Chapter 383

In the dead of night, when everyone was asleep, a figure moved silently like a stray cat across the roof of the Southern Sky Inn.

It was a figure clad in a black martial arts uniform.

The figure, face completely hidden by a mask, walked silently across the roof.

The black figure stood on the roof and surveyed the surroundings for a moment.

It was still early dawn.

The world before sunrise was incredibly dark, and not even a shadow of a person could be seen on the streets.

The black figure lifted a roof tile and slipped inside.

He moved along the rafters.

He completely suppressed his breathing and hid all signs of his presence.

Many guests were staying at the Inn, but not a single one noticed the black figure passing over their heads.

After moving cautiously for a long while, the black figure finally arrived at his destination.

He stopped and looked down into a room in the Southern Sky Inn’s annex.

Inside the room, someone was sleeping, breathing evenly.

Ssk!

The figure descended into the room without a sound.

He stared intently at the person sleeping on the bed.

The owner of the beautiful white face, which stood out even in the darkness, was none other than Pyo Wol.

The black figure whispered in Pyo Wol’s ear.

“You’re not asleep, are you? I know.”

In that instant, Pyo Wol opened his eyes.

Even with the Masked Man in his room, Pyo Wol’s expression was not the least bit surprised.

Just as the man had said, Pyo Wol had already known.

The moment the Masked Man set foot on the roof of the Southern Sky Inn, Pyo Wol had sensed his presence.

He had only watched until now because the Masked Man held no Killing Intent.

The Masked Man scoffed at Pyo Wol, who was staring right at him.

“Hmph! I knew it. You’re so annoyingly sharp.”

He took off his mask. Then, hair as black as silk cascaded down like a waterfall.

At a glance, she had an ordinary appearance, but she was a woman who possessed a strange beauty that drew people’s gazes.

As far as Pyo Wol knew, there was only one woman in All Under Heaven with such a characteristic.

“Hong Ye-seol!”

“It’s been a while.”

The woman, Hong Ye-seol, smiled, revealing her white teeth.

“What brings you here?”

“I came because I missed you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Oh my! But it’s true.”

Hong Ye-seol’s eyes widened as she looked at Pyo Wol. A captivating smile still lingered on her lips.

She leaned down.

Their faces were so close they were almost touching.

Hong Ye-seol whispered in Pyo Wol’s ear.

“Shall I show you how much I missed you?”

She then laid her body on top of Pyo Wol’s.

Pyo Wol wrapped his arms tightly around Hong Ye-seol’s waist.

“Hohoho!”

Hong Ye-seol let out a seductive laugh and burrowed deeper into Pyo Wol’s embrace.

The clothes she had been wearing slid to the floor.

＊＊＊

“Huhu!”

Hong Ye-seol caressed Pyo Wol’s chest with her smooth, white fingers.

Lying on top of Pyo Wol, her pale, naked body exposed, Hong Ye-seol hummed a tune, seemingly delighted.

Hong Ye-seol’s fingers moved up to Pyo Wol’s face.

Caressing his cheek, she whispered.

“How can your skin be so good? Tell me. Did you take some Spirit Medicine without me knowing?”

“What brings you here?”

“Changing the subject again. I told you, I came to see you.”

“Did you receive a commission?”

“Ugh! You’re no fun.”

Hong Ye-seol sat up, as if her mood had been spoiled.

She wrapped herself in a blanket and walked to the window.

When she opened the window wide, the moonlit Poyang Lake came into view. The moon, which had been hidden behind the clouds when she arrived, had revealed itself again.

The surface of the water, bathed in moonlight, glittered like jewels.

Hong Ye-seol leaned against the window and gazed at Poyang Lake.

Her figure, bathed in moonlight, was incredibly beautiful. Any man would have his heart swayed by her fatal charm. But Pyo Wol remained cold.

“You received a commission.”

“Tsk! It really doesn’t work on you. That’s right. I received a commission.”

“The target?”

