Chapter 102

Iron Hunchback, his already severely bent back bowed even lower, surveyed his surroundings.

His eyes, sharp as a hunting dog’s, scanned the area.

‘Strange!’

At some point, the signals from his sworn brothers had abruptly stopped.

He thought it might be because they were busy chasing Nam Shin-woo, but an unsettling feeling made Iron Hunchback sharpen his guard.

“Damn it!”

Suddenly, his whole body ached.

It was the wounds from being stabbed by the Ghostly Rain.

Fortunately, his sworn brothers had treated him well, saving his life, but the memory of that day remained an indelible humiliation for Iron Hunchback.

“I will kill you. To have given me such shame in front of Seol-yeong.”

Iron Hunchback ground his teeth, recalling the man who had inflicted such a great wound on him.

Everyone in the Seven Stars Hall knew that Iron Hunchback liked Yo Seol-yeong.

Everyone in the Seven Stars Hall liked Yo Seol-yeong, but Iron Hunchback’s affection was exceptional.

Perhaps because his own appearance was shabby and imperfect, he admired the rose-like, splendid Yo Seol-yeong all the more.

“I will make sure to kill you, of all people, in the most gruesome way.”

Iron Hunchback, his desire for revenge burning, looked around.

In the far distance, he could see a blaze soaring into the sky.

The slums were on fire.

A smile suddenly appeared on Iron Hunchback’s lips.

“This must be Seol-yeong’s doing.”

He could tell just by the scale of the fire. He knew who had set it.

Yo Seol-yeong would sometimes go on a rampage like this.

Even that looked enchanting in Iron Hunchback’s eyes.

It was then.

Tatadak!

A woman came running into Iron Hunchback’s view.

An enchanting appearance and a fantastical figure.

He could tell who she was just by her shadow.

It was Yo Seol-yeong.

Though she was still over a hundred Zhang away, Iron Hunchback recognized Yo Seol-yeong and his face lit up.

The wary expression he had just moments ago was nowhere to be found.

Just seeing Yo Seol-yeong’s figure, even from a distance, was enough to dispel all his caution.

It was a side of him he showed only to Yo Seol-yeong. Perhaps that was why she ignored him so.

Still, he was happy.

If he could just hear a single word from her, even like this.

That alone was enough to make him happy.

So much so that a smile naturally formed on his lips.

But his smile quickly vanished.

Yo Seol-yeong’s expression, visible from afar, looked unusual.

Her stiff face was filled with urgency, and her eyes trembled with anxiety. It was the first time Iron Hunchback had ever seen such an expression on Yo Seol-yeong. That made it feel even more ominous.

“Seol-yeong!”

Iron Hunchback called out to Yo Seol-yeong in a loud voice. But as if she hadn’t heard him, Yo Seol-yeong was running in the wrong direction.

“This way!”

Iron Hunchback waved his hand toward Yo Seol-yeong. When she still didn’t seem to hear, he started to walk toward her.

Puk!

It was then.

Along with a sharp sound, he felt an insane amount of pain.

Iron Hunchback couldn’t even scream as he looked down at his shoulder. He could see the tip of a Flying Dagger protruding through his shoulder.

‘This is?’

It was a Flying Dagger he had seen before.

He hadn’t just seen it with his eyes; he had already been wounded by it.

It was the same Flying Dagger that Pyo Wol had been holding.

‘That bastard!’

Iron Hunchback spun around, about to shout. But his voice couldn’t escape, only swirling inside his mouth.

Something sharp was tightening around his neck.

‘A Silver Thread?’

As soon as Iron Hunchback noticed the Silver Thread, he reached for his waist and grabbed the chain connected to his iron ball.

Chwareureuk!

The iron ball connected to the chain flew toward the direction the Silver Thread extended from. But the iron ball never hit Pyo Wol’s body. Just as the ball was about to reach him, Pyo Wol dashed to the left.

The Silver Thread that was choking Iron Hunchback was still in his hand.

“Keuk!”

Iron Hunchback’s small body tumbled to the ground. The Silver Thread had tightened, flinging his body away.

The shock of hitting the ground made him drop the chain he was holding.

‘That bastard!’

Iron Hunchback grabbed the Silver Thread choking his neck with his hands. The thread dug in, and blood flowed from his hands, but he had no time to feel the pain.

