Woon Seong looked at Han Yucheon straight in the eyes and said,

“Age of chaos… don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions?”

“Do you really think so?”

“After all, everything ended with the victory of the Jin family.”

“This is why you monks are truly ignorant of the ways of the world. Do you really think that just because the Jin family won, the divided public sentiment will be restored? No. Those who stood on the Snow Sword Manor’s side will only harbor greater resentment after today’s defeat.”

“But we can’t just go and kill them all. What if we try to soothe the wounds of their hearts—”

“Do you think they will happily accept it if we do that? They are proud warriors. They will definitely take today’s defeat to heart.”

“We’ll just have to think what to do when the time comes then.”

“Hoo!”

Han Yucheon sighed heavily in frustration at Woon Seong’s response.

He then looked at Woon Seong with a pitiful expression.

Woon Seong’s martial prowess was not much different from his own. In fact, in terms of pure martial arts skill, Woon Seong was undoubtedly much stronger than him.

The strength that the Shaolin had accumulated over a thousand years was certainly impressive, and Woon Seong had inherited the essence of his sect fully.

Having mastered twelve of the seventy-two techniques, Woon Seong’s martial power was clearly superior to that of Han Yucheon. But, aside from his martial arts prowess, Woon Seong’s perspective on the world  fell far short of Han Yucheon.

This was a fatal flaw of Buddhists who lived in a walled garden, free of worldly desires and attachment.

Because they had not experienced the harsh reality and fierce competition of the world, they thought others would naturally follow their example and uphold their sense of justice.

“People must have realized it by now. How selfish the big factions that rule Jianghu are. How cunning and out of touch with reality they are. I’m sure the people have seen it clearly with their own eyes given the recent events.”

“So, that’s why they’ll act as they please?”

“I mean, their psychological barriers have been broken.”

“Still, it’s still useless. Do you think the Shaolin will just sit back and watch as chaos ensues? How about the Wudang sect? Mount Hua? And the Frenzied Warrior Clan? That’s impossible. As long as they are alive, the age of chaos will never begin.”

Woon Seong’s voice contained unwavering faith.

“Tch!”

Han Yucheon clicked his tongue at the sight of such a man.

There was no use in arguing with someone who had such firm convictions like Woon Seong. Woon Seong would always think that his beliefs were absolutely right.

Woon Seong must be thinking that no matter what happens, they will be able to get through it with the power of the Shaolin Temple.

And if the power of the Shaolin Temple wasn’t enough, they could always align their sect with the Wudang sect and the Frenzied Warrior Clan.

It was not baseless arrogance.

They actually had enough power to suppress such turbulence. The problem is that the world doesn’t work through force alone.

The world’s turbulent currents sometimes create unexpected turning points, and if one does not respond properly at such a time, it’s only a matter of time before things take a turn for the worst.

Han Yucheon thought this was such a turning point.

Woon Seong, who had spent his entire life in a secluded and peaceful temple, lacked the ability to see the flow of the world, which was why he could think so lightly about the current situation.

“Hoo!”

Han Yucheon sighed once again.

Woon Seong asked him,

“Where is Young Master Jin right now?”

“If you’re looking for the Jin family’s kid, he’s probably with his grandfather.”

“Are you referring to Master Jin Wol-myeong?”

“That’s right.”

“How’s his condition?”

“You should see for yourself. If you have any spare Great Restoration Pill, give it to him.”

“Is it that serious?”

“You’ll have to see for yourself. shit! You talk too much and have no sense of propriety.”

Han Yucheon put the sword he was holding back in its sheath, then passed by Woon Seong.

“Where are you going?”

“I have someone to meet.”

“Who?”

“An arrogant brat.”

“What for?”

“Just because. I’m off.”

With that, Han Yucheon took off and disappeared.

Woon Seong stared in the direction where Han Yucheon disappeared for a while.

“Hoo! Was I really being too optimistic? No, I’m sure if it’s the Shaolin, we can get through any situation.”

Woon Seong rolled the prayer beads in his hands before walking back inside the Jin manor.

* * *

Pyo-wol sat down on a small rock as he tried to catch his breath. His muscles were twitching from the after-effects of a fierce battle that lasted all night.

He had fought many bloody battles before, but today felt especially hard. It was like fighting against a ghost that had no substance.

