“Your martial arts are truly remarkable.”
Ma Deung swallowed his shock and embarrassment, drawing his blade.
“He concealed every single technique.”
As the foremost assassin of the Blood Zhao Sect, Ma Deung was not only highly skilled but profoundly versed in the subtleties of martial theory.
He instantly realized that Bu Eunseol’s seemingly slow swordplay was not truly slow at all. Rather, he had used profound sword principles to completely hide the true nature of his techniques, making them appear sluggish to the eye.
“I’ll have to stake my life on this.”
Finally, Ma Deung flung the woman he had been holding aside.
Flash!
He unleashed lightning-fast killing strikes at Bu Eunseol.
Bu Eunseol tried to meet him head-on, but Ma Deung’s figure had already vanished.
Known as the Crimson Owl, Ma Deung had not only mastered stealthy movement arts but was a orthodox assassin who had reached the pinnacle of the Hundred Kills Secret Technique.
The moment he stood before Bu Eunseol, he released dozens of hidden weapons, then instantly circled behind to strike at his blind spot.
Clang!
With no strength left to turn his body, Bu Eunseol merely twisted the arm holding his sword behind his back to block the attack.
Stumble.
But he could not withstand the sheer force behind Ma Deung’s blade and staggered heavily, gasping for breath.
Seeing Bu Eunseol reel and pant from a mere weapon clash, Ma Deung’s eyes gleamed.
‘Internal injuries!’
Instantly grasping Bu Eunseol’s condition, he let out a sinister smile.
‘If I drag this out, he’ll collapse on his own.’
Having read that Bu Eunseol’s body was far from normal, Ma Deung widened the distance, circling slowly while peppering him with hidden weapons alone.
One incense stick… two…
Yet the young man who had seemed on the verge of collapse refused to fall, enduring like an undying Jiangshi.
Though it looked as if his next breath might be his last, his eyes remained still and cold as a frozen lake, radiating chilling intent.
The moment their gazes met, a shiver ran down Ma Deung’s spine.
‘He is absolutely not someone I can face head-on.’
In any case, he was an assassin, thus his only duty was to complete the commission.
Quickly retreating with a burst of movement technique, Ma Deung pressed his blade to the throat of the woman lying paralyzed on the ground and shouted, “Drop your sword!”
Fearing some trick, he did not hesitate—he immediately drew a thin line of blood across her neck skin.
Crimson streamed down the blade.
“If you don’t drop it, I’ll cut her throat right now.”
Thud.
With no choice, Bu Eunseol let the Silent Tiger Soul Sword fall to the ground.
“Hahaha!”
Seizing the opening, Ma Deung thrust straight for Bu Eunseol’s throat in an instant.
Shunk.
Then something astonishing happened.
With seemingly no more strength than it would take to wring a chicken’s neck, Bu Eunseol suddenly executed the Blade Snatching technique, catching the incoming blade bare-handed.
Slide…
He barely managed to seize it, but with almost no inner force left, he could not fully control it and his palm was deeply cut.
“Heh heh heh.”
Seeing Bu Eunseol grab the blade, Ma Deung recognized the golden opportunity.
“A man with no inner force shouldn’t try such a technique.”
Instead of pulling back, he channeled all his power and drove the blade forward.
Tap tap tap.
The Blade Snatching technique could seize a weapon in a perfect instant, but that was all it could do. Under Ma Deung’s overwhelming inner force, the blade gradually slipped free again, inching closer and closer to Bu Eunseol’s chest.
“Die!”
As their faces were nearly touching, Ma Deung roared and unleashed his maximum power.
But then something bizarre occurred.
Crack.
All at once, the section of blade pressed between Bu Eunseol’s palms snapped clean in two.
Gathering every last remnant of the decade’s worth of inner force still lingering in his body, he had executed the Gold-Breaking Blade-Severing technique—shattering the sword with a single motion.
Whoosh!
Bu Eunseol snatched the broken blade fragment and wielded it like a swift sword.
The movement was so natural and fast that Ma Deung had no chance to evade.
Shunk.
“You are…”
Staring down at the shard lodged in his throat, Ma Deung’s eyes bulged.
“…a master… from that place.”
Gold-Breaking Blade-Severing.
