Chapter 227
Chapter 227
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 227
Chapter Title: Turning Misfortune into Blessing (1)
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Was it because of the strange black mist pouring out from the inn?
The line of assassins charging into the inn came to a sudden halt.
Krrruk!
In the meantime, Dang Ok-gi caught sight of the ghouls with their rotting faces, breathing like wild beasts, and unwittingly stepped back as he muttered.
"...Uh, Eon Yong-un?"
"What?"
"What do you mean, what?! Do you not get why I'm calling you in this situation? What the hell are these things? D-Demons?"
It wasn't unreasonable for Dang Ok-gi to react like that.
A few of the escorts who had been hunkered down behind barricades had fainted at the sight of the ghouls.
Yin Ha-seong spoke up toward the flustered Dang Ok-gi.
"You've heard too many old folktales, Sister Ok-gi. Demons in this world? Are you scared right now?"
"S-Scared my ass! They just look horrifying!"
"Come on, you are scared. You must not have liked scary stories as a kid. Oh, or maybe you still don't?"
"...Kill him."
Yin Ha-seong, brushing off the remark, boldly draped an arm around a nearby ghoul and said.
"It's your brother's necromancy? Barrier art? Something like that. Even if they look like this, they're on our side. No reason to be scared..."
I cut straight to the point with a warning for Yin Ha-seong.
"Ha-seong, their breath and bodily fluids are poisoned."
Krrruk!
Right on cue, the ghoul Ha-seong had his arm around let out a boiling rasp and drooled thick globs of saliva.
Ha-seong jumped back in shock.
"Mommy!"
While Ha-seong was calling for his mother back in Hwi-ju, my master chimed in as well.
-Your barrier arts always throw some unexpected twist right when one gets used to them, huh? What the hell are these things?
My master's question echoed Dang Ok-gi's earlier one.
I looked at Dang Ok-gi and said.
"If you're asking what they are, even if I told you, you wouldn't get it anyway. Simply put, think of them as ghouls made by burning up internal energy for short-term use."
"Oh? Then the poison means they're corpse poison, right?"
"Yeah."
With that answer, I turned to Ha-seong.
"Ha-seong, no need to freak out that much. You took the Hundred Poison Pill, didn't you? I was just warning you not to get scratched while messing around."
"Got it."
Ha-seong nodded.
But as he did, he pointed at Jeong Hyeon with his finger.
"By the way, why does Instructor Jeong Hyeon's face look so pale? He took the Hundred Poison Pill too."
"Urk. Sorry about that. After getting hit with that eerie energy pouring out when Young Master Eon used his barrier art, my stomach's been churning... Ah! Not that Young Master Eon's barrier art is inferior or anything!"
I could guess what was up.
Jeong Hyeon's pure internal energy and black magic were polar opposites to begin with.
Having inhaled the energy released to create the ghouls up close, it was no wonder his guts were twisting.
I chuckled and patted Jeong Hyeon's shoulder.
"I know."
Time for a breather ended there.
Changing my expression, I spoke in a firm tone.
"The energy that turned Jeong Hyeon's stomach leaked out of the building and made them pause their assault out of curiosity, but this isn't over. These guys look like they're from the Heavenly Death Net."
No one in the jianghu could be ignorant of the Heavenly Death Net's name.
A few bold escorts who hadn't fainted at the ghouls gasped at the mention of the Heavenly Death Net.
Ha-seong asked again.
"Heavenly Death Net? Brother Yong-un, you mean that Heavenly Death Net where crossing paths means certain death?"
"Yeah. You and I will go check out the situation. Dang Ok-gi, Jeong Hyeon, you two stay here."
Jeong Hyeon furrowed his brow.
"If it's the Heavenly Death Net, wouldn't it be dangerous for just the two of you? They specialize in human wave tactics, don't they?"
"Yeah, two would be risky. Three or four wouldn't make a difference either."
I patted a ghoul's shoulder and continued.
"That's why I'm planning to keep raising more of these guys. To help out then, Jeong Hyeon, you need to get used to their energy for now."
"...I understand."
"Good. They might target the escorts too, so come out when I signal."
"Yes."
