Tit for Tat (4)
A brief silence followed. Hanbin saw no need to rush.
The ones in a hurry right now were the Black Heaven assassins, not him.
Hanbin eyed the nape of Hyeolhwa's neck.
He could see her swallowing dryly over and over. It was time to deliver the finishing blow.
With a serious expression, Hanbin spoke.
"Failing a mission means death."
Hyeolhwa swallowed at Hanbin's abrupt, curt words.
Gulp.
Having swallowed dryly, Hyeolhwa met Hanbin's gaze.
For a moment, she'd forgotten she was an assassin. Just as Hanbin said, a failed assassin's end was death.
After staring into Hyeolhwa's eyes for a bit, Hanbin opened his mouth.
"There's only one case where death can be erased."
Ahem.
Hyeolhwa cleared her throat awkwardly.
Hanbin chuckled softly and continued.
"When the request was flawed from the start!"
"Ah."
Hyeolhwa let out an involuntary gasp. Hanbin's words were a ray of hope for her.
And Hanbin's words held not a shred of falsehood.
It was true that an assassin could be forgiven if the request itself was invalid. What did an invalid request mean?
First, it included cases where the government or a murim organization placed a fake request to capture assassins.
Second, when false information was leaked about the target.
This case fell into the second category.
The request Black Heaven had received this time was ranked bing among gaps, eul, and bing.
That meant its difficulty was rock bottom.
The client's intel on the Hebei Paeng Family's youngest young master put his martial prowess at ha (low).
His intellect: also ha. His backing: ha as well.
Of course, they'd received a hefty sum due to his status as a clan heir, but it was still a flawed request from the outset.
So why issue such a request?
As if reading Hyeolhwa's doubts, Hanbin said with a friendly face.
"The client probably didn't care if I died or if Black Heaven's assassins died. They must've assumed Black Heaven wouldn't dig into their background. Right?"
"Th-that's..."
Hyeolhwa was at a loss for words.
Black Heaven had established itself as the North's top assassin group thanks to its anonymity.
Accepting requests without question or complaint was perfect for shady clients who wanted peace of mind.
But there was a secret about Black Heaven they didn't know.
While strictly pursuing client anonymity, Black Heaven secretly tracked them and recorded their identities in ledgers—as insurance for unforeseen events.
And this youngest young master knew Black Heaven's secret?
At that moment, Hanbin waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't look so shocked. I just meant I'd do the same in their shoes. Want some advice?"
"......"
"If it were me, I'd take out the client too."
"Take them out together?"
"Honestly, even if I asked who the client is, you wouldn't tell me. I'd just wait and see which of your comrades gets wrecked—then stay out of it."
Ahem.
Hyeolhwa cleared her throat again and turned her head away.
Every word from Hanbin scratched right at her itch.
It even felt like his gaze wasn't reading her face, but her very heart.
Turning his head as well, Hanbin drew his dagger.
Hyeolhwa flinched momentarily as the blade approached her face.
Her surprise was short-lived. Hanbin simply cut the cord binding her hands.
Then he murmured softly.
"I'll leave this dagger here, so take your subordinate and go. Here's a map too—use it to find the rest."
Hanbin placed the dagger and map beside her.
The map marked the location where he'd first encountered the assassin.
"......"
As Hyeolhwa gaped speechlessly, Hanbin spoke.
"He probably didn't end up wolf chow, so he should still be alive. Hurry once your wounds heal. The Justice Alliance will come swarming soon—watch yourself. They won't look kindly on assassins. Don't get into needless trouble..."
Trailing off irritably, Hanbin rose to his feet.
As Hanbin walked away, he paused and turned back.
"And don't make a fuss. It'll give me a headache too. You know Gwi-sik Dae-beop? Gwi-sik Dae-beop."
Hanbin pressed his thumb to his lips and grinned.
That sight didn't look half bad in Hyeolhwa's eyes. But once Hanbin vanished from view, fury blazed in her gaze.
Not directed at Hanbin, of course.
"Henan Jeong Family and Madam Jeonghwa, huh? Which to hit first?"
Shaking her head, Hyeolhwa muttered to herself.
No need to agonize. Just take out everyone in the Henan Jeong Family connected to Madam Jeonghwa.
* * *
Once they were away from the Black Heaven assassins, Jo Ho cautiously asked.
"Those guys were really assassins?"
"Nah."
"But you said they were assassins earlier, my lord."
"You don't call a butcher who can't slaughter cattle a butcher. Same goes for assassins who can't kill people."
"Ah, so they are assassins. But is it okay to just let them go like that?"
"Jo Ho, you can't live life fighting every single day."
"What else is there for a warrior who lives by the blade besides fighting?"
"Sometimes you gotta use your head. Ever heard of tit for tat?"
"Tit for tat?"
"Fight barbarians with barbarians."
