Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 20 : Above the Shadow (1)

"Ack!"

"What's wrong!"

"Keuk!"

The surroundings became a scene of chaos, but Jin Sawoon's figure was nowhere to be found.

Thump!

With a heavy sound, Jang Do, who was holding the back of his neck, fell to the floor, his whole body trembling, and then went limp.

His face was red, and blood flowed from his eyes. At the gruesome sight, people turned their heads away.

Jang Do's death spread throughout Cheonsu City in less than a day, and a large number of Heavenly Divine Cult members appeared in the area.

They said that a Slaughter Ghost of Ghost Spirit Valley had killed Jang Do, but the only evidence was a single needle. Moreover, since it was a common needle, they couldn't conclude that it was their doing.

Cheon Woo-rin, who was standing in front of Jang Do's corpse, had a frown on his face that he couldn't smooth out.

The blood that had flowed from his five orifices on his red complexion looked cruel and grotesque.

If someone unaccustomed to corpses had seen it, they would have vomited at the moment they smelled the fishy smell of mixed poison and blood.

He had heard that poison was frightening, but seeing it with his own eyes, the fear was even greater.

Seo Woon-gang, who was standing next to Cheon Woo-rin, examined Jang Do's corpse and said.

"It's definitely the work of the missed Number Ninety-nine, no, Jin Sawoon."

"The basis?"

"It's a needle commonly sold in the market, but if you apply poison, it becomes a poison needle. On top of that, he deceived people's eyes and accurately pierced a vital point."

Seo Woon-gang showed the needle in front of his eyes and spoke again.

"It's light, so it's difficult to use as a hidden weapon. But seeing as he used it as a hidden weapon, he's an amazing guy. In the city, he's the only one with this level of skill right now."

"You?"

When Cheon Woo-rin asked, Seo Woon-gang shook his head.

"I could try throwing it about a zhang, but more than that is actually a bit difficult. Needles are light and small, so even if you throw them with internal energy, they don't fly far. On top of that, when Jang Do was pierced by the needle, there were many people around him. None of them saw anyone throwing a needle."

"He must have thrown it from a distance."

"Yes. He must have been at least three zhang away. Because it's easier to get away that way."

"I missed the rat, and the hunter got caught."

Cheon Woo-rin muttered with a frown and then turned his body.

"Burn the corpse, and you, hurry up and find that rat and kill him."

"He's a guy who got away even when dozens chased him. It's impossible for me alone."

"I'll give you the deceased Jang Do's subordinates."

"Understood. We also need to put out a wanted notice."

As Seo Woon-gang suggested putting out a wanted notice, Cheon Woo-rin nodded. It seemed his own subordinates were not enough.

"We'll have to create a crime and put out a wanted notice. Since there's a corpse, it won't be difficult."

Cheon Woo-rin smiled and then headed for his room.

Seo Woon-gang, along with the surrounding warriors, moved Jang Do's corpse and cremated it.

Seo Woon-gang felt it was strange that Cheon Woo-rin had no feelings of compassion or sadness for the deceased Jang Do.

It was the way one treated a complete stranger.

Cheon Woo-rin, who had entered his room, sat at his desk and took out a blood-stained letter from his sleeve.

It was the letter that was in the bosom of the deceased Eun Soo-soo.

It was a letter to be delivered to Dokgo Hye, but unfortunately, she could not deliver the letter.

Swish!

Cheon Woo-rin unfolded the letter and read it with a displeased expression. It contained contents that slandered him, even calling him a sex fiend, and telling her not to get close.

In particular, what stood out the most was the deep relationship with his cousin.

In reality, the most important and precious person to Cheon Woo-rin was his cousin.

Because that content was written, he had to kill Eun Soo-soo.

"Crazy bitch."

Swish!

Cheon Woo-rin threw the letter onto the brazier. The hot heat instantly burned the letter.

Cheon Woo-rin, who watched it until it turned to ash, smiled.

Now, all that was left was to catch and kill Number Ninety-nine.

