The Supreme Who Rules the Boundless Sky - Chapter 38

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

Spear Heaven Martial Emperor Episode 38

His reaction was quite understandable.

Namgung Hyeok’s letter was itself an enormous provocation.

Moreover, it was the kind of provocation that thoroughly scraped at the pride of the Evil Path Alliance martial artists.

Especially Jang Hyeok, the person directly involved, was extremely furious. He growled as if he wanted to cut down Namgung Hyeok immediately.

“Damn it! I should have just cut off that bastard’s head back then, even if it meant taking losses…!”

“This has become quite embarrassing. What do you plan to do now?”

“We need to show those Namgung Family bastards a lesson immediately. How can we just sit still after being treated like this?”

“But how? We can’t start an all-out war right now, can we?”

“If we show this letter to our superiors…”

“Are you really confident about that? If that happens, you won’t remain unharmed.”

“…”

At the Bongtae Branch Leader’s words, Jang Hyeok came to his senses.

The reason he received such a mocking letter was because he had failed after attempting a reckless attack.

His position was already precarious after losing the Red Wolf Gang’s tribute money, and now he would report that he suffered such humiliation too?

If that happened, his own head might not survive.

Jang Hyeok became quiet as if cold water had been poured over his head.

The Bongtae Branch Leader sighed.

“I think it would be better for both you and me to keep this secret. What do you think?”

“I, I think that would be good too. Thank you for thinking of it.”

“I only suggested it to prevent sparks from flying to our Bongtae Branch as well. Hah, but it’s still irritating. That young punk being so arrogant…”

The Bongtae Branch Leader frowned.

As someone who had been with the Evil Path Alliance for a long time and risen to branch leader, he felt bad seeing the Evil Path Alliance directly humiliated.

“Isn’t there some way to give that bastard a taste of his own medicine?”

“Something other than waging direct war, you mean? Hmm.”

Jang Hyeok pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

“How about sending assassins?”

“Assassins?”

“That’s right. Skilled assassins who aren’t affiliated with our Evil Path Alliance. We could use them to take Namgung Hyeok’s head.”

“Indeed. Not a bad idea. But can you find suitable candidates?”

Even if the Namgung Family’s influence had been weakening recently, they were still members of the Ten Great Families.

There wouldn’t be many assassin organizations willing to carry out assassinations against such people.

But Jang Hyeok patted his chest confidently.

“That’s no problem. I know some guys who’ll do anything if you pay them.”

“Oh?”

“They’re called Black Kill Gate. Their commission fees are expensive, but they’re renowned for their skills.”

“I think I’ve heard of them. But if it’s them, they’ll demand quite a large commission fee as you said…”

“Don’t worry about that. Even if I have to pour in all my life savings, it won’t be a waste if I can just kill that bastard.”

Jang Hyeok’s voice carried genuine sincerity.

It seemed he was truly furious to the very end.

The Bongtae Branch Leader nodded.

“If that’s the case, then I understand. I’ll keep the secret.”

“Thank you.”

“However, even if you fail, there must be no traces left that we did it. We could get caught if we’re not careful. It would be best to hide your identity when contacting Black Kill Gate.”

“Thank you for the advice. Then I’ll need to get a human skin mask.”

“I can provide that for you. I know a good human skin mask craftsman who will be helpful.”

“I’d be grateful if you did that… but why are you being so good to me?”

Jang Hyeok asked with slight suspicion.

The Bongtae Branch Leader’s kindness seemed excessive.

But he answered calmly despite the suspicion directed at him.

“Mak Hyo, the Xuanzhou Branch Leader who was defeated by that bastard, was my close friend. I’ve been looking for a chance to get revenge.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“And if we succeed, it would be like achieving great merit, wouldn’t it? If I want to say something to the higher-ups then, I should show this much sincerity.”

The Bongtae Branch Leader spoke with a smile.

Honestly, the latter reason was probably bigger than revenge.

As he said, if they could just take Namgung Hyeok’s head, rising from branch leader to a higher position wouldn’t be just a dream.

Jang Hyeok didn’t care either way.

His goal was to pay back Namgung Hyeok who had brought him such humiliation.

‘Just wait, you brat.’

Jang Hyeok clenched his fist and resolved.

‘I’ll definitely send you to the King of Hell.’

* * *

“So by now, those guys are probably jumping around with red faces.”

Namgung Hyeok said as he poured alcohol into an empty cup after finishing his explanation.

Namgung Cheon, who received the cup from him, asked with a worried expression.

“Will it really be okay? If you provoke them like that, there will definitely be some kind of reaction…”

“It’s fine. That provocation was intended to draw that reaction from the beginning.”

“You mean you induced an attack from the Evil Path Alliance?”

“Yes. But don’t worry too much. They still can’t wage direct war yet.”

“You’re quite confident. Do you have reasons?”

“There are two. One is that we’ve formed an alliance with the powerful Ak Family and have the Murim Alliance backing us… The other is that if they try to attack using that letter as justification, their reputation will also fall to the ground.”

“True, to use that as justification, they’d have to reveal what the letter contained.”

“Yes. They wouldn’t want to disgrace themselves with their own hands. So this time they’ll only respond passively. For example, making indirect shows of force, or sending assassins after me.”

