Chapter 1
Near Cheonju Mountain.
Here, an assassin lay in wait, holding his breath as he watched the mountain pass.
A carriage that had been racing through the drifting mist gradually slowed before finally coming to a stop within a secluded stretch of forest.
The surroundings were silent, devoid of any human presence. Having deliberately taken a wide detour beneath the cliffs to prepare for unforeseen danger, such quiet was not strange.
"Young Lady, it would be best to rest here briefly before we continue."
A moment later, a servant opened the carriage door.
Holding the servant's hand, the woman carefully stepped onto the ground. Despite being accompanied by nothing more than a single carriage and one attendant along such a remote mountain ridge, her bearing alone made it obvious that she possessed no ordinary status.
The assassin concealed behind a tree steadied his breathing.
Has the time come.
At last, the moment had arrived to reap the reward of trailing her without rest. The assassin's eyes sharpened as he observed the woman slowly moving her steps.
"Please sit here and rest for a moment. I will bring something light to eat."
"You've worked hard, Seol-yeong."
"Please do not say that."
After the attendant left, the woman slowly drew in a breath. Moving quietly along with the sound of the wind, the assassin advanced step by step while repeating her name inwardly.
Namgung Soyo.
The illegitimate daughter of the Namgung Clan who had appeared without warning roughly half a month ago.
She was said to be the younger sister of Namgung Jeok-myeong, the Namgung Clan's Sogaju, born ten years apart from him, and frail since birth, having grown up recuperating deep within the mountains.
Yet that story was nothing more than a convenient façade. The commonly accepted truth was that she had been driven beyond Cheonju Mountain as though cast out.
Now that she had reached marriageable age, the clan had summoned her back only to send her even farther away again under the pretext of marriage. It was treatment cold enough to inspire revulsion.
Did she fall out of the Gaju's favor?
Yet her conduct, for an illegitimate daughter, was said to be proper in every regard.
The Namgung Clan's Gaju was old and gravely ill. Rumors spread widely that he had developed an illness of the heart after failing to overcome grief for his wife, who had died suddenly years ago.
That a man once called the Thunderbolt One Dragon now hovered at death's door because of a mere illness of the mind was almost laughable.
When humans stand before the River of the Three Paths, they usually wish to cast off the sins of the mortal world. If she was truly his own daughter, he ought to have taken her in and cared for her rather than treat her this way.
Not that it concerns me.
Clicking his tongue briefly, the assassin dismissed the stray thoughts and stepped forward once more.
"Emperor Wu of Liang once asked Patriarch Bodhidharma."
At that moment, a drifting voice rode upon the quiet mountain wind.
"Since I ascended the throne, built temples, compiled Buddhist scriptures, and aided monks—how great is my merit?"
Namgung Soyo's voice, as delicate as that of a celestial maiden, was clear yet strangely dry and hollow.
"And Bodhidharma replied."
The assassin approached silently—and in the instant their eyes met—
"There is no merit at all."
Ah!
A short gasp escaped the assassin before he realized it.
Indeed… a single blossom.
Her round, pale face seemed carved from white jade, her lowered lashes fluttering like butterfly wings.
A gently broad forehead and a small, refined nose created perfect harmony in her features, while the faint curve of her lips carried the purity of an iris in bloom.
Though not as fragile in figure as rumors claimed, she possessed the gentle dignity befitting a daughter of a prestigious clan.
Even if she was only an illegitimate daughter.
It seemed his brief sigh had drawn Namgung Soyo's attention.
Her upper body turned toward where the man stood—though the direction was subtly misaligned rather than precise.
"Seol-yeong?"
Yes. This unfortunate flower could not see.
The man gave no reply and tightened his grip around the dagger.
As an assassin, he carried the mission to kill this ill-fated young woman.
Perhaps sensing unease in the silence, Namgung Soyo stepped back and asked again.
"Who is there?"
"..."
"Whose orders do you serve?"
Was it because she was blind? The young woman's perception was unexpectedly sharp. Or perhaps she had faced threats like this many times before.
What could this woman possibly be?
Until now, she had been protected beneath the shelter of the greatest sword clan in the Central Plains. But not today.
For three days, the assassin had waited for the moment Namgung Soyo would be left alone.
That moment was now.
Yet standing before the flashing dagger, Namgung Soyo appeared nothing but pitiful and fragile.
A blind woman frozen stiff, unable even to flee. For some reason, the sight tugged at his heart, and the assassin spoke out of uncharacteristic pity.
"Lady Namgung. If you quietly offer your neck, I will send you off without pain."
Namgung Soyo slowly shook her head.
"I asked whose orders you serve."
"I cannot tell you."
"…Was it Brother Namgung Jeok-myeong?"
"I said I cannot tell you."
For some reason, Namgung Soyo remained strangely calm.
Even in this deserted place, a sudden scream could become troublesome. Casting aside his awkward sympathy, the assassin hurled his dagger toward her heart.
But events did not unfold as he expected.
"…Though we saw, we did not see; though we met, we did not truly meet."
Her jade-green sleeve fluttered like waves painting the air.
"Then as now, regret and resentment remain."
Her beautiful voice brushed his ears like a whisper.
The pale face that should have appeared far beyond reach suddenly stood directly before him.
What—?!
At that same instant, the assassin realized something.
Namgung Soyo's eyes were fixed precisely on his face.
Damn it.
He instinctively drew his sword—but the counterattack came far too late. An overwhelming grip pressed down upon the hand holding his weapon, leaving him unable to move.
The assassin wondered if he was dreaming while standing awake.
Otherwise, how could a woman with such soft hands subdue him so effortlessly?
Then suddenly—without reason—his body regained freedom.
Now!
Seizing the chance, the assassin drew his sword and slashed toward Namgung Soyo's neck.
No—he tried to.
Kiiiik—
Seeing his blade blocked uselessly by the very dagger he had thrown earlier, a hollow laugh escaped him.
It had been an attack infused with internal energy.
Once more.
One more time.
This time for sure—!
No matter how he gritted his teeth, nothing changed.
With that short dagger alone, Namgung Soyo deflected every move he made. Before her blade, his limbs were no more than reeds in the wind.
How… how could this possibly be?
Cold sweat slid down his back.
Something was terribly wrong.
Was the woman before him truly the disgraced Namgung Soyo of the Namgung Clan?
But by the time he acknowledged the gap between them, it was already too late. The assassin dropped his sword, while she merely watched him with calm eyes.
Further resistance is meaningless.
Only one option remained.
The assassin pulled out the final dagger hidden within his robes and attempted to take his own life.
Even that failed.
Whoosh—
"Ugh."
The first dagger flew like a wedge and shattered the second.
Rendered helpless like a child, the assassin abandoned even the effort to grit his teeth and let everything go.
"Kill me."
He closed his eyes, waiting for death to descend.
Yet no matter how long he waited, silence filled the surroundings.
When he cautiously opened his eyes again, the beautiful woman stood right before him—
wearing that same tranquil expression.
"Buttocks."
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