The Legend of the Northern Blade-Chapter 195: Too Far Out of Reach (2)

Cheong-In transformed from an ordinary young man to a portly middle-aged man, then a stooped old woman. True to his alias, Ten Steps Ten Transformations, he changed his appearance constantly while tailing Jo Un-Kyung.

Completely unaware of the spy, Jo Un-Kyung left Heaven's Summit and headed west through Heaven's Village. After walking for some time, he reached a secluded manor on the outskirts, surrounded by only a few other houses.

The manor sat beside a lake with picturesque views. Not even a single martial artist guarded the entrance, creating an atmosphere of perfect tranquility.

Jo Un-Kyung opened the gate and walked inside naturally.

Cheong-In watched from a distance. A less experienced tracker might have followed Jo Un-Kyung, but not he. He spotted the trap immediately.

The two old men playing Go on a bench about thirty meters to the left, a woman trimming vegetables while sitting about fifty meters to the right, and a fisherman mending his net on a boat by the lake. All of them are lookouts.

The seemingly ordinary people weren't watching the manor itself but anyone who approached it. Their disguises were perfect, but they couldn't fool Cheong-In.

Cheong-In strolled past the manor as naturally as possible. Thanks to his elderly appearance, no one suspected him. As he walked by, he studied the size of the manor, the height of the walls, and the roofs of the pavilions visible from outside. He memorized the locations of the sentries and their patrol routes before retreating.

He considered reporting to Jin Mu-Won immediately, but soon decided against it.

"If I retreat like this, the Black Moon's reputation will be ruined."

The security was tight, but not impossible to breach. After circling once, Cheong-In had identified at least three infiltration routes.

He selected one of them. He could have entered right then and there, but waiting until nightfall seemed like the better option.

After two hours, darkness descended, and Cheong-In made his approach, wearing dark clothing and a mask. He was confident that even if he was caught, his dual layers of disguise would prevent him from being recognized.

He approached the back of the manor where the tree branches hung particularly low. Despite the late hour, the sentries remained vigilant. However, he had identified a blind spot in their surveillance.

He leaped over the manor wall lightly. Perhaps because they trusted their external surveillance network, the internal security was lax.

"Hmph!"

Cheong-In hid behind a wooden pillar and scanned the interior of the manor. The structure looked more complex than it had from the outside.

Even so, most manor structures are similar.

This wasn't Cheong-In's first infiltration mission, so he quickly pinpointed the most important-looking pavilion within the manor. Surrounded by the highest wall on the inside, it was a place even the manor's occupants would have difficulty accessing.

He carefully snuck into the pavilion. Several martial artists stood guard inside, their ramrod-straight postures and sharp gazes giving them an intense aura.

Cheong-In suppressed his presence completely and crept up onto the pavilion's ceiling. Using the Turtle Breath Holding Technique, he silenced his footsteps and breathing.

After crawling for a while, he stopped. From his crouched position on the ceiling beams, he could hear two people speaking.

"So, you're saying he already knows you've learned the Demonic Cross of Blood?"

"That's right."

"Tsk! This has become troublesome."

"How long do you plan to leave him alone? If we let him roam free any longer, who knows what problems will arise?"

"Hmph!"

Cheong-In carefully made a small hole in the ceiling and peered through it. He saw a man with his back turned.

Jo Un-Kyung of the Tyrant Fist Sect.

This was the man Jin Mu-Won had ordered him to tail. Unfortunately, Jo Un-Kyung's conversation partner remained hidden from sight, though it was obvious he was sitting at a desk piled high with letters.

Who is it? I've definitely heard this voice before...

Cheong-In tilted his head. He had extraordinary hearing and never forgot a voice after hearing it once.

"The most natural course of action is the best one. If we intervene now, we'll arouse their suspicion."

"I know, but if we don't deal with him soon, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"That's also true. That's why I'm on the fence."

The man behind Jo Un-Kyung rose from his seat, but Cheong-In still couldn't see his face.

Jo Un-Kyung asked, "How about I take care of him instead?"

"Why, are you itching for a fight? I suppose that's understandable, since you worked so hard to learn the Demonic Cross of Blood. Still, it can't be revealed that you've mastered it yet."

"Urgh!"

"Even among the Nine Skies, there's someone closely watching the main family's movements."

"Who is it?"

"Neung Gun-Hwi."

"You mean the Storm Harbinger?"

