Chapter 174: The Assassin’s Ambush (1)

Until now, the Ten of Heavenly Central had not fallen short even when compared to the first-rate martial artists of the Namgung Clan.

However, warriors from renowned clans were known to reveal their true value over time.

While they had overcome that gap with the newly implanted cultivation method of the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword, they were fully aware that their internal energy was lacking.

If they completed this training after their internal energy grew stronger, they could far surpass those warriors.

Realizing this, the Ten of Heavenly Central wore thin leather shoes on their journey and went barefoot during training, focusing on activating the minor meridians in their toes.

Seeing the Ten of Heavenly Central constantly training in the Ten-Toe High Step Method while walking barefoot, the Three Chivalrous Sisters found it to be a bizarre form of training.

"Master Yong has been doing some strange training since he came out of meditation."

When Jeong Daji spoke to her older sister, Jeong Minji smiled softly.

"I'm sure there's a reason for it."

"Seriously, you always take Master Yong's side no matter what he does."

Jeong Suji snorted in displeasure.

Namgung Yoo watched Jeong Suji with a faint smile.

"Master Yong is no ordinary person. There must be a good reason for it."

When Namgung Yoo chimed in, Jeong Suji snorted again.

Jeong Daji also looked displeased as Mu Iso was completely absorbed in training.

"Master Yong tends to work his subordinates too hard."

"Why? Are you upset seeing Captain Mu suffer? Do you miss him?"

Jeong Suji teased, and Jeong Daji nodded her head without hesitation.

Jeong Daji never pretended otherwise about things like this.

"He doesn't even give me a chance to seduce him. Master Yong is really mean. He was already falling for me, you know."

At those words, Jeong Minji and Namgung Yoo burst into laughter.

Namgung Yoo liked Jeong Daji’s carefree nature.

"Then why don't you create an opportunity?"

"How?"

When Jeong Daji asked with wide eyes, Namgung Yoo tapped her head lightly.

"Use your brain. What are they most focused on right now? Martial arts training, right? Then if you offer to spar with them, wouldn't they be eager to accept, even if it means jumping into fire or water? For the sake of their martial arts improvement?"

"Ah, you're right! Why didn't I think of that? You're really smart, Namgung unni!"

The moment Jeong Daji heard those words, she jumped to her feet and walked straight toward the Ten of Heavenly Central, who were busy training.

Namgung Yoo didn’t expect her to act so quickly and stood there blankly for a moment, staring at Jeong Daji’s back before finally speaking.

"Won't that backfire on her? They say men tend to pull back when women come on too aggressively."

Jeong Minji looked at Namgung Yoo and replied.

"Our youngest always says this. ‘It takes twenty years for a woman to make a boy into a man, but it only takes a single meal’s time for another woman to turn that man into a fool.’ And in just that short time, she usually makes him her man."

"Impressive."

Namgung Yoo, who hadn’t yet felt any particular need for men, shook her head at Jeong Daji’s relentless pursuit.

"Lee Geuk is dead? Then why couldn’t you bring the boy back?"

"Jeung Eungang died as well."

"Jeung Eungang?"

"Yes, Master."

"I told you not to call me Master, didn’t I? Master granted you to me as my subordinate. Call me Lord."

The man paused briefly before replying.

"Yes, Lord."

At that, the young lord smirked.

"Even if Jeung Eungang died, you could have brought the boy back, couldn’t you?"

A handsome man was bowing low and reporting to a young man.

"Before he died, Lee Geuk handed the target over to someone else."

"To someone else? Are you telling me that in such a remote place there was someone stronger than you? You had no reason to retreat, did you? Aren’t you considered one of the Four Great Demonic Masters?"

"I judged that I couldn’t guarantee victory against him, so I withdrew."

"That was wise. There’s no need to reveal ourselves and put them on alert. But who was it that made you retreat?"

"It was someone named Yong Hwarin."

"Yong Hwarin? Did you just say Yong Hwarin? The one they call the Sword Hero of Heavenly Central?"

With an intrigued expression, the young lord continued asking.

"Yes, Lord."

"Ha ha ha ha! How amusing!"

The young man leaned back and burst into loud laughter.

"Yong Hwarin seems to have quite the connection with us."

He closed his fan with a sharp snap against his palm.

"I thought he was decent since he defeated Third Brother. But then even First Brother couldn’t settle things with him after they crossed paths. That doesn’t make him just decent—it makes him a formidable expert. And now, he’s entangled with me again? Isn’t this the arrangement of the heavens themselves?"

The young man’s smile deepened as he glanced down at his kneeling subordinate.

"Third Brother and First Brother both failed their missions against him. But if I succeed this time, won’t I take another step closer to the successor’s seat? No, if I eliminate Yong Hwarin and bring the boy back, half that seat is already as good as mine. Don’t you agree, Ma Jeung?"

With a cheerful tone, the young man asked his bowing subordinate.

The expert of the Four Great Demonic Masters, Flame Bird Sword, Ma Jeung.

Though a master of the demonic path, he sometimes acted like a chivalrous warrior, earning him the nickname Demonic Hero Ma Jeung.

Just as his nickname suggested, he could have ambushed Yong Hwarin’s group and kidnapped Bukri Sogun, but he considered that too beneath him and chose to withdraw.

"Master entrusted each of us with a mission. To First Brother, the task was to obstruct the formation of Sejungryeon. To Third Brother, the task was to break the alliance of Ihwa Palace and recover the Four Great Divine Treasures. And to me, the task was the matter of the Bukri Clan. I was angry when I received this mission. Do you know why?"

