As sunlight streamed in from the window, brushing against Namgung Myeong’s eyes, he let out a sleepy groan and fluttered his eyelids.

“Ugh…”

At that, two people who were splitting and sharing a steamed bun hurried over. Their long wait had finally come to an end.

As Cheonghwi and Namgung Seung-ah gathered by his side, Namgung Myeong sat up with a drowsy expression. Sleepiness lingered, but his body felt remarkably refreshed.

“Myeong, you’re awake!”

“How do you feel, how is your core energy?”

“…”

Namgung Myeong focused his mind. He took a deep breath, filtering the natural energy floating in the air through his cultivation technique, directing it down to his core.

Before, it was like pouring water into a bottomless pot, no matter how much he tried to accumulate inner strength, it just scattered. But now, it was clearly contained. The damaged core had been repaired!

Not only that, the once broken and now restored core was more robust than others’.

“…I, I’m healed, Master Cheonghwi! Sister!”

“You’re healed! Myeong, that’s wonderful!”

“Haha.”

Namgung Seung-ah hugged Namgung Myeong tightly in her excitement and joy. Namgung Myeong, struggling to breathe due to the pressure on his chest, was watched over by Cheonghwi with a proud expression.

From noble mtl dot come

They had accomplished what needed to be done. Now, they could prepare for the confrontation with Luna with ease.

“Then, we should return to the Namgung clan now.”

“Yes, I’ve already packed everything… And it seems we’ve visited every notable restaurant in Jebu City, so there are no regrets.”

“…Are you saying you both ate delicious food while I was asleep?”

“We couldn’t wake you up!”

Namgung Myeong pretended to be upset for a moment, then bowed deeply to Cheonghwi. As a martial artist, Namgung Myeong owed his life to him, and it was only right to express his gratitude.

“Master Cheonghwi, I’m truly grateful!”

“Don’t mention it.”

“How can I not express my gratitude? I will surely grow stronger and repay this kindness…!!”

“Just live harmoniously as a family. That’s all I wish for.”

Looking at Cheonghwi, who spoke with a serene face and genuine sincerity, Namgoong Seung-ah remarked as if seeing him anew.

“…What you just did, it was like something a real Taoist master would do. Master Cheonghwi.”

“Last time you said you’d drop the ‘master’ part, and now you’re adding it back?”

“If you’ve managed to fix a shattered core, then you’re definitely a master. But… are you going to travel through the forest to return to the Namgoong clan, like you did when you came?”

“That’s the plan. It seems safer that way.”

Namgoong Seung-ah packed her belongings again with a truly displeased expression. If they were to wander the forest paths again, she would need to pack more heavily.

And this time, she mustn’t forget to bring the incense that wards off insects.

“I’ll go tell the innkeeper we’re checking out today.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

“Oh, and. Tuck in your tail. I trust you weren’t planning to walk around outside with that on.”

“…I was going to take it off!”

Namgoong Seung-ah detached the tail whip tied around her waist and stuffed it into her luggage.

—

Cheonghwi made his way down the inn’s staircase. The innkeeper, seeing him descend, greeted him with his usual good-natured banter.

“If you’ve smashed the bed, you’ll have to pay for it.”

“…I told you, that’s not the case!”

“By the way, someone’s looking for the young master.”

“Are you talking about me?”

The innkeeper gestured with his eyes towards a table in the corner. There, Heeyeonghyeon, dressed in the seductive attire of a courtesan, sat with her legs crossed, waiting.

Cheonghwi sat down opposite Heeyeonghyeon. She was wearing a dress with a deeply plunging neckline, and he had to make a conscious effort not to send any impolite glances her way.

“What brings you here?”

“Let’s cut to the chase. There’s someone targeting you.”

“…Could you elaborate?”

Cheonghwi’s expression turned grave. This was no time to be distracted by a plunging neckline. Had the ones targeting Namgoong Myeong finally found them?

“Do you remember the missing persons case? I’ve been investigating the traces of the beast, and I’ve managed to find a crucial clue. There’s always a secret mark left at the crime scenes.”

“And what does that have to do with us being targeted?”

“Because I found that mark on the door of the room you’re staying in.”

With a rustle,

Heeyeonghyeon opened a book and laid it out on the table. It was a record of the names and characteristics of the martial artists from the history of Jianghu, one of the few legacies passed down from the days when the sect was still intact.

