“Keeeaargh……!”
Bin Namgung revealed thick veins on his forehead while clutching his ears.
Where his ears should have been, there was nothing left to grasp.
No matter how hard he tried to feel for what was missing, all he managed to clutch in his hand was a tuft of hair and a little clot of blood.
“…This… who would have….”
“Damn it…! It’ll take a good while to get used to this….”
Staring at the moving lips of the man known as Guan Zun, Namgung Bin gritted his teeth.
The fact that his ears were gone didn’t make him completely deaf.
Sounds were just much muffled.
The piercing pain wasn’t something he paid much attention to.
Because expressing the pain wouldn’t change anything.
“So, who taught you to act so carelessly?”
“…Damn. It’s become so much harder to understand.”
“You should be grateful he stopped with just your ears. If you weren’t his partner, he would’ve torn your head apart instead.”
“…Ears…just…stopped… Hmph.”
Namgung Bin painstakingly tried to guess what Guan Zun was saying by analyzing his lip movements.
Fortunately, the loss of his ears hadn’t diminished his eyesight and ability to discern. If he stared hard enough, he could roughly grasp the meaning of the words.
But for Bin Namgung, this was an unfortunate situation.
“Ah, by the way, there’s one more favor I’d like to ask.”
“Another one? After you’ve already taken his ears.”
“It’s an important request concerning money.”
“…Money, you say?”
“Yes, money.”
Guan Zun continued with a calm smile.
“The location is prime, but…the master dislikes paying taxes.”
“How can you, who extracts heavy taxes from martial artists across the land, say such nonsense.”
“It may seem absurd, but every year, I pay a tremendous amount of tax. That supports hundreds of commoners. And now you’re asking for more? It simply doesn’t make sense.”
“The very fact that you possess such wealth is absurd.”
“You fool, do you want me to rip your nose off this time?”
“Grrr…!”
While Namgung Bin suppressed his rage with a groan, Guan Zun smoothly moved on to his next sentence.
Upon hearing it, Namgung Bin’s face darkened with irritation.
Guan Zun was far more cunning than Namgung Bin had anticipated.
“Will you help me launder the money?”
“What…?”
“It’s simple. The name on the papers will be yours. The profits will come to me. You’ll pay the taxes, and the actual benefits will go to me. Can’t you do at least this much?”
“Hmph.”
Wouldn’t anyone get furious hearing such a thing, especially when they were already missing one ear?
Of course, Namgung Bin wasn’t foolish enough to let his anger show outwardly.
Thus, he only put on a superficial act of dissatisfaction.
Along with a sprinkle of genuine resentment.
“You’re asking to wipe the soup off my face after I’ve fed you plain noodles.”
“Wouldn’t that be worth the price you paid for Sword Sage’s cooperation?”
“….”
“If you refuse, then that’s fine. I have nothing to lose.”
“Hmph, fine. I have no choice but to comply.”
“A rational assessment of the situation. Excellent. Hehehe.”
Like forcing down a bitter tea, Namgung Bin reluctantly agreed, bowing and standing up.
Guan Zun’s arrogant attitude was bothersome.
But more importantly, Guan Zun was right.
Sword Sage’s cooperation.
It would be both clean and without repercussions since it was legally justified. Even someone monstrous like Namgung Cheolbin would have difficulty taking on the Imperial Academy, the Royal Guards, and Guan Zun all at once.
Most importantly, this would avoid drawing the resentment of Soeun Yu.
This matter would be carried out as a completely legitimate legal enforcement, and it would have no connection to him.
Even if it did cost him more money, completing the task decisively and moving on peacefully was a sensible judgment.
“Mmph…….”
After covering the area where his ear once was, Namgung Bin left the government office and immediately made his way to the Namgung Estate.
By now, Soeun Yu and Su-a Namgung should have returned after completing the Seven Flowers Meeting.
Whooosh-.
A strong gust of wind blew through his clothing.
It was almost as if nature itself was whispering that the miraculous ease with which everything had gone thus far wouldn’t continue around him.
The events in Salcheng, and these matters with Guan Zun.
What they thought would be the hardest of all—Sword Sage’s downfall—had strangely succeeded with help from someone.
Yet now, the aftermath was proving troublesome.
It felt like the heavens themselves were interfering with him.
‘No, they really are interfering.’
Namgung Bin grit his teeth.
‘You bastard of a sky… you damn writer.’
Between his teeth, deep anger and bitterness lingered.
‘Motherfucker, I’ll make you eat shit. I’ll make you eat shit if it kills me. You will pay for sending me here.’
Namgung Bin recalled the vow he made when he first entered the martial world.
However, there were significant obstacles he had to overcome before achieving his “goal.”
‘Even though it came to Guan Zun because Salcheng didn’t get involved…’
“You must not assign Sword Sage’s task to anyone but me.”
Though he had only heard this phrase once, he could recite it word for word.
This was partly due to his sharp memory, but mainly because the power behind Salcheng’s words had been incredibly strong.
Namgung Bin also remembered other statements she made, like:
“It’s only a warning.”
“If you ignore the warning, I will sever your head.”
Since he’d already gone to Guan Zun, there was no turning back.
‘How can I possibly get away from Salcheng… Who would have thought that the little brat would grow up to become one of the five greats?’
If Salcheng’s reason for not killing Sword Sage stemmed from affection…
Then, in Namgung Bin’s thinking,
‘Offering her more money than that affection would suffice.’
For there was nothing more valuable than ‘money.’
And, just now, he had successfully negotiated with Guan Zun using that very ‘money.’
