The wandering vagrant squad’s surprise attack failed.
Of the eighty wandering vagrant, fewer than sixty returned, and many masters of the Human Sword Squad were also missing.
“Hmm.”
The returned Human Sword Squad and wandering vagrant looked with disapproving expressions at Bu Eunseol’s group, who were resting in perfect condition.
It was the same for Mun Gwang.
‘They are wandering vagrant who weren’t paid anything particular… so I can’t say much.’
Just as he was suppressing his anger, a bald man with a large axe on his shoulder approached Bu Eunseol, huffing and puffing. He was the leader of the Third Team, Blood Cry Axe Jo Cheon-san.
“You guys have it easy, don’t you?”
As if determined to pick a fight, Jo Cheon-san spat on the rock Namgung Woon was leaning against. “Was this the reason you didn’t take money? To watch who dies?” Jo Cheon-san spoke with bloodshot eyes. “If you were sold as wandering vagrant, you should participate in the battle! Why are you sprawled out here setting up shop!”
“What kind of nonsense is this again? That Hall Master Mun or whatever told us to guard this place, so we guarded it!”
“Just because you were told to guard. Are you guarding it like puppies? While others are dying out there?”
“What? Puppies?”
Enraged, Namgung Woon jumped up to speak, but Black Leopard grabbed his hands.
“Sir. Please endure it.”
“Endure what? We also almost died yesterda…”
Namgung Woon, about to shout loudly, closed his mouth. Because Black Leopard’s expression was too dark and earnest.
“He is doing this because he lost comrades and is in pain…”
Even a wandering vagrant who sold for money shared camaraderie. Jo Cheon-san was in such pain that he couldn’t bear it without feeling resentment towards someone.
“I beg you. Sir. Please endure it.”
At Black Leopard’s hushed whisper, Namgung Woon clenched his lips tightly. “Forget it. I won’t say anything.” Suppressing his anger, Namgung Woon turned his head away and faced away again.
At that moment, Mun Gwang stood before the wandering vagrant and spoke, “The failure of this surprise attack lies solely with me.” He lowered his head, pained by his words. “The Saber Tyrant Sect had already seen through our movements and information, including our surprise attack.” Raising his head, he surveyed the wandering vagrant and the Human Sword Squad before speaking again. “The sect has ordered us to cease this surprise attack and return. However, I will fight them head-on once more.”
At that moment, a wandering vagrant, carrying a greatsword slung over his shoulder, stepped forward. “No matter how I think about it, that doesn’t seem right. Isn’t that just another way of saying, ‘Die a glorious death’?”
A man beside him, his voice hoarse, chimed in. “That’s precisely what it is. There’s an unusual formation laid out around that mountain villa. Unless we break through it, let alone engage in combat, we’ll meet our demise before even setting foot inside.”
The reason behind the failure of this surprise attack was twofold: the sheer number of assassins present, and the formidable formation strategically placed at the entrance of the mountain villa.
Mun Gwang, biting his lip, offered a solution. “I’ll increase the reward. Double what you’ve already received!”
However, the wandering vagrant’s expression remained cold and unyielding. Even if their lives were traded for money, they were unwilling to risk their lives in a futile battle with no chance of victory.
“A formation, you say.”
At that moment, Bu Eunseol, who had been listening silently, opened his mouth.
“We will dismantle the formation for you.”
“What?”
As Mun Gwang widened his eyes, Bu Eunseol pointed at Namgung Woon and said, “He is an expert in dismantling formations. No matter what formation is laid, he can easily unravel it.”
Namgung Woon dropped his jaw. Since when did he become an expert in dismantling formations? Flustered, he waved his hands, but Mun Gwang ran over and grabbed Namgung Woon’s shoulders.
“Is, is that true?”
Burning desire and indescribable expectation flashed in his eyes.
“No, I…”
Just as Namgung Woon was about to shake his head, Bu Eunseol answered confidently, “Of course.”
“I see. If you dismantle the formation, I will give you three times the reward.”
As the moved Mun Gwang nodded vigorously, Bu Eunseol shook his head. “No need for money.”
