Cleanup (1)

It was the dark predawn hour, before the first light had appeared.

The Ha Clan’s First and Second White Tiger Units arrived at a forest called Black Bear Forest, located along the road from the Seonu Clan to Dan Manor.

“According to our information, Seonu Jung and Seonu Seong should pass through here in about one shichen. Second Captain, have your men lie in ambush on the left side of the forest. I will take the right.”

“Understood, First Captain.”

They planned to hide in the forest and attack Seonu Jung and his eldest son, Seonu Seong, from every direction when they passed through.

Black Bear Forest was the perfect place for an ambush, as few people traveled through the surrounding area and there was only one road.

According to their information, Seonu Clan Head Seonu Jung intended to depart early in the morning before sunrise to prevent any unforeseen incidents.

However, he probably never imagined that his decision would instead allow them to kill him without leaving the slightest trace.

After moving to the right side of the forest, First White Tiger Unit Captain Gan Jongchi spoke quietly to his subordinates.

His voice, infused with powerful internal energy, spread clearly into their ears.

“As all of you know, the key to an ambush is concealing your presence! I trust none of you will make the amateurish mistake of producing noise and ruining the operation!”

“Yes, Captain!”

First White Tiger Unit Captain Gan Jongchi smiled in satisfaction at the unit members’ quiet yet disciplined answer.

As expected of the Ha Clan’s finest warriors, whom he had personally trained, they were reassuringly dependable.

Gan Jongchi gave a brief order.

“Everyone, take your positions!”

At his words, the members of the First White Tiger Unit moved quickly and dispersed through the undergrowth beside the road.

Their movements were extremely quiet and swift.

However, they did not realize something.

People far stealthier and more dangerous than them had already arrived in the forest….

---

Jang-i, the youngest and newest member of the First White Tiger Unit, suddenly felt envious as he watched his seniors conceal themselves skillfully.

Every mission was a first for him, so naturally he had never participated in an ambush before.

Fearing that the captain might notice him, he moved to the farthest position, glanced sideways at the senior hiding beside him, and copied his actions.

Rustle!

His heart dropped when the undergrowth scraped against his clothes.

Despite moving as cautiously as possible, he felt as though he alone were making a great deal of noise.

He carefully examined the seniors around him.

Fortunately, no one appeared to be paying attention to him.

A sigh of relief slipped from his lips.

Careful not to earn his seniors’ displeasure, he crept into the undergrowth and crouched down.

It seemed his preparations for the ambush were complete.

Having gained a little composure, Jang-i shifted his eyes and examined his surroundings.

Dawn was gradually beginning to brighten the area outside the forest.

However, the depths of the dark forest where they were hiding remained pitch-black.

The thick foliage blocked the light, allowing him to see only the outlines of things nearby. Anything even slightly farther away disappeared into complete darkness.

‘I have to remain motionless in a place like this for an entire shichen?’

Jang-i already felt his chest becoming slightly constricted.

He had been frightened of ghosts since childhood, so remaining in this darkness made him deeply uncomfortable.

He hated the blackness that seemed to conceal something lying in wait, as well as the mosquitoes already beginning to buzz around him.

‘Mosquitoes are still better. I only hope nothing like a snake comes near me.’

He suddenly remembered a senior boasting that during a previous ambush, a snake had bitten his foot, yet he had not abandoned his position.

Jang-i did not think he could possibly do the same, and he suddenly became worried that something similar might happen.

As those disorganized thoughts filled his mind, his entire body already seemed to itch.

It was troublesome.

He looked toward the senior lying in ambush a short distance away.

Unlike Jang-i, the senior’s outline remained perfectly motionless, as though he had truly turned into a rock.

It seemed only the inexperienced Jang-i was having such difficulties.

Jang-i composed himself and decided to concentrate once more.

It was then.

‘Hmm?’

Just as Jang-i was about to turn his gaze forward, he suddenly looked back toward his senior.

He thought he had seen something strange.

Something entered Jang-i’s vision.

A shadow—a shadow was slowly moving as though it were alive.

