Chapter 250

A flush had risen to her face, and a strange heat shimmered in her eyes. A thick Body Scent, enough to stimulate a man’s sense of smell, wafted from her.

A single gesture, a subtle movement, the shift of her pupils—all held the power to bewitch a man.

The word femme fatale seemed to exist just for her.

Though her appearance was plain, she possessed a power that made men’s hearts race.

Hong Ye-seol was seducing Pyo Wol, exuding an explosive charm.

It was impossible for any man to maintain his sanity in the face of Hong Ye-seol’s seduction.

Pyo Wol slowly lowered his head.

Hong Ye-seol’s red lips covered Pyo Wol’s.

Pyo Wol devoured her lips. Hong Ye-seol responded just as eagerly.

There were many people in the Inn, but strangely, not a single one of them paid them any mind.

The two explored each other’s lips for a long while before pulling apart.

“Hah!”

Hong Ye-seol’s breathy, heated moan escaped softly.

She gazed at Pyo Wol with half-lidded eyes, then frowned.

It was because Pyo Wol’s eyes, looking back at her, held no emotion whatsoever. His gaze was so cold it was impossible to believe they had just been devouring each other’s lips.

“Why?”

“Your lips are cold.”

“What?”

“You can fake your complexion and your eyes, but it’s hard to fake your body temperature.”

If Hong Ye-seol had truly been aroused, her body temperature should have risen as well. But her lips were cold.

It meant she wasn’t the least bit excited.

The look in her eyes, her breath, her gestures just a moment ago—it was all a lie.

Hong Ye-seol had seduced Pyo Wol with a falsehood.

“Tch! I didn’t think of that.”

Hong Ye-seol pouted.

The heat that had shimmered on her face vanished as if it were a lie.

Pyo Wol was not surprised by Hong Ye-seol’s dramatic change.

There was nothing more foolish than completely trusting an Assassin.

An Assassin was a being who would even deceive their own emotions for the sake of their objective. They could fabricate everything visible on the surface, from their breathing and the look in their eyes to the heat of their body.

An Assassin who had reached Hong Ye-seol’s level could instantly create the emotion of loving Pyo Wol.

Just like a moment ago.

It wasn’t enough to fool Pyo Wol, but anyone else would have fallen for it without a doubt.

Hong Ye-seol wrinkled her nose for a moment before breaking into a bright smile.

“As expected, this much doesn’t faze you. I like it. You’ve caught my fancy.”

“What nonsense is this?”

“If you don’t fall for my seduction, it means you won’t easily fall for the seduction of other bitches.”

“If you’re going to keep spouting nonsense, you can get lost.”

“Ah, why? Do you really hate having a pretty woman like me by your side?”

“That face could hardly be called pretty.”

“Ah, right. Should I show you my real face?”

Hong Ye-seol pushed her face close to Pyo Wol’s.

Pyo Wol was slightly surprised, but for a different reason.

‘So the face from Mount Wudang wasn’t her real one either.’

It meant she possessed a Disguise Technique so exquisite that even he couldn’t see through it. And on top of that face, she had applied a slightly shoddy disguise to transform into yet another face.

Truly, everything was a lie.

Hong Ye-seol was smiling brightly at him.

It was as if she was enjoying herself, having already predicted how Pyo Wol would react.

Pyo Wol shook his head.

“Forget it.”

“Why? Aren’t you curious?”

“Not at all!”

“Tsk! Such a heartless man.”

Hong Ye-seol clicked her tongue, a look of disappointment on her face.

Pyo Wol quietly watched her.

If you let yourself get dragged along by a being like this, you would lose the upper hand forever.

“I want to be alone, so please leave now.”

“Do you really want me to leave just like this?”

“Yes!”

“You’ll regret it.”

“Regret?”

“I could go back to Snow Blade Sword Manor right now and report that you’re staying here. Or I could scream right here…”

“You would never do that.”

“Oh my! Why are you so sure?”

“Because your pride is hurt.”

“Why would my pride be hurt? I don’t have any.”

“Everyone has pride. They just live while hiding it.”

“Fine! Let’s say that’s true?”

“You’ve probably never failed to seduce someone. And you’ve probably never failed to complete a mission you accepted. But for the first time, you’ve been thwarted. Because of me…”

“So?”

