Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Asset
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This attack could have been a clean slice to the neck, not the shoulder.
Yet Seok-jeong had deliberately angled his blade to strike Bu Eun-seol's shoulder.
*—Assassins like you take your own lives when there's no way out.*
Mulling over Seok-jeong's words, a brilliant light flashed in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
He knew what technique to use.
He had finally found a way to kill Seok-jeong for certain.
‘This man has made two irreversible mistakes.’
Seok-jeong had killed countless assassins who had come for him.
He was a deviant who took pleasure in watching assassins, trapped with no escape, fall into despair and end their own lives.
His first mistake was giving Bu Eun-seol time to have an epiphany.
‘His second mistake…’
Seok-jeong had not taken up his signature weapon, the Black Serpent Blade, but an ordinary sword from the armory.
It was a show of confidence, a sign that he felt no need for his special weapon, but for Bu Eun-seol, it was a golden opportunity.
Zhiing!
As he pushed his Ya-su-do to its limit, Bu Eun-seol's pupils dilated.
At the same time, the path of Seok-jeong's blade forms began to appear before him.
‘I have to clash with it!’
Bu Eun-seol filled his sword with Ban-geuk Ki and placed his left hand on the assassin's sword sheathed on his back.
The moment the sword and the blade clashed once more,
Chaaang!
the blade in Seok-jeong's hand and Bu Eun-seol's sword shattered like glass at the same time.
Bu Eun-seol had poured all his Ban-geuk Ki into his sword, using a heavy sword technique.
“What?”
Seok-jeong, not expecting his perfectly fine blade to shatter, froze for a moment.
In all his numerous battles, a weapon infused with internal energy had never broken before.
Paat!
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol drew the assassin's sword from his back with his left hand and shot toward Seok-jeong like a bolt of lightning.
Chik!
Just as the sharp sword fiercely pierced the center of Seok-jeong's chest,
“You bastard!”
Seok-jeong reflexively threw a palm strike.
Boom!
A thick cloud of dust spread in all directions with a loud explosion.
But Bu Eun-seol stood firm, while Seok-jeong, who had launched the palm strike, was pushed back several steps.
“To think his body is this sturdy.”
One of the incredible abilities of Ban-geuk-sim-beop was that it naturally generated a counterforce when external power seeped into the body.
Seok-jeong was a master of the blade who had dominated the martial world for a long time, but his internal energy was no match for Bu Eun-seol's.
“Y-You bastard…”
Seok-jeong finally realized that Bu Eun-seol was a completely different kind of opponent from the assassins he had toyed with until now.
Drip.
Bright red blood flowed from the spot on his chest where Bu Eun-seol's sword had just pierced him.
Seeing the amount of blood, Seok-jeong had an ominous feeling that he might die.
‘I have no choice.’
Seok-jeong quickly put a hand inside his robes.
He was about to blow the signal horn to alert others of an intruder.
But that was Seok-jeong's third mistake.
‘Now!’
Sensing an opening in Seok-jeong's posture, Bu Eun-seol unleashed Geuk-sok-mu-yeong and shot forward.
“You bastard!”
Flustered, Seok-jeong swung his shattered blade, but it was already too late.
Puk!
The broken blade and the assassin's sword narrowly missed each other.
Bu Eun-seol's intact sword pierced Seok-jeong's heart, but Seok-jeong's broken blade never touched Bu Eun-seol's body.
“To a mere… assassin… I…”
Seok-jeong looked down at the sword embedded in his body,
Thud!
and collapsed, his head hitting the stone floor.
“Huu, huu.”
Sheathing his sword, Bu Eun-seol gasped for breath.
His first life-or-death battle with a martial arts master. It had been more intense and precarious than he had ever imagined.
“It seems even masters of the martial world cannot escape the poison of complacency.”
Seok-jeong was clearly more skilled than Bu Eun-seol.
But because he had underestimated his opponent and let his guard down, he had crossed a river of no return.
Swish.
Bu Eun-seol scanned his surroundings.
Fortunately, he had finished him before he could blow the horn, so the area was quiet. After a moment's thought, he opened the lid of a large jar and stuffed Seok-jeong's body inside.
Then he tore a piece of Seok-jeong's clothing and wiped away the bloodstains on the floor.
“This should go unnoticed for at least a day.”
When he stepped outside the building, dawn was slowly breaking.
Taking a deep breath, Bu Eun-seol secretly slipped out of the Hyeoreumsa Cult and returned to the merchant ship docked at the pier.
***
—Black Serpent Blade Seok-jeong was murdered by someone within the Hyeoreumsa Cult's grounds!
—And it wasn't an assassination; he was defeated in a duel!
As these rumors spread around Yueyang, the people of the martial world scoffed.
—Nonsense. Who would infiltrate the Hyeoreumsa Cult and do such a thing?
Putting aside their powerful backer, the Blood Cult, just who was Black Serpent Blade Seok-jeong?
He was a swordsman who had roamed the martial world alone for over a decade with just a single blade.
Although he held the low rank of Vice-Hall Master of the Seophon Hall, that was only because he hadn't been with the Hyeoreumsa Cult for long.
To think that such a master of the blade was killed not by assassination, but in a direct confrontation, right inside the Hyeoreumsa Cult's territory?
—A shattered blade was found in Seok-jeong's hand. It was destroyed by someone using a heavy sword technique.
However, when the rumor that a broken blade had been found in Seok-jeong's hand began to circulate, the people of the martial world fell silent.
Just who could have infiltrated the Hyeoreumsa Cult, fought Seok-jeong alone, and killed him?
Swaaaa.
A misty rain was drizzling down from the hazy sky.
Hoehyeon Old Bookstore.
One of the secret branches of the Gu-sal Squad, this place had long been disguised as an old bookstore.
