Chapter v16c20

*An Myeong-hu Awakens… And…*

– False Accusation –

The man ran through the darkness, his mind racing.

*I have to report this to headquarters immediately.*

*Mount Hua is in danger.*

*”Captain, leave this to us!”*

*”Don’t worry. But you have to keep your promise to buy us drinks!”*

*Argh!*

*Argh!*

*Argh!*

The man covered his ears and kept running, his only thought to escape.

Something rolled towards him. He stopped and stared. It was… it was… the head of his subordinate, Gae-ko.

The eyes of the severed head snapped open.

The man screamed. The eyes were empty, filled with darkness. Blood trickled from the vacant sockets.

*”Captain… Avenge me… Avenge me…”*

Thousands of centipedes and maggots crawled out of the empty sockets, swarming over the man’s body.

“Argh!”

An Myeong-hu woke with a start, his vision blurry. He blinked several times before he could see clearly. Where was he? He looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling. It was a rough, stone ceiling. He wasn’t in a room, he was in a cave. His back was damp with sweat.

“Why am I here…?”

His body felt heavy, as if filled with lead. He tried to move his fingers, but they wouldn’t obey. Where was he? Why was he here?

“Oh, you’re awake. Are you feeling alright?”

A woman’s voice, unfamiliar to him, came from beside him. He turned his head and saw a woman, her face delicately made up, dressed in fine clothes, kneeling beside him, smiling.

“Wh-Who…?”

“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Gyo-ok.”

She smiled.

With the woman’s help, An Myeong-hu managed to sit up. It had been at least an hour since he had woken up. He finally asked her where he was. She told him he was in a cave in the mountains, near the Mount Hua Sword Conference site.

“So this is Mount Hua?”

“Technically, yes. But it’s a bit far from the main Mount Hua area. They’re connected by a mountain range.”

“Is Mount Hua… Is Heavenly Martial Peak safe?”

His eyes were filled with anxiety.

“Yes, for now.”

She answered, startled by his intensity.

“Then please call someone.”

“Call someone?”

“Yes! Mount Hua is in danger!”

“It would have been better if you had stayed unconscious…” She muttered under her breath.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m afraid you have to go back to sleep.”

She said softly, her voice almost a whisper. An Myeong-hu protested, saying that this wasn’t the time for that. He was anxious, not knowing how much time had passed since he had lost consciousness.

“I’m fine, as you can see. Please, call someone! I have something important to report.”

“Something important?”

“Yes, about a conspiracy.”

“A conspiracy?”

He quickly told her everything he had seen, heard, and experienced. She looked shocked at first, but then she calmed down, a smile spreading across her red lips.

“You’ve been through a lot. You need to rest. It’s time to sleep.”

“No, I appreciate your concern, but I need to take care of this first…”

She shook her head, cutting him off.

“I don’t like disobedient children. Now, I’ll sing you a lullaby. A lullaby that will send you into an eternal sleep!”

“Excuse me?”

Something sharp grazed his neck.

Blood spurted from his carotid artery.

*What’s happening? I have to tell them… Why?*

His vision darkened, and sounds faded away. He tried to speak, but his tongue wouldn’t move. His senses were dulled, his mind drifting. He finally realized that something was wrong. He managed to utter a single word.

“Why… Why…?”

The woman’s voice, soft and gentle, echoed in his fading consciousness.

“You saw what you shouldn’t have seen, heard what you shouldn’t have heard, and you have a loose tongue. That’s enough reason to send you to the afterlife. You’ve worked hard. Now rest.”

Her voice was so sweet, so soothing, that it was hard to believe she had just committed such a cruel act. He felt like he was being possessed by a demon.

The last thing he saw, through a haze of blood, was her smiling lips, as red and alluring as pomegranates.

A high-pitched scream echoed through the mountains. It came from the cave.

“What’s going on?”

Bi Ryu-yeon rushed back to the cave, frowning at the strong smell of blood. Na Yerin, who met him at the entrance, tried to block the stench with her sleeve, but she gave up.

The others arrived, including Dokgo Ryeong and Young Master Bi. Bi Ryu-yeon’s eyes met Young Master Bi’s. He still couldn’t figure out what that guy was up to.

Two figures lay in a pool of blood. One was the unconscious patient they had been protecting. He was dead, his carotid artery cleanly severed. The other was Gyo-ok, the Blood Heart Orchid. She was unconscious, but she was still breathing. She had no visible injuries. It seemed like she had just fainted.

“This is horrible!” someone muttered.

The dead man’s eyes were wide open, staring accusingly at the ceiling. He had died with so much resentment that he couldn’t even close his eyes.

“This is a clean job.”

The cut on An Myeong-hu’s neck was smoother than a razor’s edge. It was the work of a skilled assassin.

