Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 2 : Number Ninety-nine, Jin Sawoon (2)

In the world of martial arts, the profession of an assassin was considered to be that of a second-rate martial artist.

They were those who could not become first-rate, cowardly and petty individuals no different from those of the underworld.

Among assassins, there were some with high reputations, but they were exceptions. A few were even called peak-level masters.

However, they were an extremely small fraction of the countless assassins.

When martial artists of the orthodox factions, who practiced chivalry and upheld justice, saw assassins, they killed them without asking for a reason.

Despite this, numerous assassin organizations existed in the martial world, and countless people commissioned them for their bloody work.

The most famous assassin organizations in the martial world were the Slaughter Ghosts living in the Ghost Spirit Valley of the Demonic Cult and the Shadowless Brigade of the Martial Alliance.

Systematically trained in martial arts, they did not only perform assassinations but also carried out various special missions, from bodyguarding to other tasks.

* * *

Number Ninety-nine.

That is my name.

I have no memory of my name because I entered Ghost Spirit Valley at a young age. I'm sure I had an ordinary name, but I can't remember it.

From the moment I entered Ghost Spirit Valley, I was Number Ninety-nine, so my name was Number Ninety-nine.

When I was young, if someone asked my name, I would answer 'this guy' or 'Black Ox'.

They were common names.

Other comrades answered with single characters like 'Dog', 'Wolf', or 'Tiger'.

Some comrades deliberately created special names for themselves, but in Ghost Spirit Valley, we were called by numbers.

The numbers were assigned in the order we first entered Ghost Spirit Valley, so they had nothing to do with skill.

Names were unnecessary in Ghost Spirit Valley.

'Failure.'

I recalled Number Two-hundred-fifty-one, who died when he first entered Dezhou City. It wasn't often that Slaughter Ghosts failed their missions.

Of course, the probability of failure was higher for a first-timer, but the Number Two-hundred-fifty-one I knew was a rather skilled fellow.

For the past two days, I had been investigating the death of Number Two-hundred-fifty-one.

Investigating the cause of failure was a matter of course.

Number Two-hundred-fifty-one's target was the leader of the Black Snake Gang.

His martial arts were all he had learned during five years of training at the Fast Blade School. There were dozens of schools called the Fast Blade School in the martial world, and one existed in Dezhou City as well.

His saber technique was also common, with nothing special about it. It was merely a man with good stamina and strength swinging a saber quickly.

To ordinary people, even that was a considerable threat, but it couldn't have been a threat to Number Two-hundred-fifty-one.

There was no reason he couldn't have killed him.

And yet, the one who died was Number Two-hundred-fifty-one.

His death meant that the information about the Black Snake Gang's leader was false. And there must have been another reason.

'Either the known information was wrong, or someone tipped him off beforehand. It must be one of the two.'

That was all I could think of.

I turned my head and looked out the window. The sky was dark, and cool air seeped into the room.

Chirp!

The chirping of insects stimulated my ears. It was time to move.

* * *

In the front yard of a mansion surrounded by high walls, a dozen or so stout men stood guard.

Besides them, the area around the mansion was filled with more stout men gathered in groups of three and five.

Their numbers seemed to easily exceed a hundred. It was not a common sight.

Chae Hong, the leader of the Black Snake Gang and known as a great wealthy man in Dezhou City, sat in a room glittering with bright lanterns.

Chae Hong, dressed in red finery, was a middle-aged man with a large build, appearing to be in his mid-to-late forties.

Across from him sat a middle-aged man with a short beard, dressed in a white martial arts uniform.

The man was a ronin hired by Chae Hong after he felt his life was threatened by an assassin's attack three months ago.

He called himself the Stone-Shattering Swordsman, Jigeumho.

He was a well-known figure among ronin and had learned swordsmanship at the Moyong family for about five years.

Seeing a guard walking past the window, Jigeumho opened his mouth.

