Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: The Dead Man Makes the Living Flee
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Dozens of needles sliced through the air at tremendous speed, but the black-clad man did not stop running. He let out a small groan and limped away as if something had gone wrong somewhere.
But that was enough. Dang Mujin closed the distance even faster and caught up to him before he could round the corner of the alley.
The black-clad man was so terrified that he didn't even look back. But he could sense Dang Mujin's presence right on his heels.
"S-Spare me!"
Dang Mujin thrust his sword without hesitation. He had ended up in this situation precisely because he hadn't killed someone he should have. Spare him? No chance.
He felt the sword tear through the man's flesh and pierce his heart. The black-clad man collapsed in a heap, spewing blood.
Dang Mujin harbored no ill will toward this individual. In fact, they had even exchanged a few brief words, so one could say they shared a modicum of familiarity.
Yet, simply because he belonged to Salmak, there was no guilt whatsoever. Was this how humans were?
Dang Mujin glanced up at the sky.
Judging by the stars' positions, it seemed the hour of the Dog was drawing to a close. There were almost no people wandering the streets, and no one appeared to have noticed the scuffle between him and the black-clad man.
Dang Mujin started to leave the corpse behind but then slung it over his shoulder and headed toward a deserted area. His shoulder quickly grew damp.
There were about ten needles embedded in the body. The Heavenly King Needle Case had fired at least several dozen, meaning more than half had missed. It couldn't be helped at that distance.
To make matters worse, the needles were so thin that even if they struck the back, arms, or buttocks, they weren't lethal.
But one needle had struck an odd spot. One deeply embedded between the tendons behind his knee. That must have been why he couldn't run properly.
The Heavenly King Needle Case itself had crude lethality, but Dang Mujin saw potential in it.
It was far smaller than a bow or slingshot, and its structure was hard to discern at a glance.
It fired many needles at once, and they flew fast.
The problem was that the needles were so thin and light that they lacked power, but that could be compensated for easily enough.
'What if they weren't ordinary needles but poisoned ones? What if it fired sharp metal shards or blades instead?'
At close range, dozens of poisoned needles would be impossible to block unless one was an extraordinary master.
If he had known the Heavenly King Needle Case's capabilities and power beforehand, Dang Mujin wouldn't have thrown his dagger at the Salmak branch chief. He could have coated it with poison in advance and fired it the moment they met, ending everything right there.
'I'll ask Dansul-yeong to make me another one later. If I help make it, I might spot ways to improve it.'
Dang Mujin set the corpse down at the foot of a hill and stretched his back.
The sweat that had trickled down his spine without his notice had dried, leaving the fabric against his back feeling chilly. It was a sensation that reminded him once more just how reckless his actions had been today.
It wasn't the entire Salmak—just taking out a few from one branch—and yet there had been more than one or two dangerous moments.
Still, he didn't feel like giving up. On the contrary, Dang Mujin saw possibility.
'I rushed in hastily and still more or less achieved my goal. If I build my strength and prepare thoroughly before striking again, I could take out Salmak's leadership too, couldn't I?'
Dang Mujin's heart pounded fiercely. Toppling the infamous Salmak would surely satisfy the old man.
He had set his goal.
Now, what he needed to do was return home and build his strength.
Dang Mujin glanced back once and left Je-yeon.
*
Early spring. Salmak's leader, Heukjeop, was having a profoundly troubling day. It was due to two messenger pigeons that had arrived in quick succession.
The first pigeon came from Haenam Province.
Salmak's assassins sent regular reports when missions dragged on.
For branch-handled requests, to the branch chief; for headquarters missions, to headquarters.
That way, they could check how far the mission had progressed and if it was going smoothly.
The demon robe pursuit mission had been accepted in various regions but led by headquarters, so reports should have come to Heukjeop. The cycle was every half-month at shortest, once a month at longest.
The demon robe pursuit squad reported every half-month. Naturally, Heukjeop hadn't paid much attention the first couple of months. But at some point, contact had abruptly ceased.
When a month and a half had passed since the last report, Heukjeop realized something had gone wrong with the demon robe pursuit squad.
He immediately assembled a team to investigate and sent them to Qinghai Province. The results of their search through Qinghai were contained in the first pigeon's note.
