***
Bang.
A table made of O-mok (Black Wood) from Mt. Seol-gak, known for being sturdy, shattered into pieces.
The vice-unit leader of the Secret Palace Unit who was giving the report trembled.
Since the table had been shattered, the next thing to be shattered might be his own head if he made a mistake.
“What does that mean?”
Nam-gung-sang-won’s voice, which sounded like a growl, stimulated fear even more.
It was a feeling where one could not tell if he was expressing anger or holding it back.
The vice-unit leader’s words began to speed up even more.
“When we led the unit members because the unit leader did not come at the promised time.”
“They were dead?”
“Ye, yes.”
“Who is it? Who dared to ruin the grand plan!”
What Nam-gung-sang-won was harboring was, in the end, anger. When that anger exploded, the killing intent poured out in all directions, reaching even the members of the Secret Palace Unit waiting outside the building, making them swallow thick saliva.
“Th, that is.......”
“Speak! Properly!”
“Th, there was one person.”
“One person? You mean one person handled twenty members of the Secret Palace Unit alone?”
“Ye, yes, that is correct.”
“So, who was it?”
“That is.......”
The vice-unit leader could not bring himself to open his mouth. He had not been able to find any traces of the opponent at all.
“I could not know.”
“You bastard.......”
“I, it is the truth. Judging by the fact that the footprints were shallow and there were traces of being ambushed, I am only cautiously predicting that it might be an assassin.”
“An assassin?”
As the vice-unit leader’s desperate heart to live was put into his mouth, words that did not usually come out flowed like a flowing river.
“Ye, yes. According to the traces that appeared in common, it seems they were mainly ambushed at first, and after their identity was revealed, they faced them head-on. Th, we also turned off the lights to hide our identities, so... I think that is why such a situation occurred.”
“An assassin, huh.......”
Did such desperation of the vice-unit leader work? The anger on Nam-gung-sang-won’s face faded and doubt lingered.
Nam-gung-sang-won turned his head and asked his son, Nam-gung-song-ju.
“What do you think?”
“I heard that assassins use moves that cannot be distinguished in order not to leave their own traces.”
“Then, does that mean they are a real assassin?”
“There is a strange part.”
“What is it?”
“The point is that they did not attack with an ambush from start to finish, but only ambushed at the beginning and then fought head-on afterward.”
“That is right.”
“Even if you search the entire Jianghu, there are only a few assassins who can survive head-on combat with the warriors of the Secret Palace Unit. And there would be even less reason for them to work for the Wang Manor.”
“That would be so.”
Top-class assassins are beings that cannot be bought with money.
Even if Wang Geum-san had hired an assassin for personal protection, it was absurd that an assassin of that level had dealt with the warriors of the Secret Palace Unit.
“What should we do?”
At the vice-unit leader’s words, who was reading the situation, Nam-gung-sang-won said.
“You erased the traces, right?”
“Yes. When we started the mission from the beginning, we erased all traces.”
“Dispose of the corpses and erase all remaining traces.”
The inner chamber, where only Nam-gung-sang-won and Song-ju remained after the vice-unit leader left, was filled with silence.
Nam-gung-song-ju asked.
“Do you think the operation leaked?”
“That cannot be.”
“Then do you think it is a coincidence?”
“Hmm.......”
From the beginning, he had controlled the risk of the operation leaking out.
He made the fragmented missions intertwine and tangle with each other, making the parties involved know what it was only after they finished their missions.
In the first place, only Sang-won, Song-ju, the unit leader, and the vice-unit leader should have known about the operation. The fact that the operation leaked was impossible.
“How could they have known?”
“We can just catch that guy and ask.”
“Will we be able to find him?”
“It is the Wang Manor. If he saved Wang So-so, wouldn’t he want to receive a reward commensurate with that? Whether he saved her by chance or knew about the operation. We can see when the time comes.”
“I will have them watch the Wang Manor.”
“Yes.”
The grand plan of Ban-cheon (Rebellion against Heaven) had gone awry. He would have to collect the price for this properly.
One week since Wang So-so’s disappearance.
