Chapter 142: Bang Cheon-woo (2)
When Deathshroud was suddenly mentioned, Seo Yu-gyeom’s eyebrow twitched. Just as the Lingbo Immortal Maiden had said, Deathshroud often obtained information through the Hao Sect.
“So, did you pass any information to Deathshroud?”
At Seo Yu-gyeom’s question, the Lingbo Immortal Maiden shook her head.
“I do not know. The Hao Sect does not only have a branch here. At least, the branch in Lanzhou has yet to pass on any information.”
“If Deathshroud has moved, then there isn’t much time left.”
Seo Yu-gyeom clicked his tongue.
With Deathshroud’s intelligence network, Bang Cheon-woo would be dead within a single day and night at most.
They had to find him before that.
While Seo Yu-gyeom was deep in thought, Seomun Ak spoke with the look of someone who had made a great discovery.
“Then we just need to find out who requested Deathshroud’s services. If it was that temporary Escort Agency Master, what clearer proof could we ask for?”
Seomun Ak puffed out his chest as if expecting Seo Yu-gyeom and Jin Seong-un’s admiration.
Seo Yu-gyeom replied curtly.
“Getting client information out of Deathshroud is impossible. Well, unless you track down the Deathshroud Leader himself and torture him.”
Of course, they had neither the information to find the Deathshroud Leader, nor the martial strength to torture him.
Seomun Ak narrowed his eyes at Seo Yu-gyeom.
“So you seem to know a bit about Deathshroud?”
Suspicion glimmered in his gaze.
Seo Yu-gyeom answered indifferently.
“You didn’t know? I’m ex-Deathshroud.”
Seomun Ak’s mouth dropped open.
With a face filled with shock, Seomun Ak looked toward Jin Seong-un. But Jin Seong-un, who had already known, remained calm.
Regardless, Seo Yu-gyeom continued speaking with the Lingbo Immortal Maiden.
“Can you find him? If Bang Cheon-woo dies, this matter will become much harder than expected.”
“I can certainly find him, but I do not know if I can do it faster than Deathshroud.”
“Please find him. I will reward you handsomely.”
At this, the Lingbo Immortal Maiden gave her characteristic sly smile.
“Reward is unnecessary. I would rather taste that Cheongtang Bamboo Stew again. Since I returned to Lanzhou, there has not been a single day I did not think of it.”
“…If Bang Cheon-woo is not found, then you will never taste Cheongtang Bamboo Stew again.”
The Lingbo Immortal Maiden’s expression instantly grew grave.
Seo Yu-gyeom once more explained the connection between Bamboo-Shadow Mushroom, the Red Cliff Escort Agency, and Bang Cheon-woo.
Her expression soon turned resolute.
“So it is not merely about finding a man.”
The taste of that stew still lingered vividly in her memory.
Even she, who was skilled in poetry, arts, wine, and countless dishes, had never tasted anything like it before.
To think the very survival of such food was at stake—her shoulders felt weighed down.
Nodding solemnly, she quickened her pace and strode out.
It was two days later when the Lingbo Immortal Maiden returned.
Jin Seong-un, who was meditating with his back against the wall, Seo Yu-gyeom, who was sharpening the Heaven-Slaying Dagger with deadly precision, and Seomun Ak, sprawled drunkenly across the floor, all turned their heads at once.
Her dignified expression alone revealed the result.
.
.
.
The three slipped out of the pavilion and raced through the night. With Deathshroud targeting him, there was no time to lose.
Seo Yu-gyeom glanced up at the sky.
Dark clouds had thickened, veiling the moonlight.
‘A perfect night for assassins.’
With that thought, Seo Yu-gyeom increased his speed. Jin Seong-un ran steadily at his side, while Seomun Ak lagged behind, cursing under his breath.
After some time, they arrived at Seohwa, an area near Lanzhou.
There, a river bent sharply along a cliff, creating a magnificent view famous among poets, artists, scholars, and lovers of drink.
Standing atop the cliff, the three looked down.
