Ten-Battle Assassin No. 50

Chapter 72

Episode 72. This... is the Hand of a Divine Doctor

Woo Il glared at Jong Bi, eyes wide, and growled.

"Are you insane? Do you even know where you are right now?"

"You lunatic!"

Jong Bi scoffed, waving a dagger in front of Woo Il's face.

"Can't you see this?"

"Eyes down!"

Woo Il's gaze instantly dropped. Jong Bi then smacked Yang Il across the mouth.

"Ugh..."

"I'm only going to ask once."

Jong Bi's voice was dry and cold.

"What happened to Master Woo?"

"That guy..."

Thud!

Jong Bi stabbed his dagger into Yang Il's thigh.

"Argh!"

"That guy, what?"

He spoke as if stabbing someone was nothing, making it all the more chilling.

Yang Il hurriedly tried to explain himself.

"He... he killed our boss."

"Master Woo killed Hama Cho? Weren't they just going out for dinner? Was it a Life-and-Death Duel?"

"No. The two of them were invited to Flower Clear Pavilion."

This time, Woo Il answered.

"Flower Clear Pavilion? That's a brothel, isn't it? What happened there that left Hama Cho dead and Master Woo nearly killed?"

Woo Il and Yang Il exchanged glances, clearly flustered.

Both of them were of low rank and had to wait on the first floor of Flower Clear Pavilion, so they had no idea what had happened upstairs.

No one in the Black Society, especially not the underlings of Woo Yang-jeong, would bother explaining things to them.

All they knew was that after everything was over, they were told to take Hama Cho's corpse and leave.

"He hugged the boss and jumped from the fifth floor."

According to what Woo Il had heard, Ohgu had grabbed Hama Cho and leapt from the fifth floor.

"Why?"

When Jong Bi asked, Woo Il looked away awkwardly. He couldn't fathom why two men would jump out a window together—this wasn't some tragic romance.

Jong Bi tilted his head, equally confused. They went up for dinner and ended up jumping out a window together?

"Um... I think he used the boss as a cushion to escape."

Yang Il, at least, managed to piece things together.

"Ah!"

Jong Bi nodded in understanding.

"Who invited them?"

"I heard there was a Council of Ten meeting at Flower Clear Pavilion!"

Yang Il replied, recalling how excited Hama Cho had been to attend the Council of Ten gathering.

"So the Xiangyang Underworld gathered... They killed Master Woo. The head of the Council of Ten is also the leader of the Black Society, right?"

"That's right."

"So the Black Society leader killed Master Woo. And you two helped him."

Jong Bi spoke in that same dry tone, raising his dagger.

"Time to pay the price."

"You said you'd let us live if we answered—"

Thud! Thud!

Jong Bi didn't care, stabbing them both without hesitation.

Woo Il and Yang Il collapsed, blood spurting from their throats.

"Did I say that? I don't recall making any such promise."

Jong Bi always thought things over after killing.

He briefly tilted his head, wondering if he had said that, then disappeared.

*

Gong Yi-gwan caught the iron token flying toward him.

On one side was an imposing mountain; on the other, the words "Heavenly Poison" were engraved. His jaw dropped in disbelief.

'A disciple of the Poison Monster Master? The eighteenth sect leader?'

Should he believe this or not?

It was indeed the Heavenly Poison Sect leader's token he'd heard about from his master. But why was it in this guy's hands...?

Just then, Won Seung's shout rang in his ears.

"You dare receive the sect leader's token and not kneel?"

Gong Yi-gwan snapped to his senses. With only three people left after their near annihilation, his master had always emphasized the sect's rules.

He accepted the iron token and immediately knelt. Hwang Wu-yun hurried to kneel behind him.

With a stern face, Won Seung spoke.

"In the name of the Heavenly Poison Sect... you must save this man at all costs! If you fail... don't ever call yourself a member of the Heavenly Poison Sect again."

With that, he strode to the wall, gathering curved needles and thread from the surgical tools hanging there.

Gong Yi-gwan rose and checked on Ohgu, who lay on the operating table.

