Reaper of the Drifting Moon

The Iron Sword Corps sent by the Jin family promised that they would get revenge on behalf of the patrol team. So they went ahead and killed all twelve warriors of the Snow Sword Manor responsible for attacking the patrol team.

During this process, no one from the Iron Sword Corps was injured.

The Snow Sword Manor immediately reacted to this.

They declared that they would avenge the dead.

The bloody cycle of vengeance began to roll.

It didn’t matter who started the fight first. This fight was bound to happen someday anyway.

It was a battle that both the Snow Sword Manor and the Jin family could not back down from.

Furthermore, they wouldn’t have to worry about Seong-un of the Shaolin Temple, meddling and interfering with their fight, since he ended up losing his life to an assassin.

As the fierce battle between the two factions continued day after day, countless people died, and the public sentiment became vicious.

Dozens of cities have become lifeless, and people have disappeared from the streets.

The fight between the two factions became the hot topic of many strong sects.

This is because for the first time in decades, two large sects of Jianghu clashed.

In terms of scale alone, neither the Snow Sword Manor nor the Jin family could be considered as one of the great sects. But if the number of warriors who joined to support them was added, it was safe to say that they could be a small great sect.

Many sects observed the fight between the two sects since they do not know how great the repercussions and consequences the fight would cause.

The atmosphere of the Jin family has changed a lot as they clashed with the Snow Sword Manor.

The somehow relaxed atmosphere before was nowhere to be found.

The warriors of the Jin family have already gone through several fierce battles.

The experience of having to face the cold corpses of their colleagues who they were together with until yesterday turned them into savage warriors.

It was the same with the warriors who came to support the Jin family.

The fight with the Snow Sword Manor was fiercer and terrible than they expected. Because of that, they started to harbor hatred and hostility towards the Snow Sword Manor.

They have now gone beyond helping the Jin family simply because of friendship. They themselves began to empathize with the Jin family in the fight against the Snow Sword Manor.

It was no longer just the Jin family’s fight.

As if it were their own business, they did their best to fight the Snow Sword Manor.

As the fierce battle continued day after day, good news flew into the Jin manor.

The Venerable Master of Heaven and Earth1 and Master of the Changing Peak Pavilion2 joined the Jin family.

Both of them were masters of great reputations in Jianghu.

The Venerable Master of Heaven and Earth is a master rumored to be a descendant of Guanyin Temple3, that had gone extinct a long time ago, while the Master of the Changing Peak Pavilion is the current master of the sect called Changing Peak.

When the two of them joined, the Jin family’s morale greatly increased

“Waaaa! The Iron Sword Corps are back!”

“Hurry up and give way!”

The warriors of the Jin family cheered at the return of the Iron Sword Corps.

The group that had the biggest contribution in the fight against the Snow Sword Manor is the Iron Sword Corps.

They always fought at the forefront.

They do not know how many people they have harmed or killed.

In the process, they become elites whom the Jin family could trust.

Even now, they were on their way home after killing dozens of warriors in the Snow Sword Manor. Seeing them soaked in blood, the people of the Jin family cheered.

They hurriedly cleared the obstacles blocking their way.

The Jin manor is not surrounded by a high wall like a Snow Sword Manor. This is because the Jin manor is so large that it’s impossible to build a wall. This also made it impossible to build a gate. For this reason, various barriers were erected on the road at the entrance of the village to prevent unauthorized people from going in.

In addition, fortification work was being carried out around the Jin manor.

A moat was built around the village with various traps installed. This was not simply to prepare for the invasion of the Snow Sword Manor, but also to prevent the infiltration of assassins.

Bo-kyeong still hasn’t left the Jin manor.

Seong-un’s body is stored in a vessel called Ice Jade Coffin.

The Ice Jade Coffin is a coffin made out of jade that emits cold air. It’s the only one of its kind.

Bo-kyeong wanted to preserve Seong-un’s body as much as possible, so the Jin family had no choice but to give him the Ice Jade Coffin.

Bo-kyeong guarded the Ice Jade Coffin containing Seong-un’s body. He did not leave it even for a moment.

It’s been several days since the war with Snow Sword Manor broke out, and Bo-kyeong is surviving on the minimum amount of food. His appearance was so pitiful that it could bring anyone to tears.

But no one dared to comfort or even approach him.

This is because a chill as terrible as the cold air from the Ice Jade Hall radiated from his body.

