Chapter 48. Haeyeonmun's Special Assassin, Hyeol Hwa
The woman spoke.
"When you step into an assassination, you prepare yourself to die. If your trail is sniffed out, you've got no complaints even in death. But before I go, I want one last proper fight."
"Hmph! You don't value your life? But don't you feel wronged? It was almost a success. Until someone stuck their nose in. Don't you want revenge on that meddler?"
"As an assassin, I should have accounted for variables like that. No excuses."
Won Seung dozed off with a nod as he listened to their exchange.
It had been an exhausting day.
He'd stayed up all night because of this woman, pocketed two hundred thousand nyang, and burned through his mental energy dragging Gwancheonbang's leader, Cheon Il-hae, into the mix.
Stuffing himself with meat and downing a drink had made him drowsy.
Yong Jo-un murmured softly.
"The ones in Sangyang who want me dead are from Cheongsu Gate. And the ones hoping I'll kill Hwa Cheon-gang are from Gwancheonbang."
"……."
"Cheongsu Gate must have commissioned it."
The woman's expression didn't change. Yong Jo-un furrowed his brow deeply before relaxing it.
"I've heard Haeyeonmun has three special assassins. The ones who only take jobs for ten thousand gold. They're called Hyeol Hwa, Jamhyang, and Geum Si-rang, right? You used a sleep scent, so are you Jamhyang?"
Won Seung's eyelids, lowered as he dozed with his head bowed, twitched faintly.
Haeyeonmun? The ones who stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Jeokhyeolsan? And this woman's one of their special assassins...?
He'd heard from Jong Bi that Jeokhyeolsan ran the assassin training camp to produce special assassins like these. And this woman was one from Haeyeonmun, the source of that idea.
Fate, huh? If I play this right, I might land a solid blow on Jeokhyeolsan. Something's itching at the edge of my mind, but nothing clear yet.
True to her status as a special assassin, the woman was no pushover.
"They say Musanggok of the Three Great Do Gates wields the supreme art of Musanggyeol. Indeed, it lives up to the hype. I never expected it to slice through my qi and close in."
"……."
As their conversation ran parallel without progress, Won Seung grew bored.
"Yawn! At this rate, it'll be dawn. Let me sum it up."
Won Seung addressed Yong Jo-un.
"If this woman's a special assassin from Haeyeonmun, she's Hyeol Hwa. Jamhyang's a man."
He turned to Hyeol Hwa.
"You got betrayed by Gwancheonbang."
Yong Jo-un and Hyeol Hwa's faces hardened like frost in unison.
"Cheongsu Gate commissioned Gwancheonbang to kill the Yong family descendant. But they wanted you to fail. That way, this Yong descendant here goes berserk, blames Cheongsu Gate, rallies public opinion, and pressures Hwa Cheon-gang."
Fierce light exploded in Yong Jo-un's eyes.
"You got played by Gwancheonbang's strategist, Gu Ja-ang. I met him this afternoon, and the bastard was flaunting it. Even when he uses his brains, he does it like a sneaky worm."
"……."
Yong Jo-un and Hyeol Hwa both scowled and lowered their gazes. Won Seung gave them a moment to think.
Hyeol Hwa spoke first, her voice cool enough to freeze a midsummer day.
"Anyone who betrays an assassin must die."
Won Seung ignored her and spoke to Yong Jo-un.
"Spare Hyeol Hwa, and I'll make sure the three-way duel happens. Train hard and wait a fortnight. I'll put Hwa Cheon-gang and Cheon Il-hae right in front of you at the same time."
Yong Jo-un glanced at Hyeol Hwa and suddenly changed the subject.
"Younger than I expected."
Won Seung looked at Hyeol Hwa. Early twenties? She didn't look a day over mid-twenties, no matter how he squinted.
Haeyeonmun's Hyeol Hwa had been a special assassin for at least a decade. That meant she'd been killing since she was a kid...
Is she really Hyeol Hwa?
But among Haeyeonmun's three special assassins, she was the only woman. Unless she wasn't Hyeol Hwa after all.
Yet she hadn't denied it.
What's going on here?
No time to dwell now. He needed to wrap this up fast.
Won Seung spoke to Yong Jo-un, who was staring piercingly at Hyeol Hwa.
"Yong Daehyeop, Hyeol Hwa's pretty, sure, but quit ogling and focus on the deal."
Treated like some lecher, Yong Jo-un looked embarrassed but shot Won Seung a glare. Still, the proposal was too important to dismiss, so he sank into thought.
While Yong Jo-un weighed his options, Won Seung turned to Hyeol Hwa.
"Musanggyeol is an incredible supreme art. You seem fine now, but the hidden afflictions aren't fully resolved. You need more rest here."
"No. I have to kill Gu Ja-ang right now."
Hyeol Hwa gnashed her teeth, humiliated by the betrayal. An assassin's worst crisis was getting backstabbed by the client. And in such cases, revenge was mandatory.
"Aigoo. That guy's as good as dead already. He would've died even without you. More importantly, repay the favor of sparing your life first."
Hyeol Hwa shot him a look like what are you on about?
"There's someone who needs killing, but I don't want it to be this Yong descendant here. You do it."
Won Seung was trying to offload the hit on Yi Eon-pae to someone else, no matter what.
As long as the guy died, the assassination was a success.
To Hyeol Hwa, Yi Eon-pae was already a corpse.
With the situation sorted, Won Seung waved them off and dissolved the gathering.
"It's late. Yong descendant, head home."
"I can't. No one leaves this house until things are settled."
Yong Jo-un declared. Won Seung's identity was suspicious, and he couldn't just let the assassin Hyeol Hwa go.
Won Seung nodded.
