Shadow Warrior (4)
The warrior who handed the water skin laced with nerve poison to the woman said,
"Shall I pour you a cup?"
"No, that's fine."
The woman waved him off and gulped down the water from the skin.
Gulp.
The nerve poison slid down her throat into her body.
The young boy's face twisted in dismay.
"Th-that cost a fortune!"
At the boy's outburst, the warrior pulled a coin from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"This is for the water."
"Oh."
The boy's crumpled expression remained as he glanced toward the kitchen and gave a thumbs-down.
The woman in the kitchen caught the signal and picked up a blowpipe.
Pfft!
A poisoned needle shot from the pipe and embedded itself in the warrior.
Thuk.
In the midst of this absurdly sudden turn of events, the woman in the white martial robe drew her sword.
Shing.
But the blade only came halfway out before stopping.
Thud.
The woman in the white martial robe had also been poisoned by the nerve toxin.
The boy shook out his hand and spat on the floor.
"Ptooey. Things are getting complicated today."
At that moment, the woman emerged from the kitchen.
"Think of it as extra income."
"Then shall we carve up the side hustle first?"
The boy grinned widely and picked up the kitchen knife he'd tossed earlier.
From the rafters above, where he'd been eavesdropping on their conversation, Han Bin clutched his head.
The real mess was his doing.
The woman in the white martial robe who had collapsed was none other than Musoryul of the Musi Sword Clan.
The fact that she'd come here with a warrior escort meant she had business with him, clearly.
This was the perfect setup for misunderstandings.
But he couldn't just stand by and watch.
As Han Bin sighed from above, the boy strode toward Musoryul.
The woman spoke up.
"I'll handle that one."
The assassin woman pointed at Yi Mu-myeong.
"Do what you want."
The boy smirked, raised the kitchen knife high, and brought it down.
Whoosh!
Musoryul's head was moments from flying.
The boy tilted his head in confusion.
He'd definitely swung the knife, but the target's neck was intact. And it felt strangely empty.
He looked down.
"Ack!"
The boy screamed.
Rolling on the floor was his own wrist, still clutching the kitchen knife.
Han Bin had used the One Touch Ignites stance from the Yongrin Sword Art.
The overlapping technique with Lightning Flash was so fast the assassin didn't even realize his hand had been severed.
Han Bin struck the boy's pressure points to immobilize him amid his writhing agony.
Thud!
With the boy down, Han Bin's next target was the assassin woman.
His figure vanished from sight and reappeared behind her.
Thwack!
Han Bin sealed her pressure points.
Thud!
The woman collapsed like a chopstick.
"Whew."
Han Bin wiped the sweat from his brow.
Now he just needed to grab Yi Mu-myeong and get out. The rest could be handled by informing the Musi Sword Clan—it would sort itself out.
They'd uncover the assassins' identities too.
"Yi Mu-myeong, snap out of it."
"……."
Yi Mu-myeong showed no response.
Han Bin had no choice but to support him.
As he was about to leave the inn, Han Bin's eyes widened.
An unimaginable sight unfolded before him.
The area in front of the inn was filled with warriors in white martial robes.
At least a hundred of them stood in perfect formation under the moonlight—a spectacular view.
Of course, only when it didn't concern him.
One warrior stepped forward and demanded,
"What in the world happened to our lady?"
The warrior jerked his chin, and another dashed inside.
The one who'd entered shouted,
"Lady Musoryul has collapsed!"
"What?"
The lead warrior's eyes flashed with menace.
He clearly suspected Han Bin as the culprit.
Then one of the warriors yelled,
"That's the third young master of Hebei Paeng Family, Paeng Hanbin!"
At those words, the lead warrior strode forward.
"Surround him."
Han Bin realized they were targeting him. He shouted,
"Why are you looking for your lady? I'm Yi Mu-myeong, escort to the fourth young master."
The White Sword Squad warriors tilted their heads, then looked at the unconscious man Han Bin was supporting.
Someone called out,
"He's right. The one who's out cold is Fourth Young Master Paeng Hanbin."
Han Bin smirked where they couldn't see.
He did feel a bit sorry for Yi Mu-myeong.
But also grateful.
In a way, this was Yi Mu-myeong's first mission as his shadow warrior.
Of course, that was just Han Bin's perspective.
The encirclement tightened.
Han Bin yelled,
"Secure the assassins inside first. Me, my lord, and the warrior in there—we all got hit by them."
"We're handling inside. Hand over the fourth young master."
The warrior, now right in Han Bin's face, leveled his sword.
"Sigh."
Han Bin handed over the man they mistook for himself—Yi Mu-myeong—with a resigned sigh.
The warrior who took him tilted his head and asked,
"What was your name again?"
"In the jianghu, they call me Peak Sword."
"Hm."
The warrior swallowed hard, then raised his sword again.
"Peak Sword wouldn't hand over the fourth young master so easily. Seize him too!"
At the command, the other warriors closed in on Han Bin.
Shing!
Han Bin drew Wol-a as well.
This was the prelude to the one-against-a-hundred duel that would later shake the northern jianghu.
Clang!
Clang!
Han Bin's swords, including Wol-a, parried the White Sword Squad's blades.
Dodging forever offered no path to victory.
Swish.