Wasn’t this the very technique created over thirty years ago by the infamous Human Demon, Ak Muryeong, who once roamed the martial world bare-handed, without a weapon?
Splurt!
As Bu Eunseol yanked the blade fragment free, blood gushed forth.
Ma Deung’s eyes rolled back and he died on the spot.
That was the end of Ma Deung, the foremost assassin of the Blood Zhao Sect, terror of the martial world.
“Haa… haa…”
Bu Eunseol drew ragged breaths.
That final Gold-Breaking Blade-Severing strike had consumed every single drop of inner force remaining in his body.
In other words, he had completely exhausted what little energy he had left.
‘I cannot stay with this caravan any longer.’
Having slain Ma Deung and all the assassins, the Blood Zhao Sect would surely come seeking revenge—and they would hunt him.
He absolutely could not continue traveling with the caravan.
Stumble.
Picking up the fallen Silent Tiger Soul Sword, Bu Eunseol prepared to leave the caravan behind.
Then his gaze suddenly met the eyes of the woman still lying on the ground, acupoints sealed.
All the martial escorts had been slaughtered by the Blood Zhao Sect assassins.
Right now, he was the only one present who could release her acupoints.
‘No helping it.’
Bu Eunseol approached her again and reversed his grip on the Silent Tiger Soul Sword.
“It will hurt—bear with it for a moment.”
He no longer had inner force sharp enough to precisely strike acupoints.
With no alternative, he struck downward hard with the pointed pommel of the sword hilt.
“Ack!”
With a sharp cry, her acupoints were released.
But she immediately curled up, tears welling in her eyes.
Being struck so forcefully with the sharp hilt had been excruciating.
“You…”
Now freed, the woman called out to him.
But he was already walking away with feeble steps.
“Does he truly have no inner force at all?”
She stared blankly at his retreating figure.
A master of that caliber using a sword hilt to break acupoints?
Did that not mean he had literally no inner energy left?
“Who… exactly is that man…?”
Even while paralyzed, she had clearly witnessed the bloody battle with Ma Deung.
Bu Eunseol’s swordsmanship was the most terrifying she had ever seen in all her years of martial training. Yet he possessed not a shred of inner force? How could such a thing be possible?
“G-Great hero!”
At that moment the merchants bowed deeply toward the departing Bu Eunseol.
“How can we ever repay this kindness?”
Without even glancing back, he continued walking.
His cold, distant demeanor silenced them; they could only lower their heads in respect.
“Your manner of speech is rough, but your heart is kind.”
As Bu Eunseol laboriously climbed the mountain path, a clear feminine voice suddenly rang out ahead.
Using qinggong, she had overtaken him and was waiting.
“You acted coldly on purpose, didn’t you? So the merchants wouldn’t be implicated later when the Blood Zhao Sect comes hunting.”
“…”
“Because it’s obvious they’ll come after you.”
Bu Eunseol gave no reply and simply kept walking in silence.
With no ability to use qinggong, he needed to put as much distance as possible between himself and the caravan. Otherwise the pursuers might attack the merchants instead of him.
“I simply can’t understand how someone with such profound swordsmanship can have no inner force left.”
When he still refused to speak, she sighed.
“I’m sorry for bothering you. What I meant was… I want to repay the debt.”
She took out a small token from her robes.
“My name is Yeo Ryeong.”
When he showed no reaction, she gently placed the token in his hand.
“No matter which marketplace or inn you show this at, they will give you whatever money you need.”
Bu Eunseol stared at the token in his palm; his eyes narrowed.
‘So she’s from the Dragon Flower Trading Company.’
It was the insignia of one of the Ten Great Merchant Guilds of the Central Plains—the Dragon Flower Trading Company.
‘Judging by her age and surname, she’s most likely the only daughter of the guild leader.’
It was said that Dragon Flower Guild Leader Yeo Daeam had a single daughter—beautiful, talented, and notorious for her love of mischief, often disguising herself as a man to roam freely.
This had to be her—Yeo Ryeong.
“Are you, by any chance, the daughter of the Dragon Flower Guild Leader?”
“Yes, I am. And you?”
“Just a wandering mercenary.”
“Even a wanderer has a name, doesn’t he?”
Bu Eunseol immediately changed the subject.
