The Lively Provocateur. (1)

“Whyyy?”

Yu Seol approached and asked.

Yu Jinsan glanced at the strange monk from Tianzhu (India) and said softly, “Drag him and follow your grandpa.”

Clank!

When Yu Seol yanked the chain binding him, the monk was mercilessly hauled along by the brutal force.

“Where are you taking me?”

Yu Jinsan, hands clasped behind his back, led the way with a meaningful smile. “To their main base. He won’t talk anymore, so we’ll use him one last time.”

“As expected, our grandpa is frugal.”

The grandparent-and-grandchild pair gathered their weapons and left headquarters.

Outside for the first time in a while, Yu Jinsan looked refreshed. “The air out here feels wonderful. The island’s inhabitants should be breathing this clean air and living well soon.”

Yu Seol nodded and gave the chain a sharp tug. “It’s all because of you people!”

“Ugh! Wh-what are you plotting?”

Yu Jinsan, walking ahead, stared drowsily at the monk and teased, “No need to hide it. We’ll use you to lure the others. You’ll see when we get there.”

“Y-you cruel bastards…”

The monk scowled in indignation, but nothing changed. The pair hoisted him and took off using their lightness skill.

The world beyond the forest had changed drastically. In fact, it felt like an entirely different world—no masked warrior in sight.

“Child, how come there isn’t a single enemy?”

“We sent them all away. To a good place.”

That meant they’d eliminated the enemy forces. Had a battle broken out while he was in the training hall? One couldn’t imagine how extraordinary the ambush squad led by his granddaughter must have been.

After a short while, they neared their destination and stopped. Ahead, a three-meter stone wall rose with a gorge beside it. A gigantic gate like a fortress door stood firmly shut at its center.

“Tch, how many must have died building that wall?” Yu Jinsan muttered sadly. From his investigation, the island had once held tens of thousands of residents; most likely many perished under forced labor.

As he stood lost in thought, his granddaughter’s urgent voice came from behind him. “Grandpa, he’s dead.”

He turned. The monk who had been alive mere moments ago was now slumped and limp—clearly dead. It made no sense.

“What the? Why is someone who was fine just now dead?”

“I don’t know either. I guess he killed himself again.”

They’d seen the same with the bodyguard of Little Thunderclap Temple captured in Shaanxi—another mysterious suicide. How they did it remained a mystery, suspected to be Little Thunderclap Temple’s strange sorcery.

“We weren’t going to spare him anyway, so it doesn’t matter. Still, it’s curious.”

“He’s not just pretending to be dead, is he?”

“No way. Could that be?”

His heartbeat had stopped and his skin was cold. Even so, Yu Jinsan twisted the monk’s neck just in case—ensuring the kill.

“What do we do now?”

“First, let’s find somewhere nearby to hide.”

Yu Seol scanned briefly and pointed. “How about that rock?”

About eighty meters to the side of the main gate, the rock offered enough room to conceal the body.

“Perfect. From now on we’ll use this guy as bait.”

“You’re planning to hide there and catch whoever comes out to deal with the body, right?” he realized the plan instantly.

Yu Jinsan looked impressed. “How did you know? Is our Seol this clever?”

Pleased at the praise, Yu Seol smiled. “Hehe. I’m not who I used to be.”

“Good girl. This is our chance to thin their numbers, even if just a little.”

They wanted to narrow the numerical disadvantage before the decisive fight.

Yu Seol’s worried look returned. “But what if we attract only small fry?”

“Then it’s a dud. For now, let’s move him first.”

They carried the corpse to a spot, set it down neatly, sprinted behind the rock, and crouched.

Peeking over the hiding place toward the wall, they saw masked warriors bustling in confusion. Soon a group would likely come out to check.

“Please…”

Yu Seol clasped her hands in prayer. Yu Jinsan snorted and asked, smiling, “What are you doing?”

“I prayed to Buddha to let the Jeon Sa-ryong come out alone.”

If her wish came true, they could duel and settle things quickly—though the ruler here wouldn’t be idle, so the chance seemed slim.

“If someone wearing a golden mask appears, it’s a huge success. Let’s watch.”

According to Il Kwang’s info, most warriors inside wore red masks; lower-ranking ones might be used as slaves. The hope of a high-ranking opponent appearing remained low.

After a short while, the iron gate began to move.

Creak—creak!

“I’m coming out!”

Yu Seol kept her hands clasped; Yu Jinsan watched with eager eyes. Time stretched.

A group of figures emerged through the half-open gate. Yu Seol’s disappointed whisper escaped. “Damn… it’s a dud.”