Groups of young men and women gathered to enjoy poetry and wine. The sound of strings mixed with laughter drifted through the night.
Boats adorned with red and blue lanterns floated leisurely down the river, where drunken men and women staggered about precariously.
“Damn, this is amazing.”
Seomun Ak, the Night King, burst into admiration.
He had heard of Seohwa before, but seeing it with his own eyes, the place far surpassed its reputation.
Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom simply stared at him.
“Obviously, I’m joking.”
Ignoring Seomun Ak’s excuse—
Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom leapt down the cliff.
.
.
.
Wine, laughter, poetry, music—pleasure and joy overflowed along the riverside.
The very atmosphere seemed to disarm all who entered.
“An unfamiliar master. Would you care to share a drink with us?”
“I already have an appointment.”
The man rejected the young woman’s offer in a blunt tone and kept walking.
With his pale, frail-looking face and the light blue-and-white robe draped loosely over him, he blended seamlessly into the scene.
More temptations reached out to him from all sides.
Such was human nature—no one felt guarded against someone who looked so harmless.
Of course, no one knew that beneath his robe were countless daggers and pouches of poison.
The man ignored the invitations and walked on silently. His destination was clear: the young man drinking straight from the bottle, surrounded by a crowd.
‘Bang Cheon-woo.’
The man slid a dagger from his sleeve. He tilted his head slightly upward, checking the sky. The dark clouds were swallowing the moonlight completely.
He adjusted his pace. His plan was simple—strike in that fleeting instant of darkness, slash the target’s throat, and escape.
With each step, his presence faded. Truly, it was the mark of a top-class assassin of Deathshroud.
When the black clouds finally blotted out the moon—
“Care for a drink?”
A voice suddenly spoke from his side.
The man turned his head slightly to see who had made the offer.
“……”
A strange stillness fell.
He knew instantly—the eyes that held him were anything but ordinary.
On instinct, the man thrust his dagger forward.
Whoosh–!
A dagger technique as swift as the wind.
It was truly a strike befitting an assassin of Deathshroud.
The problem, however, was that the opponent was also a former assassin of Deathshroud. Worse still, a top-class assassin.
The man blinked for a moment. The dagger vanished from his confidently extended hand. By the time he realized what had happened, the opponent was already holding his dagger and smirking.
"Too slow."
He could not even tell when or how it had been taken from him.
The man immediately tried to flee. The rule was to escape the scene the moment one was exposed.
Yet, his legs would not move.
Seo Yu-gyeom twirled the stolen dagger around in his hand as he spoke.
"Of course, I already pressed your acupoints. If you try to run, stronger ones will come after you."
"……!"
The man’s eyes widened like lanterns. His opponent was speaking as if he knew exactly where he had come from.
Then Seo Yu-gyeom brought the spinning dagger straight down on the man’s crown.
Thud–!
Struck on the head with the dagger hilt, the assassin’s consciousness began to fade. His only relief was that this mission had been assigned in pairs.
Though he had failed, his companion, who had approached even more secretly, must by now have already taken Bang Cheon-woo’s head.
Seo Yu-gyeom slung the assassin over his shoulder and descended into a nearby forest. Another assassin, already subdued and knocked unconscious by Jin Seong-un, was bound to a tree.
Setting the man down nearby, Seo Yu-gyeom once again checked his acupoints and said,
"It will take them at least two days to recover enough to move. And another three or four days before Deathshroud sends more assassins. We’ve got plenty of time now."
"But is this really all right? After all, this means we’ve interfered with Deathshroud’s work."
It was not that they feared making enemies of Deathshroud.
Rather, it was because Seo Yu-gyeom seemed to have some particular sentiment toward Deathshroud and its Vice Leader.
Seo Yu-gyeom shrugged.
"Well, it’s fine. I didn’t kill them, did I?"
Had it been assassins from another organization, he would have slain them without hesitation. But because they were from Deathshroud, he deliberately spared them.
"Killing them would really become troublesome."
