Chapter 755
Bu Eun-seol and Yu Baek, having departed from the Demon Hall, headed toward Yueyang.
Their purpose was to visit the Yueyang Branch of the Kill-Seeking Unit, where Bu Eun-seol had once served, in order to impart comprehensive knowledge about operating an intelligence organization.
"Lord."
Having received advance notice from the Death Soul Squad, the branch leader had been waiting at the entrance until Bu Eun-seol arrived.
'The branch has changed.'
In the past, the Kill-Seeking Unit's Yueyang Branch had operated out of a dilapidated old bookstore.
However, after the Gong Twin Demons—who had managed the bookstore—were killed by Bu Eun-seol, the location had been shut down.
Now, the branch had been relocated to the Peaceful Fragrance Inn, a fairly large establishment situated somewhat on the outskirts.
Yu Baek's eyes wandered endlessly as she took in her surroundings.
She looked as though she had never set foot in a guest inn before.
'Did she really spend all her time confined in a cave, doing nothing but assassination training?'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed Yu Baek's reactions.
Her behavior was strikingly similar to how he himself had acted when he first visited an inn with his grandfather.
"Brief me on how the Kill-Seeking Unit's Yueyang Branch operates and what missions it has recently handled."
At Bu Eun-seol's command,
the branch leader respectfully explained to Yu Baek how the Kill-Seeking Unit functioned—
and the methods it used to gather intelligence—in meticulous detail.
Though Yu Baek could not speak due to her injured vocal cords, her memory was sharp and her mind keen.
Moreover, since she was fluent in the hand signals used by assassins, she could freely ask the branch leader about anything she didn't understand.
"Now, let me teach you how to gather information in the Martial World."
After leaving the Peaceful Fragrance Inn, the two headed toward the marketplace.
The sky was clear, and a pleasant breeze swept through the air.
The bustling marketplace, bathed in the full bloom of spring, overflowed with vitality as tourists and merchants mingled in a lively throng.
A spark of life flickered in Yu Baek's eyes as she took in the street's scenery.
To her, everything from the smallest detail to the grandest sight must have been utterly new.
Before coming to the Demon Hall, she had truly done nothing but repeat assassination missions.
Walking through a crowded marketplace in broad daylight had been an unimaginable scenario for her.
"Simply going to places crowded with people doesn't guarantee you'll obtain information."
Bu Eun-seol calmly explained the methods of gathering intelligence.
"To ordinary civilians, news of the Martial World holds no importance, and they couldn't care less. If you're trying to gather information without any prior knowledge or foundation, it's better to seek out information brokers."
Yu Baek's eyes gleamed as she listened to his explanation.
Her expression was one of fascination, as though she were hearing an enthralling old tale.
―How does one find an information broker?
When Yu Baek asked using the hand signals employed by intelligence operatives, Bu Eun-seol answered immediately.
"The fastest way to find an information broker is at the Wanderers' Market. If there's no Wanderers' Market nearby, you can also find them in brothels, pleasure houses, or gambling dens."
Then he added,
"However, specialized intelligence organizations or high-quality brokers won't deal with unknown clients. So if you want to find an exceptional broker, you'll need to either locate someone connected to them—or establish that connection yourself."
―What if finding an information broker isn't feasible?
When she asked again in hand signals, Bu Eun-seol replied,
"If finding a broker isn't an option, it's best to visit an inn frequented by martial artists during peak hours. In noisy places, people often feel safe enough to chatter about even important matters."
From then on, Bu Eun-seol continued to explain—
how to distinguish inns popular among martial artists, the busiest times to visit them,
and which places were best for obtaining high-quality information.
"Did you understand everything?"
Yu Baek nodded eagerly, her eyes brimming with interest.
'So it wasn't an act.'
He had harbored some doubts.
No matter how archaic the Heartless Blood's methods of training assassins were,
could they really have kept their operatives confined to dark caves, allowing them nothing but assassination missions?
But Yu Baek's reactions and the look in her eyes—
were exactly like those of a child who knew nothing of the world.
'Why did the Heartless Blood insist on turning prodigies into assassins ignorant of worldly affairs?'
Forbidding external contact and restricting them solely to assassination missions was an extremely outdated operational method.
Moreover, assassins raised this way would be clueless about the ways of the world, specializing only in infiltration and the Killing Art—
which meant they could only employ extremely limited techniques.
