The Two Owls' Gazes Interlocked
Splash!
The half-severed carp sprayed blood as it plummeted into the river.
In that instant, Yang Gwan's brow furrowed. The moment he'd struck down at the carp, a sharp sting had pierced the inside of his thigh.
He thought he'd glimpsed a small tube-like thing rising from the water.
'?'
An ominous feeling crept in.
The bastard had scattered a puff of white powder when cornered. He uses poison. And poison wasn't something just anyone could wield.
His movement technique was incredibly swift, his responses to situations fluid... and on top of that, the guy hadn't uttered a single word.
'A professional assassin!'
Who could have predicted a hidden needle flying up from the river? Few could dodge one launching suddenly from the rippling night waves. He himself certainly had the skill... but he'd let his guard down.
'Was I the target?'
The suspicion hit him like a bolt.
That quiet snort of derision!
Would a pro assassin make such a mistake?
Won Seung had snorted in anger upon hearing Yang Gwan treat Hwa Yeo-wol like a bird clutched in his fist, but it had sparked a ridiculous misunderstanding in Yang Gwan.
The doubt hardened into certainty.
'He lured me in! I was the target!'
It made sense. He was the highest expert from Geom Yak Jong among those at Cheongsu Gate right now.
Yang Gwan grew urgent at the thought of falling into a Gwancheonbang trap. He circulated his inner energy to seal off the stinging acupoint, then slipped his hand into his pants and brushed it away.
It didn't look great, but this wasn't the time to care about appearances.
The Gwancheonbang and Cheongsu Gate warriors scattered along the wharf, swords at the ready, furrowed their brows at the sight of Yang Gwan fumbling around inside his pants.
"Looks like he's just a senile old fool after all!"
"Even so, we can't forgive him!"
That doddering geezer had killed five of their men.
Despite the clear gap in skill, the Gwancheonbang and Cheongsu Gate warriors held their encirclement, eyes burning with resolve to capture him no matter what, waiting for reinforcements.
Around the second watch of the night, the imperial guards patrolling the painting district withdrew.
Cheol Mado and Gwisoo glared at the darkened Baekhwa Pavilion.
"You're sure the Yong descendant left?"
Gwisoo double-checked with his subordinate.
"Yes. I've been watching the whole time."
The black society underling had no idea Won Seung or Jong Bi had slipped out. The pair always used the side door in the alley next door for covert jobs out of habit.
So the underling reported they were still inside.
"And some woman left a bit ago."
"A woman?"
"She seemed like high nobility—had four escorts and called a carriage."
"Pretty boys like that are always trouble. Bet he seduced some nobleman's daughter. We gotta punish scum like that who corrupt Sangyang's morals."
Gwisoo, whose own ugly mug wasn't the least bit pretty, narrowed his already small eyes, making him look even more pathetic.
"Two of 'em... let's each take one. I'll handle that Song Myeong bastard."
Gwisoo proposed to Cheol Mado.
"Fine."
Cheol Mado wasn't thrilled but nodded.
A night ambush didn't sit right with his nature. Gwisoo was the expert at this sort of thing. But Deung Noya had ordered them to catch the ones who messed up Gu Yak-pyeong by night's end, so no choice.
The two vaulted the wall.
They crossed the pitch-black garden of Baekhwa Pavilion and entered the main hall.
But no sign of life.
They quietly pushed open the door to what seemed like a bedroom—empty.
"These bastards caught on and bolted."
Gwisoo scowled.
Searching Baekhwa Pavilion top to bottom, they sensed it: the air of someone hastily grabbing their stuff and fleeing.
Hangings that had been on the walls were gone, spots that looked like they'd held valuables now bare.
"What the hell were our watchers doing? Letting them pack up and escape?"
Gwisoo kicked open Jong Bi's wardrobe door in rage.
'That jerk!'
Jong Bi, crouched in the owl tree watching Cheol Mado and Gwisoo, seethed inwardly.
Why kick someone else's wardrobe? That precious one full of clothes for Hwa Yeo-wol, So Sansan, Yang Yeon-seo... kicked like trash.
Having returned from Gwancheonbang, Jong Bi had spotted the hidden black dao around Baekhwa Pavilion and climbed the owl tree to watch.
Cheol Mado tilted his head and ordered his subordinate.
"Bring the watchers."
Moments later, the black dao watchers arrived.
"When did the Yong descendant and the woman leave?"
"The Yong descendant around the first watch of the hare, the woman at the start of the snake."
Cheol Mado pondered briefly.
"Maybe the Yong descendant and the woman had a special thing going. These guys just lent the place out."
"This a guest house or what? And with the three-way duel tomorrow... no way."
Gwisoo grumbled back.
"Could be their last night. Besides, the Yong guy wouldn't meet a woman here anyway. Not that it matters... means they might've left even earlier."
"Hmph..."
Cheol Mado's guess rang true, leaving Gwisoo without retort.
"After killing Gu Yak-pyeong last night, they'd fear reprisal. Probably long gone by now."
Cheol Mado concluded and signaled his men.
"Pull out."
"Just like that? What do we tell Deung Noya?"
"We gotta track their movements first. If they took luggage, someone saw 'em."
