The brow of Yukhon, who was hiding behind the wall of the Bifeng Merchant Group and secretly observing the Plum Blossom Sword Guards, fiercely furrowed.
Belonging to the Salhon Squad (殺魂隊), one of the martial divisions of Baekgwiseong, he was executing the order given by the Branch Lord, Eonsuchamsal, before his departure to Baekgwiseong a few days ago.
Monitoring the Bifeng Merchant Group and identifying the culprit.
Among them, what he had focused on the most was the surveillance of the Bifeng Merchant Group...
To be exact, it was to grasp the capabilities of the Plum Blossom Sword Guards staying at the Bifeng Merchant Group.
And thanks to his continued surveillance, he was able to gather quite a lot of information about them.
That they had come to protect the Bifeng Merchant Group from an attack by the Paewangmun, and that one of them was the legitimate son of the Bifeng Merchant Group.
And even the fact that they were greenhorns who had only recently become Plum Blossom Sword Guards.
But now, he fell into confusion.
'Who is that guy?'
The handsome young man who appeared out of nowhere while he was scanning the Plum Blossom Sword Guards was enough to overturn the information he had gathered so far.
He knew the identity of the Taoist.
When he first started monitoring the Bifeng Merchant Group, he had focused on gathering information about that young Taoist punk first.
Because the Lord of the Bifeng Merchant Group paid him special attention, and the Plum Blossom Sword Guards served him respectfully.
However, he soon excluded him from his combat power assessment.
That was because his age was quite young, and he wasn't a Plum Blossom Sword Guard either.
On top of that, his energy aura was extremely faint.
As if he hadn't even learned martial arts.
So he concluded that Cheonhui was simply a Taoist with a high seniority rank.
Because there had been several instances in the murim where old Taoists of high seniority took in young orphans.
But now, he had to revise the information he had neatly organized.
'Such martial prowess...'
Yukhon's nose bridge scrunched up as he recalled the scene of the handsome young man overwhelming the Plum Blossom Sword Guards just a moment ago.
'That young punk is an elder-level master of the Huashan Sect leading the Plum Blossom Sword Guards?'
His two eyes shook violently, as if a bolt of lightning had struck his head.
Why had he continuously monitored the Plum Blossom Sword Guards?
It was clearly because he thought an elder-level master leading them must have come along, and he was looking for their traces.
However, he hadn't been able to find any traces at all, so the Salhon Squad members had only suffered for nothing...
They say it's darkest beneath the lamp, don't they?
The one he had dismissed as a mere Taoist was an elder-level master.
'He probably aimed for that. If he's a young Taoist, who would ever think he's the one leading the Plum Blossom Sword Guards?'
Yukhon clicked his tongue as he watched him acting meticulously, unlike what one would expect from a Taoist.
'Then has he mastered the Dongjagong? They say those who master the Boy Art look like youths even as they age... But why did he suddenly reveal his skills today?'
As he narrowed his eyes at the sudden question and scanned the Taoist, Cheonhui.
Swoosh—
Cheonhui's head turned.
Before he knew it, pitch-black eyes were staring at him, piercing through him sharply.
'N-No way...'
Turning pale in fright, he shook his head.
'No. It's a coincidence, just a coincidence.'
Yukhon swallowed a dry gulp.
Right now, he was at the edge of the wall, at a distance of at least fifty jang.
A distance where even he would appear no larger than an ant unless he concentrated all his internal energy into his eyes.
The moment he straightened his shaking head, desperately trying to calm himself.
Flinch!
His two eyes trembled fiercely.
The young punk was staring straight at him, just like before.
And with his index finger raised at some point, pointing straight at him!
'I-I've been spotted...!'
When Yukhon, sensing the crisis, desperately turned his body to flee—
Flash!
Dazzling red light devoured his vision, and his consciousness was severed.
"Is that what you call an assassin you sent?"
Cheonhui, who had killed him, let out a scoff.
Even though that guy had secretly used his stealth art just now, to Cheonhui, it was an utterly sloppy act.
'Not even comparable to the dirt under the fingernails of the assassins sent by the Hidden Form Witch.'
The six assassins sent by the Hidden Form Witch back when he had no ambition for the Cult Lord position.
They at least possessed a unique ability to deceive the five senses of masters, and their sixth sense was also outstanding.
It was an insult to compare this guy to them.
"Sloppy or not. Either way, they were targeting me, right?"
* * *
Late at night, Samhon, who had gathered the Salhon Squad members, furrowed his brow.
The total number of members who were supposed to gather was eighteen.
