Reaper of the Drifting Moon

The inside of the Geumjujeon was very simple.

Except for the fact that golden pillars were standing here and there, it was no different from any other pavilion.

The security inside was so lax that no one stood guard. It was clear that they did not pay attention to the inside as compared to the outside where the security was so thorough. 

Pyo-wol raised his senses as he stood in the middle of the Geumjujeon.

Only one breathing sound could be heard in the fairly wide front wing. The breath flowing through the darkness gave Pyo-wol the exact location.

Pyo-wol moved to the place where the sound of breathing could be heard. It was the most splendid room in the Geumjujeon.

Furniture that must have been made by a craftsman filled the room.

And in the middle was a man sitting cross-legged.

Nam Ho-san, the rumored owner of the Thunder gates, was a man with a handsome appearance and a well-rounded body. Except for the corners of his eyes which were raised nervously, there was hardly anything else to see. 

He didn’t even know that the assassin had been hiding, and he was just focusing on feeling his qi.

With each breath, the color of his face changed. Sometimes it was red, and sometimes it was blue. Then it turned to gold again. 

It was truly out of the ordinary.

The cultivation techniques of the prestigious sects puts stability first. Martial arts, whose keynote changes in such an instant, are bound to be excluded from the beginning.

The fact that he learned this kind of cultivation meant that the Thunder sect was an orthodox sect.

Pyo-wol’s eyes who was looking at Nam Ho-san did not contain any emotion.

He walked a meandering path and approached Nam Ho-san. Even though Pyo-wol came close, Nam Ho-san did not notice at all and was passionate about cultivating.

Sreung!

Pyo-wol raised his sword loudly.

At that moment, Nam Ho-san opened his eyes.

The appearance of a stranger holding a sword in front of him gave a sense of urgency.

The cultivation method he was practicing was Soroeumsa’s Five Elements of Vajrapani.1

By training and maximizing the energy of the five elements, you will be able to use the method of the Five Elements of Vajrapani.

It was a technique that even a rock the size of a house could be turned into powder at once. For a long time, he was facing an important turning point, so he could not stop. If it was forcibly stopped, his internal qi would experience an imbalance which could lead to serious internal injuries.

Knowing that fact, Pyo-wol was not in a hurry.

He used his sword to stab Nam Ho-san’s heart. In an instant, Nam Ho-san was forced to stop his cultivation and flew backwards.

Puk!

Blood bursted out of his mouth.

This was the normal reaction when one’s cultivation is forcibly stopped.

Knowing that if he continues to let his cultivation be interrupted like this, he will experience qi deviation, so Nam Ho-san kept his mouth shut and tried to control his inner qi.

Pyo-wol followed the retreating Nam Ho-san like a shadow. 

Shishk!

A wave-like sword strike swept through him one after another.

“Keuk!”

Nam Ho-san opened the art of the Thunder gates with his lips closed. However, because his body was a mess, his martial arts did not show his original power.

Because he forced himself to perform martial arts, his complexion turned white and the blood vessels in his eyes were all drained.

He wanted to ask the intruder about his identity. However, he could not open his mouth because of the rampaging internal energy.

His footwork became twisted and his movements were a mess.

Cit! Ciiit!

Pyo-wol left a deep gash on Nam Ho-san’s body. His flesh and bones were seen all at once, and blood splashed all over the place.

Nam Ho-san was drenched in his blood in an instant.

“You! Bastard! Who, who are you?”

Nam Ho-san squeezed his last energy and asked Pyo-wol. 

He was genuinely curious.

About his opponent’s identity.

The reason why he has to die.

He didn’t want to die without knowing why.

Because that would be a dog’s death.

Puk!

At that moment, Pyo-wol’s sword pierced his neck.

Nam Ho-san’s eyes rolled back in extreme pain.

That was the end of Nam Hosan.

Even at the moment of his death, he couldn’t ask Pyo-wol the reason why. 

Pyo-wol quietly looked at the body of Nam Hosan, which collapsed like a sandcastle. The countless scars he left behind Nam Ho-san’s body were clearly visible.

It was then that Pyo-wol felt a presence outside. 

The soldiers who heard the sound of Pyo-wol and Nam Ho-san fighting came running in an instant. Pyo-wol exited the room before they arrived.

“Young master, are you okay?”

“What’s going on?”

The soldiers who arrived in front of the room asked about the well-being of Nam Ho-san. But no matter how much they asked, they received no answer. So the warriors opened the door and entered.

“Young master!”

“Oh God! Young master has been assassinated!”

The soldiers cried out.

Biic! Biiic!

An emergency whistle rang through the Thunder gates.  The soldiers, who were sleeping deeply, woke up and immediately searched the area. 

But they were too late. Pyo-wol had already left the Geumjujeon.

