Chapter 428: The Soul-Killing Assassin, Salhon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 428: The Soul-Killing Assassin, Salhon
Click, clack.
Tang Jin-seol began to walk with slow, measured steps.
"How about some steamed carp today?"
"The fruit that came in today is incredibly fresh!"
"We have silk from the Western Regions! It’s so soft, it feels like touching a cloud."
"Freshly caught silkie chicken! Buy it now and I’ll give it to you four nyang cheaper!"
A swarm of merchants began to hawk their wares to her. Even a glance at her luxurious appearance was enough for them to smell the scent of money.
However, Tang Jin-seol maintained a haughty expression and simply kept walking. She had no intention of entertaining their solicitations.
Click, clack.
She passed them all by.
The fishmonger shouting about carp.
The fruit seller yelling about his produce.
The silk merchant selling fabrics.
And the butcher recommending the silkie chicken.
Click, clack.
Having passed everyone, Tang Jin-seol eventually walked toward a large inn located right in the middle of the main road. The inn had only two characters carved into it: Haeu, Relieving Sorrows.
Creeeeeak.
Stopping in front of the Haeu Inn, Tang Jin-seol pushed the door open. The sound of rusty hinges groaned as the interior of the inn was revealed.
Inside, it looked no different from any other inn. People of various backgrounds were gathered, eating, drinking, and chatting boisterously. It was entirely ordinary.
Just like any other common inn.
"Aigo, welcome, noble lady!"
A young waiter bowed deeply as he approached Tang Jin-seol.
"What can I get for you? A meal? A room? Or perhaps some wine? Just say the word. If it’s what a noble lady like you desires, I’d even catch a dragon for you."
The waiter spoke with a bright smile. His attitude was exceptionally brisk—the kind of kindness forged through years of service.
"Will you really catch a dragon for me?"
Hearing the waiter's words, Tang Jin-seol spoke with a faint smile.
"Hahaha, of course! Naturally. There is nothing we cannot serve here at the Haeu Inn, my lady."
"Those are very reassuring words."
Tang Jin-seol’s smile widened slightly.
"So, what would you like to order?"
"What is delicious here?"
"Everything at the Haeu Inn is delicious. No matter what dish you choose, it will be so tasty it’ll melt in your mouth."
The waiter responded with a deliberately playful expression. He looked full of mischief to anyone watching.
"Hmm... I heard that the Haeu Inn has a rare delicacy that cannot be found in any other inn..."
"Hmm... well now... I’m not sure what you’re referring to."
At Tang Jin-seol’s inquiry, the waiter feigned ignorance.
"I heard there is a dish where something that isn't a dragon looks like one, and something that isn't a phoenix is dressed up like one."
"Ah! Are you talking about Dragon and Phoenix Soup?"
"I wonder. I’ll have to see it for myself to know if it’s truly Dragon and Phoenix Soup."
"Hmm, in that case, I shall have it served to you. However, the Dragon and Phoenix Soup is quite expensive. Will that be alright?"
"If the taste is good, what does the price matter?" Tang Jin-seol replied calmly.
"How gallant of you. Very well. Please wait in a private room. I will escort you."
The waiter began to lead the way.
"Understood."
Tang Jin-seol nodded and followed behind him.
*
Slide.
"It is here."
Arriving at a private room, the waiter opened the door and gestured inside. Tang Jin-seol gave a slight nod and stepped into the room, taking a seat with poise.
"The Dragon and Phoenix Soup will be out shortly. Please wait just a moment."
"I don't mind if it takes a while."
"We can't have that. Time is gold, after all."
Slide.
Thud.
The waiter closed the door with a smile on his lips. Tang Jin-seol watched the door for a moment, then sat quietly, waiting for someone to enter.
After some time had passed...
Knock, knock, knock.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
"I have brought the dish."
A voice as cold as the bitter cold northern wind drifted in from outside.
"Come in."
Slide.
