Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: The Assassins' Ambush
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How to uncover why the Nameless Assassins Pavilion was keeping tabs on Yu Manor.
Once the full story came to light, how to extract Chui-dal without a hitch.
For ten straight days, they racked their brains but came up empty on a solid plan.
It was that frustrating—Yong-hui even said something like this.
"Brother Gu. This won't cut it. I'll just sneak into the Nameless Assassins Pavilion myself."
"Are you right in the head, little brother?!"
"Of course I am."
"What do you plan to do once you're in? Hell, how do you even plan to get in?"
"I'll just hang around in plain sight. They'll nab me on their own. No way they'd let a peerless prodigy like me slip by."
"……."
Gu-ak fell silent. It was utter nonsense... but somehow, it felt entirely plausible.
'Well, even I'd snatch up a kid with talent like little brother's and raise him without a second thought.'
Of course, they'd have to play it natural enough not to arouse suspicion from the pavilion.
Obvious as it was, any plan that didn't get Yong-hui safely back to Baek Clan Manor went against his duty as bodyguard.
"No dice. Too damn risky."
"Ah, come on. Just do it careful-like, no risk."
"Ahem. I'll have to tell this to the Clan Lord."
"……."
Gu-ak's trump card, honed from getting outwitted by Yong-hui's silver tongue lately.
Mention Baek Mu-ryang, and Yong-hui went from bucking like a wild horse to meek as a lamb in an instant.
"It's not like getting snatched and trained right here in the county seat. They could stash you away in some godforsaken mountain hideout. Drop it."
"Fair point, so I'll back off. Don't you dare think I folded to your threat, though. But seriously, what now? Info's way too thin."
Yong-hui lashed out with a kick at the bed leg in the room's corner.
"Argh! Gathering intel's your job, Brother Gu! Why the hell have you dug up so little?!"
"……Is that any way to talk? I'm more than twenty years your senior, you know."
"Baek Ik-gakju! Baek Clan Manor's prized heir, and you're pulling the age card?!"
A vein throbbed fiercely on Gu-ak's forehead.
But rather than snap back, he let out a sigh and held his tongue.
'Should've known volunteering for bodyguard duty after the Chief Steward's smooth talk was a mistake.'
Gu-ak felt deeply wronged.
While Yong-hui closed the gap with I-hu in his beggar rags, Gu-ak had worked the inns, throwing drinking parties to scoop up local gossip.
That's how he learned Yu Manor's lord had a hobby for collecting antiques.
Far from slacking off.
'This damn kid's gonna age me to death.'
"Little brother. I'll tap every underworld connection from my black path days if I have to, get more dirt. Lucky for us, I've got ties to the gang running the black market here in the county seat."
"And you haven't reached out till now? Figures—you were just boozing it up and slacking. I'm telling Sister Rang-rang everything."
"……."
Every black path thug's branded me a traitor since I joined Baek Clan Manor, you little shit!
……A howl he could never voice aloud.
"Anyway, let's hold out a few more days."
"Tch. No better ideas. Chui-dal's too guarded to pry info direct, sigh."
"Why keep calling the kid Chui-dal, anyway? Name's I-hu, isn't it?"
Yong-hui flashed a sly grin.
"'Cause that's who he is."
Whatever name he went by, whatever moniker the future slapped on him.
To Yong-hui, Chui-dal was Chui-dal.
His one and only sworn brother, forged across nearly twenty years roaming the jianghu.
"Fine then. I'll poke around Yu Manor some more."
"I'm coming too. Sick of the bottle after days on the sauce. Need a breather today."
Tomorrow, he'd pivot to the black market for leads anyway.
Skipping one booze-fest wouldn't kill him.
So Yong-hui and Gu-ak hit the streets together.
That's when they neared Yu Manor.
'Hm?'
His razor-sharp senses picked up the wrongness in the air.
Gu-ak hadn't clocked it yet, but something was off. Definitely.
'There. Presences.'
He honed his senses. Traced the ripples of qi shimmering through the atmosphere.
The verdict.
'Assassins in hiding.'
They'd stifled their auras and breaths for stealth, but Nameless Assassins Pavilion goons couldn't fool his senses.
Yong-hui fired off a transmission to Gu-ak on the spot.
—Brother Gu. They say bad luck hits on the worst days. Looks like they're making their move tonight.
Gu-ak's eyes bugged out.
Now that he thought about it, only the old lady knew he could pull off transmission arts.
—Little brother. How'd you— —Later. Assassins are moving tonight.
The encirclement said it all.
'What's the play? Theft? Robbery?'
Full perimeter ambush screamed the latter.
Or, judging from long years as a wandering ronin.
Slaughter. Total wipeout.
To bury the fact that a certain item had vanished.
'Damn it. This is why we needed advance warning.'
Stick around, and Yu Manor's folk could get butchered wholesale.
Time to tip them off and hash a plan.
Off in the distance, two figures strolled the mountain ridge: Chui-dal and the owner of his inn.
—Brother Gu. We split up.
Transmission briefed him on key intel needs and rules of engagement. Then Yong-hui vaulted into motion.
'Not toward Yu Manor. Scaling the mountain.'
