Chapter 78

Chapter 78
Baek So-cheon headed back into the Daroo Tea House carrying the familiar crimson sack over his shoulder—the very same pack he slung on whenever he set out on a journey.

“You actually showed up?”

“Did you take me for someone who makes empty jokes?”

“Hardly, but there is really no reason for you to keep guard over me. She isn’t aiming for my life, after all.”

“I am well aware.”

He understood the reality far better than most. He knew the terrifying depths of skill required for anyone to claim the supreme mantle of the King of Assassins. Unless Yeom Hwa-sin were to intervene in the flesh, no martial artist who dared to show up could take her life with ease. Furthermore, given her meticulous precautions and the presence of the Four Guardian Assassins at her back…

“If so, what brings you here?”

“Are we going to hold our conversation out in the corridor?”

“Right, please step inside.”

Entering the quarters, Baek So-cheon laid his pack down. His gaze drifted across the interior before he remarked, “Now that I look around, there is only a single bed here.”

“Naturally—I happen to sleep on my own.”

“It appears far too narrow to fit two people regardless.”

“Even were it twice the size, do not even think about it!”

“Is that so?”

“You possess quite the sly, flirtatious streak, don’t you?”

“Flirtatious? I came here solely for your safety. I can easily spend the entire night meditating to guide my qi while seated.”

“So your intention truly was to safeguard me?”

“Fair enough. After all, you still require the root.”

In truth, two separate motives had driven Baek So-cheon to seek her out.

The first concerned Yeom Hwa-sin.

He had to account for the remote possibility that Yeom Hwa-sin might take direct action himself. Admittedly, the likelihood remained exceedingly slim. Striking down Cheon-geuk would inevitably ignite an all-out clash against the Sal-su Yeon-maeng. On the brink of a massive war with the Murim Alliance, they would never willingly invite conflict with another monstrous adversary of that caliber.

Baek So-cheon understood intimately how calculating and razor-sharp Yeom Hwa-sin truly was beneath his flamboyant exterior. Whether boldly presenting himself before the primary entrance of the Murim Alliance or suddenly unveiling a concealed mistress, such erratic theatrics were entirely detached from how he conducted actual warfare. He was certainly not the sort of strategist to let personal whims disrupt a colossal grand design. Above all, he would never do so out of something as trivial as paternal sentiment.

Consequently, the second consideration weighed far more heavily upon his thoughts.

“Would you care to accompany me somewhere, just the two of us?”

Cheon-geuk raised her voice at his casual suggestion.

“You truly are the perilous one here!”

It took her a considerable amount of persuasion to calm the Four Guardian Assassins before the two of them could slip away from Daroo unaccompanied.

The destination Baek So-cheon guided her toward was his private martial arts practice grounds.

“Are you able to leap across?”

“What a ridiculous question!”

Cheon-geuk bounded lightly across Cheon-jang Cliff, staying right behind him.

Upon reaching the end of the secluded mountain path, a gasp of wonder escaped her lips.

“To think such a secluded haven existed here.”

“This is my personal training sanctuary.”

“I consider it an honor.”

Though their camaraderie had deepened of late, she remained largely unfamiliar with his private life. Being granted entry into his secluded space stirred a warm, pleasant sensation within her.

“Still, why did you guide me here?”

“To cross blades with you.”

Cheon-geuk’s lively expression instantly froze over.

“For what reason?”

A sudden wave of dread washed over her. Never once had she pictured herself locked in combat against Baek So-cheon.

“I simply never had the opportunity to exchange moves with an elite master such as yourself.”

Following a brief silence, Cheon-geuk inquired, “You are entirely in earnest.”

“Indeed. Not a casual bout, but an authentic struggle.”

It represented the precise regimen he desperately required at this moment. Rather than solitary cultivation, he needed the sparks generated by clashing against an exceptional opponent to drive his advancement forward. Among all those in his vicinity, only the Alliance Lord and Cheon-geuk could possibly provide a stimulus of such intensity.

“You have no intention of slaying me, do you?”

Baek So-cheon offered a calm nod.

“It shall serve to temper my skills, just as it will benefit yours. Beyond that, I possess an additional motive.”

“Which would be?”

“I wish to grasp the exact boundaries of your martial prowess.”

“And why is that?”

“So that when the crucial moment comes where I must shield you, I will be capable of doing so.”

Cheon-geuk fixed her eyes intently upon Baek So-cheon.

Even if those words were a fabrication meant to sway her, a deception carrying such warmth was something she would gladly choose to accept.

