Hong Noya was happy and willing to repair Pyo-wol’s phantom daggers.
Had it been any other workshop, Pyo-wol would have had to wait at least a day or two, but Hong Noya started the repair right away.
“Wow! I don’t know who made this, but their skill is truly impressive.”
Hang Noya looked at the phantom daggers with admiration.
Everything about the weapon’s material, weight and balance were perfect.
“Who is the craftsman who made this dagger? How come he is so skilled? Can you introduce me to him? If given the chance, I would like to study refining techniques from the person who made this weapon.”
The expression on Hong Noya was of sincere admiration.
He separated the hilt from the blade. He left the handle alone and put the blade into the furnace to heat it up. When the blade turned red hot, he took it back out and started hammering it.
Thunk! Thunk!
He was shaking with excitement a moment ago, but once he started working, he didn’t say a word and focused only on his work.
Pyo-wol silently watched Hong Noya as he worked.
Luckily, Hong Noya’s skills were reliable. Even though he was sweating profusely, he never lost his concentration and only focused on his work.
He had a true craftsman’s concentration and skill.
Pyo-wol put his worries about the phantom daggers aside and thought about Um Soso, or more precisely, the person she was accompanying, Dok Gohyang.
Dok Gohyang’s eyes were different from that of an ordinary person.
Although he appeared to be from Hainan, his eyes were full of ambition. It was strange that someone with such eyes remained quiet.
Most of all, it was his temperament that made Pyo-wol wary.
It was like watching a calm sea before a storm. The sea might be calm for now, but at any moment it could turn and swallow everything.
Dok Gohyang’s temperament was clearly a new experience for Pyo-wol.
Above all, what made Pyo-wol uneasy was the fact that Dok Gohyang was not alone. He was in collaboration with Jang Mugeuk.
The Dok Gohyang that Pyo-wol first saw was not someone who would be under someone else. He looked the type that would want to do things on his own, without the help of others.
But it seemed that Dok Gohyang would give way to Jang Mugeuk. That could only mean that Jang Mugeuk was formidable enough to defeat Dok Gohyang.
‘A dragon waiting for a turbulent time.’
For the dragon to ascend, a storm had to blow, and now a storm was beginning to blow from Runan.
Pyo-wol thought it would not take long for the world to become even more chaotic than it is now.
“What are you thinking?”
At that moment, Hong Noya’s voice broke through his thoughts.
When Pyo-wol looked up, he saw that Hong Noya had already finished cleaning and repairing the phantom daggers.
“Is it all done?”
“You would have no problem using it for now. But it’s not completely repaired. It’ll still be better for you to go back to the craftsman who made these daggers if you want it to be repaired properly.”
Hong Noya honestly admitted his lack of skill.
He then continued,
“I tried my best, but I couldn’t restore them to their original state. However, I’ve managed to make them somewhat similar, so they should be fine for the time being.
Pyo-wol received the phantom daggers and said,
“That’s enough. How much would the repair cost?”
“Don’t worry about it! She’s my guest, I’ll do it for free.”
“Do you respect her?”
“No, to be precise, I respect her master. If it weren’t for him, the Martial Sword Sect would not exist today. Although I now live in a faraway place, I always wish for the success of the sect. “
Hong Noya continued to talk for a long time afterward about how great the Martial Sword Sect was, and how it had a significant presence in the southern part of Jianghu, including Hainan.
Pyo-wol listened to him for a while, before leaving the workshop.
It was morning when he entered the workshop street, and now, the sun was already setting. He had spent the whole day in the workshop, nevertheless, it wasn’t wasted time.
Pyo-wol returned to the inn.
Just as Pyo-wol was about to touch the doorknob to his room, he frowned for a moment. But he opened the door nonetheless and stepped inside. He then saw a woman, wearing a red dress, sitting on his bed.
It was Hong Ye-seol.
As Pyo-wol entered, she stood up and said,
“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
“What brings you here?”
“We’re lovers, aren’t we? Do I need a reason to come?”
Hong Ye-seol approached and wrapped her arms around Pyo-wol’s neck, looking into his eyes.
It was an alluring look that any man would find hard to resist.
“I missed you.”
“Don’t talk nonsense—”
“Hmph! You’re not even a little romantic.”
“Why are you here?”
“I don’t think I’d be able to see you for a while. A return order to the Hundred Wraith Union has been issued.”
“Return order?”
“It’s an order for all the assassins currently in Jianghu to return to the Hundred Wraith Union.”
“They’re calling back all the assassins in the Hundred Wraith Union?”
“That’s right.”
“Does that kind of thing happen often?”
“This is the first time something like this has happened, well ever since I joined the Hundred Wraith Union anyway.”
“Really?”
“I think it’s because of what happened in Runan this time.”
Heuk-ho and the Four Red Lotus Ghosts died, and the contract they had with Lee Yul disappeared. The Hundred Wraith Union suffered great losses because of this.
This was the first time that Hundred Wraith Union had suffered such a loss since it gained its reputation. The leader of the Hundred Wraith Union probably summoned all of its members to plan a countermeasure.
“We probably won’t see each other for a while if I go now.”
“The Hundred Wraith Union’s headquarters must be far away.”
“Ho-ho, you probably can’t even imagine.”
Hong Ye-seol gave a meaningful smile.
Then she suddenly wrapped her lips around Pyo-wol’s mouth. After kissing him so passionately for a while, Hong Ye-seol pulled away, then winked.
“Well, see you next time.”
“What if I want to see you?”
“Oh my! How touching! My heart just fluttered, even though I know you’re not being sincere.”
Hong Ye-seol made an exaggerated expression.
