At my words, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner questioned me.
“What do you mean?”
“I won’t be going to the bandit stronghold.”
“What?”
The Provincial Surveillance Commissioner stared blankly at me for a moment. He probably couldn’t understand what I meant.
But he soon came to his senses and demanded angrily.
“What are you talking about?! Didn’t you say yourself that you would take the vanguard?! And now you’re backing out at the last moment! I never took you for that kind of man! It seems I misjudged you!”
The Crown Prince, who had been sitting with us, stepped in to calm him down.
“Calm yourself. The Deputy Merchant Lord Eun I know is neither a man who goes back on his word nor a coward. I’m sure he has his reasons.”
The Crown Prince looked at me and said.
“Tell us why you suddenly decided not to go to the stronghold.”
“Because Blood-Eyed Sword Demon isn’t at the stronghold we’re about to subjugate.”
“…What?”
“Blood-Eyed Sword Demon isn’t there?”
The Crown Prince, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and everyone else present reacted with shock.
“That’s correct. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t make sense of Blood-Eyed Sword Demon’s actions. While I was trying to figure it out, one of my Escort Guards told me what he knew about Blood-Eyed Sword Demon.”
I continued.
“Once I put all that information together, I realized there was no chance Blood-Eyed Sword Demon would remain at the stronghold after hearing that a punitive force was coming. So last night, I scouted the area around the stronghold and discovered him secretly fleeing.”
“Is that really true?”
The Provincial Surveillance Commissioner seemed to have completely forgotten that he’d just been shouting at me as he focused intently on my words.
“Yes. I followed him and discovered where he’s hiding. What I meant was that my Escort Guards and I would break away from the main force and subdue Blood-Eyed Sword Demon ourselves.”
“Hoho… So that was it.”
The Provincial Surveillance Commissioner apologized to me.
“I lost my temper without even hearing the whole story. My apologies.”
The fact that he could offer a straightforward apology like this meant he was a decent man.
At his rank, apologizing to someone beneath him couldn’t have been easy.
“It’s all right. I should’ve explained myself properly from the start.”
“No. I was too hasty.”
He continued.
“If you take anyone else with you, they might not follow your commands properly. So you want to operate separately with only your own men.”
“That’s correct.”
“Very well. I’ll authorize you to operate as a separate detachment.”
That was when Cousin Hyang-ok spoke up.
“If that’s the case, I’ll take the vanguard during the assault on the stronghold.”
As expected of Cousin Hyang-ok.
She never let an opportunity slip through her fingers.
“Very well. You may do so.”
With permission to operate as a separate detachment secured, I left the temporary military camp with my Escort Guards.
.
.
.
A short while later.
I arrived at the place where Blood-Eyed Sword Demon was staying.
We surrounded the house and slowly tightened the encirclement. Given Blood-Eyed Sword Demon’s cultivation realm, there was every chance he could sense our approach and make a run for it.
Peak was hardly a low realm, after all.
More importantly, had he taken the pill?
If my guess was right, he had definitely swallowed at least one.
That was when it happened.
Boom!
The front gate exploded outward, and Blood-Eyed Sword Demon appeared.
As expected, he’d noticed us coming.
“What the hell?! Damn it! Who the fuck are you people now?”
“What should we do?”
“Is there really anything to talk about? Attack.”
At my command, the Escort Guards rushed him.
Clang–!
Clang, clang–!
He managed to block several attacks, but he was quickly forced onto the defensive.
Naturally. Escort Guard Jin Yu and I were both in the Profound Realm.
“Urgh!”
Blood-Eyed Sword Demon groaned as he was driven backward, then tried to provoke us.
“Isn’t this a little cowardly? I’m alone, and there are five of you.”
“When life and death are on the line, who cares about fighting fair?”
I answered as I swung my sword at him.
Slash!
My blade grazed his arm, opening a wound.
“Ghk! Fine! Then I’ll show you the power I gained recently!”
With those words, he raised his sword upright.
But his eyes immediately wavered.
“What’s wrong? Is your Internal Power not moving the way it should?”
“…!”
Pure shock appeared on his face.
“You bastards! What did you do to me?”
“Who knows?”
I played dumb.
It wouldn’t be much of a secret if I explained it this easily.
Even if we were about to subdue him, I had no reason to tell him anything.
“Maybe you ate something that had gone bad?”
“Damn it!”
He cursed and barely managed to block my sword.
That was when his eyes turned red.
Just as I expected.
Since he couldn’t use Transcendent power, he was resorting to his hidden trump card, the Soul-Bewitching Art.
I immediately unleashed the Qi of the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Art.
It would be a serious problem if my Escort Guards fell victim to that Soul-Bewitching Art.