“Since someone put a commission on you with that ragtag group called the Blood Zhao Sect, it’s unlikely they only hired one organization.” He spoke calmly, offering advice. “Instead of giving me that token, you should hurry to Chengdu right now and hire some escorts—even that would increase your chances of survival.”
“You’re not going to ask why they’re after me?”
“When the daughter of a great merchant guild is being hunted by assassins, the reason is obvious.”
“Obvious?”
Bu Eunseol spoke evenly.
“Rebellion.”
Yeo Ryeong bowed her head, speechless.
Just as he said, her uncle Yeo Daegwang had launched a coup and taken her father Yeo Daeam’s entire family hostage.
In the chaos she alone had escaped and was now heading to find Song Kang—the Golden Blade Sect Leader—who had sworn brotherhood with her father.
But Yeo Daegwang had already stationed assassins along the route to the Golden Blade Sect, intent on hunting her down.
“Your voice is young, yet your speech carries the weariness of an old man who has seen every storm life can offer.”
At her words, Bu Eunseol—who had been lost in deep thought—suddenly extended his hand.
“Take off your outer robe.”
“Huh?”
“I said, take off your outer robe.”
Startled, Yeo Ryeong clutched her clothes and stepped back.
“What are you suddenly saying?”
“Just take it off.”
There was not the slightest trace of lust in Bu Eunseol’s eyes—only solemn gravity.
‘His body must be cold; he needs the robe.’
Despite her sharp tongue, Yeo Ryeong had a truly kind nature.
She removed her outer robe and handed it over.
Bu Eunseol accepted it wordlessly, then turned away.
“You can go now.”
“But… you’re not even going to wear it?”
Seeing her confusion, Bu Eunseol sighed.
“Take this road to Chengdu and trade it for the clothes of a beggar or a wandering mercenary.”
He spoke gravely.
“If you don’t want to die.”
Then he turned and walked away.
Yeo Ryeong stood stunned for a long moment before frowning.
“Change clothes…?”
In the first place, she had only called out to the bandaged man to repay the life debt. She had given him the guild token and even her robe without hesitation.
Now, she had done all she could.
Tap.
With a burst of movement technique, Yeo Ryeong vanished down the mountain.
“Ptoo.”
Once she was gone, Bu Eunseol lifted the edge of his bandage and spat out the blood he had been holding in his mouth.
The fight with the Blood Zhao Sect had deepened his internal injuries even further.
But it did not matter.
Trials only made him stronger.
Even back in the Ten Demon Warrior times, he had volunteered with zero martial arts knowledge.
From then until now, he had never once begun a task with ample strength or solid support.
Trials had always poured down.
Victory had always been pursued in the depths of extreme crisis.
Having walked that thorny path his entire life, even now—with every ounce of power gone from his body—he felt no fear, no despair.
“A kind heart, but far too little martial world experience.”
Bu Eunseol shook his head as he gazed in the direction Yeo Ryeong had gone.
The most common tool of pursuers was hunting dogs.
The assassins had likely tracked her by having dogs memorize her scent.
If he carried her robe and moved in one direction while she changed clothes and went another, her chances of reaching safety would increase dramatically.
That was why he had immediately asked for her robe.
‘In any case, the Blood Zhao Sect will be hunting me regardless.’
She had repaid the debt with the token and—without understanding why—readily given her robe.
That alone was enough for Bu Eunseol to judge her a good person, worthy of help.
A single sip of water received must be repaid by digging a well.
That was Bu Eunseol’s iron rule.
Three full nights passed.
During that time Bu Eunseol moved extremely slowly, resting frequently.
A little farther and he would enter Henan Province.
He had no idea what dangers awaited there, but even if his strength could not recover, he made sure to restore his stamina completely, just in case.
“Haa… haa…”
Even after reaching the outskirts of a city, he deliberately avoided towns and traveled through the mountains.
An organization like the Blood Zhao Sect, willing to take any filthy job, would surely have prepared contingencies for failure.
‘After killing Ma Deung and over a hundred assassins, they will definitely track me.’
Recalling something, Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed.
‘If it’s only the Blood Zhao Sect pursuing me, that would actually be fortunate.’
Yeo Daegwang would spare no expense to ensure his rebellion succeeded. The odds were high that he had commissioned not only the Blood Zhao Sect but other killer organizations as well.