Han Bin's sword slipped into a weak point in the White Sword Squad's formation.
Splat!
Blood sprayed across the moonlit courtyard in an instant.
Han Bin's attack exemplified the fundamentals of combat.
In a one-against-many fight, what's the most efficient way to subdue foes?
The best is to take out the leader.
But if the leader's unconscious, like now?
Target the weak ones to burden the rest.
"Pull the youngest back and reinforce the formation!"
Another warrior fell back to protect the injured.
Swish!
One slash from Han Bin reduced their numbers by two.
The White Sword Squad warriors clicked their tongues at Han Bin's slippery, loach-like movements.
It wasn't strength—it was weakness itself.
His attacks, relentlessly exploiting vulnerabilities, were more infuriating than fearsome.
Han Bin grew anxious too. He had only five measures of Yongrin Sword Art energy left.
Then his eyes widened.
He spotted glowing points forming formulas on a few White Sword Squad warriors.
Even in a life-or-death struggle, he couldn't miss a chance to acquire a formula.
His sword thrust toward the White Sword Squad warrior—no, toward the formula.
Whoosh!
Formula confirmed via Dragon Eye.
You have acquired Bok (again) from the Basic Section of Yongrin Sword Art.
Sok (strong), Sok (strong), Sok (strong), Sok (strong), Sok (strong) ……
CHe (body), CHe (body), CHe (body), CHe (body), CHe (body), CHe (body)
Ryok (strength), Ryok (strength), Ryok (strength), Ryok (strength), Ryok (strength), Ryok (strength)
Gong (merit), Gong (merit), Gong (merit), Gong (merit), Gong (merit) ……
Bok (again), Bok (again), Bok (again)
……
Now he had three Bok formulas.
It felt like the wounds from this decisive battle had stopped bleeding.
As Han Bin shifted from defense to offense, the White Sword Squad warriors panicked.
Their leader shouted,
"Unleash Hundred Transformations, Thousand Swords!"
The warriors' movements changed in unison.
Swish swish swish!
This was the White Sword Squad's supreme formation.
One sword held ten changes. A hundred swords thus held a thousand.
Their blades bloomed like flowers, then turned ferocious as wolves.
The changes weren't just in form but in speed as well.
Han Bin had no intention of winning this fight.
Beating a hundred men?
That was for far in the future.
As their swords layered around him,
A sharp cry rang out from somewhere.
"White Sword Squad, halt your movements!"
At the command, the blades closing on Han Bin froze.
The White Sword Squad parted to the sides.
A man in white martial robes walked slowly through the gap.
Judging by the robe's design, he was definitely from the Musi Sword Clan.
As the man approached, Han Bin tilted his head.
The face looked familiar.
"Ah!"
Han Bin gasped. He'd realized the man's identity. His expression darkened.
The man walking toward him now was none other than Musowi.
Han Bin focused on his footsteps.
Musowi's steps were refined. His cultivation had clearly advanced a step.
Step step.
Musowi stopped before Han Bin and suddenly cupped his fists deeply.
Han Bin narrowed his eyes at the unexpected gesture.
Ignoring Han Bin's expression, Musowi said earnestly,
"Thank you, benefactor."
"……."
At the abrupt words, Han Bin's mind raced. But finding the right answer wasn't the priority now.
Han Bin said decisively,
"We'll talk later. First, deal with the assassins inside."
Han Bin and Musowi entered.
A boy lay there, pressure points sealed, wrist severed.
Musoryul's group had been seated in chairs by the first warriors to enter.
Han Bin approached the boy.
He drew a dagger from his ankle sheath and pressed it to the boy's face.
The startled Musowi asked,
"Benefactor, what are you—"
Musowi trailed off. Han Bin peeled the skin from the boy's face with the dagger, revealing another face beneath.
A face that looked at least in its forties.
Musowi and the White Sword Squad members, grasping the situation, gaped in shock.
The next morning.
Han Bin awoke in the Musi Sword Clan residence.
With their precious pearl Musoryul involved, they couldn't just let Han Bin and Yi Mu-myeong go.
Instead, he woke in a room more luxurious than his quarters at Hebei Paeng Family.
A maid heard his rustling and entered cautiously.
"Young master, we've prepared clothes for you. I'll escort you to the patriarch's hall. The patriarch instructed me to bring you as soon as you're ready."
"Got it. Where's my companion?"
He meant Yi Mu-myeong.
The maid replied,
"He's still sleeping. Our physician says the antidote was administered, so he should wake by lunchtime."
"Alright, thanks."
Han Bin dressed without further questions.
Once dressed, he smiled leisurely. The Musi Sword Clan had prepared an exact replica of his previous red martial robe.
To make an identical outfit overnight, they'd sewn all night.
It was proof of their goodwill toward him.
Fully attired, Han Bin sat across from Musi Seohwi, patriarch of the Musi Sword Clan, in the hall.
"Sorry for serving tea before breakfast."
"It's fine."
Han Bin lifted his teacup and savored the aroma.
After wetting his lips with tea, Patriarch Musi Seohwi got to the point.
"The ones you captured yesterday were assassins from Shadow Ghost Valley. They bit poison capsules and killed themselves, but we found their insignia on their backs."
"I see."
Han Bin replied indifferently.