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Chapter 41
Click!
The round iron orb, about the size of a fist, split in half and opened.
Why did this suddenly open?
Even in the midst of confusion, Yang-hwi’s hand instinctively caught the single bullet that dropped neatly from inside the metal orb.
“……”
“……”
Silence and stillness swept through the entire Yu Clan.
Yang-hwi, Gu-Ak, and the assassins all stared at each other for a moment.
Passing glances. Everyone was thinking the same thing.
-Wait, what? We were going to break it…
To overcome the desperate situation, they had intended to use the orb as a hostage.
He had even infused it with his energy to create a clear threat.
No way…
Did it react to the energy?
No—on second thought, that didn’t quite add up.
The iron orb clearly looked like an object meant to house something inside.
Surely, it had passed through many hands over the years. There’s no way not a single one of them tried injecting their energy into it.
Meaning, a simple infusion of internal energy couldn’t be the only trigger.
Is there some hidden mechanism? It’s not like I infused my energy in some special way… Ah.
A possibility struck him.
The Celestial Core—the spiritual seed residing at the center of his dantian.
And the Celestia energy—a mystical energy that flows from the Celestial Core, endowing his internal energy with a unique essence.
There’s a good chance it reacted to the Celestia energy.
The Celestial Core and Celestia energy—things he hadn’t possessed in his previous life.
Once again, Yang-hwi infused his energy into the orb.
This time, he focused closely on the presence and flow of the Celestia energy.
Click!
Just as I thought. It reacts to the Celestia energy—it opens and closes based on that.
And then—
“You little brat. I don’t know how you managed to open that, but hand over the bullet. Do that, and we might just let you live.”
One of the assassins finally spoke.
Yang-hwi snorted in response.
“As a righteous disciple of the noble White Path, I don’t converse with assassin scum who don’t even have the decency to introduce themselves.”
“……”
He had spoken out of habit, attempting to provoke the other party and use a feint. But then he recalled—these people from the Nameless Killing Valley had all trained in the Emptiness technique.
Getting them riled up won’t create an opening…
“If you want to talk, how about introducing yourself first?”
“Am, Master of the Nameless Killing Valley.”
Am? Not the one with meaning rock, no—so it must be darkness.
Assassins really did have a thing for all things gloomy and sinister.
It was always black, dark, or shadow with them.
“You’re right that introductions are proper manners. Now it’s your turn, young warrior.”
“I’ve no name to give to assassin scum.”
“……”
Am fell silent. Likely not from feeling flustered—someone without emotions wouldn’t feel that. He was probably just thinking of what to say next.
Using the brief pause, Yang-hwi also took a moment to assess the situation.
First — they tried to use the iron orb as a hostage, but it had opened unexpectedly.
Second — the reason it opened was probably due to the Celestia energy. This could be a rare opportunity to learn more about it.
Third — even though the orb had opened, he still held the bullet in his hand. The hostage leverage hadn’t entirely disappeared.
“One question. What exactly is this iron orb?”
“I don’t particularly feel like telling you.”
“Is that so?”
As Yang-hwi lifted the hand holding the bullet toward his mouth, all the assassins flinched in unison.
With a sly grin tugging at his lips, Yang-hwi spoke.
“A bullet that came from an artifact said to bring health if carried. Must be good for the body, right? If you try anything funny, I’ll eat it.”
“If you wish to die, go ahead.”
Didn’t sound like he meant death exactly.
Most likely, it was a spiritual pill that, if consumed unprepared, could become more harm than help.
So that’s what it is, huh?
Amazing. A spiritual medicine he couldn’t even get a glimpse of in his past life had just rolled into his hands.
He’d already been thinking of preparing the groundwork to obtain one of these rare elixirs a few years from now.
“Whether I die by eating it or by your hands, isn’t it pretty much the same? Don’t you think?”
“I promise. If you hand over the bullet, we’ll quietly leave. No more deaths.”
“Cut the crap. You bastards were ready to wipe out the entire Yu Clan for this thing.”
