Chapter 286

Un-song looked straight at Han Yu-cheon and said.

“Troubled Times……. Aren’t you being too hasty in your judgment?”

“You think it’s an exaggeration?”

“In any case, it ended with Jin Clan’s victory.”

“This is why you monks are told you don’t know the ways of the world. Just because Jin Clan won, do you think the divided public sentiment will be settled? No, those who sided with Snow Blade Sword Manor will harbor an even greater grudge because of today’s defeat.”

“Even so, you can’t just round them all up and kill them. If we soothe the wounds in their hearts……”

“You think they’ll just grin and bear it? The ones with the strongest pride are the kind known as Martial Artists. They will dwell on today’s defeat.”

“That’s something we’ll have to endure, isn’t it?”

“Hoo!”

Han Yu-cheon sighed at Un-song’s frustrating response.

Han Yu-cheon looked at Un-song with a pathetic expression.

Un-song’s Martial Arts were not much different from his own. In fact, in terms of pure martial power, he was clearly much stronger.

The potential Shaolin had accumulated over more than a thousand years was certainly formidable, and Un-song had inherited its essence completely.

Having mastered twelve of the Seventy-Two Arts, Un-song’s martial power was definitely a cut above Han Yu-cheon’s. But apart from martial power, his perspective on the world fell far short of Han Yu-cheon’s.

It was the limitation of a Buddhist sect that lived with a wall between itself and the secular world.

Because he had never experienced the world’s harsh public sentiment and fierce psychological warfare, he thought others would follow the greater good just as they did.

“People will have realized by now. How selfish the great sects that currently rule Jianghu are. And how detached they are from reality. And they will have seen with their own two eyes just how sluggish they are.”

“So you’re saying they’ll act as they please?”

“I’m saying the psychological barrier has crumbled.”

“It’s still no use. Do you think Shaolin will stand by and watch the Troubled Times come? What about Wudang? Mount Hua? The Radiant Martial Gate? Not a chance. As long as they are sound, the Troubled Times can never begin.”

Un-song’s voice was filled with a firm, unshakable belief.

“Tsk!”

Han Yu-cheon clicked his tongue, looking at Un-song.

There was no use talking to someone with such firm convictions as Un-song. Because he believed his own thoughts were absolutely correct.

In reality, Un-song thought that no matter what happened, he could overcome it with the power of the Shaolin Temple.

If the Shaolin Temple alone was not enough, he could just cooperate with Wudang and the Radiant Martial Gate.

It wasn’t baseless arrogance.

In reality, they possessed enough power to suppress the Troubled Times. The problem was that the world’s affairs were not solved by power alone.

The torrent of the world sometimes created unexpected turning points, and if one failed to respond properly at such times, the situation could spiral into the worst-case scenario in an instant.

Han Yu-cheon thought that now was such a turning point.

Un-song, who had spent his entire life in a quiet temple, lacked the eye to see the flow of the world. That was why he could look at the same situation and think so comfortably.

“Hah!”

Han Yu-cheon let out a sigh.

Un-song asked him.

“Where is Benefactor Jin now?”

“If you mean the Jin Clan brat, he’ll be by his grandfather’s side.”

“You mean Benefactor Jin Wolmyeong?”

“That’s right.”

“How is his condition?”

“Go see for yourself. Give him a Great Revival Pill if you have any to spare.”

“Is it that bad?”

“I told you to go see for yourself. You damn monk! You talk too much. And you’re so dense.”

Han Yu-cheon sheathed the sword he was holding at his waist. Then he walked past Un-song.

“Where are you going?”

“I have someone to meet.”

“Who?”

“An arrogant little brat.”

“What?”

“There’s a guy like that. Well, I’m off.”

Han Yu-cheon launched himself into the air and disappeared.

Un-song stared for a while in the direction he had vanished.

“Hah! Was I being too optimistic? No. Shaolin can overcome any situation that comes its way.”

Un-song fiddled with his prayer beads and walked toward the inner part of the Jin Clan Manor.

＊＊＊

Pyo Wol sat on a small rock, catching his breath.

The aftereffects of the fierce all-night battle were causing muscles all over his body to spasm.

