Chapter 19
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Black Moon Once Again (1)
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Seok Yang-ho was startled when he received the banknote.
This banknote was the reward given to the young hunters for capturing the tiger.
"Where did you get this banknote...?"
Puhahaha...!
A ridiculously frivolous laugh burst from Myeong-gak's mouth.
In that instant, bits of meat in his mouth sprayed out, splattering onto the table and even Seok Yang-ho's face.
Myeong-gak gleefully recounted the day's events.
"I arrived in the village too early, so I sat on the street pretending to be a fortune-teller. Then some young guy came along, hesitating. I tested the waters, but he was more suspicious than I expected, so it was tough fooling him. Luckily, he fell for it, and we performed the exorcism ritual. And what does he hand me? A fifty-tael banknote! Even I, who rarely gets surprised, was shocked. I figured at most two or three taels of silver, but it was fifty taels. Fifty."
Puhahaha...!
Seok Yang-ho stared blankly at Myeong-gak, who was laughing and spraying meat everywhere.
He had never seen someone boast so brazenly about pulling off a scam.
This young Shaolin monk wasn't right in the head.
On top of that, he felt sorry for the young hunters who had been duped by this monk.
'Sigh... They were the grateful folks who caught the tiger for our Seok Family.'
His discomfort made his voice anything but gentle.
"What's the reason for wanting it exchanged into silver right away?"
Noticing Seok Yang-ho's chilling expression, Myeong-gak straightened up.
But he soon resumed his interrupted meal.
Crunch crunch...
"Monk, you may not know, but those young hunters are the ones who caught the tiger for our family."
"Ah... So those are the hunters who brought the tiger. I've heard the rumors."
Myeong-gak stuffed more meat into his mouth, seeming lost in thought, then burst into frivolous laughter again.
Puhahaha...!
"Just thinking about those hunters turning the whole village upside down tomorrow morning looking for me makes me laugh already."
Seok Yang-ho's face hardened further.
He placed the banknote he held onto the table.
"If I exchange it for you, I'd be aiding injustice. Please return this banknote to those young men."
No matter that he was the Divine Monk's disciple, he couldn't turn a blind eye to wrongdoing.
Myeong-gak studied Seok Yang-ho's resolute face.
'Master was right after all.'
The martial world was full of those who called themselves gentlemen or were hailed as such by others.
But none had ever been like the head of the Seok Family.
"Family Head, do you know how much a single tael of silver is worth? One tael buys a seom of rice, enough to feed a family of four for a whole month. This monk wants to bring smiles to the starving, if only for that month."
Seok Family Head's eyes shook like a ship caught in a storm.
Truly, the Divine Monk's discernment was beyond mortal reach.
How had he seen through this man's upright character and taken him as a disciple so early?
"As the family head, my eyes were too clouded to see clearly. Forgive me."
Seok Yang-ho rose and bowed deeply to Myeong-gak.
Puhahaha...!
"Oh, come on, no need to be so formal. It's embarrassing."
Myeong-gak waved it off with a frivolous laugh.
That laugh, which had seemed so flippant before, no longer did.
Seok Yang-ho straightened and picked up the banknote from the table.
"I'll have it ready by morning."
"No, no. I need it now. I have to leave at dawn if I don't want anyone noticing. And Family Head, please keep this secret."
Overwhelmed by emotion, Seok Yang-ho's body trembled.
This was why Shaolin was called the North Star of Mount Tai.
The Divine Monk passed it on to Myeong-gak, who would pass it to the next.
"I'll prepare it right away."
Seok Yang-ho left the room and soon returned with a heavy silk pouch.
"Here you are."
Myeong-gak, who had been drinking, opened the pouch to check. It looked like far more than fifty taels.
"Did you miscount?"
When Myeong-gak asked puzzledly, Seok Yang-ho smiled.
"I've added a bit from my own heart."
"Huh?"
Myeong-gak's eyes widened in a daze, then he burst into laughter.
Puhahaha...!
After roughly finishing breakfast, I wandered the village searching for the young monk.
I checked every alley, even went into the market.
But nowhere could I find that young monk.
"That... damn bastard. Where the hell did he hide?"
I was so furious my head was spinning.
A guy who scammed fifty taels of silver wouldn't still be in the village.
He must have left right after I stepped out yesterday.
Even knowing that, I kept searching out of lingering hope.
Looking back, so many things were suspicious.
A monk demanding meat? Reciting sutras? And he left the house in such a hurry.