Only Namgung Wol would occasionally come and give him a meal.

“Maybe my friend will be the one to fall first.”

Namgung Wol let out a deep sigh.

Bo-kyeong was unable to forgive himself.

The night Seong-un was assassinated, he was unable to protect Seong-un because he was busy spending time with Namgung Wol.

As the days went by, Bo-kyeong kept getting thinner. And there was even a murderous glint in his eyes.

Namgung Wol felt guilty about the sudden change in his friend.

All of this happened because Bo-kyeong was with him at the time of the accident.

“Hoo!”

Namgung Wol let out another deep sigh.

Until he arrived at the Jin family, he had no idea that the problem would be this serious.

He just came to help the family of his recently departed close friend, but he didn’t expect that the situation would turn out to be so complicated.

He was at a loss as to where to start unraveling the twisted thread.

At a time like this, he wanted to talk to someone.

At that time, there was someone who suddenly came to mind.

‘Pyo-wol!’

However, he had already been away for several days after Seong-un’s assassination.

Most people recognized him as just a man with a beautiful face, but those who knew even a little about his true identity suspected that he might be the assassin who killed Seong-un.

The attitude Bo-kyeong showed that day sowed the seeds of doubt in their hearts as well.

Namgung Wol and Oh Jugang thought it was impossible, but some people went around saying that Pyo-wol might be the culprit.

Maybe that’s also the reason why that at some point Pyo-wol also disappeared from the public eye.

* * *

Pyo-wol stood alone at the top of a tall tree.

The place he was stepping on was a thin branch the size of a child’s finger.

Every time the wind blew, the branches swayed and bent like they were about to break. Pyo-wol’s body shook as well. But Pyo-wol never lost his balance and fell from the branch.

When the branch swayed, he also let himself be swayed.

The wind blew his clothes and hair, but it didn’t throw him off balance.

Gggeuk!

At that time, a strange sound reached Pyo-wol’s ears.

It sounded like a big tiger scratching a tree with its claws.

The sound came from the tree trunk beneath his feet.

Something was crawling up the tree he was standing on.

Pyo-wol frowned the moment he saw it creep up little by little.

Pyo-wol was the type of person that rarely shows his emotions, but this time, he was really quite surprised.

Climbing the tree he was standing on was a doll the size of a three or four year old child.

The doll was made of wood and cloth. It looked quite crude and bizarre.

The doll was eagerly climbing up the tree by itself, so Pyo-wol couldn’t help but be surprised.

The doll eagerly climbed the tree as if it had life, then stood up holding on to the branch on the other side of Pyo-wol.

The doll tilted its head, looked at Pyo-wol’s face, and opened its mouth,

“As expected, you’re handsome as I’ve heard.”

The doll talked like a human.

If other people saw this scene, they would have started a fight saying that the doll was haunted or possessed by a ghost. However, Pyo-wol just plainly looked at the doll.

Then the doll grabbed its stomach and laughed,

“Keuhehe! You’re not surprised.”

“It’s you.”

“What do you mean?”

“The one who killed Seong-un.”

“Oho! How did you know?”

The doll had a look of admiration.

Instead of answering, Pyo-wol looked into the distance.

Far beyond the doll.

Then the doll clapped and said,

“Haha! This is great. You’re really amazing!”

“Are you using a doll because you’re not confident enough to come personally?”

“Do I really have to show my face just to say hello? You should know that people like us don’t show our faces to others.”

The doll touched its face with both of its hands.

It looked like it was mocking Pyo-wol. No, it was actually making fun of Pyo-wol.

There was no way the doll could be alive.

The doll was just a tool or means to deliver a person’s message.

Pyo-wol didn’t even know how this was possible.

Because this was his first time seeing such a thing.

Nevertheless, he wasn’t surprised because he knew that there were demonic arts in Jianghu that could make this possible.

Those who use these kinds of techniques are often treated as evildoers in Jianghu, and thus were rejected by those who had mastered traditional martial arts. So they hid more in the shadows and became an existence that is not easily seen.

The reason why the owner of the doll was impressed was because Pyo-wol’s eyes were looking exactly at the place where his real body was.

He didn’t know how Pyo-wol managed to figure out his location.

Pyo-wol asked,

“What’s your name?”

“Heuk-ho!”

The doll answered confidently.

His attitude shows that he had nothing to lose.

