Episode 144
The Ha family had fallen.

The clan head, Ha Gu-yang, along with all the top-tier masters, were dead. Even the mid-level commanders had been silently assassinated. There was no warrior left in the Ha family who could stand against the Seonwoo clan.

Seonwoo Jung, the head of the Seonwoo family, declared that all lower-ranking officers and ordinary warriors from the Ha clan would be absorbed into the Seonwoo clan.

As a result, most of the Ha family’s forces were quickly integrated into the Seonwoo clan.

There simply weren’t many warriors left loyal to the Ha family, now that hope had vanished.

It was the inevitable consequence of Ha Gu-yang’s arrogance and tyranny.

Thus, the Ha family, once renowned as one of the Eight Great Clans of Guiju, faded into history.

The capital city of Guiju, once divided between the Ha and Seonwoo clans for so long, was finally unified.

Lately, everyone in Guiju couldn’t stop talking about the recent events whenever they met.

“Wait, wasn’t the Ha family supposed to be overwhelming the Seonwoo clan? How could they fall so suddenly?”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too. How did the tide turn so fast?”

“Tsk, tsk. You’re all so slow with your information. It’s because the Seonwoo clan head, the legendary swordmaster Seonwoo Jung, was patiently waiting for the right moment.”

“Waiting for the right moment?”

“Exactly. He was quietly building his strength in the shadows, just waiting for the Ha family to reveal their ambitions. Then, when they threatened his life, he struck back immediately!”

“Wow! That’s incredible! So the rumors about Seonwoo Jung being indecisive were all nonsense?”

“Right! It was all part of his long game, a patient endurance!”

Seonwoo Jung, once known as a hesitant leader, was now being hailed by the people of Guiju as a hidden dragon biding his time.

After repelling the Ha family’s assault and turning the tables to crush them, it was only natural for people to see him that way.

Yet strangely, no one spoke of Seonwoo Jin, the one who had killed Ha Gu-yang.

That was because Seonwoo Jung had ordered the elders and grandmasters who witnessed the scene to keep silent.

As a result, those who knew the truth felt like shouting “The king has donkey ears!” in frustration.

Right before their eyes, the eldest prince Seonwoo Seong and the third prince Seonwoo Gi were bullying Seonwoo Jin.

“Jin, where on earth were you during such a critical moment?!” Seonwoo Seong snapped angrily.

Shrinking back, Seonwoo Jin stammered in a small voice, “Ah, well, I just overslept a bit…”

“Overslept? Overslept?! Are you kidding me? What kind of disciple are you? Sleeping in when the fate of the clan hangs in the balance? And you call that an excuse?!”

“That’s right, brother! This is absolutely unforgivable! Father must not let this slide!”

The gathering was originally meant to celebrate the victory over the Ha family.

But Seonwoo Jin, who hadn’t shown up when they went to fight, had only just appeared now, drawing the scorn of Seonwoo Gi, who already disliked him.

Hearing this, Seonwoo Seong, convinced that with Seonwoo Hyuk imprisoned, he was the only rightful heir, began to scold Seonwoo Jin as if he were the clan head himself.

He believed that as the future head, he had to set an example and punish his brother severely.

Of course, Seonwoo Gi was enjoying watching Seonwoo Jin get a proper scolding.

So, in front of many witnesses, the two brothers harshly criticized Seonwoo Jin.

“You’re a disgrace to the family! Even on the battlefield, you haven’t changed one bit!”

“Exactly! You may have lost weight, but a pig is always a pig!”

But the elders and grandmasters watching felt like they were sitting on a bed of nails, anxious and uneasy.

Elder Seo Tong-seong, who had supported Seonwoo Seong as heir, wanted to rush over and stop him.

What if Seonwoo Jin, pushed too far, drew his sword?

The thought alone was terrifying.

No one present could stop him.

To Seo Tong-seong, Seonwoo Seong looked like a puppy sticking its head into a tiger’s mouth and barking.

He closed his eyes tightly and prayed silently.

“Eldest prince, please stop. That’s a death trap.”

Fortunately for the worried elders and grandmasters, the matter was settled before Seonwoo Jin lost control.

“Enough! What kind of disgrace is this to show in front of outsiders?”