Swish swish swish swish.
At that moment, the sound of wind came from far off.
Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed instantly.
It sounded like branches rubbing in the breeze but he knew at once it was the sound of numerous masters unleashing qinggong simultaneously.
‘Four days is more than enough time to pick up my trail. But…’
His gaze darkened.
The ones approaching now carried an aura completely on another level from the Blood Zhao Sect assassins.
“Years lived for revenge… life and death both distant and vague…”
Drawing the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, Bu Eunseol looked up at the distant sky.
“Now, all that remains to me is this single blade.”
The ordinary mortician’s boy had somehow become a grand master who shook the demonic martial world.
Yet unable to complete his revenge, bearing deep internal wounds, he wandered the martial world alone.
And now, dragging his battered body, he would have to fight once more—for his life.
“…”
The forest scenery remained unchanged, yet the air sank heavy as lead.
Though nothing could be seen, the assassins had already densely concealed themselves among the trees, fully prepared to strike.
Whooosh.
A faint breeze blew directly toward Bu Eunseol’s front.
At the same time, a shadow holding a sharp sickle rose from the ground as though sprouting from the earth.
“…”
Bu Eunseol silently stared at his opponent.
The man wore only a mask like any assassin yet his clothes were those of an herb gatherer.
He even carried a bundle that looked freshly picked.
Had it not been for the mask, Bu Eunseol would truly have believed him to be an ordinary herb gatherer.
“Strange.” A faint haze shimmered in the herb-gatherer assassin’s eyes. “A man with no inner force at all wiped out the Blood Zhao Sect?”
Astonishingly, the assassin had discerned Bu Eunseol’s physical condition with a single glance.
“Truly the end of an era.”
With a mocking smile, Bu Eunseol muttered low.
“Desperate for money, so an herb gatherer became an assassin?”
Grind.
The assassin’s eyes blazed white at the taunt.
“Shut your mouth.”
“…”
“We herb gatherers were simply issued an execution order.”
“An execution order… issued to herb gatherers.”
For a moment Bu Eunseol’s pupils rippled like water.
A particular killer organization rose in his mind.
“The assassins of the Short-Life Gate.”
Short-Life Gate.
A centuries-old traditional assassin sect that sought out children with exceptional talent and raised them from early childhood to become elite killers. What made them unique was that, once fully trained, they were sent back into the world to live ordinary lives, sometimes as butchers, sometimes as beggars.
And when the need arose, the sect would select the most suitable among them for a mission.
Unlike crude organizations that relied on vicious hidden weapons and poisoned blades, the Short-Life Gate was one of the Central Plains’ true orthodox assassin sects.
“Impressive. To discern our sect’s identity from clothing alone.”
At the assassin’s words, Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed.
A secretive killer organization whose existence was known mostly through rumors—the Short-Life Gate assassins—had now appeared before him.
Bu Eunseol nodded as if realizing something.
“Because I kept moving only through deep mountains, they issued the execution order to you herb gatherers who know the local terrain.”
The Short-Life Gate assassins lived as woodcutters, beggars, merchants, monks, or herb gatherers—not merely as disguises, but truly living those humble lives.
When an execution order was issued, they mobilized immediately.
No matter how skilled a master, it was said to be nearly impossible to defend against them because one could never know who among the common folk was actually an assassin, and because they possessed perfect knowledge of the local geography and circumstances, making success rates extraordinarily high.
“Correct.” The assassin nodded.
The Short-Life Gate had noticed Bu Eunseol traveling only through deep mountains and forests.
Thus they had issued the execution order to their herb-gatherer operatives who knew the surrounding area intimately.
“Single-handedly cutting down the Blood Zhao Sect assassins—you must possess extraordinary swordsmanship.”
The assassin gazed at Bu Eunseol with cold eyes.
“But martial arts and the art of assassination are two entirely different things.”
“…”
“No matter how great your martial arts, you will never overcome the assassins of our sect who have mastered the Hundred-and-Eight Killing Methods.”
A fierce light burst from the assassin’s eyes.
Pyu pyu pyu pyu!
At the same instant, countless black hidden weapons poured from behind him.
Though only one enemy stood visible before him, every single Short-Life Gate assassin living as herb gatherers in the region had already mobilized, all to kill Bu Eunseol.
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