[Demon robe pursuit squad of six—all confirmed dead.]
Heukjeop clutched his head. Salmak had suddenly lost five peak assassins and one first-rate assassin.
Even across all of Salmak, there were only ten peak-level experts. A number rivaling a major sect.
But half of them had died trying to handle one request. The damage was incalculable.
'I thought losing even one was a big loss.'
Just considering the headcount of peak-and-above experts, it was like losing half of the Five Great Righteous Sects in a fight. Common sense dictated that five couldn't die facing one.
Since the opponent was the unpredictable demon robe, he had figured maybe one would die or be crippled.
And even if one died or was crippled, Heukjeop judged the gains would outweigh the losses.
The stakes were enormous, and the demon robe's bounty was sky-high.
An assassin group's influence and reputation were proportional to the value of their targets, after all.
Yes, he had thought that if they were extremely unlucky, maybe two would die. That wouldn't be profitable, but it was a risk he could accept.
'But all of them dead? Does that even make sense?'
Heukjeop pressed his temples and unfolded the note from the second messenger pigeon.
The second message was a bit longer. But it was no less unwelcome. If anything, this one was more problematic.
[Henan Province Je-yeon Branch. Branch chief, deputy chief, and one second-rate assassin killed. Culprit unidentified.]
Salmak's infamy was great. But very occasionally, their branches were raided too.
If family or friends were killed by Salmak assassins, it was natural for arrows of revenge to fly toward them.
The problem was that it wasn't some other branch—it was the Henan Province Je-yeon Branch.
Heukjeop read the rest of the note.
[Branch chief and deputy's faces had turned dark purple. Suspected poisoning.]
[Same night, Je-yeon Baek Clan head Baek Chaseo killed by assailant. Difficulties expected in collecting final payment.]
Demon robe pursuit squad, including scouts—all dead.
Henan Je-yeon Branch chief who accepted the demon robe assassination request—dead. By poison, no less.
Baek Chaseo, who commissioned the demon robe assassination—dead.
Heukjeop wasn't a fool; he could easily guess what these reports meant.
The demon robe assassination had failed, and even mutual destruction had failed. The demon robe was thriving and had begun killing everyone connected to the assassination.
'...No way the demon robe broke through to transcendent realm, right?'
Warriors sometimes advanced to new realms when teetering on the brink of life and death. The possibility that the demon robe had reached transcendent level in the fight against the assassins couldn't be ruled out.
No, even if he hadn't reached transcendent, it hardly mattered. If he could kill five peak experts single-handedly, what difference was there from a transcendent warrior?
Heukjeop summoned his most trusted subordinate.
"Heukmyo."
"You called."
"Relay to all branches: Be on high alert for any physician or martial artist matching the demon robe's description. If spotted, withdraw immediately and notify nearby branches and headquarters."
"Understood."
"And assemble all remaining peak-and-above assassins at headquarters. Prepare for any potential raid."
"Understood."
No sane person, no matter how confident in their skills, would raid Salmak headquarters. It would be like poking a beehive barehanded.
But the demon robe wasn't someone who could be judged by common sense. Caution was the best policy against a madman capable of anything.
"What about the missions our elite assassins are on?"
"Handle only those that can be wrapped up quickly. Cancel all mid- to long-term missions or unstarted ones. Too dangerous if they encounter the demon robe."
"As you command."
As Heukmyo left, Heukjeop let out a deep sigh.
His chest felt tight, as if clogged.
'...Should never have taken that shady request from the start.'
Heukjeop closed his eyes and pondered where the demon robe might appear next.
Nothing specific came to mind.
His chest grew even tighter.
*
Just as the dead Zhuge Liang chased away the living Zhongdal, so too was the dead demon robe hounding the living Heukjeop at that very moment.
Dang Mujin was heading south, away from Je-yeon. His destination: his hometown, Chengdu in Sichuan Province.
There were essentially two routes home.
Take a boat up the Yangtze or go through the Hanzhong region into Sichuan.
Dang Mujin chose the Yangtze route. He had never been to Hanzhong, and it was obvious he'd have to trek long mountain paths.
A boat up the Yangtze meant no getting lost and a comfortable ride. No reason for Dang Mujin to agonize over it.