If he let go because of the pain, it would surely dig into his neck.

Iron Hunchback summoned all his Internal Power to resist the Silver Thread. A normal Silver Thread would have snapped long ago, but unfortunately, this thread was an item that Tang Sochu had poured his heart and soul into making.

Its strength and tensile force were incomparable to other Silver Threads.

“Kkeueueu!”

The Silver Thread dug deeper into his neck.

Iron Hunchback’s eyes became bloodshot.

His gaze turned to Pyo Wol, who was holding the end of the Silver Thread.

Pyo Wol, clad in a blood-red robe, was looking at him.

Like a snake staring at its prey, his inorganic eyes, devoid of any emotion, terrified Iron Hunchback.

Iron Hunchback realized that no matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t escape the Silver Thread.

The choice Iron Hunchback made at that moment was to use Pyo Wol’s strength to charge forward instead.

With the Silver Thread still around his neck, he attacked Pyo Wol with lightning speed.

Although he had lost his weapon, he was also confident in his bare-handed Martial Arts.

Chwaaak!

An incredible amount of force erupted from Iron Hunchback’s hands.

He had unleashed a Palm Technique called the Iron Demon Palm.

Iron Hunchback didn’t even imagine he could kill Pyo Wol with the Iron Demon Palm. He judged this based on the ghost-like abilities Pyo Wol had shown so far.

Instead, he hoped to shake Pyo Wol and loosen the Silver Thread. If the thread loosened, he would be able to shout and call for Yo Seol-yeong’s help.

If only Yo Seol-yeong helped him, he could escape from this demon-like man’s grasp. But his hopes were not realized.

Pyo Wol’s figure vanished from before his eyes.

He had retreated by unleashing Black Lightning. And he was faster than Iron Hunchback’s advance.

Paeng!

The briefly loosened Silver Thread pulled taut again, and Iron Hunchback’s body pitched forward.

Iron Hunchback was slammed into the ground headfirst.

Kwak!

At that moment, Pyo Wol stomped on Iron Hunchback’s head with his foot.

‘Keueu!’

Iron Hunchback gritted his teeth and tried to lift his head. But the more he did, the more pressure Pyo Wol applied with his foot.

Ppudeudeuk!

A gruesome sound of breaking bone came from his neck.

If the force continued to be applied, Iron Hunchback’s neck bone would surely snap like a twig.

‘What are you? What are you?’

Iron Hunchback screamed internally.

He didn’t even know the reason why Pyo Wol had ambushed him.

He admitted that he had gotten into a dispute with him through his own fault, but he never thought it would be a reason to die without even letting out a single scream.

Iron Hunchback’s gaze turned to Yo Seol-yeong.

He gathered his last bit of strength and called out to Yo Seol-yeong.

“Seo…ryeo…eong…”

Gagak!

At that moment, Iron Hunchback’s neck broke.

Iron Hunchback died without ever being able to properly call Yo Seol-yeong’s name.

Only then did Pyo Wol retrieve the Ghostly Rain stuck in Iron Hunchback’s shoulder and lift his head.

He, too, could see Yo Seol-yeong’s receding figure.

Yo Seol-yeong ran on, oblivious to the fact that Iron Hunchback had died nearby. If she had been a little more level-headed, or had a bit more composure, she might have realized that Iron Hunchback was in trouble.

But she was not in her right mind, shocked by the Assassination of the Wandering Wave Guest, Ja Ung-pyeong, who had been right beside her without her even noticing. That was why she didn’t notice Iron Hunchback dying and was running toward Sa Hyokyung.

Pyo Wol watched her retreating back indifferently for a moment, then quietly followed.

Iron Hunchback’s eyes were wide open, as if he couldn’t believe his own death.

Even looking into his eyes, Pyo Wol felt no guilt.

Just as he was not a very good person, the Seven Stars Hall were not very good people either.

They had set fire to the slums to catch Nam Shin-woo, and had already killed quite a few people.

Just as the Seven Stars Hall killed others, Pyo Wol had ambushed and killed the Martial Artists of the Seven Stars Hall.

Ja Ung-pyeong, Gam Il-Hae, and now Iron Hunchback—three people had already lost their lives to him.