That was why most assassin sects—
made sure their assassins gained as much experience as possible, exposing them to the many facets of the world...
So why had they chosen this approach?
"Why did the Heartless Blood raise assassins in such isolation?"
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Bu Eun-seol finally asked.
In response, Yu Baek diligently explained in detail using hand signals.
'I see.'
After hearing her explanation, Bu Eun-seol sighed.
As it turned out, the Heartless Blood's primary targets for execution—
were not ordinary members of the Martial World, but powerful figures who held immense authority.
Those in power were always surrounded by tight security, making assassination an extremely difficult task.
Thus, rather than teaching conventional assassination techniques, the Heartless Blood trained its assassins—
in the Concealment Art, allowing flawless infiltration anywhere, and in lethal secret techniques that guaranteed the target's death.
After all, they were disposable.
To keep secrets and ensure clean aftermaths—
the Heartless Blood repeatedly sent assassins on missions, only to have them commit suicide without a trace afterward.
"They're insane."
―I was lucky.
When Yu Baek conveyed this through a mix of gestures and mouth movements, Bu Eun-seol pondered for a moment before speaking.
"With your level of Internal Power, you should be able to use a mind-to-mind transmission technique like Wisdom-Light Mind Speech."
Voice Transmission required finely threading one's voice into the recipient's ear, meaning the vocal cords still had to be functional.
But techniques like Wisdom-Light Mind Speech—
The secret art of Mind-to-Mind Transmission, which conveys the meaning of one's thoughts directly, could be used even without vocal cords.
However, to mimic Wisdom-Light Mind Speech, one's Internal Power had to exceed three hundred years in depth.
Because of this, it was rare to find someone among the younger generation capable of employing such a technique.
"Given that you're a candidate for the Blood Secret Command Lord, you should be able to manage that much."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Yu Baek nodded and began using the Mind-to-Mind Transmission technique.
[Of course.]
When the meaning was genuinely conveyed into his mind, Bu Eun-seol asked, sounding surprised:
"You mean they performed the Crown-Opening Great Method on a mere assassin? The Heartless Blood, who treat their killers as expendable tools?"
To accumulate over three hundred years of Internal Power by one's twenties, one had to undergo the Crown-Opening Great Method and Shedding Hair and Cleansing Marrow before the age of ten.
In truth, though Bu Eun-seol had reached his terrifying level of Internal Energy through innate martial talent and relentless effort,
it was also because his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, had secretly performed not only the Crown-Opening Great Method and Shedding Hair and Cleansing Marrow,
but also bestowed upon him esoteric demonic arts like Bloodline Spirit-Binding and the Soul-Protecting Great Method.
[Unlike the other children sent on assassination missions, I had someone who trained me specially.]
"What do you mean?"
Yu Baek calmly explained.
Unlike the other assassins raised like beasts, there had been someone who educated him in various ways and treated him with consideration.
[He said he only learned of my existence in the Heartless Blood much later. He agonized over not being able to save me before my vocal cords were severed.]
"Who was it?"
[I don't know. But according to the First Instructor, he was an extremely high-ranking figure in the Demon Hall.]
Yu Baek's eyes softened slightly, as if he still felt gratitude toward that person.
[Thanks to him, I received special treatment. I wasn't discarded like the others—I was allowed to continue my missions.]
Yet Bu Eun-seol, rather than sharing his sentiment, pitied him instead.
'You were just being used properly.'
Objectively speaking,
Yu Baek had proven his exceptional abilities through his missions, and that was why he had been given additional training.
If that person had truly cared for him,
wouldn't they have pulled him out of a place like the Heartless Blood instead of leaving him there?
'In the end, he was always meant to be a disposable piece.'
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor was no fool.
There was no way he would elevate someone like Yu Baek—a voiceless former assassin of the Heartless Blood, a fatal flaw for the head of an intelligence organization—to the position of Blood Secret Command Lord.
'An assassin...'
Bu Eun-seol's gaze darkened as he studied Yu Baek.
Whether it was genuine or not, Yu Baek appeared guileless,
freely sharing everything without concealment.
Because of that, Bu Eun-seol could now clearly grasp what the Demonic Heavenly Emperor was thinking.
"Let's stop here for now."
Instead of returning to the Peaceful Fragrance Inn, Bu Eun-seol took Yu Baek to the largest and most extravagant guesthouse in the area for lunch.
