12 – 01# Hair’s Breadth Escape (12)

In the pitch-black darkness, where even the moonlight was obscured by the storm clouds, a group of people moved with a practiced efficiency. The door to the inn, its business concluded, was firmly locked.

But such a trivial matter was of little concern to them. One of them, after confirming the door was secured, promptly drew his sword and lightly cleaved through it.

A stroke imbued with the mysteries of the Mo Yong Clan’s famed quick-draw swordsmanship effortlessly sliced through the door as if it were tofu. Those behind him, witnessing the spectacle, swiftly entered the building.

Indeed, even spoiled, the crucian carp retains some flavor. They don’t hold a corner of the Five Great Clans for nothing. Leaving aside everything else, their skill alone was worthy of being called first-class.

The only thing they hadn’t anticipated was that their quarry wasn’t quietly asleep inside the inn, but watching them from the rooftop, not far off.

Thanks to the moonlight, slowly revealing itself as the clouds passed, Soo-ah’s face, contorted in shock, was clearly visible.

“N-no way… Hee-soo Sajae has always been so helpful to me…!!”

At first, it was hard to believe. Hee-soo Sajae a traitor? Even if it was Great Hero who said it, she was still one of the few from the Clan who had given us a lot of help.

[I understand how you feel. Then let’s hide nearby and watch tonight.]

Thanks to Great Hero’s words, Soo-ah could feel some relief. Surely, he was misunderstanding something. So she can clarify in person.

But the reward for such firm, unwavering belief was utter betrayal. So Martial artists really did attack the inn, just as Great Hero had said! In all likelihood, Hee-soo Soje had betrayed us…

Reaching that conclusion, Soo-ah tore at her hair, her face a mask of anguish. All the memories she had shared with Hee-soo Soje twisted into blades, stabbing her from within.

It hurts. It hurts so much.

The past is being dyed red with blood.

What was I, anyway?

Negative emotions seized my legs, pulling me towards the abyss. As if someone pressed down on my chest, my breath caught in my throat. Thankfully, the rope of salvation was tossed sooner than I anticipated.

“Do not be swept away. Hold your mind firmly.”

“…Forgive me, Great Hero.”

As if by a lie, Sua felt her breathing ease again at those words of the nameless one. As long as she was with him, she felt as if she could safely escape, even if it were Hell. Such was her belief.

Wasn’t it the Nameless Great Hero who was first to notice Moryong Hee-soo’s betrayal? Sua gazed at Myeong with eyes filled with respect and whispered quietly,

“But, Great Hero, how did you notice?”

“I know similar sorts.”

“Pardon? What does that…”

“A slip of the tongue. Pay it no mind.”

Here, the “similar sorts” Myeong spoke of were none other than the Demonic Sect. The Demonic Sect was a frequent fixture in most martial arts novels, and they were all utterly deranged fellows.

In particular, if one were to pick a representative characteristic, one could cite their blood-red hair as an example. That was one of the reasons why he was certain when he encountered Moryong Hee-soo at the inn.

‘I was merely suspicious, but it was as I thought. Not just any shade of red, but blood-red hair? Then there is no need to look further.’

Adding to that, his behavior was suspicious. There was no way Myeong could avoid suspecting Moryong Hee-soo. But Sua took Myeong’s words to mean something entirely different.

If she had been an ordinary person, she would have simply accepted it as such. But Sua was a genius born with monstrous perception. Therefore, she immediately grasped the hidden meaning within.

‘…Could it be that there is a hidden backer behind this?’

Certainly, something had been odd from the very beginning. An ultimate master, someone of the skill that only one or two might be found among the Five Great Houses or the Nine Sects, was living in seclusion in the mountains without any connection to the world.

Ultimate masters were those who had reached the sublime state, as high as the heavens, through their own insights alone. But for an unwavering master who could shake the earth to willingly lower himself and hide?

Anyone who had even a little experience in the martial world would immediately realize how absurd that sounded. Nevertheless, the Nameless Great Hero was living in seclusion alone.