Amid the already dark surroundings of his senior, the blackest shadow seemed to glide toward the man’s back.

At first, Jang-i widened his eyes, thinking he must be seeing things, but it seemed what he had witnessed was real.

His heart began pounding.

‘A-A ghost?’

It had to be a ghost.

It even seemed to be one of the evil spirits he had only heard about in stories.

At this rate, the evil spirit would completely engulf his senior.

He had to warn him.

‘But I cannot make any noise.’

A fierce internal conflict raged within him.

After hesitating briefly, Jang-i finally gathered his courage and decided to approach his senior.

He had just begun moving slightly when it happened.

Jang-i happened to glance down at his feet, and his eyes widened in horror.

The shadow beneath his feet had suddenly extended an arm and lunged at him.

It was an impossible, unreal sight, like the evil spirits he had imagined in childhood attacking him.

Forgetting that he was not supposed to make a sound, Jang-i tried to scream.

“!”

However, no voice escaped.

It seemed to be because the evil spirit’s arm had already wrapped around his throat.

The next instant, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.

It was the final sensation Jang-i experienced while alive.

---

After easily disposing of the ambusher who had been less attentive than the others, Seonu Jin sent another voice transmission to Jeok Mahyeok and Gyeon Jung.

Continue.

The two shadows that had briefly stopped began moving again.

Seonu Jin sensed the presence of the hidden warriors gradually disappearing.

Like ink slowly soaking into paper, the lives of the White Tiger Unit members were being extinguished one by one.

The hidden members of the White Tiger Units had not noticed anything, but from the moment they entered this forest, they already had one foot in the underworld.

The three men had learned the Thousand Kill Secret of the Shadowless Assassin, who had been called the supreme sovereign of assassins a century ago.

In an environment like this, they were no different from gods of death.

---

One shichen later, Second White Tiger Unit Captain Guk Sahang saw two mounted men approaching along the forest road as it gradually brightened.

They were undoubtedly Seonu Jung and Seonu Seong, today’s targets.

Clop, clop!

They rapidly drew closer.

They were just about to pass the place where Guk Sahang lay in ambush.

‘Yes, now!’

However, no matter how long he waited, First Captain Gan Jongchi’s signal did not come.

‘What is going on? Why is he not ordering the attack?’

Guk Sahang, who had been constantly prepared to charge out, began growing irritated.

Gan Jongchi was always strutting around because he was the First Captain, yet he could not even properly time such a crucial moment.

Unable to endure it any longer, Guk Sahang shouted first.

“Attack!”

He charged out at the head of his men and cried,

“Seonu Jung! We will avenge the Dan Manor’s grudge!”

Guk Sahang saw the startled Seonu Seong and Seonu Jung, who immediately drew his sword and leaped from his horse, proving himself a pinnacle master.

“Haaap!”

Kwakwang!

Seonu Jung’s violet Weapon Qi collided with Guk Sahang’s white Weapon Qi in midair.

They were evenly matched.

Both were martial artists at the early stage of the pinnacle realm, so a single collision could not determine superiority.

After exchanging only one technique in midair, the two had no choice but to retreat from one another.

However, as Guk Sahang withdrew after their evenly matched clash, he was instead startled.

First White Tiger Unit Captain Gan Jongchi, whom he naturally expected to appear and join the attack, had not emerged.

It was not only Gan Jongchi. The entire First White Tiger Unit was strangely silent, as though it had vanished somewhere.

That was not all.

The condition of the Second White Tiger Unit members who had followed him out was equally strange.

“Wh-What in the world…?!”

There were fewer than thirty members of the Second White Tiger Unit, even though there should have been fifty.

His subordinates, who appeared to be only a small handful, had barely managed to surround the two men and were looking at one another in confusion.

Something had unquestionably gone wrong.

It was then.

The Seonu Clan’s eldest son, Seonu Seong, shouted at Seonu Jung with a flustered expression.

“F-Father! It appears Dan Manor has attacked us!”

Seonu Jung snorted and pointed into the distance.

“Nonsense! If these men are from Dan Manor, then who are those people?!”

“Pardon?”

