episode_0054
by fnovelpia– There is a sighting report that Myoryeo Hwaseon (The Marvelous Master Artist) and her husband, Chuhon Salgui (The Soul Chaser Reaper), have entered Hangju together. Further confirmation is needed.
Banso-un’s eyes became serious as he read the information.
From her title to her demeanor, she was different from the usual riffraff.
A giant, in other words.
And most of all, the striking characters that caught his eye.
Hwaseon (The Master Artist).
It means reaching a level akin to a divine artist.
I don’t really understand the world of artists.
But in any world, the character ‘Seon (仙)’ is not casually bestowed.
It is a tremendous praise, and if one does not have the corresponding ability, they dare not use it, nor can they bear such a title.
“Someone like her has entered Hangju?”
Banso-un stopped flipping through the book, his face thoughtful, and removed his finger from the page.
Hwangbo Seol’s moist eyes were filled with regret.
“Why… why are you like this, Sang-gong?”
“Do you happen to know someone named Myoryeo Hwaseon?”
“Myoryeo Hwaseon… Ah.”
Hwangbo Seol, who had been muttering her title, suddenly realized who she was talking about.
“Myoryeo Hwaseon, Yang Yeon-hwi. Are you referring to one of the Three Artists?”
“If the person with the title Myoryeo Hwaseon is not two people, then most likely, yes.”
Banso-un continued, asking, “She seems to be quite famous, isn’t she?”
“In the world of painting, there is no one who doesn’t know her. Above all, she is one of the Three Artists.”
“What are the Three Artists?”
“They are referred to as the Hwaseong (The Divine Artist), Hwaseon (The Master Artist), and Hwagwi (The Ghost Artist) together. They are the best artists in the Central Plains, praised for their exceptional painting skills.”
“I see.”
Banso-un’s expression became interested.
It seemed that even in a world outside the martial arts, there was a world of interest unique to them.
After all, poetry, calligraphy, and painting were considered virtues of the literati, so it was not surprising to call it their own world.
Having risen to the top in such a place, she must be a remarkable person.
“Why was the word ‘Myoryeo’ attached to Hwaseon?”
“I heard it was because she is very skilled at using colors. They say there is no one who can match her in creating colorful paintings. Of course, there are those who give negative reviews, saying that it diminishes her nobility…”
“So that’s what it was.”
Banso-un chuckled, understanding.
Having tasted ink himself, he knew that scholars preferred elegant and sophisticated brushstrokes over colorful hues.
Colorful paintings were not to their liking.
That was the treatment.
Therefore, it could be said that Myoryeo Hwaseon, who reached the top with colorful paintings, was a very unique and remarkable person.
It was only natural that the character ‘Myoryeo,’ meaning beautiful and colorful, was attached to her as a title.
Wait a minute, though.
Banso-un checked the information again with a face that seemed to have remembered something.
-…with her husband, Chuhon Salgui…
Indeed, it was clearly written like that.
Which means.
“…Hwaseon was a woman.”
“Yes, Sang-gong.”
“I see.”
Banso-un’s body was filled with a sense of excitement.
His eyes sparkled.
The best artist who skillfully wielded rare and colorful hues.
So what if scholars didn’t like it?
With her paintings of the obscene bodies of slave girls, she was truly the epitome of excellence.
The thought of forever immortalizing the beautiful and colorful paintings of slave girls’ bodies made his body tremble with anticipation and excitement.
Finally, he had found someone perfectly suited to handle the paintings of slave girls.
“Good. You are my next prey, Myoryeo Hwaseon.”
Banso-un declared in his mind.
But one thing bothered him.
Her husband, Chuhon Salgui.
A ghost who chases souls to the very end.
A brutal title.
Among those with such a title, there could be no mediocrity.
Because titles are not given by oneself but by others.
It signifies the real deal.
I can’t remember it well, but it feels like I’ve heard it somewhere before…
“Chuhonsalgui.”
Banso-un muttered with a smirk.
“Oh, are you talking about Chuhonsalgui?”
“Do you know about it?”
“Yes, Sanggong. He’s a legendary figure in the Nangin-gye, known for completing exactly one thousand assassination requests without a single failure…”
Oh, crazy.
Is he a complete monster…?
He killed not just a hundred, but a thousand people…?
And all of them were assassination requests, so they must have been tough guys, but he killed them all without a single failure?