Despite fighting so intensely, in the end, he couldn’t catch Lee Yul. He only managed to kill Baek Do-kyung, who was just a pawn.

As for Heuk-ho and the Black Cloud Corps, they were all just hired warriors who had no connection to Lee Yul.

In the end, all that Pyo-wol could find out was the name, Kowloon Assassin Guild.

It was too meager of a discovery considering the hundreds of people he had just killed, but Pyo-wol tried not to be disappointed.

He knew that everything starts with a small beginning.

The name Kowloon Assassin Guild itself was a big clue for him.

He might be stumped right now, but as long as he takes his time and gathers enough information, he will surely be able to slowly uncover their true identity.

“Oh wait!”

Pyo-wol suddenly stood up from the rock he was sitting on.

He thought that all contact with the Kowloon Assassin Guild had been lost, but there was actually still one left.

‘The Golden Mountain Manor.’

Both Lee Yul and the Kowloon Assassin Guild thoroughly made use of others.

They used the Snow Sword Manor as a front, and hired mercenaries and assassins such as the Black Cloud Corps and Heuk-ho. And by putting such unrelated people in front of them, they thoroughly masked the involvement of the Kowloon Assassin Guild.

It was also Lee Yul’s doing to bring the Golden Mountain Manor to the Snow Sword Manor’s side.

The benefits that the Golden Mountain Manor would gain by helping Snow Sword Manor were not significant. Yet, the Golden Mountain Manor willingly acted as the Snow Sword Manor’s rear guard and backer.

Of course, this was before Pyo-wol killed the only daughter of the Golden Mountain Manor, causing them to withdraw their support.

It’s unlikely that Geum Shin-chung, who was more sensitive to profit than anyone else, would help the Snow Sword Manor for no reason.

‘He must know something about Lee Yul and the Kowloon Assassin Guild.’

Even though the Snow Sword Manor was destroyed overnight, the Golden Mountain Manor was still left intact. But it was certain that the Golden Mountain Manor would either flee or hide once they knew of the Snow Sword Manor’s destruction.

So before any of that happens, he had to capture Geum Shin-chung and ask him about the Kowloon Assassin Guild.

Pyo-wol left the Snow Sword Manor and headed for the Golden Mountain Manor.

Finding the Golden Mountain Manor wasn’t too difficult.

All he had to do was find the largest manor in Runan.

Countless warriors stood guard on the outskirts of the manor, but slipping past their watchful eyes was not a problem for Pyo-wol.

He easily infiltrated into the manor without making a sound, and set out to find Geum Shin-chung’s residence.

Finding Geum Shin-chung’s residence wasn’t too difficult either. All Pyo-wol had to do was find the most heavily guarded area within the manor.

Standing on a branch of a large tree, Pyo-wol surveyed the grand pavilion that he assumed to be Geum Shin-chung’s dwelling.

A strict security net was spread around the perimeter of the residence, but it wasn’t enough to stop him.

Pyo-wol used his stealth techniques to sneak into the residence unnoticed.

It was difficult to get inside Geum Shin-chung’s residence, but once inside, the difficulty drastically lowered.

Geum Shin-chung hated having others in his personal space, so he guarded the outside of his residence with great vigilance, but no one could enter his residence.

As a result, Pyo-wol walked through Geum Shin-chung’s residence as if he was strolling through his own front yard.

As Pyo-wol approached Geum Shin-chung’s room, his expression became tense.

He felt a strange sensation creeping up on him.

Bang!

Pyo-wol abruptly pushed the door open to Geum Shin-chung’s room.

Thud! Thud!

Inside the room was a woman holding a dagger dripping with blood.

“Huh?”

The woman’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol looked at the fat man lying on the ground in front of the woman. The man, who was bleeding profusely like a pig, was none other than the sect leader of the Golden Mountain Manor, Geum Shin-chung.

He lost his life to a woman in his residence.

The problem was that the woman who killed Geum Shin-chung is someone that Pyo-wol knows.

“How did you get here?”

The woman who looked at Pyo-wol with a puzzled expression was Hong Ye-seol.

Instead of answering, Pyo-wol asked her,

“Why did you kill him?”

“I was commissioned to do it.”

“Commission?”

“Yes! A request.”

“Who’s the client?”

“Hoho! Come on, you’re being tacky. You know very well that I can’t say the name of the client as long as the contract is still in effect.”

