Chapter 85. Let's Cut Him Down Now!
Oh shit!
Won Seung slipped into the water and yanked off his mask. The moment his eyes met Gu Ja-ang's, he hurriedly tried to pull it back on—but one look at the man's gaze told him it was already too late.
Why the hell are you here?
Gu Ja-ang's puzzled stare shifted to the night clothes Won Seung was wearing.
They said he was a strategist for Seongwangbu... but he's a martial artist?
Then why's he hiding? Wait... I get it. That crazy old bastard chased someone here. And I took the fall for them.
That fucker dumped this lightning bolt on me.
Ruined my life and now gunning for my neck?
Gu Ja-ang's eyes burned with rage.
"You son of a... bitch..."
Gu Ja-ang drew in a deep breath, rearing back to shout—but Won Seung whipped a blowpipe from his belt and phbbt, blew.
Gu Ja-ang twisted to dodge, but the stab wound in his side throbbed fiercely, ripping a scream from his throat.
In that instant, Won Seung's paralyzing poison needle lodged straight into the roof of Gu Ja-ang's mouth.
"Gaaargh!"
A bizarre wail erupted from Gu Ja-ang's lips. The agony of a needle piercing his palate was beyond imagination. Overwhelmed by the excruciating pain, he blacked out and collapsed spread-eagled.
Meanwhile, Yang Gwan had no time to check the dagger embedded in his foot.
Gwan Ju-gyeon charged, swinging his eight-foot sword relentlessly. As Gwancheonbang's second-in-command, the man's skills were renowned in Sangyang.
With his pack of mongrel underlings piling on, Yang Gwan was kept constantly batting them away.
Yang Gwan's martial prowess was truly astonishing. Despite taking multiple wounds, he unleashed sword qi one after another. His precise, razor-sharp swordsmanship made it nearly impossible to track where the blade was coming from.
"Krah!"
One determined swing from Yang Gwan sent two of the mongrels straight to the afterlife.
Losing his men ignited Gwan Ju-gyeon's fury.
Shasha-sak!
He parried Yang Gwan's sword qi with sweeps of his eight-foot sword, closing in.
Cha-cha-chang!
Sword flashes erupted everywhere, and finally, Yang Gwan's blade tip flicked Gwan Ju-gyeon's left chest, knocking away the eight-foot sword.
Tung!
The moment sword met Yang Gwan's protective armor, Gwan Ju-gyeon stabbed down with the eight-foot sword gripped in his left hand, piercing Yang Gwan's right thigh.
"!"
Yang Gwan tried to evade, but the dagger pinning his foot to the ground prevented any quick movement.
That brief hesitation to pull it out by hand was a fatal mistake. He should have endured the pain, yanked his foot up, and freed himself first.
Unable to dodge, Yang Gwan glared wide-eyed, reversed his grip on the sword, and yanked it back.
Thud!
The eight-foot sword sliced past Yang Gwan's leg, severing an artery.
At the same time, Yang Gwan's blade grazed Gwan Ju-gyeon's side.
"Grk!"
Gwan Ju-gyeon wore inner armor, yet the cut was so deep it exposed his ribs. Still, he didn't retreat—instead, he lunged into Yang Gwan's guard, thrusting the eight-foot sword at his chest.
"Die with me!"
"Hmph!"
Gwan Ju-gyeon bellowed, but Yang Gwan scoffed.
Yang Gwan's left hand twisted unnaturally, batting away the eight-foot sword before slamming a palm strike into Gwan Ju-gyeon's chest.
"Kaaak!"
Gwan Ju-gyeon flew back a zhang, spewing blood.
The Geom Yak Jong elder was, without doubt, a fearsome master.
"You old bastard!"
With their leader down, the mongrels went berserk, charging heedless of their own bodies.
Yang Gwan had no chance to seal the artery in his thigh. He blocked it with inner energy, but since it was poisoned, the qi wouldn't flow properly—blood spurted wildly.
And right before him, the mongrels swung their blades relentlessly. Normally, trash he'd cut down in one stroke...
"All of you, die!"
Enraged, Yang Gwan unleashed another wave of sword qi.
"Ugh!"
The front-rusher toppled, but he missed one from the side. That bastard barreled in bodily, then—like a Mongolian wrestler—grabbed low around Yang Gwan's waist.
"You mad fuck?"
Yang Gwan smashed the man's skull with his sword hilt—
Shwick!
—but steel arrows flew from front and back.
Yang Gwan realized the man's intent. Distracted by Gwan Ju-gyeon and the pack, he'd overlooked the crossbowmen.
"You dogs!"
No time even to crush the skull.
Grinding his teeth, Yang Gwan wove a net of sword qi with his right hand to block the frontal arrows, infused his left with qi to swat the rear ones, and simultaneously kicked the waist-grabber's gut with his right foot.
'Kraaak!'
Trying to yank the ground-pinned dagger with his foot sent unbearable pain surging through him, making him stagger briefly.
That sealed Yang Gwan's fate.
Kagang!
The frontal arrows all fell, but one from behind buried itself in his back.
And the waist-grabber, gut-kicked and vomiting blood like a fountain, still plunged his dagger into Yang Gwan's dantian.
"Kehk!"
A short groan escaped Yang Gwan's lips. As he reeled—
Pfufuk!
—over a dozen steel arrows riddled his body.
"I don't know what's going on, but this feels like the perfect chance."
Yang Do Myeongcho eyed Hwa Cheon-un and the Cheongsu Gate crew vanishing toward the far end of the plaza.