He instantly realized Ohgu was one foot in the grave, and only Won Seung was keeping him from crossing over.

Gong Yi-gwan instructed his disciple, Woo-yoon.

"Boil some salt water, quickly!"

Hwang Wu-yun grabbed the brazier, filled it with glowing coals, and soon returned with boiling water mixed with salt. Gong Yi-gwan added medicinal herbs with disinfecting properties.

Meanwhile, Won Seung cleaned Ohgu's body and examined the area near his spleen. He rinsed the needle in salt water and began stitching from the inside out.

Thanks to the Poison Monster Master, Won Seung had dissected countless corpses. He knew the positions of organs and the grain of muscle without even checking.

Muscle to muscle, organ to organ—he stitched with such precision and speed that Gong Yi-gwan could only stare in awe.

This... is the hand of a Divine Doctor.

"What are you doing? Aren't you going to stitch over there?"

Won Seung scolded him in a cold tone, his hands never stopping.

Gong Yi-gwan had a bit of arrogance, so Won Seung made sure to keep him in check from the start.

"Ah..."

Startled, Gong Yi-gwan grabbed needle and thread and began stitching the punctured area from the inside out. Their methods were similar, but Won Seung's skill was far more refined and swift.

Hwang Wu-yun, assisting from the side, was amazed. Given their ages, it was hard to believe what he was seeing.

Gong Yi-gwan had learned the medical arts of the Heavenly Poison Sect, but rarely had the chance to use them. Patients usually refused when he suggested cutting and stitching.

His master had never considered the extreme methods of dissecting corpses like the Poison Monster. So while Gong Yi-gwan knew the theory well, he lagged behind Won Seung in practice.

Once Won Seung finished stitching the wounds, he took out a medicine from his leather pouch and applied it to the sutured area. A sticky liquid oozed out, covering the stitches.

When Gong Yi-gwan finished, Won Seung poured the liquid on that area as well.

"What is that... what is it?"

Gong Yi-gwan, a lifelong devotee of medicine, was far more interested in medicine than poison. He couldn't resist his curiosity about this unfamiliar substance.

"If you apply this, it seeps in, protects the wound, and helps it heal better."

Won Seung handed it to Gong Yi-gwan as if doing him a favor.

"Take care of the patient."

"Wait, at least explain—"

You're just going to leave? Tossing the Heavenly Poison Sect leader's token at me and walking out with no explanation?

"Not now. I'll come back after the Three-way Martial Arts Duel. There are people I need to deal with first. Just take good care of the patient."

Won Seung looked at Ohgu.

On the verge of death, Ohgu's beauty seemed almost eerie.

Won Seung felt a sense of debt toward Ohgu. His own suspicions and distrust had nearly starved Ohgu to death.

'I’ll repay my debt. Hang in there. Survive and see what happens to those who did this to you.'

A flash of killing intent flickered in Won Seung's eyes as he turned away.

*

It was still night.

As the rain stopped, the oppressive heat of the night began. Steam filled the air.

It was a summer night so humid that sweat poured down just from standing still.

Won Seung and Jong Bi sat facing each other in a dim room.

"So, they were invited to the Council of Ten meeting, Ohgu tried to use Hama Cho as a cushion to escape, failed, and got caught again. That’s what happened?"

"Yeah."

Won Seung let out a low hum.

He’d heard the Council of Ten was led by the Black Society leader.

'Just as I thought, the flies have gathered.'

While the Heavenly Observation Pavilion and Clear Water Sect were fighting, these guys were trying to snatch something for themselves.

He could guess why Ohgu got caught up in this. During all the recent events, Ohgu had shown his face a lot.

He knew Xiangyang well, so Ohgu had handled things like setting up the Martial Arts Stage and arranging ticket sales. No wonder he’d drawn attention.

Jong Bi spoke.

"The head of the Council of Ten is the Black Society leader, right? If we catch him and question him, we’ll know for sure."

"..."

"Should I go grab him?"

"I heard the Black Society leader is a master. Are you confident you can bring him in?"

