Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Ambush at the Inn
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The cold beauty with her icy demeanor stared straight at the assassins radiating thick killing intent.
Her crimson lips parted.
"Wi-jin."
The moment she called out.
Thud!
One of the assassins collapsed.
The nearby assassins whipped their heads around in alarm at the sudden event.
Behind the fallen assassin stood a handsome young man.
"Ghost Wolf Sword!"
Swish!
The assassins pivoted on their feet.
Those who had swiftly reversed their grip on their daggers targeted Wi-jin's chest in unison.
Yet the sword now in Wi-jin's hand merely flicked aside their strikes with a subtle motion.
Clang!
A dull thud accompanied the shockwave, sending the assassins' bodies lurching violently.
But they did not waver.
Using the recoil from their shuddering forms, they kicked off the ground and lunged straight at the woman.
Swoosh!
The woman watched impassively as the assassin closed the gap in a single breath.
And just as their daggers were poised to pierce her chest and throat...
Pop!
A shadow suddenly erupted from below, revealing a smiling girl.
A cute girl with enormous, sparkling eyes that seemed to hold the stars themselves spread her hands wide.
And within those hands, something slender glinted in the sunlight.
"Silver Thread...?!"
The assassins recoiled in panic.
But it was too late—the girl's flung silver thread had already coiled fully around them.
"Hup!"
"Ugh!"
The taut thread constricted their flesh, digging deeper and deeper.
Splatter!
Moments later, a shower of blood rained down.
"You okay?"
The girl gazed up at the woman with an innocent expression utterly at odds with the brutality she'd just unleashed.
"I'm fine."
"Phew, good."
The woman patted her chest in relief and stroked the head of the wide-eyed girl.
"Well done, Soryeong."
"Hehe."
Soryeong beamed delightedly at the touch and reeled in her thread.
Rustle—
The blood-soaked filament, vivid red and writhing like a living thing, coiled neatly around her hand in the shape of a gauntlet.
At that moment, Wi-jin stepped in front of the woman.
"Miss, more assassins are coming..."
Before he could finish.
Tadadak!
Assassins poured in from every direction.
"Stay behind me."
Wi-jin positioned himself directly in front of the woman.
"Soryeong."
"Got it!"
Soryeong crossed her arms, weaving her spread threads into a spiderweb that enveloped the woman, ready for attack at any moment.
"Done!"
"We're heading out!"
The instant Wi-jin's shout erupted.
Boom!
They kicked off the ground in unison, shattering the door in one explosive motion.
"Hm? That room's done?"
Meanwhile, Cheonhwi in the adjacent room crushed the neck of the last gasping assassin at the sound of the breaking door.
Crack!
Gazing down at the twitching corpse as its neck bones snapped and it fell still, Cheonhwi turned toward the exit.
No sooner had he pushed the door open than...
"Aaaah! S-save... Gurk!"
Stab! Slash!
A scene from hell greeted Cheonhwi.
Unknown assailants were tearing through the inn, assaulting a trio of man, woman, and girl.
"Let's see... one, two..."
He briefly tallied the assassins rampaging against the three.
"Hm?"
The young man wielding his sword to guard the central woman, and the girl's martial arts display caught his interest.
"That's imperial palace technique."
Cheonhwi's eyes narrowed.
That's Eastern Depot swordsmanship, and that one's Black Sand Institute martial arts, right?
Seeing them evoked memories of the imperial experts who had once visited the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Then a question arose.
"Odd. Would palace folk move in such small numbers?"
Typically, they traveled with escorts.
Yet here they were, so few.
Not a rivers-and-lakes inspection—something covert, maybe?
He stared piercingly for a moment.
Whatever. Their business in jianghu's none of mine. The court can't meddle anyway, thanks to the non-aggression pact.
Having finished spectating, he gripped the railing.
The fierce battle had already tilted toward the assailants.
No surprise—the attackers struck freely, while the girl and youth fought defensively around the woman, suffering losses.
Only the ones coming at me matter.
He vaulted over the railing.
Thud!
The sudden drop of Cheonhwi from above startled not only the assassins but even Wi-jin, locked in combat with them.
"Huff, huff... Who are you?"
Ignoring Wi-jin's familiar overtone, Cheonhwi casually raised his right hand.
Swoosh!
A razor-sharp aura like a gale sliced through the gloom.
For an instant, space itself tore.
"Ugh!"
A man plummeted from the ceiling.
Clutching his bleeding shoulder, pale-faced and gasping.
"H-how did you spot me..."
"Shut your babble."
Cheonhwi sneered at the assassin before him and seized his head.
Then spun him full circle in one motion.
Crunch!
An eerie sound reverberated through the inn.
A peculiar silence descended.
All eyes locked on Cheonhwi holding the corpse.
"If you're an assassin, keep your trap shut till the end."
He flung the body backward.
Splat! Blood and entrails spilled from the crumpled form, soaking the floor.
"Whoa!"
The girl hopped excitedly, cheering.
That snapped the dazed onlookers back to reality, one by one.
"Wh-what is this?"
"What just happened?"
Wi-jin and the woman cried out in shock; the assassins gulped dryly.
The youth who'd dropped from above had done no more than gesture once.