Cheol Mado led his men out of the painting district.
But Gwisoo didn't follow. Stubborn as a viper, he figured Pung Woo Saeng or Song Myeong might return.
Gwisoo prowled around Baekhwa Pavilion, reaching the owl tree and scanning about before leaping up.
Atop the tree... sat owl Jong Bi.
Jong Bi had drawn her dagger when Gwisoo approached the base and looked around.
As owl Gwisoo reached for a branch, Jong Bi thrust her dagger at him.
But owl Gwisoo was fast too. No wonder his moniker was Gwisoo. Sensing something off, he kicked off the branch, twisted away, and drew his own dagger in one motion.
Clang!
The daggers crossed, and the two owls' gazes locked.
"……."
'!'
No words...
But their eyes exchanged: Who the hell are you? You're Song Myeong! You're dead! And so on.
Jong Bi held the advantage, perched higher on the branch.
Gwisoo, clinging to a lower side branch without footing, let go and dropped.
Jong Bi plunged dagger-first after him, aiming for his skull. Gwisoo spun and parried with his dagger.
Clack!
The daggers clashed again, and the two landed on the ground.
"……."
"……."
Still no words...
But eyes spoke: Not bad, you handle a blade well.
They glared, unmoving. Instinct told them both: the opponent matched their speed...
Clash of quick-draw experts ended in one stroke. The next collision would send one to the afterlife.
Thick sweat beaded on their glaring faces.
What a muggy Sangyang summer night.
Bang!
Who the hell shoots fireworks in this sweltering night sky?
Brilliant fireworks burst, but their eyes never left each other.
Yang Gwan pulled the slender needle from his thigh and sealed the surrounding meridians with inner energy.
A tingling numbness... but his inner energy could repel this level of poison.
Still, he kept it sealed in case the enemy exploited the gap.
He scanned the river.
Won Seung hid underwater beneath a wooden bridge slightly downstream from where Yang Gwan stood, breathing through a reed without surfacing.
Assassin training camp had them endure half a day in icy winter rivers. In this lukewarm summer water... he could last all day.
Won Seung was cool-headed by nature.
After firing the paralyzing needle, he thought.
The bastard did try to kill me...
But picturing Hwa Yeo-wol's face when he considered killing back.
Yang Gwan had come to aid Cheongsu Gate. Sure, with ulterior motives...
'Gwancheonbang has five Dosanrim experts... without him, can Cheongsu Gate handle them?'
Hwa Cheon-baek was in seclusion, Hwa Cheon-gang would fight the duel—leaving only Hwa Cheon-un. Plus Byeok Gyoo Un and Yang Gwan's two disciples... tough to handle five Dosanrim masters.
Byeok Gyoo Un was Geom Yak Jong's founder's third disciple, but he didn't inspire confidence.
If they couldn't block Dosanrim's five, Cheongsu Gate would be razed, Hwa Yeo-wol in danger.
Love or revenge... he briefly wavered, then postponed revenge.
'I'll kill you after the three-way duel. Live a few more days.'
Won Seung planned to end the night etching the grudge of his shattered Ho Sim Gu into his bones, swallowing tears.
But...
"You bastard! There you are!"
Yang Gwan's shout startled him.
'No way—he spotted me hiding?'
Just breathing through the reed, aura fully suppressed, bobbing like a carp barely surfacing?
Boom!
A burst of qi energy echoed from afar.
What? Not me?
'Who the hell's he yelling at?'
Curious, Won Seung cautiously poked his head above water.
As Gwan Ju-gyeon predicted, Gu Ja-ang had scaled down the privy cliff and escaped Gwancheonbang via the Sang River.
For Gu Ja-ang—Gwancheonbang's grand steward, Sangyang's top strategist, proud of his own martial prowess— it bruised his ego, but survival came first.
Clutching a prepped float, Gu Ja-ang drifted downstream with just his head above water.
A bit further and he'd pass Gwancheonbang territory into Cheongsu Gate's zone. Then he'd hit land and flee Sangyang.
'Cheon Il-hae... just you wait. I served you like a dog, and you try to boil me over 200,000 nyang?'
Gu Ja-ang blamed his fall on losing 200,000 nyang worth of Bukhyeon Freight Guild shares to Won Seung.
'Gotta kill that bastard too.'
Thinking of Won Seung boiled his blood. That punk had forced him to gulp filthy river water fleeing in the night.
'Almost out now.'
Gu Ja-ang's age-dimmed eyes struggled in the dark. He knew the Sang River well, but night blurred the landmarks.
Suddenly, flames erupted from a torch-lit wharf.
The daytime duel platform came into view.
'Ah, finally made it.'
The platform marked the Gwancheonbang-Cheongsu Gate border... a little further to Cheongsu territory.
Relief surged; he paddled vigorously. Splash—water churned loudly.
Then a massive roar exploded from the warehouse wharf by the platform.
"You bastard! There you are!"
A monstrous energy surged toward him.
'What?'
Gu Ja-ang turned toward the warehouse wharf, straining his eyes.
An old man flew at him, sword leading.
'Gasp!'
Before he could react, tremendous energy burst from the sword.
'Qi blade?'