Jeong Hyeon nodded silently.
I shifted my gaze to Dang Ok-gi.
"How many hidden weapons left?"
"I dropped some on the way down... A bit over half remaining."
"Then recover what you can. Their bodies are flowing with corpse poison, so use your saliva and any chopsticks lying around to make more as best you can."
"Got it."
I ordered Jeong Hyeon and Dang Ok-gi to stay inside the inn.
Then I stepped out with only Ha-seong.
Outside the inn, as expected, assassins of all sorts were arrayed in layers.
"What, all these uninvited guests showed up without even being called?"
As I emerged, a middle-aged man in fisherman's garb slung a harpoon over his shoulder and spoke.
"Heh. They said you cherished your subordinates, but here you are leading from the front? Since you're out, how about coming along quietly with us?"
The fisherman made a money gesture with his fingers and continued.
"We'll get a fat bounty for bringing you in alive, young master. If you cooperate nicely, we'll let the others live."
I smirked at the fisherman.
"As if you'd keep your word."
"'You lot'? You talk like you know us well."
"Heavenly Death Net, right?"
"Keh. Quite the discerning eye."
The fisherman widened his eyes in surprise at my words.
But soon, they painted their own faces gold.
"Well, who else would take a job to kill the infamous Little Dragon making waves across the land?"
"Plenty of others."
I shot a sneer at the fisherman.
And mentioned a rival.
"There's the Blazing Valley Crew, right? If it were them, I'd have noticed the assassins only when blades were at my throat. You guys reeked of suspicion, so I knew right away. These bastards are Heavenly Death Net."
"Heh? Your reputation for grating on people is well-earned."
"Heard it plenty. Whatever. Hey, fisherman. Who hired you and for how much? How about ditching the job, paying the penalty fee, and suggesting it to your bosses?"
The fisherman chuckled at my words.
"Haha. You know the fame of the Net that even slays the heavens, yet you say such things..."
"That's the Heaven-Slay Squad talking."
The Heavenly Death Net consisted of Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow—four squads.
'Among them, the Heaven-Slay Squad are the ones who can assassinate royalty or equivalents.'
However, the ones attacking me seemed to be from the Mysterious-Slay and Yellow-Slay Squads of the Heavenly Death Net.
'At the point they've been spotted by me, it can't be Heaven-Slay or Earth-Slay.'
Even with my growing fame, factors had led them to classify me as a later-generation junior, it seemed.
Anyway, I pointed that out.
"You guys are a bit low-tier, aren't you?"
The fisherman clapped.
"Sharp as hell. But why provoke us like this? No need for Heaven-Slay or Earth-Slay to deliver a fresh peak expert to King Yama."
"That's what bugs me. If low-tier Earth-Slay underlings came, the pay's too low for the risk."
"Hahaha. Overconfidence from earning a 'Little Dragon' title without Dragon-Phoenix rank and spanking some fake cultists. Fine, negotiations failed."
They seemed to have some intel on me.
"Sure."
But they'd overlooked that the face I'd shown the world as the Little Dragon was just the tip of the iceberg.
To remind them of their ignorance, I whistled sharply, fingers to my mouth.
"Wheeeeee!!"
At the sound, ghouls burst out through the hole in the inn.
Kraaaargh!!!
I pointed at the Heavenly Death Net assassins and commanded.
"Tear them apart!"
* * * These Heavenly Death Net guys, raised as assassins, had learned to kill emotions first.
But facing unknown horrors for the first time, watching comrades' throats ripped out.
Kraaa!!
"Guhk!"
"U-Uwaaak?!"
Splatter!
Terror of the unknown gripped their eyes at the sight of bodies being torn asunder.
That fear triggered instinctive flinching.
And into the sluggish assassins' blind spots flew Dang Ok-gi's hidden weapons.
Pik! Pik!!
Pipipipik!!!
Assassins keeled over dead like autumn leaves in the wind.
Meanwhile, Jeong Hyeon's Taiji steadily whittled down foes.
Swaek!
Swaaaek!!
With those two as my wings, I kept pumping internal energy into my upper dantian to raise more corpses.
"Rise!"