What if there was a reason he had to? What if the Great Hero was truly fighting a lonely battle against unknown, shadowy forces? It was certainly close to fantasy, but…

It wasn’t entirely impossible either. Even the head of the Moryong Clan had suddenly changed so drastically, hadn’t he? Just a few years ago, he hadn’t been this way.

‘There is nothing I can be sure of for now. But…’

The feeling that something overwhelming was behind all of this…

It certainly couldn’t be just my imagination.

◇

The inn did not detain its nocturnal guests for long. Despite the martial artists searching every inch, they failed to find us. Only the innocent innkeeper suffered misfortune.

I quietly watched the movements of the martial artists from the roof. While I would acknowledge their swift and disciplined manner, they were quite slow in my eyes. That meant they weren’t first-rate.

‘Come to think of it, it was said that the majority of the Moryong Clan’s martial artists had left.’

Which meant that most of the martial artists that could be called the Moryong Clan’s strength were not here. Even if that wasn’t the case, their numbers would certainly be reduced. If that was the case, then now was the only opportunity.

“Wait here.”

“Where are you going?”

“I shall pry the information from them myself.”

“Understood, Great Hero.”

With the strength of the Murong Clan diminished, those gathered there possess the knowledge of the Clan’s inner workings. This is, without question, a golden opportunity.

*Even with their losses, Elders and the Clan Head must still protect their home. To charge into the Murong Clan alone is, without doubt, suicide.*

I leapt lightly, landing amidst the assembled warriors. I must’ve landed quite silently, for none seemed to notice me. In the end, I cleared my throat to draw their attention.

“What is it you seek so earnestly?”

“…?! Scatter at once!”

“Since when have you been behind us?!”

“Focus! He’s no ordinary master!”

Indeed, even in decline, a prestigious name remains. Their shock at being ambushed was fleeting. Swiftly, they dispersed, forming a loose encirclement around me.

Yet, despite their rapid response, they could not mask the tension in their eyes. It was inevitable, for the gulf between the second-rate and the first-rate is as vast as the sky.

This is why I afford myself this leisure, refraining from drawing my sword. Had I faced a warrior of equal standing, there would be no room for such dalliance. I would have to fight with all my strength.

Understand, I do not linger out of vanity, to hear myself praised. My leisure is simply that of not drawing my sword and unleashing a killing blow.

[Before you take a life, contemplate it deeply. Consider it again. But once you have resolved to act, never hesitate.]

“I have questions for you all. Answer them honestly, and no one need be injured or die.”

The teachings of the old man, a mentor and father to me, are etched in my heart. Thus, I spoke directly, offering them a warning. With a sincere hope that I would not have to draw my blade.

“What is there to fear from such a feeble old man? Why are you all so afraid?”

“Do not judge by appearances alone. Your skill is not yet refined enough to sense it.”

“Tch! Enough. I, too, reached the second-rate level at twenty-two. We can handle this old codger ourselves.”

“Do not act recklessly. You might truly die.”

“What is this pitiful old fool saying!”

The one who stepped forward, shouting defiantly, was a youth of considerable size. Truly, confidence befitting his physique, yet, alas, it hastened his end.

His blade, drawn from its scabbard, aimed directly for my neck. A blatant killing strike, imbued with lethal intent, drew a sigh from me. Before you take a life, contemplate it deeply. Consider it again.

But once you have resolved to act.

Never hesitate.

Ignoring the youth’s slow technique, I drew my sword, and with it, severed his head. Then, I sheathed my blade once more. Only then did the youth’s head strike the ground.

“Mo, Murong Hoseong, defeated in a single blow?!”

“Scores of warriors of equal skill couldn’t even make him flinch!”

“I shall ask again.”

The commotion that erupted from the stillness of the night abruptly ceased after those words. An unpleasant taste lingering, I swallowed and gazed at them, speaking with absolute certainty.

“This time, it would behoove you to answer truthfully. Or else…”

You might really die.