‘What should I liquidate this time… Sichuan branch? Or maybe the Jinling Trade of Hubei? It was a pretty profitable enterprise though…’
Having gotten rid of one worry, a new one popped up, prompting Namgung Bin to briskly walk toward the Namgung estate.
Suddenly, a gust of wind struck his aching spot.
Whooosh-!
They say the wind can be as sharp as a blade.
Namgung Bin felt the truth of that old saying as he covered the spot where his ear used to be.
He had already been covering it, but now he tightened his fingers to ensure not a single wind could pass through.
“Haa… Fuck.”
The anxiety about living earless crept in.
He could hear muffled sounds, and by reading lips, he could roughly understand what people were saying, but…
“The looks might draw quite some attention…”
Creak-
Namgong Bin reached into his pocket and fumbled with the detached ear piece still inside.
Maybe, if it hadn’t completely decayed, he could reattach it.
“Once I get back, I really must check the basement first.”
Muttering to himself, Namgung Bin quickened his pace to return to the Namgung estate as soon as possible.
Behind him, unseen by the ordinary eye, were the assassins of Salgeom, who followed from a distance, clinging to him like shadows in the dark.
*
Byul Rak was placing Jin Gayoung in the carriage alongside Jade Flower.
The creaky carriage wasn’t large enough for all three, so Jade Flower naturally took her place on the driver’s seat and prepared to drive.
And at some distance, there was someone watching them.
“F, finally, I’ve met my nemesis…”
A rare pink hairstyle, impossible to forget once seen, swayed softly among the leaves.
The excitement of finally meeting Sword Sage caused the girl’s body to keep trembling.
The girl wore a wide hat pulled so low that her eyes were completely hidden when facing the front.
“Haa, haa…! Finally…! My nemesis right there…!”
Each time the girl gasped, the two peaks dangling from her chest rose and fell repeatedly.
She possessed a commanding yet modest figure despite the tight bindings around her chest.
“What shall we do first, my nemesis…? Maybe a life-and-death duel?”
The girl was already painting a happy scenario in her mind, despite never having had a proper conversation with him.
Having lived as the strongest assassin, never forming human connections, she couldn’t help herself.
The girl was fully aware of this fact.
And of her shortcoming.
“But it’s fine, right? We can gradually develop our relationship together with my nemesis from now on, right? Yeah, there’ll be no problems.”
But maybe because of how overexcited she was, even her shortcomings looked positive.
In fact, imagining overcoming her shortcomings with her nemesis made her feel even better.
Whirl-.
In one hand, a dagger twirled around her finger like a part of her body.
An old habit for this girl who always had her dagger close.
“Hmm… is that Jade Flower? Why is Jade Flower playing driver? But, now that the principal is here, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Coo-.
“Ah? A messenger pigeon?”
Above the branch where the girl stood, a pigeon fluttered down gracefully and landed on her hand.
Even carrying a person, the thin branch remained straight, indirectly showcasing her exceptional skills.
Coo, cooo-.
“Haa… it’s an important moment, and what kind of person sends a messenger pigeon now? I’m in the middle of something more important than this….”
As the girl looked at the pigeon with irritation, her gaze fell upon the letter tied to its leg.
Eager to quickly reach ‘her nemesis,’ the girl hastily tore open the crumpled letter.
It had endured harsh conditions, as significant portions were torn and worn.
But as a message from Salgeom, it wasn’t unclear enough to be unreadable.
“What… what is this?”
Until she tore the letter, the girl only exuded slight frustration.
But as she unfolded it and began reading its contents, her anger started to snowball.
– Namgung Bin, met with Guan Zun seven days ago.
– The Chief of the Royal Guard has issued an urgent summons.
– Guan Zun, met with the Chief of the East Academy eight days ago.
– Suspected to be plotting against Sword Sage.
The overwhelming sense of indignation surged through her mind.
How dare they…
Dare to defy her orders?
Dare to meddle with her nemesis again?
No.
Dare to interfere with her precious reunion with her nemesis like this?
The deep and immense fury began to overwhelm the pink-haired girl.
Krraaak-!
The girl’s, or rather Salgeom’s, grip tightened cruelly.
The pigeon in her clutches squawked in pain, but Salgeom paid no mind.
Rather, she didn’t even notice.
“Y-you.”
Swoosh-.
The overwhelming killing intent that spewed from Salgeom’s body shook the natural world.
If less sensitive humans couldn’t sense it, the wild animals and small birds screamed in terror and fled in the opposite direction.
An enormous, almost surreal presence, beyond what one person should emit, covered the mountain.
The pigeon she held had long fainted.
“Motherfucker.”
Bang-!
Salgeom stomped on the branch.
As the thin branch wobbled slightly, her figure soared into the sky with momentum, like an arrow piercing the heavens.
She dashed through the air, lightly stepping on it, the wind as her companion, moving as fast as a flash of lightning.
Even the bamboo hat atop her head, unwavering amidst her rapid movement, reflected the transcendent realm that Salgeom had attained.
“Wen Shu, please wait for a moment.”
Flying toward the Anhui direction where the Namgung Estate was located, Hong Ryun looked back with a wistful expression.
The natural disaster of killing intent that she had just emitted was nowhere to be seen, and she displayed a gentle, pitiful face of unmistakable youth.
Even her slightly bent eyebrows had a few small teardrops hanging.
“Hurry back after finishing work… Don’t look at other places in the meantime…”
No one would believe this expression belonged to one of the Five Greats, Salgeom.
“Sniff…”
Whirr-!
True, her expression aside, the silhouette of her moving dozens of zhang in an instant was undeniably that of Salgeom, the best assassin in the world.
