Light Novel: Volume 10 Episode 14
Manhwa: N/A
Lee Yul heard the news that Seong-un and Bo-kyeong had entered the Snow Sword Manor in his room.
He didn’t find it a surprise that the Shaolin Temple sent people.
He had already expected their presence from the time the fight against the Jin family started in earnest.
The battle of the two factions is happening in the backyard of the Shaolin Temple. So it would not be strange for the Shaolin Temple to intervene.
That’s why Lee Yul was not surprised at all when he heard that Seong-un and Bo-kyeong had come from Shaolin Temple.
Seong-un and Bo-kyeong immediately went and had a meeting with Seol Kang-yeon, the sect leader of the Snow Sword Manor.
Even if Lee Yul doesn’t check it personally, it’s already obvious to him what kind of conversation they would have.
“No matter how hard they try to dig a furrow to divert the waterway, the flood has already started, so how can they stop it?” “
A soft smile appeared on Lee’s lips.
Everything was going his way.
The only thing that continued to bother him was the assassin who had sneaked in before.
That assassin managed to see through the reason why he sent Jang Gwang-san and Sa Ok-yeon and traced it back.
He even managed to disappear without a trace with the Hundred Wraith Union’s Hong Ye-seol and Four Red Lotus Ghosts following his tracks.
Given the circumstances, there was a high probability that he would be with the Jin family.
“The fact that such a man is with the Jin family is a great threat. So he had no choice but to spend more money than originally expected by requesting for more assassins from the Hundred Wraith Union. Commissioning the Hundred Wraith Union cost him a lot of money, but the result is certain.
While it was unexpected for Hong Ye-seol to break the contract, it wasn’t such a big problem since other assassins had easily filled her place.
‘Cheeky!’
When he thought of Hong Ye-seol, a subtle killing intent came to his eyes.
To think a mere assassin would dare accuse him of breaching their contract and using it as an excuse to arbitrarily terminate their contract.
Lee Yul vowed to show her how scary the world is.
Such promises would usually end with just passing words, but it was different with Lee Yul. He had never once spoken falsely.
In particular, when it comes to things related to his pride, he was obsessed to the point of overdoing it.
Such tenacity was also the driving force that made him who he is today.
“Do-kyung!”
He called his confidant Baek Do-kyung. After a while, the door opened and Baek Do-kyung came in.
“Did you call?”
“Are the monks of Shaolin Temple still at the sect leader’s residence?”
“Yes. They’re still having a meeting.”
“After their meeting with the sect leader, treat them with utmost care, to the extent that they feel burdened..”
“Alright.”
Baek Do-kyung answered with his head down.
“Go now.”
“Oh! A guest has arrived.”
“Guest?”
“Yes! The person you requested arrived the other day.”
“Really?”
“Shall I call them?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll bring them right away.”
As Baek Do-kyung went outside, Lee Yul muttered,
“Now, a rough picture is being drawn.”
The beginning is always the hardest.
Drawing a sketch from a blank sheet of paper and materializing it one by one consumes a tremendous amount of mental strength. However, after passing that stage, the painting will be completed on its own without much effort.
The person Baek Do-kyung is about to bring is also a piece that he had included from the time he first conceived the painting.
He could feel their presence and movements outside.
Baek Do-kyung returned with the guest.
After a while, the door opened and a man entered, following Baek Do-kyung.
The man was the the first to greet Lee Yul,
“Jang Muryang, the leader of the Black Cloud Corps, greets you.”
* * *
Pyo-wol looked up at the sky.
The sun was beating down relentlessly on him.
He used to feel repulsed by sunlight, but that feeling has long since disappeared.
Pyo-wol suddenly remembered that he hadn’t eaten anything all day.
It’s not that he didn’t have an appetite, but he still had to eat on time to keep his body in the best condition.
Pyo-wol looked around and found an inn.
It was a fairly large inn, even equipped with a stable.
Quite a lot of horses were seen in the stall on one side of the inn, suggesting that many guests had come to stay in the inn.
