Heaven-Defying Hero - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#104

The total number of people on the list was fifteen. The Osalsaeng were excluded from this.

Ja-gang-cheon was assigned seven people in total, while the remaining eight would be handled jointly by Mugyeong and Han Dae-woong.

‘I don’t know which three were dealt with at the abandoned temple.’

In the end, there was no choice but to check them one by one.

‘One of the remaining Osalsaeng won’t just sit still.’

Eventually, when they realized their subordinates were being killed, they would launch a counterattack.

They would have no choice but to be aggressive, if only to prevent the list from being leaked.

‘Naturally, they’ll target Uncle Mugyeong first.’

Rather than directly confronting Ja-gang-cheon, they would certainly use a weaker person.

That’s why Ja-gang-cheon decided to target the still-active Osalsaeng as his first objective.

Ja-gang-cheon, who had ridden Byeokseong through the night, arrived at his destination without delay.

It was a village called Heunnju, a place that all supplies moving north had to pass through.

Due to the heavy logistics traffic, many people were heading out to work from early morning.

Snort.

Perhaps feeling good from the spirited ride, Byeokseong made a pleasant sound.

“Wait here.”

Ja-gang-cheon left Byeokseong in the forest outside the village and moved alone. He didn’t bother tying up Byeokseong, thinking that if it ran away, he wouldn’t look for it and would just let it go.

Entering the village alone, Ja-gang-cheon searched for a man based on the information provided by Heukjeom.

It was an ordinary house on the outskirts of Heunnju, where family members were seeing off a man heading to his morning work.

Two sons and one daughter exchanged warm greetings with their father. The middle-aged lady also hugged her husband tightly and showed a smile.

Anyone could see it was a happy family.

It would have been an enviable scene, if only the father wasn’t an assassin.

‘How selfish.’

That’s what Ja-gang-cheon thought.

“Starting a family when you can’t even reveal your true identity openly.”

He was probably deceiving his family. That’s why there was no hesitation in following him to his workplace.

But after following for just a few steps, the man ahead changed direction.

‘He noticed.’

Ja-gang-cheon quickly pursued the man entering the alley.

Rather than following him directly, he climbed onto the buildings forming the alley.

Looking down from above, he saw the man quickly pass through the alley and enter a building.

It was an ordinary residential house.

Shouting could be heard from the house, and soon someone came out bleeding.

He was deliberately creating a chaotic situation. Killing one person for this purpose was nothing to him.

Nevertheless, from Ja-gang-cheon’s perspective as the pursuer, it was definitely pressure.

At least he didn’t want other people to die because of him.

Ja-gang-cheon quickly checked the pulse of the bleeding, collapsed person and put a Deungmyeong Divine Pill into their mouth. Then he asked the screaming lady.

“Where is the medical clinic?”

Ja-gang-cheon wrapped the pointing middle-aged lady in one arm and deployed his lightness skill.

“Where? Tell me exactly.”

Despite her shock, the middle-aged lady pointed to the physician, and Ja-gang-cheon immediately leaped over the wall.

Setting down the patient before the startled physician, Ja-gang-cheon pulled out a promissory note from his chest.

“Save them no matter what.”

The physician gulped upon seeing the promissory note and immediately began examining the patient.

Seeing this, Ja-gang-cheon surveyed the surroundings and climbed to the highest rooftop.

‘I lost him.’

He hadn’t expected such a response in that brief moment. Honestly, it was a situation he had never once considered.

‘I didn’t know he’d use human lives as bait.’

Harming ordinary people who hadn’t learned martial arts was taboo for martial artists, but his opponent had no such restrictions.

‘I need to find him.’

He couldn’t have gone far.

‘He’ll try to wait until nightfall.’

He wouldn’t try to move far and attract attention. He would certainly wait for a favorable time to launch a surprise attack.

‘I need to lure him out.’

Ja-gang-cheon fell into thought.

‘I am Cheon-gu. I am Cheon-gu.’