"There have been no assassin attacks for several months. How about reducing the number of guards?"

"If I do that, a Slaughter Ghost from the Demonic Cult might attack."

"There's talk in the city that Lord Chae is a paper tiger. I'm concerned it will tarnish your reputation."

"I'd rather live as a paper tiger than die."

Chae Hong's words were only natural. It wasn't as if Chae Hong was unaware of the rumors circulating in the city.

But the reason he couldn't reduce the number of guards, even while hearing those rumors, was his fear of the Demonic Cult.

It was common for people who feared the Heavenly Divine Cult to call it the Demonic Cult instead.

Chae Hong poured himself a cup of wine and spoke.

"Fifteen days ago, in Akyang City, the Blood Tiger Ghost of Eoksan was found as a corpse. They say someone killed him. Do you know the cause of death?"

"I do not."

"He was killed by a single strike that pierced his Gimun acupoint."

The Gimun acupoint was a vital point located on the path from the center of the navel and solar plexus to the ribs.

If the Gimun acupoint, close to the heart, was pierced, one would die from excessive bleeding. The time between being stabbed and dying was merely a quarter of an hour.

"They say there were no signs of resistance. He was just killed while passing by. It must be a Demonic Cult assassin. I think he has come here."

Chae Hong frowned and drank his wine.

Jigeumho also showed a stiff expression at the news of the Blood Tiger Ghost's death. Although the Blood Tiger Ghost was an unorthodox practitioner, he was known as a master who handled the saber quite well.

"How about asking the Martial Alliance for help? It's far, but there's the Tang family and the Qingcheng Sect. There's also the Poison Sect and the Zhuge family, isn't there?"

"Would those bastards help someone like me? More importantly, the Demonic Cult demanded two thousand nyang of gold. I'm debating whether or not to pay it as the price for my life."

"What? The Demonic Cult has been here?"

Chae Hong nodded.

"Last year, someone from the Demonic Cult came to see me. He demanded two thousand nyang of gold. I naturally refused. Then the Demonic Cult sent an assassin."

Chae Hong drank his wine again and let out a deep sigh. Two thousand nyang of gold was an enormous sum that the Black Snake Gang could barely gather even if they worked all year.

Since they demanded such a large amount of money, he had no choice but to refuse.

"If I had known it would come to this, I should have just given it to them..."

"Can't you just say you'll meet the Demonic Cult's demands now?"

"I happened to meet a Demonic Cult member and told him I would, but he refused. He just told me to die. Hahaha."

Although he laughed, Chae Hong felt frustrated. He drank two more cups of wine in succession.

"But we can't live like this every day, can we? We need to find a way."

"I'm looking for one. Fortunately, a Demonic Cult member nearby is friendly towards me, so an answer should come soon."

"If that's the case... that's a relief."

Jigeumho replied and poured wine into Chae Hong's cup. Chae Hong thought of the Demonic Cult member who had come to see him.

It was thanks to his help that he was able to fend off the previous assassin. He was able to overcome the attack because he knew about it in advance and prepared for it.

Chae Hong put down his wine cup and half-closed his eyes.

"I need to rest for a bit. Wake me up after the hour of the tiger."

"Yes."

Chae Hong went into the room right next door and lay down on the bed.

Jigeumho poured himself a cup of wine, then stood up and went to the window.

At this time every day, Chae Hong would go to sleep, wake up around the hour of the tiger, be active until noon, and then go to sleep again.

It was the same routine that hadn't changed for the three months he had been here.

In fact, for Jigeumho, this situation was quite good. He was earning a lot of money without doing any hard work, so he wanted to continue this job for a while.

It was money that would take half a year to earn in any other job. Since it was two gold nyang, he had no intention of quitting.

'This is comfortable.'

Jigeumho smiled and poured more wine into his empty cup. He felt something brush against his shoulder, but it was just the blowing wind.

Thwack!

It was after that that something pierced into his head.

