Unexpected Mission (1)
Of course, that scream belonged to Se Jaeo.
These days, Se Jaeo was getting a firsthand taste of what life was like for the lowest-ranking warriors.
His status wasn't all that low.
Instructor for the Mangho Squad.
But even instructors didn't get any special treatment.
He had to wake up before dawn for endless assemblies, and the food they served was barely edible.
After two months, there was no trace left of the Volcanic Sect disciple and son of the Myeonggeum Battlefield's owner.
And he couldn't escape this place until he coughed up the Maehwa Samgyeong and the Plum Blossom Token.
The Maehwa Samgyeong could always be remade later, so he'd begged for his Plum Blossom Token back, but Han Bin—who insisted on playing the stern master—had coldly refused.
The only one here who understood his plight was Jang Ja-myeong.
Even now, after getting thoroughly shut down for demanding his token back or a sparring match, he was throwing a tantrum.
"Don't worry too much, Fourth Junior Brother. Once my body's recovered, I'll spar with you."
"You look perfectly fine to me. Why the hell are you dodging a match?"
"Come on, Fourth Junior Brother, you're too harsh. Looks like I'll have to fetch Master."
"Gah!"
Se Jaeo snapped his mouth shut.
Han Bin turned around with an innocent smile at the sight.
As Han Bin walked farther away, another scream erupted.
"Aaaargh!"
Ignoring the cry, Han Bin left Cheonsu Manor and headed to the busiest market street nearby.
Every now and then, it was necessary to patrol the Hebei region personally, gathering intel and gauging public sentiment.
Of course, that was just the excuse he gave his subordinates.
In truth, he'd gone out because his forms weren't complete yet, and he needed to hunt for the Yongrin Sword Art formulas.
[Application Section]
[Sound (sound), East (east), West (west)]
Just one more, and the Application Section formulas would be complete.
No matter how much he whipped Se Jaeo, no new formulas emerged.
Even the Mangho Squad members, who'd yielded basic formulas earlier, had nothing left to give.
That was when Han Bin reached the market entrance.
His gaze drifted to a beggar panhandling at the gate.
Passersby dropped iron coins into her bowl.
Clink.
Roll.
"Th-thank you, sir. Th-thank you."
The beggar stammered her gratitude in a slurred voice.
Judging by the tone, it was a little girl.
Someone else tossed in another iron coin.
Her face was grimy, and her legs looked crippled. A hat pulled low hid most of her features, but burns scarred her cheek down to her jaw.
Maybe that's why—a burned girl begging on broken legs? People were dropping decent money into her bowl.
Even Han Bin felt a pang of pity.
But why was he staring at the beggar?
It wasn't the knot from Hong Chilgae, nor mere sympathy.
He felt an odd sense of kinship.
"Weird."
He couldn't just stand there gawking forever, so Han Bin tilted his head and walked past.
As he strolled along, something new caught his eye—a stall selling tanghwa candy that hadn't been there before.
Han Bin cocked his head again.
He got the same strange kinship from the candy vendor.
This familiarity—he'd definitely felt it somewhere before.
Where was it?
Tapping his temple, Han Bin recalled a recent memory.
It was from Absol Valley, when he'd encountered the Black Heaven assassins.
The tools of Yi Ijei he'd chosen.
Right now, Madam Jeonghwa's Purification Faction was under heavy pressure from multiple fronts.
At this rate, she'd lose influence in both the Hebei Paeng Family and the Henan Jeong Family.
Was Black Heaven here to monitor her?
Han Bin shook his head.
This market was close to Cheonsu Manor but far from the Hebei Paeng Family manor.
So why set up shop here?
Obviously, to watch him.
He wouldn't mind surveillance from another group.
But an assassin organization? That was like walking around with a knife to his throat.
Han Bin quietly slipped into an alley.
Swish—crack!
With the Gugeol Ship-pal-bo and his innate stealth, he vanished without a trace.
As Han Bin disappeared, the beggar tapped her bowl.
At the signal, the Black Heaven assassins shifted covertly.
A shop clerk muttered about needing the bathroom and vanished. The candy vendor handed off his stall to a neighbor and scanned the crowd.
They seemed thrown off—they'd lost their target.
Watching from the shadows, Han Bin let out a hollow chuckle.
Black Heaven assassins acting this sloppy?
No, their whole approach was wrong.
Since when did Black Heaven monitor targets out in the open?
They disguised as civilians to stalk from the dark, striking only when the moment was right—with a knife to the throat.
Showing such weakness meant something was rotten inside Black Heaven itself.
"Now that I think about it, this feels off."
Continuing his train of thought, Han Bin muttered to himself.
A sly smile curled his lips as he stepped out of the shadows.
The assassins watching him scrambled back to their posts.
Han Bin approached the beggar girl casually.