Inside the Thunder gates, all of the personnel were mobilized to catch the unidentified assassin. The nearby military officials were also asked for their cooperation. Even retired martial artists in the Geumjujeon moved. 

However, the assassin who killed Nam Ho-san was never found.

No one saw the face of the assassin, let alone his identity. 

Like a ghost, the assassin disappeared from the Geumjujeon.

“Ugh!”

Tae Yeon-ho, the master of the Thunder Gates, clenched his fists and looked at Nam Ho-san’s dead body lying in front of him.

His two eyes were bloodshot.

The death of his one and only disciple made him angry.

“Hosanna.”

He approached Nam Ho-san’s body.

The condition of the body was dire. Countless swords were engraved on Nam Ho-san’s body. Like a stigma.

Tae Yeon-ho looked closely at Namho-san’s wounds. The martial artists in the Thunder gates looked at Tae Yeon-ho while holding their breath.

Tae Yeon-ho, who had been examining the body for a long time, muttered.

“Qingcheng sect! How dare those guys kill my disciple?”

“What do you mean? Qingcheng sect?”

“The sword image engraved on Ho-san’s body only appears when he is struck by the Seventy-Two Sword Waves, a technique of the Qingcheng sect.”

“That can’t be!”

“This sword image only appears when struck by the Seventy-Two Sword Waves. It is so unique that it cannot be imitated by any other sect.”

Tae Yeon-ho trembled in anger. His eyes were full of malice.

In Sichuan, the Thunder gates could not be said to be the strongest. It was the Qingcheng and Emei sect who could be said to be the leading factions which was why he could not help but give those two sects his attention. He did so by taking note of their martial arts. 

“Did someone else imitate the Seventy-Two Swords?”

“The Seventy-Two Sword Waves is a sword technique that only verified disciples within the Qingcheng sect can learn. The probability of it leaking outside is extremely rare. Even if someone from the outside has learned it, it is absolutely impossible to learn it to this level by themselves.”

“Is it really the Qingcheng sect?”

“Maybe after realizing that we were trying to support the Emei sect through our marriage to the White Flower Room, the Qingcheng sect chose to make their move first.”

Tae Yeon-ho decided that the Qingcheng was bad water, but his subordinates were rather careful.

“However, to conclude that the Qingcheng sect is bad water…”

“No, it’s clear that it’s the Qingcheng sect. They’ve always thought of our sect as a thorn in their eyes. Just because we’re a branch from Soreoeumsa. Of course, we are closely related to Soreoeumsa, but it’s just not right for us to be treated like this.”

“Ugh!”

“Get Ho-san’s body. We will climb Qingcheng Mountain right away.”

“Sect leader?”

“I will show Hosan’s body to the Qingcheng sect, and ask them. Why was your sword technique found on Hosan’s body?”

Everyone held their breath.

No one dared to stop Tae Yeon-ho, who was furious. It was because it was clear that he would go out and see blood at this time. More than anything else, they were also outraged by Nam Ho-san’s death.

In any case, Nam Ho-san was the young master of the Thunder gates. He was never supposed to die in such a vain way.

* * *

“Cheeky! You want me to surrender the foreign trade rights? Do you think that makes sense?”

“If the Emei sect becomes the loser of Sichuan, it seems that it will be possible though?”

“If you are a mercenary, you should be rewarded with money like a mercenary. You are too greedy.”

“I don’t think it’s too much, do you?”

Bang!

In response to Zhang Mu-ryang’s answer, Jeonghwa slammed the table with her palm. The table, made of thick rosewood, split in two in an instant and collapsed to both sides.

If her hand had hit Zhang Mu-ryang’s head rather than the table, his skull would have been crushed and he would have died.

Of course, Zhang Mu-ryang had no intention of being taken lightly. However, if the confrontation intensified, it was a great loss not only to the Emei sect, but also to the Black Cloud Mercenary Group.

He had to take a step back from this.

“Okay. If you say yes, we will yield the new foreign trade rights. We will also not accept the half a million yuan payment. Instead, help us settle down near the Western Highlands.”

“Is that really what you were aiming for? Getting a place to settle down?”

“As you know, we are a gang of mercenaries. No sect wants us to settle nearby.”

“It’s the same with our sect.”

“That’s why we’re going to settle down near the Western Highlands, which is far from the Emei sect. Can’t you tolerate that much?”

“Hmm!”

Jeonghwa crossed her arms and looked at Zhang Mu-ryang.

Zhang Mu-ryang looked at her without avoiding her gaze.

The right to trade with Saebae was literally the right to trade with Saebae.

A large clan, like the Qingcheng sect or the Emei sect, is likely to have relationships with numerous upper classes. In the upper classes of which they have a close relationship, they secretly look behind them so that they can trade with other forces, which is called the Sae-Oe trade zone.

The money earned by the merchants using the foreign trade rights was enormous. The money could never be given to someone else because it served as the source for the Qingcheng and Emei sect.