“Why are you being so crude? You know the unwritten rule of our world. I can’t tell you, even if it’s you.”

“Did you come alone?”

“I told you, I can’t say.”

Hong Ye-seol shook her head once more.

Pyo Wol didn’t ask any further.

‘For Hong Ye-seol to be on the move, the target must be a big shot.’

There were many people at Poyang Lake who could be called big shots of the Jianghu.

Namgung Wol, Yong Hasang, Ju Seol-pung, Jang Ho-yeon—all were young, but they were beings who could certainly be called big shots.

If any one of them were to die, it would surely cause great turmoil in the Jianghu.

The problem was who had commissioned Hong Ye-seol.

No matter how brilliant Pyo Wol’s mind was, he couldn’t deduce that much without any information.

Hong Ye-seol smiled and approached Pyo Wol.

“Don’t think too hard about it. You should just enjoy this moment.”

She wrapped her arms around Pyo Wol’s neck. And she gazed at him with her deep eyes.

Pyo Wol was not one to be ignorant of what she wanted.

He pulled her in roughly and kissed her. Hong Ye-seol moved her red tongue like a snake to greet the intruder.

＊＊＊

When Pyo Wol opened his eyes again, Hong Ye-seol had vanished without a trace.

Only the remnants of their passionate night remained in the room.

Pyo Wol gathered his clothes and put them on.

As he put on his Dark Dragon Robe last, Ghost Fang appeared from somewhere and climbed up his leg. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, it coiled itself around his forearm.

Its belly was slightly full, as if it had feasted somewhere. Pyo Wol stroked Ghost Fang’s head once before leaving the annex.

“You’re out?”

The first person to greet him as he entered the dining hall was Yoo Soo-hwan. He was already in the middle of a hearty meal, a large spread set before him.

“Have a seat. We just need to get you a bowl of rice.”

“I’ll eat later.”

“Pardon?”

“There’s somewhere I need to go.”

“Where?”

“I’ll tell you when I get back.”

Pyo Wol left Yoo Soo-hwan behind and exited the Inn.

He headed for the workshop district on the outskirts of Poyang Lake.

‘It was definitely the smell of iron.’

Hong Ye-seol herself might not have known, but a faint smell of iron clung to her body.

It was the unique smell of iron burning in a fire.

Pyo Wol knew well where such a smell came from.

A workshop district just like this one.

Only in a place like this, where iron was directly melted in hot furnaces to create weapons or farming tools, did such a smell exist.

Ttduduk!

The moment he set foot in the workshop district, the muscles on Pyo Wol’s face shifted, and he transformed into a completely different person.

Pyo Wol didn’t think she had come simply because she wanted to make love with him.

There was always a reason behind every action of an Assassin.

He had to find out that reason.

The method Pyo Wol chose was to find the place that had the exact same smell that clung to her body.

To someone with a dull sense of smell, all burning iron might smell the same, but Pyo Wol knew that the smell differed depending on the type of iron and the fuel used in the furnace.

Pyo Wol entered a workshop at the entrance of the street.

As he stepped inside the workshop, a blast of scorching heat greeted him.

“Welcome.”

A clerk greeted him cheerfully.

Pyo Wol pretended to browse the weapons and approached the furnace.

In front of the furnace, craftsmen were hammering away, their upper bodies bare. Beads of sweat flowed ceaselessly from their bodies.

Pyo Wol approached them. The smell of burning iron strongly stimulated his sense of smell.

‘This isn’t the place.’

The smell was slightly different from the one that had clung to Hong Ye-seol’s clothes.

“There’s nothing here that I like. I’ll come back another time.”

Pyo Wol made an excuse and went outside.

Next, he headed to the workshop right next door. But the smell of iron here was also slightly different from the one he remembered.

Pyo Wol made the excuse that he didn’t like the weapons and left. Then he entered the next workshop.

Pyo Wol visited all the workshops on the street in this manner. No one thought his behavior was strange.

