Chapter 297
“Hmph! So you won’t dirty your own hands, huh?”
Gwae Hang-gi, the third son of the Demon King Gwae Gal-hyeon, muttered to himself as he thought about his eldest brother, Gwae Jeong-gi, who had visited him not long ago.
Jeong-gi had suddenly appeared and brought up Seol Poong.
He said that since Hang-gi had already secured the support of the Yangju Dong family, if he could just gain backing from one or two more clans, he could easily become the third-ranked candidate for successor.
That statement infuriated Jeong-gi, who was currently third in line himself.
He could never accept being overtaken by some nobody, let alone someone who couldn’t even catch up to their older brothers.
Jeong-gi had glared at the enraged Hang-gi for a moment, then left after saying he’d lend some of his men if needed.
But his tone made it clear he didn’t care at all what Hang-gi intended to do with them.
Still, Hang-gi wasn’t stupid—he knew exactly what Jeong-gi was up to.
He muttered through clenched teeth, “He thinks I’m dumb enough not to see through his scheme?”
Jeong-gi wanted to use him to take out that Seol Poong fellow.
Well, it made sense—he wasn’t the only one humiliated last time, so Jeong-gi had every reason to target Seol Poong as well.
But from Hang-gi’s perspective, that wasn’t a bad thing.
“Fine. I’ll play along this time. As long as that bastard gets taken down!”
Clenching his fist, Hang-gi barked orders to his subordinate.
“Send a letter to Brother Jeong-gi! Request that he send Gui-do Baek, Baek Gol Gwe-ma Hong, and other top-tier masters, along with a military unit!”
His subordinate’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Th-that’s more than half of Jeong-gi Gongja’s forces. Do you really think he’ll send that many?”
“Hmph! He’s just as eager as I am. He’ll send them. And contact my maternal family! Tell them to ask Gam Jak-hyung for help! He said he wouldn’t join me, but he would accept a request.”
“Even Gam Nosa… understood.”
Gam Jak-hyung, one of the Three Divine Spears, was a top master belonging to the Thirty-Six Stars of the World.
Hang-gi had long tried to win him over through his maternal clan, the Beon Hae Chae family.
If he could command even one of the Thirty-Six Stars, he thought, he might just be able to topple his brothers’ standing.
But naturally, someone of Gam Jak-hyung’s caliber wouldn’t just fall under Hang-gi’s command.
So Hang-gi had to settle for a modest friendship.
Now, he planned to use that connection.
Since he would be leaving Jiangsu Province soon anyway, there was no point in holding back.
Grinding his teeth, Hang-gi muttered, “Seol Poong might be a Thirty-Six Star-level master? That swordsman’s stronger than Gui-do Baek Gi-ryang? Hmph! Even if both are Thirty-Six Star-level, it doesn’t matter. I’ll gather enough power to take down three of them!”
Two days later, Hang-gi set out for Yangju Dongga with his own forces combined with those of his eldest brother, Jeong-gi.
Though the large number of troops slowed their pace, reports from scouts he had sent ahead indicated that Seol Poong’s group showed no sign of leaving Dongga anytime soon.
One of Hang-gi’s subordinates, unnerved by the overwhelming force they were bringing, asked suddenly, “Are we planning to attack Dongga itself?”
Hang-gi scowled deeply.
“Are you crazy? We’ll deal with those bastards after we catch them, outside Jiangsu Province. You think I’d risk touching one of the Thirty-Three Houses of the Demon King? I’m trying to become the next Demon King, not throw away my goal just to kill Seol Poong! We wait for him to leave Dongga. Then, when there’s enough distance, we strike!”
“Yes, understood, Gongja!”
The powerful force, confident enough to take down even three Thirty-Six Stars, was steadily closing in on Yangju Dongga.
Yangju, Jiangsu Province.
Around Yangju Dongga, spies sent by Hang-gi to monitor Seol Poong’s movements were spread out like a net.
They were the Amgwangdae—assassins trained by Hang-gi’s maternal clan, the Beon Hae Chae family.
The Beon Hae Chae had long been known for their greed, despite their talents.
Unlike other Demon King’s Thirty-Three Houses, which specialized in a single martial art, they dabbled in darker, more varied fields.
The Amgwangdae were one such specialty—lethal assassins.
Seventeen, one of the Amgwangdae, was currently hiding in the bushes near Dongga’s manor, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he kept watch.
‘Ugh, I’m so stiff. I’m exhausted today, just like yesterday.’
He had been on this six-hour shift rotation for three days straight, and even for an assassin, the fatigue was overwhelming.
At least Hang-gi Gongja was expected to arrive from the Demon King’s Alliance in two days, so if he could just hold on that long, this misery would end.
But two days was still two days, and that hope didn’t ease his current weariness.
Unable to bear the stiffness any longer, he decided to stretch.
He tried to do it quietly, squeezing his body carefully.
Creak… crack…
“Ugh…”
Normally, an assassin wouldn’t dare make such noise while hiding.
But having been sold from another province as a child and forced into this unwanted life, he didn’t care about being a top assassin.