It wasn’t the first or second time he had fought such a bloody battle, but today felt particularly difficult.

It felt like fighting a ghost without a physical form.

He had fought so fiercely, but in the end, he couldn’t catch Lee Yul, and only killed Baek Dokyeong, who was nothing more than a small fry.

Black Tiger and the Black Cloud Corps were merely hired hands with no connection to Lee Yul.

In the end, the only thing Pyo Wol found out was the name Nine Dragons Assassination Guild.

For a fact discovered while killing hundreds of people, it was too shabby. But Pyo Wol was not disappointed in the least.

Everything has a humble beginning.

The name Nine Dragons Assassination Guild itself was a big clue for Pyo Wol.

It seemed daunting right now, but if he took his time and gathered information, he would surely be able to get closer to their true identity.

“Wait!”

Pyo Wol shot up from the rock.

He thought all his connections to the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild had been severed, but there was still one left.

‘Golden Mountain Manor.’

The Nine Dragons Assassination Guild and Lee Yul had thoroughly used others.

They put Snow Blade Sword Manor at the forefront, and hired Black Tiger and the Black Cloud Corps with money. By putting unrelated people in front of them like that, they thoroughly concealed the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild’s involvement.

It was also Lee Yul who drew the Golden Mountain Manor to Snow Blade Sword Manor.

The benefits for the Golden Mountain Manor in helping Snow Blade Sword Manor were not that great. Nevertheless, Geum Shinchung willingly became Snow Blade Sword Manor’s backer. Of course, Pyo Wol had made him withdraw his support by killing his daughter.

There was no way Geum Shinchung, who was more sensitive to profit than anyone, would help Snow Blade Sword Manor for no reason.

‘Geum Shinchung must know something about Lee Yul and the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild.’

Snow Blade Sword Manor was annihilated last night, but the Golden Mountain Manor was still intact.

Once news of Snow Blade Sword Manor’s annihilation spread, Geum Shinchung would surely lie low or go into hiding. Before that happened, he had to catch Geum Shinchung and find out about the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild.

Pyo Wol left Snow Blade Sword Manor’s manor and headed for the Golden Mountain Manor.

Finding the Golden Mountain Manor was not very difficult.

All he had to do was find the largest Manor in Runan.

Numerous Martial Artists were standing guard on the outskirts of the Golden Mountain Manor Manor. But climbing the wall, avoiding their eyes, was no big deal for Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol infiltrated the Golden Mountain Manor Manor without a sound. Then he moved to find Geum Shinchung’s quarters.

Finding Geum Shinchung’s quarters was not that difficult.

All he had to do was find the most heavily guarded place within the Golden Mountain Manor Manor.

From atop a large tree, Pyo Wol looked at the huge pavilion he presumed to be Geum Shinchung’s quarters.

A tight security net was spread around the pavilion. But it wasn’t enough to stop Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol used his Stealth Skill to secretly infiltrate the pavilion.

Infiltrating the pavilion was difficult at first, but once inside, it wasn’t so hard.

Geum Shinchung hated letting others into his personal space. For that reason, the outside of the pavilion was guarded like a fortress, but no one was allowed inside.

Thanks to that, Pyo Wol walked inside the pavilion as if strolling through his own front yard.

As he got closer to Geum Shinchung’s room, Pyo Wol’s expression hardened. He had a strange feeling.

Thud!

Pyo Wol urgently opened the door to Geum Shinchung’s room.

Drip! Drip!

Inside the room, a woman stood holding a Dagger from which blood was dripping.

“Huh?”

The woman’s eyes widened as she looked at Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol looked at the fat man sprawled out in front of the woman. The man, bleeding from a slit throat like a fattened pig, was none other than the Manor Lord of the Golden Mountain Manor, Geum Shinchung.

He had lost his life in his own quarters to some woman.

The problem was that the woman who had ended Geum Shinchung’s life was someone Pyo Wol knew.

“How did you get here?”

The woman, looking at Pyo Wol with a puzzled expression, was none other than Hong Ye-seol.

Pyo Wol asked her.

“Why did you kill him?”

