Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: A Tide of Assassins
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So-ok and U Mun-hwang placed a minuscule portion of the prepared food onto their plates and brought it to their lips.
They then began to chew, very quietly and gently, for what seemed well over fifteen minutes. They even looked reverent as they ate.
‘I see. So that’s what it was.’
Bu Eun-seol nodded as he observed their dining etiquette.
Taking only a tiny amount of food and chewing it very carefully for a long time.
The way they ate was an excellent method not only for properly savoring the ingredients but also for ensuring the food would not make them ill.
“Is it strange?”
So-ok, noticing Bu Eun-seol’s steady gaze, offered a faint smile.
“Not at all.”
Bu Eun-seol replied nonchalantly.
“Chewing a small amount of food slowly is not only good for one's health, but it is also the best way to detect poison.”
At his words, So-ok smiled warmly.
“Master Ho, you must be very experienced in the ways of the Murim. It is quite rare to find someone who knows this dining method is a precaution against poison.”
‘So she's not just highborn, but a woman of great standing as well.’
Since ancient times, those in power have always guarded against poison in their food.
Bu Eun-seol could now guess why So-ok, who was supposedly here just for leisure, had been assigned an escort.
“You have an expression as if you’ve figured out my entire situation.”
Her eyes sparkled with intelligence.
“Shall I guess what you are thinking, Master Ho?”
When Bu Eun-seol nodded, she spoke.
“‘This woman, nine times out of ten, is not only of high birth but also holds a remarkable position.’ Isn’t that what you were thinking?”
Bu Eun-seol nodded, a slightly surprised look on his face.
“You are correct.”
“Unfortunately, Master Ho, your deduction is wrong.”
So-ok said with a lonely expression.
“I am neither of high birth nor a person of great standing. I am merely someone fated to fail at many things, and who must live with the guilt that follows.”
“Ok-ah. There is no need for such pointless talk.”
U Mun-hwang, who had been eating in silence, shook his head.
“Besides, it is not all your fault, is it?”
She had the appearance of a child untouched by the dust of the mortal world.
Yet, it seemed she carried deep worries and anguish.
“I’m sorry. But it’s been so long since I’ve been out to eat like this…”
As So-ok fell silent, a heavy quiet descended upon the table.
U Mun-hwang sighed, realizing So-ok wished to speak with Bu Eun-seol.
“If you have something to say, speak freely.”
As if she had been waiting for his permission, So-ok began to speak.
“Master Ho, have you never felt something like guilt?”
“I believe I did, before I entered the Murim.”
“You mean you don’t feel it now?”
“I had no time to dwell on guilt. I had to survive, no matter what.”
His answer was steeped in the weariness and desolation of his life.
After pondering Bu Eun-seol’s reply for a moment, So-ok spoke as if to herself.
“They say the longer one spends in the Murim, the more their emotions are bound to dry up.”
Then she looked at Bu Eun-seol again.
“But you are still young, Master Ho, yet you feel like an old veteran on the verge of retirement. I imagine you have been through a great deal, haven't you?”
Myeong-un had once said something similar to Bu Eun-seol.
But Bu Eun-seol didn't think his own struggles were anything special.
The Murim is ruthless.
That is simply its nature.
“Miss So…”
Bu Eun-seol, who was about to change the subject naturally, sensed something amiss and fell silent.
When people get drunk, they usually talk more and their voices grow louder.
But at some point, the voices of the patrons filling the tavern had become unnervingly uniform, their chatter indistinct.
‘Assassins…’
Bu Eun-seol, who had long used the Arts of Face-Changing and Deception to carry out missions for the Gu-sal-dae.
He was more skilled than anyone at seeing through disguises.
‘I was too careless.’
Bu Eun-seol gave a bitter smile.
There was a strange magic to So-ok’s voice that commanded attention.
Even he, who was indifferent to most things, had found himself completely absorbed in her words.
‘They are assassins.’
As Bu Eun-seol mouthed the words, U Mun-hwang’s eyebrows twitched.
‘Where.’
‘All of the patrons in the tavern.’
At Bu Eun-seol's words, U Mun-hwang slowly rose to his feet and said,
“You stay back and protect Ok-yi. No need for you to step in.”
He then scanned the patrons in the tavern before abruptly thrusting out both palms.
KABOOM!
With a deafening roar, the tavern's furniture and half of the seated patrons were blown to pieces.
‘He's an incredible master.’
To unleash such power with two mere palms of flesh and blood?
U Mun-hwang was a far more formidable master than Bu Eun-seol had anticipated. Since entering the Murim, he had never seen anyone with such a powerful palm technique.
“Attack!”
Surprisingly, despite witnessing U Mun-hwang's immense power, the assassins drew their blades and charged without fear.
“Moths to a flame.”
U Mun-hwang scoffed and drew a semicircle with his arms.
Whoooosh.
A massive ring of palm energy formed, seemingly sucking in the very air,
BANG! BANG! BANG!
and with a series of explosions, the charging assassins were once again reduced to bloody pulp.
“I don’t have time for this. I’ll end it quickly.”
As U Mun-hwang swung his palms, unleashing a fierce burst of energy, the assassins shouted.
“Scatter!”
CRASH!
The tavern floor caved in, and the charging assassins fell through.
Fwip!
At that moment, a sharp metallic sound reached Bu Eun-seol’s ears.
While U Mun-hwang was busy slaughtering the assassins, others hidden above had thrown hidden weapons at So-ok.
Flick.
Bu Eun-seol extended his sleeve, lightly deflecting the weapon, and said to So-ok,
“Do not move more than three steps away from me.”
Fwip-fwip-fwip-fwip!
Poisoned projectiles rained down on So-ok. But Bu Eun-seol had already drawn his sword and deployed the Cheon-pae-do-geuk-se.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
The swarm of projectiles was completely diverted by the formidable reverse trajectory of the Cheon-pae-do-geuk-se.
