Chapter 239

In his room, Lee Yul heard the news that Seong-un and Bo-gyeong had entered Snow Blade Sword Manor.

It wasn’t very surprising that the Shaolin Temple had sent people.

He had anticipated it ever since the fight with Jin Clan began in earnest.

It was an event unfolding in the Shaolin Temple’s own front yard. It would be stranger if the Shaolin Temple didn’t intervene.

That was why Lee Yul wasn’t surprised at all to hear that Seong-un and Bo-gyeong had come from the Shaolin Temple.

Seong-un and Bo-gyeong immediately entered a meeting with Seol Gang-yeon, the Manor Lord of Snow Blade Sword Manor.

Even without seeing it with his own eyes, it was obvious what kind of conversation they would be having.

“No matter how much you dig a ditch to divert the water, a flood has already broken out. How can it be stopped?”

A faint smile appeared on Lee Yul’s lips.

Everything was going according to his plan.

The only thing that bothered him was the assassin who had infiltrated before.

The one who had seen through his reason for sending Jang Gwang-san and Sa Okyeon and had tracked him back.

He had shaken off the Hundred Wraith Union’s Hong Ye-seol and the Red Lotus Four Ghosts and vanished without a trace.

The circumstances suggested a high probability that he was staying with Jin Clan.

Having such a person with Jin Clan was a great threat. So, he had requested other assassins from the Hundred Wraith Union.

Because of that, he had to spend more than he had initially expected. Commissioning the Hundred Wraith Union consumed a ridiculously large amount of money. But the results were just as certain.

Hong Ye-seol breaking the contract was unexpected, but he had called in other assassins to fill her place, so it wasn’t a problem.

‘Insolent!’

As he thought of Hong Ye-seol, a faint killing intent surfaced in his eyes.

A mere assassin dared to speak of a breach of contract and terminated it as she pleased.

Lee Yul vowed that one day he would teach her how terrifying the world could be.

Usually, such vows ended up as just passing words, but Lee Yul’s case was different. He had never once made an empty promise.

Especially when it came to matters related to his pride, he was obsessive to an excessive degree. That very tenacity was the driving force that had made the Lee Yul of today.

“Dokyeong!”

He called for his trusted subordinate, Baek Dokyeong. A moment later, Baek Dokyeong opened the door and entered.

“You called for me?”

“Are the monks from Shaolin still in the Manor Lord’s residence?”

“Yes! The private talk is ongoing.”

“When their private talk with the Manor Lord is over, treat them with the utmost hospitality. To the point where they feel burdened.”

“I understand.”

Baek Dokyeong replied, bowing his head.

“You may leave.”

“Ah! We have a guest.”

“A guest?”

“Yes! The ones the Steward requested before have arrived.”

“Is that so?”

“Shall I bring them in?”

“Do so.”

“I will bring them right away.”

As Baek Dokyeong went outside, Lee Yul muttered.

“Now the picture is more or less coming together.”

The beginning is always the hardest.

Drawing a rough sketch on a blank canvas and giving it shape one by one consumes a vast amount of mental energy. But once that stage is passed, the picture tends to complete itself without much effort.

The people Baek Dokyeong was about to bring were also pieces he had included from the very beginning when he first conceived the picture.

He sensed a presence outside.

Baek Dokyeong had returned with the guests.

A moment later, the door opened, and a man followed Baek Dokyeong inside.

The man made a fist-palm salute to Lee Yul.

“Jang Muryang, Unit Leader of the Black Cloud Corps, greets the great one.”

Pyo Wol looked up at the sky.

The sun was beating down fiercely.

He used to feel a sense of aversion to the sunlight, but that feeling had long since disappeared.

Pyo Wol suddenly remembered that he hadn’t eaten anything all day.

He wasn’t a glutton, but he still needed to eat on time to maintain his body in peak condition.

Pyo Wol looked around and spotted an inn.

It was a rather large inn, even equipped with a stable.

Seeing quite a few horses in the stable on one side of the inn, it seemed many guests had come.

