Chapter 71 "Lady Namgung, forgive the inconvenience, but while I lower my back, hold onto my neck for a moment."
"E-excuse me."
There had been no need to worry. The source of that déjà vu revealed itself at once.
Swoosh.
A dagger.
The moment she climbed onto Bang Woo's back, the woman drew a blade from within her bosom. Yeo Il swiftly looped her left arm around Bang Woo's neck.
Had he sensed the danger instinctively?
"Ghk!"
Bang Woo drove his elbow into the woman's abdomen almost simultaneously as the dagger grazed Yeo Il's arm.
"Miss!"
A well-forged dagger.
"Cough. Hah… your reaction is faster than I expected."
At that, she widened the distance with practiced ease. From that brief exchange alone, it was clear the woman was no ordinary assassin.
And—
The mark around her neck concealed the traces of a human-skin mask.
There was a high probability she belonged to Yonghwang Yuse.
"Are you hurt?"
Bang Woo hurriedly tore open Yeo Il's outer garment. The thin summer fabric ripped beneath his rough hands, revealing a shoulder stained red.
"My mistake. Forgive me. Remain calm. Fortunately, the wound is not deep—"
Whish—
Another dagger shot straight toward Yeo Il's chest, only to embed in the ground as Bang Woo dodged swiftly.
Carrying Yeo Il, Bang Woo retreated from the ruins. He must have realized the enemy was targeting the burden rather than him.
"You will be fine! Give me your arm!"
While reassuring her, he used one hand—and even his teeth—to press down and staunch the bleeding.
Whish—
"…Damn it!"
Was he worried she might be struck by the relentless hidden weapons from behind? The curse, ill-suited to him, slipped out as he turned to face the woman.
"Where are you hurt?"
Before she could even shake her head, countless hidden weapons flew again. Though Bang Woo deflected them with blade-swift movements, he could not prevent Yeo Il from deliberately taking another shallow cut.
A second wound quickly formed beneath the crudely treated slash.
"Stop the bleeding!"
Having grasped her condition, Bang Woo shouted urgently.
"I will hold her off. Stop the bleeding and flee at once, Lady Namgung! Reach the Murim Alliance and report that Cheonmyeon Magwi has appeared!"
Report that Cheonmyeon Magwi had appeared at the Murim Alliance?
Ridiculous.
Cheonmyeon Magwi had not appeared at all. How could she report such a lie?
That is not Cheonmyeon Magwi.
A fake.
It could only be a fake.
Cheonmyeon Magwi had died four years ago. Yeo Il had personally taken his life and severed his head. There was no room for doubt.
Cheonmyeon Magwi had been a man.
Though the epithet "Thousand-Faced" derived from appearances so varied that even gender was obscured, he had unquestionably been male.
Even if he had cut off his own manhood—
He had called himself a man. That was enough.
And that man had possessed one sworn brother he cherished like family.
"…Are you truly Cheonmyeon Magwi?"
"Lady Namgung! This is no time for indulgence—I told you to flee!"
At last, the unknown woman drew a sword and covered her face with a broad palm.
"Yes."
Riiip.
With a sickening sound, the skin peeled away grotesquely.
And finally, the revealed features—and a new voice.
"Little girl, I am Cheonmyeon Magwi."
The sole sworn brother Cheonmyeon Magwi left behind.
The name was—
Jin Myo.
…Of all people.
Among countless assassins—Jin Myo.
Yeo Il swallowed a sigh.
This had become far more troublesome than expected.
As he was now, Bang Woo could not survive Jin Myo.
The first reason—
"Heh heh, my luck is excellent today. Did you say you are of the Namgung Clan? It is rare to find such a pleasing little girl."
A light smile, yet an overwhelming aura surged forth.
"Sword aura…."
Yes.
If not the gulf between heaven and earth, then at least between Mount Tai and the ground.
The second—
"However, Daoist Bang Woo."
