Chapter 439: The Raid of Blood Dissolution
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 439: The Raid of Blood Dissolution
"Good work, Kang Ha-yoon."
A raspy voice drifted from a short distance away.
Tap, tap.
Tap, tap.
Soon, masked figures began to reveal themselves one by one near the summit.
"Whoa, what’s all this?"
Sun-woo looked on, his expression filled with curiosity.
He had felt a strange sense of unease during the climb, but he had dismissed it, assuming it was just some wild animal. However, it seemed the source of that unease was definitely not a beast. After all, wild animals didn't usually wear matching uniforms.
"It’s an assassination group sent to kill you, Young Master Jang."
"Did they call in others besides you?"
"They said the job had to be handled with absolute certainty," Kang Ha-yoon replied in a calm tone.
"Hah."
Sun-woo let out a dry laugh.
To think they had brought in an assassination squad on top of Kang Ha-yoon, who was already at the Upper Stage of the Transcendent Realm, just to take him down. He couldn't help but be impressed by Tang Jin-seol’s meticulousness.
"She certainly is thorough."
"That’s the kind of woman she is," Kang Ha-yoon said, her face remaining stoic.
Sun-woo shook his head at her words. They say a woman’s grudge can bring frost in midsummer, but Tang Jin-seol’s grudge was proving to be a direct threat to his life.
Sun-woo casually scanned the masked men gathering at the peak.
Why are there so many of them?
He was slightly taken aback. There were far more people than he had expected. At the same time, a question arose: how had he failed to notice so many people lying in wait?
"Kekeke... So you’re the Divine Dragon."
Just then, a shabby-looking old man stepped out from among the masked assassins. Even at a glance, the old man radiated an extraordinary aura.
"Are you the boss?"
"Kekeke... You could say that."
"Shouldn't an old-timer like you be waiting for his final days? What brings you all the way out here?"
"Kekeke... When one is paid, one must work, shouldn't they?" the old man countered, unfazed by Sun-woo’s bluntness.
"Just how much were you paid to move that ancient body of yours?"
"One million Nyang... Kekeke."
"Hah... One million Nyang?" Sun-woo repeated, sounding surprised.
"Kekeke... Does that shock you so much?"
Finding Sun-woo’s reaction amusing, the old man let out a repulsive chuckle.
"Of course it’s shocking. To think my head is only worth that much."
"What?"
"Shouldn't it be at least ten million Nyang?" Sun-woo said with a playful smirk, spreading his hands wide.
"Kekeke, you’re a funny lad."
"I’ve been told I have my charms."
"But in my eyes, one million Nyang seems more than enough."
"Your eyes must be failing you. Why don't you try being born again?"
"Ke... Kekeke. You insolent brat."
The old man let out a hollow laugh. He couldn't help it; the boy’s refusal to back down even an inch was genuinely amusing.
"Do you even know who I am to be spouting such nonsense?"
"Who are you, then?"
"I am the Head of Blood Dissolution."
The old man’s eyes gleamed as he answered Sun-woo’s question.
"In the Murim, they call me Salhon."
A wide smile spread across the old man’s face, his pride evident in his expression.
"Ho, so a fairly famous Murderous Ghost has shown up."
Sun-woo’s eyes sparkled as he processed the title. The infamy of Salhon was vividly etched even in Jang Sam’s memories. He was a man who had once reigned as a symbol of terror for the Orthodox Faction.
"Do you think this old man is lying?"
"No? I believe you."
"And yet, your attitude doesn't seem like that of a believer at all."
Salhon looked at him with a puzzled expression. Usually, when he revealed his identity, people reacted in one of two ways: they either ignored him, thinking it was a lie, or they gasped in horror and trembled in fear.
In the former case, he would gift them death as a price for their ignorance. In the latter, he would savor their terror before slowly taking their lives.
But the reaction of the youth before him was entirely unexpected. He wasn't surprised at all upon hearing the name Salhon. He wasn't trembling, nor was he dismissing it as a lie.
