Ten-Battle Assassin No. 50

Chapter 73

Episode 73. How Much Did He Have to Drink to Learn a Trick Like That?

Bang.

"Ahh..."

The harsh liquor burned its way down his throat, but the fire of rage inside him refused to be quenched.

He’d lost his cherished junior, Hama Cho, and suffered utter humiliation.

Ohgu’s final words echoed in his ears.

—Aren’t you just a puppet boss? Tell the real leader of the Black Society to come out.

"Arrogant bastard."

He should have taken his head. Just stabbing him in the gut wasn’t nearly enough.

Gu Ak-pyeong took a swig straight from the bottle.

The fifth floor of Flower Clear Pavilion had been cleaned spotless. The smashed tables, the scattered food, even the blood Ohgu had spilled... all traces were gone.

But the wound to his pride wouldn’t heal.

Ohgu had killed Hama Cho, and Gu Ak-pyeong, in turn, killed Ohgu. The meeting was ruined, and the Council of Ten members had all left.

Gu Ak-pyeong was left behind, dismissing his subordinates and drinking alone.

‘I should’ve shut that bastard’s mouth...’

That Woo Bok-Saeng was a tough one.

He neither confessed nor denied anything. If only he’d tortured him... maybe he could have gotten something out of him, but the man struck right at Gu Ak-pyeong’s sore spot.

The moment Woo Bok-Saeng called him a puppet boss, Gu Ak-pyeong’s mind went blank. All he could think was that he had to silence him, so he drew his saber and slashed at his neck.

That’s when Guang Dokdu from Yuchok Pavilion intervened.

—He’s already on his way to the afterlife. At least let his body remain intact.

Guang Dokdu was someone even Gu Ak-pyeong couldn’t ignore. He knew full well that Gu Ak-pyeong was just a marionette.

The true boss of the Xiangyang Black Society, Elder Deung, and Guang Dokdu had a long-standing relationship.

Just thinking of Elder Deung made Gu Ak-pyeong grind his teeth.

‘Fake... puppet... How much longer do I have to hear that?’

He knew there were secret rumors about him.

—The real leader of the Xiangyang Black Society is someone else.

No one dared question him to his face, but he could feel the occasional look of contempt.

The anger surged anew.

That was it. Maybe it was because it was true that it stung so much.

Even before coming to today’s Council of Ten meeting, Elder Deung had kicked him in the shin.

—Can’t you even eat when the table’s set for you? Do you want me to spoon-feed you? Why do you attract flies? If you mess this up, you’ll pay with your life!

Elder Deung’s cold, dismissive voice still rang in his ears.

That damn old man...

If not for him, he wouldn’t have fallen for Woo Bok-Saeng’s provocation, and with a bit of torture, he could have cleaned up half the Xiangyang Underworld.

‘After all the loyalty I’ve shown...’

The sting of that kick hurt more than the threats to his life.

Does he still see me as just a disposable pawn, ready to charge in with a blade at a moment’s notice?

Me, Gu Ak-pyeong! The Black Society boss, Gu Ak-pyeong!

But he knew.

Even ten lives wouldn’t be enough if Elder Deung decided to end him.

The real power in the Xiangyang Black Society was in Elder Deung’s hands. He was just the stand-in, hoping one day it would be handed down to him.

—Bring me the hegemony of Xiangyang. Then I’ll give you the Black Society in full!

Trusting Elder Deung’s words, he’d run himself ragged trying to seize Xiangyang’s hegemony.

And now, the time to reap the rewards was near.

He’d been laying the groundwork in secret, but then rumors reached his ears that someone was selling spectator rights.

His instincts flared. The fact that the Heavenly Observation Pavilion and Clear Water Sect were silent about the sale of spectator rights bothered him. It meant the Xiangyang Twin Peaks were turning a blind eye.

Gu Ak-pyeong had ordered Hama Cho to find out who was selling the rights, and got a report that the owner of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion had posted a notice.

