Seventh Killer, Jeok Mahyeok (1)

Baeksuk Guild, located in southeastern Sichuan Province, was a faction that had swiftly taken control of Heungmun at the southeastern edge of Sichuan, formerly the territory of the Righteous Chivalry Guild, after that faction’s downfall.

Many of the regions once controlled by the Righteous Chivalry Guild had now become battlefields for various sects acting on behalf of Qingcheng and the Tang Clan, but it would not be an exaggeration to say that Baeksuk Guild had completely secured Heungmun.

That was because it had claimed the region so quickly, and because its location along the border with Guizhou Province made it difficult for other sects to extend their influence there.

“Oh my, Guild Master. Have you come all the way here again today?”

“Yes. Was everything peaceful overnight?”

“Yes, Guild Master. Thanks to you checking on us every day, we haven’t had a single problem.”

“Good. Should anything inconvenience you, tell me at any time.”

“Yes, Guild Master. Take care on your way!”

Hyeok Mokan, the White-Cloud Swordsman, a descendant of a lay disciple of the Qingcheng Sect and the Guild Master of Baeksuk Guild, was once again walking the streets alone that morning, gauging the sentiments of the local people.

It was one of the routines Hyeok Mokan had never skipped for even a single day since Baeksuk Guild took control of Heungmun.

At first, the people of Heungmun had worried that he might abuse his authority, but they soon became deeply moved by Hyeok Mokan’s example as he personally inspected the people’s hardships and swiftly acted to resolve their problems.

His conduct could not even be compared to that of the Righteous Chivalry Guild, which had been orthodox in name alone.

Thus, after only a few weeks, Hyeok Mokan, the White-Cloud Swordsman and Guild Master of Baeksuk Guild, was being revered as a hero throughout Heungmun.

“Wow! Father! It’s the Guild Master! The Guild Master is here!”

“Guild Master! Did you pass the night peacefully?”

“Guild Master…!”

“Guild Master!”

Hyeok Mokan slowly left Heungmun’s bustling district while responding to the people’s greetings with a benevolent smile.

However, the people could not see how his smile gradually became one of excitement as he moved toward a more deserted area.

His steps also grew faster and faster.

He swallowed and muttered,

“Hehehe! Today was finally the day that adorable little thing said she would be home alone.”

Hyeok Mokan was beside himself with excitement at the thought that he would finally accomplish his grand undertaking today.

At last!

Today, of all days!

He would finally be able to be alone with Yeon, that adorable little thing. In an enclosed place, no less.

“Kehehehehe!”

His imagination spread its wings and flew toward everything he might do afterward.

Baeksuk Guild Master Hyeok Mokan had first met the girl named Hayeon about a week earlier while patrolling the village.

The child had been beautiful enough to catch his eye at first sight, and when she first saw Hyeok Mokan, she had blushed like an apple and offered him some food.

“Guild Master, please have this. And… you look so wonderful!”

After saying that, Hayeon had blushed as though unbearably embarrassed and fled in a rush.

At the time, Hyeok Mokan could only stare blankly after her.

The sight of her running away with a flushed face had been unbearably cute, yet it had also exuded an inexplicable sensuality.

It was a moment that brought a spring breeze into the heart of Hyeok Mokan, who was already past fifty and had long since come to live with his wife more like a friend than a spouse.

After that, Hayeon waited for Hyeok Mokan every day in places with few people around.

“Guild Master! You look wonderful again today!”

As a result, the morning patrol that Hyeok Mokan had once performed only out of obligation became the most anticipated part of his daily routine.

Then came yesterday.

Hayeon had blushed shyly and said to Hyeok Mokan,

“Guild Master, my orabeoni is going out to work tomorrow, so the house will be completely empty. I’m very frightened, so… could you stay with me for a while?”

For a moment, Hyeok Mokan felt as though his head might burst.

Such a beautiful young girl had asked him to come to her home. There was no way he could refuse such a request.

