Chapter 123: Jaseung, You Are So, So Cruel

“Jang Wonso has betrayed us.”

Even faced with a shocking report, Rain stayed perfectly calm. His melancholy eyes, fixed on the fishing rod casting its line across the lake, did not waver at all.

He proved, through the next report as well, that he was a man who never lost his composure under any circumstances.

“Wrath didn’t show up at the rendezvous. He must have been taken out.”

Rain kept looking at the lake where the line lay.

“Jang Wonso sent Seop Mu-pyeong to kill me.”

Only then did Rain open his mouth.

“Seop Mu-pyeong killed Wrath?”

At that, the Earth-marked man could not speak for a moment. He found it as hard to believe as Rain’s surprise suggested.

He already knew Seop Mu-pyeong was a formidable master. He hadn’t thought, however, that he could kill Wrath.

Wrath enraged, and Wrath with his restrictions lifted, was truly terrifying. The Earth-marked man had seen it once with his own eyes. Back then he wondered.

Was there anyone who could kill that man?

The fact that such an overwhelming Wrath had fallen to Seop Mu-pyeong was hard to accept.

Yet Wrath had never arrived at the rendezvous.

“Shouldn’t we deal with Jang Wonso first?”

The Earth-marked man vented his anger. In truth, he wanted to rush over and cut the man down immediately.

Of course, a one-on-one fight offered no chance of victory. That only stoked his fury. He felt Jang Wonso had treated him with contempt for precisely that reason.

‘He sent Seop Mu-pyeong to kill me?’

At first even that had enraged him. To think he could be killed by someone like Seop Mu-pyeong.

But now that Wrath had gone dark, the anger had cooled. If Wrath had truly fallen to Seop Mu-pyeong, then Seop Mu-pyeong qualified.

Rain spoke in an even tone.

“How we dispose of him is not for me to decide. Withdraw and await orders.”

“Understood.”

The Earth-marked man turned to go without protest. Even so, his face was filled with dissatisfaction that looked ready to explode at the slightest touch.

Jang Wonso’s taunt echoed in his ears.

‘In the end, you and I are both expendable.’

* * *

“A crow infiltrated the Murim Alliance?”

Everyone, including Dan Woobin, was startled.

Baek Seolyoung only learned today that such crows even existed.

“How many people are stationed in the Alliance at any given time?”

At Lee Jaseung’s question, Dan Woobin answered quickly.

“It depends on the situation, but at minimum the resident headcount would be in the thousands.”

“Then finding it won’t be easy.”

The thing could be anyone. A bodyguard in the Alliance Leader’s Hall, a wizened Elder of the Council, a servant carrying tea, a stablehand shoveling dung.

At that moment, Mujin’s eyes gleamed.

“I think I know who it is.”

Everyone looked at Mujin, though without much expectation. The fact that he wore a frighteningly serious expression only made it clearer he was about to joke.

The name that popped out of Mujin’s mouth was unexpected.

“It is the Murim Alliance Leader, Jang Wonso!”

Everyone jumped at Mujin’s claim.

Dan Woobin asked quickly,

“Why do you think so?”

“It is vacuity and reality, bluffing within truth. He acts like he is controlled by a mysterious force, when in fact the true leader of that force is Jang Wonso himself!”

Ma Young-gi cried out with a shiver.

“Oh! That really sounds right! I am sure of it!”

Dan Woobin scratched his cheek once. It felt oddly plausible, enough for the thought of “maybe” to flicker by.

Lee Jaseung punctured Mujin’s fantastic deduction with one sentence.

“It isn’t Jang Wonso.”

This time, all eyes turned to Lee Jaseung.

He explained calmly.

“He isn’t that type.”

It wasn’t because of evidence or certainty. It was a gut feeling. Jang Wonso’s slyness was not the sort that wove complex schemes, it was more direct and provocative by nature.

With a crooked smile, Dan Woobin said,

“I thought so too.”

Mujin narrowed his eyes and raised his voice.

“Liar! You believed it too!”

Agreeing, Ma Young-gi bobbed his head vigorously.

“This one is even more certain!”

Dan Woobin looked at Ma Young-gi and said,

“At times like this, you’re the bigger pest, Captain Ma!”

Ma Young-gi replied with a straight face,

“I only speak the truth. Facing the truth is always hard for everyone.”

Listening, Baek Seolyoung couldn’t hold back a sudden laugh. The relationships and banter among the three were too funny.

Behind that laughter lay another truth, that these were the heads of the scariest divisions within the Black Way Alliance. The thought of people like that having such a conversation made it funny for no good reason.

Dan Woobin did not miss the chance.

“If I can bring a smile to the great Lady’s face, I will gladly throw myself into this ridiculous charade.”

Ma Young-gi whispered to Mujin, in a “whisper” loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Doesn’t that line suit you better, Captain Mu?”

True enough, it did sound exactly like Mujin’s kind of line.

Mujin stuck out his lip and murmured weakly,

“Making people laugh was my job… I’m running out of space.”

Baek Seolyoung burst into loud laughter at Mujin’s clowning.

Lee Jaseung smiled. He was pleased to see Baek Seolyoung and his subordinates growing closer more naturally than he had expected.

Each was making an effort. Baek Seolyoung in her way, the subordinates in theirs.

Lee Jaseung spoke while standing up.

“I must first go see the Alliance Leader.”

His order had gone awry, so he ought to meet him.