“……”
“And why the hell would I believe a word from some assassin scum of the Dark Path?”
Gu-Ak, once a scumbag of the Dark Path himself, visibly flinched — not that Yang-hwi cared. He simply snorted.
These people were the type to toss away promises like garbage once the hostage was no longer useful.
“Young hero, if you’re not truly looking to see this through to the bitter end, wouldn’t it be wise to seek a compromise?”
“Sure. Let’s start with this—what exactly is this thing?”
“That doesn’t seem necessary to reach a compromise.”
“That’s your opinion. I say otherwise. Should I eat it?”
This might be my only shot at uncovering the source or nature of the Celestial. I’ll squeeze out whatever I can.
As Yang-hwi refused to back down, Am glanced around quietly and gestured to his men before finally speaking.
“I don’t know for sure myself. All I’ve been told is that it’s a relic left behind by a martial artist who was the strongest in the world centuries ago, having reached the level of enlightenment.”
“And who was that?”
“I don’t know.”
Bullshit. He knows, just doesn’t want to say it.
So that was the limit of what he could extract.
“Then first, make your men pull back.”
“Why would I do that?”
“You wanted a compromise, didn’t you? In the end, I hand over the bullet, and you retreat, right?”
Of course, it wouldn’t go that smoothly.
There was no way these bastards would just do as they promised.
“Then there’s no reason for you to keep surrounding us, is there?”
“……”
With a glance, the assassins began to silently ease the encirclement.
But it wasn’t a full withdrawal. They still maintained a semi-circular formation, ready to pounce.
Yang-hwi leaped down from the wall and moved over to stand beside Gu-Ak.
“Gu-Hyung, what’s the plan now?”
“...”
“Before that, why were you even surrounded in the first place?”
“You asked me to protect the people of the Yu Clan to the best of my ability.”
“Wait—did you just start fighting them outright? You should’ve used a strategy, done something clever.”
Maybe it was my mistake expecting quick thinking from a brute raised in the Dark Path…
Thinking how furious Gu-Ak would be if he knew what Yang-hwi was thinking, the latter didn’t speak aloud — instead, he initiated the transmission technique to send his voice directly.
—Their martial strength: the underlings are second-rate level. The leader’s first-rate, right?
—That’s correct. I can handle the leader, but the subordinates are the issue.
Typically, a first-rate master can hold off about three second-rate martial artists.
But that’s only stalling, not winning.
And on their side, the only first-rate expert was Gu-Ak, along with Yang-hwi himself.
Yeah, we’re screwed.
As they were now, they couldn’t possibly survive a clash with the assassins from Nameless Killing Valley.
Meaning, they had to make them leave peacefully after getting the bullet, just as they claimed.
“Hey, Valley Master. You said if I hand over the bullet, you’ll retreat. You sticking to that?”
“Of course.”
“Then give me specifics.”
“How about this? I assume you belong to a martial sect. We’ll escort you to your sect’s area of influence while maintaining a stalemate. Once there, we receive the bullet.”
In that brief lull, Yang-hwi took the time to reassess the situation.
In short, Am was telling him to hand over the bullet somewhere safe, where his safety would be guaranteed.
Yang-hwi pulled a face that looked intrigued.
But of course, his true thoughts were the exact opposite.
He’s making a suggestion like that with no guarantee I won’t just swallow the bullet once I’m safe?
That’s the kind of lie you might use on some clueless newbie in the martial world.
Wait a minute—are they trying this because I look like a kid?
It seemed likely. After all, he was only eight years old. They probably thought this level of deception would be more than enough to fool him.
Sure, Gu-Ak was right next to him… but judging by the way he was nodding along, he probably found the offer reasonable.
Well, Gu-Hyung was never the sharpest when it came to scheming.
“That’s a good offer. But there’s one problem.”
“And what might that be?”
“The lives of the people from the Yu Clan.”
Even if they agreed to the assassin’s plan, there was no way the Yu Clan survivors would be left alive.