That means he’s a crazy monster.
“…What about his martial arts skills?”
“He’s known as a master…”
“Ah, damn it!”
A curse word burst out of Banso-un’s mouth.
***
The Yongro Guesthouse located in Cheonhyang-ro.
It was quite large, with several good rooms for accommodation and decent water supply. It was clean and well-maintained, making it one of the most famous guesthouses in the area.
A man and a woman entered the guesthouse.
The man was tall and skinny, almost skeletal in appearance.
His skin was pale.
If there was a sick person, this is what they would look like.
On the other hand, the woman’s skin was rosy and vibrant.
Especially compared to the man’s pale skin, it seemed even more colorful.
With a voluptuous body, her ample bosom made the man look even more skeletal.
“The atmosphere seems a bit tense.”
The woman opened her mouth as if something was strange.
Before she could finish her sentence, Jumso-i approached them and said, “Oh, guests. I’m really sorry, but it would be best to just leave today.”
“Aren’t you open for business?”
The man asked.
His voice was harsh and unpleasant.
“It’s not that, but something big happened yesterday, so the atmosphere is not good.”
“What happened?”
“The bastards of the Murim… I mean, the heroes of the Murim, caused a commotion here. So the atmosphere is…”
“It was a territorial dispute, I presume.”
The man bluntly stated as if it was obvious.
“Y-yes.”
It was called protection money.
Although the words were different, in reality, it was collecting money under the guise of protection.
One of the main sources of income for the Murim factions.
From a merchant’s point of view, there was no shortage of thieves, but they had to pay up without a fight.
If they didn’t pay the Murim factions, even the scoundrels in the back alleys would extort them under the guise of protection money.
It was better to be extorted by the Murim factions.
But sometimes, such damn things happened.
When the influence of two nearby Murim factions was strong, they would fight over territories like this.
For a merchant, it was like a shrimp getting caught in a whale fight.
The current situation at the Yongro Guesthouse was just that.
The Cheolhyeolmun and Baekgeompa were fighting over territory at the Yongro Guesthouse.
They were still testing each other’s limits, but no one knew what would happen if it escalated further.
“Enough. It’s none of our business. Just give us a room to stay in.”
The man said as if he didn’t care.
“No, Daean. If something were to happen…”
Jumso-i tried to stop him, but the man was stubborn.
“It’s fine. Moving for no reason over something trivial doesn’t suit my temperament.”
“But, Daean, there’s a concern that your comfort might be disrupted.”
The woman also didn’t seem like she would easily back down.
It was at that moment that five men who clearly looked like Murim practitioners entered the Yongro Guesthouse.
On their backs, the characters ‘철혈(鐵血)’ were clearly engraved.
Meaning the warriors of the Cheolhyeol faction.
Cheolhyeol faction was one of the recognized mid-tier factions in Hangju.
“Hey, bring out the owner right now!”
One of the Cheolhyeol faction warriors shouted.
Jeomsoui rushed to respond quickly.
“The, the owner is not here right now…”
“What, who is this guy?”
Smack!
The Cheolhyeol warrior slapped Jeomsoui.
“Ouch!”
It wasn’t a full force blow, but it was a strike of a martial artist.
Jeomsoui’s cheek quickly swelled up.
“You arrogant brat, bring out the owner now! Is the owner here? Hey, owner! Pay up for protection right now!”
The reason for the Cheolhyeol faction’s anger was this.
The owner of Yongrogakjan had not yet paid the protection fee, being cautious.
After the conflict between Cheolhyeol faction and Baekgeompa was resolved, they planned to pay the protection fee to the winning side.
Already irritated by the fact that they had picked a fight in their territory, they were even more furious when the protected bastard came out like this.
“Too noisy.”
That’s when it happened.
A sound that should not have been heard came.
The ominous gaze of the Cheolhyeol warriors turned towards that direction.
A tall man with a skeletal, emaciated figure.
“Hah, now not only the Baekgeompa brats, but even crazy bastards are causing trouble. Don’t you manage the water here?”
“Get lost.”
“….”
They were too dumbfounded to even speak in anger.
The Cheolhyeol warrior at the front drew his sword fiercely.
“Oh no, is this guy insane!”
“Please just go back.”
A woman beside him pleaded.
But to the Cheolhyeol warriors, it felt more like mockery.
