Chapter 232
The next day, Sun Woo-jin and his group were making their way along a remote mountain path.
Since the area was so isolated, there wasn’t a single soul in sight anywhere nearby.
Suddenly, Son Yi-rang whined, sounding a bit petulant.
“We’ve been sleeping outdoors for two whole nights already. Please, can we stay in a village tonight? My whole body feels like it’s itching all over.”
Jin So-eun responded with a cheerful laugh.
“Hahaha! Two days? When I was with my grandfather in the mountains, I went a whole week without washing…”
But her face instantly stiffened like stone as she realized Sun Woo-jin was looking right at her.
She suddenly understood what she’d almost said in front of him and couldn’t bring herself to continue.
“W-w-well, that was back then, but still…”
Son Yi-rang quickly jumped in.
“That was only possible when you were a kid, right, unnie?”
Relieved by Yi-rang’s timely rescue, So-eun grabbed onto that lifeline.
“Y-yeah! That was only when I was young! Now? No way! Ugh, it’s horrible. Haha, ha.”
“See? You must have had a really tough childhood. It’s hard to believe someone as pretty and neat as you had to live like that. Hohoho.”
“Right? It really was tough. Haha. Hahaha…”
Thanks to Yi-rang’s efforts, So-eun was starting to get a handle on her own feelings.
At least now, she could tell that what she felt wasn’t exactly respect.
She even understood why her heart fluttered every time she saw him.
That was definitely a good sign.
After spending so long alone in the mountains, unable to experience normal feminine emotions, she was slowly reconnecting with others.
But there was a problem.
A serious one.
So-eun fanned her flushed face with her hand, silently panicking.
‘What do I do? The way Lord In keeps staring at me, I feel like my face is going to burn up!’
The biggest issue was that after realizing her feelings, she could no longer look Sun Woo-jin straight in the eye.
Just looking at him made her heart pound and her face feel like it was about to explode—it was unbearable.
So now, she always stood as far away from him as possible.
Granted, there was still Son Dae-su and Yi-rang between them, but if she didn’t keep that distance, she felt like she couldn’t even breathe.
Such was the painful reality of a mountain girl’s late first love.
While So-eun and Yi-rang awkwardly acted as if nothing was wrong, unaware of their own discomfort, Son Dae-su and Sun Woo-jin exchanged quiet smiles as they watched them.
Then, suddenly, a small village came into view.
Though isolated, it looked surprisingly well-maintained.
Sun Woo-jin was the first to spot it and spoke to the two women.
“There’s a village over there. Looks like the heavens are granting the wishes of two neat ladies.”
Yi-rang and So-eun turned to look and let out joyful cheers.
“Ahhh! It’s really a village!”
“Right? Finally, we can wash up properly!”
Their spirits lifted, the group quickened their pace.
The thought of proper lodging and a real meal after so long made them feel like they were soaring.
—Target approaching.
At the village outskirts, Hyeol Woo-ryeon assassin number 48, tasked with chopping wood and keeping watch, sent a signal to the nearest comrade.
That message was quickly relayed among the assassins, spreading throughout the village.
—Target approaching.
—Target approaching.
—Target approaching.
But despite the echoing warnings, the village itself appeared lively and peaceful.
Everyone wore smiles as they busied themselves with their work, and children played freely in the alleys.
To any observer, it was the picture of a perfectly peaceful rural village.
At the village’s center stood the inn, where assassin number 3, the leader of this operation, was confident the prey would soon walk right into their web.
“Everything is perfect.”
The village’s location was ideal.
The targets must have been forced to sleep outdoors for two days before arriving here.
After this, who knew when they’d find proper shelter and food again? Even if they didn’t stay overnight, they’d have to eat here.
The assassins’ disguises as villagers were flawless.
Because the fee for this mission was high, only the top-tier assassins had been assigned.
Especially satisfying was the number of assassins playing the roles of children.
And the trap itself was flawless.
The targets had no idea the entire village was a giant snare.
Poison, secret signals, ambushes—all perfectly arranged.
Unless one of them was a prophet who could see the future, this mission was destined to succeed.
That’s how Hyeol Woo-ryon operated: prepare everything to guarantee success before making a move.
Of course, Hyeol Woo-ryon’s traps were so perfect that anyone would fall for them.
But sometimes, there were people who didn’t follow the usual patterns.
Muk-rang suddenly spoke to Sun Woo-jin.
—It’s a trap.
“Huh?”
—All the villagers are assassins. They’re hiding it well, but they’re all targeting you.
Sun Woo-jin was initially taken aback by Muk-rang’s sudden words.
The village looked so peaceful and ordinary on the surface.
But his memory soon recalled rumors about assassin groups who set up entire inns or even villages as traps during missions.
“Hyeol Woo-ryon, huh? So it’s them.”
—I don’t know much about Hyeol Woo-ryon, but this village is no ordinary place. To have assassins build an entire village for a mission—that’s a method I’ve never seen in my life. What will you do? Strike first?
Sun Woo-jin pondered Muk-rang’s question.
Since they knew it was a trap, there was no need to walk right into it.
Striking first before the enemy was ready seemed like a viable option.
But after a moment’s thought, Sun Woo-jin grinned—a mischievous, almost boyish smile.
Shortly after, Sun Woo-jin’s group arrived near the village but kept a safe distance, passing by without stopping.
The assassins watching them immediately sent out a flurry of signals.
—Target is passing by! Repeat! Target is passing by the village.
—Target is passing by!
—Target is passing by!
The echoes of these messages soon reached assassin number 3 at the inn.
“What?!” he snapped, eyes wide and teeth clenched.
There was no way they’d just pass by.
Did they prefer sleeping outdoors that much?