Afterward, Hyeok Mokan had to endure a day that felt like an entire year.

He could not understand how a single day could be so long.

He had not even been able to sleep properly that night.

And finally, today, Hyeok Mokan spotted Hayeon waiting in a secluded alley.

She greeted him with a radiant smile.

“Welcome, Guild Master!”

Feeling as though he were dreaming, Hyeok Mokan entered her shabby house.

It was so run-down that he wondered how such a beautiful child could possibly live there, but none of that mattered in the slightest to Hyeok Mokan at that moment.

His eyes were filled only with the sight of Hayeon’s back.

Having imagined this moment throughout the entire day, Hyeok Mokan could no longer restrain himself and suddenly embraced Hayeon from behind.

“Kyaa! Guild Master!”

She screamed in surprise, but even that served only as an irresistible stimulant for Hyeok Mokan.

“Hehehe! Yeon, I have waited so long for this moment. Come here.”

Hayeon struggled and tried to escape, but there was no way she could overcome the strength of Hyeok Mokan, a Pinnacle Realm master.

In an instant, her clothes became disheveled and her bare shoulder was exposed. At the sight, Hyeok Mokan could restrain himself no longer and tore off his own upper garment, his eyes flushed red.

It was then.

Someone suddenly began pounding on the front door.

“Yeon! Yeon! Who are you in there with?! Open the door at once, Yeon!”

At that moment, Hyeok Mokan’s dream shattered like broken glass.

Hayeon clutched her exposed shoulder, her face turning deathly pale, and shouted,

“O-Orabeoni?”

Hyeok Mokan’s vision went dark.

His eyes suddenly took in the sight of himself without his upper garment and Hayeon with her bare shoulder exposed.

It was over.

The faces of his family, guild members, and the local people who respected him suddenly surfaced in his mind.

At this rate, it seemed only a matter of time before his reputation, which had earned the respect of countless people, was driven into the ground.

He hurriedly said,

“F-First, quickly put your clothes back on…!”

But at that moment—

Bang! Bang! Crack!

The sound of something breaking echoed through the house.

The door that the man claiming to be Hayeon’s orabeoni had been pounding on had broken apart.

It seemed to have happened because the door was so decrepit.

The next instant, Hyeok Mokan met the eyes of a young man who alternated between staring at him and Hayeon in utter devastation.

The young man looked exactly like Hayeon.

With disbelief covering his face, he muttered,

“G-Guild Master? H-How could… how could this happen…?”

At that moment, a thought suddenly occurred to Hyeok Mokan.

‘Kill him. If I kill him and erase the evidence, won’t that solve everything?’

It was a dark impulse that sprouted in the heart of Hyeok Mokan, who had lived his entire life as a chivalrous warrior.

Just as Hyeok Mokan looked at the man claiming to be Hayeon’s orabeoni with killing intent—

Stab!

“Guh?!”

Hyeok Mokan stared in disbelief at the sword suddenly protruding through his chest.

There was a burning pain in his chest and a sword jutting from the area of his heart. It seemed someone behind him had stabbed him.

But the person behind him was clearly….

“H-How…?”

Hyeok Mokan turned around with a stunned gaze.

Then he saw it.

Hayeon, who had always shown him only radiant smiles, was now staring at him with cold eyes.

And the sword in her hand had pierced through his back.

“Why… why…?”

Gurgle!

Blood surged from Hyeok Mokan’s mouth as he opened it, and he collapsed on the spot.

It was the absurd moment in which Hyeok Mokan, Guild Master of Baeksuk Guild and ruler of the Heungmun region, met his death.

It was then.

Someone slowly emerged from the ceiling and dropped soundlessly to the floor.

He was an ugly man who looked as though he had crawled up from hell, half his face twisted by scars and the other half marred by burns.

He shouted at Hayeon with an enraged expression.

“What are you doing?! Did I not say that I would be the one to kill him?!”

When the hideously disfigured man roared in fury, he looked like an evil spirit howling.

