The sunlight from the window brushed against Namgung Myeong’s eyes, causing him to let out a sleepy groan and flutter his eyelids.“…Uuugh.”
At that, the two people who were sharing a steamed bun nearby rushed over. Their long wait had finally come to an end.
As Cheonghwi and Namgung Seungah gathered around, Namgung Myeong sat up with a dazed expression. He still felt sleepy, but his body felt very refreshed.
“Myeong’er, you’re awake!”
“How do you feel? How is your dantian?!”
“……”
Namgung Myeong concentrated. He took a deep breath, filtered the energy floating in nature through his Cultivation Technique, and sent it down to his dantian.
Until now, it had been like pouring water into a bottomless jar - no matter how much Inner Qi he tried to accumulate, it wouldn’t stay and would scatter. But now, it clearly stayed. His broken dantian had been fixed!
Not only that, but the dantian that had been broken and repaired was now more stable than other people’s.
“I-I’m healed, Daoist Cheonghwi! Noonim!”“You’re healed! Myeong’er, that’s wonderful!”
“Ufpufu.”
Namgung Seungah hugged Namgung Myeong tightly, excited and happy. Cheonghwi watched with a satisfied expression as Namgung Myeong complained of difficulty breathing due to the pressure on his chest.
He had accomplished what he needed to. Now he could prepare for his match with Luna with an easy mind.
“Then now… we can return to the Namgung Clan.”
“Yes, we’ve already packed everything… and since we’ve tried all the famous restaurants in Jebu Province, I have no regrets.”
“…Are you saying you two ate all the delicious food while I was sleeping?”
“We could not wake you up!”
Namgung Myeong pretended to be upset for a moment, then bowed deeply to Cheonghwi. As the benefactor who had revived him as a martial artist, he needed to express proper gratitude.
“Daoist Cheonghwi, thank you so much!”
“Please do not do that.”
“Even if you say not to, how can I not express my gratitude? I will definitely grow up and repay this kindness…!!”
“Just live harmoniously with your family. That is enough for me.”
Seeing Cheonghwi say this sincerely with a calm face, Namgung Seungah spoke as if seeing him in a new light.
“…That just now, it really sounded like a true Daoist. Daoist Cheonghwi.”
“Earlier you said you would drop the ‘Daoist’, but now you are adding it back?”
“If you’ve reattached a shattered dantian, you must be a Daoist, right? But… are we going to travel through the forest again when we return to the Namgung Clan like we did coming here?”
“That is the plan. I think it will be safer that way.”
Namgung Seungah repacked her luggage with an expression of clear dislike. If they were going to wind through forest paths again, they’d need to pack a bit more thickly.
This time, they shouldn’t forget to bring insect repellent incense.
“I shall go tell the innkeeper we are checking out today.”
“Okay, take care.”
“Ah, and. Please put away your tail. I trust you were not planning to go outside wearing that.”
“…I was going to take it off!”
Namgung Seungah removed the tail whip tied around her waist and stuffed it into her luggage.
===============================================================
Cheonghwi walked down the inn stairs. Seeing him come down, the innkeeper spoke to him cheerfully as usual.
“If the bed is broken, you’ll have to pay for it.”
“…I am telling you, it is not like that!”
“By the way, there’s someone looking for you, Little Daoist.”
“For me?”
The innkeeper gestured with his eyes towards a table in the corner. There, Hee Yeonghyeon, dressed as a seductive courtesan, was waiting with her legs crossed.
Cheonghwi sat down across from Hee Yeonghyeon. She was wearing a dress with a deep neckline, so he had to try hard not to send impolite glances.
“What brings you here?”
“I’ll get straight to the point. There’s someone targeting you.”
“…Please explain in more detail.”
Cheonghwi’s expression turned serious. It was no time to be entranced by her cleavage. Had those targeting Namgung Myeong finally found them?
“Do you remember the talk about disappearances? I’ve been investigating traces of the culprit, and I succeeded in finding a decisive clue. There was always a secret mark left at the crime scenes.”
“What does that have to do with us being targeted?”
“Because I found the mark on the door of the room you’re staying in.”
Rustle rustle.
Hee Yeonghyeon opened a book and placed it on the table. It was a compilation of the names and characteristics of Demonic Adepts recorded in the history of Jianghu, one of the few legacies passed down from when the Beggar’s Union was still intact.
“The Sleep-Killing Stepfather was a Demonic Adept of the previous generation. He was an excellent assassin who always left a mark near his prey. The same as the one left on your room.”
“…Are you saying he is targeting us?”
“I don’t think it’s him personally. He disappeared 50 years ago, and if he were still alive, he’d be well over 150 years old. The weak human race can’t live that long.”