“The Arrow Grandfather is a master from the previous generation. He’s an exceptional assassin, always leaving a mark near his chosen prey. The same mark that’s been left in your room.”

“…He’s targeting us, you say?”

“I don’t think it’s him. He vanished without a trace 50 years ago, and if he were still alive, he’d be well over 150 years old by now. Frail humans can’t live that long.”

“Then… an imitator?”

Tap, tap. Hee Young-hyun tapped the table with her index finger in agreement. She organized her thoughts and spoke again.

“Could it be that someone who mastered the martial arts of the Arrowhead Patriarch has been indiscriminately killing people… Could this be the truth behind the disappearances in Jebu Province? That’s what I think.”

“…”

The assassin targets our group. It’s too coincidental to be mere chance. Even if we escape the mark and run, I have a feeling the assassin will pursue us to the end.

“Is it your mission to catch this criminal?”

“No. It’s enough to find out his identity. So my job here is done. Informing you was just… a side task. But if we do catch him, the Open Gate faction could walk a little taller.”

“We want to eliminate the danger and don’t need the glory. On the other hand, you need the recognition, so why don’t we work together to catch this assassin?”

“…You’re quite confident to catch an assassin whose martial arts level and techniques are unknown?”

Cheonghwi nodded confidently. If fear comes from ignorance, then Cheonghwi had no reason to fear the assassin.

“I’m well-versed in assassination techniques. Just as a mage’s enemy is another mage, so too is an assassin’s enemy another assassin.”

“Alright. Let’s cooperate.”

“Stay a while after the job is done. I have to return the Pagoda Stick Technique.”

“I thought we settled this last time. I said I wouldn’t take it.”

Hee Young-hyun leaned her chin on her hand, tilting her head as if listening to a tedious story. In front of her, Cheonghwi answered uprightly. He knew what he had to convey now.

“I’ve found the intent.”

“…”

“Let’s see after it’s over.”

—

A shadow crept in the dark night.

The Arrowhead Patriarch, holding long needles in both hands, carefully climbed the wall. His target, Namgung Myeong, was a prodigy but young, and Namgung Seung-ah was not yet fully matured.

Of course, now, artificially extending life with the secret arts of the Blood Sect, he was greatly weakened compared to his prime… Yet, the Arrowhead Patriarch was still a master.

The Namgung siblings had not yet reached the pinnacle of mastery, mere fledglings, so even in a direct confrontation rather than an assassination, they could be easily killed.

But Cheonghwi was an unknown factor.

According to the Arrowhead Patriarch’s master, Cheonghwi’s martial arts level was so low that stepping on a wooden floor would make a sound.

However, he had several remarkable talismans that could bring down dark clouds to the earth or use something similar to a long-distance Samadhi Fire. He had to be cautious.

“Chuckle… Those who wield spells, their mouths must be shut before they are killed.”

Ssshhh…

The target was on the second floor, but the Arrow Master ascended the wall to the third.

He aimed precisely at the window lock and thrust a long needle in. The awl, filled with his energy, smoothly penetrated the wooden frame. It opened.

And carefully, he opened the window, climbed over the sill, and entered.

A snoring, hairy man lay before him. The Arrow Master walked over lightly and jabbed a needle between his brows. The man died without a scream, still in slumber.

The Arrow Master lay flat and pressed his ear to the floor. Using his unique Qi Gong, he amplified his hearing manyfold. With this, he could catch every sound from the floor below.

“……..”

Regular breathing and rustling sounds.

“Tsk tsk, sleeping so soundly…”

The Arrow Master listened closely and shifted his position slightly. He guessed that the one with neat but shallow breaths was Namgung Myeong, and if he broke through the floor now, he could fall straight down.

He chuckled silently, thinking the assassin’s sudden appearance through the collapsing ceiling would be unexpected.

There was no need for the Blood Widow to step in. With a single strike, he would kill Namgung Myeong and leave this place. The Arrow Master slowly raised the stakes, unnoticed by anyone.

Just as he was about to break through the floor with the weight of a thousand pounds.

Crack! Whoosh!

The third-floor ceiling shattered, and Cheonghwi, wielding a rapier, fell through. The Arrow Master, taken aback, stepped back, but was stabbed in the abdomen by the cunningly serpentine trajectory of the blade.

Thud──!