Jong Bi rolled his eyes and said,

"Even if he’s a fake, he’s still the Black Society leader... Honestly, it’d be easier to just kill him. Let’s kill him first and figure out the details later."

But they couldn’t just kill him. They needed to know what he was plotting.

"I’ll go and question him myself. That’s probably best."

"Hmm. It’ll be dangerous, though."

"If he’s the one who did that to Ohgu... I have to deal with him anyway. You go question the other Council of Ten members."

"Got it."

The short summer night was not over yet.

It was almost the end of the hour of the Tiger.

They had to finish their revenge before dawn.

Sending Ohgu back was probably a way to gauge their reaction. Maybe someone was watching them even now.

And soon, the next move would come. They had to end it before that happened.

Won Seung went to his room and changed into his work clothes. He strapped on a chest guard and tucked daggers and hidden weapons all over his body.

He took poison, too.

Scattering Air Powder and Emerald Mist Water.

He couldn’t make any deadly poison due to a lack of ingredients, so this was the best he could do. It wouldn’t kill instantly, but it could weaken his opponent’s martial arts—making it the most useful poison for now.

He also packed Seven-Step Soul Severing Powder, but unless he was in a truly desperate situation, he wouldn’t use it. It was practically the Poison Monster Master’s signature technique—far too dangerous to use lightly.

"Take this too."

It was Won Seung’s first assassination mission. Jong Bi, worried, handed him a blowpipe and a Paralyzing Needle.

Finally, he slung a sword over his back and strapped a saber to his waist.

"Isn’t that a bit much? Why not just take either the sword or the saber?"

"I’m good with both."

Won Seung replied arrogantly.

"Heh... Even if you act all high and mighty, you’re still a rookie assassin, Young Master."

"This is the Black Society leader we’re talking about. Honestly, he’d be too much for you to handle right now. I’m the only one who can pull this off."

As Won Seung left his room, the study door opened and Blood Flower appeared.

Blood Flower eyed the heavily armed Won Seung with a hint of exasperation, sighed, and held out his hand.

In his palm was a small tube, about the length of a bamboo joint.

"What’s that?"

"Nameless Fragrance. Point it where you want, push the handle, and a sleeping poison will shoot out. It can reach up to three zhang, and there’s no smell, so even masters won’t notice."

"Oh! Why are you giving this to me?"

It seemed incredibly valuable—why lend it to him?

"I’m just lending it. You have to come back safely, or I can’t get out of here either."

Won Seung examined the Nameless Fragrance launcher.

Maybe he could make one himself someday.

"The Xiangyang Black Society leader, Gu Ak-pyeong, is said to be a master between first-class and peak. He’s suspicious, cunning, and a tough opponent."

"He’s above first-class?"

Won Seung frowned. If his opponent was a peak master like Cheon Seok-san... the difficulty just shot up.

Still, he had to kill him.

Thinking of Ohgu, stabbed and tossed out like an animal in the pouring rain, Won Seung’s fist clenched in anger.

"Hmm. You don’t even know the target’s martial arts level... Do you assassins always work so impulsively? In the main sect, that would never happen."

"Ah, of course... We usually do our research. But this is a special case. The Three-way Martial Arts Duel is right around the corner. Time is tight. And Gu Ak-pyeong is just a small fry I can take care of anytime."

Blood Flower looked at Won Seung in disbelief, shook his head, and went back into the study.

As Won Seung crossed the yard toward the neighboring house, he ran into Yong Jo-woon.

Yong Jo-woon, seeing how heavily armed Won Seung was, said,

"Revenge should be taken honorably."

"You do it your way, Great Hero Yong."

I’m not a great hero—I’m an assassin.

"Carrying too many weapons just means your strength is spread thin. I advise you to take only a sword or a saber."

"I’ll keep that in mind."

I’m not as skilled as you, Great Hero Yong.

Won Seung ignored the advice and slipped out the side gate of the neighboring house.

After scanning his surroundings, Won Seung melted into the darkness, heading for Flower Clear Pavilion.