A Flawless Performance
"My husband, who had no idea I could use martial arts, was completely caught off guard."
At that time, she too had caught Banya's attention with similar words. Baekri Yeongso, who had lived as a submissive wife for four months without once raising her voice, and this frail slave, recently rescued from the Chunyangru Annex—for some reason, she couldn't help but see the two of them overlapping. Yeongso's footsteps slowed of their own accord.
"...Madam? Is something the matter?" The slave walking ahead turned back to look at Yeongso with a puzzled expression.
Yeongso realized she had not just slowed down, but had come to a complete halt. "Ah." This was the first time. The first time she had made direct eye contact with this woman. So she is capable of looking someone straight in the eye.
Yeongso glanced behind her. She saw maids carrying laundry baskets and a few slaves from the Annex basking in the sun in the courtyard. Though they were somewhat far away, they were well within shouting distance. If any of them happened to look up, they would easily spot her.
"Madam?" At the slave's call, Yeongso looked back at her. Although the woman's gaze had returned to the ground, the atmosphere around her had subtly shifted.
"Are you feeling unwell anywhere?" The slave placed a hand over her lower abdomen again. After a brief hesitation, Yeongso shook her head slightly. "I had something to instruct my personal maid, but it can wait until after we finish our talk."
"Yes, then..."
The slave resumed walking. After ensuring no one was following them, Yeongso turned the corner. Beneath a massive maple tree lay an old well. Long out of use, it was covered with a thick wooden plank, secured by three or four heavy stones piled on top. Standing before it, the slave let out a deep sigh. In a calm, gentle voice, Yeongso asked her to share what she wished to discuss.
"I was... threatened..."
"Pardon?" The woman's voice was too quiet. At the barely audible whisper, Yeongso took a step closer. "I can't hear you very well."
"I was threatened," the slave repeated, her back still turned. "I thought the Thousand Death Alliance would be safe, but it wasn't. Not even here." She dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm sorry, Madam."
The moment the words left her mouth, the slave spun around and thrust her right hand forward. A sharp hidden weapon shot out from her wide sleeve. Yeongso let out a soft shriek and ducked her head.
Thud!
Missing its target, the projectile embedded itself in a nearby tree. With no trace of tears on her face, the slave fired three more weapons in rapid succession.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Each time, Yeongso dodged, her light green silk sleeves fluttering as she swayed out of harm's way. She even threw in a couple of clumsy stumbles for good measure, making her movements look frantic and uncoordinated.
"W-why are you suddenly doing this?!"
The assailant drew a sword she had hidden behind the well. As the blade lunged straight for her vital points, Yeongso let out another shrill scream and collapsed onto the dirt path. "Stop this! Spare me...!"
"I'm sorry."
"Please, stop!"
This time, Yeongso scrambled onto the wooden plank covering the well. A murderous wave of sword qi flew straight toward the Alliance Leader's wife. "Kyaaa!"
As Yeongso rolled to the side, the slave's sword struck one of the heavy stones instead. The massive rock, which normally required two hands to lift, was sent flying to the ground like a sheet of paper. "Stop!"
The slave swung her sword with enough force to slice Yeongso in half, shattering the thick wooden plank. The deadly dance of swinging and dodging, swinging and dodging, continued for some time.
Watching the spectacle from a short distance away, Banya crossed his arms over his chest. "Look at that deceitful Baekri Yeongso. She refuses to counterattack to the very end. Any martial artist would instinctively strike back when attacked, but she only dodges, hiding her skills until the bitter end." Banya narrowed his eyes. "Do you know why?"
"Well... I suppose she has her reasons," Ma Ryun replied dryly.
Banya glared at his subordinate with fierce eyes. "You're supposed to be curious."
"...Am I?"
"Yes. This is the exact moment you should be dying of curiosity."
"I had no idea."
Ma Ryun watched Yeongso sway and flutter as she let out another delicate shriek before speaking again. "Fine. So, why is the Alliance Leader's wife hiding her martial arts?"