In this situation, with no idea how much longer they’d have to rough it, this was unthinkable.
His head began to throb from the unprecedented situation.
They’d built an entire village, not just an inn.
If the targets passed by, all their efforts would be wasted.
But they couldn’t reveal themselves yet.
Attacking before the prey entered the trap was risky and not their style.
“Could they have sensed our presence?” he wondered.
But that seemed unlikely.
If so, they wouldn’t just walk on by.
“Ugh!” Assassin number 3 sighed deeply, anger etched on his face.
Looks like they’d have to do this all over again.
And they’d need to observe the targets more carefully, just in case they passed by again.
Then, another assassin asked.
—Number 3, what now?
Clenching his teeth, number 3 replied.
—Stand by. We’ll clean up after they’ve fully passed.
The same message echoed throughout the village.
—Stand by. Clean up after they’ve passed.
—Stand by. Clean up after they’ve passed.
—Stand by. Clean up after they’ve passed.
Sun Woo-jin observed the village as they passed.
He noticed the villagers’ movements rapidly slowing.
Since the targets had passed, the assassins had given up pretending to be ordinary people.
He couldn’t help but smile.
It was so satisfying to have completely wasted the effort that went into building an entire village.
They wouldn’t give up just because of one miss; the cleanup could wait for another time.
At that moment, Son Dae-su glanced at his granddaughter, Son Yi-rang, who looked displeased, and cautiously asked.
“Lord In, could you explain now? Why did we just pass by that village?”
Earlier, Sun Woo-jin had unilaterally informed the group they’d be passing the village without stopping, promising to explain later.
As the leader, his serious tone left no room for argument.
But the two women, who had been looking forward to a proper wash, couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
In a low voice, Sun Woo-jin asked the group.
“Didn’t any of you sense something strange about them?”
They exchanged glances and shook their heads.
“Strange?”
Sun Woo-jin looked a little disappointed as he said.
“They were all assassins. Woodcutters, farmers, even the children—they were all assassins. I believe they were the rumored Hyeol Woo-ryon.”
His words made everyone’s faces harden.
“…Hyowooren, you say?”
“Huh? You mean those guys?”
“Hyowooren! …Excuse me, but what exactly is that?”
Son Ilrang explained to Jin So-eun about the Hyowooren.
Meanwhile, Son Daesu turned to Seon Woojin and asked, “W-where on earth did you find out about that?”
Seon Woojin didn’t answer right away. He silently kept walking.
The truth was, he had no good answer. He couldn’t very well say that Murang had told him, could he?
Just then, as if to ease his awkwardness, something caught Seon Woojin’s senses.
His eyes flashed sharply as he said, “Someone’s coming. And very fast.”
Not from one direction, but two.
At his words, the group suddenly tensed, scanning their surroundings.
Moments later, they spotted with the naked eye a single Juglipin hurtling in at incredible speed from the east.
Son Daesu muttered, “…Chojuljeong?”
Judging by the technique, that seemed likely.
But Seon Woojin’s gaze wasn’t fixed on the east.
He was looking north.
Suddenly, a small-framed Juglipin landed before them, removing his Juglip.
“Are you Inparang?”
The voice was bold and spirited—a woman’s voice.
Yet the face revealed beneath the Juglip was a stark contrast: pale as white jade, radiant like a blooming rose. It was none other than Ha Won Dalki, Yeon Taejin.
Seeing her, Son Ilrang and Jin So-eun couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
“Wow! She’s beautiful!”
“Wow! Truly a beauty!”
But Yeon Taejin just scoffed at their praise.
She was far too used to such admiration to feel anything.
Only Son Daesu, recognizing her identity, whispered in surprise, “…Ha Won Dalki?”
With a mischievous, almost boyish grin, Yeon Taejin said clearly, “Yes, I am Ha Won Dalki, Yeon Taejin! I’ve come here to teach that Inparang a proper lesson in fighting! I’ll ask again—are you Inparang?!”
Still, Seon Woojin didn’t look her way.
His gaze remained fixed to the north.
Angered by his apparent disregard, Yeon Taejin shouted, “How dare you! You’re ignoring me—!”
But at that moment, a group appeared from the north, the direction Seon Woojin was watching.
Two squads of six each—twelve in total—formed formations like flying geese and charged toward them.
“Shiiik!”
Seon Woojin muttered sharply, “They’re here.”
Clad in white martial uniforms with blue hero sashes, it was unmistakable—they were from the Hyeongsan Sect.
The secret weapon of the Hyeongsan Sect: the Yukhab Swordmasters, the Pasanjo. Their arrival.
Even Yeon Taejin turned to face them as they approached.
The Yukhab Swordmasters landed before the group with a synchronized thud, their footsteps sounding as if one person had landed.
The tense atmosphere drew everyone’s full attention.
From among them, the leader of the Pasanjo, Woon Dang, stepped forward arrogantly.
“Inparang! In the name of the Hyeongsan Sect, I will execute your judgment!”
At those words, Son Daesu, Son Ilrang, and Jin So-eun’s faces darkened noticeably—they had anticipated this arrival.
Finally, the Hyeongsan Sect’s secret weapon, the Yukhab Swordmasters, stood before them.
For the martial artists of Guangdong Province, the name Hyeongsan Sect carried immense weight.
Even Ha Won Dalki, who feared nothing in the world, was taken aback by the mention of the Hyeongsan Sect.
She blinked in surprise and asked, “The Hyeongsan Sect?”
Seon Woojin’s eyes swept over Yeon Taejin blocking his front, then to the Pasanjo of the Hyeongsan Sect on his left.
And beyond them, the presence of the Hyowooren behind.
It was an exquisitely precarious moment.