"Then what? Should I be begging for my life, crying 'Oh, I'm so scared, please spare me'?"
Sun-woo looked at him as if he were being ridiculous. He was a man who had cursed out Lee Jae-won, the strongest being in this world. Why on earth would he tremble before some insignificant old man?
"Kekeke, I really have grown old. To be looked down upon by a green brat like this."
Salhon gave a thin smile and continued.
"Then let us see if you have the skill to back up that mouth of yours."
Salhon’s eyes glinted with murderous intent.
Crack, crack.
"It’ll be more than enough."
Sun-woo said, lightly loosening his muscles.
"Attack!"
Salhon barked the order to his assassins. At once, they lunged toward Sun-woo, their numerous blades glinting under the moonlight.
I’ll blow them away with the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth.
Sun-woo planned to use the technique to hurl them all off the cliff at once. He figured that if he just redirected their momentum, it would be entirely possible.
Boom!
Unfortunately, Sun-woo’s plan didn't go as expected. Someone else had stepped in before he could even use the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth.
"Aaaargh!"
"Ugh!"
"Kaaah!"
Dozens of assassins who had been rushing Sun-woo were slammed into the ground simultaneously, letting out agonizing screams.
"...Aaaargh! Kang Ha-yoon!"
An assassin rolling on the ground with a severed arm screamed out in pure spite. He was overwhelmed by the sheer unfairness of it.
"Who do you think you're touching?"
Kang Ha-yoon spoke, her fist still extended forward. Her knuckles were drenched in the blood of the assassins.
"Hah."
Sun-woo let out a bewildered laugh. He was stunned by her inexplicable actions. Hadn't she chosen loyalty over chivalry? Why was she protecting him now?
"Hall Master... what on earth is... this..."
Sun-woo asked her, his face full of confusion.
"I’m sorry, Young Master Jang. There are a few things I didn't tell you."
"Things you didn't tell me?"
"Yes. I called them here to assassinate you, but I never had any intention of letting you die."
"........Pardon?"
Sun-woo asked back, unable to understand. She called them to assassinate him, but didn't intend to kill him? What kind of nonsense was that?
"I intended to draw them out," Kang Ha-yoon explained, gesturing toward the assassins with her eyes.
"You mean I was bait?"
"Yes... I didn't think they would show themselves if I came alone..."
Kang Ha-yoon spoke with a face full of apology.
".....But why?"
"Pardon?"
"Why... did you change your mind about killing me?"
Sun-woo asked, still lost. He couldn't fathom why she had chosen to save him, even if it meant betraying the 'loyalty' of repaying a life debt.
"Hehe. Because this is what feels most like me."
Kang Ha-yoon let out a small laugh at Sun-woo’s question.
"I cannot commit an injustice just to maintain a sense of loyalty. That is the conclusion I’ve reached."
She offered him a bold, radiant smile.
"You could have at least given me a heads-up..."
"I couldn't help it. I didn't know where the Blood Dissolution assassins might be hiding."
Her face was thick with regret as she spoke.
"And here I was... not knowing that... saying I was disappointed and all that..."
Sun-woo scratched his head awkwardly. It weighed on his conscience that he had mouthed off without knowing her true intentions.
"No."
Kang Ha-yoon shook her head.
"Actually, I’m glad I heard those words."
"Those... words?"
"The words saying that sticking to my convictions wasn't wrong."
She gave him a refreshing smile.
"No one has ever said that to me before. Everyone just mocked me, calling me stiff, old-fashioned, socially inept, stupid, or foolish."
She looked at Sun-woo, her eyes sparkling like starlight.
"But you, Young Master Jang, told me that sticking to my convictions wasn't wrong. You said that was the most 'me' I could be."
Kang Ha-yoon’s eyes grew misty. She slowly placed a hand over her ample chest.
"The moment I heard those words, I felt an overwhelming surge of emotion right here. Thank you... truly, thank you."