In fact, that technique was one of the reasons I had brought only my own Escort Guards.
If our allies were bewitched into attacking us, there would be few things more troublesome.
Then I shouted at my Escort Guards.
“Fall back right now!”
Despite my order, Escort Guard Myeong Jong and Escort Guard Chang Un hesitated instead of immediately retreating.
Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Jin Yu noticed and grabbed the two men by the backs of their collars, dragging them away.
“Brother!”
“Why do we have to retreat?”
At their protests, Escort Guard Seo Wu answered firmly.
“Do you intend to disobey our lord’s command?”
“But we’re Escort Guards! We can’t retreat and leave our lord behind!”
“I feel the same way. But this is an unusual situation where our presence may only hinder our lord. We have to trust him and wait.”
The Escort Guards withdrew and formed a wide perimeter around Blood-Eyed Sword Demon and me.
I drew up my Qi and pressed Blood-Eyed Sword Demon relentlessly.
As long as he couldn’t draw on the power of the Extreme Martial Awakening Pill, the difference between our abilities was overwhelming.
Just as I was about to subdue him.
Whoosh!
I sensed something flying toward me and hurriedly swung my sword to knock it aside.
Clang–!
When I looked over, a masked man dressed in black was staring at us.
I hadn’t sensed him at all…?
Then there was only one possible answer.
His cultivation realm was higher than mine.
And from him, I could feel Unorthodox Qi steeped in the thick scent of blood.
That alone proved beyond doubt that he was not on our side.
“I–I’m saved!”
Blood-Eyed Sword Demon brightened immediately.
“You came to save me!”
I frowned and asked.
“Are you here to rescue Blood-Eyed Sword Demon?”
At my question, the man burst out laughing.
“Hahaha.”
It was a casual laugh. Yet the power carried within that laughter seemed to crush the very space around us.
My grip tightened around my sword, and blood seeped from my lips.
Aside from Escort Guard Jin Yu, the other Escort Guards looked as though they could barely remain standing.
That man was a genuine Transcendent martial artist.
Not some imitation Transcendent created by the Extreme Martial Awakening Pill, but the real thing.
The tension was suffocating.
Then a dagger shot from his hand.
I thrust out my sword to block it. But…
Claaang!
Instead, my sword was knocked away, and the dagger continued straight into Blood-Eyed Sword Demon’s chest.
Thud!
So that was what his laughter had meant.
“Wh… Why…?”
Blood-Eyed Sword Demon stared at the dagger buried in his chest in disbelief, then toppled backward.
“You were planning to use Blood-Eyed Sword Demon from the beginning.”
The masked man didn’t answer. He merely stared at me before appearing right in front of me in the blink of an eye.
I instinctively swung my sword at him.
Clang!
“Good instincts.”
“Ghk!”
If I hadn’t raised my sword on pure reflex, I really would have died.
Just blocking his sword was almost more than I could handle, but I couldn’t give up.
If I failed to hold on, I would die.
“You’re weaker than me, yet you actually blocked my sword… You’re an interesting one.”
Tap!
He leaped backward, sheathed his sword, and spoke.
“I’ve changed my mind. I won’t take your life here today.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have a feeling we’ll meet again someday. By then, you’ll be stronger than you are now. I’ll take your life when that day comes.”
“Why?”
“Because I hate boring fights.”
“Then why did you kill him?”
“That was an order.”
His eyes curved into a smile.
Even though the mask hid everything but his eyes, I could almost see the grin beneath it, and the thought sent a chill down my spine.
“But leaving without doing anything else would feel a little unsatisfying. Consider this a gift.”
In the next instant, another identical dagger shot through the air.
It wasn’t aimed at me, but at my Escort Guards.
They needed to dodge, but the masked man’s pressure had left them barely capable of moving.
I was the only one who could move properly.
“Daaaaamn it!”
I kicked off the ground and threw myself forward.
Am I too late?
That was when it happened.
Thunk!
Something suddenly appeared and intercepted the dagger.
A–a shield?
Why the hell was there suddenly a shield…?
I had no idea what was going on, but the impact against the shield weakened the force behind the dagger, giving me just enough time to knock it aside.
I let out a breath of relief and looked behind me.
“Phew…”
The masked man in black was already gone.
He had clearly thrown that dagger at my Escort Guards specifically to stop me from chasing him.
“Young Master! Are you all right?”
“Huh? Palgap? What are you doing here?”
I couldn’t help but stare at him in shock.
I’d specifically asked him to protect Young Lady Seohyang and left him behind at the Qingcheng Sect, so what was he doing here?
“Deputy Gwak sent me, sir. She said a masked man would throw a dagger while escaping, that the dagger would be aimed at your Escort Guards, and that you’d get hurt trying to stop it.”