“And what if I end up killing you by mistake?”

“Should death claim me, suffering it at the hands of a ravishing beauty would hardly be the worst fate.”

“Very well. Let us begin.”

Prior to being an assassin, she was first and foremost a grandmaster of the Murim. Although her abilities were absent from the Murim Seol-yeol-log on account of her hidden nature, her strength comfortably placed her within the supreme top ten at the absolute minimum.

Cheon-geuk had observed Baek So-cheon’s combat before, yet this marked the initial time she stood directly opposed to him. Watching a confrontation unfold from the sidelines was entirely different from enduring it firsthand. What manner of sensation would it evoke?

She drew her personal weapon, the Sa-wang Bi.

The art of the Sa-wang Bi-sul was brought forth.

Baek So-cheon drew Gui-yeong Geom from its sheath.

A haunting, eerie shriek reverberated from Baek So-cheon’s blade.

A sudden shiver surged straight down her spine, causing the hairs across her entire body to bristle instantly.

“The weeping voice of your sword!”

“It is.”

“I have never heard it before. A blade weeping in sorrow.”

“It is hardly a sound that graces ordinary ears.”

Lowering her gaze toward her fingers, she saw the Sa-wang Bi shivering slightly within her grasp. The tremor did not stem from pure terror alone; mingling alongside it was the sheer exhilaration of facing a truly terrifying adversary.

Cheon-geuk lifted her gaze back toward Baek So-cheon.

“Let us commence.”

Their clash erupted. Though termed a practice match in name, it unfolded with all the lethal intensity of a life-or-death battle.

Cheon-geuk made her opening move with restraint—at least relative to the monstrous heights of their shared realm. Even such an opening volley would have brought immediate death to the elite warriors of the Iron Sword Unit or the Bi-gak in a single strike.

Her dagger cleanly parted the atmosphere.

Yet it was Cheon-geuk who found herself genuinely astounded. No matter how aggressively she escalated her velocity, she could not manage to surpass his momentum.

Even as she drove her techniques to their outermost threshold, Baek So-cheon maintained the upper hand, steadily suppressing her every move.

She disengaged, pulling back to create distance for a fleeting breath.

“Were your movements always this swift?”

“Hardly. It is an art I recently acquired—one that strives toward the absolute pinnacle of speed.”

“That makes it all the more terrifying. To have reached such mastery in so little time.”

“Do not hold back. Come at me once more.”

“Brace yourself.”

The pair surged toward one another yet again.

In a fraction of a heartbeat, they traded positions; in the next instant, their silhouettes intersected and parted. The sheer tempo of their movements defied ordinary sight.

It was nothing short of a dazzling tempest of light.

What a shame that no outside observer was present to bear witness to such a spectacle.

Baek So-cheon drove her relentlessly toward her limits. In turn, Cheon-geuk’s profound expertise exceeded everything he had anticipated. To place her among the top ten of the Murim Seol-yeol-log went without saying; through his discerning eyes, she towered clearly above the six masters positioned between himself, Yeom Hwa-sin, Myeol Saeng, and Ak So-gun.

—

Yeom Sa-won directed a venomous, bloodthirsty scowl toward Jan-baek as the warrior drew near.

Fixing his gaze upon those narrow, razor-thin eyes sent a chilling tremor through his core. Jan-baek stood as one of the three most formidable combatants among the Eighteen Ghost Swords of the Black Heaven Alliance. Had Yeom Sa-won lacked the status of heir, he would never have dared to sustain such a confrontational stare.

“Did you seek my presence?”

“There is a task I require of you.”

“State it.”

“Extinguish two lives on my behalf.”

A faint shade of displeasure crossed Jan-baek’s face. Being treated as nothing more than a mindless implement of slaughter rubbed him the wrong way.

“Who are the targets?”

“The leader of the Sal-su Yeon-maeng, along with Baek So-cheon.”

“That cannot be done.”

Jan-baek delivered a flat, immediate rejection.

Yeom Sa-won blinked in sheer disbelief. The man had not even bothered to feign contemplation.

“Why should it be impossible?”

“It simply cannot be done.”

Jan-baek’s dismissal remained unyielding, offered without the slightest rationale.

“This is an absolute command!”

“My refusal stands.”

“Are you openly challenging my authority?”

“You have my apologies, yet should you point me toward any other individual under heaven, I shall execute the task without hesitation.”

Was Yeom Sa-won consumed by terror? No—the true complication rested entirely with Yeom Hwa-sin.