“Then… a copycat?”
Tap tap. Hee Yeonghyeon tapped her index finger on the table to show agreement. She summarized and spoke again.
“I think… someone who has learned the Sleep-Killing Stepfather’s martial arts is indiscriminately killing people to perfect assassination techniques. That might be the truth behind the disappearances happening in Jebu Province. That’s what I think.”
“……”
An assassin targeting their group. The timing was too coincidental to be mere chance. Even if they fled to avoid the mark, Cheonghwi felt the assassin would pursue them to the end.
“Is your mission to catch this culprit as well?”
“No. It’s enough to uncover their identity. So my job is done here. I told you this information as a side… but. If we catch them too, the Beggar’s Union might be able to walk with our heads held a bit higher.”
“We want to eliminate the danger and do not need the merit. However, you do need the merit. As such, what do you think about catching this assassin together?”
“…You seem quite confident about catching an assassin whose martial arts realm and skills you don’t know, huh?”
Cheonghwi nodded confidently. If fear comes from ignorance, Cheonghwi had no reason to fear the assassin.
“I know assassination techniques inside out. Just as a wizard’s enemy is another wizard, an assassin’s enemy is also an assassin.”
“Alright. Let’s cooperate.”
“When this is over, please stay for a moment. I need to return the Dog Beating Staff Technique to you.”
“I thought that conversation was over last time. That I wouldn’t accept it.”
Hee Yeonghyeon rested her chin on her hand and tilted her head like someone listening to a very boring story. In front of her, Cheonghwi answered straightforwardly. Now he knew what he needed to convey.
“I have found my intent (意).”
“……”
“Let us meet after this is over.”
===============================================================
A shadow crept in the dark night.
The Sleep-Killing Stepfather (睡殺代父) carefully climbed the wall, holding long needles in both hands. He had heard that the target, Namgung Myeong, was an outstanding talent but young, and Namgung Seungah was not yet fully matured.
Of course, now that he was forcibly extending his thread of life with the Blood Cult’s secret techniques, he was greatly weakened compared to his prime… But even so, the Sleep-Killing Stepfather was a Master.
The Namgung siblings were mere lumps of blood who hadn’t even reached the Peak Realm, so he could easily kill them even in a frontal battle, let alone assassination.
However, he didn’t know about Cheonghwi.
According to what the Sleep-Killing Stepfather’s master had mentioned about him, his martial arts realm itself was so low that he would make noise just by stepping on the floor.
However, he was said to have several miraculous talismans, able to bring storm clouds to the ground or use something similar to long-range True Fire of Samadhi. As such, he needed to be sufficiently cautious.
“Kekeke… Those who use sorcery should have their mouths sealed first before killing them.”
Swish swish swish.
The target was on the second floor, but the Sleep-Killing Stepfather climbed up to the third floor.
He aimed precisely at the window’s lock and thrust in his long needle. The needle, filled with Qi, smoothly penetrated the wooden frame of the window. It opened.
Then he carefully opened the window and climbed over the windowsill to enter.
He saw a bearded man snoring in his sleep. The Sleep-Killing Stepfather walked lightly and stabbed a needle into his brow. The bearded man died without even screaming in his sleep.
The Sleep-Killing Stepfather lay flat and pressed his ear to the floor. Then he used his unique Qi Arts to enhance his hearing dozens of times. With this, he could catch all the sounds coming from the floor below.
“……”
Regular breathing sounds and rustling noises.
“Keke, sleeping so soundly…”
The Sleep-Killing Stepfather listened carefully and gradually changed his position. Guessing that the one with neat but shallow breathing was Namgung Myeong, he positioned himself so that he could drop straight down if he broke the floor.
They probably wouldn’t expect an assassin to appear as the ceiling collapsed. The Sleep-Killing Stepfather laughed silently.
There was no need for the Blood Spider Crone to step in. He would kill Namgung Myeong with a single strike and leave this place. The Sleep-Killing Stepfather slowly raised his Inner Qi. So that no one would notice.
Just before he was about to break the floor using the Movement Technique of the Thousand Catty Weight…
Crash! Whoosh!
The third-floor ceiling shattered, and Cheonghwi fell through, holding a rapier. The Sleep-Killing Stepfather was greatly surprised and used his footwork, but he couldn’t avoid the trajectory that curved in like a snake, and his stomach was pierced.
Stab──!
“Kuagh…!! You bastard!”
As the enraged Sleep-Killing Stepfather swung his needles wildly, Cheonghwi quickly created distance with a short Ignition, then caught his breath. And then, he calmly spoke.
“I estimated a 70% success rate, and it seems to have worked out.”