“No need for reward? Why?”
Instead of responding, Bu Eunseol simply wore a faint smile. Seeing that, Mun Gwang clamped his mouth shut. That smile resembled the smile of a reaper laughing in the pitch-black darkness.
“U-understood.”
Eventually, Mun Gwang turned away with a dubious expression.
***
Bear Clan’s Mountain Villa, an abandoned mountain villa deep within the forest of Mount Háncuì, stood as a natural fortress. Accessible only through a dense bamboo forest and a narrow, winding path, it was a formidable obstacle.
Bu Eunseol, Black Leopard, and Namgung Woon ascended the steep, narrow path with ease, their lightness skills allowing them to move swiftly.
“This will be challenging,” Bu Eunseol remarked. “A formation guards the only path to the mountain villa.”
Namgung Woon nodded, finally emerging from the bamboo forest and observing the small path leading up to the Bear Clan’s Mountain Villa. “It’s not just any formation,” he said. “It involves mechanisms like the Twenty-Four Heavenly General Formation of the Divine Maiden Palace. There must be hidden weapon traps laid out extensively.”
Despite his reputation as a prodigy of debauchery, Namgung Woon had received an exceptional education in the Namgung Clan. This education encompassed not only swordsmanship but also poetry, calligraphy, painting, and formations.
“Such a complex formation requires the expertise of hundreds of masters,” Namgung Woon explained. “Dismantling it with this number of people is an impossible task.”
Bu Eunseol remained calm, dismissing Namgung Woon’s concerns. “Dismantling is unnecessary.”
“Didn’t you boast to that gentleman named Mun Gwang earlier that we would dismantle it?”
“I mean that we don’t necessarily need to dismantle the formation to enter the mountain villa.”
“What does that mean?”
Bu Eunseol stared intently at Namgung Woon and said, “Didn’t you just say it. That a formation of that level was clearly made to annihilate a large number of people.”
“Well, yes.”
“Conversely speaking, they failed because they took a large number of people perfectly suited for the formation.”
“I don’t quite understand.”
As Namgung Woon shook his head, Bu Eunseol’s eyes sparkled. “What if a single person enters there?”
“Well, since it’s a formation to kill a large number of enemies… it probably won’t be able to use all its tricks.” Sensing something ominous, Namgung Woon quickly added, “But that is only a guess, isn’t it?”
“We’ll know once one person goes in first.”
“Haha, truly. Who would go alone into a formation capable of annihilating hundreds?”
Bu Eunseol stared intently at Namgung Woon with profound eyes without a word.
Feeling ominous, he stepped back slightly and smiled. “Surely that one person doesn’t refer to me, right?”
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol spoke to Black Leopard, “Wait here, and when the gate of the mountain villa opens, set off the signal flare. Then the wandering vagrant squad and the masters of the Thunder Heaven Sect waiting below will come.”
“Understood.”
In the end, the wandering vagrant squad had attached a condition. That they would engage only when Bu Eunseol’s group dismantled the formation and opened the path to the mountain villa.
“Brother Seol. Are you serious? Telling me to go alone?”
“Did you not say you wanted to gain Gangho experience?”
“Yes, that’s right. Not that I wanted to tour hell.”
Namgung Woon broke into a cold sweat and shook his head.
“If I wanted to commit suicide, there are many easy ways… is there a need to use a difficult and complicated method?”
When no answer returned, Namgung Woon’s eyes lost focus.
“Brother Seol. Do you know this? They say the assassins of the Yin Death Valley mince people when they kill. That’s why they favor double-edged blades that slice flesh easily.”
“I see.”
“So what I’m saying is… I’m not going in.”
As Namgung Woon retreated, Bu Eunseol raised the corner of his mouth. “Are you afraid?”
“What?”
“I asked if you are afraid.”
—Are you afraid?
Those words were like a magic spell that triggered Namgung Woon’s seizure.