Seonu Seong looked questioningly toward where Seonu Jung was pointing.

Approximately one hundred warriors were charging fiercely toward them from the direction of Dan Manor.

The warrior at their head shouted,

“Clan Head Seonu! We will help you!”

Earth-yellow martial uniforms and gray hero scarves.

Those were unmistakably the garments of Dan Manor.

Second White Tiger Unit Captain Guk Sahang, already bewildered, now fell into complete confusion.

How had those men learned about this and come here?

Everything had become a complete mess.

The First White Tiger Unit had disappeared, half his own subordinates were gone, and now Dan Manor’s warriors were attacking them.

It was then.

Something suddenly occurred to Guk Sahang.

‘Could this be a trap?’

It seemed undeniable.

Otherwise, the situation was impossible to explain.

‘But who arranged it, and how?’

Although he was approaching the truth, Guk Sahang could not continue his reasoning.

Seonu Jung attacked him.

“You bastard! Reveal your identity!”

Swoosh!

“Ugh!”

Startled, Guk Sahang hurriedly raised his sword.

His first priority appeared to be escaping this situation.

He believed that much should still be possible.

Dan Manor’s warriors were still some distance away, and nearly thirty of his subordinates remained.

However, the moment he thought that, three unidentified masked figures in black suddenly burst from the forest.

Pshshshshk! Whiriririk!

“Aaaaaaargh!”

“Uwaaaargh!”

Guk Sahang was bewildered once again.

The hidden weapons scattered by the three figures in black flew like rays of light and began massacring his subordinates.

Although they seemed to be throwing them casually, the speed and accuracy were tremendous.

‘Where did such hidden-weapon masters come from?!’

Judging by the eldest Seonu son’s bewildered expression, they appeared to be strangers even to the Seonu Clan.

At that instant—

“Haaap!”

Puhwaak!

“Ugh!”

Guk Sahang’s right arm, which held his sword, flew away.

It was the result of Seonu Jung’s attack, which had not missed the opening created by Guk Sahang’s repeated confusion.

Although both were at the early stage of the pinnacle realm, Seonu Jung’s skill was slightly superior. Since he had also exploited his opponent’s opening, the battle was decided easily.

Seonu Jung immediately sealed Guk Sahang’s acupoints and took him captive. He then exchanged glances with one of the masked figures, Seonu Jin, and nodded.

Seonu Jin sent a voice transmission to Jeok Mahyeok and Gyeon Jung, and the three immediately withdrew from the battlefield and melted back into the forest.

The next instant, Dan Manor’s warriors arrived.

“You bastards!”

“How dare you impersonate Dan Manor!”

“We will never forgive you!”

The individual abilities of the Ha Clan’s White Tiger Unit warriors might have surpassed those of Dan Manor’s warriors, but they had lost their commanders and fewer than twenty remained.

There was no possibility they could defeat approximately one hundred warriors from Dan Manor.

They were massacred in an instant.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

“Aaaargh!”

“S-Spare me!”

After confirming the scene, Seonu Jung immediately approached the masked captive he had seized and removed his mask.

Then, as though he had expected it, he shouted loudly,

“Second White Tiger Unit Captain Guk Sahang! As expected, you bastards belong to the Ha Clan!”

---

“Second White Tiger Unit Captain Guk Sahang! As expected, you bastards belong to the Ha Clan!”

I chuckled as I heard Father’s shout.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

When Father and I had spoken recently, he had asked me,

‘If we create the impression that we intend to subordinate ourselves to the Zhuge Clan and then announce that the heir will be selected fairly based solely on martial ability, the other wives will not dare object. I understand that much, but I do not understand how this will allow us to eliminate the other factions.’

I grinned and asked Father a question.

‘What all of them want in common is control of the Seonu Clan. Then, Father, which faction do you believe currently thinks it possesses the greatest advantage?’

‘Hmm. It would most likely be the Ha Clan. They are also located in Guiyang, and they currently exercise the greatest influence over our clan.’

‘Exactly. Then suppose the succession unexpectedly appeared likely to pass to Eldest Brother, while the Seonu Clan they believed they had almost completely seized was about to fall into the Zhuge Clan’s hands. What do you think they would do?’