“…Damn it, they said you were a Daoist, but aren’t you an assassin! You bastard, which assassination organization are you from?!”
“If you ask for a name, it would be the Red Burn Assassination Organization, but it is a name you have surely never heard of.”
Since the Redburn Duchy didn’t exist in this world.
“Urgh…”
The Sleep-Killing Stepfather let out a painful groan, hunched his body, and looked for an opportunity. However, Cheonghwi didn’t bother to approach. He thought that since he had already landed a critical hit, he would benefit if time dragged on.
And that was indeed correct. The Sleep-Killing Stepfather felt the blood flowing from his abdomen soaking his pants. The precious blood he had absorbed by killing innocent people was flowing out.
He had thought that if he pretended to stagger greatly injured, the young blood-filled fellow would rush in to finish him off. But his expectation was off.
The Sleep-Killing Stepfather had to make a decision. He had to kill Cheonghwi somehow to open a way out.
“Kekeke… I’m not alone! We came in pairs. The Blood Spider Crone must be downstairs, turning everyone into lumps of blood! Can you afford to be so relaxed?”
“Sorry, but I am not alone either. The Beggar’s Union Leader Hee Yeonghyeon should be guarding them.”
“…You BASTARDDDD!!”
In this case, he had to use his trump card.
An assassin was one who killed by striking the target’s blind spot. Therefore, unexpected movements were an assassin’s most precious asset. Should it be called a Lifesaving Absolute Move?
With the mysterious abilities of the Demonic Descent Divine Art (魔降神術), the Sleep-Killing Stepfather had learned none other than the Heavenly Demon’s movements.
One who could freely implement movements beyond human cognition, that no one could imagine. The Sleep-Killing Stepfather had succeeded in taking one of those many incomprehensible moves.
A divine move that no one in the Central Plains could predict.
The supreme killing technique that one could only fall victim to if they didn’t know it!
“This is the Heavenly Demon’s Martial Flow, you Semu bastard… Take this!!”
Creeeeak──!!
The Sleep-Killing Stepfather’s emaciated body flew through the air with a creaking sound. And with bizarre movements that changed ten out of ten times, he thrust his long needle towards Cheonghwi’s neck.
Whoosh, whoosh whoosh!
“Hundred Shadow Kill!!”
“Ah, the Heavenly Demon’s movement, I see.”
Swish.
He put his hand on it, and pushed. Perform that action at the exact timing with the exact force. That alone was enough. The incomprehensible met the incomprehensible.
Cheonghwi lightly deflected the Sleep-Killing Stepfather’s killing move.
“…?! H-How?!”
“I too am well-versed in the Heavenly Demon’s Martial Flow, old man. Moreover, I received personal tutoring from a little Heavenly Demon.”
It’s only incomprehensible when you don’t know; from the perspective of one who knows, it was just a ridiculous movement. Cheonghwi thrust his rapier into the greatly flustered Sleep-Killing Stepfather’s opening.
Stab!
“Keurk…”
“When you are reborn next time, think a bit more carefully.”
Thud. The Sleep-Killing Stepfather collapsed, clutching his neck. He writhed for a moment, then his movements stopped. Surprisingly, the corpse immediately turned to dust!
Seeing this, Cheonghwi was reminded of the Jiangshi that attacked the Namgung Clan. That Jiangshi had died exactly like this too.
“……”
Crash! Bang!
Commotion could be heard from downstairs. The sounds of battle. It seemed the Sleep-Killing Stepfather’s words about “coming in pairs” weren’t just empty talk.
Cheonghwi hurried to join his companions.
===============================================================
Meanwhile, while Cheonghwi was hunting the Sleep-Killing Stepfather upstairs…
“Steel Tail Strike!”
“How, how can a woman, a woman swing her hips like that in front of an enemyyyy…!!”
“Like an ascending Imoogi!”
“How, how can a Namgung Clan scion leave behind his swooord anddddd…!”
The Blood Spider Crone (血蛛老婆) was a Master who had reached the Peak Realm. So Namgung Myeong and Namgung Seungah should have been overwhelmed long ago, but somehow a battle was still taking place because…
Unfounded martial arts she had never seen or heard of in 150 years of life were flying at her. How could scions of a prestigious clan fight like beasts like this!
The courtesan’s daggers that flew in from time to time were also unusually sharp.
She had to break out of this feeling of being drawn in. The Blood Spider Crone made a big decision. She was going to use an evil secret art, sacrificing the blood flowing in her body.
“Even if I lose my blood-like lifespan, even if I have to bow my head to that brat, I must punish you allll!!”
A blood-red ominous glint burst forth from the old woman’s eyes.