Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: The Second Attempt
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Hyeol-su-a.
A potent poison renowned for being the fastest-acting among all those created by the Sa-cheon-dang-ga.
For this reason, the Sa-cheon-dang-ga used it with extreme caution, so strictly controlled that no master outside the direct family line was ever allowed to handle it.
“So this is the infamous Hyeol-su-a.”
Bu Eun-seol gazed at the transparent glass bottle in his hand.
Inside the bottle was a liquid redder than blood—the deadly poison of the Dang family, Hyeol-su-a.
“Mmph, mmph!”
At Bu Eun-seol’s feet knelt a man, gagged and bound.
His name was Dang Pung-ho.
A member of the Hwa-pung-dang in the Outer Courtyard, he was a master skilled in the art of administering poison by stealth.
“Who sent you?”
Bu Eun-seol said as he slowly uncorked the glass bottle.
“If I don't get the answer I want the moment I remove this gag… then the Hyeol-su-a in this bottle will be going down your throat.”
“Mmph, mmph!”
Dang Pung-ho’s body trembled uncontrollably as he met Bu Eun-seol’s cold, unmoving gaze.
“Heuk-pyo. Remove the gag.”
“Yes, sir.”
The moment Heuk-pyo pulled down the gag, Dang Pung-ho spoke in a rush.
“Dang Bi! It was the second young master, Dang Bi.”
“I see.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded calmly as if he had expected it. After all, Hyeol-su-a was a poison that no one outside the direct Dang family line could obtain.
Just then, Heuk-pyo asked, unable to understand.
“Why on earth would the second master target you, sir?”
“Because Dang Gon is not here.”
Dang Gon had entered the Bi-dong yesterday and would not emerge for another four days.
In other words, these four days were the perfect opportunity for Dang Bi to kill Bu Eun-seol and Heuk-pyo.
“Still, an assassination attempt within the Dang family compound? If something like that were to happen, wouldn't the martial artists of the world mock the Sa-cheon-dang-ga for their lax security?”
Bu Eun-seol shook his head at Heuk-pyo’s words.
“We are merely outsiders. If we died, no one would feel sorry for us, and…”
Bu Eun-seol smiled as he looked at the terrified Dang Pung-ho.
“The dead tell no tales.”
Dang Pung-ho didn’t dare to look at Bu Eun-seol, merely lowering his head.
“Even if it were discovered that we were poisoned by a Dang family toxin, Dang Gon would be the one to take responsibility. We are his guests, and this is merely the Outer Courtyard.”
A shiver ran down his spine.
Dang Pung-ho trembled again at Bu Eun-seol's words and actions, which seemed to foresee everything.
“I… I…”
Dang Pung-ho looked up at Bu Eun-seol, his voice trembling.
“May I… go?”
“Fine.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded and extended a finger, lightly unsealing Dang Pung-ho’s paralyzed acupoints.
“Leave the Dang family at once.”
“What?”
“Return in one month. If I find you within the Dang family compound before then… I will personally sever your head from your neck.”
After a moment of thought, Dang Pung-ho seemed to realize something and bowed his head to Bu Eun-seol.
“Thank you sincerely for your generosity.”
Then he shot to his feet and darted out of the guest room like the wind.
“You said that to save him, didn’t you, sir?”
Heuk-pyo watched him go, a pleased look on his face.
“If you had let him go just like that, the second young master… no, given Dang Bi’s cruel nature, he would have killed that man to silence him.”
Heuk-pyo smiled faintly.
“But after a month, everything will be over… so no matter who becomes the successor, that man will be able to live.”
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
“You see one side of it, but not the other.”
“Sir?”
“Killing him is also what Dang Bi wants. To kill a man with the Dang surname within the family grounds is to challenge the Sa-cheon-dang-ga itself.”
“Even if it’s in self-defense against someone sent to poison you?”
“He would find an excuse, no matter the reason.”
Bu Eun-seol paused for a moment before continuing.
“More importantly, I have another reason for letting him live.”
“What is that?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
An uncharacteristically bright smile graced Bu Eun-seol’s lips.
Seeing that smile, Heuk-pyo felt a chill run down his spine.
It was now certain that Dang Bi would surely end up either dead or on the brink of death at Bu Eun-seol's hands.
* * *
The next day. In the office of the Su-un-gak, in the Inner Courtyard.
Standing by the window, his lips pressed into a thin line, Dang Bi finally shouted at the attendant, Dang Sa-un.
“The man took the Hyeol-su-a and left at dusk! Why is there still no word from him? And why is that Bu brat still perfectly fine?”