He thought about going somewhere else because he doesn’t like crowded places, but there were no other inns around.
In the end, Pyo-wol went into the inn he first saw.
As he expected, the atmosphere inside the inn was bustling and chaotic. Many groups of guests have arrived and they were taking the horses they had ridden into the stables.
Pyo-wol looked around for a while and sat down in a seat by the window.
It took a long time before a waiter came running to him.
The waiter hurriedly ran up and said his greetings,
“Welcome. I’m sorry for being a little late. I had to accommodate a lot of guests.”
His face was flushed red because he was busy handling the stables a little while ago.
“Just bring me a bowl of stir-fried pork and noodles.”
“Alright.”
The waiter bowed and then ran back to the kitchen.
The waiter seemed to be running around all day.
Pyo-wol looked out the window while waiting for the food to arrive. He was now getting quite familiar with the streets after staying in Runan for a few days.
As Pyo-wol was looking at the scenery outside the window like that,
“Everyone must have a difficult time coming all the way here. Have a good rest until the captain returns.”
“Drink in moderation.”
“Good work everyone!”
A group of warriors rushed in from the entrance towards the stable.
Accompanied by their loud voices, the smell of sweat wafted out, which would make anyone feel bothered.
Pyo-wol suddenly frowned.
He heard a familiar voice mixed among the crowd.
Pyo-wol turned his head and looked at the people who entered the inn.
In an instant, a look of recognition flashed in his eyes.
As he expected, he saw familiar faces.
‘Heo Ranju and Daoshi Goh.’
The guests who had left their horses in the stable and recently went inside the inn were the warriors of the Black Cloud Corps.
Thick dust settled on their heads and shoulders, as if they had come a long way.
“Huh?”
At that time, Heo Ranju exclaimed in surprise.
She too had noticed Pyo-wol’s presence.
Heo Ranju looked at Daoshi Goh with a flustered expression. She did not expect that she would meet Pyo-wol here.
“That bastard!”
“It’s him!”
Once the rest of the Black Cloud Corps warriors recognized Pyo-wol, they instantly expressed their hostility.
They had lost many of their comrades while dealing with Pyo-wol.
The memory of that day still lingered in their minds like a recurrent nightmare.
Back then, the Black Cloud Corps had no choice but to leave Sichuan Province without receiving proper remuneration because the Emei sect, who had hired them, had lost terribly.
For that reason, as soon as they saw Pyo-wol, they revealed their murderous intentions.
His face was something they wouldn’t ever forget.
They knew very well that behind that face, which is more beautiful than that of a woman, is a cruel nature like a devil.
At that time, Heo Ranju and Daoshi Goh stepped forward and stopped them.
“Wait!”
“Everyone stand by!”
The two of them stepped forward to stop the angry Black Cloud Corps members.
They were equally confused, but they knew very well that they would not get good results if they bumped into Pyo-wol here.
Only a small number of the Black Cloud Corps had entered the inn. If they really wanted to fight Pyo-wol, the entire Black Cloud Corps had to be mobilized.
“Phew! I didn’t expect to see you here again. Hi, handsome!”
Heo Ranju greeted Pyo-wol casually and sat across.
“To think we saw each other again, heh heh!”
Daoshi Goh also sat down next to Heo Ranju and said his greetings.
Even though one of his arms was cut off by Pyo-wol, Daoshi Goh greeted him with a smile.
So it was even more scary.
No ordinary person would be capable of laughing in front of a person they held resentment with.
Pyo-wol opened his mouth,
“You must have received a request here, right?”
“What request? We were just passing by this area. How about you? What are you doing here?”
“I’m just passing by, too.”
“Is that so? Heh heh! What a great coincidence.”
Daoshi Goh laughed good-naturedly.
Heo Ranju then said, while smirking,
“At this rate, isn’t this really fate? I can’t believe we meet everywhere we go. Anyway, why are you showing your face? You originally used to covere your face with a scarf, didn’t you?”
“Because it’s annoying.”
“You’re not trying to seduce girls, are you?”
“Even if I were, it’s none of your business.”
“Hmpf!”
Heo Ranju snorted.
Daoshi Goh pinched Heo Ranju’s side and said telepathically,
—Calm down, girl! How could you still be obsessed with that boy’s face?
Heo Ranju gritted her teeth at Daoshi Goh’s remarks.
‘Anyway, I just can’t get used to him so my mind often wanders. I can’t take this anymore. I think it’s better to kill him immediately.’
More than anything, it bothered her that they met Pyo-wol in Runan.
They were currently employed by the Snow Sword Manor.
Jang Muryang, the head of the Black Cloud Troops, went to meet with the client, while the main cavalry warriors were waiting in the outskirts of Runan.
As of now, only a handful of men entered Runan in order not to attract attention.
But with Pyo-wol being here, all their efforts went down the drain.
Pyo-wol knew about the Black Cloud Troops and they also knew about Pyo-wol.
One wrong move and the actions of the Black Cloud Troops could have been revealed by Pyo-wol.
“Get me a drink!”
As the tension escalated, Heo Ranju ordered a drink from the waiter.
The waiter, who had only noticed the unusual atmosphere, quickly brought a bottle of alcohol.
Heo Ranju put the tip of the alcohol bottle on her mouth and gulped it down. A stream of liquor ran down her mouth and into her breastbone.
Bang!
Heo Ranju, who emptied half of the bottle in an instant, put the bottle down on the table and said,
“Handsome brother, I’ll be honest with you, leave this place. Then we won’t have any problems with each other. Whatever purpose you came here for, give it up and leave.”
“As expected, you’re here for work.”
“It’s the same with you. There’s no way an assassin like you stays in one place for no reason. Who commissioned you? Is it the Snow Sword Manor? Or is it the Jin family?”
“I told you. I’m just passing by.”
“Damn it! Do you honestly think I’d believe that?!”
Heo Ranju glared at Pyo-wol.
As she released her qi, the Black Cloud Corps warriors, who were closely watching the situation, drew their weapons in unison.
At that, Daoshi Goh sighed,
“Hoo!”
Among the Black Cloud Corps warriors, there was no one who would beat Daoshi Goh in terms of his resentment towards Pyo-wol.
One of his arms was cut off by Pyo-wol, and he suffered from a chest wound that almost led to his death. Even so, the reason he held his grudge was to ensure that the grand scheme Jang Muryang drew would not be distorted.
If they clash with Pyo-wol here even before they start with their commission then Jang Muryang’s grand dream will collapse before it even unfolds.
“You girl! Calm down, why are you so angry? You look like a wife looking at her cheating husband. You’re afraid that man’s gonna act with the way he looks?”
“What? This damn Daoshi…”
Heo Ranju had a dumbfounded reaction at Daoshi Goh’s absurd remarks. The hostile atmosphere the Black Cloud Corps had been exuding also dampened.
But then something unexpected happened,
“You didn’t arrive even when I had been waiting for a long time. What are you doing here alone?”
They heard a woman’s soft voice.
All eyes turned to the owner of the voice.
A woman dressed in red silk was walking lightly from the entrance of the inn.
Hong Ye-seol was a woman who did not have a very beautiful face, but radiated a charm that made people unable to take their eyes off her.
Hong Ye-seol walked like a butterfly as she approached the group. Once she got near, she sat next to Pyo-wol and acted bashfully.
“Did you really forget that you were supposed to dine with me? I can’t believe you’re eating alone in a cheap inn like this. Don’t stay here and come with me. You have to be with the right person in order to grow.”
Hong Ye-seol spoke as she glanced at Heo Ranju.
The look in her eyes was strange.
She looked as if she was looking down on the people around her.
The men didn’t notice her condescending gaze because they were slow-witted, but it was different with Heo Ranju.
She raised her voice and she glared at Hong Ye-seol,
“Who are you?”
“Me?”
Hong Ye-seol hugged Pyo-wol’s arm and smiled.
“I’m this man’s lover.”