Hong Ye-seol said as if it was obvious.

“Didn’t you break the contract with Lee Yul?”

“It was a contract made before that.”

“With whom?”

“I told you, I can’t tell you.”

Hong Ye-seol smiled broadly.

In contrast, Pyo-wol’s expression grew even colder.

“Did you receive a bundled request?”

“That sometimes happens. When another request comes in and it happens to be in the same area.”

“Are you saying this is one of those cases?”

“I’m saying it happens.”

Swoosh!

Hong Ye-seol wiped the dagger that killed Geum Shin-chung on her clothes and tucked it into her pocket.

Pyo-wol silently stared at Hong Ye-seol.

She continued to smile broadly.

She was a top-notch assassin.

Even if Pyo-wol tries to subdue and torture her, she would never open her mouth.

“Just tell me one thing.”

“I told you. I can’t tell you anything about this commission, even if I were your lover.”

“Are you sure that this is a contract you made before?”

“I already told you.”

“So you’re really sure.”

Pyo-wol’s eyes shone.

Hong Ye-seol scratched her head.

She couldn’t understand why Pyo-wol was reacting so sensitively to whether the commission was done before or after her deal with Lee Yul.

“I’ll leave now, it’s almost time for the guards to start their patrol.”

Pyo-wol didn’t say anything in response to her words.

Hong Ye-seol pursed her lips, then jumped out the window.

Left alone, Pyo-wol muttered to himself,

“Before? Then he must have prepared for a situation like this.”

With Geum Shin-chung’s status, there are bound to be many people who hold grudges against him. It wouldn’t have been just one or two people who had their blood and money squeezed by the Golden Mountain Manor.

Perhaps one of them could have commissioned Hong Ye-seol.

But the probability was extremely low.

It would cost an astronomical amount of money to move an assassin like Hong Ye-seol. It was unlikely that the man who had their money and blood sucked out dry would have that kind of wealth. If that was the case, then someone else must have made a separate request for Hong Ye-seol, just in case.

Perhaps someone from the Kowloon Assassin Guild.

They were frighteningly cunning individuals.

At first, Pyo-wol had only set out to uncover the truth about Jin Geum-woo’s death.

But now it was different.

He was interested in the existence of the Kowloon Assassin Guild itself.

More precisely, the feelings they brought about inside of him.

It was the first time he had encountered something that could evoke such a feeling in him.

Just recalling their name made his stomach churn and a fierce sense of animosity arose in him.

Perhaps they, too, felt the same way about him.

Lee Yul, in particular, would feel an even stronger sense of hostility. After all, his plans had been completely ruined by just one person, Pyo-wol.

He would no doubt be watching Pyo-wol’s every move while devising a plan to eliminate him.

Pyo-wol decided to wait for when that time comes.

Once they approached, he promised to catch them off guard.

That was the only way to deal with the Kowloon Assassin Guild for now.

Pyo-wol searched through Geum Shin-chung’s room just in case, but there were no clues related to the Kowloon Assassin Guild anywhere.

It was then.

“Sect leader!”

A guard’s voice could be heard calling from the outside.

Pyo-wol quickly opened the window and slipped out of the room.

“…….”

The Golden Mountain Manor warriors tried to wait, but when they still couldn’t hear any response from their sect leader after some time,

“Let’s go inside.”

The warriors cautiously entered the room.

The first thing they saw was Geum Shin-chung’s body.

“The sect leader has passed away!”

“An assassin has broken in!”

An emergency alert was issued in the Golden Mountain Manor.

Both servants and warriors rushed over, but all they could see was Geum Shin-chung’s huge corpse.

Those who claimed to be Geum Shin-chung’s loyal followers began to look at each other.

Even Geum Suryeon, who could be considered as Geum Shin-chung’s only successor, had recently lost her life.

An enormous amount of gold was waiting for them in the underground vault.

It was a mountain of gold without an owner.

And the first to move would seize and claim the mountain of gold.

“He’s dead!”

“I am now the owner of the Golden Mountain Manor–!”

“Die!”

A fierce fight broke out over the Golden Mountain Manor.

’Notes:

kinda wished Hong Ye-seol was dead at this chapter so she wouldn’t have gotten in the way of Pyo-wol’s plans… Anyway, thank you for reading!