* * *

"Ugh..."

Feeling that his sleeping spot was uncomfortable, Chae Hong groaned and opened his eyes.

The moment he realized he was not lying down but sitting in a chair, his eyes widened.

He turned his head and saw an unfamiliar young man standing and drinking tea.

"You're awake..."

The young man muttered as he put down his teacup. He approached Chae Hong.

Chae Hong was momentarily startled and tried to shout and get up. But no voice came out, and his whole body was paralyzed as if it were numb.

Though Chae Hong couldn't see it, thin needles were embedded in his Myeongmun and Gyeonjeong acupoints.

"Guhhh..."

A hoarse voice escaped his throat.

With his eyes wide open, Chae Hong instinctively knew that the young man before him was the Demonic Cult assassin who had come to kill him.

Creak!

The young man opened the door slightly to show Jigeumho sitting in a chair. Half of Jigeumho's face was stained with red blood, and he was sitting with his eyes open.

Seeing no movement, it was certain that he was dead.

"I pierced his Baekhoe acupoint."

The young man was Number Ninety-nine. He muttered and turned his gaze to Chae Hong.

Chae Hong's eyes were still staring blankly at Jigeumho.

Chae Hong wondered how Jigeumho had died. But there was no way for him to know.

Number Ninety-nine sat on the edge of the bed and spoke.

"Normally, I would just kill you and go back, but I have something to ask."

At Number Ninety-nine's words, Chae Hong found a sliver of hope. Thinking that he might be able to live, he quickly darted his eyes around.

"I heard you have an acquaintance in the Demonic Cult. Who is it?"

He asked the question, but Chae Hong couldn't answer because his muting acupoint was blocked. As if he hadn't expected an answer from the beginning, Number Ninety-nine only observed Chae Hong's expression.

"Lord Jang of the pharmacy?"

At Number Ninety-nine's words, Chae Hong's eyes wavered greatly.

He was the only Demonic Cult member here.

As if that was enough, Number Ninety-nine got up from the bed and approached Chae Hong. He casually stabbed Chae Hong's Baekhoe acupoint with a dagger and quickly pulled it out again.

As blood spurted out, Number Ninety-nine stepped back as if to avoid it. Then, he vanished from the spot like smoke.

* * *

To Number Ninety-nine, who had mastered the Demonic Cult's Ink Shadow Heart Art, darkness was like a friend.

Moving like a shadow, Number Ninety-nine slipped into Lord Jang's room on the second floor of the pharmacy.

Rustle!

Appearing in the room in the form of black smoke, Number Ninety-nine pushed back his flowing hair. Lord Jang was not there.

'The blanket is thrown back, and the drawer is open.'

Number Ninety-nine examined the open drawer. Seeing two gold nyang that had fallen to the bottom of the drawer, he let out a short breath.

It seemed he hadn't been able to take all the gold coins in his haste to leave.

The teacup was cold, and messy footprints were visible on the floor.

'Did he know I was coming?'

The thought seemed unlikely.

Slaughter Ghosts were meant to return after completing their missions. He was no different.

If he had killed Chae Hong, he could have just returned. That was the order, and he had to follow it unconditionally.

The reason he had returned here despite that was to avenge his comrade and deal with the betrayal.

In truth, he didn't have any particular feelings about revenge. It wasn't as if he had any camaraderie with the deceased Number Two-hundred-fifty-one.

He was someone he had never spoken to, someone he only knew by face.

More than revenge, it was a betrayal of the Cult. If a traitor was found, they had to be killed immediately. That's what he had been taught.

With an indifferent expression, Number Ninety-nine went outside and climbed onto the roof. He gazed at the dark city for a moment, and his eyes landed on the brightly lit red-light district in the distance.

'Rather than going to a deserted place, it would be faster and more convenient to hide in a bustling one.'

Whoosh!

Number Ninety-nine's figure disappeared in an instant.

(End of Chapter)