He just wanted to finish his contract quickly and leave the Beon Hae Chae family to live as a true warrior.
So, watching out for his comrades hidden nearby, he stretched at an angle where no one could see him.
Creak… crack…
“Ah, this is killing me. If only I could have made some noise, it would’ve felt so good.”
Suddenly, a laugh came from behind him.
“Pfft! Oh, sorry. That was too funny to hold back.”
Startled, Seventeen froze mid-stretch.
He knew no one should be behind him.
Yet there was a woman’s laughter coming from there.
That was impossible.
“Damn it!”
He spun around at full speed and tried to bolt the other way.
But at that moment, a sharp sting shot through his body, and he froze in place.
‘!’
He’d been hit with a pressure point strike.
Though he turned, he couldn’t escape.
In his frozen gaze appeared a beautiful woman with short hair.
It was none other than Jin So-eun, one of Seol Poong’s group he had been spying on.
Seventeen screamed silently inside.
“Whaaaat? Why is she behind me?!”
She looked at him with a troubled expression.
“An assassin stretching out like that, looking so tired—I just couldn’t bring myself to kill you. What should I do?”
Seventeen, unable to speak from the pressure point strike, screamed inwardly.
“Why are you asking me?! At least release the pressure points if you want to talk!”
But of course, Jin So-eun hadn’t asked him that.
The voice had come from behind him—where no one should have been.
“Even so, you shouldn’t make noise. You’re lucky you’re the last one. If there were others left, this would’ve been a disaster.”
Another woman’s voice.
Hearing that, Seventeen felt a chill run down his spine.
Not just because someone had appeared where he’d been watching.
But because of the word ‘last.’
He realized that despite these women openly talking, there was no reaction from nearby comrades.
They should have been close by.
‘That means…’
He swallowed hard.
He guessed what had happened to the others.
Realizing this, Seventeen couldn’t help but frown.
“Damn it! This is why I never wanted to be an assassin…”
Then Jin So-eun laughed again.
“Pfft! Hehe! Oh, your expression is priceless. What should I do, sister? I just can’t kill this one.”
Stepping forward, Yeon Tae-jin looked at Seventeen’s face and frowned.
“…This one’s definitely a bad assassin.”
He then released the pressure points and asked, “Hey, what’s your name?”
Suddenly able to speak, Seventeen answered without thinking.
“Se-Seventeen… Actually, my real name is ‘Bi.’”
“Bi? That’s a cool name. What’s your family name?”
Seventeen hesitated, lips trembling.
That was the one thing he didn’t want to say.
Yeon Tae-jin frowned again.
He clearly thought there was no point wasting time on such an assassin.
At that moment, Seventeen instinctively felt his life hanging by a thread and desperately blurted out, “Byun! Byun is my family name!”
“Huh? Byun? So your name is Byun Bi?”
Yeon Tae-jin said the name absentmindedly—and then couldn’t help but chuckle.
Jin So-eun burst out laughing.
“Hehe! What do we do? Seriously, what do we do with this guy?”
Seventeen hung his head, face burning red after confessing his name.
Yeon Tae-jin chuckled softly.
“Damn it, I’m so frustrated. I actually laughed. Yeah, me too. I just can’t bring myself to kill him. What should I do?”
She asked Byeonbi, the seventeenth assassin.
“Hey, why are you skulking under the weird ship? Did you eat something weird too?”
“Uh, no, it’s not that. I was sold to the Chae family when I was young and had nowhere else to go. They promised decent martial arts skills, elixirs, and money if I served as an assassin for ten years…”
He spoke in a barely audible voice.
Suddenly, a stranger’s voice came from behind.
“Well, at least they pay a fair price. Better than the Martial Alliance or the Hyeongsan Sect.”
“True. Maybe that’s why their assassins are more humane.”
At that moment, Byeonbi realized he could move his body again.
Without noticing, the pressure point had been released.
He turned toward the voices and saw Seolpung, Seon Woojin, and Jeungchil standing there with another woman, all watching him.
Seon Woojin asked Byeonbi, “So you’re saying that if they give you decent martial arts and elixirs, there’s no need to return to the Chae family?”
Byeonbi’s eyes snapped open at the question.
It felt like fate was finally smiling on him.
“Yes! Of course! I never really wanted to be an assassin! I’ve lived off the Chae family’s food, but I consider that debt repaid!”
Seon Woojin smirked and turned to Dong Sowoon, a woman from the Yangju Dong family who Seolpung had decided to marry.
“Miss Dong, do you think your family could take him in?”
“Hmm? I suppose we could… but can we really trust him?”
Dong Sowoon’s doubt was natural.
How could they accept an assassin from a rival faction so soon after meeting him?
But Seon Woojin, having confirmed his sincerity with Mukrang, smiled confidently.
“You can trust him. I don’t think he’ll ever return to the Chae family.”
“But…”
Despite Seon Woojin’s assurance, Dong Sowoon still looked at Byeonbi with suspicion.
Then Yeon Taejin, who had been watching nearby, crossed her arms and said to her,
“Sis, there’s something you need to remember.”