Father could not answer my question easily.

However, his expression showed that he clearly knew the answer.

I spoke again.

‘They will probably wish to overturn the board. Even if they must kill you and Eldest Brother to do so.’

Father sighed deeply and nodded.

‘Yes. The Ha Guyang I know would certainly do such a thing. But Jin, no matter how powerful the Ha Clan is, attacking our Seonu Clan directly would be burdensome. Therefore, things will not proceed as he desires….’

At that moment, I smiled like a mischievous child and asked,

‘Attacking us directly would naturally be burdensome. Then how about you and Eldest Brother take a trip outside by yourselves, so they will not feel burdened?’

Startled by my words, Father asked with a flustered expression,

‘…You are saying that although we know they are targeting us, the two of us should leave the clan alone?’

‘Yes. If we even tell them our destination, will they not joyfully prepare an ambush in advance?’

‘…Would that not be far too dangerous?’

Father asked again with concern, and I answered,

‘An ambush that is already known is no longer an ambush.’

That was the entire story behind our rapid departure, intended to prevent factions other than the Ha Clan from becoming involved.

In the end, they believed this was a secret attack known to no one.

In reality, they had merely been dancing in the palm of my hand while I received live information from the Hao Clan.

“Clan Head Seonu, are you unharmed?!”

“Thanks to your timely arrival, nothing happened. I am truly grateful.”

The warrior exchanging greetings with Father was Dan Haseon, the elder brother of my deceased friend Dan Hasang.

When Hasang was alive, he often boasted to me that his brother was an unparalleled prodigy lacking nothing in character, wisdom, talent, or martial ability.

At the time, I had greatly envied how close he was to his brother, unlike me.

When I first arrived in Guizhou Province, I had taken control of the Hao Clan’s Guiyang branch and then immediately visited Dan Manor.

Dan Haseon had drawn his sword with eyes filled with hatred, saying he would kill me, and I had asked him,

‘Hasang often boasted about you. He said you were an exceptionally wise man. I believed someone like you would naturally understand, but perhaps Hasang exaggerated. Do you truly believe I killed Hasang that day? No, do you believe I was even capable of killing him?’

He had frozen on the spot.

In truth, he must also have harbored doubts.

I had been Hasang’s closest friend, close enough that he had even arranged my engagement to his younger sister. Yet they claimed that one day, I had suddenly become drunk and killed him.

They also claimed that I, who had hardly resembled a martial artist at the time, had been capable of killing him.

Anyone with common sense would naturally have found it suspicious.

Still exuding killing intent, he asked me,

‘Are you… trying to say you did not kill Hasang?’

‘You believe that I, an outcast even within my own clan, killed Hasang, my only friend? Why would I do that? And was the Hasang you knew truly so weak that he could be killed by the pig I was at the time?’

He did not answer.

No, he could not answer.

However, his killing intent disappeared, allowing me to confirm that he acknowledged my words.

I then made him a promise.

‘Help me. I will uncover the true culprit who killed Hasang, and I will hand that person over to you. Furthermore… I will help Dan Manor rise.’

He needed some time, but eventually he decided to join my plan.

In other words, Dan Manor had participated in my plan from the very beginning.

From now on, it would have to perform an even more important role.

Father asked Dan Haseon in a booming voice so everyone could hear,

“I intend to punish the traitors within the Seonu Clan and discipline the Ha Clan for attempting to kill me. Would Dan Manor be willing to lend us its strength?”

Dan Haseon answered without the slightest hesitation.

“Of course! We can never forgive those who dared impersonate Dan Manor and attempted to frame us! We will lend you our strength, Clan Head!”

“Thank you!”

The two firmly clasped hands.

It was an extremely moving sight.

…Or rather, it would have been if I had not known it was a prearranged performance.

After watching that far, I sent a voice transmission to Jeok Mahyeok and Gyeon Jung.

-Let us go. From this point onward, we are racing against time.

-Yes, Young Master!

-Understood.

We began running toward the Seonu Clan ahead of everyone else.