Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 11
>Chapter Title: Dangerous Visit (1)
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Four days later,
In a dense forest not far from Timber Sword Manor's estate.
A man wearing a bamboo hat and dressed in navy Daoist robes emblazoned with a yin-yang symbol trudged along with a backpack full of old books and tools slung over his shoulder. In one hand, he formed the sword seal mudra from the sword scripture, while in the other, he clutched a talisman inscribed with the character for "Chase."
The man chanted the incantation endlessly.
"Heavenly essence, earthly essence, sun and moon essence, heaven and earth united essence, sun and moon united brightness, spirits united form, one mind united with another's mind, another's mind united with one's mind, heavenly mind myriad minds..."
This was the Harmony Curse.
It was a type of spell known as the Summoning Harmony Method, designed to locate someone whose whereabouts were unknown. He had been searching the surroundings by deploying it continuously for the past two or three days.
Under normal circumstances, this sorcery would quickly pinpoint the target.
However,
'It's concealed.'
An intensely fierce and malevolent energy was masking it.
This was no mere disappearance or ordinary murder.
A monster or some sorcerous power had intervened.
'Who the hell could it be?'
Sak was one of the top three experts in divination and exorcism within Ghost Shadow Pavilion.
Moreover, since he commanded even the dread Gui Yeo as a spirit familiar, he possessed the ability to exorcise even a Yellow Spirit-level grudge spirit on his own.
It was incomprehensible that someone like him had met such a fate.
[What? No way!]
[This is a letter from Timber Sword Manor's Great Madam. Read it.]
The letter contained a protest bordering on a threat.
It demanded three thousand silver taels in compensation and the head of Sak, or else Ghost Shadow Pavilion would be annihilated.
If the contents were true, one could understand the Great Madam's rage, but there was no way Sak would have done something like that.
[Something's off. Find her and figure out what happened.]
That was why he was out here without rest, day and night.
He had to locate her quickly before Timber Sword Manor made a move.
He was focusing on the spell once more when—
*Flutterflutterflutter!*
The talisman marked "Chase" in his left hand trembled violently.
'Close by.'
The man gripped the talisman with both hands and chanted the incantation.
"......Spirits united virtue, the myriad spirits of the four directions, left arm protects, right arm governs, five evils depart, nine spirits sealed, golden barrier seals evil spirits, hasten and yield to the command!"
No sooner had the incantation ended than—
The talisman, which had been shaking fiercely, darkened in color. It floated into the air on its own and flew off in a certain direction.
*Flapflap!*
The man followed the flying talisman.
Eventually, it veered downward from somewhere.
Thick underbrush concealed the spot. Pushing through, he came upon a rather steep cliff.
One misstep and it would be easy to plummet to one's death.
The man scanned the surroundings, found a slope, and descended.
There, on the ground, lay the talisman neatly placed.
However,
'!?'
Before the talisman, something else caught his eye.
Around it were remnants that barely resembled a human form—scattered fragments of flesh and dried bloodstains.
The moment he saw it, the man couldn't help but furrow his brow.
'How could this...'
He had never anticipated such an outcome.
He had considered the possibility that she might have been done in, but this was far more serious than imagined.
The man swallowed dryly.
This was no mere Yellow Spirit-level incident.
'What the hell happened here?'
The gruesome scene revealed nothing.
If the corpse had been intact, he could have used ghostly arts to discern details, but in this state, the odds were low.
No choice.
The man placed his hand on the ground at the center of the carnage and closed his eyes.
And then,
*Snap! Snap!*
He formed a mudra with his left hand.
'All! Combat! Forward!'
Wandering soul, external evil, followed by the vanguard soul.
It was the mudra of the Nine-Character Activation Method.
"Three Persons Reveal Name Method. The North Star has granted me authority. Reveal all that transpired. Hasten and yield to the command."
*Flutterflutterflutter!*
The bloodstains and debris on the ground began to tremble faintly.
Cold sweat beaded on the man's forehead.
When slain by a monster, not only the soul but even the lingering魄 in the remains would be damaged, making it difficult to draw out traces with sorcery.
"Reveal all that transpired. Hasten and yield to the com—Gah!"
The man's head snapped back.
Then, like a montage, fleeting memories imprinted themselves in his mind.
*Shwaaaaa!*
[Myo-sin...]
[Cough cough, I repelled the vengeful spirit you sent.]
[Are you a sorcerer?]
[Whew. It's quiet now.]
[How did you grab a Gui Yeo barehanded?]
[I said I'd grant any wish, didn't I?]
[......We'll retreat for now, but soon...]
*Chill!*
In that instant, along with a bone-chilling malevolent aura, the man's mind returned.
Staring with trembling eyes, he muttered,
"W-What...?"
The memory cut off with the immense terror Sak had felt at the end.
It didn't look cleanly severed like something had sliced it away.
With fear and dread of that magnitude, at least a fragment of the final moments should have remained, yet even that was absent.
'Something's wrong.'
All beings succumb to terror before death.
Yet the terror glimpsed before that final cutoff wasn't the fear of dying—it was the emotion from confronting some colossal horror.
'What exactly happened?'
Doubts deepened.
The memories were too fragmented and brief to pinpoint precisely what had occurred.
From the passing glimpses, he gleaned only one thing.
'Mok Kyung-un...'
That individual was at the center of Sak's death and this incident.
A mere fragment, yet one memory stood out vividly.
'......Grabbing a Gui Yeo barehanded?'
Even sorcerers couldn't do it without special preparations.
This led to one of two conclusions.
Either this Mok Kyung-un was possessed by a Yellow Spirit as they had suspected, enabling it.
Or he was innately gifted with spiritual talent.
The latter would be extraordinary.
'......A natural-born sorcerer, perhaps.'
Such talent was exceedingly rare.
Even sensing spiritual traces with one of the five senses marked potential.
But touching a Gui Yeo—a mass of yin energy itself—without preparations was an entirely different realm.
The man shook his head.
'That's not the point right now.'
Contacting this Mok Kyung-un was the only way to uncover the truth.
Glancing at the empty air, the man muttered,
"Ancestor. Feels like we can't let our guard down."
With that, he beckoned for it to follow.
In response, the shadow of a osprey reflected on the ground flapped its wings.
The eerie part was the peculiar horn protruding from the osprey shadow's head.
* * *
Yeongran Pavilion, nestled in a back alley at the southern end of the slum district.
The place was overflowing with low-quality ruffians.
"Kuhahaha!"
"Drink up! I'll cover everything today."
"Let's get smashed!"
Because of them, no other patrons dared enter.
'Whew.'
Go Chan, the escort standing at the entrance, sighed as he watched them.
'The only info guild around here, but it's pretty low-tier.'
Barely scraping into the lower ranks if graded high, mid, low.
Just looking at the crowd showed the level.
Still, with orders from Mok Kyung-un, he came to commission the nearest one.
[Ask if they recognize this mark.]
[What? How do you—?]
[No need for details. Just put in the request with whatever info guild it is, Go Chan Escort.]
[Understood.]
'What is this?'
The mark Mok Kyung-un showed was quite simple.
But he'd never seen it.
Having retired long ago, maybe that explained it, but even he—a former assassin—didn't know it, so it might be nothing special.
'Where is he, anyway?'
There should be the head of this place.
No fancy rules since it was low-tier; pay and get info.
'Ah, there he is.'
He'd exchanged greetings a few times since settling here.
Go Chan sighed once and called out.
"Gwak Pavilion Master."
At his call, the drunken man seated in the middle of the tavern turned his head without rising.
He blinked, recognized Go Chan, and stood with a beaming face.
"Well, well. If it isn't Go Chan Escort from Timber Sword Manor."
Long time no see, but still drowning in wine and women.
Even now, he had a woman who looked like a courtesan at his side—Go Chan didn't want to look.
Shaking his head, Go Chan said,
"I've got a commission."
"A commission?"
"I'll pay properly."