“That issue has nothing to do with you, young hero.”
So they really were planning to kill them all.
“What do you mean it’s got nothing to do with me? I’d be standing by and watching innocent people die.”
“Are their lives more important than your own?”
“They’re not. But still—”
Yang-hwi twisted his lips into a crooked smirk.
“If I only cared about my own life while innocent people were being slaughtered, my father would tan my hide.”
“……?”
“Think about getting scolded for four whole hours… Ugh. I’d rather fight for my life than go through that.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Let all the people from the Yu Clan escape. Once they’re all gone, we can continue this conversation.”
There would be no compromise. Bringing the bullet closer to his mouth, Yang-hwi delivered a silent message to Am.
A bluff, but a believable one—if they couldn’t obtain the bullet, then wiping everyone out would be meaningless.
“……We’ll do as you say, young hero.”
“You heard him, everyone from the Yu Clan! Leave the estate and flee as far as you can!”
Those who had been kneeling in terror before the building slowly began to rise to their feet.
“Th-thank you!”
“You’ve saved our lives, young hero!”
“Less talking, more running! Those bastards will probably chase you down later. Run as far as you can and find a place to hide!”
And with that, the dozen or so family members of the Yu Clan began fleeing the estate.
Within the walls, only Yang-hwi, Gu-Ak, and the dozen assassins remained.
“We’ve granted your request, young hero. Now it’s your turn to grant mine.”
It seemed the assassin’s patience was reaching its limit.
Am raised his hand, and the assassins re-formed their encirclement.
“This is my final proposal. Choose a location where we’ll move to and receive the bullet.”
“You want to find out which sect I belong to, so you can decide if you’ll have to worry about consequences?”
“Is there another way that would satisfy both parties?”
“Of course there is.”
Yang-hwi gave a short reply, his mind racing so fast it felt like it might burst into steam.
We absolutely can’t let the Nameless Killing Valley know we’re affiliated with the Baek Family Manor.
These bastards would absolutely launch a night raid to wipe them out.
From the start, their objective was to rescue Chudal safely.
But if he went along with Am’s suggestion, it would put them in a very dangerous position.
So, the conclusion—
We have to deliver a blow strong enough to destroy the Nameless Killing Valley.
If the master himself was here, then this group likely represented the core forces of the organization.
If they could wipe out most of them, their mission would be complete.
In that case, what matters most… is how.
A plan was already forming.
More precisely—
He could feel it. A powerful pull tugging at him even now, and that might just be the key.
No—it would be the key.
The Celestial Core is calling to the bullet.
Swallowing the bullet right now was, in all likelihood, a suicidal move.
He knew that. Logically, he understood it completely.
And yet, staring at the bullet, an inexplicable instinct surged within him. A baseless certainty whispered that it would be fine if he took it.
Yeah… It’s not like I have any other option anyway.
Normally, Yang-hwi wasn’t the type to act purely on instinct.
But this moment demanded exactly that.
If there was no best option, then he had to choose the next best thing.
“You want this bullet that badly?”
With a grin tugging at his lips, Yang-hwi asked the question.
And in that instant—even though he had trained in the Emptiness technique—the Valley Master of the Nameless Killing Valley felt a flicker of unease.
That unease swiftly turned into reality.
—Gu-Hyung! Prepare to fight!—
Through sound transmission, Yang-hwi sent the urgent message to Gu-Ak.
And in the next heartbeat, he swallowed the bullet whole.
“Whoops. Would you look at that? The bullet’s gone.”
He let out another wicked grin.
The Valley Master of the Nameless Killing Valley gave an immediate order to his subordinates.
“Kill both of them as quickly as possible. Prioritize the kid—gut him first if you have to.”
“As if I’m just going to die for you!”
Watching the assassins charge toward him, Yang-hwi prayed that his gamble would pay off.
And then—
A mountainous surge of energy erupted from deep within his body.
‘This power…!’
---The End Of The Chapter---
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