The Yin-Yang Twin Swords and the Three Mountains Heroes.
These five were Dosanrim's enforcers. Thrown into every bloody job, they now moved like clockwork.
People assumed Myeongcho and Myeonggo—the Yin-Yang Twin Swords—were blood brothers, but they were strangers who happened to swear brotherhood.
The Three Mountains Heroes, dubbed Daesan, Jungsan, and Mis an after great, middle, and unripe mountains, were actual siblings. Born in a village ringed by three peaks, though their lives were far from heroic.
Scanning the site, the five noted the absence of the Geom Yak Jong elder they found most troublesome.
Soon after, Hwa Ugeuk led some warriors out, followed shortly by Hwa Cheon-un with more.
Sometimes jobs went smoothly by sheer luck.
In this setup, taking Hwa Cheon-baek's head seemed easy.
The commission from Cheon Il-hae was simple: eliminate Cheongsu Gate's Hwa Cheon-baek and his brother Hwa Cheon-un.
Byeok Gyo-un, the Geom Yak Jong disciple, and Yang Gwan's two disciples? Small fry, ignored.
Their concerns were Hwa Cheon-gang and Hwa Cheon-baek.
The youngest of the Three Mountains Heroes piped up.
"Doesn't this feel off? Half of Cheongsu Gate's forces pulling out now...?"
"Signal flares went up one after another. Something urgent must've happened."
"Maybe they're clashing with Gwancheonbang?"
Jungsan voiced his thoughts, glancing at the flares' origin.
"Whether they fight or not, it's none of our business. We just take out Hwa Cheon-baek and Hwa Cheon-un."
The Yin Sword Myeonggo drew the line. Jungsan hadn't planned to aid Gwancheonbang anyway.
As Dosanrim enforcers, they stuck precisely to the job.
Yang Do Myeongcho, studying the Cheongsu Gate compound map, spoke up.
"Let's cut him down now!"
"Cut" was their slang for severing the target's lifeline.
Yang Do Myeongcho was the de facto leader of the five.
All nodded at his words. They'd played enough in Sangyang. With payment secured, they wanted to finish fast and leave.
The current threats in Cheongsu Gate? Just Hwa Cheon-gang and that Byeok Gyo-un disciple. Manageable.
Without Yang Gwan, this was prime time.
"You three take Hwa Cheon-gang and Byeok Gyo-un. We'll handle Hwa Cheon-baek quick and join you."
Daesan, the eldest of the Three Mountains Heroes, nodded.
"Got it."
While the Yin-Yang Twin Swords grabbed Hwa Cheon-baek—panting idly in Cheongsu Cave—the Three Mountains Heroes would block the front, holding off Hwa Cheon-gang or reinforcements.
Down Hwa Cheon-baek, and half the mission was done.
Hwa Cheon-gang might be one of the Central Plains' Hundred Great Experts, but the Twin Swords and Heroes discounted it by half. They'd bagged plenty of so-called "Hundred Greats," rogue demons, and bandit chiefs. They knew better than anyone how rumors bloated reputations. True masters among the famous were rare.
"Move!"
The five enforcers were decisive in word and deed. Grabbing their weapons, they infiltrated toward the rear garden where Cheongsu Cave lay.
Clop-clop, clop-clop...
The carriage rattled along the official road.
Hyeol Hwa leaned against the window, lost in thought. A belated crescent moon illuminated her pale face.
"?"
Suddenly, the night scenery felt familiar.
"Hold up—stop!"
The carriage, pulled by two fine steeds, halted.
The subordinate on the driver's seat opened the side window.
"What is it?"
Hyeol Hwa didn't answer, stepping out.
One coachman, plus three hidden subordinates tailing her.
They were her support team.
Haeyeonmun assassins usually had two supports, but Hyeol Hwa—special-grade and division leader—got four.
Supports aided infiltration, escape, disguises, emergency treatment for wounds, corpse disposal, cover-ups—the cleanup crew.
What they hated most? Killing a captured, gravely wounded assassin. They'd nearly had to off their division leader this time.
Thus, they stayed extra vigilant for her safety.
Hyeol Hwa's gaze drifted toward the distant Yong family ruins.
A faint light flickered.
A man living for revenge was spending what might be his final night.
That blinking light seemed as precarious as his life.
She'd killed Cheon Il-hae for him. Sure, he'd also backstabbed her, but...
Does he even know?
"Tch!"
Hyeol Hwa turned away.
Why did Yong Jo-un's face keep popping into her head?
As she tried shaking him off and climbed back into the carriage, a transmission came from one hidden support.
-Sorry. We just spotted a tail.
Hyeol Hwa's brow furrowed slightly.
If the supports missed it, the stalker's skills were top-notch. Without stopping, she might've dragged it all the way to Haeyeonmun.
Clean exit from Gwancheonbang... who the hell?
Hyeol Hwa scanned around. The crescent moon's dim glow yielded to thick summer foliage casting deep shadows.
There.
She smirked inwardly and called out coldly.
"Come out!"
A short, stout old man emerged from the darkness.
"?"
Bi Jangno let out a low chuckle.
"Impressive, Haeyeonmun special assassin. Spotting my tail."
Hyeol Hwa glared silently. Who the hell is this old coot? How does he know me?
Bi Jangno spoke.
"No beating around the bush. I'm from Jeokhyeolsan. Follow me."
"Crazy old geezer."
Hyeol Hwa snorted.