The Murim-maeng Hefei branch head was greatly surprised inside at the appearance of Wang Geum-san, whom he saw for the first time in a week.
He was in such a devastated state that it was hard to believe he was the same person. The generous flesh had become gaunt, and his two eyes were filled with bloodshot veins, wondering if he had even slept.
Wang Geum-san opened his lips, which were as dry as a desert, and said.
“Have you found any traces?”
At the sound of scraping metal that one could not believe was a human voice, the branch head pulled himself together and said.
“I have found them, but...... this is information that is not... certain.......”
“Show me.”
“W, would it not be better if I supplemented the information a little more and reported it? Since the matter is so important.......”
He did not know where the sparks of this incident would fly, but it was clear that there would be no place safe after receiving Wang Geum-san’s anger right now.
“Give it to me.”
“Master. I know you are in a hurry, but if you act rashly.......”
“My daughter has an illness. It is a terrible disease that she cannot endure for three days if she leaves this Wang Manor. But now a week has passed. There is no contact from the culprits, either. Should I exert more patience?”
Of course, he knew Wang Geum-san’s feelings well.
That was why he was even more reluctant to hand over his poor report.
They said martial arts replace skills.
Although the culprits did not appear to be experts’ workmanship, it was clear that they were masters.
Traces were left, but one could not distinguish who they were, and because one could not distinguish who they were, one could not even identify the culprits.
In a hurry, he had only brought a list of those who were vicious enough to do such things and who were a nuisance to the Murim-maeng’s Hefei branch.
This was also material he had prepared in a hurry with the advice of the Nam-gung family, with whom he had frequent exchanges.
Because it was clear that a thunderbolt would fall if he came empty-handed.
“Do you know how much the donation I give to the Murim-maeng per year is?”
“Ah! Of course, regarding the donation you give for the peace of the Murim.......”
“Is there a need for more long words?”
The branch head swallowed thick saliva.
Just how much would the aftermath of this report spread?
While he was agonizing over that, his hand, regardless of the instructions of his head, handed the report to Wang Geum-san.
“Gyeon-sa-mun...... Hyeol-ju-bo...... Tang-hyeon-mun? Is the Tang-hyeon-mun not a Righteous Sect?”
“That is why I told you it was still insufficient. We will supplement more.”
“It is enough. I have known your skills well enough. From now on, the Wang Manor will step up directly.”
In the end, something was going to happen.
The branch head thought so.
Could he really take responsibility for this report?
When he was shaking his head to shake off the momentary anxiety.
“Master! Master!!”
There was someone calling for Wang Geum-san as if his throat would burst.
And the owner of that voice opened the door and entered without even waiting for Wang Geum-san’s answer.
It was an unpleasant action to the extent that not only the guest, the branch head, but even the owner, Wang Geum-san, wrinkled his brow deeply.
However,
“The Young Miss has returned!!!”
“......What?”
It was not a situation to argue about etiquette.
Thud.
The report that the branch head had painstakingly written fell to the floor with a thud.
The mountain had shed the winter and welcomed spring, and the cold wind of midwinter had changed into a warm spring breeze before he knew it.
In the forest, sprouts were coming up between the dry leaves, and the sunlight was melting the ice that had frozen throughout the winter, letting out a warm energy.
Wang So-so was feeling spring like that.
“This is...... spring.”
“Is this your first time feeling the seasons?”
“My room was always frozen solid like midwinter. The summer flowers and autumn fallen leaves outside the window had no sense of reality like a painting.”
Her life, which had been like that, had now changed like the lives of other ordinary people.
Even if she walked on her own, received the sunlight, sweated, and overworked her muscles until she was exhausted, the Tae-yang-gi disappeared without a trace as if sleeping.
“Still, do not overdo it. It will take some time for the medicine’s energy to rise and for the energy to be managed stably.”
“How can I repay this grace.......”
“Did not your father usually perform many good deeds for people? Think of it as thanks to that.”
Wang So-so’s two eyes looking at Jin So-un were full of emotion.
It was amazing that he did not just pass by after seeing injustice, but rather than commemorating his own achievements, he praised the other person’s good deeds.