Yet that single gesture had snuffed out an assassin's life in an instant.
With a technique no one recognized.
The assassins exchanged glances.
They reacted faster than anyone, sensing he was no easy mark.
Tap!
The survivors scattered in all directions like startled birds.
"Let you run?"
Cheonhwi lightly raised his index finger.
Flash!
A blinding crimson glow erupted, and exquisite plum blossoms bloomed vibrantly in every direction.
A breathtakingly beautiful spectacle.
But the aftermath was horrific.
Thud—thud—
Ice-cold corpses with forehead holes tumbled across the floor from all sides.
"Feels good."
Cheonhwi shook out his hand as he rose.
"How'd you do that?"
The girl bounded over, eyes sparkling.
Gazing down at her incongruous question amid the chaos...
"Soryeong."
The woman called the girl in a rigid tone. Soryeong pouted reluctantly and shuffled to the woman's side.
"Thank you for the help."
The woman approached to express her gratitude.
A smile softening her icy features brought a warmth like spring breeze in midwinter.
"We survived thanks to you."
Wi-jin bowed as well.
No mere courtesy.
They could sense that without Cheonhwi's intervention, the dead would have been them.
Though we had one last resort...
Wi-jin glanced sidelong at Soryeong.
The girl clinging tightly to the woman's waist resembled a cicada on an ancient tree.
Fortunate. Better not reveal it yet—for the future.
He shook his head faintly to clear his thoughts, then bowed politely.
"Our thanks for your aid."
Yet Cheonhwi felt no stirring as he received their gratitude.
Wasn't helping them to begin with.
He'd stepped in and slain the assassins because they'd attacked him first—not to save these people.
The woman drew slowly nearer.
Her gaze fixed on Cheonhwi, who regarded them with utter nonchalance.
"We've troubled young hero."
She met his eyes squarely and asked.
"I'd like to convey proper thanks later—might I have your esteemed name?"
"No need."
With that reply, Cheonhwi turned away.
Can't crash here again.
The inn reeked of blood.
Better hurry on.
In that instant, he vanished.
"......!"
The woman stared at the spot where he'd disappeared without a trace, her lips twitching.
"Wi-jin."
Wi-jin swallowed hard before replying.
"Yes."
"What did you sense?"
"Nothing at all."
The same exchange as over dinner.
But unlike then, Wi-jin's voice trembled faintly.
The woman's pupils shifted to him.
A tiny ripple stirred in eyes perpetually serene, no matter the crisis.
Wi-jin asked cautiously.
"Shall I look into his identity?"
"No, leave it."
The woman whipped her head away.
She glared at the cold corpses, her expression urgent.
"More than that, we need to move before more assassins show."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "It's changed quite a bit."
Upon arriving at Mount Hua Sect, Cheonhwi surveyed the vibrant surrounding forests brimming with life.
The plum blossoms he'd once avoided were gone, replaced by welcoming green trees.
After a brief climb while admiring the views...
"Next guest... Huh? Martial Uncle?"
His eyes met Jeokgeom's, who was greeting visitors at the sect gate.
"You're back."
Cheonhwi frowned as he watched Jeokgeom sprinting over.
"Haven't trained properly lately, have you?"
Jeokgeom flinched and broke into cold sweat at the razor-sharp remark.
"W-well, lately I've been handling gate greetings, so... Ah! More importantly, the Sect Leader said to head straight to Purple霞 Pavilion upon your arrival."
Cheonhwi silently glared at Jeokgeom's hasty deflection.
Sweat poured down Jeokgeom's brow like a flood.
"Sect Leader Grandmaster summons me?"
"Yes."
"Any idea why?"
"You'll have to hear it from him..."
"Got it."
Cheonhwi turned on his heel mid-sentence.
Whew, dodged that.
Jeokgeom exhaled in relief.
But then.
He halted abruptly and turned back.
"Why?"
"Come find me later."
Jeokgeom paled.
"M-Martial Uncle!"
Ignoring Jeokgeom's desperate cry, Cheonhwi kicked off the ground.
No training just 'cause I'm gone? Time to tighten discipline.
Thinking of Jeokgeom's lack of progress, he accelerated.
Blurring past the scenery, he soon reached Purple霞 Pavilion.
"It's me."
"Come in."
The Sect Leader, seated within, welcomed Cheonhwi warmly at the sight of him.
"Over here."
At the Sect Leader's gesture, Cheonhwi entered smoothly and took his seat.
"Sorry to summon you so abruptly."
"More than that, why'd you call?"
"Heh heh."
The Sect Leader burst into hearty laughter at Cheonhwi's bluntness.
Just the same as ever.
Most changed after jianghu wanderings, but not him.
"Someone visited our sect specifically to see you, so I called you in haste."
"Huh? Someone wants to see me?"
Cheonhwi's brow furrowed slightly.
Called me back for that?
He regretted rushing.
Should've toured a bit longer.
Noting Cheonhwi's instant annoyance, the Sect Leader continued.
"No ordinary guest."
"Who?"
The Sect Leader's smile faded abruptly.
He grew grave, parting his lips with utmost caution.
"Do you know the Saint Hand Divine Physician?"