"What? What is it? Are you going to kill me! If you kill me, you won't be safe either! You fucking bastard!"
Geumdo swung his saber and cut the rope hanging from the tree. Bae Deung-shin, who had fallen powerlessly to the floor, let out a sigh of relief at having survived.
If he got out of here alive, all that was left was to find Geumdo and kill him.
'I'll definitely skin him alive and kill him.'
Geumdo put away his saber and said.
"I'm not the one who's going to kill you."
Hearing Geumdo's words, Bae Deung-shin had an ominous feeling. Immediately after, men with familiar faces appeared all around him with a whoosh!.
They were the men of the Seobeompa.
"Seobeompa... you fucking bastards... Aaargh!"
A scream echoed.
After that day, no one saw Bae Deung-shin. The master of the Mongsangru also disappeared without a sound.
Besides them, several others went missing.
***
The time was past noon.
A man in a black martial arts uniform was slowly walking towards the entrance of Namcheongwon. It was Jin Sa-wol, with his long black hair tied back roughly.
In Jin Sa-wol's left hand was the Yuseom Sword.
Since it was not yet dawn, the surroundings of Namcheongwon were very quiet.
On the surface, it was not a martial artist's manor, so the figures of the guards could not be seen.
Geumdo and the Hao Faction members, who had been moving busily from last night through dawn to morning, suspected that the Salmun was Namcheongwon.
If they were suspicious, they had to go. And it was better to handle such matters with a quick and decisive battle before the enemy noticed.
Whoosh!
Jin Sa-wol, who had flown over the main gate, stepped on the roof of the main hall and jumped up again.
The men of the Seobeompa, who were watching Jin Sa-wol disappear from a distance, ran towards Namcheongwon.
Geumdo was among them.
Clang! Clang!
A loud bell sound echoed within Namcheongwon, announcing the enemy's invasion.
Jang Ryak, who was sitting in his office on the seventh floor of the nine-story pavilion, was organizing the ledgers for the sale of tea leaves.
But as the bell sound echoed, he put down his brush.
"What is it?"
Jang Ryak, who had turned his head, had an annoyed expression. It was only natural for him to be angry when someone was making a noise next to him while he was calculating numbers.
An answer should have come to Jang Ryak's question. But instead of an answer, a thump! sound echoed.
"Huh?"
At the unusual sound, he opened the door of his office and looked towards the study where the ledgers were piled up.
A young man in a black martial arts uniform was standing there, examining the books.
It was a young man with a face he had never seen before.
Jang Ryak was so surprised that he couldn't open his mouth for a moment.
'How did he get in?'
He should have asked the thought in his head, but he couldn't. Such a thing had never happened before.
Around him, three invisible guards were always taking turns and standing guard without rest.
On top of that, the nine-story pavilion had to make a sound as one had to come up from the bottom.
But Jang Ryak had not heard the sound of fighting. He hadn't even felt a presence.
Jin Sa-wol, as if he had felt Jang Ryak's presence, put the book on the bookshelf and asked.
"You don't seem to be the master. Where is the master of the Salmun?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. This is just a place where they pick and sell tea leaves."
"Hmph!"
Jin Sa-wol showed a smile at Jang Ryak's words and raised his left hand. In that instant, the masked man in black who was hanging on the pillar fell to the bottom with a thump!.
"There's no way such people would be in a place that sells tea."
Jang Ryak could not hide his bewilderment, as he could not understand how Jin Sa-wol had done it.
But he quickly regained his composure.
"Because thieves sometimes come in, I have them as guards. Guards are essential for merchants like us."
Jang Ryak, who was making excuses, felt that the order was reversed and asked.
"I should be asking, but you're answering instead. Who are you?"
"An assassin who received a request from the Hao Faction Master."
"An assassin? Are you talking about the assassins of the Ghost Spirit Valley?"
When Jang Ryak asked, Jin Sa-wol nodded. There was no way Jang Ryak, who had sent assassins to kill the Hao Faction Master, would not know about assassins.
