How Much Is My Life Worth? (3)
The distance between Baek So-cheon and him was roughly ten paces.
At this range, there was no way he could miss.
Just a twitch of the finger, and it would all be over.
But Cheon Yang-ho hesitated. Unable to pinpoint the source of his reluctance, he tried to calm himself.
Don't trust me. Trust the Sip-bo Jeol-myeong-chim!
The Murim Alliance had officially classified it as a forbidden weapon, proof of its deadly reliability.
Kill him, and I can live comfortably for life. Come on, just press it.
Cheon Yang-ho's finger hovered over the trigger—right at that moment.
Baek So-cheon untwisted from his handstand and rose to his feet first, speaking casually.
"If you're here, why don't you come out? What's the point of lurking?"
Cheon Yang-ho was so startled he nearly dropped the Sip-bo Jeol-myeong-chim.
Fortunately, he managed to tuck it into his sleeve instead.
I muffled even my breathing. How did he know?
Moreover, the man supposedly had no inner power. How had he sensed his presence?
Cheon Yang-ho stepped out from the shadows.
"I was just passing by and saw you training. It's hot, but you're working hard."
"I thought a small town like this would have friendly folks, but it turns out the people here are even more vicious. Guess that's why I need to train."
"True enough. Talk of good country hospitality is all old news these days. Well, keep at it."
Before he could turn away and hide the concealed weapon in his sleeve, Baek So-cheon's question stopped him cold.
"How's the investigation into Yang Chu's case going?"
"Still no leads. The killer's too elusive."
"It's not that there's no will to catch him, right?"
Cheon Yang-ho's brow furrowed for an instant.
This bastard.
He masked his rising fury with a smile.
"Must be my incompetence."
Knowing the opponent wasn't ordinary, he couldn't afford to act rashly.
"But how did you sense my presence?"
He wanted to add, without any inner power, but held back. That would reveal he'd investigated him.
"I've got sharp senses. Didn't I identify the century-old ha-su-o in that box by smell before?"
"Ah, right. Impressive senses you have there."
Now he understood how Baek So-cheon had noticed him.
His nose.
He figured Baek So-cheon had caught his scent.
But this time, it wasn't smell—it was Baek So-cheon's sharpened intuition at work.
Since losing his inner power, his physical abilities had recovered, honing his innate senses to a razor's edge. Not just his five senses, but his gut instincts had grown eerily precise.
This heightened perception stemmed from the same source as his strengthened physique—his body compensating for the absent inner power by breaking its limits, senses included.
As they talked, the distance between Baek So-cheon and Cheon Yang-ho shrank to three or four paces.
Cheon Yang-ho's heart pounded.
Should I take him out now? At this range, it's a sure kill.
No warrior had ever dodged the Sip-bo Jeol-myeong-chim from within four steps.
Crucially, his colleague Gwak had confirmed Baek So-cheon had no inner power. A good nose wouldn't save him from this.
What tempted Cheon Yang-ho even more was Baek So-cheon's utter lack of wariness. He wasn't even looking his way while wiping sweat.
Now's the time. One pull, and twenty thousand nyang are mine.
He could live luxuriously, free from money worries forever.
Wait for the shot... fire.
This wasn't his first kill, yet his heart raced like mad.
Then Baek So-cheon glanced at him sidelong.
"You seem tense."
"Do I? Must be the heat. I can't handle it well."
"Not weak to bribes, though?"
"What?"
"Hey, don't get mad. Just a joke. You seem awfully biased toward Shin-hwa-bang, so I teased."
Cheon Yang-ho nodded with a forced smile.
"Give me some water, will you?"
"One moment."
The instant Baek So-cheon turned his back—
Whoosh!
Thwack.
Both men froze.
Cheon Yang-ho had the Sip-bo Jeol-myeong-chim aimed at Baek So-cheon, who was twisting back to look at his own back.
Something had just flown in and struck true.
Cheon Yang-ho's face lit up. No surprises after all.
It had hit so cleanly—why had he been so nervous? The needle struck perfectly.
"Ow! That stings! What the hell?"
"What else? The Paradise Needle to send you straight to hell. Hahaha!"
As Baek So-cheon reached to pull it out, Cheon Yang-ho sneered.
"Too late. It melts on contact. The deadly poison's already spreading through you."
"Why me?"
"Got a request, got paid. Yeah, you saw right—I'm on Shin-hwa-bang's payroll. Their money's better than the Alliance's. Wouldn't you take it?"
"I didn't."
"That's 'cause you're an idiot. Wait, no—you pulled good pay in Cheol-geom-dan, right?"
Elated at securing twenty thousand nyang, Cheon Yang-ho blabbed even unnecessarily.
"Got this gadget years ago by chance. Saved it for saving my life or changing my fate. Didn't expect today."
"At least one thing was spot on."
"Huh?"
"That this was the moment your life changes."
Now that he thought about it, Baek So-cheon should have collapsed by now, yet he stood fine. Unease surged in Cheon Yang-ho.
He glanced at the spent Sip-bo Jeol-myeong-chim in his hand.
No way it's defective...
As if reading his mind, Baek So-cheon spoke.
"The Sip-bo Jeol-myeong-chim was fine."
Naming it exactly stunned Cheon Yang-ho further.