Yet, only seventeen had gathered here now; one person had not come.
"This time..."
Samhon's face crumpled fiercely as he tried to confirm the identity of the one who failed to show up.
"...Did Yukhon get taken out?"
With those words, the atmosphere turned heavy.
"Damn it...!"
Samhon barely swallowed the curses rising to his throat and glared with narrowed eyes at the Bifeng Merchant Group a hundred jang away.
With Eonsuchamsal having left a few days ago, the Salhon Squad now followed the orders of Samhon, who was virtually the acting Branch Lord.
And he didn't come here?
That meant crossing Baekgwiseong.
'Unless he was insane, he wouldn't have ignored my orders and gone into hiding.'
Samhon's eyes narrowed.
Ultimately, it was certain that something had happened to Yukhon.
There had never been any issues when he led the Salhon Squad on missions before.
Things had been off ever since the mission to monitor the Bifeng Merchant Group was assigned.
'This is already the third time contact has been lost with a member sent to the Bifeng Merchant Group. And this time it's Yukhon!'
"What the hell is going on?"
Samhon, his face deeply contorted, spoke in a voice thick with irritation.
After all, the order to monitor the Bifeng Merchant Group and gather intel on the culprit had been given directly by Eonsuchamsal.
And failing to carry it out?
Then there was only one outcome.
Death.
Yet now, contact had already been lost with three members.
Moreover, one of those three was Yukhon, a top-tier master in the Salhon Squad, so it was only natural for frustration to erupt within him.
Biting his fingernails from rising anxiety, he rolled his eyes and muttered.
"Was it the Plum Blossom Sword Guards? Or..."
While he was pondering who could have done this—
"It wasn't the Plum Blossom Sword Guards. With their level of skill, they wouldn't even be able to detect Yukhon's presence, let alone dispose of him so quietly."
Sibilhon interjected.
He was someone who, alongside Yukhon, possessed considerable expertise in stealth arts within the Salhon Squad.
"Then are you saying the culprit who annihilated the Paewangmun has reappeared?"
Samhon's voice grew sharp.
Daunted by his aura, Sibilhon flinched slightly, but soon shook his head and replied.
"...I do not know that either."
Going in circles and returning to square one, creases formed on Samhon's forehead.
"In the end, we have no choice but to lay low."
"May I look into it?"
"You?"
"If three members assist me, I can infiltrate deep into the Bifeng Merchant Group using my stealth arts."
"...Hmm. I see."
Samhon fell into brief contemplation.
The reason they hadn't gone inside the Bifeng Merchant Group was because of the Branch Lord's order not to get caught until he arrived.
But if he gave orders on his own now and got caught?
He wouldn't have a leg to stand on even if his head was chopped off.
After agonizing over it, he made a decision.
"But make absolutely sure you don't get caught."
"Understood."
Sibilhon's eyes filled with resolve.
And a short while later, Sibilhon and three members headed for the Bifeng Merchant Group, while the rest scattered in all directions.
Leading the members forward, Sibilhon arrived at the wall of the Bifeng Merchant Group and whispered with lowered eyes.
"Erase your presence and kill your breathing."
The wall right in front of them could be easily crossed, but Sibilhon didn't let his guard down.
After that, without anyone needing to say a word, the three scattered simultaneously.
Watching the three disappear into the darkness, Sibilhon executed the Eunsaguhyeong and gradually killed his breathing.
Soon, his breathing and presence steadily diminished.
Having perfectly assimilated with the darkness, he stepped into the Bifeng Merchant Group as if it were his own home.
'...The Merchant Group has gotten huge!'
'The Merchant Lord gave a hefty sum to Hyang's bereaved family...'
'Hey, aren't the Plum Blossom Sword Guards so cool? So noble and...'
A feast of information continuously flowing into his ears.
As he continued to compile the information, he noticed the chatter dying down as dinner time approached, and he rolled his eyes.
'There's no notable information yet.'
Sibilhon's eyes turned cold.
He had gathered plenty of information, but there was nothing about the one who killed Yukhon.
'Did Salsipguhon gather anything?'
Realizing it was impossible to gather any more intel here, he turned to check the information the other members had gathered.
Just as he moved to locate Salsipguhon's presence, he froze.
'Huh, he's gone?!'
Salsipguhon, who had come with him, had vanished without a trace.
As if he had never existed at all.
'When did he disappear? N-No way!'
He hurriedly turned his head toward Samsipyukhon, whose presence he could still feel.
Fortunately, Samsipyukhon was still there.
