Episode 492

Turbulent Times Bring People Together (2)

Wood Willow Manor housed seven defensive formations, eight mechanical traps, and hundreds of masters lay hidden.

 

The manor’s master was an elderly man named Jang Dae-in. His family had settled there since his grandfather’s time.

 

The world knew Jang Dae-in’s family as the owners of Wood Willow Manor, but that was not the truth.

 

Wood Willow Manor was not Jang Dae-in’s property; it was merely a secret safe house of the Myriad Merchants Troupe. The role of Jang Dae-in’s family was to make Wood Willow Manor the safest place in the world.

 

Jang Dae-in’s grandfather, father, and Jang Dae-in himself—three generations—had transformed Wood Willow Manor into the world’s foremost fortress.

 

That was why Eun Il-yeong chose to stay at Wood Willow Manor rather than at any other safe house.

 

Ever since his father, Eun Wonho, lost his life to the Changcheon Alliance, Eun Il-yeong had lived under the crushing terror of dying at any moment.

 

What use was the greatest wealth under heaven? In death, it meant nothing.

 

His father had also been a giant who controlled the economy from the shadows, yet he died pointlessly at the hands of the Changcheon Alliance.

 

Death ended everything.

 

The luxury and power Eun Il-myeong enjoyed were only possible because he was alive. He neither knew nor cared what came after death.

 

Eun Il-myeong wanted to live as long as possible and continue savoring his authority. For that, he allied himself with the Celestial Demon Troupe.

 

In his eyes, the next ruler of the world would be the Celestial Demon Troupe.

 

The Heavenly Justice Alliance might resist for now, but he believed it would not last long.

 

“If the Celestial Demon Troupe takes Jianghu, then the world of Myriad Merchant Troupe will rise again.”

 

He muttered as he stared at a map.

 

After Myriad Merchant Troupe’s support of Celestial Demon Troupe became known, many merchant groups and merchants defected. The very foundations were shaken overnight. But Eun Il-myeong didn’t mind.

 

It was something he would have had to experience eventually.

 

“This way, the chaff will be separated from my true followers

 

Although many had left, many still remained by Eun Il-myeong’s side.

 

These were his true retainers and hidden strength. Besides, he still had immense wealth.

 

As long as the Celestial Demon Troupe won the war, Myriad Merchant Troupe could be rebuilt stronger than ever.

 

Growing thirsty from his thoughts, Eun Il-myeong reached for the teacup on the table, then paused.

 

He stared at the cup for a moment, then dipped a silver needle into the tea.

 

Even after waiting a considerable amount of time, there was no change to the needle. Only then did Eun Il-myeong feel relieved and drink the tea.

 

Such was his daily life.

 

Though his subordinates triple-checked his food and drink, he never trusted them and always verified it himself.

 

“Just a little more patience. Just a little more…” Eun Il-myeong muttered as he drank his tea.

 

His face, untouched by sunlight for so long, was pale as paper, and his muttering to himself seemed all the more sinister.

 

Whether or not he was aware of his appearance, Eun Il-myeong sipped his tea.

 

The sound of him drinking tea was clearly audible even to the martial artists guarding outside his door.

 

Those guarding Eun Il-myeong’s residence were the top masters of the Myriad Merchant Troupe, called the Golden Coin Guards.

 

The Golden Coin Guards were martial artists who embodied the accumulated power of the Myriad Merchant Troupe over a hundred years.

 

Unlike the White Flower Squad, who were raised with precious manuals and elixirs, the Golden Coin Guards survived hellish conditions. Though they had also received vast resources, the ordeals they endured gave them unmatched pride.

 

Eun Il-myeong used the Golden Coin Guards, his most reliable force, to protect himself.If Eun Won-ho were alive, he would have dissuaded Eun Il-myeong, but now there was no one left.

 

There were ten Golden Coin Guards in total, all top-tier masters in the Jianghu.

 

They faithfully guarded his quarters, pitying him for confining himself to a dark room.

 

The leader of the Golden Coin Guards, Yeom Woo-cheon, suddenly furrowed his brow. Yoo Cheong, another Golden Coin Guard beside him, asked.

 

“What’s wrong, Brother?”

 

“Doesn’t it seem strange?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I don’t hear any sound at all.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I mean, no sound is coming from the room.”

 

“Well, the Sect Leader must have fallen asleep.”

 

Despite Yoo Cheong’s words, Yeom Woo-cheon did not relax.

 

Hesitating for a moment, Yeom Woo-cheon cautiously knocked on the door.

 

“Sect Leader! Are you sleeping?”

 

“……”

 

But no answer came from inside the room.

 

“See? He’s asleep,” Yoo Cheong chided Yeom Woo-cheon.