At Jin Myo's casual familiarity, Bang Woo's expression twisted.
"You always keep frail little girls by your side. Is it your taste to watch what you cannot protect?"
Jin Myo was a master of psychological warfare, expertly gouging at the deepest wounds in another's heart.
"..."
Bang Woo did not deign to respond.
Clang—
Two blades collided in midair, stirring a foul gust of dust that scattered Yeo Il's hair.
"Daoist Bang Woo."
"..."
"Why so silent? I heard much about you from Ilsal. I was quite curious."
Bang Woo ground his teeth.
As though observing a child's antics, a deep smile spread across Jin Myo's face.
Once, Jin Myo had been a talent Cheon Mu-ryeong watched closely.
However, Cheon Mu-ryeong quickly lost interest when Jin Myo proved more blindly devoted to Cheonmyeon Magwi than to him.
For a Salmak assassin to follow someone other than the Heavenly Gate Lord—
Though Cheon Mu-ryeong could have seized or eliminated him, he simply let him be. He had always shown leniency toward the Three Calamities.
She remembered her final conversation with Jin Myo.
He had clutched Cheonmyeon Magwi's cooling corpse, tears of blood streaming down as he cursed her.
[Never… never… must you fall into the Heavenly Gate Lord's hands, Ilsal. I will twist your neck with these very hands! Even if you writhe in agony and beg for death, I will peel away your veins one by one and make you regret this day!]
Jin Myo still remained under Cheon Mu-ryeong.
Did he inherit the title of Cheonmyeon Magwi at Cheon Mu-ryeong's command?
Then the one masquerading as Wolgeom Ilsal must also be known to him.
"Ilsal told me? Your skill was worthy, so she intended to hypnotize you and offer you to the Greatest Evil, but lacked the time."
I never said that.
"Heh heh. She also said that thanks to you trailing her like a motherless pup, she gained Baek Chung's trust and easily stole the Violet Haze Divine Art."
I never said that either.
"Did you clean up Daoist Seonhye's corpse properly? The remaining third-generation disciples were even weaker than that frail Seonhye—quite disappointing—"
For the first time, Bang Woo's composure shattered.
Multiple exchanges rang out as he lunged forward.
"As expected of the Blue Dragon Four of the Spear Banner, hailed as the strongest rising talent in Jianghu. As a souvenir, I shall take your face as well. Consider it an honor…!"
Jin Myo's mocking laughter gradually quieted, until at some point it ceased entirely.
Bang Woo was pressing him back.
I thought he stood no chance.
Perhaps she had underestimated him.
…Are my memories of his childhood too vivid?
How much had he grown to contend with Jin Myo? Or was Jin Myo within Namgung Jeok-myeong's capacity as well? Without witnessing their strength firsthand, judging the scale was difficult.
"Ah! Come to think of it, Ilsal must be attacking the Murim Alliance at this very moment. How unfortunate for you to be stuck facing me instead?"
Yeo Il stopped breathing.
At the same time, Bang Woo's movements faltered.
Wolgeom Ilsal attacking the Murim Alliance?
The lies flowed smoothly from his tongue.
First inventing conversations with a phantom version of her, and now claiming that phantom stood nearby.
She had long abandoned that name and did not care how it was used.
But if the fake Cheonmyeon Magwi and Wolgeom Ilsal were truly striking the Murim Alliance together, then this was the optimal opportunity to extract information about Yonghwang Yuse.
The problem—
Namgung Soyo had limits.
Especially now.
Bang Woo had visibly wavered, reduced to a plaything before Jin Myo.
"How adorable, Daoist Bang Woo! The moment to avenge yourself against Ilsal has arrived, yet you are stalled by me and teetering on the brink of death!"
One could tell from the sound alone.
From the instant he heard that Wolgeom Ilsal was nearby, Bang Woo had been struggling heavily against Jin Myo.
"Even now, why not abandon the Namgung girl and hurry to the Murim Alliance?"
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