At those words, Namgung Cheon asked in shock.

“Assassins!? Then isn’t this serious?”

“Don’t worry too much. I’m used to dealing with assassins anyway.”

“Hyeok…”

Namgung Cheon made an indescribable expression.

It was an expression of pity for his younger brother who had been involved in so many assassination threats that he could speak of it so calmly.

“And I have a friend who’s an expert in that field. With Jeon Wook by my side, I’m not afraid of most assassins.”

“Then that’s fortunate. But still, you mustn’t let your guard down.”

“I know. I have no intention of doing so. If I died to mere assassins, wouldn’t this life I’ve lived so far be too precious to waste?”

Namgung Hyeok said with a slight laugh.

“Oh, of course I also plan to strengthen Elder Brother’s protection. The possibility is low, but they might target Elder Brother instead of me. Geomlip is protecting Elder Brother, but that’s not enough.”

“What then?”

“I’ll assign So Yeon to you so she can alternate with Geomlip. With those two, they’ll be able to protect Elder Brother no matter who comes.”

Namgung Cheon was so grateful to Namgung Hyeok for caring about him even in this situation.

“I’m always indebted to you.”

“If you think that way, please work hard to become a wise and good family head. And help me achieve my dreams.”

“I will definitely do so. I will never forget this debt I owe you for the rest of my life.”

“That’s enough then. Well, I should get going now.”

Namgung Hyeok stood up from his seat.

He declined Namgung Cheon’s offer to see him off and went outside.

“Geomlip. You heard?”

“Yes, Lord.”

So Geomlip appeared beside him smoothly and bowed his head as he spoke.

Namgung Hyeok looked at him with trusting eyes and said.

“Work with So Yeon to strengthen our defenses for a while. If we lose Elder Brother, the Namgung Family Estate will be thrown into great chaos.”

“I will do so even if it costs me my life.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. A mere assassin couldn’t possibly trouble the renowned So Geomlip.”

Namgung Hyeok smiled brightly.

Like all four of his comrades who had fought alongside him on the battlefield, So Geomlip was also a master without equal in his field.

“Then I shall take my leave.”

“Travel safely.”

So Geomlip bowed his head.

‘Now then…’

Namgung Hyeok’s eyes gleamed.

‘Shall we try casting out a fishing line?’

Whether they would take the bait or not was entirely up to their choice.

* * *

After that, changes occurred in Namgung Hyeok’s lifestyle.

He developed a habit of leaving the family estate once every five days to visit a restaurant called Cheonhwa Restaurant.

This was a secret habit that he didn’t even inform the family members about.

Perhaps because he disliked drawing attention, he only brought along one escort.

Most people didn’t pay much attention to this…

“That bastard visited Cheonhwa Restaurant again today?”

But there were those who carefully observed this fact.

They were the assassins of Black Kill Gate who had received a commission from Jang Hyeok.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes. I confirmed him entering the establishment myself.”

“Like a typical rich brat, enjoying expensive cuisine must be his hobby.”

“What should we do?”

“Continue observing for now. Are there any other unusual circumstances?”

“None. Apart from coming out to dine like this once every five days, he seems to stay holed up inside focusing only on personal training and military drills.”

“So in the end, if we want to seize an opportunity, we’ll have to target him when he goes to Cheonhwa Restaurant.”

A moment of contemplation crossed the leader’s eyes.

He briefly considered whether there might be a better method.

But he soon issued orders to his subordinates as if he had made his decision.

“We’ll strike him when the next opportunity comes. It would certainly be much easier than attempting an assassination while he’s holed up inside the Namgung Family Estate.”

“How many men should we bring?”

“Prepare about twenty men. That bastard is not only skilled himself, but his close associates are famously strong too. If we’re careless, we’ll be the ones getting caught.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Have you identified who the escort is?”

“Based on his appearance, he seems to be the one called Ho Young. According to our investigation, he’s someone in a position like an assault captain among those who follow Namgung Hyeok.”

“Does he always move together with him?”

“It seems that way. He’s probably someone who personally guards Namgung Hyeok.”

“Hmm. I see. Then let’s think of a way to separate those two bastards.”

“Any ordinary lure won’t work. If there were multiple guards it might be different, but with just one, he’ll absolutely refuse to separate.”

“I agree. So that means we’ll have to deal with both of them at once… This has become troublesome.”

“Should we try using poison?”

The leader nodded at his subordinate’s suggestion.

“Let’s try every method available. If necessary, it’s fine to push ourselves a little.”

“Yes.”

“That bastard is quite pitiful though. It hasn’t been long since he returned from that brutal battlefield in the Northern Region, and now of all times an assassination contract falls on us.”

“Isn’t it all his own karma? We just need to handle our assigned job well.”

“That’s true as well. We already received the commission fee in advance anyway.”

The leader gave orders to his subordinate in the alley.

“In any case, make proper preparations. Keep in mind that this opportunity might be our last chance and act accordingly. We mustn’t be discovered by anyone.”

“Yes. I’ll give special warnings to the underlings as well.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

The leader nodded and disappeared with his subordinate.

But they didn’t know.

“…”

In the alley where they had just been discussing their operation.

That a shadow figure in the back alley had been listening to everything.

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