 

But ignoring him, Yeom Woo-cheon continued, “Sect Leader, I’m coming in for a moment.”

 

Still, no answer came from the inside.

 

Yeom Woo-cheon carefully opened the door and entered. As he checked the interior, his eyes widened.

 

Eun Il-myeong was slumped in his chair.

 

The posture seemed too strange to simply be sleeping.

 

Yeom Woo-cheon hurriedly rushed to Eun Il-myeong.

 

“Sect Leader! This can’t be!”

 

“What’s wrong, Brother?”

 

“The Sect Leader has passed away.”

 

“What?”

 

“An assassin! An assassin has murdered the Lord!”

 

“What?!”

 

Yeom Woo-cheon showed Eun Il-myeong’s neck to Yoo Cheong. A small throwing knife was embedded deep, up to its hilt, in Eun Il-myeong’s neck.

 

“This… this can’t be!”

 

Yoo Cheong’s pupils shook.

 

Eun Il-myeong had already stopped breathing.

 

He couldn’t believe it.

 

Eun Il-myeong’s residence was protected by seven defensive formations, eight mechanical traps, hundreds of masters, and the Golden Coin Guards.

 

It was impossible for any assassin to infiltrate this place. Even if one were lucky enough to pass through the formations and traps, getting past the tightly woven net of human guards would be impossible.

 

The Golden Coin Guards were confident that no master, no matter how skilled, could escape their notice. But an unidentified assassin had shattered that pride and assassinated Eun Il-myeong.

 

Eun Il-myeong was a master who had trained in formidable martial arts, yet he couldn’t put up any resistance. In fact, he probably hadn’t even realized the assassin was approaching until the moment he died.

 

Yoo Cheong felt goosebumps rise all over his body.

 

“Who could it be?”

 

“The Sect Leader’s body is still warm. The assassin probably hasn’t escaped yet.”

 

Yeom Woo-cheon carefully laid Eun Il-myeong’s body on the floor and stood up.

 

Reviving Eun Il-myeong was impossible anyway. There was no physician here who could bring back the dead.

 

At the very least, they had to get revenge.

 

Yeom Woo-cheon judged that the assassin had likely not yet escaped the manor.

 

 

He didn’t know how the assassin had broken through their security net and infiltrated secretly, but it was impossible that the assassin had already left.

 

Ring! Ring! Ring!

 

An urgent bell sounded and reverberated through the Wood Willow Manor.

 

Lights turned on in the dark manor, and people poured out in droves.

 

Yeom Woo-cheon gave them orders.

 

“The Sect Leader has been assassinated by an assassin. The assassin likely hasn’t escaped yet. Lock the gates immediately and search!”

 

“What? Are you saying the Sect Leader was assassinated?”

 

“That’s right. We must capture the assassin immediately.”

 

“Ahh!”

 

But the warriors stood frozen in shock.

 

“What are you doing? If we hesitate like this, the assassin will escape. We must capture the bastard and uncover who’s behind this!”

 

“Ah, understood.”

 

Only after Yeom Woo-cheon’s furious shout did the Myriad Merchant Troupe martial artists finally move. However, their search for the assassin was half-hearted.

 

Their leader was dead, so of course, they should seek revenge. But what filled their minds was not vengeance—it was the Myriad Merchant Troupe’s immense wealth.

 

Il-myeong had left no heir.

 

The troupe’s colossal fortune had no successor.

 

Everyone knew how vast it was.

 

Masterless treasure.

 

Whoever seized it would be lord.

 

With no master left, greed rose within their hearts.

 

The higher-ups of the Myriad Merchant Troupe were the most greedy.

 

While pretending to search, many instead led their men straight to the treasure vaults.

 

“Go! Whoever claims the keys to the vault will be the next ruler of the Myriad Merchant Troupe!”

 

“With the master dead, anyone can be lord!”

 

Blinded by greed, they charged for the hoards.

 

Thus, Wood Willow Manor dissolved into chaos: some pursued the assassin, some the treasure, and some the seat of power.

 

“Kuhuk!”

 

Seeing Mansangryeon collapsing in an instant, Yeom Woo-cheon gritted his teeth.

 

They say it takes three generations for a wealthy family to fall, but the sight of Myriad Merchant Troupe crumbling instantly felt unreal.

 

 

 

Even in his wildest dreams, he never imagined that the mighty Myriad Merchant Troupe would prove to be a house of cards.

 

Although it was happening right before his eyes, it was hard to believe, it felt utterly unreal.

 

“Dammit!”

 

Eventually, Yeom Woo-cheon gave up on help from the others and set out to search personally with the Golden Coin Guards.