Repeating those words, he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he felt a gaze watching him from afar.

Ja-gang-cheon immediately leaped toward that person.

“Huh? I’m…”

“You’re from Heukjeom, right?”

“What? Yes! I’m not from Salmak.”

“I know.”

Ja-gang-cheon handed him a silver coin and gave him an instruction.

“What? Is it really okay to do that?”

“Start as quickly as possible.”

A short while later,

Five men from Heukjeom wandered around the village, raising their voices.

“Be careful! Hyeonsu Saseong of Salmak! Is attacking people!”

“Hyeonsu Saseong of Salmak is here! Be careful!”

For them, having their identity revealed meant direct death.

“We will soon distribute a wanted poster of Hyeonsu Saseong!”

“Be careful of Hyeonsu Saseong! We will provide you with his wanted poster!”

He couldn’t just stay still after hearing this.

Just mentioning his name would make all the village people recognize his identity.

‘Then there would be thousands of watchers.’

Everyone who knew him would become a watcher. There would be nowhere left to hide in this village.

Even if he managed to escape the village, his life would still plummet into ruin.

Once his wanted poster was revealed, people from across the nation who had suffered at his hands would come for revenge.

He would have to spend the rest of his life in hiding in some deserted place.

‘Otherwise, he’d spend his life dealing with other assassins.’

What’s the first thing that happens when an assassin’s identity is revealed?

Initially, the victim’s acquaintances come directly, but when they can’t find the assassin, they make requests elsewhere.

They commission other assassins for murder.

Naturally, some places refuse to take such requests, but eventually they present conditions that can’t be refused.

‘Because it’s revenge.’

When it comes to revenge that risks one’s life, people will stake any amount of wealth.

Recalling this fact, Ja-gang-cheon was confident his opponent would come out.

‘He won’t be able to hold out long.’

Ja-gang-cheon watched the Heukjeom men from his high position.

‘I should have made their movement routes converge toward the center.’

He regretted not being able to set a more detailed trap, but it was already too late to turn back.

If there were flaws in the plan, he could just solve them with his body.

‘He’ll definitely come.’

The fortunate thing was that Ja-gang-cheon clearly remembered his back figure.

He was confident he could recognize him as soon as he came out.

‘It’s time.’

That’s when he had that thought.

When the man with the loudest voice passed through the alley, something moved.

Ja-gang-cheon didn’t miss it and rushed in at full speed.

Thud!

The Black Dot man who had been raising his voice was dragged into the dark alley with his mouth covered.

Though he ran with all his might, by the time Ja-gang-cheon reached the alley, a blade was already embedded in the Black Dot man’s abdomen.

The assassin threw the stabbed man toward Ja-gang-cheon. He had deliberately not killed him immediately.

But Ja-gang-cheon acted beyond his expectations.

He released his qi to gently lay the Black Dot man on the ground, then quickly pressed three pressure points.

He stopped the bleeding and immobilized him. Then immediately reached toward the assassin.

‘Why?’

The assassin’s eyes were filled with confusion.

‘He’s a Black Dot person.’

It was completely different treatment from ordinary people. Thanks to this, Ja-gang-cheon had gotten very close to the assassin.

Swish!

The assassin thrust his awl forward quickly and concisely. Ja-gang-cheon knocked his wrist aside and stepped forward once more.

Thud.

The assassin used a strange footwork technique to slip sideways and create distance from Ja-gang-cheon.

It was only about two steps, but it was enough to pull out the box from his waist.

‘A mechanical device?’

The moment he had that thought, the assassin threw the box to the ground. Sensing something ominous, Ja-gang-cheon caught the falling box with his foot and advanced while crouching.

When he snatched the box with a sweeping motion along the ground, the assassin’s face contorted.

It had been his trump card.

But seeing that expression, Ja-gang-cheon pretended to throw the box at the assassin.

Seeing this, the assassin panicked and immediately leaped up.

That was his mistake.