Seonwoo Jung’s reprimand made the brothers immediately quiet down as if they hadn’t been shouting moments before.

No one in the Seonwoo clan dared to cross their father’s will anymore.

Seonwoo Jung swept his sharp gaze over his sons, then shifted the mood by addressing the crowd.

“From tomorrow, things will get hectic. So let’s enjoy tonight and raise our glasses in celebration!”

At his words, everyone gathered emptied their cups and began chatting happily.

A victory drink to mark the true victors of Guiju—no matter how small the amount, it was impossible not to feel a little drunk.

As the evening wore on and the conversation grew lively, Elder Sa Yodu-myeon quietly slipped away, saying he had some business to attend to.

He glanced around, but no one seemed to pay him any mind.

With a calm demeanor, Yodu-myeon quickly left the main hall and activated his lightness skill to return to his room.

There, he retrieved a pigeon he had hidden and swiftly penned a letter, tying it to the bird’s leg.

“Hurry, hurry.”

Having finished quickly, Yodu-myeon went to the window and released the pigeon.

Flap!

Success.

Watching the bird soar into the sky, he finally exhaled in relief.

It seemed he had managed to send the report without being detected.

But then—

Suddenly, a flying arrow pierced the pigeon’s body.

Fshhh!

“Peep!”

With a desperate cry, the pigeon plummeted.

Yodu-myeon was horrified.

What on earth was happening?

But that wasn’t the most important thing now.

He had to retrieve the letter at all costs.

Without hesitation, he dashed toward where the pigeon was falling.

Just as he leapt out the window and was about to climb over the wall—

Yodu-myeon froze in shock.

Someone had caught the falling pigeon and was calmly reading the letter.

“Hmm, the one who killed Ha Gu-yang of the Ha family is the third prince, Seonwoo Jin. He appears to be a supreme master who has surpassed the seventy-year barrier. Prepare accordingly…”

Seonwoo Jin read up to that point, then smiled coldly and looked at Yodu-myeon.

“Where do you think this is headed, Elder Yo? Secretly leaking information against the orders of our clan head, your father?”

Yodu-myeon broke out in a cold sweat, stammering, “I-I don’t know what you mean, Your Highness. I was just… having some indigestion and practicing new techniques…”

Seonwoo Jin cut him off.

“Of course it’s the Un clan, isn’t it? Honestly, I wasn’t even that curious.”

Yodu-myeon’s eyes widened.

He realized that Seonwoo Jin already knew exactly where he stood.

Seonwoo Jin stepped closer and asked slowly.

“More importantly, Elder Yo, aren’t you curious how I intend to deal with a traitor like you?”

Yodu-myeon swallowed hard.

He finally understood that he had been completely exposed.

No matter how he had been found out, it was clear he would meet the same fate as the third elder, Gak Jung-gwang.

“Aaah!”

Panicked, Yodu-myeon spun around and fled.

He had to escape Seonwoo Jin at all costs.

But he didn’t realize—

That while he might not stand a chance in a fight against Seonwoo Jin, he was even less likely to outrun him.

After only a few steps, Seonwoo Jin was already behind him and swiftly struck a vital point.

Tap!

“!”

From Seonwoo Jin’s perspective, it was almost a gift that Yodu-myeon had turned his back so willingly.

Thud!

Yodu-myeon collapsed to the ground like a stone.

Seonwoo Jin looked down at him and recalled the past.

Elder Sa Yodu-myeon had been a turncoat in his previous life, just like the third elder Gak Jung-gwang, who had defected to the Ha family.

In fact, Yodu-myeon had switched sides even earlier than Gak Jung-gwang.

So while the other grandmasters were watched by Ma Hyuk and Gyeon Jung, Seonwoo Jin had been personally keeping an eye on Yodu-myeon.

‘The traitors from the last life are mostly dealt with.’

Having roughly cleaned house of those who betrayed him before, he thought it would be easier to manage the remaining ones.

Even those who had left the Seonwoo clan during the succession struggle in his past life might be kept in line this time.

Seonwoo Jin glanced at the fallen Yodu-myeon, then looked toward the south where the Un clan was based.

From now on, the real enemies would be the Blood Sect.

Monsters far beyond the Ha family, who had only played king in Guiju.

