[5th. It’s a mission. Proceed to the designated location.]
The note that Jeom So-yi secretly handed to Cheon Sal-seong during dinner contained information from the assassin group to which Cheon Sal-seong belonged, Salmak.
Cheon Sal-seong, curious about the smiling man beside her, excused herself and stepped out into the street.
The sun had already set, and the shops in the bustling marketplace were winding down for the day.
After wandering through the market for a while, Cheon Sal-seong quietly entered a store tucked away in a shadowy alley and opened a concealed door.
“You’ve arrived. Sit down.”
Inside the secret room was a middle-aged man sipping tea.
“What’s the mission?”
Cheon Sal-seong asked without even sitting down.
“Impatient, aren’t we? We should catch up before getting to the point. You can’t just blurt it out like that.”
The middle-aged man, the branch leader of Salmak, gestured for her to sit.
“No time to waste.”
“That makes sense. I hear things are getting heated with a black-haired man these days.”
“We’re not that close.”
“Close or not, there’s only one reason a man and a woman share the same room.”
The man raised an eyebrow, smirking. Cheon Sal-seong shot him a glare, but no one in Salmak would shrink from such a look.
“We’re just together to find out some things.”
“The relationship between men and women is always like this. It starts with knowing what foods they like, what charms they respond to, and eventually moves on to positions they enjoy.”
“I’m leaving.”
Cheon Sal-seong turned to exit the room.
“Oh come on, can’t even joke with you? The next mission is to head to Hangseong, near Baekun Mountain. The local branch will provide detailed info.”
“Hangseong?”
That’s too far. She’s currently in Hubei Province. If it’s a mission within Hubei, that’s doable, but moving to another province means a grueling journey.
Would the man come along? She had just started to make a living. Could he abandon that stability for her? Cheon Sal-seong wasn’t sure.
“Yes, Hangseong. Why?”
“It’s too far. I’m refusing this mission.”
In the end, Cheon Sal-seong decided to reject the mission.
“Wow! The day has come when 5th refuses a mission. Is this the first time? Have you found something more important in life?”
The man’s eyes curved like crescent moons, a sly expression on his face.
Cheon Sal-seong suddenly felt like she could quell her murderous intent simply by killing this man.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“It’s fine to reject the mission, but… does he know you’re Cheon Sal-seong?”
At those words, Cheon Sal-seong, who had turned toward the door, froze.
“That doesn’t matter.”
Though her reply was brave, there was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes.
“If a woman who sleeps in the same room as a man could turn around and kill him in the middle of the night, I think she ought to know. You might avoid the mission and keep your murderous intent under control now, but if you keep refusing missions just because you don’t want to part with him, you might end up losing him forever.”
The middle-aged man subtly warned her that she could send her partner to the afterlife.
For Cheon Sal-seong, her murderous intent was like an insatiable hunger.
Even someone on a strict diet still finds themselves hunting for food if they get too hungry at night.
During the day, she might maintain her willpower and control her hunger, but at night, she instinctively finds herself rummaging through the fridge.
Cheon Sal-seong was no different.
During the day, she could wield her will and martial arts to control her murderous intent, but at night, that control could slip. If her murderous intent swelled too high while she slept, she would first look to feast on the most delectable man in sight.
“…Can you bring me the Binding Technique?”
Cheon Sal-seong pondered for a moment before requesting a temporary solution to control her murderous intent.
“You want to use the Binding Technique? Just keep in mind, it won’t just suppress your murderous intent. If I recall correctly, binding yourself with it leaves you defenseless. Didn’t your master allow only him to use it to bind you? You want that?”
The Binding Technique.
It’s a rope woven with various spells from the hide of a spirit, capable of suppressing Cheon Sal-seong’s emotions and martial arts.
The Binding Technique was crafted with utmost care by Salmak when Cheon Sal-seong began swinging her blade under the influence of her murderous intent at night.
Of course, such an artifact couldn’t completely prevent Cheon Sal-seong from being consumed by her murderous intent.
It was merely a supportive tool for sleeping at night.
“I’m already using something similar. Get it for me.”
Cheon Sal-seong wore her ninja attire during important assassination missions. That outfit had similar spells embedded in the strings.
Eating while on a diet can ironically increase hunger.
Similarly, when Cheon Sal-seong resorted to killing, her need for murder might not diminish but could instead intensify. The strings on her ninja outfit helped her control such situations.
An artifact that slightly suppresses her murderous intent without restraining her martial arts or emotions. She already possessed something of a similar nature, albeit less effective than the Binding Technique.
“It should be at Salmak, but getting it will take some time. Can you hold out until then?”
“…”
The days spent with the man hadn’t caused her murderous intent to surge, but would she continue to be okay until the Binding Technique arrived?
Cheon Sal-seong couldn’t provide a definite answer.
The man smiled, sensing her uncertainty, and reached under the chair.