But the reason he asked was because he had to be a person who really knew nothing.
And he had to buy time. The subordinates had to hear the commotion outside.
"I don't know what misunderstanding you have come here with, but this is not the Salmun. It seems you have climbed the wrong mountain. I will not tell anyone about today's rudeness, so please retreat as you are."
"If I retreat, you'll strike my back."
The moment Jin Sa-wol's words ended, the sound of jumping, papat, echoed from all sides.
In an instant, four masked men occupied the four directions of Jin Sa-wol and flew in, extending their swords forward.
They were Jang Ryak's subordinates.
A smile appeared on Jang Ryak's lips, and at the same time, a light flashed around Jin Sa-wol.
Thwack!
The heads of the masked men flew off.
The group of masked men, who had flown faster than the speed at which they had rushed towards Jin Sa-wol, hit the walls and bookshelves. One of them hit the wall right next to Jang Ryak.
Thwack!
Blood splattered.
Jang Ryak, who had looked at the head of the masked man that had fallen at his feet, erased his smile and opened his eyes wide.
"How can this be..."
Jang Ryak stared at Jin Sa-wol with his eyes wide open. He could not see anything of how and when Jin Sa-wol's sword had cut his subordinates' necks.
"You killed the nobles who are impervious to swords and sabers?"
Jang Ryak muttered and took a step back. Jang Ryak knew well what kind of beings they were and how strong masters they were.
But to Jin Sa-wol, they were just scarecrows.
"If I cut your neck, the master will come out."
With his words, Jin Sa-wol had just taken a step towards Jang Ryak.
In that instant,
Rip!
A black cloth that had come up from the floor covered Jin Sa-wol's eyes. Jin Sa-wol quickly drew his sword and cut the cloth.
But the cloth was only pushed away and could not be cut.
'Blood thread?'
Jin Sa-wol, who had instinctively felt that it was a special cloth, took out the dagger Night Flower with his left hand and cut it in the opposite direction.
Rip!
Jin Sa-wol, who had cut the cloth, could see Jang Ryak, who was wrapped in the black cloth.
A masked person was standing next to him, and another masked person jumped up from the floor.
"How dare you."
As a strong wind blew around Jin Sa-wol, the bookshelves fell, and the books flew in all directions. In an instant, it had blocked the masked people's view.
Although it was a fleeting moment, it was enough time to kill the masked people.
Jin Sa-wol, who had turned to the right, stabbed the neck of the masked person who was holding Jang Ryak with his sword and then extended his hand towards Jang Ryak. But the other masked person did not stand still.
As the masked person extended his sword, Jin Sa-wol moved his left hand.
Thwack!
With a sound, the hilt of the Night Flower that had pierced the masked person's forehead was visible. As he extended his left hand and gave it strength, the Remote Object Control Art was unfolded, and the Night Flower that had pierced the masked person's forehead returned to Jin Sa-wol's hand.
Jin Sa-wol was using the Night Flower as if it were a dagger with a string.
Jin Sa-wol extended his hand and grabbed the neck of Jang Ryak, who was standing like a cocoon.
"Keuk!"
"Stop."
A low voice echoed then. At the familiar voice, Jin Sa-wol turned his head with a hardened expression.
He saw a woman in a red long robe with long sleeves between the fallen desks. Jin Sa-wol, who had confirmed the woman's face, frowned deeply.
She was Seo Yong-hwa.
"Let him go."
As Seo Yong-hwa's indifferent voice echoed, Jin Sa-wol contemplated for a very short moment.
"He is a person I need."
As Seo Yong-hwa's voice was heard again, Jin Sa-wol threw Jang Ryak at Seo Yong-hwa with a whoosh!.
Seo Yong-hwa extended her left hand towards the flying Jang Ryak. Then, a red cloth popped out of her sleeve and wrapped around Jang Ryak's face. After that, she pressed Jang Ryak's acupoints and then threw him back.
