Chapter v8c15

The Target of the Beast

The Crisis of a Beauty and a Wanderer

Bi Ryu yeon, who was eating food more diligently, abundantly, quickly, and deliciously, turned his attention to the assailant because of the movement that was so different from the surroundings. Whether Bi Ryu yeon wanted it or not, all the information within his sight was analyzed and judged at a glance while he sat still. It was something that was naturally felt, not because he was conscious of it.

“What are those guys?”

Bi Ryu yeon, who had been eating earnestly, asked.

“Who?”

Yeom do asked with a puzzled face. Today’s drink bill was naturally to be provided by Yeom do, and Bi Ryu yeon was simply in a position to eat for free. Therefore, as Bi Ryu yeon played with his chopsticks, Yeom do’s wallet became lighter and lighter.

“Hey! Yum yum yum… Look there, they’re like beasts hunting for prey.”

Although he said ‘over there,’ he did not show the courtesy of pointing with his finger. Still, Bi Ryu yeon’s fingers were busy moving chopsticks to the side dishes. And his mouth was focused on chewing them into pieces.

“So, where is that ‘over there’ you’re talking about?”

Yeom do began to look around, grumbling. It was embarrassing for someone of his stature to ask such a question to a young boy. Even though he was currently his disciple, his pride would not allow it. The unconscious counter question he had asked earlier was a mistake.

With enhanced vision, Yeom do soon realized which ‘guy over there’ Bi Ryu yeon was talking about. Moreover, he realized that the ‘guy over there’ was not just one guy but several.

At first, they were just interesting things, merely side dishes for drinks. So, Bi Ryu yeon didn’t care much about them. However, as they were not just one or two, he gradually began to pay attention. He became interested in who would dare to start an assassination business in the front yard of Cheonmu academy.

They would want to believe that they are secretive and impenetrable.

But it was impossible not to notice when they moved so conspicuously.

“What are those guys doing? Assassins? To dare to conspire in the front yard of Cheonmu Academy, they must be very bold. They are moving towards the center, forming a circle around it. Naturally, so the center contains delicious prey, right?”

Bi Ryu yeon’s interest began to rise.

“How delicious must the prey be for so many beasts to gather?”

Yeom do seemed curious as well.

“Oh no! Oh no!”

Thud!

Bi Ryu yeon put down the drink he was holding and the chopsticks he was eating with.

“Why is that?”

Yeom do asked with a puzzled face. Bi Ryu yeon, who rarely moved unless there was a financial gain, was not expected to stand up to help the target of the assassins. But Yeom do was wrong. The reason Bi Ryu yeon stood up was indeed because of the target of the assassins.

“Regrettably, there’s been a change of plans.”

“What do you mean?”

Yeom do asked back.

“From clinking glasses to rescuing a beauty.”

“A beauty?”

“The prey that the beast is after is a very, very, extremely beautiful woman. Of course, I have to save her for the benefit of the entire martial arts world. Although she’s not so weak as to be easily taken.”

“That makes sense!”

Only then did Yeom do finally understand. However, another suspicion raised its head in his mind. It was a question that could not be simply twisted and kept inside.

“Do you see the target? Besides the five assassins?”

It was barely possible for Yeom do, who had practiced incredible visual techniques and whose inner power had reached a high level, to catch the assassins showing separate movements.

Honestly, Yeom do thought his eyeballs would fall out just catching these five.

“Five?”

Bi Ryu yeon asked back with a face that said, ‘Why are you speaking such nonsense so politely?’

“Huh? Isn’t it?”

Yeom do pointed out the assassins he had discovered in surprise. Then Bi Ryu yeon shook his head.

“What are you talking about? There can’t be just five. At least five, maybe close to ten. There’s that suspicious porter in front of the dumpling shop. There are five who move conspicuously, but who knows where the rest will pop out from.”

The dumpling shop was located more than 250 paces away from the window seat on the third floor of Osung roo where they were sitting. Moreover, it was the busiest place with a crowd of people passing by all at once.

“What? Do you think I’m lying?”

Bi Ryu yeon could not ignore Yeom do’s gaze, which was filled with suspicion and doubt. It was a challenge to the authority of the master.

“You’ll see if you go!”

Bi Ryu yeon was already walking away. Leaving without finishing his food was impossible even if a natural disaster occurred on a normal day. It seemed urgent.

“Thank you as always. Three bottles of plum wine! Two bottles of thatch wine! One bottle of Geomnamchun! One bottle of Juk yeop cheong! For side dishes, one Ohh yangjangyuk, three Peking ducks, one plate of Damga, one Samhwanggye, one Qing tang yang roumian! The total amount is… …” The cashier greeted politely and called out the bill amount mercilessly, without any leniency. Yeom do wanted to cover his ears.

‘That’s it.’

Yeom do quickly paid the bill with a heavy heart and followed Bi Ryu yeon.

He had to shout that the porter was definitely not an assassin…

His wallet felt lighter than a feather.

After Eun Seol ran entered the clothing store with lively and cheerful steps, Mo Yong hwi first examined the surrounding objects and terrain. He had not received professional bodyguard training, but he had certainly acquired the basic theories and skills during his education.

Paying three times more attention in crowded places than usual is the very basics. Naturally, the chance of ambush increases dozens of times in crowded places compared to empty ones. Moreover, the wave of passing people distracts attention, making the gaps even bigger. The most nerve wracking situation for escorts is when the protectee is exposed defenselessly in such a market street.

“It’s nerve wracking!”

Mo Yong hwi did not relax his tension or lower his guard. A strong sense of duty and responsibility always enveloped him like armor. It was the same now. Why did he allow her to buy clothes? He hated his emotions for not being able to refuse her pleading face that seemed about to cry.

“Huh?”

At first, it was Na Yerin who noticed the subtle, strange signs around her. For some reason, she felt an invisible grip tightening around them, a touch named murderous intent! It was definitely different from the pathetic desires and envious gazes of the men that usually crowded around her. She could clearly feel the difference.

Her Dragon eyes were sending her a clear warning. It was a sound that signaled a threat to her life. A power that she could know without trying to! It was because of this power that Ma jin had entrusted her with the protection of Eun Seol ran’s life.

Na Yerin began to guard her surroundings more cautiously. As she concentrated, she could feel more clearly.

“It seems we have uninvited guests.”

At her words, Mo Yong hwi, who had been uncertain, could also be sure of the source of the murderous intent. However, there were too many passersby bustling around. Finding an assassin in such a crowd was like looking for a needle in a sandbox.

An ambush only makes sense when it’s a surprise preemptive attack. Those who planned to kill in broad daylight were audacious. Without confidence in their skills, it would have been almost impossible to carry out such an act. Mo Yong hwi and Na Yerin Sharpened all their senses and observed their surroundings.

Click!

Her astonishingly developed, miraculous hearing did not miss the sound of a sword being drawn amidst the noisy crowd. Based on the sound, her five senses detected the enemy’s location. Her hand drew her sword with dazzling speed.

Whoosh!

A sword suddenly appeared from the crowd and flew towards her. But Na Yerin already had the upper hand in speed.

Snap!

Na Yerin’s sword swung, and the assassin attempting the ambush became a sacrifice to her blade. The assassin looked like an ordinary old man. The only difference was that the cane the old man was holding had a sword blade attached to it.

The weapon of the assassin disguised as an ordinary old man walking down the street was the cane he was holding. If she had noticed the ambush just a little later, she might have suffered a fatal wound.

“What’s going on?”

Eun Seol ran, who noticed the commotion outside, rushed out. Na Yerin and Mo Yong hwi quickly guarded her left and right.

“It’s an assassination. Be careful.”

Na Yerin warned Eun Seol ran. However, there was no sign of fear in Eun Seol ran’s eyes. The attack continued immediately.

The assassins seemed to have an obsession that their ambushes always had to come from an unexpected place that the opponent couldn’t predict.

An old woman who discovered the death of the old man threw the tray she was carrying on her head in surprise.

Whirl! Ssssssh!

With a sound that fiercely wrapped around the air, the tray flew through the air at a terrifying speed. The impudent tray, which had lost its original purpose and was flying through the air, now had sharp blades protruding from all around it. It had enough sharpness and speed to cut a person’s throat. What was even more despicable was that there wasn’t just one iron tray, but three of them.

Na Yerin could have avoided them, but she decided to cut down the three iron trays that were spinning viciously towards her. Such weapons that freely swept around could harm the innocent people nearby.

At the moment Na Yerin was concentrating on the iron trays crossing in the air, drawing a ‘Z’ shape, the assassins did not miss their chance.

Shu shu shu!

Suddenly, dozens of flying daggers sprang from the sleeve of a scholar passing by. The timing was so exquisite that it was difficult for Na Yerin to block attacks from both directions at the same time. However, Na Yerin did not let her concentration on the chaotically flying iron trays be disturbed. She had decided to trust in Mo Yong hwi’s strength. She had seen his abilities during their joint training on Mount Wudang. He was a talent she could trust to have her back.

Mo Yong hwi did not disappoint Na Yerin.

Papapapat! Chang chang chang! Thud!

Mo Yong hwi, who had stepped in between Na Yerin and the flying daggers, swung his sword fiercely. The flying daggers, which came with the speed of starlight, were all split in two and fell to the ground. One of them flew back at twice the speed towards the caster and mercilessly pierced the owner’s throat.

Na Yerin swung her sword with relief.

Shuang!

Her will was instantly manifested through her sword. The iron trays were split in two by her white sword energy and crashed to the ground. The ambush targeting the two of them was still ongoing. It was to the point where one might suspect that everyone around them was an assassin.

A farmer walking down the road suddenly threw the sickle he was holding. it was clearly a technique of throw than catch, moving in a ‘Z’ shape through the air according to martial arts secrets.

A woman carrying a child, who could be seen anywhere, scattered needles used for sewing into the air at a terrifying speed. The technique was unmistakable, that of the fearsome Violent Rain, famous even among secret weapon techniques.

It was a move targeting Eun Seol ran. They must have thought that such needles could easily penetrate the defenses of the two.

At the end of the needles, which should have been busy completing tasks such as sewing quilts or clothes in the hands of an ordinary woman, was a deadly poison capable of easily killing ten oxes. It was a clear declaration of intent not to discriminate in means and methods.

The secret technique of the Galaxy Meteor Swordsmanship

Cosmic density

A dazzling milky light spread out, and a dense wall of sword energy, surpassing an iron wall, unfolded in space, obstructing the path of the flying poisoned needles.

Thud Thud Thud!

The poisoned needles, which could easily kill ten oxes, could not muster any strength in front of Mo Yong hwi’s sword barrier and all fell away. It was a perfect defensive form.

If it was Mo Yong hwi who had always insisted on fair duels bound by rules within the academy, he would have fallen victim to their sudden, irregular, and even secretive ambushes. However, thanks to the many irregularities and fouls he experienced while mingling with Bi Ryu yeon and his party during his intense and short lived life in the murim, he was able to deal excellently with the group of assassins’ ambush and protect Eun Seol ran from them. Without the tiresome experiences he had accumulated over time, such perfect defense might have been impossible.

“Let’s never say thank you.”

Mo Yong hwi quietly resolved.

“Miss Na! Be careful!”

The rush of the assassins ambush had not ended yet.

Na Yerin and Mo Yong hwi, as well as Eun Seol ran, who had become their target, could not let down their guard at all. The ambushes that struck the gaps and the unexpected! It was clear that they had received professional training. Their skills were definitely different from those of the mediocre who committed clumsy murders for a pittance.

Just before, it was an old man walking down the street, but this time it was an elderly couple that seemed to have a good marriage. The combined attack of the small statured elderly couple with white hair was really unexpected. Their disguise skills were truly outstanding, beyond comparison.

Sharp blades sprang from the sleeves of the disguised elderly couple, sharp enough to call for blood. However, these pairs of blades did not achieve their goal. The weapons of the assassins disguised as an elderly couple were cut off mercilessly by Mo Yong hwi before they could even touch the body of sa jeong hwa. It was a decisive blow, as if the wrists of the assassins, which were only used for murder, had no value.

“Aaaack!”

A loud scream echoed.