She spoke with deep, heartfelt emotion.
"............"
Sun-woo remained silent, looking quite bashful. He hadn't said those things to earn her gratitude; he had simply said what he felt. The Kang Ha-yoon he knew was exactly that kind of woman. He never imagined his words would move her so intensely. He felt a flush of embarrassment rising.
Kang Ha-yoon looked at Sun-woo’s reaction as if she found it cute, then her expression hardened as she slowly turned around.
"So, please do not blame yourself. Every word you spoke is as precious as gold to me."
"..........."
Sun-woo scratched his head again at the high praise. He wondered if he had ever been complimented this much in his life.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Startled, Sun-woo looked to his side. There stood Kang Ha-yoon, her foot having stomped the ground so hard it left a deep crater.
"Oh, I’m sorry. Did I startle you?"
Kang Ha-yoon asked with an apologetic look.
"I was a bit surprised, yes."
"There are just so many pests around."
She gestured toward the cratered ground. Looking closely, Sun-woo saw the mangled remains of an assassin whose head had been crushed. It seemed he had met his end under her foot.
".......An assassin?"
"Yes... he was hiding in the ground, likely using the Earth Escape Technique."
"How did you notice him?" Sun-woo asked in surprise.
"At first, I thought it was just a mole or some animal... but he didn't budge even when I lightly tapped the ground."
She spoke as if it were nothing.
"So I sensed he was an assassin."
"I see.... This is embarrassing. I didn't even notice him."
"Oh, you don't need to be embarrassed. They were waiting in a state no different from a corpse using the Turtle Breathing Technique.... It would have been difficult to detect them through ki-sensing alone."
"Ah... I see."
Sun-woo nodded, accepting her explanation. To be honest, he had been feeling a bit discouraged because he hadn't noticed the numerous assassins lying in wait. But it turned out they were hidden everywhere using the Turtle Breathing Technique. If they were in a state nearly identical to a corpse, it made sense that he couldn't sense them, as their life force would be incredibly faint.
"Shall we start cleaning up, then?"
Seeing that Sun-woo understood, Kang Ha-yoon gave a slight smile and turned her body fully.
Creep, creep.
Stop.
As she turned, she saw assassins slowly creeping toward them. It seemed they had been looking for an opening while she was talking to Sun-woo.
Seeing them, Kang Ha-yoon wore a mischievous smile. It was like looking at a swarm of ants that didn't know their place. She wanted to teach them exactly where they stood.
Woooooong.
She began to slowly draw out her Fighting Spirit.
"Who wants to go first?"
She looked at the assassins, her eyes burning with Fighting Spirit.
Flinch.
The assassins who met her gaze trembled in unison, completely overwhelmed by her aura.
"Kang Ha-yoon."
Salhon’s voice rang out from behind the assassins.
"Have you betrayed us?"
Salhon glared at her with eyes as cold as a bitter northern wind.
"We were never on the same side to begin with, were we?" she replied with a playful smirk.
"Kekeke... I believe I told you? If you got in my way, I would kill you."
Salhon spoke as he unleashed his murderous aura to its limit. He seemed consumed by rage at the thought of being betrayed.
"Do you even have the ability?" Kang Ha-yoon provoked him.
"It seems I must show you the difference in our levels."
Shring!
As soon as he finished speaking, Salhon thrust his hands forward. Two incredibly long and thin swords slid out from his sleeves.
Grip.
Salhon grasped the thin swords firmly. He slowly raised them and pointed them at Kang Ha-yoon.
"I’ll kill you first. Jang Sun-woo is next."
Salhon threatened her, his murderous aura peaking.
"There won't be a 'next.' Because your head is about to explode."
Kang Ha-yoon declared, drawing out her Fighting Spirit to its absolute maximum.
Crackle, spark, zap!
Before long, Salhon’s murderous aura and Kang Ha-yoon’s Fighting Spirit collided, creating a sound like static electricity. Soon, nothing remained in their eyes but the singular intent to kill one another.