However, his mind wasn't at ease.
After raiding the Je-yeon Branch, he had left no witnesses, but assassins might pop up anywhere, he thought. With his life on the line, he couldn't afford carelessness.
Just as the dead demon robe hounded the living Heukjeop—who didn't even know Dang Mujin existed—Salmak was unwittingly pressuring him. But neither Salmak nor Dang Mujin had a way to grasp the situation.
In the end, Dang Mujin dropped a character from his name and disguised himself as a young merchant surnamed Jin.
He figured posing as a young martial artist or skilled physician might lead Salmak—who suspected ties to the demon robe—to tail him.
A fellow merchant walking beside him spoke up casually.
"Hey, Brother Jin. Heard you carved that gold fellow's face yesterday? Got time to do mine too?"
"Of course."
"Thanks. Your load looks heavy—hand it over. I'll load it on my mule..."
"Oh, much appreciated."
Joining a merchant caravan heading the same way was easy. A young man acting politely and showing skill would be welcomed by weary merchants, even if a stranger.
The skill Dang Mujin showed was woodcarving. Plenty of people fiddled with small knives and wood scraps in spare time, so it raised no suspicion.
He carved simple pieces while walking and made more elaborate ones by evening, winning people's favor.
Some merchants even offered coins for his carvings, which he accepted. The boat fare up the Yangtze to Chengdu wasn't cheap.
However, the caravan he joined and his route didn't overlap all the way.
The merchants planned to veer east midway to Nanjing and Suzhou, while Dang Mujin needed to go straight south to catch a boat on the Yangtze.
Dang Mujin parted ways with his fellow merchants in a unfamiliar city called Yeoseong and leisurely waited for a southbound caravan.
On the second day, he found one.
It was fairly large, with a bit of empty space on the carts, so joining would mean easy travel.
Dang Mujin approached who seemed to be the caravan leader.
"Elder. Heard you're heading to Huaining—mind if I tag along?"
"We're going to Huaining, sure, but why should I trust you?"
Dang Mujin pulled a small silver ingot from his bosom and slipped it to him.
A pittance compared to the leader's wealth. But plenty for a young merchant to show sincerity. The man's expression softened.
"Young fellow must've made a killing."
"Bought jade bracelets cheap in Shandong and sold them in Shaanxi. Still have some left over."
As Dang Mujin spun a tale, the merchant clicked his tongue.
"Tsk. Jade bracelets. You're lucky you didn't lose your shirt. For that route, grab pearls instead of jade in Shandong. Even low-grade ones fetch triple in Shaanxi. Coming back from Shaanxi to Shandong, take cotton cloth."
"I'm still green and didn't know that far. Blistered my feet chasing scraps with jade, and sure enough, got foot disease from it."
Dang Mujin limped deliberately.
It was the sort of trial any green merchant might face, so the leader lightly clicked his tongue and pointed to an empty cart.
"Lucky for you, there's space. Hop on. But in two days, we'll load up again—after that, you're on your own."
"Thank you, Elder."
From prickly to fairly welcoming.
Dang Mujin grinned and perched on the cart, looking around.
Lots of people. Besides the merchant-looking few, there were five guards with swords at their waists and nearly twenty porters with huge packs.
But one person particularly caught Dang Mujin's eye.
Just before their gazes met, one porter with a massive pack subtly stepped back and covered his face.
'Assassin? No. How would they know I'd join this caravan and infiltrate beforehand?'
Still, it felt off.
Dang Mujin set his pack on the cart and approached the porter with a limp.
The porter covered his face with his hand and turned his head this way and that. But he couldn't evade Dang Mujin's persistent gaze forever. The contours of his face peeked through his fingers.
Those contours felt strangely familiar.
'Huh...?'
Dang Mujin seized the opening to brush the man's hand aside.
It looked like a simple motion. But infused with Flying Needle Palm and White Lotus Divine Fist principles, no ordinary person could escape it.
Yet the opponent shook off Dang Mujin's hand with a similarly profound martial gesture.
The porter's face was still hidden. If anything, that confirmed Dang Mujin's suspicion.
Dang Mujin whispered softly into the porter's ear.
"Young Hero Namgung Myeong. What are you doing here...?"