Once her permission was given, the door opened, and a man with a frigid expression appeared.
Step, step.
The man entered the room with long strides and sat down across from Tang Jin-seol.
"It has been a long time, Madam."
The man greeted her as he revealed himself.
"It has indeed," Tang Jin-seol replied evenly.
"You grow more beautiful by the day, Madam."
"Enough with the pleasantries. Let’s get to the point."
Tang Jin-seol’s voice was icy.
Thud.
She reached into her robes and placed something on the table.
"This is a bearer bond. The amount is exactly five hundred thousand nyang. I have also secured the Thunderbolt Bombs. I will have them delivered separately to the location you specified."
"It seems you have made your decision."
"Yes. If it means eliminating him, it’s not a high price to pay."
"Very well. We accept the commission."
The man nodded at her words. He took the bond from the table and tucked it into his robes.
"Aren't you going to count it?"
"You don't look like the type to play games with money." The man spoke with a thin smile. "And of course, even if you did, I am confident I could collect what is owed in full."
"Quite the confidence you have."
"It’s not so much confidence as... well... it’s only natural."
The man spoke with an indifferent expression.
"Can I hear the specific assassination plan?"
"A specific assassination plan... Hmm."
The man looked thoughtful for a moment.
"First, the number of assassins being deployed is sixty-one in total."
He regained his composure and continued.
"It will consist of ten Special-Class assassins, twenty First-Class assassins, and thirty Second-Class assassins."
"You’re missing one."
"The remaining one will be filled by the Master of the Sea of Blood himself."
"The Master...?"
"In the world, he is known as Salhon, the Soul Killer."
"......Wasn't that... just a rumor?"
"Of course not. He is a very real person."
"........."
Tang Jin-seol’s jaw dropped. Salhon was a title she knew all too well.
Salhon (殺魂)
Death is fair. Whether it be a child or an adult, a man or a woman, the elderly or the young, it visits everyone equally. And this concept of death is something even the most powerful martial artists cannot escape. Even if they train their bodies to be iron and possess deep, pure internal energy, they cannot avoid becoming frail or aging. It is the law of nature to weaken as time flows.
One day, forty years ago...
The Plum Blossom Sword Emperor, the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, met his end. It was a sudden death with no warning. The disciples of Mount Hua were baffled by their leader's sudden passing. While the Plum Blossom Sword Emperor was not young, he wasn't so decrepit that he should have died so abruptly.
Sensing something was wrong, the disciples requested a coroner to investigate the cause of death. However, no signs of foul play were found on the leader's body, and the cause of death was concluded to be a heart attack. Though the disciples were suspicious, they had no choice but to accept it and hold the funeral with heavy hearts. There was no other clear explanation.
People said that no matter how much like immortals martial artists might seem, they were still merely human.
But after that, strange things began to happen in the Murim. One by one, famous masters known to everyone began to lose their lives to heart attacks. The Plum Blossom Sword Emperor, the All-Knowing, the Blue Cloud Sword Hero, the Bone Crusher, the Saber Emperor, the Gyeonghwa Sword—all of them were renowned figures with high-level martial arts.
Naturally, people grew suspicious. It was hard to believe that martial artists with such robust bodies and pure internal energy were all dying of heart attacks. How could such a thing happen?
Normally, when people died like this, it would be considered assassination, but there were no signs of foul play on the bodies. That left only sudden death, which was equally suspicious. Why were only they dying so suddenly? They had nothing in common except for being high-level masters. The mystery only deepened.
Then one day, a strange rumor began to circulate. The rumor claimed that the deaths of these masters were not heart attacks, but murders. They were killed by Salhon, the assassin who kills the soul. The reasoning was that because he killed the soul rather than the body, no physical evidence of murder could be found.
The rumor grew until it spread across the entire Murim. For a time, the Soul-Killing Assassin reigned as the embodiment of terror. He was perceived as a god-like being who delivered an inescapable death.