* * *

A faint shadow flickered in the dark room, and Jin Sawoon appeared.

As he sat in a chair, Hyung-wook appeared from the deep darkness.

"They say a man named Jang Do died. They say he was Cheon Woo-rin's right-hand man. Was it your doing?"

"Yes."

"You were hasty."

Hyung-wook's voice was dry, so it was not easy to read his emotions. But when he said he was hasty, it seemed to contain a deep sense of regret.

"That man killed our team leader."

At Jin Sawoon's words, Hyung-wook nodded.

"Right now, the Cult is hell-bent on finding you. They say you're the assassin who tried to kill Dokgo Hye and Cheon Woo-rin. They also say that the corpse that came out of the city today was also your doing. To them, Slaughter Ghosts like us are insignificant beings. A crime is just something you create."

"There is no reason for killing people."

Hearing Jin Sawoon's answer, Hyung-wook smiled without realizing it.

"You've learned well."

A Slaughter Ghost just kills people according to orders. There was no reason. He killed simply because he was ordered to kill.

But to survive in the martial world, he had to fix that mindset.

"In five days, the Slaughter Ghosts will gather at the secret manor of Daemu Mountain by order of the family head. Go there. Your way to live is there. I will also be going there."

"Understood. But there's something I have to do before that."

"What is it?"

"I'm going to kill Seo Woon-gang."

At Jin Sawoon's answer, Hyung-wook said nothing.

After a short time, as Jin Sawoon's figure disappeared, Hyung-wook lay down on the bed. A smile hung on his lips.

"Foolish bastards."

Hyung-wook muttered, then closed his eyes and sought sleep.

* * *

Seo Woon-gang, who had entered a not-so-spacious room and sat down, let out a deep sigh. He had chased Jin Sawoon all day, but he couldn't find a trace of the bastard.

He had searched all the places he had stayed, but he couldn't even see a shadow. There was no Slaughter Ghost who would come to a place he had stayed twice. Even though he knew that, he had searched just in case, but it was a futile effort.

"Where did he hide? Did he go to the Central Plains?"

Seo Woon-gang thought that if Jin Sawoon had fled, he would have gone far away. If he went to a place where the power of the Heavenly Divine Cult did not reach, it was not a big problem.

Jin Sawoon would also know by now that he had become a target of the Heavenly Divine Cult's annihilation. So it was only natural for him to flee from the Heavenly Divine Cult.

Seo Woon-gang looked around the room.

Nothing had changed from when he had left. This room was near the guest hall of the Cheon family manor, and outside, many warriors were on guard and patrolling.

Because he had been attacked by an assassin, the security had been tightened. He could see the will to prevent even an ant from entering.

Currently, the safest place in Cheonsu City was the Cheon family manor. Seo Woon-gang thought so.

Seo Woon-gang, who had poured and drank water, lay down on the bed and sought sleep. He had to sleep for about two shichen, then wake up in the morning and go out again.

"Sniff!"

Seo Woon-gang, who opened his eyes at the damp moisture that brushed past the tip of his nose, had a hardened expression as he looked at the dark surroundings.

"Ugh!"

The moment he put strength in his hands, he turned his head at the fact that he couldn't move. Both his hands were fixed to the wall, and large iron chains were fastened. His legs were the same.

Confirming that he was tied to a hard stone bed, Seo Woon-gang began to sweat coldly.

He turned his head left and right and looked around, but he couldn't see anything.

Fwoosh!

The sound of flames flaring up was heard, and the room became bright.

Seo Woon-gang, knowing that he was lying in a stone room, pulled his head up as much as possible to look above his head. It was because the light came from there.

"You know well where this is, don't you?"

At the voice that reached his ears, Seo Woon-gang's whole body trembled. This was a familiar place, a basement stone room in Ghost Spirit Valley.

No matter how much he screamed, no one outside could hear.

"Jin Sawoon."

At Seo Woon-gang's words, Jin Sawoon, who had hung a torch on the wall, slowly approached Seo Woon-gang.