Startled, Dong Sowoon straightened up and looked at her.
“Yes, yes, sister. What is it?”
Yeon Taejin, now serious, spoke with a crooked smile.
“If you want to become the lady of the Pung family someday, remember this: If our clever Seon Woojin looks up at the sky and says, ‘The sky is yellow,’ then the sky is definitely yellow. Got it? If he says so, even if it’s not true now, the sky will soon turn yellow. Right, Pung?”
Dong Sowoon stared blankly at Seolpung, as if to say, “What nonsense is this?”
Seolpung chuckled and nodded.
“Of course. If my brother Jin says the sky is yellow, then it must be yellow.”
Yeon Taejin looked at Dong Sowoon like a drill sergeant training a recruit.
Dong Sowoon didn’t fully understand, but one thing was clear: Seon Woojin’s words carried absolute trust among the group.
She glanced at Seolpung, then bowed politely to Yeon Taejin.
“Yes, understood, sister.”
Not long ago, after taking a walk to clear his mind, Seolpung had announced to the group and his great-aunt Dong Chaewon his decision to marry Dong Sowoon.
Of course, it was on the condition that he marry Naseoyu first, but Dong Chaewon was overjoyed.
The others also wholeheartedly supported Seolpung’s decision, knowing it would be hard to refuse, especially considering Seolpung’s late grandfather.
Still, they couldn’t help but watch Yeon Taejin closely.
No matter how indifferent she acted, they suspected she wasn’t truly okay with it.
But Yeon Taejin was Yeon Taejin.
She grinned like a man and said,
“Hmm, I’ve got a little brother now?”
From then on, she treated Dong Sowoon like a younger sister, guiding and training her as if she were already family.
Seolpung had never said he wanted to marry Yeon Taejin, but to her, it was already a done deal.
Seon Woojin entrusted Byeonbi to the Dong family.
Tears streaming down his face, Byeonbi expressed his gratitude.
Yeon Taejin smiled and said,
“Thank your parents. Thanks to the name they gave you, you survived.”
For the first time in his life, Byeonbi felt grateful for his name, which he had never liked before.
Seon Woojin turned to the group.
“Alright, shall we pick up the pace?”
Everyone smiled.
From now on, speed was crucial.
“What?! What do you mean, what happened?!”
Leading the warriors, Gwe Hanggi was about to cross the Yangtze River when he received a sudden report and shouted in anger.
Seolpung’s group had killed all the assassins watching around the Yangju Dong family and disappeared.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
“Where the hell did they escape to?!”
“Well, that’s the thing…”
The bigger issue was that no one knew where Seolpung’s group had gone.
By the time the next shift arrived and found the previous guards all dead, four shi-jin had already passed.
There was no trace left except the bodies.
Gwe Hanggi and his warriors crossed the Yangtze and lingered near Yangju, unsure where to go next.
Two days later, a new report came in.
“Third Young Master! They’re at Yukhapchu!”
“Yukhap?!”
Yukhap was a city at the western edge of Jiangsu Province, west of Yangju.
Yukhapchu was one of the Thirty-Three Houses of the Sa Wang family, famous for master swordsmiths.
Gwe Hanggi’s eyes lit up.
“If they’re at Yukhap, we can catch them and push them out of Jiangsu! Perfect! Everyone, move to Yukhap!”
The warriors quickened their pace toward Yukhap.
For such skilled fighters, it was a day’s journey.
But just as they neared Yukhapchu, another report arrived.
“They’re at Danyangmaeng!”
“What?! What’s that supposed to mean?! Didn’t you say Yukhap?!”
“Uh, I think the report came as they were leaving Yukhap.”
“Damn it!”
Danyangmaeng was south of Yangju, across the Yangtze.
If they’d gone straight from Yangju, it would have been a day’s journey, but detouring to Yukhap meant they had to backtrack and travel two days.
Gwe Hanggi cursed Seolpung and turned back.
“If I ever catch that bastard, I’ll cut off his toes one by one!”
After two more days of travel, they reached Danyang.
Then another report came.
“They’re heading toward Gosun!”
“Arrgh!”
Gosun was a city at the southwestern edge of Jiangsu.
Though furious, Gwe Hanggi was encouraged by the fact that Gosun was at the province’s edge and that this time, they were moving toward Gosun, not away.
This was their chance to trap and kill them outside Jiangsu.
“Let’s go to Gosun! This time, we won’t let them slip away!”
Gwe Hanggi and his warriors sprinted toward Gosun.
At the same time, Gwe Hanggi wasn’t the only one watching Seolpung’s movements.
“Hmm, Gosun, huh?”
First Young Master Gwe Jeong stroked his chin thoughtfully.
The edge of Jiangsu was tempting.
If they fled beyond Jiangsu, there’d be no need to leave their capture to Gwe Hanggi.
With a sly smile, Gwe Jeong spoke.
“Good thing we followed him to make sure Hanggi doesn’t mess up. Let’s wait for them outside Jiangsu. Our numbers are more than enough to surround just five of them.”
The two groups of pursuers were finally closing in on Seolpung’s party.