Flash!
Having dealt with the projectiles, Bu Eun-seol’s sword suddenly sliced through the air.
“They were nothing but small fry.”
Having finished off all the assassins gathered in the tavern, U Mun-hwang dusted off his hands and approached So-ok.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes. Thanks to Master Ho…”
“Hm?”
U Mun-hwang scoffed as he looked at Bu Eun-seol, who was just standing there.
“What in the world did that fellow do?”
“Was your goal to show off your martial prowess, not to act as an escort?”
Bu Eun-seol clicked his tongue as he surveyed the wreckage of the tavern.
“When there are many enemies, you must never leave the side of the person you are protecting. Do you understand?”
“What a ridiculous fellow. You dare…”
The sneer on U Mun-hwang’s face suddenly vanished.
The ceiling above So-ok’s head was stained red, and one of the walls was densely studded with fine ox-hair needles.
‘Damn, while I was distracted…’
Only then did U Mun-hwang realize that while he was mindlessly unleashing his palm energy, another group of assassins had targeted So-ok.
“Hmph. You’ve earned your keep, I suppose.”
Though his words were cold, U Mun-hwang was more than a little surprised.
‘To deal with the hidden weapons and assassins in that brief moment.’
The instant U Mun-hwang had looked away from So-ok and Bu Eun-seol was truly just a fleeting moment.
And yet, he had dealt with the assassins with such stealthy movements that U Mun-hwang hadn't even noticed?
‘So they didn't send a useless man after all.’
“Now, let’s go back.”
Thwack. U Mun-hwang stuck a money slip onto the half-shattered table and turned to leave.
But Bu Eun-seol spoke in a firm voice.
“We cannot go to Dangajang.”
“What?”
“These are the people who placed assassins in the tavern in advance. It’s possible that Dangajang is already filled with them as well.”
At Bu Eun-seol’s words, U Mun-hwang just chuckled.
“Then what do you suggest we do?”
“We must hide in a secret place until the identity and backers of the assassins are revealed.”
“Hide? You are mistaken about something.”
U Mun-hwang said with a smile.
“Even if these gnats come in swarms, they pose no threat.”
“The one we are protecting is Miss So.”
“It makes no difference. This sort of thing has happened many times before, and I have dealt with them all.”
Faced with U Mun-hwang’s resolute attitude, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
‘This is not a man who can be persuaded with words.’
“Then let’s change our appearances. That alone will buy us considerable time to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.”
Bu Eun-seol always carried medicinal pastes and glues with him.
Thus, as long as there was mud nearby, he could easily change others’ faces, much like with the Hwan-myeon-yeok-gol-sul.
“Are you telling me to disguise myself like a rat?”
U Mun-hwang scoffed, his aura flaring powerfully as he spoke.
“Even if those assassins have laid all sorts of traps, I can easily break through them.”
Waving his hand dismissively as if there was nothing more to discuss, U Mun-hwang turned away decisively.
“We are returning to Dangajang.”
***
Bu Eun-seol’s prediction was correct.
The moment they returned to Dangajang, assassins who had laid a tight siege around the manor began their attack.
U Mun-hwang was greatly flustered.
Even if an entire guild of assassins attacked, he was confident he could face them alone.
But the enemies swarming them were on a different level.
A human wave tactic.
No matter how many assassins they killed, they just kept coming. The number of assassins surrounding the manor seemed equal to several guilds combined.
“Hap!”
Spotting the encroaching assassins, U Mun-hwang fluttered his palms like a butterfly.
Rumble.
Dozens of the charging assassins collapsed on the spot.
The soft but powerful palm energy had penetrated deep into the assassins' meridians, rupturing their internal organs and severing their heart channels.
‘These men are not assassins.’
U Mun-hwang narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the fallen attackers.
An assassin’s swordsmanship is a killing art, meant only to slay the enemy.
But these attackers used a disciplined swordsmanship, as if they were strictly trained warriors from the military.
BOOM!
U Mun-hwang unleashed a powerful blast of palm energy, sending four assassins flying back as bloody messes.
But like iron filings drawn to a magnet, the assassins relentlessly attacked U Mun-hwang without breaking their encirclement.
“Hup!”
Unleashing a series of palm strikes, U Mun-hwang created a net-like defensive barrier of energy to protect So-ok from the assassins.
However, their numbers were so great that he couldn't completely block them all.
“Don’t worry about this side.”
As the defensive line was breached, Bu Eun-seol drew his longsword and began to cut down the assassins.
Shink!
Each time the longsword, forged from Hundred-Times-Refined Steel, tore through flesh and blood, a chilling sound of destruction echoed along with screams.
“Get him first!”
Meanwhile, the number of assassins charging at Bu Eun-seol began to snowball.
They used a formation, swinging their swords as one, as if to overwhelm Bu Eun-seol in a single stroke.
“Hmph.”
Despite dozens of swords thrusting at him at once, Bu Eun-seol smiled leisurely and altered his sword form.
“Keuk.”
An assassin's sword, aimed at his back, suddenly curved sideways and stabbed another comrade’s arm.
It was the Cheon-pae-do-geuk-se of So-jeon, the Chang-sin-dae-ju.
“Change formation!”
As Bu Eun-seol freely redirected the barrage of attacks using the Cheon-pae-do-geuk-se, the assassins turned pale and changed their formation.
“Aaargh!”
But the assassins’ screams did not cease.
No matter what formation they used, it was useless. To Bu Eun-seol, who had pushed the Ya-su-do to its limit, their weaknesses were laid bare.
Just then, the one who appeared to be the leader of the assassins shouted in desperation.
“It doesn’t matter… You’re all going to die!”