He would have to be cautious—very cautious.

---

Late at night, after secretly meeting with his father Seonwoo Jung, Seonwoo Jin summoned two of his subordinates in the empty rear garden.

“Ma Hyuk, Gyeon Jung.”

From the shadows of a nearby tree, two figures silently appeared.

“You called, Your Highness?”

“……”

Their arrival was as sudden and ghostlike as a specter’s.

In the meantime, Sun Woo-jin smiled with satisfaction at the two subordinates whose stealth skills had now reached a level comparable to his own. He tossed a few booklets toward them.

Whoosh!

Jeok Ma-hyeok caught them lightly and looked at Sun Woo-jin with a puzzled expression.

“Master, what are these…?”

“These are the most useful martial techniques from the Sunwoo family’s secret manuals. I wish I could teach you personally, but I’m not very familiar with these techniques myself. For now, both of you should study them. They’re nothing extraordinary, but just learning a variety of techniques will help. It’ll also aid you in mastering the Cheonsal Secret Technique.”

Exchanging glances, Jeok Ma-hyeok and Gyeon Jung hurriedly flipped through the booklets.

The three volumes were titled: Chanryu Technique, Chalheun Technique, and Jeokho Technique.

As assassins from the Sachesal Sect, the techniques they had learned so far focused mainly on surprise attacks. Though their talent and skill had been enough to handle most opponents, as they had felt when facing the Ha family’s Mosundo, those techniques had clear limitations.

Moreover, now that they were learning the Cheonsal Secret Technique, they struggled to absorb anything beyond high-level martial arts, stealth, and assassination skills.

Jeok Ma-hyeok looked at Sun Woo-jin with burning eyes and said, “Master, we’re already grateful for everything you’ve done for us…”

Clearly, this sensitive subordinate was moved once again.

Gyeon Jung’s gaze was just as intense.

Though he said nothing, his eyes burned with the same fervor as Jeok Ma-hyeok’s.

Seeing his two pure-hearted subordinates so easily moved, Sun Woo-jin chuckled softly.

“It’s nothing special. Like I said before, I want you both to grow into proper warriors. That’s good for me, too. So train hard. When you meet your younger brothers again, you can’t be weaker than them, right?”

The two responded with determined looks and returned their attention to the booklets.

“Understood. We’ll do our best, Master!”

“Good.”

Sun Woo-jin smiled warmly at the two as they eagerly began reading, then turned away.

He had already sent Jeok Ma-hyeok’s younger siblings, Jeok Ha-gun and Jeok Ha-yeon, to the cave of Gwanghyeop Geomseong Jeong Myeong-gang, who had become Sun Woo-jin’s mentor.

Since they were still young and somewhat lacking in assassin skills, but showed great talent, Sun Woo-jin decided it would be better to train them as warriors from the start rather than assassins.

He had taught them the Daeyeon Jeongsim Technique and instructed them to visit Yeongnam Sword Sect’s Do Moon-seung next.

With the three of them mastering the Daeyeon Jeongsim Technique together, they would be able to open the Lee In-gwan technique. And their master, Gwang Geom, who had been an absolute authority fifty years ago, would surely teach them suitable martial arts, even if not the Wolya Hwan Geommu.

Sun Woo-jin planned to send Jeok Ma-hyeok and Gyeon Jung there as well once his business at the Sunwoo family was finished.

“That way, my subordinates will grow stronger, and the master won’t be lonely around others. Two birds with one stone, right?”

Feeling pleased with this thought, Sun Woo-jin headed back to his room but suddenly paused near the door.

“Hmm.”

He sensed someone’s presence inside.

Not an assassin, but a martial artist of quite high rank—probably at least an absolute peak master—was hiding, waiting for him.

Absolute peak or higher…

Sun Woo-jin frowned.

Within the Sunwoo family, the only absolute peak masters were his father, Sun Woo-jung, and the elder Heo Jin-guk.

But the presence in the room was definitely not one of them.

That meant an outsider.

No matter who it was, the fact that an external absolute peak master was waiting for him was a serious problem.

Since arriving at the Sunwoo family, Sun Woo-jin had been careful not to reveal himself.

Yet someone seemed to be watching him closely, which made him deeply uneasy.