“Damn it! We were careless! He didn’t even know what hit him! It was too quick.”

Bi Ryu-yeon cursed. He was disappointed. This could have been a lead in his investigation. A moment of carelessness had led to an irreversible outcome. He knew this place wasn’t safe, but he had failed to take proper precautions. He had to admit that he had limitations. This was going to give him nightmares.

“It seems like the game of hide-and-seek has begun.”

He muttered to himself.

Bi Ryu-yeon, Hyo-ryong, and Jang Hong stared at An Myeong-hu’s face in silence. His eyes were still wide open, filled with anger and frustration. Hyo-ryong frowned at the stench of blood that filled the cave.

“This is terrible. Who could have done this? Why? What was the motive? Who was this man?”

Hyo-ryong asked, his voice heavy with sadness.

“What secret was he hiding?”

That was the question that plagued Jang Hong.

“One thing’s for sure.”

“What’s that?” Jang Hong and Hyo-ryong asked.

“The secret he was hiding was important enough to warrant assassination.”

It made sense.

“But what’s the point now? He’s dead! The only lead we had is gone.”

Jang Hong sighed.

“We can’t be sure of that yet. It’s too early to jump to conclusions.”

To their surprise, it was Young Master Bi who spoke.

“There’s something strange about this.”

He had entered the cave and was examining An Myeong-hu’s body. Bi Ryu-yeon glared at him, annoyed.

“What’s so strange about it?”

“You don’t see it?”

Young Master Bi’s tone was mocking. Bi Ryu-yeon decided to ignore him.

“Why would the killer spare Gyo-ok? If they wanted to silence them, wouldn’t it have been better to kill them both?”

“Maybe they didn’t want to kill unnecessarily?” Jang Hong suggested.

“I doubt a killer this skilled is sentimental.”

“So you have a theory?”

Young Master Bi nodded. He had been taking charge of the situation since he arrived. Everyone else was just watching.

“It means ‘he’ would be in trouble if she died.”

“You’re assuming the killer is a man?”

But Young Master Bi ignored Bi Ryu-yeon and continued, “He must have had a reason to spare her. He needed her alive. He probably snuck up on her from behind, paralyzed her, and then killed An Myeong-hu. He was skilled enough to deceive her, or perhaps she trusted him.”

“That doesn’t make sense. If he used their friendship to get close to her, he would have silenced her too. She would have exposed him as soon as she woke up.”

Bi Ryu-yeon pointed out the flaw in his logic. He was right. If that was the case, they should both be dead. Young Master Bi frowned at Bi Ryu-yeon’s constant interruptions, then continued, “He might have used drugs. He could have drugged her food or water. And when she fell asleep or fainted, he did his job.”

It made sense, and several people nodded in agreement.

“So what do you mean by ‘he would be in trouble if she died’?”

“Trouble? I hope you haven’t forgotten the rules of the Five Elements Trial.”

Young Master Bi’s sharp gaze swept over Bi Ryu-yeon.

“If a group loses even one member, they’re disqualified.”

Chu Myeong said, his voice flat. The crowd murmured. His theory was gaining traction.

*That bastard!*

Bi Ryu-yeon cursed inwardly.

“W-Wait a minute, are you saying the killer is in our group?”

Young Master Bi nodded.

“That’s absurd! What proof do you have? It’s just a theory! There are a hundred reasons why the killer might have spared her! Maybe she’s the killer!”

Bi Ryu-yeon’s voice trembled with anger. Young Master Bi replied, his voice cold and merciless, “Even if you want to hide your crime, you shouldn’t accuse a defenseless woman.”

He was accusing Bi Ryu-yeon.

“There’s no motive. And the evidence is flimsy.”

Bi Ryu-yeon muttered.

“Where were you when you heard the scream? Was anyone with you?”

“W-Well…”

He had been alone, so there was no one to corroborate his alibi. Young Master Bi smiled triumphantly.

“Did you know that even the dead can speak? He seems to be clutching something in his right hand. It might be a clue!”

Everyone stared at the dead man’s clenched fist. He was indeed clutching something, a string protruding from between his fingers. Young Master Bi bent down and pried open the fist. It wasn’t easy, due to rigor mortis, but he managed to open it. A small wooden token fell out. He held it up, his face filled with interest, so everyone could see it. No one in the cave was unfamiliar with that object.

“A… Heavenly Law Token…”

Gasps of horror filled the air. The killer was among them!

“Let’s see whose name is on it. Take a look!”

Young Master Bi shoved the bloodstained token in Bi Ryu-yeon’s face. Even Bi Ryu-yeon, the master of indifference, couldn’t help but be shocked.

“Th-This is…”

It read:

*Mount Hua Sword Conference, Earth Trial, Group 7, Heavenly Martial Academy, Bi Ryu-yeon, Male*