Hama Cho had already been keeping an eye on the new owner of the Calligraphy and Painting Shop, saying he seemed suspicious, and even added his own theory—that it was an outpost planted by a force from outside, aiming for Xiangyang’s hegemony.

That was possible.

If not for the Twin Peaks, Xiangyang would be a goldmine for the underworld.

But Gu Ak-pyeong’s suspicions turned inward. He suspected that some within the Council of Ten were using Woo Bok-Saeng as a front for their own schemes. They were certainly the type to stab him in the back.

So he’d planned to use this to clean house within the Council. If only Woo Bok-Saeng had talked, he could have turned the Council of Ten into the Council of Five overnight.

But the man called him a puppet, and in his rage, he killed him cleanly.

Now the mastermind was hidden.

‘Who are you, really?’

Gu Ak-pyeong glared upward, as if his enemy were right in front of him.

‘!’

A masked figure stood just a few paces away.

He’d been so drunk, he hadn’t noticed until the man was practically on top of him!

A chill ran down Gu Ak-pyeong’s spine. Instinctively, he circulated his internal energy to drive out the alcohol.

At the same time, he spoke.

"Who are you?"

"I’m here to collect a debt."

"Debt?"

Gu Ak-pyeong echoed, while smoothly drawing the saber he’d left by his side.

With the blade in hand, he felt reassured.

"Not bad. Making it all the way in here."

Won Seung’s eyes, visible through the mask, glinted with a cold smile.

"It wasn’t all that hard, actually."

*

Staring up at Flower Clear Pavilion, Won Seung hesitated.

Yong Jo-woon’s words echoed in his mind.

‘Tch. Righteous revenge, huh? Why doesn’t he do it himself... Why force it on someone else?’

Even without Yong Jo-woon’s words, he knew he was standing at a crossroads.

Would he walk the path of an assassin, as Red Blood Mountain intended? Or... or would he take the path of a martial artist, like Yong Jo-woon?

Truthfully, he wanted neither the assassin’s path nor the martial artist’s.

But right now, he had to kill the man upstairs.

If he chose the assassin’s path, he’d sneak in, use a paralyzing needle or nameless fragrance to subdue him, then slit his throat.

If it was righteous revenge... he’d have to declare his reason, give the man a chance to resist, and defeat him in a fair fight.

‘Hmm.’

Taking the long way around with no clear reason, when there’s an easier route... it was hard not to waver.

If Gu Ak-pyeong was truly between first-rate and peak, as Blood Flower said... a fair fight might mean he’d end up dead before he could even get revenge.

That wouldn’t be revenge—it’d be suicide.

But...

Won Seung coolly assessed his own martial arts level, based on his observations of Jong Bi and what he’d heard from Blood Flower.

He wasn’t a first-rate expert yet.

Trainees at the Assassin Training Center underwent ten years of brutal training, gained twenty years’ worth of internal energy, and then graduated. They specialized in assassin techniques, but martial arts are all about killing, so that foundation was enough to become a first-rate expert. Then, after two years as apprentice assassins, they’d truly reach that level.

But being a first-rate expert wasn’t just about training. It required a unique sensitivity to martial arts, enlightenment, and real combat experience. The few who survived the harsh training had those qualities, and after a couple of years, they’d become first-rate experts.

Won Seung had opened both the Conception and Governing Meridians, and had double the internal energy of other trainees—forty years’ worth. But he hadn’t yet mastered the intuition and real-world application of martial arts that a first-rate expert possessed.

It wasn’t just a lack of real combat experience. The duels between trainees at the Assassin Training Center were as close to real as it got. What he lacked wasn’t just experience, but the sense for life-and-death decisions, the ability to finish things in a single moment... that kind of resolve.

Above all... Won Seung had never killed anyone.

Well, except for Instructor Ak. But that was the liquor’s doing.

