—A fearsome prodigy has emerged!
When he defeated Young Jiwi, a great master attending the Jeongmu Tournament, the rumors spread like this. But after he cleaved Yeop Hwa, known as the Hero Among Mercenaries, in two with a single stroke, the rumors changed.
—A peerless star of slaughter has appeared!
Who was Yeop Hwa, the Hero Among Mercenaries? Though a mercenary who worked for money, he was also a philanthropist who helped poor children.
To brutally kill such a man, renowned for deeds rivaling those of righteous sect heroes, without any apparent reason in the Jeongmu Tournament?
—Who is this star of slaughter?
A young man in his twenties, completely unknown to the martial world until now. Why had he joined the Jeongmu Tournament? Why had he killed Yeop Hwa?
Rumors about his identity spread like wildfire, each one building on the last.
In the end, the name revealed was Bu Eunseol.
***
“Thank you.”
At Gayang Pavilion, a high-end establishment not far from the Jeongmu Tournament venue, Bu Eunseol and Black Leopard sat across from each other. Black Leopard had sought him out upon hearing that Bu Eunseol had slain Yeop Hwa in the tournament.
“You believed me,” Black Leopard said.
“I didn’t believe you,” Bu Eunseol replied, calmly setting down his empty wine cup. “I trusted my own eyes.”
Meridian-Crushing Powder and Galmi Poison were deadly toxins even professional assassins hesitated to use. For someone to wield such poisons so casually, they could hardly be called anything but the scum of humanity.
“But I’m worried. I didn’t expect this kind of backlash…” Black Leopard said, glancing around the pavilion with an uneasy expression.
The place was filled with martial artists, likely from righteous sects, who occasionally shot menacing glares at Bu Eunseol.
“If I had gathered evidence, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Don’t concern yourself with it,” Bu Eunseol said, tilting his wine cup indifferently. “If he committed such heinous acts for so long, the truth will eventually come to light.”
“I can only hope that day comes,” Black Leopard sighed, pulling out the wooden box from before. “Here’s the promised payment. Please accept it.”
“I told you, I’m not a mercenary,” Bu Eunseol said sternly. “And I didn’t deal with him at your request.”
“But… I’d feel better if you took this,” Black Leopard insisted.
He knew Bu Eunseol had killed Yeop Hwa so ruthlessly because he believed the claims of his depravity.
“Please, accept it,” Black Leopard urged, pushing the box forward again.
“If you feel indebted, there’s a way to repay it,” Bu Eunseol said.
“What is it? Just name it.”
“Stay by my side for three years as my eyes and ears. That will settle the debt.”
“Three years… as your eyes and ears?” Black Leopard repeated.
“Yes.” Though the Gong Clan Twin Demons were no more, the Nine Deaths Squad’s Yueyang Branch still thrived.
Bu Eunseol, familiar with the Nine Deaths Squad’s secret codes and intelligence-gathering methods, could access information from all its branches if he wished.
“I have reliable sources of information. If you follow me and handle various tasks, you’ll be quite useful.” After some thought, Black Leopard picked up the box.
“Three years for three thousand gold taels… that’s a bit cheap,” he said.
Though young, Black Leopard was a recognized talent in Dongpyoseorang. His specialties in infiltration and stealth meant he often handled treasure theft or intelligence-gathering rather than combat.
“May I ask one thing?” Black Leopard said, taking a deep breath and looking at Bu Eunseol. “I want to know your sect.”
“Why ask that?”
“Because following you… feels like I’d be risking my life.” Bu Eunseol let out a faint chuckle and sent a mental transmission.
“Nangyang.”
“Nang…” Black Leopard shot to his feet, instinctively covering his mouth.
‘The Ten Demonic Sects… Nangyang!’ Though some called it a declining or ruined sect, that was only in comparison to the other pillars of the demonic martial world, the Ten Demonic Sects. Nangyang, teeming with lone wolves who roamed the martial world, pursuing martial arts with unmatched prowess—one against a hundred, no, one against a thousand.
To think the young man before him was a master from that sect!
‘It’s worth risking my life for.’ Taking a deep breath, Black Leopard pulled out a piece of paper.
“Then please sign this.”
“What is it?”
“A contract,” Black Leopard said with a grin, scratching his head. “To leave Dongpyoseorang, I need a formal contract with the employer’s seal.” Borrowing paper and ink from a waiter, Black Leopard swiftly wrote the contract.
Then, pulling out red ink paste, he said to Bu Eunseol, “Just put your seal here.” Bu Eunseol pressed his seal, and Black Leopard beamed.
“As of today, the contract is official. I look forward to working with you.”
“Take this,” Bu Eunseol said, pulling a small booklet from his robe.
“What’s this?”
“A movement technique to refine your clumsy skills.”
“A movement technique?”
“To handle my affairs, you need to be faster and stealthier than anyone else.”
Opening the booklet, Black Leopard saw it contained instructions to learn qinggong and a footwork technique. The ink, still fresh, suggested it had been written the previous night.
“You were already planning to hire me?” Black Leopard asked with a grin.
Bu Eunseol replied calmly, “Just preparing for possibilities.”
“Heh heh. Then I’ll gratefully accept it.” Black Leopard tucked the booklet into his robe with excitement and said, “By the way, young master, it might be best to avoid the pavilion until the tournament ends.”
The martial artists’ gazes, which had been bothersome earlier, were now blatantly hostile.
“This doesn’t seem like it’ll end well.” As the tension reached a boiling point, Black Leopard’s eyes sharpened. “I’ll handle things here, so you should go first.”