“Someone like you never forgives failure. You won’t be satisfied until you get revenge on the one who thwarted you.”

“That does sound about right. I do want to make you kneel at my feet.”

Hong Ye-seol nodded her head.

She stood up from her seat with a look of disappointment.

“Fine! I hate to admit it, but I think you’re right. Be careful. The next time I come, I won’t back down so easily.”

Hong Ye-seol gave Pyo Wol a bright smile, then walked out of the Inn.

She quickly disappeared into the darkness of the street.

Once Hong Ye-seol had completely vanished, Pyo Wol raised his Internal Energy and muttered.

‘What a useless thing to do…’

In that short time, Hong Ye-seol had planted another scent on Pyo Wol’s body.

When the Thousand-Mile Tracking Incense was discovered, she had sprinkled a more subtle scent. It was an extremely faint scent, so much so that it was difficult for Pyo Wol’s sense of smell to detect.

Pyo Wol circulated his Internal Energy and completely blew away the scent clinging to his body.

This wouldn’t allow him to completely evade Hong Ye-seol’s pursuit, but it would let him avoid any annoying encounters for the time being.

Pyo Wol’s gaze suddenly turned to the window.

＊＊＊

At some point, his colleagues began to call him Dark Ghost.

A ghost that lives hidden in the dark.

Assassins as a breed naturally favored the dark, but his love for it was exceptional. He wished that night would continue without day.

His five senses were unusually developed, and they displayed their greatest power in the dark. In particular, the field he was most confident in was tracking.

He boasted an ultimate tracking skill that never lost a target once he had locked onto it. Within the Hundred Wraith Union, there was no one with tracking skills superior to his.

His rank within the Hundred Wraith Union was not very high, but his tracking skills surpassed even the Ten Blood Assassins. Even the Ten Blood Assassins could not shake off Dark Ghost’s pursuit.

Because of this, he was in charge of almost all tracking-related missions within the Hundred Wraith Union.

The mission Dark Ghost received from Black Tiger was to track Hong Ye-seol.

To be precise, his mission was to follow her, identify the people she contacted, and report back.

Hong Ye-seol had no idea that Dark Ghost was tailing her.

It was only natural.

Dark Ghost was not stronger than Hong Ye-seol, but his tracking skills were far superior to hers.

Since being discovered meant death, Dark Ghost was especially careful in tracking Hong Ye-seol.

Black Tiger had ordered Dark Ghost to identify and report on everyone Hong Ye-seol contacted.

Dark Ghost faithfully carried out Black Tiger’s order.

The Assassins of the Hundred Wraith Union usually undertook individual missions, so they rarely had contact with one another. But when they were assigned a joint mission like this, they followed the orders of the highest-ranking member.

Why Black Tiger had ordered him to surveil Hong Ye-seol was not important. All he had to do was faithfully carry out his mission.

Hong Ye-seol disappeared into the darkness, but Dark Ghost did not follow her. His gaze was fixed on the ordinary-looking man sitting by the Inn window.

He was the only person Hong Ye-seol had contacted.

His face was plain, and his clothes were unremarkable.

He was an ordinary person one could see anywhere on the street. But Dark Ghost did not make the mistake of believing what he saw at face value.

There was no way that someone contacted by Hong Ye-seol, one of the Ten Blood Assassins, could be an ordinary person. To think he was ordinary after they had shared such a passionate kiss right before his eyes would mean he should gouge his own eyes out.

Dark Ghost thought he needed to find out a little more about the man.

He had to find out what was so special about him that made Hong Ye-seol act that way.

Dark Ghost continued to watch Pyo Wol.

A long time after Hong Ye-seol left, he saw Pyo Wol go up to a room on the second floor.

Even after the room’s light went out, Dark Ghost did not move for a long time.

Only after enough time had passed for him to judge that his target was in a deep enough sleep did he rise from his hiding place.

By the time he got up, the streets were completely deserted and silent. Thanks to that, Dark Ghost was able to climb onto the roof of the Inn where Pyo Wol was staying without worrying about anyone’s eyes.

Dark Ghost carefully removed a roof tile from the Inn.

After carefully clearing away the earth and wood that filled the space beneath the tile, a hole just big enough for one person to fit through was created.

Dark Ghost entered the hole without hesitation.

The space inside the roof was so cramped that even a child would have had trouble crawling through it. But Dark Ghost crawled through it with complete freedom.