However, Hayeon waved a hand dismissively and answered as though annoyed.

“Oh, what does it matter who kills him? The one who can do it more easily should do it. Isn’t that right?”

The young man who had broken through the door while pretending to be Hayeon’s older brother grinned and answered,

“That’s right. The person who can kill him most easily should do it. Thanks to that, we killed Hyeok Mokan, a Pinnacle Realm master, without difficulty. That should be enough, Hyung-nim.”

However, even after hearing them, the disfigured young man did not calm down. He continued shouting angrily with his hideous face twisted.

“You troublesome brats! Do you not understand why I act together with you?! If you are going to stain your own hands with blood, then I would rather do it alone…!”

Hayeon cut him off with an irritated expression.

“Orabeoni! I’m already in a bad mood because I had to show that old man my bare skin! Instead of lecturing me, couldn’t you buy me something to eat?!”

The disfigured young man, who had been shouting furiously, suddenly looked flustered and began stumbling over his words.

“Ah, y-yes, I suppose so, Hayeon. I’m sorry. I’m your orabeoni, yet I failed to consider how you must feel…. I was wrong. What do you want to eat? What should I buy you?”

Seeing the young man suddenly become restless, Hayeon smiled faintly and exchanged glances with the young man standing by the door.

Then she spoke as though she had no other choice.

“Well, since Orabeoni is saying that much, I suppose it can’t be helped. What would be good?”

As she spoke, she subtly winked at the young man standing near the door, her twin brother, Hagun. Hagun smiled meaningfully and nodded.

Then Hayeon suddenly exclaimed as though she had just thought of something.

“Ah! I know! Alcohol! I want to drink today! Orabeoni, buy me alcohol!”

Hagun clapped his hands and eagerly agreed.

“Oh! That sounds great! Good idea! Alcohol! I want to drink too, Hyung-nim! Buy us alcohol!”

Faced with the sudden pestering from his younger siblings, the disfigured young man, Jeok Mahyeok, frowned deeply and shouted,

“W-What?! Alcohol?! No! You are only eighteen! What do you mean you want to drink alcohol?! Absolutely not!”

“Aaah! Orabeoni! I’m in a bad mood because I had to show that old man my bare skin today!”

“Me too, Hyung-nim! I’m in a bad mood too! After seeing Hayeon’s bare skin today, I suddenly felt like vomiting…!”

“What did you say?! Do you want to die, you bastard?!”

“What, punk?! Where are your manners?! I’m your orabeoni too, you know?!”

“What did you say? Are you asking for a beating?”

Jeok Mahyeok suddenly looked at his younger siblings with affectionate eyes as they began bickering after pestering him to buy them alcohol.

Ever since the moment their mother entrusted the two younger children to him and passed away during their childhood, his life had been nothing but days of devotion to his siblings.

That was why he had wanted to ensure that these precious children would never become filthy assassins like him….

As sorrow darkened his gaze, he suddenly sensed someone’s presence.

“Enough!”

Jeok Mahyeok warned his siblings and looked outside the door.

Jeok Hayeon and Jeok Hagun immediately turned sharp gazes in that direction as though they had never been bickering.

The next moment, a masked man dressed in black entered through the doorway.

As soon as he entered, he confirmed the corpse of Hyeok Mokan lying on the floor, then spoke to Jeok Mahyeok in a sly voice.

“Oh! You succeeded! Even if he had only just entered the realm, you really assassinated Hyeok Mokan, a Pinnacle Realm master! As expected, the Seventh Killer is a genius! I’ll report directly to the Sect Master!”

Jeok Mahyeok, the Seventh Killer of the Sichuan Assassin Sect, replied coldly.

“Stop stating the obvious and tell me your business, Twelfth Shadow. Why are you here?”

When Jeok Mahyeok’s thick killing intent stabbed into his body, the man immediately answered in an exaggerated tone as though startled.