She knew exactly what kind of person Pyo-wol was.
He was an assassin to the bone.
He could easily control his emotions.
It was impossible for someone like him to come looking for her, but she still wanted to believe it.
“If that’s really the case, then come to the Goyang Pavilion in Yueyang.”
“Goyang Pavilion?”
“I am well acquainted with the owner of Goyang Pavilion. He will be able to tell you my whereabouts.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“I’ll see you later then.”
Hong Ye-seol smiled and flew out the window.
Only the scent of wild chrysanthemum remained in the room where she disappeared.
* * *
When Um Soso opened the door to the inn and walked in, Dok Gohyang said,
“You’re late!”
“I met someone unexpected.”
“Who?”
“Pyo-wol.”
“What? You met Pyo-wol?”
“Yes! I met him on the workshop street.”
“How is he? Is he okay?”
“He seemed fine.”
“Really?”
Dok Gohyang looked surprised.
“He had a good complexion. It didn’t seem like he had any injuries.”
“Are you sure? Judging from the remaining traces, it seemed like he suffered a pretty big injury.”
“Maybe he’s already healed.”
“Did you fight him? If you did, you would have known for sure, right?”
“He is a dangerous opponent. It’s too much of a risk to fight him for that reason alone.”
“Really?”
Dok Gohyang’s expression changed to Um Soso’s words.
Although she followed him around like an escort, she was still a skilled warrior that he could not ignore. Even he would have to use all his strength to subdue her.
What’s more, she has a highly developed sixth sense.
Anyone who made her feel uneasy was without a doubt a dangerous person.
That’s why she was wary of Pyo-wol from the beginning.
“Is it impossible to take him under our command?”
“He’s not someone who will work under someone else.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll even put my neck on the line.”
“Whoa there– putting your neck on the line? I want a living Um Soso, not a dead one.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to give up. Too bad!”
Dok Gohyang sighed.
“If you’re that disappointed, why don’t you check one last time?”
“How?”
“I asked him to come here.”
“Really?”
“You might change your mind if you see him in person.”
“That’s a good idea. But if that doesn’t work–”
“Then we can decide what to do with him when that time comes.”
“As expected, you’re smart.”
“But there’s one thing you should remember. You should never underestimate him.”
“Haha! How can I underestimate him? He’s a man who single-handedly annihilated the Black Cloud Corps, and razed the Snow Sword Manor to the ground. It’s ridiculous to even think of such a devilish man as weak.”
Dok Gohyang’s eyes sunk deeply.
The attention of the world was on the Jin family.
They were praising Jin Siwoo and some people related to him for leading the Jin family to victory. However, to Dok Gohyang, who stayed in Runan and observed the situation closely, the most threatening person was Pyo-wol.
While the others remained unaware, he knew all about Pyo-wol’s fights— everything from his battle with the Black Cloud Corps, and assassins such as Heuk-ho and the Four Red Lotus Ghosts.
What was truly surprising was not the fact that Pyo-wol had won against them, but rather the fact that he left no trace of himself even after winning.
Dok Gohyang had met many martial artists in his life, but he had never met someone who had concealed himself so thoroughly.
He was terrified of Pyo-wol’s venomousness and meticulousness, yet at the same time, he couldn’t help but be greedy.
That was why Dok Gohyang was so obsessed with Pyo-wol.
Um Soso understood Dok Gohyang better than anyone else. She knew why he desired talented people so much.
But she knew that this still wasn’t right.
She couldn’t picture Pyo-wol submitting and going under someone, and her encounter with him in the workshop street only strengthened her conviction.
But Dok Gohyang thinks otherwise.
That was why Um Soso thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have Dok Gohyang meet Pyo-wol one last time to completely sever his obsession. That was why she had done Pyo-wol the favor of introducing him to Hong Noya.
“Well, it turned out well anyway. I can see him once more time.”
Dok Gohyang smiled.
Jang Mugeuk descended from the audience with dull footsteps, but his complexion was not good.
He looked as if he had suffered an internal injury.
Dok Gohyang asked with a worried expression,
“How is it?”
“It’s gotten a little better.”
“That’s a relief.”
“It’s fortunate that it only ended up like this.”
“He’s quite remarkable to have pushed you this far.”
“He has the qualifications to do so.”
“I suppose so…”
Dok Gohyang nodded.
A few days ago, Jang Mugeuk had fought against someone.
The result was a draw. Neither of them had won a clear victory. They only ended up inflicting internal injuries on each other.
If Dok Gohyang had intervened in their fight, he and Jang Mugeuk would have surely defeated the other person. But, Dok Gohyang only watched from a distance without getting involved.
Everyone had something they had to overcome with their own strength.
And for Jang Mugeuk, that man was his obstacle.
Intervening in their fight would have just been an insult to Jang Mugeuk, that was why Dok Gohyang could only watch their fight from a distance, with Um Soso at his side.
Jang Mugeuk asked Dok Gohyang,
“Have you finished your preparations?”
“What is there to prepare? I just have to wait.”
“Hmm…”
“Isn’t our cause a good one? Everyone will follow you.”
“We must make sure that happens.”
“Oh right! He will come that day too.”
“Him?”
“Pyo-wol.”
“What?”
“Soso invited him. It won’t be too late to deal with him then.”
Dok Gohyang smiled slightly.
Jang Mugeuk, on the other hand, frowned.
“You still haven’t let go of your obsession with him?”
“As you can see, I’m a bit obsessive.”
“Tsk!”
Jang Mugeuk clicked his tongue at Dok Gohyang’s nonchalant reply.
‘He keeps on trying to tame the untamable, when he’s clearly a person whose nature is different from ours.’
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