“No need for you to worry,” Bu Eunseol said, standing up unperturbed.
Several martial artists rose to follow him. Among them, a middle-aged man with cheeks glowing like apricots and a lush beard pointed at Bu Eunseol.
“Bu Eunseol.”
“Who are you?” Bu Eunseol asked.
“I am Go Ilyong, the Iron Masked Guest.”
Go Ilyong, the Iron Masked Guest.
A righteous sect hero who didn’t tolerate injustice, known for his fiery temper and willingness to personally deal with evildoers. But Bu Eunseol regarded him as calmly as one might watch an old vendor hawking wares.
“And?”
“And? How dare you so brutally kill the innocent Yeop Hwa!” Go Ilyong demanded.
“When has the martial world ever been a place where people are killed based on guilt or innocence?” Bu Eunseol replied.
“Is that supposed to be an excuse?” Uncharacteristically, Bu Eunseol smirked.
“If you want to talk about guilt, fine. He was guilty.”
“Guilty? Of what?”
Bu Eunseol looked at the middle-aged man coldly and said, “He roamed the martial world, secretly committing depraved acts and using vile poisons to assassinate opponents.”
“Enough!” Go Ilyong roared. “The dead cannot defend themselves! And now you’d tarnish his honor as well?”
“The dead can defend themselves,” Bu Eunseol said coldly. “Sometimes, certain people can only be properly judged after death. Some leave a fragrant legacy, while others reek even in death.”
Those who wield power and influence in life are often only truly judged after death. During his time with the Nine Deaths Squad, Bu Eunseol had encountered this truth countless times.
“Wait,” Bu Eunseol said solemnly. “If Yeop Hwa truly lived a clean and upright life, his posthumous judgment will reflect that.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?” Go Ilyong snapped, glaring at Bu Eunseol in disbelief. “By your logic, everyone must die to be properly judged!”
“I said sometimes,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“You’re a smooth talker, but you’re missing one crucial fact,” Go Ilyong said with a low sneer. “In the martial world, a sharp sword is far more persuasive than a silver tongue.”
“A sword is more persuasive than a tongue… I couldn’t agree more,” Bu Eunseol said, his eyes gleaming with a fierce light as the corners of his mouth curled upward.
“Then let’s begin the persuasion.”
Boom!
The entire second-floor wall of Gayang Pavilion was blown apart. Moments later, a middle-aged man in white robes and his companions fell from the second floor in a pitiful heap.
It was Go Ilyong, the Iron Masked Guest, and his allies.
‘He’s twice as strong as I expected.’ Standing behind Bu Eunseol, Black Leopard was speechless at the overwhelming display of power. Go Ilyong was a master who had roamed the martial world for decades. To reduce him and his allies to a bloody mess in an instant?
“Ugh…” Go Ilyong, fallen below the pavilion, his face bloodied, made his title of Iron Masked Guest seem hollow. His companions’ weapons were all shattered to pieces.
“Need more persuasion?” Bu Eunseol asked, descending from the pavilion, his eyes flashing with a chilling light.
Go Ilyong bit his lip as he looked up at him.
“You…”
“Looks like you do,” Bu Eunseol said, cracking his knuckles.
Go Ilyong’s face paled.
“Wait!” he shouted, his pride clearly wounded as he lowered his head. “That’s enough…”
Bu Eunseol stared down at Go Ilyong for a moment before turning away, saying in a low voice, “Good.”
Thwack!
Bu Eunseol embedded a stack of banknotes into the pavilion’s door and addressed the flustered manager who came running.
“For the repairs.”
“…Isn’t that a bit excessive?” Black Leopard said, his face worried as he followed Bu Eunseol out of the pavilion. “Go Ilyong is well-connected with righteous sect masters. Beating him so mercilessly… the consequences will be endless.”
“On the contrary,” Bu Eunseol said, his expression impassive. “You must never deal lightly with those who pick fights over others’ affairs.”
He continued, “Crush them so thoroughly they’ll never dare challenge you again. That’s the way of the martial world.”
“Crush them so they can’t pick fights?” Black Leopard echoed.
“Handle them lightly, and the challenges never stop. The righteous sect elders, eager to teach lessons to newcomers, are lined up across the martial world.” For a moment, Black Leopard imagined a group of righteous sect elders, itching to lecture, gathered in a huddle.
“Pfft.” He nearly burst into laughter but stopped himself, seeing the icy expression on Bu Eunseol’s face.
“But this will make it clear,” Bu Eunseol said. “Challenge me, and you risk your honor and your life.”
“…I see,” Black Leopard replied.
Though Black Leopard had lived as a mercenary since childhood, his values in the martial world were still unformed. But Bu Eunseol already possessed the convictions and philosophy of someone who had roamed the martial world for decades.
“But if you keep going like this, won’t you just pile up enemies everywhere?” Black Leopard asked.
“Even better,” Bu Eunseol said.
“What?”
“The more enemies, the more opportunities to advance my martial arts.” At those words, Black Leopard suddenly realized something.
‘He intends to turn the entire martial world upside down.’ He didn’t know why. But looking at Bu Eunseol’s profile, Black Leopard’s heart raced.
‘Staying by his side, I’ll see plenty of interesting things.’ The jobs at Dongpyoseorang were mostly repetitive tasks fraught with danger.
But traveling the martial world with Bu Eunseol, Black Leopard instinctively knew he’d see a far broader world than ever before.
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