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Chapter 40

How were they supposed to figure out why Nameless Killing Valley was keeping an eye on the Yu Clan?

And once they knew the full story, how could they extract Chudal without leaving any traces?

They spent ten days trying to come up with a solution, but not a single viable method came to mind.

Things had gotten so frustrating that even Yang-hwi ended up saying something like this:

“Gu-hyung. This just isn’t working. I’ll just infiltrate Nameless Killing Valley myself.”

“Are you out of your mind, Junior brother?!”

“Of course I’m in my right mind.”

“What would you even do once you’re in? No—how would you even get inside in the first place?”

“If I loiter around in front of them long enough, they’ll take me in. There’s no way they’d let someone with my level of genius just walk away.”

“……”

Gu-Ak fell silent. The words were ridiculous—but somehow, he had a feeling they might actually come true.

‘I mean… if I saw a kid with that much talent, I wouldn’t be able to resist taking him in and raising him myself.’

Of course, they’d have to make it look natural so Nameless Killing Valley wouldn’t suspect anything strange.

Still, as someone tasked with protecting Yang-hwi and ensuring his safe return to Baek Manor, this plan was utterly unacceptable to Gu-Ak.

“Absolutely not. It’s far too dangerous.”

“Ah, but I’ll do it so it’s not dangerous.”

“Enough. I’m going to report this to the clan head.”

“……”

Gu-Ak had discovered a secret weapon after enduring so much of Yang-hwi’s silver tongue.

The moment he mentioned Baek Mu-ryang, the rampaging Yang-hwi suddenly quieted down.

“If you get kidnapped, you might not end up being trained in this town. They could lock you up in some remote, hidden valley instead. Forget that plan.”

“Fine. It’s logical, so I’ll drop it. But let the record show that I am not giving up because of your threats, Gu-hyung. Still… what now? We just don’t have enough intel.”

Yang-hwi gave a light kick to the leg of the bed placed in the corner of the room.

“Tch! Gathering intel is your job, Gu-hyung! Why’ve you found so little?!”

“……Is that really how you speak to your elders? I’m more than twenty years older than you.”

“You’re the Rehabilitation Lord! The great prince of Baek Manor! And you’re using age as your argument?”

A vein visibly twitched on Gu-Ak’s forehead.

But instead of replying, he simply let out a long sigh.

‘I didn’t volunteer to guard him just because I was swayed by the chief’s words…’

Gu-Ak felt wronged.

While Yang-hwi was busy getting close to, Lee Hu dressed like a beggar, Gu-Ak had been frequenting bars in the marketplace, collecting local rumors.

That’s how he learned that the head of Yu Clan Manor had a hobby of collecting antiques.

In other words, it wasn’t like he’d just been drinking for fun.

‘This kid’s going to be the death of me. I swear I’m aging because of him.’

“Junior brother. I’ll use my underworld connections from my dark path days to dig up more information. Fortunately, I have ties with the gang that controls the black market here in town.”

“Wait, are you saying you haven’t contacted them yet? I knew it—you’ve just been slacking off, getting drunk. I’m telling Sister Rang everything.”

“……”

‘Ever since I entered Baek Manor, every underground figure I’ve known sees me as a traitor, you little brat!’

…But it was a scream he could never let out loud.

“Anyway, let’s give it a few more days.”

“Tch. I guess we don’t have much choice. That Chudal kid’s got his guard up way too tight—it’s hard to get any info out of him directly. Ha.”

“By the way, why do you keep calling him Chudal? Isn’t his name Lee Hu?”

Yang-hwi grinned slyly.

“Well, because he is Chudal, of course.”

No matter what his name was, or what kind of title he might earn later on—

To Yang-hwi, Chudal would always be Chudal.

The one and only sworn brother he’d gained in all his nearly twenty years roaming the martial world.

“Anyway, I’ll head out and ask around near Yu clan Manor some more.”

“I’ll come with you. I’ve been drinking for days—I’d like to take it easy today.”

He was already planning to start digging into black market info the next day.

So, he figured, one day without hitting the bars wouldn’t hurt.

And so, Yang-hwi and Gu-Ak headed out together into the town.

It was when they approached the vicinity of Yu Clan Manor that it happened.

‘Hmm?’

A sharp sense of intuition detected something… off.