“I knew you would say that! Here it is!”
The middle-aged man pulled out the Binding Technique from a nearby box.
“How?”
Cheon Sal-seong was taken aback as she saw the artifact that her master should have possessed appear before her.
“Your master heard the news and urgently sent this. There’s a note too, so you should take it along.”
Cheon Sal-seong accepted the Binding Technique along with the note from her master.
What could have prompted him to send this? A sense of curiosity welled up within her.
The Binding Technique was something Cheon Sal-seong had ceased using once she had gained deeper martial arts and was able to control her murderous intent through regular assassination work.
“一 Dispose of this now.”
“一 You’ll eventually need it when you get a bit older. I’ll hold onto it.”
Her master had taken the Binding Technique, which he advised her to throw away, with a strange smile that day.
Did he foresee the need to use it again?
What situation could he have anticipated that led to him sending this?
Cheon Sal-seong carefully unfolded the paper to verify its contents.
[Be sure to practice contraception.]
In that moment, Cheon Sal-seong seriously contemplated whether she should draw her sword and head to Salmak right away.
—————-
In the end, Cheon Sal-seong could not return to Salmak and found herself back at the inn where Kang Yoon-ho was staying.
She made it quickly to the door of the guest room they were sharing but hesitated to open it.
‘Is this the only way?’
She gazed at the Binding Technique in her hand and pondered.
It was an object she had been reluctant to use even during her training at Salmak. Just how desperate had she been to ask her master to get rid of it once she had learned to control her murderous intent?
Of course, if she bound herself with this, it would prevent any untoward incidents at night for a while. But being bound would leave her defenseless.
Not only would her murderous intent be suppressed, but her martial arts would also be restricted, and her emotions would be difficult to control. Even so, should she go through with it? Cheon Sal-seong stared at the black rope.
‘I need to sleep.’
She had already gone two days without sleep, watching and observing to find any suspicious signs from the man.
No matter how exceptional Cheon Sal-seong was, she couldn’t keep pondering what kind of sleep talk he might have, what his face looked like, or what he looked like as a child. It wasn’t feasible to keep worrying all night.
No matter how skilled one is in martial arts, one must still sleep and eat like any other mortal.
‘I don’t want to sleep in another room.’
It was the easiest method, but she didn’t want to resort to that.
With Kang Yoon-ho, her emotions would inexplicably fluctuate.
She feared that she might lose her composure and let her murderous intent out. If she didn’t take action now, she might never recover her past memories.
It was uncertain when she would be consumed by her murderous intent, but time was running out for her. Though she wanted to deny it, Cheon Sal-seong knew the reality.
The memories, dense like fog, never emerged despite her struggles. If she could navigate the emotional waves, perhaps one day she could pierce through the mist and retrieve those hidden memories.
She needed to keep him in her sight to navigate that journey.
‘Can I trust him?’
Binding herself would render her defenseless. Could she place her fate in his hands?
Cheon Sal-seong understood precisely what could befall a defenseless woman in this martial world. How would he treat her once she became vulnerable? Perhaps everything had been an act, and she could reveal her true self without any guard.
Even without revealing her true nature, he might have a hidden agenda and take advantage of her.
For just a moment, Cheon Sal-seong tried to envision a scenario where Kang Yoon-ho would assault her.
“Where have you been?”
Just then, his voice called from inside the room. Cheon Sal-seong flinched at the sound.
Why was she reacting like this? She hadn’t done anything wrong.
Just hearing his voice made her heart race unexpectedly.
“When will you be back?”
Kang Yoon-ho’s anxious voice calmed her turmoil.
He wasn’t relieved by her disappearance; he was looking for her. He was anxiously waiting for her return.
Cheon Sal-seong didn’t realize it, but a slight smile crept onto her lips in response to the thought.
“I’m here.”
Cheon Sal-seong put on a neutral expression and opened the door to approach him.
“Cheon So-hee?”
Could she trust him to bind this rope onto her?
Could she truly place herself in his hands?
Over the past three days, she had pondered his presence.
‘How foolish to wash blood with blood, isn’t it?’
‘No wonder I’m treated like a barbarian here.’
When a person is given strength stronger than their opponent, their true nature eventually reveals itself. Cheon Sal-seong recalled her master’s words.
He might be acting in front of her, and yet he had no reason to put on a facade today. He could have easily killed that scoundrel just by speaking a word.
And yet, he chose to forgive him.
[Be sure to practice contraception.]
She remembered the words from her master’s note.
If she became bound and defenseless, his true nature would emerge. But she wasn’t afraid.
What she witnessed of him today was undeniably that of an immortal.
Cheon Sal-seong observed the perplexed expression on Kang Yoon-ho’s face and spoke.
“Please bind me with this.”
Today she would allow this man to tie her up. She extended the black rope with resolve.