As expected, only three red-masked enemies came out. Yu Jinsan sighed. “Phew. Can’t be helped.”

“Let’s cast the line again. Should we retrieve the bait first?” Yu Seol wasn’t ready to give up.

But the frightened bait would make other fish wary, even dangerous.

The three red-masked enemies moved cautiously toward the corpse. They hesitated for a moment, and Yu Jinsan said urgently, “W-wait a moment!”

Yu Seol had already noticed another figure emerging from the gate—his movement different from the three red-masked men.

“A Gold One! A Gold One has come out!” she cried.

He wore a golden mask and dashed past the red-masked men. In a single bound he knelt, picked up the corpse, and scanned the area, visibly enraged.

“Looks like we caught a trophy.”

“Puhihi. Thank you, Buddha.”

They clasped hands in delight. When the opportunity came, they had to eliminate at least one more.

Steadying themselves, they gripped their weapons and calmed their breaths.

“Child, sprint fully and cut off his escape. I’ll pounce from the other side.”

“Now? Got it.”

Although the three red-masked enemies were peak-level fighters, they barely registered to the Yin Yang Twin Monster. Their target was the Gold One.

Yu Seol narrowed her brow, inhaled deeply, and launched forward at lightning speed. Whoosh!

A gust of qi swept their hiding spot and sent Yu Jinsan sprawling onto his backside. “Ugh!” he grunted, then reset his stance and sprinted.

Yu Seol’s advance rivaled a lightning strike; in a blink she was almost on top of him. The Gold One, realizing too late, flinched and tried to flee.

He twisted his torso and managed a defensive posture. Short, strange twin blades materialized in his hands.

Screeeech!

Despite the unsteady stance, he couldn’t fully block Yu Seol’s attack.

“Guh!”

His torso twisted and he slid forward, glaring at Yu Seol. “You evil bastard!” he spat, though he had no mind for provocation.

As he tried to run, his pupils widened—his back had gone cold. Noticing Yu Jinsan’s approach, despair flickered across his face, but he refused to give up. Gritting his teeth, he spun like a storm, twin daggers throwing powerful qi in all directions.

Kraaaak!

The attack was fierce, a trump move worthy of an expert, meant to repel those around him.

He didn’t know who he faced. The Yin Yang Twin Monster snuffed his qi instantly and pressed the assault.

Kaaang!

The terrified Gold One barely blocked Yu Jinsan’s strike from behind, but he couldn’t stop Yu Seol’s front-foot blow.

Crunch!

“Gah!”

As he staggered, Yu Jinsan’s palm struck his back. Thud!

His breath cut off; he couldn’t even cry out.

That marked the beginning. With his stance broken, attacks from front and back hammered him without mercy. He could do nothing, not even defend.

Crack! Thud! Swish! Snap!

Though it felt cowardly, they wanted to finish him quickly—the base sat right there and reinforcements could arrive at any moment.

After another breath, the pair stopped as if on cue. Between them, the blood-soaked Gold One slowly collapsed.

Plop!

Another Tianzhu warrior fell helplessly. Yu Jinsan delivered the final strike to his back—poke!

After the coup de grâce, he sighed in relief and praised his granddaughter. “Well done, child. Thanks to you, we caught him easily.”

Yu Seol looked slightly disappointed, as if she hadn’t fully warmed up. “Mm~ Grandpa, you did well too.”

They congratulated each other and looked back. Three others fled toward the main gate, and atop the stone wall dozens of red masks lined up, staring down—hesitant to approach after the display of force.

The pair had no intention of going inside; they only needed to pick off whoever came down.

From below, Yu Seol stuck out her tongue and taunted, “Hey guys, are you scared of us? If not, come on down and see!”

Though soft-spoken, her deep internal qi made her voice thunderous. The visible enemies increased in number, but none came forward.

A short while later, Yu Seol’s taunt died on her lips and Yu Jinsan’s grip tightened on his spear.

“…?”

Someone terrifying had appeared atop the stone wall—a presence that could be felt even from a distance.

“So… that’s the one.”

The only man without a mask glared down at them. Bare-chested, muscular and lean, his face was as sharp as a blade. A crimson cloak billowed behind him and wild white hair flowed like a stallion’s mane.

When Yu Jinsan met his gaze, his heart seemed to stop for a moment; he’d never felt such pressure before.

Yu Seol, paying no mind to her grandfather’s unease, continued to provoke. “Jeon Sa-ryong? He looks like a mere scrub.”