The scheme snapped into focus.
Closing in on Chui-dal and the innkeeper, he dialed back his presence bit by bit.
Ronin days had taught him stealth tricks aplenty—not a challenge.
'Where to?'
Right then, Chui-dal and the innkeeper halted.
They'd crested a pass overlooking the path snaking from Yu Manor's rear.
'Picking off the runners.'
Best guess: Herd the Yu lord this way in their escape.
Which meant.
'Chui-dal's first blood. Tonight?'
The innkeeper melted into cover.
Yong-hui crept closer, utmost caution to stay off radar.
Primed for a strike or curveball.
'Lucky he's Nameless Assassins Pavilion stock.'
His current skill hovered mid-third-rate, a cut above average.
Against a jianghu elite assassin clan? Stealth blown ages ago.
But Nameless Assassins? Small-time county operators at best.
'If a scrub like that spots me, past life's Best Sword Among Wanderers title was a joke.'
Best Sword Among Wanderers: moniker for the ronin's unrivaled blade.
Also meant mastery of every ronin essential.
And ronin survived on knowing every dirty trick.
That's when the Yu lord burst into view below, fleeing for dear life.
'Spot on. Luring the lord right here.'
"Huff! Huff! Is anyone there?! Anyone!"
Chui-dal cut off the gasping Yu lord.
Realization dawned; terror twisted the lord's face.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
Chui-dal, dagger raised, crumpled unconscious.
The assassin stepped out.
"Tch. Knew something was fishy. Defective, huh."
Yong-hui felt a twinge of puzzlement.
'Said his first kill haunted him for life. Not tonight?'
Or maybe his meddling had nudged the timeline, just a hair.
Musing that, Yong-hui gripped his waist-hung sword.
"Shame to waste the talent, but gotta scrap it. Perfect. Yu lord, we'll pin it on the kid's greed."
As the assassin reared back for the short sword plunge.
Yong-hui surged qi from his dantian full throttle.
Legs brimming with Harmonious Heaven Principle Origin Art qi exploded off the ground. He unleashed the Heaven-Covering Steps.
"You're the one getting scrapped, punk!"
Puk!
Sword tip speared dead-center through the spine.
"Kugh!"
The assassin toppled, eyes popped wide.
Yong-hui checked Chui-dal and the Yu lord first.
'Both good.'
"Yu Manor Lord."
"Huff... huff... th-thank you, young hero. Owe you my life."
He glanced at the assassin.
Spine shredded, nerves fried, limbs dead weight—still glaring with bulging eyes.
"Straight to business. What's the target in Yu Manor?"
"Kugh... who the hell are you."
Ha, this was why sweet-talk never worked.
Sword sliced the arm's tendon; muscles clenched into knots.
"Grrraaagh...!"
"No feelings, but pain's real as hell, right? No time—spit it out. Target item. Talk, and I send you easy."
Sliced the other arm's tendon.
"Kyaaaagh!"
"Got a gag spell? If so, cough it up fast. Or I carve the leg tendons too and leave you to rot slow."
Meaning maximum agony, drawn out.
"The round iron ring the Yu Manor Lord always carries."
Some emotionless technique kept the face blank.
Still, nobody wanted to melt away in torture.
'No gag spell. Easy street.'
Yong-hui rammed his sword through the assassin's brow, then eyed the lord.
"Iron ring. Hand it over if you've got it. I'll save your household in trade."
Couldn't save everyone—too late for that—but he'd bust ass trying.
"Y-yeah, here. Kept it for the health boost... never dreamed it'd bring this nightmare."
Snagged the proffered iron ring, hoisted Chui-dal onto his back.
'Smart man, handing it over clean.'
Truth be told, he'd have gone all-in saving the household regardless.
Couldn't stand by for assassin scum's butchery.
Defied every fiber of righteousness.
"Hole up nearby. Latest, it'll wrap before dawn tomorrow."
Launched off, chewing his lip.
'Knew ahead, could've stopped the bloodbath cold.'
No guilt gnawing at him.
Didn't live light enough for past regrets.
So the sentiment to embrace instead?
Xia. Righteousness.
'Save who I can. But Brother Gu and me? Short on muscle.'
Time for wits.
Massacre. At minimum, force a pullback. Needed a ploy.
'Nothing springs yet. Link with Brother Gu, play it by ear.'
Drew deeper qi reserves, stamped Heaven-Covering Steps harder.
Blur of motion to Yu Manor's wall.
Scaled it, peered in—and froze in shock.
'What the—why's he pinned?'
Gu-ak stood solo in the courtyard heart, ringed by killers.
Yu household knelt en masse before the grand hall.
'Brother Gu! Useless if you're the one surrounded!'
This mess? All-in gamble.
Laid Chui-dal safe below the wall, reclimbed.
Then bellowed.
"Hey, you assassin fucks!"
All heads snapped his way.
Fist clamped on the iron ring shot skyward. Another roar.
"Your target's right here! Don't wanna see it smashed? Back the hell off!"
Pumped it full of qi to prove he meant business.
Ready to pulverize if pushed.
But then.
Click!
"Huh?"
The iron ring... popped open.
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