"Do as you like. The barn over there should do for sleeping. Song Seonsaeng, take this patient to your room."
"I don't want his room."
The woman refused.
"My room's off-limits? My privacy matters. Want the barn instead?"
Jong Bi raised the objection on Hyeol Hwa's behalf.
"The barn's too much. Clear the study, and she can stay there."
"Fine, Song Seonsaeng handles it. I'm beat and need sleep."
Won Seung retreated to his room.
The assassin and her target eyed each other awkwardly before scattering.
Yong Jo-un to the barn, Hyeol Hwa to the study.
Jong Bi stood guard outside the study, fearing Yong Jo-un might change his mind.
Lying in bed, Won Seung spread his qi to confirm everyone was in place, then withdrew it.
Then he pondered Sangyang's situation.
Seong Wang was undoubtedly behind this chaos.
What's Seong Wang's angle?
No one who knew him would think Yu Bul-gun was acting alone. Seong Wang was using him as a front.
But from the looks of things, even Yu Bul-gun wasn't in too deep. Something was holding him back.
That left Gu Ja-ang scrambling desperately on his own.
He mulled it over, but Seong Wang's intentions remained opaque.
If returning to Hwangdo after revenge on Jeokhyeolsan proved tricky, Won Seung planned to stay in Sangyang. It wasn't Hwangdo, but it was a major city—and the lucky spot where he'd scored two hundred thousand nyang.
And I met Hwa Yeo-wol here.
Demanding a stake in the Bukhyeon Labor Guild from Cheon Il-hae was laying groundwork for the future.
So he had to clear out any obstacles in Sangyang. Especially Seong Wang's shadow—not even a foothold for it.
Time to meet the Taesu.
The Taesu of Sangyang would know the lay of the land.
And he needed to tip him off that Cheon Il-hae would be offering up a painting.
* * *
Sangyang Taesubu.
A luxurious blackwood carriage pulled up to the main gate and stopped.
"Young master, we're here."
The coachman called inside. Won Seung swept aside the curtain and stepped out, carrying a scroll tube bigger than himself.
Slinging it over his back, he headed for the gate.
"What business?"
A gate guard approached and asked.
"Tell the Taesu that Baekhwa Pavilion's Pung Un-saeng has arrived."
Despite his youth, Won Seung's commanding demeanor made the guard flinch.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"The Taesu said to come and wait."
Won Seung patted the scroll tube on his back. He'd requested a meeting using the painting as an excuse, and a messenger had come that morning saying to enter and wait.
The guard went inside and returned after a while, bowing.
"Enter. The chief steward awaits."
Won Seung slipped the guard a silver nyang on the sly and asked him to watch the carriage and coachman.
"No worries. I'll take good care of them."
One silver nyang, and the guard was all in.
With two hundred thousand nyang in hand, Won Seung spent like water. He'd bought the carriage, hired a new coachman.
And purchased the house next door to expand the inner quarters and redesign the garden.
His clothes were already top-tier, but he'd ordered new fabrics from Hwangdo.
Just recently a poor assassin, now he'd struck it rich, brimming with confidence.
Won Seung shrugged and entered the Taesubu.
A middle-aged man with narrow eyes and a distinguished mustache stood waiting, his expression peculiar.
The Taesu had ordered him to greet an important guest personally, yet here was a boy who looked fourteen or fifteen.
Hiding his unease, the man clasped his hands in greeting first.
"I'm Jeong Gu-in, chief steward of the Taesubu. I've been ordered to guide Young Master Pung."
Won Seung returned the bow gravely.
"Chief Steward Jeong, I see. Pleased to meet you."
Jeong Gu-in inwardly admired the boy's perfectly measured manners—not overbearing, not timid.
The scions of prestigious families who frequented the Taesubu were insufferably arrogant, but not this one.
Following the chief steward to the guest hall.
He stopped before a room and announced inside.
"I've brought the guest."
The door opened, and So Yeonggwan emerged personally.
Won Seung bowed swiftly. So Yeonggwan smiled.
"Come in. I've been waiting."
Inside the spacious, ornate room, a large table sat in one corner laden with nuts and fruits.
Four men sat around it—mostly middle-aged and elderly.
They all eyed Won Seung, their gazes sharp. No ordinary folk.
"People to introduce you to."
So Yeonggwan led Won Seung to the table.
"This is the owner of Baekhwa Pavilion I mentioned."
"Pung Un-saeng."
Won Seung bowed to the seated men and scanned them coolly.
He had a good guess who they were.
The heads of Sangyang's Four Great Families.
Sure enough, So Yeonggwan said to Won Seung.
"These gentlemen are the heads of Sangyang's Four Great Prestigious Families."
If Gwancheonbang and Cheongsu Gate dominated Sangyang's martial world, the literary clans were controlled by the Yang, Jong, U, and Sang families.
Far from mere scholars, they were local magnates gripping wealth and power tight.
"Haha, so the young talent who's set up shop in Sangyang is you. Glad to meet at last."
The affable, smiling man was Yang U-bo, head of the Yang family.
The one with a cold face and rotten smirk was surely Jong Ji, father of Jong Wonbo.
Among the four, Yang and Jong held greater sway. U Guk-seon of the U family and Sang Ju-gwan of the Sang family looked a bit younger than Yang U-bo and Jong Ji.
Won Seung memorized their faces.
They looked like refined scholars or kindly elders, but as family heads, they were ruthless, sensitive to profits and power.
U Guk-seon smiled warmly.
"Opening a painting studio at your age. Quite the bold spirit, as expected from a Hwangdo youth. So, what's the mood in the capital these days?"
Won Seung snapped to full alertness.
He'd come to see the Taesu, not realizing he'd run into Sangyang's hidden overlords, the local powers.