"So one barbarian is an assassin... and the other is?"
"Who knows? That's for the barbarians to handle. Not my problem."
Chuckling lightly, Hanbin led the way. Jo Ho and the Mangho Squad warriors trailed at a distance.
Today, Hanbin seemed especially imposing. Even his shadow felt too daunting to step on.
Walking slowly with Jo Ho and the Mangho Squad in tow, Hanbin reached the pile of wolf corpses.
Over a hundred wolf carcasses lay neatly arranged there.
This was an achievement no sect could reach even if they met the deadline.
With this many wolves culled...?
The Absol Valley wolf extermination mission could end right here without issue.
As Hanbin gazed contentedly at the ashen wolves' corpses, a group of warriors came charging from afar, kicking up dust.
Looking closely, Sim Miho led the pack.
Hanbin glanced at the sun and gauged the time.
Sim Miho had arrived right on schedule.
The dust settled as the warriors approached Hanbin.
Just as Hanbin started to explain the situation, a dark figure popped out from behind Sim Miho.
"Captain! What happened? You aren't hurt, are you?"
It was none other than Akbigwang, grabbing Hanbin's shoulders and inspecting him closely.
Hanbin had told Sim Miho to inform him, since witnesses were crucial in such matters.
But he hadn't expected this level of fuss.
"I'm fine. And that's the shoulder you pierced last time."
"Huh?"
"The spot your spear went through."
"Ah, sorry! Brother, but what's all this blood?"
"Wolf blood."
Finishing his words, Hanbin gestured around.
Wolf corpses were piled high everywhere.
"What on earth happened last night?"
"What else? Can't you tell by looking?"
"You calling this simple wolf hunting?"
"What else would it be?"
At Hanbin's words, Akbigwang slowly walked over to the stacked ashen wolf corpses.
Examining the wounds, Akbigwang's eyes widened. Each bore a different sword technique.
Different techniques for each wolf?
Even massive sects couldn't manage that.
Sword paths stayed consistent, even if forms varied.
"What in the world is..."
"I get a bit flashy with my swordplay. Plus, the Mangho Squad helped."
Hanbin pointed at Jo Ho and the squad.
Jo Ho grinned sheepishly as Hanbin indicated him.
All he'd done was tidy up the corpses here.
Though he'd taken down one wolf that lunged at Hanbin.
Akbigwang nodded at Hanbin's excuse.
"Yeah, impressive. Culling this many overnight means we can head down the mountain now. But brother..."
As he trailed off, Hanbin tilted his head.
"What's up?"
"How'd you lure them? Got any secret tricks? Share with me..."
True to form, he was no one to underestimate. For that burly build, he had the cunning of six foxes inside.
Hanbin cut him off flatly.
"Trade secret."
"Ah."
As Akbigwang sighed in disappointment, Hebei Province soldiers appeared from afar.
Trailing them was Jeong Juseop, the extermination's overseer.
"What in the world is this?"
"Not all, but most of the wolves have been culled."
Hanbin pointed at the wolves, and Jeong Juseop narrowed his eyes.
"You saying the Hebei Paeng Family took down all these?"
"Of course. Who else?"
Hmph. "But you moved alone?"
"Wolves are clever beasts."
Hanbin paused briefly, prompting Jeong Juseop's curious gaze.
"Go on, Young Master Paeng."
"They flee if a stronger group is nearby. So the key was looking as weak as possible."
Hmph. "You could've tipped me off. I've already notified the Hebei Paeng Family—they might be in an uproar..."
"No worries there. But don't copy what I did."
"You saying it's a useless tactic for us?"
"Looking weak is key, but actually being weak gets you mauled."
Ha ha. "Just like politics... Ah, never mind."
Jeong Juseop waved it off hastily.
With the soldiers behind him, it wasn't fit talk. Still, his gaze at Hanbin was meaningful.
Hanbin felt like a seasoned bureaucrat of over a decade in court intrigue.
Catching that look, Hanbin swiftly changed the subject.
"No more wolves will come down from Absol Valley now."
Oh? How can you be sure?
"I've found the cause."
"And that is?"
"A magic beast moved into Absol Valley. That's why the wolves overflowed."
"A magic beast?"
As Jeong Juseop tilted his head, cheers echoed from afar.
"Woooah!"
Shouts followed, reverberating around.
"Our clan took it down!"
"What? We found it first!"
Amid deafening roars, Jeong Juseop rushed off.
Following slowly, Hanbin's eyes widened.
Two sects faced off, weapons drawn.
Some from the support sects had followed the soldiers.
The divided groups clutched banners: one Baekdo Sect, the other the Huangbo Family—one of the North's Five Great Families.
Why the clash?
Simple. A massive red-furred wolf lay sprawled between them.
Hanbin stared in disbelief, while Jeong Juseop gave a wry smile at the murim sects' squabble.