“I received a request.”

“A request?”

“Yes! A request.”

“The client?”

“Hoho! What’s with you? So unsophisticated. You know very well that I can’t reveal the client’s name as long as the contract is in effect.”

Hong Ye-seol said as if it were obvious.

“Wasn’t your contract with Lee Yul terminated?”

“This is a contract made before that.”

“With whom?”

“I told you I can’t say.”

Hong Ye-seol smiled brightly.

In contrast, Pyo Wol’s expression grew even colder.

“Did you receive a bundled request?”

“Sometimes that happens. When another request comes in, and it happens to be in the same area.”

“Is that the case this time too?”

“I’m just saying that such cases exist.”

Swish, swish!

Hong Ye-seol wiped the Flying Dagger that had ended Geum Shinchung’s life on his clothes and put it away in her robes.

Pyo Wol watched her silently.

Hong Ye-seol was still smiling brightly.

She was an Assassin of the highest caliber.

No matter how much Pyo Wol subdued and tortured her, she would never open her mouth.

“I’ll ask just one thing.”

“I told you. I can’t say a single thing about this request. Even if I am your lover.”

“Are you sure it was made before?”

“I already told you.”

“So you’re sure.”

Pyo Wol’s eyes gleamed.

Hong Ye-seol tilted her head.

She wondered if it was that important whether it was before or after.

She couldn’t understand why Pyo Wol was reacting so sensitively.

“I’ll be going now. It’ll soon be time for the Martial Artists to change shifts.”

Pyo Wol gave no answer to her words.

Hong Ye-seol pouted her lips slightly and launched herself out the window.

Left alone, Pyo Wol muttered.

“Before? Then that means they prepared for the possibility of things turning out this way.”

Someone like Geum Shinchung would have enemies all over All Under Heaven. After all, he had squeezed the lifeblood out of countless people through the King Yama Debt.

Perhaps one of them could have hired Hong Ye-seol. But the probability of that was extremely slim.

To move an Assassin like Hong Ye-seol required an astronomical fee. There was no way someone whose lifeblood had been sucked dry by the King Yama Debt would have that kind of wealth. That meant someone else must have made a separate request to Hong Ye-seol in preparation for a contingency.

Someone from the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild.

They were terrifyingly meticulous people.

At first, he had started this to uncover the truth about Jin Geum-woo’s death. But now it was different.

He felt an interest in the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild itself.

To be precise, it was Killing Intent.

This was truly the first time a being had evoked such Killing Intent in him.

Just thinking of their name made his stomach churn, and he felt an intense hostility.

They probably felt the same way about Pyo Wol.

Lee Yul, in particular, would surely feel an even stronger Killing Intent.

Because his plan had been completely ruined because of one person, Pyo Wol.

He would surely be watching Pyo Wol’s movements and making a plan to eliminate him.

Pyo Wol decided to wait for that moment.

Whenever they approached, he would turn the tables and snatch them.

For now, that was the only way to encounter the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild.

Pyo Wol searched Geum Shinchung’s quarters just in case. But nowhere could he find any clue that could be linked to the Nine Dragons Assassination Guild.

It was then.

“Manor Lord!”

The voice of a guard came from outside.

Pyo Wol opened the window and slipped out of the room.

“……”

No matter how long they waited, Geum Shinchung’s voice was not heard.

“We’re coming in.”

The guards cautiously entered Geum Shinchung’s room.

What met their eyes was Geum Shinchung’s corpse.

“The Manor Lord is dead.”

“An Assassin has infiltrated.”

An emergency was declared in the Golden Mountain Manor.

Martial Artists and retainers rushed over. But all they could see was Geum Shinchung’s massive corpse.

Those who had until now professed to be Geum Shinchung’s loyal retainers exchanged glances.

Even Geum Siyeon, who could be called Geum Shinchung’s only heir, had recently lost her life.

A mountain of Gold awaited them in the underground vault. Ownerless Gold.

The first to move would claim the mountain of Gold.

“Die!”

“I am the Manor Lord of the Golden Mountain Manor.”

“Die!”

A dog-eat-dog fight broke out over the mountain of Gold.