Seo Yu-gyeom was already an extraordinary figure within Deathshroud.
He was the only one who had left and was living another life.
This had only been possible thanks to the favor of the Vice Leader. And because of that favor, the Vice Leader must have endured much sacrifice within the organization.
If Seo Yu-gyeom were to start killing Deathshroud assassins, that would change everything. It would be an act beyond the Vice Leader’s protection.
Deathshroud would relentlessly hound Seong-un Inn.
Seo Yu-gyeom glanced at Jin Seong-un.
‘I’ll probably end up meeting the Leader of Deathshroud eventually.’
In Seo Yu-gyeom’s judgment, even top-class assassins were insufficient to kill Jin Seong-un.
Inevitably, the Leader himself would appear, and when that happened, even Seo Yu-gyeom could not be certain of victory.
There was no need to invite such a situation.
"They’ll be sleeping soundly for the first time in a while. They should be grateful to us."
Clapping his hands clean, Seo Yu-gyeom resumed walking. With the assassins dealt with, it was time to meet Bang Cheon-woo.
Jin Seong-un, Seo Yu-gyeom, and Seomun Ak headed to the place where Bang Cheon-woo was. Thanks to the Deathshroud assassins, they easily figured out who he was.
"Hahaha, so this happened when I went to Byeokwolru…."
Several men were gathered around a scrawny fellow.
Despite his small build, he was loudly boasting with a booming voice. But the moment Jin Seong-un’s group appeared, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.
The three made no effort to blend in. In fact, they deliberately shattered the mood.
After a brief silence, Bang Cheon-woo blinked his large eyes and asked,
"A handsome master, a gloomy master, and a scary-looking master have shown up. Might you gentlemen have business with this Ryu Un?"
Ryu Un (Flowing Cloud).
It seemed to be a self-chosen alias. Jin Seong-un ignored it and spoke.
"Master Bang Cheon-woo."
"……Bang Cheon-woo? Who’s that supposed to be?"
He denied it at once.
But Jin Seong-un did not miss the slight flinch in his expression.
The crowd murmured.
"Master Ryu Un, do you know these men?"
"Who are they, barging in and spoiling the mood like this?"
A few of the men close to Bang Cheon-woo scowled and glared at the three. The atmosphere turned hostile.
Of course, none of this could threaten the three.
Jin Seong-un let out a faint sigh, and Seo Yu-gyeom said quietly,
"Your turn."
Though it was only a few words, Seomun Ak immediately knew they were directed at him.
Seomun Ak’s face twisted. He raised one eyebrow and curled his lips into a crooked smirk. In an instant, he wore the unmistakable face of a vicious thug. His experience in this role was no recent thing.
"You bastards got a death wish or something."
He glared around as he spoke.
He didn’t even release his killing intent. If he had, some of them might have dropped dead from heart failure.
His scowl, his thuggish demeanor, and his massive physique combined to exude overwhelming menace.
The reaction of those confronted with the "real thing" was predictable. Not only those glaring at the three, but also the bystanders who had been watching nervously coughed awkwardly and began to slip away.
Ryu Un—no, Bang Cheon-woo—tried to discreetly flee with them.
But Jin Seong-un spoke in a low, steady tone.
"Your father, Elder Bang Man-bok, and your brother, Young Master Bang Cheon-gang, have passed away."
At that moment, Bang Cheon-woo froze in his tracks. Slowly, he turned back to face Jin Seong-un, his expression deeply conflicted.
"……What did you say?"
His voice trembled faintly.
Looking him straight in the eyes, Jin Seong-un repeated,
"They both passed away, and a man named Bang Myeong-ho has seized control of the escort agency. So you must return. At once."
"My uncle… has taken the escort agency?"
Bang Cheon-woo’s pupils trembled like aspen leaves.
A silence hung between them. Jin Seong-un, Seo Yu-gyeom, and Seomun Ak did not press him and simply waited.
After some time, Bang Cheon-woo finally spoke with resolve.
"……I, I won’t go back. No, I can’t."