Gu-Ak didn’t seem to have noticed yet, but something was definitely off.

‘I see it now. There’s a disturbance in the qi flow.’

He sharpened his senses, tracking the source of the subtle fluctuations rippling through the air.

And the result—

‘Assassins are hiding nearby.’

They had suppressed their presence entirely, even their breathing, but someone at the level of Nameless Killing Valley couldn’t fool Yang-hwi’s perception.

He immediately sent a telepathic message to Gu-Ak.

— Gu-hyung. They say misfortune comes unannounced… it looks like they’re planning to make their move today.

Gu-Ak’s eyes widened in shock.

Come to think of it, the only person who knew Yang-hwi could use sound transmission techniques was the old woman.

— Little brother… How can you use sound transmission?

— We’ll talk about that later. For now, just know the assassins are planning something for tonight.

There was no doubt about it—they were surrounding the area in ambush formation.

‘What could their objective be? Theft? Robbery?’

Given they’d gone so far as to encircle the area, it was more likely the latter.

No… based on his years as a wandering warrior, he could guess.

Erasure.

They weren’t just after something—they wanted to eliminate all traces that it had ever existed.

‘Damn it. We should’ve seen this coming.’

If they did nothing, the entire household of Yu Clan could be slaughtered tonight.

It was time to stop hesitating and warn them.

Then he saw them—two figures walking along the ridgeline of the mountain in the distance.

Chudal and the innkeeper where Chudal was staying.

— Gu-hyung. Let’s split up.

After transmitting the key details and instructions to Gu-Ak, Yang-hwi immediately sprang into action.

‘They’re not heading toward Yu Clan—they’re climbing the mountain.’

The picture was becoming clearer.

As he closed the distance between himself, Chudal, and the innkeeper, Yang-hwi gradually suppressed his own presence.

Thanks to one of the many minor arts he’d learned during his wanderer days—Shadow Concealment Technique—it wasn’t particularly difficult.

‘Where are they going?’

Just as he was thinking that, Chudal and the innkeeper came to a stop.

They were at a mountain pass overlooking a path that stretched toward the back of Yu Clan.

‘They’re targeting anyone trying to escape.’

From what he could deduce, the plan was to make the manor lord flee in this direction.

If that was the case—

‘So today was the day of Chudal’s first kill.’

He saw the innkeeper vanish from sight.

Yang-hwi carefully closed the distance, making sure not to alert the enemy.

He needed to be in range to intervene at any moment, to counter any sudden developments.

‘Good thing this guy’s from Nameless Killing Valley.’

His martial arts skill was currently at a mid-level third-rate tier—maybe slightly above average.

If the innkeeper had belonged to one of the top-tier assassination sects like Salmak, he would’ve been discovered long ago—Shadow Concealment or not.

But Nameless Killing Valley was just a small-time group active only around Gugang.

‘If I got caught by some small-fry like this, I wouldn’t have deserved the title Greatest Sword of Wanderer in my past life.’

That moniker—Greatest Sword of Wanderer—meant he had the finest sword skills among all wandering warriors.

But it also carried a second meaning: that he possessed all the traits necessary to survive as a wanderer.

And those who walked that path had to be well-versed in a wide range of skills just to survive.

At that moment, he saw him—the head of Yu Clan Manor, running for his life down the mountain trail below.

‘Just as I thought. They’re luring the manor lord into this exact spot.’

“Huff! Huff! Is anyone there?! Anyone, please help!”

The panicked cries of Yu Clan Manor’s lord were abruptly cut off by Chudal stepping in to block his path.

Realizing the situation, the lord’s face went pale with terror.

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

Just then, Chudal, who had raised his dagger to strike, suddenly collapsed unconscious.

And from the shadows, the assassin finally revealed himself.

“Tsk. I knew something felt off. What a defective product.”

Yang-hwi furrowed his brow.

‘But he said his first kill haunted him his whole life. Was it not today after all?’

Or perhaps… his own presence had somehow caused a slight shift in fate.

As that thought passed, Yang-hwi reached for the sword at his waist.

“What a waste of talent, but I’ll just dispose of him. Perfect. We’ll say he murdered the manor lord out of greed.”

The assassin raised his blade to finish the job.

At that moment—

Yang-hwi channeled all the internal energy in his lower abdomen into his legs.