At first, Yu Baek was visibly awkward.
Having spent her childhood in dark caves as an assassin, she had never eaten a meal in a bright, open space before.
But soon, he adapted.
Watching the scenery outside the window, soaking in the lively atmosphere of the guesthouse,
he began to visibly enjoy himself.
When night fell, Bu Eun-seol rented out an entire annex of the most luxurious guesthouse in the vicinity.
Exhausted, he completed his Qi Circulation and fell into a deep slumber.
No matter how high one's martial arts were, no human could live without sleep.
Especially recently—between Yu Baek's situation and other matters weighing on his mind, his Mental Power had been severely depleted.
He could no longer endure without sinking into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Fortunately, even though he hadn't requested any guards,
the Demon Hall had dispatched a protective detail to surround the guesthouse, ensuring airtight security for Yu Baek—a potential future Blood Secret Command Lord.
Chirp... chirp...
The distant sound of crickets outside the window was as faint as a lullaby.
Just as the moonlight, unable to resist the tranquility of the night, hid behind the clouds—
Ssshhhk.
The door to Bu Eun-seol's sleeping quarters slid open slightly, and a slender tube cautiously extended inside.
Hssssss...
White smoke poured from the tube, then suddenly, as if alive,
it was sucked straight into the nostrils of the sleeping Bu Eun-seol.
Shuuuk.
As he inhaled deeply, a faint shadow slipped into the room—
a Masked Man clad in black robes, blending seamlessly with the darkness.
Ssshhhk.
Moving with the fluidity of flowing water, so silently that even Bu Eun-seol's Extrasensory Perception failed to detect him,
he approached the bed where his target lay unconscious.
Shwip.
The black shadow raised a hand—soft as a whip, yet sharp enough to absorb even light—
revealing a dagger so keen it could pierce metal and stone in a single thrust.
Shwip.
Just as the blade, serpentine in its grace, was about to slit Bu Eun-seol's throat—
Thud.
It froze mid-air.
Before the assassin could react, Bu Eun-seol's eyes snapped open, his hand seizing the Masked Man's wrist in an instant.
"A sleeping toxin? How disappointingly classic."
Shwip!
With his right arm captured,
the Masked Man coiled his left hand like a snake seizing prey and unleashed a blindingly fast, near-silent strike aimed at Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
It was a flawless technique—so flawless that it offered not even the slightest opening, so quiet that the Sound of Breaking Air was barely audible.
The Demon Hall's guards outside remained completely unaware of the struggle within.
'The Sound-Severing Silence of the Extreme Killing Secret Pavilion?'
The Extreme Killing Secret Pavilion, the foremost school of assassin arts, possessed a secret technique called Sound-Severing Silence—
a skill that enveloped a space in dense energy, completely isolating all sound within.
When activated, it creates a perfect barrier within that domain—
A state of Absolute Silence where not a single sound or vibration can escape.
It seemed such a technique had been deployed in the chamber where Bu Eun-seol now stood, for no noise leaked beyond its confines.
Whoosh!
In response to the Masked Man's Claw Art, Bu Eun-seol unleashed Langya Pavilion's Seizing and Grasping Technique—the Soul-Training Twenty-Eight Hands.
Crack! Crack-crack!
Though the force of their clash sent shockwaves of sound reverberating, the chamber remained eerily hushed, muffled by the Sound-Severing Silence. Only the faintest rustle of fabric could be heard.
Snap! Crack-crack!
For a time, the dimly lit chamber was filled with nothing but these muted exchanges, the battle between Bu Eun-seol and the Masked Man unfolding with razor-thin margins.
Swish!
Realizing he couldn't counter Bu Eun-seol's grappling technique, the Masked Man abruptly shifted tactics.
His new method bore an uncanny resemblance to the Soul-Training Twenty-Eight Hands—yet sharper, more refined.
'The subtlety of Using Strength to Mend Weakness...'
The Masked Man was employing a technique reminiscent of the Beggars' Sect's Great Righteous Expert, Seong-ryun—mimicking Bu Eun-seol's Grappling Hand Technique on the spot, then refining it further.
'Nostalgic.'
Watching the Masked Man wield this principle, Bu Eun-seol was reminded of his days as the Ten Demonic Heir—when every duel was a life-or-death struggle, and victory was never assured.
"Let's see who does it better."