Not a single sound was made as he crawled over the wooden ceiling. He arrived above the ceiling of Pyo Wol’s room, which he had noted from the outside.

Dark Ghost focused his Internal Power into his hand.

Another Martial Art he prided himself on was a finger technique called One Shadow Finger. Upon reaching Complete mastery of One Shadow Finger, one’s fingers would become harder than steel, and one could emit an intangible energy that extended nearly a zhang.

It meant one could unleash Finger Qi, much like fist qi.

Dark Ghost, having channeled One Shadow Finger, gently pressed on the ceiling he was on with his finger. A finger-sized hole was pierced through without a sound.

Dark Ghost lay flat against the ceiling and brought his eye to the hole.

“……”

Dark Ghost, who had been cautiously looking down into the room, shot his eyes wide open.

Through the hole he had made, he could see Pyo Wol lying on the bed. But Pyo Wol’s eyes were open.

To be precise, Pyo Wol’s gaze and Dark Ghost’s gaze met in mid-air.

In that moment, Dark Ghost realized.

Pyo Wol had not been sleeping from the beginning but had been waiting for him.

He had tracked and surveilled countless people until now, but this was the first time a target had noticed his presence.

‘Damn it!’

Dark Ghost’s judgment was swift.

The moment his eyes met Pyo Wol’s, he hurriedly exited the Inn’s ceiling and began his Escape.

The moment he saw Pyo Wol’s eyes staring intently at him, he realized. That Pyo Wol was the Assassin Black Tiger had spoken of.

If what Black Tiger said was true, then with his skills, he couldn’t do anything to Pyo Wol even if he died and came back to life.

Dark Ghost used all his strength to perform his Lightness Art.

He sprinted across the roofs of mansions and hid in the shadows of alleyways to move.

Just as Dark Ghost was an expert in tracking, he also knew well how to shake off someone tracking him.

Dark Ghost used every trick he knew.

He deliberately went upstream in a creek to erase his tracks, and in the end, he changed direction and returned to Runan.

Finally, he stole someone’s clothes hanging on a clothesline in the front yard of a private house and changed into them.

Only after completely changing his appearance did he let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew!”

But it was still too early to be relieved.

After confirming that no one was around, Dark Ghost carefully carved a Code Language on the wall of a certain house.

He didn’t just write the Code Language on any house.

In any region, there were houses that met specific conditions.

A large building like a whale’s back, high walls, red lanterns hanging along the walls as if to show off the owner’s influence, and finally, a main gate that had turned black from not being repainted.

There were a few other minor conditions that had to be met.

Such places were the communication hubs where Assassins exchanged information using Code Language.

Assassins active in different regions would write Code Language on the walls of such houses to ask after each other’s well-being or to pass on information.

The content of Dark Ghost’s Code Language was simple.

[Hong Ye-seol contacted a dangerous element. Caution required.]

To an ordinary person, the Code Language was so disorderly that it would look like nothing more than a child’s scribbles. It was impossible for a normal person to find a regular pattern within it.

Dark Ghost’s Code Language was a kind of warning to the other Assassins who had entered Runan with him.

Having finished his final duty, Dark Ghost tried to leave the place in a hurry.

“……”

But in the next moment, he was forced to stop in his tracks.

A black shadow had appeared in the alley where he was.

The black shadow was the man he thought he had shaken off.

‘Damn it!’

Only then did Dark Ghost realize that Pyo Wol had been toying with him.

Pyo Wol had not lost him for a single moment.

He had probably watched him write the Code Language. The only comfort was that he thought it was impossible for Pyo Wol to know the content of the Code Language, or to figure out the conditions for the houses where the Code Language was written. But the moment Pyo Wol’s voice was heard, his composure shattered into pieces.

“A large building that can be seen from anywhere, red lanterns, and a discolored black gate must be the conditions for writing the Code Language.”

In an instant, Dark Ghost’s body trembled.

His opponent had deciphered the Hundred Wraith Union’s code system just by seeing it once. If he was left alone, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to figure out the content of the Code Language either.

‘Crazy!’

Pyo Wol did not miss the emotion of fear appearing in his eyes for the first time.

To go fishing, one needed bait.

In that respect, Hong Ye-seol was excellent bait.

Seeing how the fish were getting hooked on their own just by keeping her alive proved it.