Dang Sa-un lowered his head.
“I do not understand it either, my lord.”
If the attempt had succeeded, Bu Eun-seol would be dead. If it had failed, Dang Pung-ho would be dead. No, he *should* be dead.
But Bu Eun-seol was not dead, and Dang Pung-ho had vanished. Dang Sa-un simply could not comprehend the situation.
“Perhaps…”
Dang Sa-un, lost in thought, spoke cautiously.
“Could it be that Bu Eun-seol saw through our plan and sent Dang Pung-ho away from the main house?”
“Does that even make sense?”
“Bu Eun-seol might have spared Dang Pung-ho and told him to return in a month.”
Dang Bi roared.
“How could he possibly send away a master of the main family, a man with two arms and two perfectly good legs?”
“Well…”
Dang Sa-un started to speak but then closed his mouth.
—*Second Young Master, given your violent nature, he might very well accept such a proposal. After all, the successor will be decided in a month.*
He couldn’t bring himself to say those words.
“Summon the Yeong-pung-dong-ju. Entrust him with the task again.”
“The Yeong-pung-dong-ju, my lord?”
The Yeong-pung-dong-ju was one of the strongest masters under Dang Bi’s command, a formidable warrior who had surpassed the peak level.
However, he was old and proud; it seemed unlikely he would agree to assassinate a young man like Bu Eun-seol.
“The Yeong-pung-dong-ju will probably refuse the task. He is over fifty and has too much pride…”
“Just tell him it’s my command!”
Dang Bi gritted his teeth, a cruel smile forming on his lips.
“No matter how skilled Bu Eun-seol is, he can’t be beyond the peak level. The Yeong-pung-dong-ju will be more than enough to handle him.”
The Yeong-pung-dong-ju, Dang Sa-heon.
He was a master from a collateral branch of the Dang family, fifty-three years old this year. He had mastered both the Man-sa-dok-geom and the Jeon-gwang-kwae-geom—considered the finest martial arts of the family’s collateral branches—to the state of Dae-won.
‘I really don’t want to do this.’
Clad in stealth attire, perched on the roof of the Cheong-yang-so-chuk, he sighed inwardly.
Having surpassed the peak level in his fifties, he was a man of great pride and was on track to become a hall master in the Inner Courtyard.
To think he had to assassinate a young man who looked barely over twenty.
‘Then again, the second young master is the next family head.’
He had already sworn his allegiance to Dang Bi. He had no choice but to cut down anyone who stood in the way of Dang Bi becoming the family head.
‘Let’s see.’
He cautiously descended to the ground and surveyed the area around the Cheong-yang-so-chuk’s detached villa.
‘A heaven-sent opportunity.’
Inside the villa’s bedroom, a man in gray martial arts attire sat properly, circulating his energy.
Even the greatest masters were vulnerable while meditating. With all their focus turned inward, their reactions would be slow, no matter how prepared they were.
‘Is that boy his only guard?’
Near a table, Heuk-pyo was visible, squatting with his back against a wall, reading a book.
The Cheong-yang-so-chuk had no guards from the Outer Courtyard other than servants, which meant the job would be done once he dealt with those two.
‘Hoo.’
Taking a quiet, deep breath, he began to discreetly sprinkle energy-scattering powder around the villa.
His technique was so subtle and stealthy that even a master with keen senses would have difficulty noticing.
‘Now!’
Seeing the distant moonlight obscured by clouds, Dang Sa-heon was about to launch his movement technique when—
“It’s just as you said.”
Heuk-pyo, who had been reading, let out a sigh.
“Just as you predicted, sir, another one came.”
‘That brat detected my presence?’
Heuk-pyo looked to be no older than fourteen or fifteen.
How could he have possibly detected the stealth of a master who had surpassed the peak level?
“Heuk-pyo has trained in a movement technique that incorporates stealth arts. As a result, he’s extremely sensitive to presences and the sound of air being displaced.”
As if answering his unspoken question, Bu Eun-seol slowly rose to his feet.
“This time, you’ve sent someone who seems reasonably competent.”
Bu Eun-seol smirked, his eyes fixed on the shadows where Dang Sa-heon was hiding.
“I didn’t know there was another swordsman in the Dang family besides Dang Gon.”
‘I’ve been discovered.’
Left with no choice, Dang Sa-heon opened the villa door and strode inside.
“Are you Bu Eun-seol?”
As Dang Sa-heon unleashed his killing intent, Bu Eun-seol nodded, his expression one of sheer delight.