"Then why?"
His voice trembled.
"There was a time when assassins stuck to me like leeches. Nearly died from poison multiple times—rough days. But they needed me, so the Alliance pulled out all stops. Even the Divine Physician of Poisons used rare herbs and toxins on me."
"What are you getting at...?"
Sudden realization hit Cheon Yang-ho like lightning. He recoiled, shouting.
"Man-dok Bul-chim Ji-che?"
"Yeah, that's what they call this body in the jianghu."
"But you have no inner power!"
"Look, the Man-dok Bul-chim Ji-che changes your constitution. Takes massive inner power to forge, but once it's set, inner power's irrelevant."
Cheon Yang-ho paled in shock. Questions flooded his mind.
What? Why make a mere Cheol-geom-dan squad leader poison-proof?
But no time for that.
He tossed the empty launcher and drew his sword. Hope remained—the opponent had no inner power.
Corrupt or not, he was a branch leader.
His strike aimed at Baek So-cheon's vital points—fast and precise.
But his skills fell short of Heuk Su's, and Baek So-cheon was physically superior now than during that fight.
No burden treating him like a sparring partner—or a toy.
Yet Baek So-cheon chose swift neutralization. Worthless either way.
Swoosh.
Dodging the first strike, Baek So-cheon targeted Cheon Yang-ho's knee.
Crack.
The savage kick snapped the joint sideways.
"Urk!"
Cheon Yang-ho staggered, swinging wildly. But Baek So-cheon had anticipated it, reclining back and slamming a kick into his gut.
Thud. Cheon Yang-ho slid backward.
It felt light, but his insides felt ruptured.
Clutching his stomach with his left hand, he thrust again—
"Urk."
Forgetting his knee injury, his stance crumbled.
Next instant—
Bam!
Baek So-cheon spun midair like a flip, uppercutting Cheon Yang-ho's jaw.
No epic duel. It ended there.
Cheon Yang-ho flew up, then crashed down.
Baek So-cheon picked up the fallen sword and slapped the unconscious man's cheek with the flat.
Cheon Yang-ho came to, staring up at Baek So-cheon looming over him. He screamed.
"Spare me!"
"Get up."
"Yes."
Cheon Yang-ho scrambled up and knelt. Self-preservation was his core—he lived for himself. With death on the line, his mind fixated solely on survival.
"Heuk Su's buried under your feet."
Cheon Yang-ho flinched, staring at the ground.
He'd guessed Baek So-cheon killed Heuk Su.
What shocked him now was the body buried in the front yard.
"Don't look at me like that. I don't collect corpses as a hobby."
"Ah, yes."
"Though a couple more wouldn't hurt. Heuk Su might get lonely."
"Please, spare me."
"Why should I?"
Cheon Yang-ho knew one wrong word meant death.
"Take this first."
He offered the money pouch from Wang Gon. Heartbreaking to part with, but survival came first.
"Money Wang Gon gave me to kill you."
He shifted blame immediately.
Baek So-cheon extended the sword flat; Cheon Yang-ho placed the pouch atop it.
It slid down the blade to Baek So-cheon.
He checked the amount.
"This is all my life is worth?"
"Double that on success."
"Still twenty thousand nyang? They're joking. Know how much Black Heaven Alliance put on my head in my prime? Three million."
Cheon Yang-ho couldn't fathom Baek So-cheon's boast. Three million, even for a Cheol-geom-dan hotshot?
Crazy bastard. Thinks he holds the knife, so he spouts nonsense.
But now, even ten million would get fawning praise, spit flying.
"Wang Gon couldn't recognize a murim hero."
"You didn't either."
"A worm like me knows nothing."
His tongue danced on pure survival instinct.
"Did Wang Gon order Yang Chu's family killed?"
"Seems so."
"Seems?"
"He didn't spell it out... but I'm sure."
Cheon Yang-ho quickly relayed vibes from Wang U and the recent commission.
"Definitely them. Dog bastards! Subhuman scum."
"Who did the killing?"
"I don't know the killer. But I'll find out now."
Baek So-cheon realized Cheon Yang-ho was clueless about Shin-hwa-bang's hit on Chil-geom-hoe. Just a corrupt bribe-taker.
"I'll serve you from now on."
"Me? Why?"
"I'll be useful. Dump the dirty work on me."
Of course, revenge brewed inside, hidden deep.
"Listen, Branch Leader Cheon."
"Yes, sir."
"I hate nasty-tempered guys. Makes me want gentle ones around. Got it?"
Cheon Yang-ho replied swiftly.
"I'll fix my temper. Turn over a new leaf. Anything you command."
"Think you can?"
"Nothing effort can't fix."
"Fine, say it works. But one problem remains."
"Tell me!"
Baek So-cheon stared piercingly.
"Have you ever spared someone you tried to kill?"
"Yes!"
The reflexive answer. A miracle once. Not mercy—failure. The target fled far.
"I showed compassion once!"
Right then—
Slash!
Baek So-cheon severed Cheon Yang-ho's throat in one stroke.
Blood sprayed.
Cheon Yang-ho collapsed wordless, lifeless.
Staring at the corpse, Baek So-cheon said coldly.
"I haven't."
He glanced at the sword, then tossed it beside the body with a wince.
"Ah, said no sword... damn."