Seo Woon-gang, who turned his head, trembled his shoulders once more when he discovered Jin Sawoon.

"How did you..."

"Since you were loyal to the Cheon family, you must have been at the Cheon family. It was too easy to find you."

Hearing Jin Sawoon's answer, Seo Woon-gang bit his molars. It was a mistake to have slept at the Cheon family. But no matter how much he regretted it, nothing would change.

"Are you going to kill me?"

"Slowly, and painfully."

"We're friends, aren't we? Didn't you say you would avenge me if I died?"

At Seo Woon-gang's words, Jin Sawoon shook his head with an indifferent face.

"A traitor is killed. That's all."

Swish!

A small hand axe was held in Jin Sawoon's hand.

Seeing that, Seo Woon-gang's eyes widened. Knowing too well what he was going to do next, he shouted urgently.

"Wait! Stop. Let's make a deal."

"A deal?"

"I'll tell you everything you're curious about."

Although he heard Seo Woon-gang's urgent voice, Jin Sawoon raised the hand axe with an expression of no interest.

Seo Woon-gang shouted.

"The one you should be taking revenge on is not me, but the Cheon family, isn't it!"

"Revenge."

At the word 'revenge', Jin Sawoon put down the hand axe, brought a chair, and sat in front of Seo Woon-gang.

Seo Woon-gang spoke again.

"If you promise to let me live, I'll tell you everything."

"What on earth are you going to say? You're going to die anyway."

Swish!

Jin Sawoon raised his hand, touched Seo Woon-gang's neck, and spoke again with an indifferent face.

"All you can do is choose between dying without pain and dying while slowly feeling pain."

Dying without pain meant dying with a single cut to the neck, and feeling pain meant having one's body dismembered.

Jin Sawoon was a Slaughter Ghost who was more than capable of doing so.

Seo Woon-gang, while finding it absurd, laughed futilely at the fact that Jin Sawoon's words were true.

"Ahahahaha!"

Seo Woon-gang, who had been laughing for a while, shed tears and spoke to Jin Sawoon in a calm voice.

"Lady Soo and the head of the Cheon family have been having an affair for a long time. They met often."

At Seo Woon-gang's words, Jin Sawoon, as if he felt interested, rested his chin on his hand and nodded.

Seo Woon-gang spoke again.

"Do you know what happened after I reported their relationship to the higher-ups?"

"What happened?"

"Everyone except me died. This matter didn't even go up to the family head."

Seo Woon-gang smiled, then stared at the ceiling of the dark stone room and spoke again.

"That's when I knew. The one who plays with the lives of the Slaughter Ghosts is not the family head, but Lady Soo."

At Seo Woon-gang's story, Jin Sawoon thought that he was just talkative rather than that he had learned a new fact.

Seo Woon-gang continued to speak as if he had a lot to say.

"I also knew that Lady Soo was trying to kill you. It was Song Ha-sang who put the poisonous insect in your room by order of Lady Soo."

Although Song Ha-sang's name came out, Jin Sawoon's face did not change.

"A face I expected."

Seo Woon-gang smiled and said, as if Jin Sawoon knew everything about that matter.

"The head of the Cheon family wants to become the Cult Leader. The one helping him is Lady Soo. To Lady Soo and the head of the Cheon family, the Na family is just an obstacle. The fact that you reported Cheon Woo-rin's evil deeds became a fuse, and their plan was moved up a little."

"......"

"How do you think the betrayal of his son came to the head of the Cheon family, who wants to become the Cult Leader? It would be seen as a problem that would make him lose everything. You may think that you just reported his evil deeds and betrayal, but to the head of the Cheon family, it's a war that he has to cover up by betting everything."

"So he tried to get rid of Ghost Spirit Valley? I heard the head of the Na family also agreed?"

"He's just being used."

"They said they would rebuild Ghost Spirit Valley. Is that also a lie?"

"The head of the Cheon family will exterminate the Na family, except for Lady Soo. You will surely die too. Miserably."

Seo Woon-gang finished his words and grinned.

(End of Chapter)