"Got it. Come up to the office on the second floor."
Unpleasant, but despite appearances, he'd heard the man was from a Hao Clan branch in the past.
So the info network wasn't entirely useless.
Soon after entering a private room, heavy thumping echoed from the second-floor corridor.
Big build, always made that noise.
'Disqualified as an assassin.'
An assassin's basics were stealth and secrecy.
Of course, competent ones were rare.
Then the room door opened, and Gwak Pavilion Master entered.
"......What the hell are you doing?"
Go Chan raised an eyebrow.
Gwak Pavilion Master had a woman tucked under his arm.
Hair pinned up high, heavy makeup, low-cut fluttering clothes—she was clearly a courtesan.
Stunning face drew the eye, but this wasn't the place for that.
"New girl we got. Nice, huh?"
"I'm here to commission, aren't I?"
"Our girls are fine, don't mind. Get on with it. Gotta head down soon."
'......Pathetic bastard.'
Killing intent welled up in Go Chan.
Low-tier or not, this was beyond the pale.
If it kept up, no need for the commission.
"Send her out."
"Hey now, Go Escort. A man's gotta enjoy the flowers..."
"Keep this up, and I'm leaving."
"......"
That worked.
Gwak Pavilion Master, silenced like he'd eaten honey, irritably told the courtesan,
"Go downstairs and wait pretty for this gentleman. If I catch you with another, you're done for."
He raised his palm toward her rear, but—
*Smack!*
The courtesan snatched his hand.
"Huh?"
"Whew. Can't deal with this."
The courtesan muttered irritably.
"You bitch!"
Infuriated by her attitude, Gwak Pavilion Master swung at her face.
That instant—
*Thud!*
The courtesan's hand reached his ear somehow.
Gwak Pavilion Master staggered like a puppet with cut strings.
"You!"
Startled by the scene, Go Chan reached for his dagger, but something from the courtesan's hand struck his acupoints.
*Pfufufut!*
It was an extremely thin needle.
Pierced by it, Go Chan couldn't open his mouth or move.
No different from an acupoint strike.
*Rattle!*
The courtesan pulled a chair from the table and shoved it behind the staggering Gwak Pavilion Master.
He naturally sat.
From the front, though, his eyes rolled back showing only whites—not a pretty sight.
'T-This... is...'
Go Chan stared at the needle in his chest, unable to hide his shock.
As a former Bi Sal Clan member, he knew it well.
'Spirit Jade Flying Needle?'
It was the signature weapon of the Bi Sal Clan's clan leader, one of the Four Great Assassins of the Central Plains: the Needle Shadow Wanderer.
* * *
For a mere courtesan to wield the Spirit Jade Flying Needle—the symbol of the Bi Sal Clan's leader—was impossible.
The current leader, Needle Shadow Wanderer, was a man of sixty.
Older than most actives, yet his skills were unmatched, holding his seat among the Four Great Assassins for over twenty years.
For his unique weapon to be in this courtesan's hand...
'!!!'
Go Chan couldn't contain his astonishment.
Now he understood the courtesan's identity.
'N-No way?'
The Needle Shadow Wanderer had one granddaughter.
Her name was Ha Chae-rin.
The sole surviving blood relative after a raid wiped out the family.
He poured everything into this remaining kin.
Fine up to there.
Anyone could understand.
The problem lay elsewhere.
'......Is the clan leader sane?'
Every assassin in the Bi Sal Clan believed he wouldn't pass the leadership to his one granddaughter.
She simply didn't fit as an assassin.
An assassin's foundation was cold rationality, without exaggeration.
But his granddaughter was the antithesis.
A walking personality disorder.
Cursing nonstop despite her pretty young face, extreme germophobia, anger issues...
Nothing matched an assassin.
'Everyone opposed it.'
Last he'd seen her was four years ago.
Before retiring, when executives and all assassins protested, the Needle Shadow Wanderer forcibly secluded her in the Bi Sal Cavern to straighten her out.
'Impossible.'
All were certain she couldn't be fixed.