With a quiet murmur, Bu Eun-seol's excitement flared. He accelerated the Soul-Training Twenty-Eight Hands, his movements growing even swifter.
Whoosh! Crack-crack-crack!
Though the Masked Man continued to mimic and evolve Bu Eun-seol's martial arts, before long, Bu Eun-seol had already reinvented the technique, elevating its power and finesse.
Crack-crack!
A strike to the Masked Man's Jieben and Shoulder Well acupoints sent him staggering. Seizing the opening, Bu Eun-seol yanked off his mask in one fluid motion.
"Hm."
Beneath the mask lay flawless pale skin, striking arched brows, and large, luminous eyes—a face of peerless beauty.
It was Yu Baek.
"Impatient, aren't you?"
Bu Eun-seol wasn't surprised. He'd known Yu Baek was waiting for an opportunity to strike.
But to launch an assassination attempt on his very first day in the Martial World?
"..."
Yu Baek said nothing, her gaze fixed on him.
"I don't know what scheme drove you to attack me, but—"
Bu Eun-seol's words cut off mid-sentence.
Only now did he notice the Black Fog seeping from Yu Baek's entire body.
'The Willful True Binding?'
A secret art of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor, the Willful True Binding could materialize True Qi into tangible forms—ranging from infinite hidden weapons to a mist-like dispersion.
Hiss—
As Yu Baek's Willful True Binding coiled around Bu Eun-seol's body—
Shhk!
He retaliated with his own, blocking her assault.
But when it came to the Willful True Binding...
Yu Baek's mastery, honed through the Emotion Severing Secret Art and her complete immersion in the Supreme Demon Path, ran deeper.
In the end, Bu Eun-seol found himself ensnared, pulled so close their noses nearly touched.
Smack.
His eyes widened.
Yu Baek's lips pressed against his.
'This is—'
A cloyingly sweet fragrance filled his senses, and the name of the most potent aphrodisiac in the world flashed through his mind.
'Heaven's Joy and Earth's Delight.'
Some poisons are harmless alone—but when combined, become lethal.
Heaven's Joy and Earth's Delight was one such concoction. Formed when the mild stimulant Heaven's Joy merged with the toxic herb Earth's Delight, it created the most insidious aphrodisiac known to man.
Once inhaled simultaneously by a man and woman, not even death could halt their carnal frenzy.
The smoke earlier had been Heaven's Joy—and the sweet powder on her lips, Earth's Delight.
'Why an aphrodisiac?'
Bu Eun-seol couldn't hide his bewilderment.
Assassins only resorted to such drugs as a last resort—when using their bodies as weapons.
Because even if the victim couldn't detoxify it, the worst outcome was uncontrollable arousal—not death.
"Hyeokryeon Eung—that cold-blooded bastard. But even so, why would he throw someone with such extraordinary martial talent into an organization like Heartless Blood?"
The sudden memory of Wi Cheon-gyeong's muttering brought clarity.
'A woman.'
The Demonic Path valued strength above all, and lineage was paramount.
Hyeokryeon Eung's martial arts were all of the Yang Gang lineage—impossible for a woman's body to master.
Even if she learned them, reaching Great Completion would remain an unattainable dream.
So without hesitation, he had discarded his own flesh and blood, casting her into the ruthless world of assassins.
Fwoosh—
The Willful True Binding surrounding Bu Eun-seol dissipated like mist.
The Heaven's Joy and Earth's Delight had taken effect—his Internal Power scattering in an instant.
"Haa..."
Yu Baek pulled away from the kiss, her lips parting reluctantly.
Bu Eun-seol's mind swam, intoxicated by the sweet scent clinging to her.
Sschk.
Then, Yu Baek extended a fingernail, slicing her Assassin's Outfit clean in half.
Beneath it, tightly wound white bandages were revealed.
Rustle.
With a spin, her attire transformed—now clad in a sheer silk under-robe that left little to the imagination.
Swoosh.
As she let her tied-up hair cascade free, Bu Eun-seol felt his breath catch.
Her eyes, glinting in the darkness, were like shattered gemstones—fragmented yet dazzling. Beneath a delicate nose, her rosy lips glistened.
And though her face radiated innocence, the curves of her body were undeniably, devastatingly sensual.
Until now, she had concealed her figure with bandages and drawn thick, masculine eyebrows.
She had been imitating the androgynous beauty of a young man.