Grrraaah!!
As corpses piled up on the battlefield, our forces grew accordingly.
Some assassins panicked soul-deep.
"Ghosts! We've trespassed on ghost territory! Stepped into the hour of the Hundred Ghosts' Night Parade! We're all dead! Dead!"
But a few broke through the corpse soldiers, launching killing blows at me.
"Kill the necromancer! The necromancer!!"
But I wasn't one to yield.
I maintained the control seals for ghouls and corpse soldiers with one hand while unleashing Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship with the other.
Splatter! Splattersplat!!
Ha-seong contributed to my rampage.
He neither rampaged wildly nor hesitated like usual.
Yet he staunchly guarded my back.
Clang!
Splatter!!
After battling the Heavenly Death Net assassins for a while.
Only a handful still breathed and moved.
Among the remnants, I spotted the sneering fisherman from the negotiations.
"Dang Ok-gi, Jeong Hyeon. To me."
I immediately called my Eon brothers.
"Halt."
I stopped the ghouls and corpse soldiers and spoke.
"Hey, fisherman. I said your pay was too low, right? Was I right?"
"...Seems so."
"I'll let you live, so scram. You can't handle this. It's no fun if it's one-sided."
"......"
"Go back and call the Heaven-Slay or Earth-Slay Squads. The stronger they were in life, the stronger they rise, so I'd prefer that too."
At my words.
The surviving assassins, fisherman included, bolted like lightning.
Then everyone spoke up.
"Brother Yong-un? Why let the ones we had cornered go?"
"More importantly, can you really handle calling in Heaven-Slay or Earth-Slay, Young Master Eon?"
-Yeah. From what they said, their higher-ups seem like real masters. Can you handle them with your current strength and state? Pushing further might put you on the edge too.
To the barrage of questions.
I first cut off the internal energy I'd been pouring into the corpse legion.
"I let them go precisely because I can't handle it. Kill them all, and Earth-Slay then Heaven-Slay will come one after another for real."
Right away, I felt hot liquid trickling from one nostril.
Dang Ok-gi exclaimed in shock.
"Hey, nosebleed!"
I wiped it with my sleeve and said.
"One who survived this fight going back raises the chance they'll scrap the contract. So like Military Strategist Jeon-gal said, I bluffed and released them."
"Oh?"
"Heh. Controlling corpses while thinking that far ahead."
I waved off my nodding brothers and headed straight back to the inn.
Sending a few away alive was my move to stop more assassins from swarming.
But who knows how the world turns.
Better to leave ASAP.
Back inside, I slipped some silver into the fainted innkeeper's bosom and told the escorts.
"We're leaving Mu-ho right now. If seasick, just bear it."
"Let's go! Seasickness all gone!"
* * * Luoyang, Murim Alliance Lord's Office.
Jeon-gal Hye, who had been overseeing the naval fleet in Wu-chang lately, visited the lord's office after a long time.
Gong Son Mu-gyeol shot up from his seat and asked.
"How is he?"
She knew he meant Eon Yong-un's condition after escaping the Heavenly Death Net's target.
Seeing the unusually flushed Gong Son Mu-gyeol, Jeon-gal Hye feigned confusion.
"Naval fleet? Yong-un?"
"Got the fleet report in writing."
"No written report on Yong-un?"
"......"
"Just joking. Yong-un's fine. Minor internal injuries..."
"Internal injuries?!"
"Hear me out. He overdid it, but he had Ami Sect's Pori Heart Pill. Confirmed he recovered in Wu-chang before coming up."
Gong Son Mu-gyeol sighed in relief and sat.
"So who hired the Heavenly Death Net? Demonic Cult?"
"Likely. At this point, who else would target Yong-un's every move?"
"Tch. If bedbugs in the thatch, I'd burn it all and rebuild... Can't torch the whole world."
"Prepare for the worst and nurture new sprouts meanwhile."
"Wise words from the Grand Strategist."
"On that note, expanding the Shaolin-Righteous Martial Academy exchange tournament we planned—heard the Executive Council approved it on the way?"
"It passed. With the world this chaotic, if they don't want blood, they'll cough up elixirs and martial arts."