Ja-gang-cheon immediately followed the movements of the assassin who had lost his composure.

Bang!

Ja-gang-cheon’s fist struck the assassin’s back.

The shocked assassin crashed to the ground haphazardly like a poorly made kite.

But at the moment of falling, white smoke rose up.

He had deployed a smoke screen.

The acrid smoke spread, but it wasn’t much of a problem for Ja-gang-cheon.

The qi generated by Ja-gang-cheon’s palm technique cleanly swept away the smoke screen.

‘Where did he go?’

It was surprising that he had disappeared in that time, but blood traces remained.

Ja-gang-cheon saw he had entered a nearby alley and immediately gave chase.

Whoosh!

The assassin, judging that escape was impossible, chose to counterattack at the alley entrance.

It was a fairly threatening attack, but Ja-gang-cheon twisted his body to avoid it. And he reached out faster than when he had dodged.

Snap!

Finally, the assassin was caught in Ja-gang-cheon’s grasp.

Baring his teeth and growling, he looked like a wildcat that had been forcibly captured.

“You shouldn’t have touched ordinary people too.”

“Shut up!”

Crack!

Ja-gang-cheon, feeling no value in conversation, broke the assassin’s neck. Then he went to check on the Black Dot man who had collapsed in the alley.

“Let’s go to the medical clinic.”

He carried the man and went back to the medical clinic.

The physician had just finished emergency treatment on the first person he had brought.

“There’s one more.”

Ja-gang-cheon laid the Black Dot man down next to the first patient.

After dealing with the last unretired Osalsaeng, Ja-gang-cheon left the village and returned to the forest.

It was the same spot where Byeokseong had been.

Snort!

Far from running away, Byeokseong seemed to be complaining about why he had gone alone.

To Byeokseong who was nudging his chest, Ja-gang-cheon offered an apology.

“Sorry. It’s because I trust you. We need to run again, is that okay?”

Fortunately, Byeokseong allowed him on his back again.

“Let’s go. Today will be quite busy.”

Byeokseong ran again.

***

An assassin whose identity had been revealed and who couldn’t utilize darkness was not a threatening existence.

This was true not only for Ja-gang-cheon but also for Mugyeong and Hwang Dae-ung.

Since they had even dealt with the Osalsaeng, there was no one who could stop their progress.

Finally, when ten days had passed, Ja-gang-cheon encountered the last assassin who was living as a gravedigger.

“At least this is an honest appearance.”

The gloomy and dark-looking man had disheveled hair and wore an evil smile.

As if enjoying even his own terror, he had a dangerous expression, but that couldn’t protect his life.

He was an assassin with some skill, but his opponent was too formidable.

Slash!

After three exchanges, Ja-gang-cheon’s Mukryeomdo split the assassin’s body vertically.

“Phew. Now let’s go back.”

The last assassin on the list had breathed his last.

The three who met again in Taiyuan shared their activities from that time.

Hwang Dae-ung was slightly injured, but fortunately it wasn’t a fatal wound.

“Is this all finished now?”

“No. One person remains.”

One more of the Osalsaeng who dreamed of retirement was still alive.

“Cheonsal-seong. We need to deal with him.”

“If it’s Cheonsal-seong, he was called one whose skills surpassed even the sect leader. He’s already hidden himself, so is it necessary to find him?”

“That person must be dealt with. He was the one closest to becoming the next leader of Salmak. If he exists, Salmak can be revived at any time.”

Mugyeong had no choice but to acknowledge that point.

“Then I’ll go with you too.”

“No. You know it’s more convenient for me to go alone. Don’t do that and return to Deungmyeong Manor first.”

“That won’t do. We’ll wait here.”

Ja-gang-cheon couldn’t force them beyond that point.

“These are people who filled their bellies by killing others. I’ll settle that karma and return.”

“Be careful.”

“I’ve prepared sufficiently. Don’t worry.”

Ja-gang-cheon left the inn with his usual smile.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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