“Argh…! You beast!”

Enraged, the Arrow Master flailed his needles wildly, while Cheonghwi quickly created distance with a short explosive technique and caught his breath. Then he said calmly,

“I estimated a 70% success rate, and it seems I was right.”

“Damn it, you’re not a Taoist but an assassin! Which assassin’s guild are you from?!”

“If you must know, it’s the Red Roast guild, but it’s a name you’ve never heard of.”

For the Redburn Ducal House does not exist in this world.

“Ugh…”

The Arrow Master groaned in pain, crouching and looking for an opportunity. But Cheonghwi did not approach carelessly. Having already hit a vital spot, he believed time was on his side.

And he was right. The Arrow Master felt blood from his abdomen soaking his pants. The precious blood he had drawn from innocent lives was now flowing out.

He had hoped to feign severe injury, expecting the young and vigorous man to rush in to finish him off. But his expectations were off.

The Arrow Master had to make a decision. He had to kill Cheonghwi to find a way out.

“Tsk tsk tsk… I’m not alone! We came as a pair. The Blood Widow is downstairs, turning everyone into blood puddles! And you think you can afford such leisure?”

“Sorry, but I’m not alone either. The Open Sect’s shipmaster, Heeyeonghyeon, is guarding below.”

“Damn it!”

With things as they were, he had to resort to his trump card.

An assassin is one who strikes the target’s blind spot to kill. Thus, the most precious asset for an assassin was the element of surprise. Perhaps it should be called a life-saving stroke.

With the mystical efficacy of the Demonic Subjugation Technique, the Arrow Grandmaster had mastered the movements of a celestial demon.

A being who freely exhibits movements beyond human cognition, unimaginable by anyone. The Arrow Grandmaster had succeeded in acquiring one of those many unfathomables.

A divine move that no one in the Central Plains could have anticipated.

An ultimate killing technique that one is bound to fall for if unknown!

“It’s the pulse of the celestial demon, you color-eyed scoundrel… Take this!!”

Swooosh──!!

The Arrow Grandmaster’s gaunt body creaked as it soared through the sky. With bizarre movements that changed ten times out of ten, he thrust his long needle towards Qinghui’s throat.

Whisk, whirrrrr!

“Shadow Hundred Kill!!”

“Ah, the movement of a celestial demon.”

Swoosh.

Touching and probing with precise timing and exact force was all it took. The unfathomable met the unfathomable.

Qinghui easily deflected the Arrow Grandmaster’s lethal move.

“…?! How, how did you?!”

“I too am well-versed in the pulse of the celestial demon, old man. Moreover, I’ve received personal instruction from a young celestial demon.”

What was unfathomable when unknown, was but a laughable movement to one who knew. Qinghui thrust his rapier into the gaping opening of the greatly flustered Arrow Grandmaster.

Pffft!

“Urgh…”

“Next time you’re reborn, give it more thought.”

Thud. The Arrow Grandmaster clutched his throat as he fell forward. He twitched and then, his movements ceased. Astonishingly, his body turned to dust right away!

Qinghui, reminded of the Jiangshi that attacked the Nangong family, watched the scene. That Jiangshi too, seemed to die just like that.

“……..”

Bang! Crash!

Noise erupted from the floor below. The sounds of battle. It seems the Arrow Grandmaster’s words about ‘coming in twos’ were not empty after all.

Qinghui hurried to rejoin his companions.

—

Meanwhile, as Qinghui hunted the Arrow Grandmaster. On the floor below.

“Steel Tail Strike!”

“How dare a woman, how dare a woman shake her hips in front of the enemy like this…!!”

“Like an ascending dragon!”

“I, the scion of the Nangong family, how could I leave my sword behind…!”

The Blood Widow was a master at the peak of her prowess. Nangong Ming and Nangong Sheng should have been defeated long ago, but the reason a battle was still somehow established was because.

For 150 years, she had never heard or seen such a baseless martial art flying towards her. How could the scion of a noble house fight like a beast!

The flying daggers of the courtesan were also unusually sharp and dangerous.

She had to break the enveloping atmosphere. The Blood Widow made a great resolution. Using her own blood flowing within as a sacrifice, she was about to use an evil technique.

“Even if I lose my lifeblood, even if I have to bow my head to that young brat, I must punish you all!!”

A crimson malevolence burst forth from the old woman’s eyes.