I should have realized and grabbed him then.
"Someone left a tael of silver in front of Chuo-ne's door at dawn..."
"Really? I heard the same at Mak-sam's place..."
On my way home, swallowing my rage, I overheard people chatting in groups.
"Some crazy fool must've scattered silver around overnight. If only they'd done it at my place."
Feeling even worse, I kicked roadside pebbles all the way home.
"Couldn't find him, bro?"
Sigh...
"Yeah."
I slumped onto the porch bench, head hanging low.
"Bro, fifty taels. Dig up the ground—see if even a penny pops out."
Even Gwang-u's sarcasm made my anger explode.
"Shut up! You... let's spar, you punk."
"You got scammed, so why take it out on innocent me?"
Chasing Gwang-u out of the house, I stopped and looked up at the sky.
Here I was, venting on innocent Gwang-u.
"What a pathetic guy."
Turning back dejectedly, Gwang-u trailed after me like a puppy.
"Bro, you over it now?"
"What if it were you? Would this be enough?"
"Bro, just forget it. You'll only hurt yourself."
Gwang-u was right, but it wasn't easy to let go.
"Ah... what fine silver it was..."
The Seok Family's feast, lasting over ten days, had ended five days ago.
After a late dinner, the elderly man headed to the market and opened the door to a dark alley.
As he entered and sat, a voice emerged from the darkness.
"Black Moon."
The old man's body stiffened with tension.
"Pl-Please, come in."
"Where did the Black Moon go missing?"
"We found no trace of them anywhere."
A heavy middle-aged voice responded.
"How could you track assassins' traces? Just tell us their last destination. We'll handle the rest."
The atmosphere was colder than midwinter's gale, so the old man answered promptly.
"Follow the river upstream from the village; you'll see a house on a low hill."
"Got it."
As soon as he spoke, over a dozen shadows moved.
"Hunters live there—one's huge and strong. They caught a massive tiger for the Seok Family, so be careful."
Hmph.
The old man heard a snort.
Clad in black robes and hoods hiding their faces, they slipped out of the alley and headed upstream along the riverbank.
Moving stealthily like shadows into the night, they heard splashing water.
The river flowed beside them, so splashes were natural—but this was man-made.
The assassins quietly approached the source.
It was behind the house on the low hill.
Reaching the riverbank, they hid and peered inside.
The splashing stopped.
Instead, they saw a burly man sitting on a rock, staring at the river.
The assassins immediately knew he was the hunter the old man mentioned.
Few in the world had such a massive build.
Like they'd rehearsed, they encircled the burly man and closed in slowly.
"Time for you to die today."
"What's this? Killing right at the start?"
The Great Heavenly Demon glared at me fiercely.
"A blade's flying at your neck, and you don't even feel it!"
I startled and looked around wildly.
"Fool. Stay still."
Whoosh.
The Great Heavenly Demon sliced at my neck.
The assassins approaching the burly man all turned toward the river.
Bubble bubble...
The water swelled with foam, a pale glow flickering.
Then a sword-wielding man rose from the river.
He walked across the water toward the shore.
The assassins froze in shock.
They'd done countless assassinations, but never seen a water-walker.
"Gwang-u, you punk! Snap out of it?"
It was a shout from the water-walker.
Suddenly, the massive figure gazing at the river leaped skyward.
The half-dazed assassins scattered in panic.
Not just the water-walker, but the burly man was an untouchable supreme master.
Thud! Thwack!
Assassins' heads exploded under the burly man's fists.
Fleeing ones swung swords reflexively as he closed in.
Ziiing...
But a strange vibration rang out; the neither long nor short sword was caught in Gwang-u's hand, cracking.
Boom!
The sword and the assassin's head burst.
The assassins were losing their minds.
These "lowly" hunters were hidden absolute masters.
They assassinated martial experts for silver, but these were impossible targets from the start.
An assassin fleeing from the burly man was blocked by the sword-wielding man.
Slash. Slash.
With fierce eyes, heads rolled one after another.
Jogi, an elite Black Moon Gate assassin dodging the carnage, stopped at the sight of comrades' heads falling and knelt.
Cold sweat poured down his back.
No running—not possible, nor wise.
Against such masters, prostrating and begging was best.
Yet doubt filled his mind.
Why were such supreme masters hiding in the backwoods?
Elder ones might seclude for quiet life, but these were vigorous youths.
Young absolute masters no one in the martial world dared touch—why no fame?