"That's right."

"Hmph!"

Their conversation made Cheong-In even more curious about the other person's identity. He repositioned himself to catch a glimpse of Jo Un-Kyung's conversation partner's face.

CREAK!

Cheong-In's heart sank. The wooden beam he stepped on had creaked!

"Who's there?" Jo Un-Kyung roared, delivering a punch to the ceiling.

CRASH!

The powerful blow shattered the ceiling and roof, revealing the night sky. Still, there was no sign of an intruder.

Jo Un-Kyung nimbly leaped onto the roof and immediately discovered blood droplets among the shattered debris.

"How dare you!" Rage spread across his face as he looked into the distance, where a black shadow was fleeing into the darkness at full speed. "You think you can escape?"

"Just let him go," the other man said.

Jo Un-Kyung, who had been preparing to give chase, stared at the man in displeasure.

However, the man smirked. "The Heavenly Hunters will give chase."

"The Heavenly Hunters?"

"That's right, hoho!"

As he laughed, the moon emerged from behind the clouds and cast light upon his face, revealing him to be Gwan Dae-Seung, the Chief Administrator of Heaven's Summit.

"Hahahahahaha!"

Cheong-In ran with all his might. In the end, he couldn't confirm the identity of Jo Un-Kyung's companion. However, as long as he remembered the voice, he would eventually recall it.

Suddenly, he winced. Someone was following him.

Damn it! Have they already dispatched a pursuit team?

Faint presences that he would have never noticed without being on high alert surrounded him from all directions. His only relief was that he hadn't sensed any killing intent, meaning they must not yet know of his infiltration.

Either way, they were still on his trail.

If there were just one or two of them, he could fight them off, but there were dozens. He was at an absolute disadvantage.

Cheong-In bit his lip and racked his brain. I must not let them discover I'm from the Black Moon. In that case...

SHWIAK!

Suddenly, the chilling sound of something slicing through the air rang out from the darkness. Cheong-In instinctively ducked his head, but felt a sharp blade graze his shoulder. Blood spurted from the wound.

"Keuk!" He grimaced in excruciating pain.

Nevertheless, the attack left him with no time to think. He quickly drew out more of his inner qi to increase his speed, but his pursuers remained hot on his heels.

Damn it!

SHWIIK!

Cheong-In narrowly dodged something that flew from the darkness, only to realize it was a throwing knife.

These bastards are organized.

The hunters in the darkness were skilled at cornering their prey. They pushed him to his limits, leaving him no time to think.

Cheong-In was breathless from just fleeing, but he wasn't about to give up. He desperately sought a way to overcome this crisis.

SHWIAK!

Hidden weapons flew at him once more. This time, they narrowly grazed his side. His flesh tore open, and blood streamed down.

Fuck! You think I'll just take this without retaliating?

Cheong-In reached into his robes and pulled out his own hidden weapons. He didn't like using them much, but now wasn't the time to be picky. He flung the weapons into the darkness where he sensed movement, scattering the perfectly coordinated group. Then, seizing the brief opening, he accelerated.

SHWIGAAK!

Some of his pursuers must have been injured, yet not a groan or grunt could be heard. Whoever was chasing him, they were clearly accustomed to pain.

FWIP!

Cheong-In quickly drew his main weapon, the Dark Moon Dagger, as a gleaming blue blade tore through the darkness toward his neck.

CLANG!

With the crescent-shaped dagger, he deflected the assailant's attack. However, the assault was just beginning. Dozens of blades flew toward him from all directions, tearing through the darkness and targeting his entire body

Cheong-In looked around, but he couldn't find his attackers. They wore dark clothes like his and were cloaked in qi, making them indistinguishable from the darkness.

CLANG! CLANG!

Sparks flew as Cheong-In, using the Dark Moon Dagger, narrowly fended off the attacks while protecting his vitals.

Who in the world are these bastards? They're definitely assassins who've undergone harsh training, but I can't identify them?

With his experience, he was confident he could see through the martial arts and techniques of most assassins active in the jianghu. However, he didn't recall any assassins who attacked while so perfectly assimilated with the darkness.

Who raised these people?

Cheong-In gritted his teeth and brandished the Dark Moon Dagger. The more sparks lit up the darkness, the more wounds appeared on his body. Still, he refused to give up. He simply swung his dagger again and again with all his might.

"Take this!"

His shout echoed in the darkness.