 

“There are traces of the assassin here.”

 

“The traces lead outside.”

 

They finally found the assassin’s trail.

 

The assassin had slipped in through the very formations and mechanisms they trusted most.

 

The mechanisms and arrays had been subtly broken while still appearing intact, which was why no one noticed.

 

“Who could do this?”

 

The formations and traps installed in the Wood Willow Manor were the best in the Jianghu. Even Gu Gok-ja, the legendary formation master from four hundred years ago, was said to be unable to dismantle them easily.

 

Yet, those very mechanisms and formations had been skillfully destroyed.

 

“Could the assassin have mastered formations and mechanisms as well?”

 

If so, the assassin was peerless in assassination, devices, and formations alike. A terrifying thought.

 

“No! That can’t be. There’s no way such a person exists in the world.”

 

He forced himself to deny it and continued the pursuit.

 

Though infiltration was difficult, the path of escape was predictable.

 

If one passed through certain traps and formations, the exit was obvious.

 

Yeom Woo-cheon and the Golden Coin Guards skipped the intermediate steps and ran straight towards the direction where the exit was located.

 

That place was none other than the outer wall encircling the manor.

 

It was usually a heavily guarded place, but strangely, no one was in sight.

 

Yeom Woo-cheon became certain that his suspicion was correct.

 

Instead of his subordinates, he saw two children and a slender young woman wearing Black robes.

 

By the time Yeom Woo-cheon arrived, the woman in black martial arts attire was removing her mask.

 

“So you’re the assassin.”

 

At Yeom Woo-cheon’s shout, the woman turned her head to look at him.

 

The beautiful woman with snow-white skin and strikingly black pupils was none other than Han So-cheon.

 

The children with Han So-cheon were Lee Cheong and Lee Soo-ah.

 

They weren’t surprised by the appearance of Yeom Woo-cheon and the Golden Coin members. Instead, they wore calm expressions, as if they had been expecting it.

 

The one who assassinated Eun Il-myeong was Han So-cheon. But she didn’t do it alone.

 

Lee Soo-ah had utilized the Hao Clan’s information network to locate the Wood Willow Manor, and Lee Cheong had neutralized the traps and formations spread throughout the stronghold.

 

Thanks to their aid, Han So-cheon had been able to infiltrate safely and succeed in the assassination.

 

Although she felt uneasy about involving such young children in the assassination, she had no choice. In the current situation, there was no one more helpful to her than these two children.

 

When they first heard the plan, the children were surprised, but they didn’t object.

 

Although they were young, they were also martial artists. They knew well that they couldn’t live under the protection of adults forever.

 

So, they made their own decision.

 

To help their mother, Han So-cheon.

 

Fortunately, Eun Il-myeong’s mind and body had weakened, making the assassination relatively easy.

 

Even Han So-cheon, who carried out the assassination, was surprised by how dull Eun Il-myeong’s senses had become. He didn’t even notice Han So-cheon’s dagger until the moment he died.

 

It was the price of his long seclusion and obsession with schemes, neglecting his martial practice.

 

For a martial artist who ceased to train, the world of Jianghu was merciless.

 

Yeom Woo-cheon and the Golden Coin members surrounded Han So-cheon and the children.

 

“I will grind your bones and drink your blood,” Woo-cheon spat in a voice heavy with killing intent.

 

With Eun Il-myeong’s death, the Myriad Merchant Troupe would fall.

 

That was an undeniable fact.

 

Among those coveting the treasure-filled warehouses, none were fit to lead the Sect. Because of their greed, the sect would fall into disarray and never again regain its former glory.

 

Someone had to pay the price.

 

Yeom Woo-cheon and the Golden Coin members drew their weapons, aiming them at Han So-cheon and the children. A heavy aura flowed from them, the top masters of the Myriad Merchant Troupe. But no one, from Han So-cheon to even Lee Soo-ah and Lee Cheong, showed a trace of fear.

 

Swish!

 

The first to move was Han So-cheon.

 

She launched herself towards Yeom Woo-cheon.

 

Her silent form flew like a ghost, making him recoil in fright.

 

“Damn! This bitch—!”

 

Shiiing!

 

Han So-cheon’s sword cut through the air, aiming for Yeom Woo-cheon’s vital points.

 

Even as she attacked, her mind was elsewhere.

 

‘I need to finish this quickly and return to Brother’s side.’

 

The same thought filled Lee Sua and Lee Cheong.

 

Lee Soo-ah and Lee Cheong felt the same.

 

In order to return to Lee Gwak as soon as possible, they drew their swords and charged at the Golden Coin members.

 

‘Dad! Wait just a little. I’ll be back soon.’