He disliked crowded places, so he considered going elsewhere, but there were no other inns in sight.

In the end, Pyo Wol entered the first inn he saw.

As expected, the atmosphere inside the inn was lively. It was because a large group of guests had arrived all at once.

The atmosphere inside the inn was chaotic from bringing their horses into the stable.

Pyo Wol glanced around for a moment before sitting at a table by the window.

It was a good while later that a waiter came running.

The waiter rushed over, panting, and greeted him.

“Welcome. A large group came in, so I’m a little late.”

His face was flushed red from having been busy stabling the horses just a moment ago.

“Bring me stir-fried pork and a bowl of noodles.”

“Right away.”

The waiter bowed his head and ran back to the kitchen.

It seemed the waiter was fated to run around all day today.

Pyo Wol waited for his food to arrive quickly and looked out the window. Having been in Runan for a few days, the street scene was quite familiar.

It was while Pyo Wol was watching the scenery outside the window.

“Everyone worked hard coming all this way. Rest well until the Unit Leader returns.”

“Drink in moderation.”

“Good work, everyone.”

A group of martial artists swarmed in from the entrance leading to the stable.

Along with their loud voices, the reek of sweat wafted out, making one instinctively frown.

Pyo Wol suddenly furrowed his brow.

Among the random voices he heard, a familiar one was mixed in.

Pyo Wol turned his head to look at those who had entered the inn.

A peculiar light flickered in his eyes.

As expected, he saw familiar faces.

‘Heo Ranju, Daoshi Go!’

The ones who had entered after stabling their horses were none other than the martial artists of the Black Cloud Corps. Thick dust had settled on their heads and shoulders, as if they had traveled a long way.

“Huh?”

Just then, Heo Ranju let out a gasp.

She, too, had spotted Pyo Wol.

Heo Ranju looked at Daoshi Go with a troubled expression. She never imagined she would run into Pyo Wol here.

“That bastard!”

“It’s him.”

The other martial artists also recognized Pyo Wol and showed their hostility.

The Black Cloud Corps had lost numerous comrades while fighting Pyo Wol.

The memory of that day still remained a nightmare for them.

The Black Cloud Corps had been forced to flee Sichuan Province as if on the run, without even receiving proper payment, because the Emei Sect, who had commissioned them, had become closed-off.

Because of that, they revealed their killing intent the moment they saw Pyo Wol.

His face was unforgettable.

They knew all too well that behind that face, more beautiful than a woman’s, hid a heart more cruel and venomous than a scorpion’s.

Just then, Heo Ranju and Daoshi Go stepped forward and stopped them.

“Wait!”

“Everyone, stand by.”

The two stepped up and restrained the venom-filled Black Cloud Corps.

They were just as bewildered, but they knew well that clashing with Pyo Wol here would not yield a good result.

The Black Cloud Corps members who had entered this inn were only a small fraction. If they really intended to fight Pyo Wol, the entire Black Cloud Corps would have to be mobilized.

“Phew! I never thought I’d see you here again. Hello! Handsome Orabeoni.”

Heo Ranju greeted him nonchalantly and sat opposite Pyo Wol.

“We meet again. Hoho!”

Daoshi Go also sat beside Heo Ranju and greeted him.

Despite having had an arm cut off by Pyo Wol, Daoshi Go greeted him with a smiling face. That made him feel even more frightening.

A person who could smile despite holding a deep grudge could never be ordinary.

Pyo Wol opened his mouth.

“It seems you have a commission here?”

“A commission? What are you talking about? We’re just passing through. What about you, what brings you here?”

“I’m just passing through too.”

“Is that so? Hoho! Then this is quite a coincidence.”

Daoshi Go laughed nonchalantly.

Heo Ranju also chuckled and said.

“At this point, isn’t this really fate? Meeting wherever we go. By the way, why are you showing your face? Didn’t you usually cover your face with a scarf?”

“It was stuffy.”

“Not trying to seduce women?”

“Even if I were, it’s none of your business.”

“Hmph! Who said it was?”

Heo Ranju snorted.