"Ha..."
Tang Jin-seol let out a hollow laugh. To think that the very embodiment of death that had terrorized the Murim forty years ago was actually the Master of the Sea of Blood. How could she believe such a thing?
"Is it alright to tell me such a fact?"
"We’ve never particularly hidden it. It’s just that the Master hasn't had a reason to act, so he was naturally forgotten."
The man spoke in a calm tone.
"I am satisfied," Tang Jin-seol said with a pleased smile.
"I am glad to hear that." The man replied with a deep grin.
"Is there anything else I should do to help?"
"If you can just get him to leave the Tang Clan estate, there will be no problem. Carrying out the task inside the Tang Clan would cause too many complications."
"Don't worry about that. I’ve already laid out the entire plan."
Tang Jin-seol’s eyes sparkled with certainty.
"More importantly, there is one variable."
"A variable?"
"Yes. Kang Ha-yoon will also be participating in the assassination."
"Are you talking about the Phoenix Hall Master, Kang Ha-yoon?"
The man asked back, looking surprised.
"Yes, Tigress Kang Ha-yoon."
"Double commissions are difficult. The blades of the Sea of Blood have no eyes."
"It’s fine. You can kill her if she gets in the way."
"......Are you serious?"
"Yes. Use her as bait or a meat shield, do whatever you want."
Tang Jin-seol spoke with a thick smile.
"Aren't you both serving the same husband, Madam Tang?"
"We are, but I’ve grown quite covetous of the Phoenix Unit Leader position."
Tang Jin-seol’s eyes glittered with greed.
"They say there is no one in this world you can trust, and it seems that saying is exactly right."
"Isn't this a world where only fools trust people?"
Tang Jin-seol responded to the man's remark with a laugh.
*
Thud, thud, thud!
Someone began to knock urgently on the door.
"Third Madam! Third Madam! Third Madam!"
The voice was filled with desperation.
"......Come in."
Hearing the voice, Geum Jeok-hwa spoke weakly. She seemed utterly exhausted from repeated late-night work.
Bang!
The door flew open, and Tang Gam, a member of the Jaegyeong Pavilion, appeared.
"What is it?"
Geum Jeok-hwa looked at Tang Gam with tired eyes.
"Something terrible has happened!"
".......Speak."
"A letter has arrived from the Cheonmu Alliance!"
Tang Gam held up a single letter.
"No doubt it’s another demand for money from Tang Jin-seol. Just throw it in the corner over there."
Geum Jeok-hwa spoke with an annoyed expression. After Yorang had uncovered the corruption, the Tang Clan had cut more than half of all the funds being sent to Tang Jin-seol. Naturally, Tang Jin-seol had protested and sent multiple demands for money. If a letter had come from the Cheonmu Alliance, it was surely another one of those.
"It’s not that!"
Tang Gam beat his chest in frustration.
"Then... what is it?"
Seeing Tang Gam's reaction, Geum Jeok-hwa asked with a puzzled look.
"The letter bears the seal of the Alliance Leader himself!"
"What!?"
Geum Jeok-hwa’s eyes widened in shock. The seal of the Alliance Leader? That meant it was a letter written personally by the leader.
"Give it to me, quickly!"
She reached out and snatched the letter from Tang Gam’s hand.
Crinkle.
She unfurled the letter and began to read. She was curious as to why the Cheonmu Alliance Leader would suddenly send a letter.
Her eyes darted back and forth as she scanned the contents rapidly.
After a few moments...
'What on earth is this?!'
Her face began to turn pale. The news written in the letter was far more urgent than she had imagined.
Springing up.
Geum Jeok-hwa stood up abruptly.
"Thank you, Tang Gam!"
After thanking him, she rushed out of the office. She felt she had to deliver the contents of the letter to Tang Seo-yoon as quickly as possible.
Tang Gam stared blankly at Geum Jeok-hwa’s retreating back.