“Since this is a special occasion, let’s skip the pleasantries.”
“Skip?”
“Please, do not disappoint me.”
As Bu Eun-seol drew his Muk-geom, a powerful energy began to emanate from his body.
It was an aura as immense as a great mountain, one that even Dang Sa-heon, who was on the verge of the transcendent realm, found difficult to bear.
‘His internal energy is immense. Did he consume some kind of elixir?’
“What are you spacing out for?”
In an instant, Bu Eun-seol was behind Dang Sa-heon, the edge of his Muk-geom grazing his neck.
‘Gah!’
Crying out inwardly, Dang Sa-heon swiftly twisted his body to evade the sword strike.
“Huff. Huff.”
He had dodged only a single blow, yet his forehead was beaded with sweat. He had avoided the blade by a hair’s breadth.
“You’re quite fast.”
Bu Eun-seol, sword in hand, grinned, revealing his white teeth.
“But I’m a little disappointed.”
“Disappointed? Don't act so ridiculously composed!”
Enraged by Bu Eun-seol’s attitude, Dang Sa-heon began to unleash his sword technique with all his might.
Jeon-gwang-kwae-geom.
The fastest sword style passed down in the Dang family, it flowed from his fingertips, creating an endless flurry of cross-shaped afterimages.
“Hmm.”
But Bu Eun-seol had already retreated to the left.
“Don’t you run away!”
As Bu Eun-seol effortlessly evaded the Jeon-gwang-kwae-geom, Dang Sa-heon’s frustration boiled over, and he shouted.
“If you’re a man, face me head-on!”
At that, Bu Eun-seol stopped dead in his tracks, folded his arms, and stared at Dang Sa-heon.
“You think you can win if I face you head-on?”
“You must not be able to sense that my martial prowess has surpassed the peak level.”
“The peak level?”
At Dang Sa-heon’s words, Bu Eun-seol actually let out a snort of laughter.
“Levels are nothing more than boundaries to classify the standards of martial arts. You cannot determine the victor of a life-or-death battle based on such things.”
“You’re all talk. Then face me head-on!”
“I refuse.”
“What did you say?”
A faint smile played on Bu Eun-seol’s lips.
“Your swordsmanship is so pathetic, I'm losing interest.”
As a master of the Dang family, Dang Sa-heon had always been revered by the younger generation.
But Bu Eun-seol’s constant mockery made him lose his composure, and he launched into his Jeon-gwang-kwae-geom once more.
“You little brat!”
Dang Sa-heon’s Jeon-gwang-kwae-geom consisted of a full seventy-two forms.
However, since each form embodied the essence of a lightning-fast sword, unleashing all seventy-two did not take much time.
And in all his numerous battles, Dang Sa-heon had never once needed to use all seventy-two forms.
The fight had always ended before he could finish the entire sequence.
‘Th-this bastard!’
But now, Dang Sa-heon was performing the seventy-two forms of Jeon-gwang-kwae-geom for the second time in a row.
The problem was, he still couldn’t even touch the hem of Bu Eun-seol’s clothes.
‘What a naive fellow.’
A smile crept onto Bu Eun-seol’s lips as he employed Geuk-sok-mu-yeong with his arms crossed.
He knew Dang Sa-heon was a considerable master, so he had deliberately tried to provoke him. And just as he’d planned, the man was now flustered and agitated like a child.
“Stop scurrying around like a rat and fight me!”
His pride deeply wounded, Dang Sa-heon screamed at the top of his lungs.
“Did you master swordsmanship, or did you just practice dodging like a rat?”
At that moment,
*Swoosh.*
Bu Eun-seol’s face suddenly appeared right in front of him as he was executing his sword technique.
“You’ll regret that.”
“Ugh.”
Stunned by the incredible speed, Dang Sa-heon let out a choked cry and tried to execute another sword form.
But Bu Eun-seol’s fist was faster.
*Thwack!*
With a sound like a large leather pouch bursting, Dang Sa-heon was struck in the solar plexus and sent flying into the far wall.
“Ugh.”
Clutching his stomach, Dang Sa-heon coughed up blood.
A single light punch from Bu Eun-seol had inflicted a severe internal injury.
“How, how could this happen…”
Being struck in the stomach during a fight was the kind of thing that only happened in brawls between third-rate martial artists.
Dang Sa-heon was a peerless master who had surpassed the peak level and was on the cusp of the transcendent realm. Yet here he was, crumpled on the ground, clutching his stomach from a single punch by Bu Eun-seol.