He opened the door.

Immediately, a sword shot toward him.

Shu-hak!

Sun Woo-jin stepped aside, lightly deflecting the blade, and sized up his opponent.

A small-framed figure dressed in black with a mask.

He was about to counterattack and sever an arm but decided to retreat further.

The strike was slower than expected for an absolute peak master.

Moreover, there was no killing intent.

Most notably, a certain scent hit Sun Woo-jin’s nose. The moment he caught it, he bit his lip.

Damn.

The masked figure pressed the attack after the first strike failed.

But Sun Woo-jin sighed and asked calmly, “What is the meaning of this, Jeogal Sojeo?”

The masked figure froze, glared at him for a moment, then finally removed the mask.

It was Jeogal Seo-yul.

She spat the words at him, “How dare you deceive the world so perfectly, you fraud!”

Sun Woo-jin gave a bitter smile inwardly.

It was a mistake.

Had he known earlier, he wouldn’t have dodged the sword instinctively.

Unfortunately, by the time he recognized her from the scent of her perfume, he had already moved.

But now that he was exposed, there was no turning back.

Feigning confusion, Sun Woo-jin frowned and asked, “What deception are you talking about?”

Jeogal Seo-yul shouted, “Deception? You’ve been hiding your true strength! It was strange—how someone who just returned from the front lines could be weaker than before.”

Ah, so that’s the issue.

He had underestimated her discernment.

But Sun Woo-jin responded with a look of disbelief.

“Is that why you snuck into my room in the dead of night to ambush me? Because I didn’t fight my brothers and just took it?”

That question was a trap.

If that was all she knew, Jeogal Seo-yul would appear as a reckless person who misunderstood Sun Woo-jin’s reluctance to fight his brothers and attacked him.

If she wanted to avoid that, she’d have to reveal more of what she knew.

Jeogal Seo-yul took the bait immediately.

“Th-That’s not all! You lied about oversleeping when the Ha family attacked! I came looking for you then, but you were nowhere to be found in the Sunwoo family!”

That seemed to be the real reason she suspected him.

Sun Woo-jin smiled inwardly.

This Sojeo was surprisingly straightforward for a Jeogal family member, making her easy to deal with.

He was grateful for that.

He answered confidently, “Of course not. My father and brothers were fighting a battle that decided the fate of the family. Do you really think I’m foolish enough to be asleep during that?”

“Th-That’s…”

Jeogal Seo-yul was at a loss for words.

There was no flaw in his answer.

At least, not from her perspective.

Now wearing a very displeased expression, Sun Woo-jin said, “It’s true I’ve hidden my strength. I’ve done so from the start because I didn’t want to fight my brothers. But I never thought it was such a heinous act that you’d ambush me for it. So, are you satisfied now? I hope you are. If so, would you please leave? You may feel better, but I’m very tired.”

His tone was icy cold.

Jeogal Seo-yul had never been treated so coldly by a man in her life.

Her pride was deeply wounded.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Yet she didn’t storm out.

Instead, gritting her teeth, she asked again, “Ever since you came to the Sunwoo family, everything has started to change. It’s all because of you, isn’t it? What exactly are you scheming?”

Sun Woo-jin let out a bitter laugh.

Though she was undoubtedly a pampered young lady, she was still a Jeogal seed.

Then, let’s see.

He fixed her with a serious gaze.

“I don’t know what grounds you have for such claims. What exactly am I scheming? And even if it were true, why should I answer someone from the Jeogal family who might have harmed Cheong-yeon Sojeo?”

Jeogal Seo-yul’s face went pale.

“W-What! Harmed… Cheong-yeon…?”

She tried to deny it but couldn’t continue under Sun Woo-jin’s cold stare.

He asked sharply, “Do you truly believe my father did not harm Cheong-yeon Sojeo?”

Jeogal Seo-yul couldn’t answer.

She simply opened and closed her mouth, unable to speak.

Sun Woo-jin looked at her, eyes filled with shock and tears, and added one last thing.

His words finally made Jeogal Seo-yul bow her head deeply.

“No matter what I’m scheming, it will never be to steal another family’s sword techniques. So, please lose interest and leave.”

In the end, Jeogal Seo-yul had no choice but to turn away, defeated.