His body surged with Fiery Heaven Qi as he burst forward in a thunderous leap.

“The one getting disposed of… is you, bastard!”

Thud!

The sword pierced precisely through the center of the assassin’s spine.

“Kgh…!”

The assassin collapsed, eyes wide open in shock.

Yang-hwi quickly checked on the conditions of Chudal and the Lord of Yu Clan Manor.

‘Good. Neither of them seem seriously hurt.’

“Yu Clan Manor Lord.”

“Huff… huff… th-thank you, young hero. You saved my life.”

The manor lord turned his head to look at the fallen assassin.

With his spine pierced, his nerves were severed—his limbs paralyzed. Yet he stared at them with bulging, bloodshot eyes.

“Let’s keep this simple. What exactly are you guys after in Yu Clan?”

“Kgh… who the hell are you?”

Sigh. This is why talking nicely never works.

Yang-hwi severed the tendons in the assassin’s arm with his sword. The muscles clenched up tightly.

“Grrrhh…!”

“You don’t feel emotions, but I bet you can still feel pain. I don’t have time to waste, so let’s get to the point. What’s the target? Tell me, and I’ll make it quick.”

He sliced the tendons in the other arm too.

“Gyaah! Aaargh!!”

“You under a Restriction? If so, spit it out now. I don’t have time, and if I don’t hear it, I’ll slice every tendon in your legs and leave you to die slow.”

It meant exactly what it sounded like—he’d leave him to suffer a slow and agonizing death.

“It’s… the round iron orb that the Lord of Yu Clan Manor always carries with him…”

The assassin’s face was expressionless—probably due to his training in the Emptiness technique or something similar.

But it seemed he still didn’t want to die painfully.

‘So, no restriction? That simplifies things.’

Without hesitation, Yang-hwi drove his sword straight into the assassin’s forehead.

Then he turned to the Lord of Yu Clan Manor.

“If you have the iron orb, please hand it over. In return, I’ll save the people of your household.”

He probably wouldn’t be able to save them all. It might already be too late.

But he was determined to try his best.

“I-I’ll give it to you. I just carried it around because it made me feel healthier… I had no idea it would lead to something like this…”

Taking the iron orb from the trembling hands of the Yu Clan Manor Lord, Yang-hwi hoisted Chudal onto his back.

‘Thank goodness he handed it over without a fight.’

Truthfully, even if he hadn’t, Yang-hwi would’ve done everything in his power to save the household anyway.

He couldn’t stand by while assassins slaughtered innocents like this.

That would go against the very principle of a chivalrous warrior.

“Stay hidden somewhere nearby. Everything will be over before sunrise at the latest.”

Without another word, Yang-hwi launched himself back into motion, biting down hard on his lower lip.

‘If only I’d known earlier… I could’ve prevented this massacre entirely.’

But it wasn’t guilt he felt.

His life had never been light enough for him to wallow in guilt over things that had already passed.

So the emotion he carried instead…

Was chivalry.

‘Save as many people as possible. But with just Gu-hyung and me, we don’t have enough strength.’

He needed a plan.

Either total annihilation, or at the very least, a successful retreat. Some kind of method.

‘Nothing’s coming to mind right now. I’ll regroup with Gu-hyung first and improvise as needed.’

He summoned every last ounce of inner energy and activated The Thousand Vessel Step.

In a flash, Yang-hwi arrived at the walls of Yu Clan.

But the moment he peered over the wall, his expression hardened.

‘What… they’re already surrounded?’

In the center of the manor’s courtyard stood Gu-Ak—surrounded by assassins.

The household members of Yu Clan were kneeling on the ground in front of the largest building.

‘Hey! Gu-hyung! You’re not helping anyone by getting surrounded like that!’

At this point, there was no choice. It was all or nothing.

Yang-hwi gently laid Chudal down beside the wall and climbed back up.

Then he shouted:

“Hey! You assassin bastards!!”

All the assassins turned their heads toward him in unison.

Raising the iron orb high into the air, he shouted again:

“This is what you’re looking for! If you don’t want to see it shattered, back off!”

To show he wasn’t bluffing, he poured all his qi into the iron orb.

If push came to shove, he’d smash it into the ground without hesitation.

But then—

Click!

“Huh?”

The iron orb… opened.

---The End Of The Chapter---

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