An Unexpected Mission (3)
Seeing the look on Blood Flower's face, Hanbin continued with a meaningful expression.
"Well, the rules are simple. Whoever presses a blade to the opponent's throat first wins. Of course, leaving Songhwasan means you lose."
"……."
"If your opponent won't admit defeat, just slit their throat. That ends it."
Blood Flower narrowed her eyes.
It was because talk of slitting a person's throat came out so casually.
She was certain.
That guy's definitely an assassin!
Blood Flower stared into Hanbin's eyes for a long moment before speaking.
"What if they surrender?"
"They become my servant for three years. That's the price for sparing their life, right?"
"Hm."
Blood Flower glanced back and forth between her sword and Hanbin.
From her investigations, Hanbin's skills were at the Peak realm.
She'd heard he'd even beaten a Volcanic Sect disciple who'd just entered the Super Peak realm through trickery.
On paper, she had the advantage. And yet, for some reason, her instincts were screaming not to take the bet.
Just then, Hanbin clutched his stomach, looking uncomfortable.
Blood Flower didn't miss it.
That's definitely a symptom of poisoning.
As she watched Hanbin, she turned away with a faint smile.
Gazing at the beggar's bowl hanging from her sword tip, Blood Flower smirked confidently.
The bowl was coated with poison.
More precisely, the iron coin inside was too.
There was no way they'd leave the beggar's bowl—which gathered intelligence and orders from above—completely undefended.
As a precaution, she'd laced it with poison.
The poison was called One Moment Secret Grass.
It wouldn't kill, but it paralyzed all five senses within the span of one moment.
Black Heaven's assassins were immune to it, but Hanbin?
She really should have thought of it sooner, but Hanbin's feigned ignorance had made her completely forget.
Blood Flower said,
"Fine. We'll do it your way. But you shouldn't leave this mountain. My men have it surrounded."
"That's my line. You think I didn't give orders to my subordinates?"
Hanbin grinned.
Of course, it was a lie. At this very moment, the Mangho Squad was probably still training hard at Cheonsu Manor.
But Blood Flower had no way of knowing that.
She glanced around, visibly shaken by Hanbin's words.
His unyielding attitude made her blood boil again.
At that moment, Hanbin shouted,
"It starts now!"
With those words, he vanished, leaving a faint afterimage behind.
Was it because of his red martial robe?
The afterimage resembled a red sunset glow.
Come to think of it…
Blood Flower's gaze turned toward the darkening sky.
Looking in the direction Hanbin had vanished, she smiled meaningfully.
The time for One Moment Secret Grass to take effect varied by realm.
For third- or second-rate warriors, it was one moment. But for Peak or Super Peak experts, it could take over an hour.
Once it kicked in, they'd suffer the poison's effects for a full day.
In other words, no need to rush. Hide for an hour, then slowly hunt him down, and the mission would be complete.
With a bright smile, Blood Flower slipped into the shadows on the opposite side to hide.
She decided to pull out of Hanbin's range for now, aiming for a perfect victory by playing to her senses.
The moment Blood Flower stepped from the clearing into the dense pine forest—
Her body lurched.
Pfuk!
One foot plunged into a pit.
"Why is there a pit here…?"
She couldn't finish her sentence.
Before she could figure it out, a cold blade pressed against the back of her neck.
Tracing the blade with her eyes, Blood Flower looked up.
She met the feral gaze of the man who'd just vanished—Hanbin.
In a trembling voice, Blood Flower said,
"What is this?"
"What do you mean? Forgot already? We're in the middle of our bet, aren't we?"
"……."
Blood Flower stared at Hanbin wordlessly.
There was no flaw in his words. But she couldn't back down now.
She cried out,
"This is cheating! Since when do assassins dig traps? I won't accept this."
"Hm, an assassin picking methods to kill their target? Since when has Black Heaven pretended to be righteous?"
"Hm."
As Blood Flower let out a low groan, Hanbin continued,
"No helping it, then."
"As promised, just take my—"
Before she could finish, Hanbin swung his sword.
Whoosh!
To the sound of wind, Blood Flower instinctively closed her eyes.
Slice!
Thud, thud!
At the unfamiliar sound, she cracked her eyes open.
Through her half-lidded gaze, she saw pine needles fluttering in the air.
What?
Her eyes widened.
The fluttering pine needles weren't red—they were black.
"Ah!"
Blood Flower gasped.
What was flying through the air wasn't pine needles—it was her hair.
She'd chosen death, but now she realized it wasn't her true intent.
A strange emotion welled up in her chest: the will to live.
Perhaps what Hanbin had just severed was the assassin's will she'd clung to.
But Blood Flower sealed the crack in her heart and reignited her fighting spirit.
Just half an hour—that's all she needed to make Hanbin submit.
Just half an hour!
As Blood Flower silently chanted it to herself, Hanbin spoke again.
"The sun's still up, so too early to end it as promised. I'll give you a bit more time."
Rustle, crunch.
At the sound of footsteps on grass, Blood Flower opened her eyes—Hanbin was gone.
