Chapter 23 "All of them here? How many were there?"
"Excluding this one, three in total."
Another unexpected complication.
To think the assassin targeting me and the one who attacked Yulim belonged to the same sect.
Jin Cheong-ak crouched beside Yeo Il and studied her face with eyes that were far from serious.
"That's the look of someone who's remembered something, Master."
His expression made it clear he had already guessed what that "something" was.
Yeo Il had never told Jin Cheong-ak about her past.
But though she had told neither the old man nor the Seol siblings, Jin Cheong-ak alone knew that the Salmak brand had once been burned into her back.
It had been unavoidable. He had never mentioned it, yet he must have roughly guessed that she had once been a Salmak assassin.
Jin Cheong-ak spoke.
"You can't be certain based on the location alone, can you? Those fellows never called themselves Salmak either."
"I never mentioned Salmak."
He ignored her non-denial and continued.
"After the Hao Sect was exterminated, imitators sprang up everywhere. Likewise, after Salmak vanished without a trace, assassin sects imitating their methods began appearing one after another. Leaving marks to recognize one another like this… I even saw two who carved it into their eyeballs."
His reasoning was sound.
There was no guarantee that the unknown sect attacking Yeo Il and Yulim was Salmak.
If there was one definite truth—
They were likely also the ones who had assassinated the real Namgung Soyo.
…Was that truly so?
The more she considered it, the more inconsistencies surfaced.
If the assassins who targeted her and Yulim all belonged to the same sect, then why had the Blood-Seeking Sword Ghost shown no sign whatsoever of knowing she was a fake Namgung Soyo?
Likewise, Namgung Hui-myeong and Yeo Il had been ambushed simultaneously in different locations.
Something is strange. It feels as though several matters are tangled together.
There was undoubtedly an important truth she did not yet know.
For instance… what if Namgung Jeok-myeong was not the only one targeting Namgung Soyo?
Jin Cheong-ak watched her thoughtful expression, then smiled faintly.
"What do you think, Master? Shall we wake him and interrogate him?"
"No need. And I told you to call me Miss Namgung."
"Then shall I dispose of him, Miss Namgung Master?"
Yeo Il shot him a look for deliberately emphasizing "Master," then rose to her feet.
"Ah. Since you dislike killing, shall we leave him be, Miss Namgung Master?"
She turned her back without answering.
Jin Cheong-ak chuckled quietly and followed, leaving the assassin where he lay.
When they returned to the medical hall, Namgung Hui-myeong had finished regulating his qi and was lightly stretching.
"Lord Hui-myeong, you're awake. Are you feeling well?"
At the sight of Yeo Il, he frowned and scolded her.
"You saw that kind of danger and still wander at night… Weak as you are, yet you act brave. Learn to be afraid."
"I'm sorry. With Hero Jin guarding me, I suppose I felt somewhat reassured."
At that, Namgung Hui-myeong's gaze shifted to Jin Cheong-ak, who followed at an unhurried pace.
"You are the one? The Brother Ak who helped us?"
"Well. It was not intentional. It simply happened that way."
Though his words and tone were vague, Namgung Hui-myeong showed no displeasure.
Instead, he cupped his fists and bowed.
"My thanks. Because of you, my sister and retainers preserved their lives. This debt—I will repay in the name of the Namgung Clan."
Just as Yeo Il found his straightforward gratitude unexpected—
"Ah, debts are good. I welcome that. I was just about to settle somewhere. Would there happen to be a vacant position as Miss Namgung's bodyguard? Being a servant does not suit me."
"…Soyo's bodyguard?"
Under Namgung Hui-myeong's sharp stare, Jin Cheong-ak smoothly fabricated,
"I recall assisting Miss Namgung when she was previously threatened by assassins. I was thinking perhaps this, too, is fate."
"Soyo, is that true? The hyupgaek who helped you then was Hero Jin?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"…Quite a coincidence. Very well. I shall consult my elder brother, the Sogaju (Clan Heir), regarding this matter. Please wait for an answer."
"Waiting is no trouble."
Thus Jin Cheong-ak's lodging was decided as naturally as flowing water.
Seol-yeong stared at Namgung Hui-myeong in disbelief.
"Goodness… Brother Ak is not suspicious, but is it truly fine to decide so easily?"
"You insolent attendant. Do not speak nonsense. Would a man go back on his word?"
Coldly rebuking him, Namgung Hui-myeong resumed stretching.
In any case, if Jin Cheong-ak could enter the Namgung Clan, there would be no loss. Yeo Il remained silent.
Before long, Yulim appeared.
Reclining casually in the medical hall and idly twirling a blade of grass, Jin Cheong-ak asked,
"Yulim. What exactly is that accursed object drawing assassins to you?"
Yulim appeared startled but did not answer at once.
"What? Still no intention of speaking? How dull. You are fortunate I happened to remain nearby. Had I left a little earlier…"
He let his words trail off while glancing at Yeo Il, as though refraining from adding, You would have been slaughtered and the item taken, would you not?
"Perhaps not for me—but does not Young Master Namgung, who has already stepped one foot into the afterlife, have the right to know?"
Namgung Hui-myeong, clearly curious about the object Yulim guarded so fiercely, stopped moving.
"…Hero Jin speaks rightly. So many have stepped forward to aid me alone. It would be shameless to speak only of secrets."
At last, Yulim withdrew from her robe a piece of paper so worn it was nearly torn.
Handling it with great care, she unfolded it.
Seol-yeong let out a hollow laugh.
"That's the treasure? Does it show where a spiritual medicine is buried?"
"Yes."
Seol-yeong fell silent.
Even Namgung Hui-myeong stared in surprise.
A spiritual medicine.
The dream of every martial artist—irresistible, and therefore dangerous.
A legendary herb said to revive the dying, grant centuries of internal qi, and elevate an ordinary man to a peak master.
The map Yulim unfolded was faint. The characters and markings were barely visible, yet none dared approach too closely.
Unable to contain himself, Namgung Hui-myeong asked,
"What manner of spiritual medicine is it that those ruffians targeted such a tattered map?"
"Gongcheongseokyu."
At the name, even Jin Cheong-ak raised an eyebrow slightly. Seol-yeong leapt to his feet.
"Gongcheongseokyu! The legendary medicine said to revive the dying? It truly exists?"
Yulim smiled faintly and carefully folded the paper away.
"So it is said… though honestly, I do not know. The location marked has been searched many times without success."
"Could it be a smokescreen? If it is a treasure passed down through generations of the Mount Hua Sect, it would not be false."
"Perhaps. Or perhaps some shameless person secretly took it long ago…"
Jin Cheong-ak asked,
"So the old ghost was after Gongcheongseokyu?"
"Yes. More precisely, the group to which the Blood-Seeking Sword Ghost belonged."
"Hah." Seol-yeong exhaled deeply. "Until we reach Mount Hua, we will be plagued by thieves. Surely… someone stronger than that old man will not appear?"
"Ahem. In that case…"
Clearing her throat awkwardly, Yulim added carefully,
"I know it is shameless to ask… but may I accompany you on your journey?"
All eyes turned to Yeo Il.
She nodded without hesitation.
"Please take care of us for the time being."
Not long after—
As though their previous hardships had been meaningless, the party—now grown from three to six—arrived at their destination without further incident.
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