* * *

“You failed to kill him?”

Jang Wonso’s eyes turned displeased at once. It was an ambiguous reaction. To respond like that despite failing in such a serious matter?

It was another reminder of how hard it was to read the man’s true mind.

Instead, it was Lee Jaseung who showed a faintly angry expression.

“There was someone waiting there to kill me.”

Jang Wonso was taken aback.

“Who on earth?”

“Someone I didn’t know, but a tremendous expert.”

As he said it, Lee Jaseung stared right at Jang Wonso.

His expression was full of pride that he had slain that opponent and come back alive regardless.

Whenever he had the chance, Lee Jaseung worked to conceal his true self, so that Jang Wonso would not easily grasp his real level.

At times, lies, repeated often enough, looked like truth.

Lee Jaseung pressed him.

“Now tell me who that man was, and why you wanted him dead.”

Jang Wonso walked slowly to the window. Looking outside, he said nothing.

Lee Jaseung wondered what he would say. Would he lie outright, or reveal part of the secret.

Jang Wonso broke the silence.

“What is your dream?”

It was a question Lee Jaseung had never expected. He sensed he had to answer it properly. It was the kind of question that could become a branching point in their relationship.

“To become the Murim Alliance Leader.”

Jang Wonso turned back with a surprised expression. Lee Jaseung wore a serious face that made clear he wasn’t joking.

“Hahahaha.”

Jang Wonso laughed heartily.

“Why do you laugh?”

“It reminds me of my youth. I too had a time when I brimmed with the same boldness.”

“I can imagine. But I didn’t say it as empty bravado.”

Jang Wonso walked up to stand before him.

“I know, I know very well. I think you are fully a man who could succeed me. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have entrusted the Virtuous Heroes to you.”

“Thank you.”

Ordinarily he would have demurred that it was undeserved praise.

Instead, Lee Jaseung chose to show a gap by revealing premature pride and ambition. That way, Jang Wonso would think he was easy to handle.

“Alright. I will be frank with you. I recently found the ones who tried to kill you and Lord Baek Seolyoung.”

“Who are they?”

“A mysterious organization whose identity we cannot determine. It turns out they have also dug deeply into the Murim Alliance’s affairs.”

It was a crafty statement. Not a lie, but the inner facts were quite different.

“They are plotting to dominate Jianghu by assassinating not only you, but all its heroes.”

Again, it was truth twisted to serve his ends.

Lee Jaseung played along with his tune.

“To think such an organization existed! I will lead Virtuous Heroes and wipe them out.”

Clenching his fist and raising his voice, Lee Jaseung drew a gentle reply from Jang Wonso.

“I know your chivalry and spirit well. But they are shadows who move under a curtain. If we charge rashly, they will tuck in their tails and hide.”

“You are right.”

Jang Wonso clasped Lee Jaseung’s hand firmly.

“Stand with me, let us root them out and defend Jianghu from these villains.”

Squeezing the hand he held, Lee Jaseung spoke with vigor.

“I will place my trust in you from here on.”

* * *

It was a lie, of course.

What Lee Jaseung trusted was his own skill. Only effort created that skill.

Meeting a fortuitous chance in Jianghu?

Chance was mostly obtained by accident. Even so, Lee Jaseung believed that even accidents came only to those who were prepared.

So he was training his martial arts even now.

He still felt he was inching forward somewhere within the fourth sublevel of Transcendent Peak Realm.

He didn’t rush. If he kept going, one day he would arrive.

Even if he didn’t, there was nothing to regret. In martial arts, greed only led to backsliding.

When one round of practice ended, Baek Seolyoung came in.

“Are you not tired?”

“I’m fine. Resting from training is actually harder.”

“You’re addicted. Training addict.”

Lee Jaseung laughed and replied.

“You’ve been feeling it lately too, right? How great the joy it gives is. You felt it just earlier, didn’t you?”

“How did you know I came here after training?”

Then, Lee Jaseung touched her hair. It was damp.

“If you washed your hair and bathed at this odd hour, it means you trained.”

“Remarkable deduction, my Lord.”

When Baek Seolyoung raised an exaggerated thumbs-up, Lee Jaseung shrugged just as theatrically.

“This is nothing.”

They smiled at each other.

Baek Seolyoung truly thought Lee Jaseung was amazing. He led the Black Way Alliance, confronted the Alliance Leader, and even the Demonic Cult behind him.

Then he took what time remained and trained like this.

And one more thing.

Lee Jaseung looked at her with a meaningful gleam.

Realizing what that heated gaze meant, Baek Seolyoung stepped back and spoke.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“Not at all.”

Lee Jaseung stepped in to embrace her.

“Why are you like this in broad daylight! Behave!”

Baek Seolyoung spun away and bolted.

“Please! You are embarrassing me!”

Her words said no, but she was not exactly running very fast.

Lee Jaseung sprang after her.

When they had vanished, Mook Young appeared. His subordinates landed beside him. They were no longer guarding Lee Jaseung, but had switched to guarding Baek Seolyoung by this point.

With a sigh, Mook Young spoke.  

“They are doing this on purpose to tease us, right? Aren’t they?”

He sounded so serious that the subordinates all laughed. Normally so taciturn, Mook Young had started making jokes lately, which they found welcome and delightful.

“They are so cruel. Truly too much.”

And, as often these days, someone added,

“In any case, today’s mission ends here.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep