Chapter 26

"Is the client that bastard Namgung Hyeon-sang? I heard he's a regular of the Blood Hand Sect."

As if proving Dang Ran-yeong's words to be true, the eyes of the assassins changed upon hearing this. Soon, a cold command fell like a sharp blade.

"Attack! Kill them both!"

At the same time as those words, the assassins rushed in all at once. Simultaneously, Dang Ran-yeong swung his whip in such an irregular manner, lashing at trees and bouncing it off to slash a nearby assassin. The pain must have been severe, as the assassin staggered, and the whip coiled around his neck like a snake. Before he could even break free, Dang Ran-yeong yanked it, and the assassin's neck snapped with a cracking sound, ending his life.

Even though one of them died in the blink of an eye, the assassins didn't waver at all. It would be more accurate to say they had no time to be shaken. They couldn't predict when or where hidden weapons would come out of Dang Ran-yeong's sleeves. Moreover, he hadn't even used any poison techniques yet.

"Ugh..."

Eventually, another one was hit hard in the abdomen by the whip, vomiting red blood and collapsing on the spot. He didn't die, but the internal injuries were severe, and he immediately lost consciousness. Then the assassins promptly stabbed a dagger into their comrade's neck, ending his life. It was a surprisingly cruel act.

Cheong-ra, still being trampled on, quietly watched the fight and looked for an opportunity. Dang Ran-yeong tried to move as little as possible from that spot, but when the one who seemed to be the leader of the assassins charged at him, even he had no choice. He took a step to the side and deflected the hidden weapons.

Cheong-ra didn't miss that opening. When one of the two feet trampling on him lifted, he struck the back of Dang Ran-yeong's knee. As soon as the strength in his leg slightly loosened, Cheong-ra quickly rolled his body and got up.

Then he swiftly swung his sword, cutting down an approaching assassin, and rapidly fled, leaving Dang Ran-yeong behind to fight the assassins. Dang Ran-yeong seemed to say something from behind, but Cheong-ra was too anxious to hear it. He utilized the Falling Flower Illusory Footwork to escape from that place as quickly as possible.

As he unleashed his lightness skill to the extreme, it took only a moment to get out of the mountains. He immediately returned to the market from earlier. Since he had taken off his veil in the forest, his beautiful appearance was fully exposed, instantly attracting people's attention.

"It's Young Master Baek Ri, the Moonlight Beauty Sword!"

As soon as someone shouted, people flocked to him in an instant. Cheong-ra lightly clicked his tongue and leaped into the air. His figure, soaring up lightly as if flying, gently landed on a pavilion, eliciting exclamations of admiration. Even though his clothes were dirtied from rolling on the ground because of Dang Ran-yeong, it couldn't conceal his appearance at all.

Cheong-ra, sitting on the high pavilion, didn't even think about brushing off the dirt and anxiously scanned his surroundings with heightened alertness.

"Cheong-ra!"

The first to react and find him upon hearing the news of the Moonlight Beauty Sword's appearance was Ju Mu-gwang, who had keen eyes. Soon, Geum-hye arrived, and only then did Cheong-ra feel deeply relieved. Unlike him, the two of them didn't seem to have been attacked by anyone.

"Martial Sister! Mu-gwang!"

Cheong-ra lightly descended from the pavilion and checked if the two were injured. However, after confirming their well-being and feeling relieved, a belated worry arose. It was a situation where he had practically dumped the assassins targeting him onto Dang Ran-yeong for anyone to see.

'Will he be... alright?'

Cold sweat ran down Cheong-ra's back. Putting his worries aside, he first moved to a place with fewer people along with the two.

"Junior Brother Baek Ri, what happened? Where did you go and come back from, looking so disheveled?"

Geum-hye, with a distressed face, removed the leaves stuck to Cheong-ra's messy clothes and hair. Ju Mu-gwang also looked at him with a worried expression, checking for any injuries in detail. Only then did Cheong-ra realize his disheveled state and hurriedly tidied himself up, feeling embarrassed. Then he explained in detail to the three of them what had just happened.

"Earlier, I spotted one of the expelled disciples in the market and chased after him. But..."

After hearing Cheong-ra's story, the faces of Geum-hye and Mu-gwang turned serious. The situation was far from normal, with Dang Ran-yeong appearing too frequently to be a coincidence and the assassins sent by Namgung Hyeon-sang attacking Cheong-ra.

"We were thoroughly searching the market after you suddenly disappeared. But when we went to the residence based on the information from the Beggar Sect, it was already empty, and we couldn't find them anywhere in the market."

"The information from the Beggar Sect shouldn't be wrong, so they must have already hidden somewhere. Could it be that Dang Ran-yeong helped them hide?"

"That's a possibility too..."

Geum-hye's face darkened as she pondered. It was because she thought it would be difficult to deal with Dang Ran-yeong, who was not just an ordinary martial artist but the owner of the White Jade Merchant Group. After a brief sigh, Geum-hye instructed Cheong-ra.

"Junior Brother Baek Ri. Mu-gwang and I will search the market further, so you go back and stay at the inn."