How do you tame that fiery temper and instill assassin coldness?
He'd forgotten her after that.
Four years post-retirement; she must be nineteen now, a full woman.
'Full woman...'
Just her ample cleavage showed she'd grown properly.
That seductive face would fell most men easily.
Then she reached toward the room wall.
*Swish!*
The needle embedded there pulled free and attached to the bracelet on her wrist.
This confirmed it: the Needle Shadow Wanderer's Spirit Jade Flying Needle.
Her wielding it meant she'd inherited the leadership.
'......Did she really pass the Hundred Days Hundred Kills?'
To become leader of the assassin clan Bi Sal, one underwent a rite of passage.
The Hundred Days Hundred Kills trial.
Complete one hundred designated commissions in one hundred days to earn the title of one of the Four Great Assassins.
'Unbelievable.'
With her temperament, it was dubious.
Or had the clan leader truly forged her into a proper assassin?
Possible, perhaps.
Considering her germophobia, serving drinks amid ruffians was miraculous.
'Potential for reform, huh.'
If so, the former leader was admirable.
Turning that personality wreck into one of the Four Great Assassins.
Then a small voice reached his ear.
"Oh. Fuck."
'.......!?'
Ha Chae-rin, disguised as a courtesan, wiped a speck of blood from her cheek.
She shot a cold, displeased glare.
Seeing it recalled her childhood cursing.
'.......Really fixed?'
Doubt rising, she approached.
She plucked one needle from his chest.
Go Chan coughed.
"Cough cough."
His voice returned; she'd removed the one blocking his mute acupoint.
Ha Chae-rin perched on the table edge, crossing her smooth exposed legs, and said,
"Never thought I'd see a retiree like this. Uncle Go Chan. Or should I say former low-rank assassin Number Eighty-Three?"
'Damn it.'
Definitely Ha Chae-rin.
Four years, thought forgotten, yet she remembered from a few meetings.
Go Chan spoke in a tense voice.
"......Long time no see, Miss."
"Clan Leader now."
"Pardon?"
"I'm the clan leader now."
Half-doubting, his guess was spot-on.
She was the current Bi Sal Clan leader.
Confirmed, unease flooded Go Chan.
Simple reason: retired assassins meeting active assassin groups usually meant death.
Anxious, Ha Chae-rin said,
"Retirement's dulled you? Can't see me as clan leader?"
"N-No, of course not. Congratulations on your ascension, new clan leader."
"Fuck. Groveling now."
'.........'
Her crude cursing left Go Chan speechless.
Same as ever.
Never matched that pretty face.
Ha Chae-rin covered her lips with her hand and said,
"Oh my. Look at me. Seeing someone familiar after so long, got too comfy. Should've put on airs, but the swears slipped out."
"D-Do as you please."
"Can't have that. A lady needs refinement."
'.......'
Refinement now?
He thought it inwardly but clamped his mouth shut.
No courage to voice it.
Tension heightened.
Who knew what she'd say next.
Ha Chae-rin parted her red lips.
"Anyone'd think you came to devour me. Grandpa treasured you two, even permitted your joint retirement with Gam Uncle. So relax."
"........Is that true?"
Go Chan's eyes widened.
He'd feared she came for his life.
But her words suggested no major issue.
'Phew......'
Relief.
Yet oddly, he wondered.
If not targeting him, why did the new leader appear personally, using Spirit Jade Flying Needles on him?
Puzzled, Ha Chae-rin smiled.
"Perfect."
"Yes?"
Perfect how?
"Heard Mok Clan's eldest young master loves wine and women, planned to infiltrate Timber Sword Manor through him. But entering with you works too."
'!?'
Go Chan furrowed his brow, unsure what he heard.
Why enter Timber Sword Manor with him?
"W-What do you mean? Why Timber Sword Manor with me?"
At his question, Ha Chae-rin lifted his chin with a fingertip, her voice laced with killing intent.
"I'm thinking of taking the third young master's head from Timber Sword Manor."
'!!!!!!'
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