Palgap rubbed the bottom of his nose as he spoke.
“So I found the toughest shield I could and hid here ahead of time, sir.”
“I see.”
I’ll have to thank Young Lady Seohyang.
But wait… if that was the case, even that Transcendent expert hadn’t noticed Palgap hiding here.
The talent of the King of Assassins really was extraordinary.
“My lord. Are you all right?”
“Our lack of ability… put you in danger, my lord.”
At their words, I waved a hand dismissively.
“It’s fine. I nearly died because I wasn’t strong enough either.”
I steadied my trembling legs and approached Blood-Eyed Sword Demon.
It was already too late.
The wound was fatal, and he had lost far too much blood.
Even Geumryeong’s acupuncture needles couldn’t save someone in this condition.
“Hey. Blood-Eyed Sword Demon.”
“Ghh… Ugh…”
“This is what happens when you trust the wrong people. Feels unfair, doesn’t it? I might be able to get you a little revenge, so how about giving me some information before you die?”
I continued.
“The punitive force that got trapped inside that cave – what was the point of all that? And what was with those ridiculous negotiation terms?”
“I–I didn’t do… that… They told me…”
Just as I thought. It hadn’t been his idea. He’d merely been following their orders.
“Th–the reason… I don’t… I don’t know…”
As expected, they hadn’t told him why.
He died soon afterward.
But at the moment of his death, the Unorthodox Qi steeped in that thick scent of blood vanished completely.
Come to think of it, the same thing had happened when that woman named Hwang Min from the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group died.
The one thing she and this man had in common was that they had both learned the Soul-Bewitching Art.
Did that mean there was some secret hidden within the Soul-Bewitching Art?
I’d have to investigate that.
“Young Master. What should we do with this dagger?”
“The dagger?”
“Yes.”
Palgap pointed at the dagger lying on the ground.
It was the one I had knocked aside earlier.
A single serpent was engraved into its blade.
“Lone Serpent Sword!”
Escort Guard Jin Yu shouted the instant he saw it.
“Lone Serpent Sword? Do you know who he is?”
“Yes.”
Escort Guard Jin Yu nodded.
“He was one of the people we investigated previously. He uses weapons engraved with a single serpent, and he’s a Transcendent expert. He’s an assassin who accepts jobs purely based on whether they interest him, which makes him extremely dangerous.”
“I see.”
“To face Lone Serpent Sword and still be alive afterward… You were blessed by the heavens.”
“Whew. You’re certainly right about that.”
I exhaled and looked down at my hand.
My palm had split open, and blood was running from the wound.
I had been so tense that I hadn’t even noticed the pain.
If I’d died like that, I would’ve been so bitter I couldn’t have rested in peace.
Still, I’d thought we had come away with nothing, but at least I’d learned that Lone Serpent Sword was connected to the Asura Blood Cult.
I suppose that counted as a gain.
“Then let’s head back.”
“Yes.”
.
.
.
A short while later.
I returned to the temporary military camp and had barely caught my breath when the punitive force came back.
They had the Forest Bandits tied together with ropes in a long line, strung up like fish on a cord.
They looked as though every last bit of their will to fight had disappeared.
The moment I spotted Cousin Hyang-ok, I happily rushed over to her.
“Cousin Hyang-ok!”
“Seo-ho! You’re safe!”
“Yes.”
I glanced over the Forest Bandits and asked.
“What happened?”
“Ah…”
Cousin Hyang-ok explained what had happened.
“They suddenly jolted like someone had dumped ice water over their heads. Then they started gasping for breath, dropped flat on the ground, and begged us to spare their lives.”
“Ah… I see.”
Blood-Eyed Sword Demon must have used the Soul-Bewitching Art on them before leaving, and his death had broken its effects.
“What about you? You don’t look very good. Did he get away?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“I killed him and brought back his head.”
“That’s a relief. Your expression had me worried.”
“I think I just pushed myself a little too hard today. I’m exhausted.”
“Can’t blame you for that.”
“Where is the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner?”
“He’s over there.”
I approached the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner and reported what had happened.
He praised me with a satisfied expression.
And with that, the large-scale campaign against the Forest Bandits came to an end.
The earthquake recovery efforts were nearly finished as well, so it was about time I returned to Beijing.
I had matters to deal with there, and after that, I needed to head to Nanjing again for the next trading expedition.
I thought back to the man I’d met today, Lone Serpent Sword. Some people might have felt humiliated after having their lives spared by an enemy, but I wasn’t one of them.
If anything, it only set my fighting spirit ablaze.
You’d better prepare yourself.
Because the next time we meet, I’ll use every means at my disposal to defeat you.
–TL Notes–
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