Other than the occasional down-on-their-luck scholar coming to buy or sell books, its entire business was managing missions that came from above.
“Yawn.”
Ma-un yawned as he watched the rain fall outside the window.
“Seeing the rain makes me want a glass of makgeolli today.”
After sorting and organizing the information from his superiors, he was tidying the bookstore's shelves like an ordinary clerk.
“Is that everything now?”
Just as Ma-un, having finished tidying the shelves, stretched and stood up,
Creeak.
the old door opened, and a figure stepped in out of the rain.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
The subject of the rumors shaking Yueyang.
At the sudden appearance of the very person who had single-handedly cut down the fearsomely skilled swordsman, Seok-jeong, Ma-un couldn't help but stammer.
“W-Welcome!”
He put on a friendly expression and rubbed his hands together.
“You've come to our humble shop again.”
“I like books…”
Bu Eun-seol muttered lowly and pointed toward the inner secret room where Ma-un had been.
“I saw some useful books over there the other day. May I take a look?”
“You’re already looking for another book?”
“I can't?”
“No, it’s not that you can’t, but…”
As Ma-un stammered with a troubled look, Sang-ryang, who had been sitting inside, rushed out and said,
“Young Master. Why don't we talk inside instead?”
“Very well.”
Sang-ryang led Bu Eun-seol into the secret room and gave a meaningful look to Ma-un, who followed them.
Kugung.
Once the door to the secret room was closed, Sang-ryang cleared his throat and spoke.
“Did you really take care of Seok-jeong?”
“I did.”
“How? By what means?”
At Sang-ryang's pressing, Bu Eun-seol furrowed his brow.
“Do I have to say?”
“Huh?”
“From what I've heard, the branch only provides support for the mission and doesn't concern itself with the details of its execution.”
“W-Well, that’s true, but…”
At a loss for words, Sang-ryang spoke again.
“So, you're saying you want another mission right now?”
“Yes.”
“That’s impossible.”
Sang-ryang said with a serious face.
“A vice-hall master has died within the Hyeoreumsa Cult. Right now, they're searching the entire Dongting Lake area with bloodshot eyes.”
“It doesn't matter.”
“Orders came from above to lay low.”
“Above? Who are you referring to?”
“That… is not for you to know.”
“Then I see no reason to obey.”
Seeing that he wasn't getting through, Sang-ryang tried a more persuasive tone.
“Originally, all members of the Gu-sal Squad are required… no, it's an unwritten rule, to rest for at least four days after returning from a mission.”
“Why is that?”
At Bu Eun-seol's persistent questioning, Sang-ryang wiped away a bead of sweat and said,
“If you go on missions consecutively, fatigue builds up, and your concentration wanes, increasing the chance of failure, no? That's why it's customary to rest quietly for about four days after completing a mission.”
“I see.”
Bu Eun-seol seemed to finally understand, smacking his lips.
Then he nonchalantly held out his hand.
“What is it?”
“Three thousand nyang.”
“Ah, just a moment.”
Sang-ryang came to his senses, left the secret room, and returned shortly after.
He handed Bu Eun-seol thirty bank notes.
“What's this?”
“Thirty one-hundred-nyang bank notes. They were issued by the Shanxi Eunho Bank, so you can rest assured.”
“Hm.”
After taking the bank notes, Bu Eun-seol stared intently at Ma-un.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
Instead of answering, Bu Eun-seol flicked one of the hundred-nyang notes he was holding.
“Whoa.”
As the white bank note flew toward him, Ma-un instinctively snatched it out of the air.
“What’s this for?”
“It's for the two assassin's swords and the night-raiding suit.”
Ma-un stared down at the bank note. The two old swords and the night-raiding suit weren't even worth ten nyang combined.
“Keep the change.”
Bu Eun-seol looked down at Ma-un and said with a deadpan expression.
“Go buy yourself a drink of makgeolli.”
Then he turned sharply and walked out of the secret room.
“That… that arrogant bastard!”
After all, Ma-un was also a master of the Ma-jeon.
But he was losing his mind over the arrogance of some rookie whose faction he didn't even know.
“Does he really think I'm a clerk just because I'm disguised as one?”
Ma-un rolled up his sleeves and was about to stomp after him,
“Hahahaha!”
Sang-ryang, who had been watching Bu Eun-seol's retreating back, suddenly burst into a hearty laugh.
“He's no ordinary fellow. I wonder which faction sent someone like him.”
“Hyungnim.”
“Do you have any idea which faction he might be from? I really have no clue.”
“Hyungnim. Is that what's important right now? That bastard just disrespected me, didn't he?”
Surprisingly, Ma-un, who usually addressed Sang-ryang as 'Dae-in', was now calling him 'Hyungnim' since they were alone.
“Don't get so worked up. Keep an eye on him. We're used to seeing agents go out and die, but we might have unexpectedly gotten a useful one, don't you think?”
So far, most new Gu-sal Squad members assigned to the Yueyang branch hadn't lasted even a full year.
It was a region where the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions clashed, so there were many perilous missions. Because of that, even some veteran members avoided assignments to the Yueyang branch.
“But that guy…”
“Then do you want to do the fieldwork?”
“Uhm.”
Ma-un smacked his lips as if he had no choice.
He was disguised as a clerk, but that was only due to some unfortunate circumstances. His actual status was not so low as to be doing this kind of work.
“If we play our cards right, we might finally be able to get out of this place.”
If they could successfully handle missions with a skilled agent, a promotion was practically guaranteed.
“From now on, handle Number Eighteen carefully and give him missions of the fifth rank and above. If we can get the name of our Yueyang branch recognized by the higher-ups…”
Sang-ryang chuckled softly, his eyes curving into crescents.
“We brothers might finally be able to leave this godforsaken place.”