The movement was very fast, and as the two waiting masked people received Jang Ryak, they quickly disappeared.
Seo Yong-hwa turned her body and said.
"Follow me."
Seo Yong-hwa, who had gone up to the tea room on the ninth floor of the nine-story pavilion, sat comfortably in a chair.
A faint smile appeared on her lips and then disappeared in an instant. It seemed her emotions had risen for a moment because she had seen her son.
She prepared tea and then looked at Jin Sa-wol, who was standing and examining the tea room.
"Sit."
"I'm more comfortable standing."
At Jin Sa-wol's answer, Seo Yong-hwa showed a disappointed expression. Jin Sa-wol examined the Goryeo celadon with a crane pattern and asked.
"Is the master of the Salmun Jeokrin by any chance?"
"No. It's me."
Hearing Seo Yong-hwa's answer, Jin Sa-wol nodded. Although it was an unexpected answer, he did not feel it was strange.
The moment he saw Seo Yong-hwa, he knew that the Salmun was related to Jeokrin, so he asked what he was curious about.
"Where is Jeokrin?"
"He's drinking with gisaengs at a brothel."
"He seems to like alcohol."
"He spends half of the year in Hangzhou. He likes alcohol, women, and food, so it's a place called the Three Thousand Halls. This is a place with many beautiful women that Jeokrin likes."
Although he had heard Seo Yong-hwa's story, Jin Sa-wol was thinking of something else. As Jin Sa-wol's expression changed, Seo Yong-hwa, as if she had read his thoughts, said again.
"You can't meet him even if you go. Even if you meet him, you can't kill him."
"Why?"
"He has many guards. And there are several people like me."
"That's good information. Is there anything else I should know?"
"He's a monster who has lived for a long time. Do you think such a guy wouldn't have disciples? Come to me as you are."
"Hahaha!"
Jin Sa-wol laughed lightly and then shook his head.
"Is there a reason to go?"
Jin Sa-wol answered and then drank the tea that Seo Yong-hwa held out. In any case, now was not the time.
'As expected, he's big.'
The reason he knew so much about himself and was bright about the affairs of the world was because he commanded sects like the Salmun.
Now, a few questions were answered.
Seo Yong-hwa, with an indifferent expression, said to Jin Sa-wol, who was lost in thought.
"It's the highest quality Longjing tea. It's a tea that ordinary people can only drink in their dreams, and even rich people can only drink it occasionally."
Although Seo Yong-hwa was speaking as if she were boasting, Jin Sa-wol did not know the taste of tea well, so he had no particular impression while drinking the tea.
Jin Sa-wol had no reason to have a normal conversation with Seo Yong-hwa.
"I have the Hao Faction Master. Cancel the request."
"If I refuse?"
"I will annihilate the Salmun."
Seeing the confident Jin Sa-wol, Seo Yong-hwa nodded at his spirit.
If it was Jin Sa-wol's martial arts, it was a sufficiently possible story. He could kill everyone except herself.
Although she could choose to fight Jin Sa-wol, Seo Yong-hwa took a step back.
"Let's pretend it didn't happen. It's not a difficult task."
"Who commissioned you to kill the Hao Faction Master?"
"The Demonic Cult. Find out who it is yourself."
Seo Yong-hwa answered as kindly as possible. Although she was very disappointed by Jin Sa-wol's attitude of treating her like a stranger, she did not blame him.
In any case, he would come to her.
When the people around him died and he was left alone, the only person he could rely on was herself.
But Seo Yong-hwa knew nothing about the fact that Jin Sa-wol had left Guguang and had moved to Guryeon Mountain.
Jin Sa-wol, as if he had thought of something, asked Seo Yong-hwa.
"I heard Leng Yushan has gone missing. Do you know?"
"I know."
Although Seo Yong-hwa's answer was short, Jin Sa-wol did not ask further. If Jeokrin had taken him, he would have been considered dead already.
As he was thinking that, Seo Yong-hwa said again.
"He will appear before you soon."
(End of Chapter)