The age difference did not seem to be much, but he seemed mature, his ability seemed great, his heart seemed bold, and his appearance was also.......
“Ahem.”
“Are you alright?”
“.......”
“Was walking really too much?”
“That is not it. I.......”
Could she say such things?
Dealing with a boy of her age for the first time in her life was not an easy task for Wang So-so.
“Please speak.”
“That is...... by any chance, can I... call you Oppa (older brother)?”
Wang So-so’s voice gradually shrank, and in the end, it was to the extent that Jin So-un had to bring his ear close to hear it.
“Haha, if that is comfortable, you may call me that.”
“......Then, please call me So-so. I would like it if you spoke comfortably, too.”
“Yes, So-so.”
Suddenly, the thought that Jin So-un’s hand might be about to stroke her hair made Wang So-so’s heart start beating rapidly.
“Ah, sorry. This has become a habit. They say women dislike things like this, right?”
At Jin So-un’s action of pulling his hand away, flinching, Wang So-so smacked her lips in regret.
“Ah...... I, I think I am okay with it. I do not have experience yet.”
“Yes. I know, so let’s go down. Your father will be waiting.”
On the way back to the Wang Manor.
Jin So-un told her about various things about the world that Wang So-so herself had not yet experienced.
That there are snacks children can eat when going to the market, that one can play by floating a boat on the lake in summer, and that the autumn mountains are good for walking with colors more colorful than anything else.
He talked about things that Wang So-so almost could not experience, things she could fully experience from now on.
“Oppa, I want to eat that thing called Dang-gwa (candied fruit) at the market. Could you go with me?”
“Let’s do that.”
“Oppa, I want to do that boating on the lake. Could you do it with me?”
“Let’s do that, too.”
“Oppa, I want to try hiking in the autumn mountains. Could you climb up with me?”
“To climb a mountain, you have to practice hard. Is that alright?”
“I also learned the Tae-eul Heart Technique. I am a member of the Tae-eul Sect from now on, so I can go practice.”
“Then you will become my Sa-mae (junior sister)? Try telling your father well.”
Instead, Wang So-so explained things about her world to Jin So-un.
“Once every three years, people in charge of branches and shops across the country gather at the Wang Manor to hold a festival. Food comes out endlessly, and the music does not stop in the middle, either.”
“That would be really wonderful.”
“Perhaps Father will hold a big banquet for Oppa. If he does not do that, I will nag him until he holds one for you.”
“Do not trouble your father.”
“Perhaps he will also give a large prize. He cherishes me very much.”
“So-so must get healthy quickly and do a lot of filial piety.”
“We have really many treasures at our house, too. Perhaps there is something that suits Oppa.”
“It must have been really good to see many treasures.”
Wang So-so talked very excitedly.
She learned for the first time that she was a person who talked so much.
She walked all day and only talked, but it was not boring at all.
Was this because her illness was cured or because of another reason? Wang So-so, who was still young, did not know the reason well.
“......Oppa?”
Wang So-so looked at Jin So-un, who had taken a step back.
“You can go alone from now on, right?”
“What?! What does that mean... You must go together!”
Wang So-so felt her heart drop.
“As you know, because of your disappearance, there was a mess around Hefei. If we go together during such a time, there is room for misunderstanding.”
“No! What are you saying! Oppa! There is absolutely no such thing. Please let me pay the price.”
At that moment, Jin So-un took a stride forward.
Then, he stroked her hair with that rough hand.
Wang So-so was so flustered that she just popped her eyes wide open and opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish.
“Just gaining a new Sa-mae is a sufficient price. So do not worry.”
“Bu... but.......”
“Did you not say you would enter the Tae-eul Sect? Then we will be able to see each other often from now on. So do not worry.”
“Oppa.......”
Jin So-un, who finished speaking like that, turned around and walked away with a dignified air.
Wang So-so stared blankly at Jin So-un’s back for a long time.
And at that moment.
“Ah, Young Miss!!!”
“Young Miss Wang So-so!!!!”
The people of the Wang Manor began to recognize Wang So-so one by one.
Although I was coveting the prize or treasure, I could not just follow her into the Wang Manor.
If I went in and said that I had saved her, they would start digging into the case, and before receiving the prize or treasure, I could be investigated to see if I was a kidnapper or a member of the group.
Moreover, with the Murim-maeng Hefei branch even stepping in, I had done what they could not do.
Would those greedy people really sit still?
“Still, I achieved my goal in the beginning.”
I never imagined that Wang So-so would be suffering from her constitution. Thanks to that, I learned the Tae-eul Heart Technique, and Wang So-so herself even said she wanted to enter the Tae-eul Sect.
I doubt whether Wang Geum-san will really allow that, but in any case, since I saved his daughter and even fixed her constitution, wouldn’t he give a donation that would not make the Gye-ryong Merchant Group feel sorry? There was a big part of me expecting that.
If Wang Geum-san helps to some extent, the reason for the Tae-eul Sect to concede to Gye-cheol-yeong in this Murim Academy’s early admission will disappear.
“Then, I must make Sa-ryeon do the Murim Academy admission, and give the entrance token to someone else.”
Whether it was a special admission to the Murim Academy or admission to the Murim Academy through an entrance token, there was an easy way, but if I entered alone, it would just be a lonely island in the middle of the sea.
In the future war, I needed subordinates who could move like my limbs, but it was meaningless if they did not complete the academy together.
The Tae-eul Sect was the lowest rank among the 108 peaks. Even if I tried to form a force, it would not form itself like snow that would not clump together.
In addition, there was a reason to take one more test.
“There are many spiritual medicines that come out during the academy test, too.”
The reason the Murim Academy test was called the Hell Regular Exam was that the academy side further fueled the heat of the test.
One of them was the spiritual medicines prepared by the academy.
When these spiritual medicines begin to be discovered, the number of people who die rises dramatically.
“Before entering the academy, I must have at least one Gap-ja (60 years) of internal energy.”
Approximately eight months until winter when the test starts.
I had to increase my internal energy more and think about what to do about martial arts.
“With just the So-cheon Sword Technique, there is a limit.”
As my internal energy increased dramatically, the most frustrating part was that there was a limit to the internal energy that could be contained by the So-cheon Sword Technique.
I could crush the martial arts of the major sects of the Murim-maeng with the Pa-geom-sik (Sword-Breaking Style), but when they actually use martial arts other than that, I also have to fight with my own original skills.
And to fight such a fight, the So-cheon Sword Technique had too clear a limit.
“Still, it is too little internal energy to use the Gwang-cheon-sin-jang (Great Heavenly Divine Palm).......”
The martial arts secret book I obtained at the time I obtained the Seol-mae-dan. Surprisingly, the secret book was from the Gwang-cheon-sin-gun, who was one of the Murim Ten Sovereigns three hundred years ago.
Because he was a person who reached the realm of an absolute master with only one martial art, his secret book was very welcome, but there was a problem.
Once I fired the Gwang-cheon-sin-jang, my internal energy would be completely exhausted, and I would faint.
“According to enthusiasts, the Gwang-cheon-sin-gun could use this Gwang-cheon-sin-jang more than five times at once, so his one-cut is clearly not a palm technique but internal energy.”
In the end, I could not escape the situation of a necklace on a pig’s neck.
“In the end, I have to find that.”
The deepest part of the library.
A book that I had hidden in the deepest part of the library in my head because I could not believe it myself.
“What on earth are you standing there blankly for?”
“Hmm? Ryeon-mae (Junior Sister Ryeon)?”
Sa-ryeon was shooting sharp glares at me with her cheeks puffed up with air.
“I told you not to call me Ryeon-mae? Where on earth are you running around like that?”
“I was working day and night for my sect, the Tae-eul Sect.......”
“Forget it. Hurry up and go in. A guest is waiting.”
“A guest? You mean they came from the Wang Manor already?”
“Wang Manor? What on earth are you talking about? They came from the Nam-gung-se-ga.”
“Hmm? ......Nam-gung-se-ga?”
“Don’t you know something, Sa-hyeong (Senior Brother)?”
Had Nam-gung-sang-won already found out and come?
My heart dropped.
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