This place was teeming with Martial Artists like him.

A weapon was a Martial Artist’s life.

Naturally, one had to choose with care.

It wasn’t just Pyo Wol; many Martial Artists would visit at least five or six workshops before making a choice.

It was when he entered the twelfth workshop.

Pyo Wol’s nose twitched slightly.

The smell of iron wafting from the furnace was an exact match to the one in his memory.

In front of a large furnace, two craftsmen, stripped to the waist, were heating iron.

Pyo Wol pretended to be choosing a weapon and moved closer to them.

At that moment, the older craftsman pulled out the red-hot iron from the flames and shouted.

“Now!”

“Yes!”

The younger craftsman replied and swung his hammer with all his might.

Kkang! Kkang!

The sound of the hammer striking the iron echoed through the workshop.

Sparks flew from the iron in all directions.

A few sparks landed on the craftsmen’s bodies. Even so, the craftsmen showed no sign of feeling the heat and focused only on their hammering.

Because of this, they didn’t notice Pyo Wol approaching.

Pyo Wol got closer to them and smelled it once more. It was indeed the same smell he had caught on Hong Ye-seol’s clothes.

‘This is the place.’

Pyo Wol’s sharp gaze swept across the inside of the workshop.

He didn’t know if this was a base for the Hundred Wraith Union or if she had just stopped by to buy a weapon, but it was certain that Hong Ye-seol had stayed here at some point.

The workshop looked ordinary on the outside. It was no different from any other workshop.

The weapons on the display stand also looked to be of high quality.

He could tell the craftsmen’s skills were quite outstanding.

Just then, an elderly clerk approached Pyo Wol with a smile.

“Is there a particular weapon you’re looking for?”

“I’m looking at swords. Is this all you have?”

“We have more inside. Would you like to see them?”

“Mm.”

When Pyo Wol nodded, the clerk guided him to the back of the workshop.

There was another display rack inside, with weapons neatly arranged on it. They were clearly of better quality than the ones outside.

The clerk picked up a sword from the display rack and said.

“This is one of the masterpieces our workshop’s master craftsman poured his heart and soul into. As you can see, it’s made of very high-quality iron, so its strength is excellent. It’s also well-balanced, and the blade is sharp. Would you like to examine it yourself?”

“Mm.”

Pyo Wol nodded and took the sword.

Taaang!

When he flicked the body of the sword with his finger, a clear metallic sound rang through the workshop. Only a well-tempered sword could produce such a clear sound.

As the clerk said, it was a well-made sword. But it was not enough to meet Pyo Wol’s standards.

Their skill was far inferior to that of Tang Sochu, who had made the Ghostly Rain. So there was no reason to buy the sword in his hand.

The clerk, unaware of Pyo Wol’s thoughts, continued.

“It’s a fine sword. It’s not easy to find an item of this quality. Our workshop can produce it, but you won’t be able to find a sword this well-made in other workshops.”

The clerk’s voice was filled with strong pride.

At that moment, the back of the clerk’s hand caught Pyo Wol’s eye.

The back of his hand was covered in thick calluses. Workshop labor was hard, so it wasn’t strange for hands to get callused. The problem was the location of the calluses.

It was the back of the hand, not the palm.

No matter how hard the workshop labor was, one couldn’t get calluses on the back of the hand. Such calluses only formed from practicing fist techniques or Hand Art.

The clerk’s physique was very slender, showing no sign of having practiced Martial Arts.

It was a physique that someone who practiced Martial Arts involving vigorous movements, like swords, sabers, or fist techniques, could not have.

Pyo Wol instinctively knew that the clerk was of the same kind as him.

‘An Assassin!’

And a highly skilled one at that.

His gaze, breathing, and movements showed none of the language of an Assassin. But he couldn’t fool Pyo Wol’s eyes.

Pyo Wol was an expert at smelling his own kind.

The clerk gave off the scent of his own kind.

Pyo Wol smiled and said.

“I’ll buy this sword.”