“Give me your explanation first. What forbids it?”

Jan-baek let out a quiet breath.

“Do you genuinely insist on hearing it?”

“I do.”

Only then did he lay out his reasoning.

“First and foremost, the King of Assassins stands on a higher plane of strength than myself.”

“What did you say?”

Jan-baek regarded him with absolute incredulity.

“Young master, on what basis do you even attempt to measure the martial caliber of the King of Assassins?”

“She is merely an assassin scoundrel.”

“Yet countless legendary figures continue to perish at the hands of that very ‘scoundrel.'”

“She is nothing more than a woman.”

“You harbor a fundamental delusion regarding the nature of assassins. Never do they bend their knees to those weaker than themselves. She reigns as the undisputed strongest among them all. For a woman to occupy that supreme seat can only mean her abilities surpass ordinary comprehension.”

“Utter nonsense!”

“Believe whatever pleases your mind.”

“In that case, take Baek So-cheon’s head instead! His internal arts have completely crumbled.”

“He is likewise beyond my touch.”

Jan-baek’s refusal grew even more resolute.

“And why would that be?”

“Baek So-cheon is someone who must never fall by my hands. Only the Lord or the Young Lord holds the right to deal with him personally.”

“You say this because of Father?”

The ensuing stillness served as the clearest confirmation.

The profound ties shared between Yeom Hwa-sin and Baek So-cheon were common knowledge to everyone. To the Lord, Baek was someone truly extraordinary.

“I trust that provides a sufficient answer.”

Offering a brief bow, Jan-baek pivoted and walked away.

“Halt right there!”

Yet his footsteps never slowed as he strode outward.

A chaotic shatter echoed as Yeom Sa-won smashed everything within his grasp, howling in unbridled fury to purge the venom within his chest.

“Curse that wretched Baek So-cheon! Baek So-cheon! Baek So-cheon!”

Never once had his father directly drawn a comparison between the two of them.

Yet the day would come when he would tear that bastard limb from limb using his very own hands.

—

Baek So-cheon and Cheon-geuk made their way back to Daroo.

“My thanks to you.”

“Think nothing of it. I reaped great gains from our duel as well.”

The hours of intense clashing had bestowed immense insight upon both of them. This proved especially true for Baek So-cheon, who drew profound enlightenment from the lethal, swift assassination arts she displayed.

“We shall resume again tomorrow.”

“Very well.”

They returned in high spirits, only to find Strategist Sa-ma Il-jung standing in wait just outside the entrance.

“The Alliance Lord requires your immediate presence within the great assembly chamber.”

The fact that the strategist had delivered the summons in person highlighted the absolute gravity of the situation.

Without delay, Baek So-cheon made his way straight toward the residence of the Alliance Lord.

Ak So-gun and Je-gal Hyeon sat waiting, their stern and burdened expressions mirroring an imminent catastrophe—as though the Black Heaven Alliance had formally declared total war.

Yet the astonishing revelation stemmed from a completely unexpected direction.

“An emissary arriving from the Blood Cult has stepped forth.”

“The Blood Cult?”

Baek So-cheon was visibly taken aback. Amidst the current balance of power, the arrival of a Blood Cult representative carried monumental weight.

Je-gal Hyeon continued his explanation.

“The supreme leader of the Blood Cult, Myeol Saeng, possesses an only daughter.”

“I am aware.”

Baek had never set eyes upon her form, nor had any rumors concerning her ever circulated. She was entirely veiled in secrecy, an enigmatic existence unknown to the wider world.

“The emissary who arrived is a matchmaker.”

“They dispatched a matchmaker?”

The revelation came utterly out of nowhere.

“They seek to forge a matrimonial alliance for Myeol Ji-ryun.”

Baek So-cheon was struck dumb by the notion. For the Blood Cult to propose a marriage union with the Murim Alliance defied all reason. Could they truly believe the Alliance remained ignorant of their covert ties with Cheon-oe Won-go? Even setting that aside, with their alignment alongside the Black Heaven Alliance, what hidden scheme drove them to introduce a matchmaker now?

“A diplomatic union intended for Young Master Ak, no doubt… Do they genuinely believe our side would ever entertain such an offer?”

Ak Seo-pyeong, the second son of Ak So-gun, had yet to take a wife.

“It is not intended for Seo-pyeong.”

“Excuse me?”

Ak So-gun then dropped the shattering truth.

“The matchmaker has traveled here to arrange your very own marriage.”