“Ah, it seems you’re in another foul mood. Then I’ll state my business briefly and leave at once. An urgent order came down from the Sect Master. Apparently, a man called the Flying-Heaven Black Wolf, Seonu Jin, will soon pass through this area. The order is to locate him and kill him without fail. They say he is a master with more than seventy years of internal energy, though perhaps he possesses even more than that. It seems he disposed of the Third Killer, Fifth Killer, and Sixth Killer last night.”

Jeok Mahyeok’s eyes twitched at those words.

“A master with more than seventy years of internal energy who killed the Third, Fifth, and Sixth Killers? And now I am supposed to deal with someone like that alone?”

Twelfth Shadow answered lightly.

“Oh, you aren’t alone, are you? You have your dependable younger siblings. Guh!”

At that instant, Jeok Mahyeok seized Twelfth Shadow by the throat and spat out his words through clenched teeth.

“You dare speak of my siblings with that filthy mouth? It seems you truly have no wish to live.”

Yet despite being held by the throat and barely able to breathe, Twelfth Shadow did not stop laughing.

“Kukuk! You know very well what will happen if you kill me, don’t you?”

Then he turned his gaze toward Jeok Mahyeok’s siblings and continued,

“Do you not care if your siblings die in agony because they can no longer receive the antidote?”

The hand Jeok Mahyeok had wrapped around Twelfth Shadow’s throat trembled.

Twelfth Shadow was the one who had drawn him into the Sichuan Assassin Sect, and when Jeok Mahyeok later attempted to earn enough money and leave, it was Twelfth Shadow who handed over information about Jeok Mahyeok’s greatest weakness—his siblings—to the sect.

As a result, while Jeok Mahyeok was away, the assassin sect forced his siblings to consume the same gu that Jeok Mahyeok himself had once swallowed.

It was a gu that killed its host unless an antidote was consumed at regular intervals.

Jeok Mahyeok loathed the assassin sect with every fiber of his being for using his siblings’ lives as shackles to prevent him from leaving.

‘You damned bastards! I will never forgive any of you!’

However, there was realistically nothing he could do.

To keep his siblings alive, he had no choice but to become their dog.

Furthermore, that was not the only measure the assassin sect took to shackle Jeok Mahyeok.

Afterward, his siblings were also forced to receive training as assassins of the Sichuan Assassin Sect.

It was horrifying beyond words, but he decided to accept it.

Since they had already consumed the gu, he judged that it would be better for his siblings to at least possess the strength to protect themselves.

Afterward, Jeok Mahyeok pleaded with the Sichuan Assassin Sect and barely managed to have his siblings assigned as assassins under his command so they could operate together.

And that was how the current situation had continued until now.

Therefore, to Jeok Mahyeok, Twelfth Shadow standing before him was the very culprit who had forced his siblings to consume gu and left them with no choice but to become assassins.

“You bastard.”

Jeok Mahyeok’s eyes burned red with fury.

As his boiling hatred surged, his grip on Twelfth Shadow’s throat grew tighter and tighter.

“G-Ghk!”

At that moment, his younger sister, Jeok Hayeon, gently grasped Jeok Mahyeok’s arm with a sorrowful gaze.

Only after seeing her face did Jeok Mahyeok barely manage to restrain his emotions.

Jeok Mahyeok released Twelfth Shadow’s throat and hurled him into the wall.

Boom!

“Guh! Cough! Cough!”

Then he spoke to Twelfth Shadow, who lay on the floor coughing.

“Hand over the information. And never speak of my siblings with that filthy mouth again. Not unless you truly wish to die.”

Twelfth Shadow rubbed his aching throat, yet still answered with a low chuckle.

“Kukukuk! Very well. First, his route is….”

However, Jeok Mahyeok did not know.

The original order had only been to test the situation and refrain from attempting the mission if it appeared impossible, but Twelfth Shadow had altered it and delivered it as an order that had to be completed without fail.

Nor did he know that Twelfth Shadow never forgot a grudge.