Moon-Shadow Sword Emperor

Episode 89:

I rummaged around in the corner of the room, took out a brush, an inkstone, and paper, and put them on the table.

“Now that I think about it, Dam Sohyeop was good at taboo calligraphy and painting.”

“……?”

“Could you please draw a description of my appearance?”

“I’m not very confident in drawing portraits, but…”

“Wouldn’t you be better than me?”

Yeo Gun-hwi, the third disciple of the Demonic Cultist, Yeo Gun-hwi.

Outward features include an angular face, a long scar across the eyebrows, large ears reminiscent of Xuanzang, and various tattoos all over his body to cover up the scars.

Most tattoos are invisible when wearing long clothes, but I remembered seeing a poisonous snake on my wrist exposed outside my clothes and a scorpion’s tail on the nape of my neck.

“Reverse murder?”

“It is a nickname given to mean one who defies death. “He is renowned as a magic general who has overcome all kinds of deadly crises.”

“It’s a horse market of reversal.”

“If you look at his name alone, he seems to be an old general who has fought in many battlefields, but in fact, he has never experienced war.”

I burst out laughing.

Thirdly, I also acknowledged the death penalty’s animal sense and obsession with survival.

However, he treasured his life too much.

While other executioners were making achievements on the battlefield, he wandered around the safe rear alone, and as a result, he gradually lost his position.

What more can I say since Jongnae’s support has become weaker than that of the youngest priest, who declared that he was not interested in the position of religious leader.

“He is an amazing person with the ability to survive. “When I was in Jamma-dong, I received dozens of death threats, but I survived in the end. After becoming a disciple of the sect, I faced various crises, but eventually overcame them.”

“…Can you catch someone like that?”

“Honestly, it’s hard to say. So, we need to plan our strategy well. “I would be grateful if a genius in the field of battle, who is improving day by day, could come up with a clever idea based on the battle diagram left by Reporter Cheon.”

“Don’t keep putting pressure on me like that. “We could go on strike.”

I smiled and accepted the facial expression drawn by Damwoon.

Although it did not perfectly match the appearance I remembered, it was a drawing that managed to bring out the features well.

At this level, there seemed to be no problem in recognizing the target.

After instructing Damun to do a few things, he immediately went to the room where Cheon Ga-ryeong was.

When she tilted her head and asked what was going on, I explained what had happened and handed her a copy of her appearance and asked for it.

“Please find this person.”

“…So, the third disciple of the Demonic Cult is somewhere in Honam?”

“You seem to have the same reaction as Damun Sohyeop.”

“What if we find it?”

“I have to catch it.”

“Is there a way to catch it?”

“I think if we plan our strategy well, something is possible.”

“I never thought I would receive a request like this.”

“We don’t have much time. “By the time he gets a whiff, it will be too late.”

“I understand first of all. “I will immediately contact the branch manager in Agyang.”

“And one more thing. “I would like to ask you to control information.”

“Why is that?”

“You have to catch it as quietly as possible. “I want to avoid the commotion growing louder and causing an uncontrollable situation.”

Cheon Ji-ryeong narrowed his eyes.

It was as if he was planning something again.

I quickly changed the subject.

“Please convey this to the Ayang branch chief. If you come across the Assassin Army, never get close to it. Monitoring should only be done from a distance using a telescope. “As he is an expert in landscape painting, he has a great sense of spirit and is very cautious, so he will react sensitively to even the slightest abnormality.”

“That’s quite detailed information.”

“Then I’ll just go.”

I guessed that the woman in front of me would be annoying if I stayed any longer, so I immediately left the room.

The basic preparations are now complete.

‘There are a lot of cards in hand, so it’s fun to use them.’

I crossed the hallway of the guesthouse, humming.

* * *

Five days have passed since then.

I was able to hear the location of the assassination army from Cheon Ga-ryeong.

“A private house located in the residential area of Changsha.”

“He is quite a bold person. “Don’t you usually avoid densely populated areas when you receive a stealth mission?”

“It took longer than I thought.”

“Is five days fast enough?”

Cheon Ji-ryeong responded bluntly and placed his hand on his side.

“Speaking of which, do you know how large Hunan Province is? All you have to say is that it is hidden somewhere in Hunan Province without even giving the approximate location? “I think it’s not enough to say thank you since I completed the request in five days with only such meager information.”

“As expected, Hao Wen’s intelligence is amazing. “I don’t think it was given the title of the best intelligence organization in the central region for nothing.”

“…Your attitude changes so quickly.”

Cheon Ji-ryeong sighed and slumped his shoulders.

I rubbed my chin and was lost in thought.

‘That’s a pain in the ass.’

I had no idea that the Assassination Army would be living among the civilians.

This wasn’t very good news for me, who wanted to handle things quietly.

‘Residents of Honam should not suffer in the process of catching Yeoksalgun.’

When civilians are harmed, there is a justification for government intervention.

If a government official intervened in a dispute between the martial arts people, the world’s attention would naturally be drawn to it.