Pyo Wol was able to kill them easily by taking advantage of their carelessness.

The Martial Artists of the Seven Stars Hall were strong. But they knew nothing about Pyo Wol. They didn’t even know he was targeting them.

They believed they were in control of the situation in Chengdu, but the one controlling everything was Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol followed Yo Seol-yeong as silently as a snake.

＊＊＊

“Uncle, look here.”

Suddenly, Lee Soha waved her hand.

Yoo Shinpoong approached her with a puzzled expression.

“What is it?”

“This person.”

Lee Soha pointed to a corpse.

A hunchback with a severely bent back was lying face down on the ground, his breathing ceased.

Yoo Shinpoong’s expression hardened like a stone.

It was a person he couldn’t fail to recognize.

In all of All Under Heaven, there was only one Martial Artist with such distinct features.

“This is Iron Hunchback.”

He had met him just a few days ago, so he still remembered his face clearly.

Iron Hunchback’s bloodshot eyes were wide open.

Even though his breath had stopped, his face was full of disbelief.

Finding it difficult to look at the sight any longer, Lee Soha turned her head and said,

“Do you think he killed him, too?”

“First Gam Il-Hae, and now Iron Hunchback. He has set his mind to ambushing the Seven Stars Hall.”

“Do you think he has a grudge against the Seven Stars Hall?”

“I can’t know that, but he has clearly mastered a formidable Killing Method. Both Gam Il-Hae and Iron Hunchback possessed great Martial Arts and senses, yet to be ambushed and killed so easily. This is not something an ordinary Assassin can do.”

“Could it be… the work of the Hundred Wraith Union?”

“The Hundred Wraith Union has never once been active in Sichuan Province.”

“Then is it that Assassin again?”

“It seems this is his work as well.”

“Umm!”

Lee Soha let out a groan.

Her stomach churned, and she felt like she was about to vomit.

It wasn’t because of Iron Hunchback’s corpse. It was because of the cruel skill of the Assassin who had killed him.

Gam Il-Hae had lost his life without even knowing how he died, and while Iron Hunchback seemed to have put up a fight, it looked like he hadn’t lasted more than a few seconds.

“Truly incredible. This man seems to have deeply mastered the efficient way to kill people. I have never seen such skill in my entire life.”

“What on earth is his identity? Where could he have learned to kill people like this?”

“Hoo! How would I know, but I can assert this one thing. Whoever makes an enemy of this man will never be able to sleep peacefully for the rest of their life. If an Assassin with such skill were to target you, how could you possibly sleep?”

“Ugh! He must be a decrepit old monster. And his face must be so hideous that he covers it with a mask.”

Lee Soha shivered, as if the mere thought was horrifying.

Yoo Shinpoong shook his head and said,

“The people who saw him said he was very handsome, and young.”

“That must all be a lie. There’s no way a young, handsome man would commit such a heinous act.”

Lee Soha shook her head, refuting Yoo Shinpoong’s words.

Lee Soha still dreamed of the romance of the Jianghu.

She had a prejudice that handsome men were good.

Yoo Shinpoong wanted to tell his niece that her prejudice was wrong. But it would be much easier for her to accept it by seeing it herself than by him saying a hundred words.

“Let’s go! From the looks of it, I don’t think he’s going to stop at just this.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I intend to see with my own eyes and judge. I don’t know what grudge he has with the Seven Stars Hall, but people should not be killed so recklessly like this.”

“Uncle! Aren’t you meddling in something unnecessary?”

“I have lived my whole life in the Jianghu with Chivalry alone. How can I see such a thing and just pass by? Moreover, the Seven Stars Hall is not a Sect that walks the Evil Path. Although its members are eccentric, it is still a Sect of the righteous path, so I cannot pretend not to see.”

At Yoo Shinpoong’s words, Lee Soha’s expression turned momentarily dissatisfied.

She didn’t want to get involved in this matter any further. As a newcomer to the Jianghu and a woman, she instinctively shied away from getting her feet wet in grim affairs. But Yoo Shinpoong was different.

He had made his name roaming the Jianghu his entire life, guided by Chivalry alone.

To see something like this and turn a blind eye would be to deny his very identity.

‘I wish we could just pass by…’

Lee Soha sighed secretly, away from Yoo Shinpoong’s eyes.