Lee Yung, the Young Lord, had a habit of asking questions and answering them himself.

If a subordinate dared to answer without knowing the right response, he might cut off their arm for ruining his mood, as he was a twisted and cold-blooded man.

"I thought I had received the most worthless mission. I believed that, being the smartest among the brothers, I deserved something more important."

"If you put it that way, doesn’t that make the mission given to the Young Lord’s younger sister even worse?"

"Hahaha, Fourth Sister is cherished by the Masters, so they wouldn’t assign her a dangerous task. Besides, Fourth Sister has no right to compete for the successor’s seat. Even if she achieves something, it means nothing. That’s probably why she’s not putting in much effort."

Lee Yung rubbed the corner of his thin lips with his hand, smiling slyly.

"Now, I have a chance to secure the upper hand in this messy succession battle. It was good that I sent Jeung Eungang to block Lee Geuk, but if another variable has appeared, I just have to deal with that too."

"That Yong Hwarin is not someone to be taken lightly. We must proceed with caution."

Lee Yung gladly accepted his subordinate’s advice.

"That’s right. He’s the one who humiliated both First Brother and Third Brother. He won’t be easy. But a fight isn’t won with strength alone. Half of any battle is a battle of wits. That’s why I prepared the Secret Beyond Secrets. What’s the status of Secret Beyond Secrets?"

"I have already commissioned them."

Secret Beyond Secrets was currently one of the top three assassination organizations on the continent.

"Do you think they can bring back the Bukri brat?"

"In my judgment, the chances are fifty-fifty."

"Then we need to raise those odds. I can’t pull my subordinates from the Bukri matter, so commission another assassin organization. Tell them to move only if Secret Beyond Secrets fails. Once Yong Hwarin fends off Secret Beyond Secrets’s assassins, he’ll let his guard down. Everyone does at such a moment."

Lee Yung was especially skilled at exploiting the enemy’s psychology.

That’s why many said that the most favorable candidate in the succession battle was none other than Young Lord Lee Yung.

"Which organization should I commission?"

"Go for the strongest. Don’t worry about the price, just do it."

"Are you thinking of them, Lord?"

When Ma Jeung hinted at something, Lee Yung nodded.

"Yes, exactly them. If it’s them, they’ll do the job properly, without even getting noticed by Secret Beyond Secrets’s assassins."

Ma Jeung silently admired the brilliance of the strategy.

Sometimes, when Lee Yung came up with such clever schemes, Ma Jeung felt he would have excelled as a strategist rather than a martial artist.

'So it’s a double-layered assassination… The Yong Clan brat won’t survive this time.'

Ma Jeung was convinced that this two-step plan, launching a second strike if the first wave failed, would finally defeat Yong Hwarin—the man who had shamed both the First and Third Brothers.

Lately, Ma Jeung had taken a subtle interest in Yong Hwarin, who had recently crushed the arrogant Yang Gwak and Eum Sajeok within the Demonic Sect.

In particular, Ma Jeung held a personal grudge against Yong Hwarin, since he had once lived like family with the Red-Clad Twin Demons.

He had submitted to the Sect Leader and spent more than twenty years living that way.

He hadn’t cared much when he heard that the First and Third Brothers had been defeated by Yong Hwarin. However, hearing that Yong Hwarin had killed the Red-Clad Twin Demons made Yong Hwarin his sworn enemy.

'I hope he survives.'

Part of him wished the man would survive, so he could take his revenge personally.

However, there were now assassins who had surpassed Secret Beyond Secrets and claimed the top spot in the assassin world.

Ma Jeung was astonished by their skill.

Not one of them was below first-rate.

Such individuals could easily eliminate Yong Hwarin’s group without making a sound.

'Looks like revenge won’t come back to me.'

Regretting that, Ma Jeung fell silent for a moment.

At dusk, in an open clearing, sharp energy flared along with bursts of blue flame.

The Ten of Heavenly Central had not stopped training even after the sun had set.

Nearby, a portable cauldron had been set up to cook rice for the group.

"Thank you. The squad really appreciates it."

Yong Hwarin spoke as he threw firewood under the temporary stove and addressed Jeong Minji.

At that moment, Jeong Suji and Jeong Daji were sparring diligently with the Ten of Heavenly Central in the clearing.

Moreover, Namgung Yoo’s five guards were also training together with the Ten of Heavenly Central.

Despite it being mealtime, everyone was entirely focused on training.

Yong Hwarin expressed his gratitude not only to Jeong Minji but also to Namgung Yoo.

"Encountering the elite martial arts of the Namgung Clan will make the Ten of Heavenly Central even stronger. I thank you, Lady Namgung."

Seeing the remarkable skills of the Ten of Heavenly Central, Namgung Yoo’s guards couldn’t just stand by.

Namgung Yoo, understanding the value of their improvement, permitted them to spar with the Ten of Heavenly Central.

Though they were here as guards, these five guards were actually experts from the Namgung Clan’s Sky Piercing Sword Corps.

Seeing fellow martial artists of equal skill ignited their competitive spirit.

Because of this, Yong Hwarin had more opportunities to spend time with Jeong Minji, Namgung Yoo, Seok Unjeong, and Bukri Sogun.

Namgung Yoo and Jeong Minji exchanged knowing glances.

'If we had done this from the start, we would have had more chances to be with Master Yong.'

They shared a smile at the thought.

Seok Unjeong always took charge of cooking when they camped, as she was the best cook among them.

Namgung Yoo and the Three Chivalrous Sisters were warriors, so their cooking skills were terrible.

Yong Hwarin believed it was better to go hungry than to eat their cooking.

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