Daoshi Go pinched Heo Ranju’s side and sent a telepathic message.

—Get a grip, girl! What kind of times are these for you to be so mesmerized by a man’s face that you can’t think straight?

At Daoshi Go’s sharp rebuke, Heo Ranju gritted her teeth.

‘Damn it, whenever I see this man, my heart gets all jumbled up. I can’t get used to it. This won’t do. It would be better for my mental health to just kill him quickly.’

Above all, meeting Pyo Wol in Runan bothered her.

They were currently employed by Snow Blade Sword Manor.

The Black Cloud Corps’ Unit Leader, Jang Muryang, had gone to meet the client, and their main force, the cavalry, was waiting on the outskirts of Runan.

Currently, only a small number had entered Runan to avoid drawing attention.

They had entered Runan in small numbers to avoid being noticed, but running into Pyo Wol meant all their efforts had gone to waste.

Just as they knew about Pyo Wol, Pyo Wol also knew the Black Cloud Corps well.

One wrong move and the Black Cloud Corps’ movements could be exposed by Pyo Wol.

“Alcohol, here!”

As her conflict deepened, Heo Ranju ordered alcohol from the waiter.

The waiter, who had been cautiously watching the tense atmosphere, quickly brought a bottle of liquor.

Heo Ranju put the bottle to her lips and drank gulp after gulp. A stream of liquor trickled from the corner of her mouth down into her cleavage.

Thud!

Heo Ranju, who had emptied half the bottle in an instant, slammed it down on the table and said.

“Handsome Orabeoni, I’ll be honest. Leave this place. Then there will be no problem between us. So, whatever your purpose for coming here, give it up and leave.”

“So you did come to Runan for work.”

“It’s the same for both of us. An assassin like you wouldn’t stay in one place for no reason. Who commissioned you? Snow Blade Sword Manor? Or Jin Clan?”

“I told you. I’m just passing through.”

“Bullshit! You expect me to believe that?”

Heo Ranju glared at Pyo Wol with fierce eyes.

As she released her aura, the martial artists of the Black Cloud Corps, who had been warily watching the situation, all drew their weapons.

At that, Daoshi Go let out a sigh.

“Haaah!”

If one were to measure the size of their grudge against Pyo Wol, no one here could match his. Not only had Pyo Wol cut off his arm, but he had also been gravely injured and had hovered on the brink of death. Yet, the reason he was suppressing it was so that the grand plan Jang Muryang was drawing up would not be disrupted.

If they clashed with Pyo Wol here before their real work even began, the grand dream Jang Muryang harbored would crumble before it could even unfold.

“You girl! Calm down. Why are you getting so worked up? You’re like a wife seeing her cheating husband. Are you afraid he’ll live up to his handsome face?”

“What? This damn Daoist Master…”

Heo Ranju looked dumbfounded at Daoshi Go’s absurd words. With that, the fierce killing intent emanating from the Black Cloud Corps also subsided a notch.

But just then, something truly absurd happened.

“Oh my, I waited for so long, but you didn’t come. What are you doing here all alone?”

Suddenly, a woman’s soft voice was heard.

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the owner of the voice.

A woman in a red silk dress was walking gracefully from the inn’s entrance.

Her face wasn’t exceptionally beautiful, but she was a woman who exuded a magical charm that made it impossible for people to look away—it was Hong Ye-seol.

Hong Ye-seol walked gracefully like a butterfly and sat next to Pyo Wol, acting coquettishly.

“Did you really forget we were supposed to have a meal together? Eating alone in a cheap inn like this. Don’t stay in a place that lowers your class, come with me. One’s standards rise when one associates with people of the right class.”

As Hong Ye-seol spoke, she subtly glanced over Heo Ranju and the others.

Her gaze was peculiar.

It held a feeling of subtly looking down on people.

The men, being less perceptive, didn’t notice, but Heo Ranju was different.

She glared at Hong Ye-seol and raised her voice.

“Who are you?”

“Me?”

Hong Ye-seol smiled, hugging Pyo Wol’s arm tightly.

“This man’s lover.”