He was surprised that Pyo-wol managed to pinpoint exactly where he was hiding, but he also had that much ability.

Pyo-wol asked,

“Are you from the Hundred Wraith Union?”

“Yes. Hong Ye-seol gave up her mission so I’m here as her replacement. Look forward to it. I will not let you down. Oh, right! Did you receive the present?”

“You mean killing Seong-un?”

“Hehe, yes. Now it seems that you are in trouble because of me. So how about joining the Hundred Wraith Union?”

“No thanks.”

“I knew you would say that. Actually, I hoped that you wouldn’t really join. After all, I can’t kill you if we’re on the same side.”

“I guess you don’t think you’re going to die.”

“I’m not like the idiots you’ve dealt with so far.”

“That’s what they all say. They all said that they were different but they were all the same.”

“Hehe! Really? But I will be different. I guarantee it.”

“I look forward to it.”

“You will not be disappointed.”

The doll thumped its chest as if telling Pyo-wol to trust it. Then it lost its balance and fell under the tree, but it managed to hold on to the branch again and hold on.

Pyo-wol was honestly impressed at the sight of the doll.

Heuk-ho’s real body was hiding hundreds of miles away from here. It wouldn’t have been easy for a person to manipulate a puppet from such a distance.

No matter how great their techniques or demonic arts are, it was an act that could not be done without the support of the internal strength.

He didn’t know what Heuk-ho’s ability was, but just looking at the way he manipulated the doll as if it were his own limbs, he could tell that he was a master of great demonic arts.

Pyo-wol asked,

“Why did you kill Seong-un?”

“Do I need to have a reason? The client asked me to kill him, so I killed him.”

“The consequences won’t be easy.”

“The Shaolin Temple?”

“Yes.”

“Kehehe! Yes, I’m curious about that too. He must have known that the Shaolin Temple would intervene, so why did he ask me to assassinate that monk?”

“Aren’t you worried? The Shaolin Temple’s wrath could be directed at the Hundred Wraith Union.”

“Hehe! Why are you worried about that? If we’re at a disadvantage, we can just hide in the shadows.”

“Are you saying you’re confident you won’t be caught?”

“You don’t know the true power of the Hundred Wraith Union. Although the Shaolin Temple is revered and feared, if we decide to hide, they will never be able to find us.”

“…….”

“To celebrate seeing your face like this, I will give you a present. You will not be disappointed.”

Hehehe!

In an instant, Pyo-wol’s expression hardened.

The doll didn’t do anything special, but it had an ominous aura.

Pyo-wol did not ignore the warnings of his instincts.

He kicked off the thin branch and threw himself backwards.

Puk!

At that moment, the doll exploded, and numerous fine needles hidden inside its body were fired.

The fine needle fired by the explosion had enough power to penetrate through human flesh and muscle at once. However, no fine needle managed to penetrate Pyo-wol’s body.

Pyo-wol was already out of the full power of the explosion.

It was an explosion that occurred on a branch high above the tree. There was no one under the tree, so those nearby did not know what had happened up there.

The radius of the explosion was extremely limited.

The fine needle only spread in a radius enough to make Pyo-wol feel threatened, and the sound of the explosion was weak.

It was impossible to know that an explosion occurred in this place unless they climbed the tree and found a fine needle stuck in the tree trunk.

Although he didn’t get a single wound, Pyo-wol’s face became frighteningly cold.

‘So this is how it’s going to be?’

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

…I can’t believe he’s provoking Pyo-wol like this. Is he dumB

Venerable Master of Heaven and Earth. Raws: Geongon merchant, 건곤상인(乾坤上人). 乾 gān, qián – dry; first hexagram; warming principle of the sun, penetrating and fertilizing, heavenly generative principle (male) 坤 kūn – earth; feminine, female 上 shàng – top; superior, highest; go up, send up 人 rén – man; people; mankind; someone else Master of the Changing Peak Pavilion. Raws: Huanshan Luju, 환산루주(換山樓主). 換 huàn – change, exchange; substitute 山 shān – mountain, hill, peak 樓 lóu, lǘ – building of two or more stories 主 zhǔ – master, chief owner; host; lord Guanyin Temple. Raws: Gwaneumsa, 관음사(觀音寺). 觀 guān, guàn – see, observe, view; appearance 音 yīn, yìn – sound, tone, pitch, pronunciation 寺 sì – court, office; temple, monastery