“Damn it! Who said I was afraid? It’s just a manner of speaking!” Drawing his Golden Needle Sword, Namgung Woon bared his teeth and declared, “Watch from there whether I’m afraid or not!” Without hesitation, like a boar caught in a forest fire, he leaped onto the steep path leading up to the Bear Clan’s Mountain Villa.
Strike!
As soon as he entered the narrow path, dozens of steel needles poured from both sides and the sky.
Normally, Namgung Woon would have ostentatiously deflected all the hidden weapons to showcase his swordsmanship skills. However, due to past experiences, he had discarded all unnecessary pretense in actual combat. He curled his body and dashed forward, dodging the barrage of hidden weapons.
Whoosh! Thud-thud-thud!
At that moment, trees and rocks poured down from above his head like a meteor shower.
“What is that?”
The trees and rocks had faint shadows overlapping due to the influence of the formation. No matter how hard he looked up, it was difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion.
“Eek!”
Namgung Woon ran forward, cutting down falling objects with his Golden Needle Sword. But the sword was too thin and slender; he could cut trees, but it was challenging to deflect large rocks.
“Damn it! If we had come in a swarm, it would have been annihilation.”
If a large crowd had crowded onto this narrow path, there would have been no way to dodge. However, since Namgung Woon had entered alone, he could cut down the falling trees and dodge the rocks. But as the influence of the formation deepened, the shapes of the trees and rocks gradually began to blend with shadows.
“What is this now?”
He was moving forward diligently, but his speed was slower than usual. Looking closely, the ground had turned like sticky glue, moving backward as if flowing.
“Isn’t this a formation on the level of the Divine Maiden Palace?”
It was impossible for a mere assassin sect to construct such an extraordinary formation. The Saber Tyrant Sect exclusively recruited individuals who wielded swords, and there was no one who had attained such mastery of formations. Clearly, there was another accomplice.
“This feels bad.”
As he observed the ceaseless flow of trees and rocks, he unleashed his lightness skill once more and began to ascend.
“Huff, huff.”
His tongue hung out to his chin, but Namgung Woon couldn’t stop running. The moment he halted due to the formation’s influence, he would be propelled backward to where the rocks were pouring again.
Paaak!
At that instant, accompanied by the sound of a gourd bursting, white powder erupted into the air.
“Qi-Scattering Powder again?”
Recalling the memory of falling into Wang Jeong’s trap in the Mount Fuding gorge, Namgung Woon clenched his teeth.
“Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!”
As he unfurled the Fast Blade Cutting Chaotic Hemp Stance of the Azure Heavens Soaring Swallow Sword, the powder swirled and began to ascend back into the sky. It was a moment where his accumulated Gangho experience shone.
“How about that!”
Namgung Woon’s expression, grinning at the sky, froze.
This time, wasn’t a massive lump of iron large enough to cover the ground descending whole from above his head?
“Wh-what is that?”
Just by its size, it appeared to be a giant lump of iron, approximately one ma-jang long from front to back. No matter how fast he ran, there was no way to dodge it.
Boom!
At that moment, along with a vibration shaking the ground, a large bell fell beside him. Now, looking up, what had fallen from the sky was not a giant iron lump but a large temple bell capable of trapping a person.
“The Tyrant Sect really prepared a lot.”
“Brother Seol.”
Namgung Woon stroked his surprised chest seeing Bu Eunseol, who had followed him before he knew it.
“When did you come?”
“You broke through properly.”
Bu Eunseol nodded as he looked at the surroundings where all sorts of traps had popped out.
No more hidden weapons poured down, and the influence of the formation had disappeared. Finally, they had pierced through the path covered in mechanical formations and arrived in front of the gate of the Bear Clan’s Mountain Villa.
Creak.
As he opened the main gate wide and looked inside the Bear Clan’s Mountain Villa, despair rose in Namgung Woon’s eyes.
“What the hell is this…”
The buildings inside the Bear Clan’s Mountain Villa were completely empty, and another forest unfolded there. And everywhere in the forest was filled with thick killing intent pouring from concealed assassins.
In the end, only the form of a mountain villa existed; the interior was no different from a forest.