Surprised by the instruction to return alone, Cheong-ra shook his head and replied.

"Martial Sister, I will also help search."

"Cheong-ra, you're injured right now."

Instead of calling him Junior Brother Baek Ri, Geum-hye firmly called his name and grabbed his aching arm tightly. It was just a bruise, but in fact, it had been throbbing unbearably since earlier, making Cheong-ra flinch. Seeing his reaction, Geum-hye let go and sternly commanded.

"Moreover, you said the assassins targeted you. They've already failed once, and the identity of the one who hired them has been revealed, so it's unlikely there will be any more attacks today. But for now, you should avoid crowded places as much as possible."

"But Martial Sister..."

"I'll send a letter of protest to the Nangong Clan. Although we don't have physical evidence, they'll have something to feel guilty about, so they won't target you anymore."

"That's right, Martial Sister is correct, Cheong-ra. Go back first and rest."

Geum-hye's words made sense, so Cheong-ra pondered for a moment and nodded. If rumors spread that Namgung Hyeon-sang held a grudge and sent assassins because of a love affair, it wouldn't be good for the Nangong Clan either. Using assassins itself was not something a martial artist from a prestigious righteous faction should do, and it would also make them enemies with Moon Lake Sect and subject them to criticism.

As Geum-hye said, the inn was indeed safer than the crowded market. Moreover, if Geum-hye or Mu-gwang were attacked along with him while accompanying him, it would be unbearable. Cheong-ra spoke gently.

"I understand. Then I will go to the inn first and wait."

"Alright. We won't be searching for long either. We'll be there soon."

After seeing off Geum-hye and Mu-gwang, Cheong-ra headed towards the inn, holding the hilt of his sword. However, his steps were heavy. Firstly, because he felt sorry towards Geum-hye and Mu-gwang, and secondly, because Dang Ran-yeong was weighing heavily on his mind.

'Now that I've confirmed Martial Sister and Mu-gwang are safe, should I go back to that place...'

He didn't think Dang Ran-yeong would have been defeated by the assassins. There were two reasons why assassins sometimes killed martial artists of higher realms than themselves. They were ambushed and poisoned. Ambush was out of the question, so only poison remained, but there was no way Dang Ran-yeong, a martial artist from the Sichuan Tang Clan, would fall victim to poison.

So what Cheong-ra was worried about now was his own situation, having incurred Dang Ran-yeong's wrath. Thinking that he might have earned the resentment of someone known for his bad temper, his heart became anxious, and a slight fear crept in. But on the other hand, he thought this might be an excuse to meet him one more time, and a foolish, even insane anticipation blossomed.

His steps, which were about to head straight to the inn, gradually slowed down. It was because people kept flocking to him due to his face being fully exposed without a veil. Having no choice, Cheong-ra headed towards a clothing store he saw in the distance. The face of the owner, who had been waiting for customers in a daze, lit up.

"Shopkeeper, do you happen to have..."

Cheong-ra's mouth, about to ask if they sold veils, stopped. A thick arm had come up on his shoulder, squeezing his neck.

"Young Master Baek Ri, it's not nice to leave me alone like that."

Along with the heavy weight, the scent of blood wafted strongly. Cheong-ra froze. Although he had thought Dang Ran-yeong might come looking for him, he hadn't expected him to come so quickly. How on earth had he dealt with the numerous assassins so fast and found him?

Before he could even move his body to break free, something sharp pressed against his waist. Cheong-ra's body stiffened.

"What? You want to buy something? I'll give you a discount at our merchant group."

"I..."

As he tried to say something, the sharp sensation on his waist intensified as if telling him to shut his mouth. It seemed to be the tip of a dagger poking him.

Having no choice but to leave the disappointed owner behind, he had to move his steps. The tip of the knife pressing against his waist was so threatening that he couldn't even turn his head to look back, and Dang Ran-yeong spoke in a menacing voice.

"You dare to dump the assassins on me and leave? Keep walking."

It wasn't that Cheong-ra thought handing the assassins over to Dang Ran-yeong was a wise move. He did it because he didn't think Dang Ran-yeong would let him go back to Geum-hye and Mu-gwang so easily after killing all the assassins. As he walked, Cheong-ra spoke in a calm voice.

"Young Master Dang, I'm truly sorry about earlier. But..."

"You talk too much?"

As more force was applied to the arm around his shoulder, Cheong-ra shut his mouth and glanced to the side. The hand inside the black robe's sleeve was sticky with warm blood. If he had bloodied his hands to this extent despite having a whip and hidden weapons, it was unimaginable how brutally he had killed the assassins. Or how furious he must have been.

Moreover, Dang Ran-yeong's whip wasn't originally this color, but now it was stained with the assassins' blood, mottled with a dark red hue. It wasn't for nothing that he was called the Red Whip Rakshasa.

"Just to let you know, I don't like people who talk too much. If you keep acting up, relying on your pretty face, you'll know it won't be fun."

With Dang Ran-yeong's words, Cheong-ra had no choice but to keep his mouth shut. In a situation where he wasn't sure if he could return alive today, his heart was beating recklessly.