'At least Samsipyukhon is still...'
The very moment he felt a wave of relief.
"...!"
Samsipyukhon's presence suddenly vanished.
'W-What the...'
Sibilhon's eyes wavered.
Now there was only one left, the presence of Isipchilhon, who was hiding with bated breath about ten jang away.
'The one who attacked Yukhon has made a move...!'
Instantly grasping the situation, he sensed a crisis and hurriedly melted into the deep darkness, heading toward Isipchilhon.
'I need to team up with Isipchilhon for now.'
He wiped his chest in relief after hurriedly arriving at Isipchilhon's hiding spot.
'Their reach hasn't extended here yet. Which means it's coming from over there.'
As he looked in the direction where Samsipyukhon had died.
Step— Step—
Footsteps could be heard.
At the unnerving sound of the footsteps, Sibilhon's eyes darted.
A handsome young man wearing a Daoist robe with a strange color scheme of red and black entered his field of vision.
'...Is that a plum blossom?'
The moment he saw the plum blossom embroidered on the sleeve, the information he had tucked away in the back of his mind resurfaced.
'Was he the Taoist who traveled with the Plum Blossom Sword Guards?'
Tap.
The handsome young man, Cheonhui, came to a halt.
Then, looking down at the small lake beside him, he asked.
"Another bug?"
There was no answer to the question thrown at the empty space.
But Cheonhui didn't stop talking.
"Just how many of you are there?"
With those words, he raised his index finger.
Thwack!
A finger wind pierced into the lake.
Soon, red water seeped from beneath the lake, and a corpse floated up to the surface.
"...!"
Sibilhon swallowed his horror.
The one hiding beneath the lake was Isipchilhon.
'Isipchilhon, who possessed the sharpest sixth sense in the entire Salhon Squad...'
A moment later, the corpse floated on the lake.
The moment he saw the corpse, cold sweat beaded on Sibilhon's forehead.
The corpse floating in the lake had a hole in its forehead, exactly like the one that had been pierced through the Cold-Faced Poison Ghost's head.
'T-That guy is the culprit!'
Sibilhon felt his breath catch in his throat.
At that moment, Cheonhui raised his head and spoke.
"How long are you going to stay there?"
The moment his gaze shifted toward the rooftop.
Dash!
At the same time, a shadow darted out from the darkness.
Sibilhon frantically executed the Eunsaguhyeong, attempting to flee the area.
"Where are you going?"
But the finger wind shot from Cheonhui's index finger was faster, piercing straight through his neck.
'I-Impossible...'
Sibilhon's thoughts were abruptly severed.
Thud!
Cheonhui clicked his tongue with a "Tsk" as he watched the corpse drop mid-flight.
"Wherever they're from, they only sent half-wits."
Gazing at the corpse in disdain, Cheonhui surveyed his surroundings and rubbed his chin.
"It'd be a bit much to just leave them like this, wouldn't it?"
It certainly wasn't a pleasant sight.
With gruesome corpses floating in the lake and lying around it.
"Let's see."
Cheonhui approached the lakeside.
And after surveying the surroundings for a moment.
"Here will do."
He walked over to the dirt ground overgrown with grass near the lake and swung his right hand.
Thwack!
Instantly, dirt sprayed in all directions, creating a deep hole.
"This should be deep enough to fit them."
Seeing the hole dug deep enough to fit several people, Cheonhui hoisted the corpses up with a satisfied expression.
Whoosh—
After tossing all the corpses into the hole, Cheonhui swung his hand once more.
With that, the hole was cleanly filled back up.
"Perfect."
Cheonhui nodded and was about to turn around on the dirt ground, which looked completely undisturbed unless examined closely.
"Martial Uncle!"
Jeokgeom came running over, panting heavily.
It seemed he had applied the Golden Wound Medicine, as the swelling in his eyes and face had gone down; seeing Cheonhui, he spoke up in surprise.
"That sound just now..."
"I caught some bugs."
"...Bugs?"
"There were a lot today for some reason."
Jeokgeom looked around in bewilderment.
Perhaps because summer was approaching, there were flying insects buzzing around.
"There are a lot, as you said, but why suddenly in the middle of the night..."
"It's fine now. I took care of them all."
"Pardon...?"
Jeokgeom let out a bewildered sound.
It was a completely incomprehensible statement.
Weren't the flying insects still buzzing around even now?
While Jeokgeom stood there in confusion.
"What are you doing?"
Cheonhui strode away, calling out to Jeokgeom, who still hadn't snapped out of his daze.
"Let's go eat."