Zhang Mu-ryang knew that too.

From the beginning, he did not have a great desire for the foreign trade zone. Still, the reason he had to mention it was to obtain an area where the Black Cloud Mercenary Group could settle.

None of Jianghu’s sects want a group of mercenaries to settle near them. As such, the eyes of the Jainghu looking at the mercenaries were not pretty.

Jeonghwa had to think about it for a long time.

Normally, she would never have listened to Zhang Mu-ryang, but their situation right now is not good. If even one person lacked power, it would have been a great help if the power was comparable to that of the Black Cloud Mercenary Groups. 

The problem was that if they accepted them, they would only be useful now. But in the future, they would be a big burden.

It was clear that the Black Cloud Mercenary Group would be a similar burden, as was the case with the Thunder Gate located in Sichuan Province.

‘If they become a problem in the future, we can solve it then. It won’t be a big deal now if we give them a place to settle.’

Jeonghwa finished all her calculations in an instant.

“Okay. I will accept your offer.”

“Then the negotiations are complete.”

“Yes. I promise you with the honor of the Emei sect.”

“That’s enough.”

A smile crept on the corner of Zhang Mu-ryang’s lips.

Once they were able to settle in one area, earning huge sums of money would be easy. Zhang Mu-ryang had already done the preliminary work. 

‘Good! If I had tried to sign a contract with the Qingcheng sect, I would not have been able to negotiate so easily.’

The Qingcheng sect was not as desperate as the Emei sect. After all, their power was superior to that of the Emei. Therefore, it would not have been easy for Zhang Mu-ryang to meet his desired conditions.

In fact, there has been no contact from Yang Woo-jung, who was sent to the Qingcheng sect. This meant that negotiations were sluggish.

‘As long as the negotiations with the Emei sect are complete, I will have to make Yang Woo-jung return.’

From now on, the Qingcheng sect was not the subject of negotiations. They were now an enemy that had to be defeated after joining forces with the Emei sect.

Zhang Mu-ryang’s gaze turned to Yong Seol-ran who is beside Jeong-hwa.

Yong Seol-ran didn’t say a word after entering the room.

As if Jeonghwa’s negotiations had nothing to do with her, she had an indifferent attitude. However, Jeonghwa did not blame Yong Seol-ran at all.

Even before, Yong Seol-ran was already famous for her lack of interest in worldly affairs even within the Emei sect.

The only thing she was interested in was practicing martial arts. Her obsession of staying inside the training room and learning martial arts was famous even within the Emei sect.

The only person who knew Yong Seol-ran’s true growth was her master, Guhwasata.

Zhang Mu-ryang was curious about the capabilities of Yong Seol-ran.

No, he was very interested in the woman named Yong Seol-ran herself.

Yong Seol-ran’s beauty was so great that it moved the heart of Zhang Mu-ryang, who did not feel anything with Heo Ran-ju.

Even though he was a little older, when he looked at her, he could feel her heart pounding. Yong Seol-ran didn’t spare Zhang Mu-ryang a glance despite feeling his gaze.

Zhang Mu-ryang asked, trying to hide his bitter heart,

“Are you two going to return to the Emei sect right away? If you stay for a day, we’ll give you a room on our side.”

“We will stay in the White Flower Room.”

“White Flower Room?”

“It is a place that is no different from the sect of the main family. The leader there is my niece.”

“Oh, I see.”

Zhang Mu-ryang gave a sad expression.

It was time for Jeonghwa to get up from her seat with a snort.

“Danju! It’s urgent.”

Outside, Heo Ran-ju’s hurried voice was heard.  She ran into the room without waiting for Zhang Mu-ryang’s permission. Zhang Mu-ryang frowned and scolded her.

“Don’t you know that no matter how urgent it is, you shouldn’t come in like this? You f–”

“The young master of the Thunder Gates was assassinated.”

“What?”

Instead of reprimanding her, Zhang Mu-ryang stood up in surprise.

It was the same with Jeonghwa and Yong Seol-ran.

“How? No, was the assassin caught?”

“No! But I think the Thunder Gates is convinced that it is the work of the Qingcheng sect. They say that the Thunder Gate’s sect leader is now headed to the Qingcheng sect with the corpse of Nam Ho-san.*

In response to Heo Ran-ju’s reply, Zhang Mu-ryang looked at Jeonghwa and Yong Seol-ran.

The two were the most bewildered by the series of events. 

Even Yong Seol-ran showed her emotions.

“An assassin?”

A fire broke out in Jeonghwa’s one and only eye.

Editor’s Notes

Enjoy reading!

Five Elements of Vajrapani. Other translations: 오행금강수(五行金剛手). Vajrapani is one of the earliest-appearing bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism.五 five行 go, walk, travel金 money, gold剛 hard, tough, strong手 hand