constantly glances around, worried someone might steal his stacked dumplings.
‘But what’s most important is the gaze.’
Gye-myeong-gu-do-sul wasn’t just about mimicking the observed target’s movements; it also captured their unique aura.
And what made that possible was the change in one’s gaze.
‘If I can perfectly express the gaze, I won’t be suspected anywhere.’
Afterward, Bu Eun-seol stayed at the inn for several days, practicing the gazes of the various professions he had observed.
After a few days of practice, he could produce a satisfactory gaze no matter which profession he was impersonating.
‘That’s it.’
A few days later, Bu Eun-seol nodded as he looked into the mirror inside his room.
His preparations to enter the Hyeol-eum-sa-gyo were finally complete.
***
Hyeol-eum Island.
This place, controlled by the Hyeol-eum-sa-gyo, was originally one of the small islands floating on Dongting Lake.
But after the Hyeol-eum-sa-gyo took root here, the island itself came to be called Hyeol-eum Island.
But in Hunan Province, where the orthodox sects were on high alert, how could the Hyeol-eum-sa-gyo, which didn’t even belong to the Ma-jeon, maintain its power?
The first reason was its seclusion.
The Hyeol-eum-sa-gyo researched sinister arts and remained confined to the island, taking a passive stance in the affairs of the martial world.
The second reason was that the Hyeol-eum-sa-gyo originated from the roots of the greatest demonic cult, the Hyeol-gyo, the Blood Cult.
As long as the Blood Cult firmly flaunted its power, no one dared to target the reclusive Hyeol-eum-sa-gyo.
“Let’s get a move on!”
The docks of Hyeol-eum Island.
A merchant ship was docked there, and laborers were frantically starting to unload goods.
It was a trading vessel that had long done business with the Hyeol-eum-sa-gyo, delivering food supplies.
“Hm.”
However, a guard from the Hyeol-eum-sa-gyo, who was carefully watching the laborers carrying the cargo, beckoned with his finger and spoke.
“You, over here.”
The laborer the guard pointed to was a young man who looked to have just reached adulthood.
“Too young for a laborer.”
The guard, scrutinizing the young man, suddenly drew his sword.
“And I’ve never seen your face before.”
The ship’s captain, who was directing the laborers, saw this and rushed over, bowing deeply.
“Great warrior. This boy is my nephew.”
“Nephew?”
The captain gave a good-natured smile and patted the shoulder of the young man, who was standing there dumbly.
“We’ve been so short-handed lately... He just happened to come down from our hometown, so I brought him along.”
“Hm.”
The guard hummed and sheathed his sword.
Just as the captain was about to breathe a sigh of relief,
“But I’ll have to check if he’s learned martial arts!”
*Flash!*
The guard suddenly drew his sword again, slashing at the young man’s neck.
The young man, standing there blankly, couldn’t even let out a gasp, his mouth falling open.
*Drip, drip.*
The sharp tip of the sword was touching the young man’s carotid artery. Although it hadn’t pierced his neck, the skin was torn, and blood was flowing freely.
“G-Great warrior.”
“Sometimes, useless infiltrators try to sneak into our cult.”
The guard looked down at the captain and the young man, who were trembling in fear, and narrowed his eyes.
“He hasn’t learned martial arts.”
Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned and left the docks.
“Hyeon! Are you alright?”
The captain tore his clothes to wrap around the young man’s neck, but the bleeding didn’t stop easily.
The flustered captain suddenly seemed to remember something and shouted at the laborers.
“Go get the physician who boarded last time!”
Their ship wasn’t a cargo-passenger vessel, but they had recently taken a fare to transport a young physician.
“I’m already here.”
A man in white robes had already disembarked from the merchant ship.
He lightly pressed the pressure points near the neck of the young man, who was bleeding profusely.
The bleeding stopped at once. The white-robed man then took a needle from his robes and stitched the wound with lightning-fast skill.
He then took out a bandage, applied some ointment for blade wounds, and wrapped it tightly around the neck.
“Y-Your skill is truly excellent.”
The captain was amazed by the white-robed man’s smooth skill.
He had seen many physicians in his time, but he had never seen someone so young with such masterful healing skills.
“Refrain from strenuous work for the time being.”
“Th-Thank you.”
As the young man bowed his head, the white-robed man turned back toward the merchant ship as if nothing had happened.
“Th-Thank you!”
At the captain’s words, the white-robed man gave a slight nod and went inside the ship.
‘I almost drew unnecessary attention.’
The white-robed man, now inside the merchant ship, let out a soft breath.
He was none other than Bu Eun-seol.
To infiltrate the Hyeol-eum-sa-gyo, he had paid a fare to board a merchant ship heading to Gunsan Island via Hyeol-eum Island.
‘It’s much easier to deceive an ordinary commoner than a martial arts master.’
Bu Eun-seol, having mastered the Hwan-myeon-yeok-gol-sul and Gye-myeong-gu-do-sul, had slightly altered his face and disguised himself as a physician to approach the captain.
It was easier to deceive the captain than the guard who had been watching the laborers for a long time.
‘No sailor would refuse to travel with a physician.’
In truth, cargo ships don’t take on passengers.
But physicians were different. They were a welcome profession at any time, as one never knew when a patient might appear during a voyage.
‘This ship will be docked here for only one day.’
During this time, Bu Eun-seol planned to infiltrate the Hyeol-eum-sa-gyo and eliminate Heuk-sa-do Seok Jeong.