"Over my nineteen regressions, I've fought that woman myself. Rumor has it that Baekri Yeongso studied under Daoist Master Choi of the Yongro Sect. But that's a lie. I've clashed with countless orthodox martial artists; there's no way I wouldn't recognize Yongro Sect techniques."
"If her martial arts don't belong to the Yongro Sect, then what are they?"
"That's exactly what I don't know."
Ma Ryun stared blankly at his master. "...Weren't you about to tell me the reason?"
"Think about it, Heavenly Killing Star." Banya lightly brushed off his subordinate's silent protest and continued, "How could there be a martial art in this world that I, the greatest master of the Unorthodox Path, do not recognize?"
Just who on earth was she? Banya toyed with his lower lip, his eyes glued to the fight. "Look at that. Just look at her. Her opponent is such a novice that Baekri Yeongso isn't even out of breath while running away." It was so absurd he was starting to feel annoyed. "She's practically helping the poor girl with her cardio."
"At this rate, even the assassin should realize something is off... that things are going a bit too strangely."
"You call that an assassin?" Banya sneered. "That's barely a street thug. She's being completely toyed with by her target. Honestly, is this the best Jeokhwa Palace can do when training their people?"
As Banya gnashed his teeth, wondering how the assassin couldn't manage to graze her target even once, Ma Ryun's expression turned complicated.
"To be fair, she isn't that much of a novice. It's clear she was properly trained in the art of killing. Her sword strikes have decent power behind them. It's just that the Alliance Leader's wife is far too strong..."
"Sigh." Banya let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, who am I to blame? But Baekri Yeongso is really taking it too far. At this point, shouldn't she show at least ten percent of her actual strength?"
He could no longer bear to watch her pathetic attempt at fleeing. Hwa Banya had never seen anyone let out such feather-light, half-hearted screams while being threatened with a deadly weapon. Why was she doing it? Was she just going through the motions of screaming, yet keeping it quiet enough so that if people actually came running, the slave wouldn't get killed?
"Seriously, when she fought me, she was terrifying. Hundreds of needles hovered in the air, humming, each one coated in sharp, blue sword qi. With a single wave of her hand, they all came flying at me at once..."
Meanwhile, Ma Ryun silently stared at his master, who was passionately describing the scene. On one hand, Banya seemed absolutely thrilled that his wife was a worthy match for him; on the other hand, he was actively rooting for an assassin to stab her.
Either way, I have no desire to understand.
And so, the Heavenly Killing Star reaffirmed his vow of lifelong bachelorhood.
"Ah... Alliance Leader!" Yeongso, finally spotting Banya and Ma Ryun, cried out desperately. "Help me!"
It was a plea so faint that a starving chick would have made more noise. Banya rolled his eyes and instantly looked away, pretending not to notice. "Truly, she has the finest acting skills under heaven."
"More importantly, Alliance Leader."
"What?"
"Your wife is running in our direction."
Banya clicked his tongue. "See? When she does things like this, she's more cunning than any unorthodox scoundrel."
The slave, who had been trying to catch her slippery target, suddenly spotted Banya and Ma Ryun standing in the distance. Terrified by the simultaneous appearance of the Thousand Death Alliance's number one and number two, she hurriedly fumbled inside her robes.
Bang!
A smoke bomb exploded. Once the thick cloud cleared, there was nothing left.
Banya stared with a look of utter disbelief at his wife, who was coughing and covering her nose and mouth with her wide sleeve. "Can you stop acting already?"
"*Cough!*"
"Even if that smoke bomb had been filled with soul-paralyzing poison, it wouldn't have left a scratch on you."
"*Cough!*"
Yeongso's eyes welled with tears.
Banya half-heartedly waved the smoke away and approached the well. Peering inside, the reason the slave had vanished so quickly became clear.
"...It's connected to a secret passage," his wife remarked, having slipped beside him to peer down into the well. When had she even wiped away her tears?
Should I just push her in?