"Whew."
Letting out a sigh, she scanned her surroundings more cautiously.
Her new goal: half an hour.
After that, she'd strike back.
As she walked slowly, a burrow appeared ahead.
Standing before it, Blood Flower tossed a pebble inside.
Roll, roll.
Thud.
It seemed blocked at the end.
Judging it safe, she quickly piled branches over the entrance for camouflage.
Once prepared, she cautiously entered the burrow.
Sitting comfortably in a cross-legged position, Blood Flower waited.
After about half an hour, she tilted her head.
Strangely, her eyes felt heavy.
Why was she getting sleepy at a moment when her head could roll at any second?
It made no sense.
She uncrossed her legs and gritted her teeth.
But the drowsiness didn't stop.
Desperate, she pinched her thigh hard.
Hard enough that blood seeped out.
She tilted her head again.
What?
She felt no sensation in her thigh.
Her eyelids fluttered as she desperately sought answers.
But it was futile.
Slump.
She succumbed completely to the overwhelming sleep demon, heavy as a thousand-ton boulder.
Moments later, a fresh fragrance wafted from somewhere.
Is this a dream?
The question was fleeting—she snapped her eyes open.
Flash.
Scanning her surroundings, Blood Flower felt a chill at the back of her neck.
This sensation…
At the same time, Hanbin's voice rang out.
"Sleep well?"
"Gasp, you coward…"
"You used it too."
"Used what?"
"We each used poison once, so it's fair in the poison arts department, right? Though I still win the bet."
"I won't accep—"
Blood Flower couldn't continue.
Hanbin's sword tip suddenly dug into the back of her neck.
Pik!
The wound wasn't deep, but blood trickled down.
Drip!
Hanbin's declaration: no arguments allowed.
As she glared at him through gritted teeth, Hanbin said,
"I'm not the type to mercifully let an assassin wander my turf."
"Then just…"
Before she could finish, Hanbin cut in.
"You should hear me out first."
His expression softened slightly, and Blood Flower clung to that glimmer of hope.
"Fine, speak."
"While you were asleep, that guy Eighteen Tiger came by."
Blood Flower narrowed her eyes.
Eighteen Tiger was a subordinate she'd survived life-and-death with many times.
Urgently, she asked,
"Did you kill him?"
"I said he came and went. If he was dead, he'd be rotting beside you."
"Hm."
Blood Flower let out a groan laced with complex emotions.
Seeing that, Hanbin chuckled.
"He left this."
With that, he pulled an iron coin from his bosom and tossed it.
Whoosh.
As Blood Flower caught it and eyed it suspiciously, Hanbin said,
"Man, suspicious assassin. Don't worry—no poison on that one."
"Ahem."
Coughing awkwardly, Blood Flower examined the coin closely.
A small inscription was etched on it.
From (from).
She narrowed her eyes. This was undoubtedly an order from Black Heaven.
'Follow him?'
Blood Flower looked at Hanbin. The order was clearly to obey him.
Black Heaven's master must know about all this.
As she gritted her teeth, faint letters appeared beside the inscription.
It was code for Enter (enter).
Now she understood.
New mission: infiltrate Cheonsu Manor and uncover Hanbin's true identity.
Blood Flower rose quietly and clasped her hands in a formal salute.
"I'll keep my promise."
Grinning, Hanbin replied,
"Your words are too curt. Is that how servants talk these days?"
At his mockery, Blood Flower quickly bowed her head.
"Oh, right. Sorry."
True to her elite assassin skills, she switched attitudes in an instant.
As she bowed, her stomach let out a loud growl.
Grrrrowl.
Looking embarrassed, she met Hanbin's gaze as he pulled out a bamboo tube of porridge.
She waved her hands frantically.
"I'm fine."
Hanbin stared at her incredulously, still holding out the tube.
"I'm not telling you to eat it. Just take a whiff."
"Pardon?"
Her eyes widened, but Hanbin's expression turned deadly serious.
"Sniff it if you don't want to die."
Blood Flower uncorked the tube and inhaled.
A clear fragrance tickled her nose.
It was similar yet different from the scent when she woke.
"That's enough."
Hanbin snatched the tube back.
"What is that?"
"Ever heard of Seven Captures Seven Poisons?"
Blood Flower's face changed instantly.
"No way…"
She trailed off, staring at him.
It wasn't the deadliest poison, but it was the hardest to cure.
Grinning as if he'd been waiting, Hanbin confirmed,
"That's right, Seven Captures Seven Poisons."
"Hm."
"Legend has it Zhuge Liang captured Meng Huo seven times and released him seven times. This poison's the same—you can poison or cure at will."
Blood Flower's face twisted more with each word.
"You fed me something that vicious…"
"Don't think of it as 'easy for others to say'?"
"Hm."
She had no retort.
"Calm down and listen. To fully cure Seven Captures Seven Poisons, you need seven antidotes."
"When the hell did you poison me?"
"You took it yourself."
Hanbin nodded toward the beggar's bowl.