He pulled a silver coin from his robe and tossed it into her bowl.
Onlookers froze at the sight.
"Whoa, who's that guy? Big spender."
"That red martial robe—isn't that the Blood Wolf Young Master?"
"The one who beat a Volcanic Sect disciple? Yeah, that's him."
"Watch your mouth. He just pulled strings with his imperial connections to make that disciple throw the match. And don't call him Blood Wolf Young Master—you'll piss off the Volcanic Daoists."
"Fair point. No way the Hebei Paeng Family's former biggest coward suddenly turned into a powerhouse."
"Still, give him credit for his character. Can't just walk past someone in need. Nice."
Not just them—everyone was singing Han Bin's praises.
And why not? No one in this market would drop a silver coin like that, no matter how pitiful the beggar.
Besides, the beggar girl had become a local fixture.
When her bowl filled, she'd sing a heartbreaking tune.
To passersby, her voice was sweeter than any heavenly fairy's song.
They figured if not for her scarred face and legs, she'd be the top courtesan at Cheonhwa Pavilion, Hebei's finest brothel.
That only deepened their sympathy.
The beggar girl looked up at Han Bin with wide, surprised eyes.
Her hat slipped just a bit.
Han Bin's eyes widened.
He knew her true identity now.
She was the elite Black Heaven assassin from Absol Valley. How had Han Bin spotted her disguise so quickly?
Simple.
A glowing formula point flickered on her forehead.
Back in Absol Valley, Han Bin had held his blade to her throat for those formulas but held back.
Greed could backfire, he'd thought.
And he'd been right—she'd faithfully targeted Madam Jeonghwa ever since.
But putting a knife to his throat? He couldn't let that slide.
Han Bin flashed a casual smile and tossed another silver coin into the bowl.
Clink.
Roll.
As the coin spun, more people gathered, drawn by the spectacle.
Clink.
Han Bin dropped a third.
The murmurs grew with each coin.
Grinning at the beggar girl, Han Bin bared his teeth.
Of course, the crowd couldn't hear his words.
They just saw silver coins pouring in while the beggar girl's face twisted in growing despair. It made no sense.
As everyone gawked, Han Bin leaned closer.
He whispered softly.
"Been a while. Good to see you're doing well?"
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
"Long time no see since Absol Valley. If you're all the way out here, why not come say hi instead of lurking?"
"I have no idea what you mean."
"Fine, let me spell it out."
With that, Han Bin circulated the basic forms of the Yongrin Sword Art.
'Jeon-gwang-seok-hwa.'
Ready, he snatched the begging bowl and leaped back.
With Jeon-gwang-seok-hwa and Gugeol Ship-pal-bo, he was now over ten paces away.
He could've vanished from sight if he wanted, but he kept a teasing distance.
The onlookers buzzed.
"What's going on?"
"Why's he pulling this thug crap now?"
They hadn't even registered his footwork.
Just pure outrage at his antics.
One woman nagged her husband.
"Honey, do something! How can such a scoundrel exist? He deserves divine punishment."
"It's not that I'm scared of the Paeng Family runt. But if we stir trouble and they retaliate?"
"You're right, stay out of it."
As the crowd fumed, Han Bin smirked at the bowl.
What did this begging bowl mean to a Black Heaven assassin?
While hidden earlier, he'd observed everything.
Black Heaven assassins were slipping gathered intel into that bowl via iron coins.
Sure, some were innocent donations, but most bore engraved codes.
The bowl brimmed with ciphered iron coins.
Losing it meant days of intel gone up in smoke.
And those coins might hold Black Heaven secrets.
Han Bin was certain, seeing the fury in the girl's eyes.
He shouted at her.
"If you're mad, come take it back!"
With that, he unleashed the Gugeol Ship-pal-bo.
Swish—crack.
Only the rustle of his robe lingered as he vanished, drawing curses from the crowd.
"What a damn punk."
"Scum like that should drop dead and—"
But they trailed off, eyes bulging.
The crippled beggar girl had shot to her feet, chasing after Han Bin.
The sudden twist widened eyes further.
"What the hell?"
"Wasn't that beggar lame?"
"Yeah, she dragged herself everywhere."
"What's happening?"
Then someone yelled.
"A miracle!"
"Miracle?"
"What else would you call it? It's gotta be."
"Huh, now that you mention it."
"So the Paeng Family runt pulled that stunt to heal the lame beggar?"
"What else makes sense?"
No one even considered she'd been faking from the start.
Blood Flower, Black Heaven's elite assassin, was that good at her act.
Someone else chimed in.
"Maybe I should visit the Young Master too?"
"Why would you?"
"My arm's been busted for two years now."
"Hah, go for it then."
As the market folk spun wild tales, Han Bin veered onto a mountain path.