‘Incentives… probably won’t work.’

I knew very well about the character of the assassin.

It never occurred to me that he, who takes safety so seriously, would fall for such a clumsy inducement.

If it had not been for the order of the religious leader in the first place, he would not have even set foot in Honam, where the headquarters of the Murim League is located.

If they sensed something unexpected, they were likely to give up their mission and withdraw immediately.

‘In the end, we have no choice but to launch a surprise attack and quickly subdue it before damage occurs to those around us.’

I scratched the back of my head and sighed.

It would not be as easy as it sounds to subdue the expert of Hwagyeong with a quick fight.

This is especially true if the opponent is someone who will not hesitate to run away if the situation seems unfavorable.

‘If you think about it alone, you won’t find the answer.’

After thanking Cheon Ga-ryeong and leaving the room, I went to see Damun, explained the situation, and asked for advice.

Damwoon frowned and muttered.

“This is definitely a troubling situation.”

“Isn’t there a way?”

“There is one way that comes to mind.”

“What is that?”

“We are going to confine the assassins in Mirojin (迷路陳). “Do you remember the first gate we passed through when we attacked Cheongija’s Secret Cave?”

“I remember.”

“I could make something similar today. Reduce the scale and increase the power. Once the operation is successful, residents will not have to worry about harm. Of course there won’t be a fuss.”

“…….”

“As you may have noticed, the prerequisites are not that simple. “We have to push the Hwagyeong expert into the formation like chasing a wild animal.”

I leaned against the back of the chair and closed my eyes.

As Damun said, it was not a simple problem.

You have to guide high-level talent to a specific location.

“Let’s give it a try.”

“It will be dangerous.”

“Do I really have to die? Actually, I don’t lose anything big by missing the assassination group. “If things don’t work out, you can just have a drink to ease your regret.”

“That’s a captain-like idea.”

“How many days do you think it will take to install the Jinbeop?”

“Installation takes just two days. Considering the process of selecting a location, exploring it, and preparing materials, it takes seven days.”

“All right. “Then I will prepare in the meantime.”

I got up from my seat and was about to leave the room, but stopped in the middle of opening the door handle.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to my mind.

“Dam Sohyeop. How about something like this?”

“……?”

* * *

Fifteen days have passed since then.

Before carrying out the operation, I warmed up and checked my clothes.

Black long sleeves, black mask and hood.

A black long sword with no special markings was tied to his waist, and on his hands he wore gauntlets handed over to him by Hwang Bo-jin.

I also did not forget to wear Cheonjamboui under my outer clothes.

I was worried that the size wouldn’t fit, but fortunately the gauntlet fit my hand perfectly.

It seemed to be made of a highly elastic material.

‘It doesn’t interfere with the movement of the joints, and above all, it’s hard because it’s mixed with cold steel. You got your hands on something good.’

I climbed onto the roof of a nearby house with a pleasant smile on my face.

Cheonwoo Dojang, Cheon Ga-ryeong, and Seo Ho-seon, all wearing the same outfit, followed.

As we got closer to our destination, the other person quickly responded.

Monsters wearing gray long robes and white masks came out of private houses one after another.

The number is five in total.

Since everyone was wearing the same uniform and wearing the same weapons, it was impossible to determine who was the murderer.

‘There’s still quite a distance.’

The response was faster than expected.

I shouted with all my might to put pressure on them.

“Catch the assassin!”

The monsters wearing gray long clothes looked perplexed.

I guess I didn’t expect that the nickname ‘Reverse Killer’ would come out of my mouth.

Humans are creatures that feel fear in situations they cannot understand.

The monsters got scared by the star that came out of my mouth and started running away.

Perhaps they consider me and the rest of the group to be an extermination team dispatched from the North?

‘It’s going smoothly up to this point.’

I spread the ghost beam with all my might and caught up with them.

The operation was carried out deliberately targeting early morning hours when there were not many passers-by.

But still, there was nothing uneasy about it.

The Assassin Army was a person who would not hesitate to take civilians hostage in order to survive.

I had to apply pressure diligently to keep him from paying attention to other things.

I swung the sword with a lot of energy and unleashed the Wolyeonggeom attack.

Twenty-third herbivorous month (水月).

Countless phantom blades attacked the monsters from three directions.

The three monsters looked bewildered as they untied the chain scythes wrapped around their waists and held them in their hands.

A chain scythe filled with quivering energy stirred the empty air to and fro.

I narrowed my eyes and muttered.

‘Is it one of those two?’

The other two monsters paid no attention to the welcome and leisurely left the place.

I kicked the roof, sending a loud noise to the group following behind me.

-I’ll leave these three to you. Be careful. Each and every one of them is quite capable.

-Yeon Sohyeop, please be careful.

Dojang Cheonwoo responded in a worried tone and jumped down from the roof.

Cheon Ga-ryeong and Seo Ho-seon also drew their weapons and attacked the monsters.

I left them behind and chased down the two monsters who were running away.