Things escalated further.
“Kill the men, spare the women.”
Everyone here understood what that meant.
“No, let’s not kill the men either. This crazy bastard is like a woman, let’s just turn a blind eye and….”
Thud!
The sentence was not finished.
The severed head flew up to the ceiling.
Blood sprayed from the severed neck like a madman, drenching the surroundings in blood.
Clang!
The headless corpse fell.
Thud!
The head dropped vertically into the corpse’s lap as if in disbelief.
The eyes of the head on top of the corpse were staring into the void in horror.
“Wha, wha, what?!”
“Thi, thi, this is, in, insane!”
The Cheolhyeol warriors, shocked, recoiled backwards.
They were martial artists, but even they instinctively realized that the emaciated man was overwhelmingly stronger.
One of the possible actions to take at this moment.
Was to drop the name of their faction.
Individually they might be weak, but the power of a faction was different.
Especially for a mid-tier faction like Cheolhyeol faction that was recognized in the region.
“D, do you dare! Do you not know that this is the territory of the Great Cheolhyeol faction!”
“You will not get away with this!”
The voice trembled, but the content was enough to apply pressure.
However.
“Leave one alive. Go and tell Cheolmokgun clearly.”
The man was not affected by the pressure at all.
Rather, he declared that he would leave only one alive.
And Cheolmokgun was the leader of the Cheolhyeol faction.
To casually mention the name of the Cheolhyeol faction meant that they did not care about the Cheolhyeol faction at all.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Before the man’s figure could be properly seen, three heads flew through the air.
Thump! Thump! Clang!
The headless corpses fell to the floor of the inn one by one.
Once again, the heads landed exactly on the corpses’ laps.
The scene was grotesque beyond words.
“Hu… hu… hu… huaaaaah!”
The lone survivor, a blood-soaked warrior, collapsed on the ground and screamed as if possessed.
Completely engulfed in terror, he seemed to have lost his mind.
His pants were damp with urine, the smell of fear permeating the air.
Approaching him was a man.
“Screaaaaam!”
The blood-soaked warrior, trembling uncontrollably, let out a chilling scream of terror.
Grabbing him by the collar, the man spoke coldly.
“Three days. I will stay at Yongro Inn for three days. Do not cause any trouble during that time. Tell the Iron Mongolians that I, Akbulbeom, have ordered it.”
Akbulbeom.
The name of the Ghost Slayer.
Those who knew the name would have thought it better to die cleanly.
Unfortunately, the blood-soaked warrior did not know that name.
Nodding frantically like a madman, a glimmer of hope flickered in his eyes.
However…
“As long as you have a mouth.”
Thud!
Thud!
His arms fell.
Thud!
Thud!
His legs fell.
Thud!
Thud!
His eyeballs burst.
Splat!
His genitals fell.
“Screaaaam!”
“Move him.”
Akbulbeom ordered someone.
Then, men in white robes with the word “Baek” embroidered on them timidly approached, their eyes filled with fear.
They were members of the Baekgeom faction, engaged in a dispute with the Iron Mongolians.
They were formidable martial artists.
But they trembled like mice in front of a cat.
Their legs seemed so weak they might collapse at any moment.
“And tell Baek Ye-song the same.”
“Yes, yes, yes! Master, master!”
Even though they called out the name of the Baekgeom faction leader disrespectfully, the Baekgeom members dared not make a sound.
They instinctively realized that this man was a martial artist from a completely different world than the Baekgeom faction.
“Get out immediately.”
The Baekgeom members hurriedly carried away the blood-soaked warrior, who had become a fool.
The conflict between the bastards ended like that.
Thanks to a single tiger.
***
“-… Four deaths. One severely injured with limbs severed, eyes lost, and genitals cut off. Seemed more uneasy than usual. Extreme caution required.”
“Wow… He’s really insane. Starting off so spectacularly on the first day. Scary, really scary.”
Reading the information sent by Eun Hwayoung, Bang So-woon shook his head in disbelief.
This man was no joke.
A ghost who used to play on the ground where even the Iron Mongolians and Baekgeom faction dared not make a sound.
There seemed to be no answer.
But he was not ready to give up.
He would find a clue.
Just like he always had.
-There has been a significant change in physique. Gaunt like a skeleton, and pale skin.
The words written in the information troubled Bang So-woon.
0 Comments