With his mind made up, Won Seung fixed his gaze on the brightly lit fifth floor of Flower Clear Pavilion.

Along the tributaries of the Xiang River, the pleasure houses still echoed with music and song at this hour.

Only Flower Clear Pavilion was wrapped in a gentle silence.

Four men guarded the main gate, another four stood by the first-floor entrance, and a few more patrolled the courtyard.

He had no idea how many were inside.

The information was sorely lacking. But Won Seung thought this was his best chance.

‘The fact that it’s an unexpected time more than makes up for the unfavorable conditions.’

Gu Ak-pyeong might be at the peak. He himself wasn’t yet a first-rate expert. But he didn’t care.

Won Seung was never the type to be bound by such labels. He evaluated himself coolly, but never let that limit him.

He quietly scaled the wall, slipped past the patrols, and pressed himself against the first-floor wall of Flower Clear Pavilion.

The entire building was adorned with ornate floral patterns, making it easy to climb.

He checked inside as he ascended each floor.

Finally, on the fifth floor, he peered through the balcony railing.

A middle-aged man sat alone in the lavish banquet hall, drinking.

*

It would take a little more time to completely shake off the effects of the alcohol.

Gu Ak-pyeong quietly circulated his internal energy and spoke to Won Seung.

"Who sent you?"

"Does it matter?"

Won Seung looked at Gu Ak-pyeong, then casually walked over to the chair opposite him and sat down. He pulled off his mask.

Gu Ak-pyeong frowned at the unexpectedly young face.

"You look a bit young for this sort of work."

Gu Ak-pyeong assumed someone from the Council of Ten had sent an assassin.

Since he’d captured that Woo Bok-Saeng, he figured those scheming in the shadows would make a move.

But their response was faster than expected. And... the assassin was far too young.

‘So they’re underestimating me now? Sending a fresh-faced brat?’

Country bumpkins who just arrived in the city would do anything to get recognized. This kid was probably one of them.

A waste of talent, really.

Gu Ak-pyeong relaxed a bit as he looked at Won Seung. He was a little drunk, but after clawing his way up from the bottom of the underworld, there was no way he’d lose to a rookie like this.

Then, suddenly, he glanced around. Maybe this kid was just the bait, and the real threat was elsewhere.

His eyes landed on one of the curtains hanging from the wall. If he pulled that, the subordinates waiting between the fourth and fifth floors would come rushing up.

Whenever he was in Flower Clear Pavilion, there were always ten men on standby.

He should have considered how Won Seung got past them. But after confirming there was no one else around, he regained his composure.

Won Seung watched Gu Ak-pyeong’s every move closely.

A selfish man. Maybe just past forty? His face bore the marks of years spent living only for himself. There was also a hint of greed and impatience.

And drinking at a time like this...

With the fate of Xiangyang hanging on a martial arts duel, the so-called leader of the Black Society was drinking himself into a stupor until dawn?

‘Guess the rumors about him being a fake are true.’

No way someone who can’t read the times is the real boss.

Gu Ak-pyeong assumed Won Seung’s silence meant he was scared.

‘He’s frightened now that he’s facing me. If I handle him right, I might be able to get something out of him.’

Still a bit tipsy, Gu Ak-pyeong continued to interpret everything in his favor.

He never wondered why Won Seung came alone, or why he took off his mask at the last moment.

Putting on a stern voice, Gu Ak-pyeong said,

"You’ve got guts for your age. I’ll spare your life. Tell me who sent you, and I’ll let you go."

He spoke as if granting a favor, then poured himself a drink and flicked the cup across the table.

The cup spun through the air and landed right in front of Won Seung.

It was an impressive display.

‘How much did he have to drink to learn a trick like that?’

Won Seung looked at him with pity, but Gu Ak-pyeong mistook it for awe and smiled in satisfaction.

He’d shown the kid the difference in their level. Now it was time to coax him.