"What on earth is he doing?"

"I'm not quite sure either…"

When Thunderclap Brigade Leader Lee Gangyeong asked cautiously, Byeon Gil-tae could do nothing but shake his head awkwardly.

"But you're his Senior Brother…"

At Lee Gangyeong's unresolved mumble, Byeon Gil-tae's chest only felt tighter.

He was a Senior Brother in name only.

It was a title Cheonyeong had decided on his own, regardless of his own will.

"By the way, was this the work of you two?"

"Pardon?"

"The scene was truly incredible. I had heard that the Tang Family uses hidden weapons, but I never imagined it would be to this extent…"

"…"

"It makes me wonder if we were even needed. All we did when we arrived was chase down a few stragglers and clean up the bodies."

Recalling the numerous corpses he had seen, Lee Gangyeong clicked his tongue.

What he had seen was merely the scene after the situation was almost over.

What kind of expression would he make if he had witnessed the moment of the fight?

Would his jaw have dropped open?

He probably wouldn't believe it even if he explained. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

He felt like slapping anyone who said hidden weapons were base or cowardly.

One-hit-kill.

There were no other words to describe Cheonyeong's hidden weapons.

That wasn't all.

That which took the lives of dozens of warriors in a single move seemed superior to any other weapon.

And it was achieved in a head-on battle, not an ambush.

None of the assassins could dodge the hidden weapons that left Cheonyeong's hand.

There would be a clear difference between the hidden weapons in Cheonyeong's hands and those in others', but after seeing Cheonyeong, the concept of hidden weapons was completely changing in Byeon Gil-tae's mind.

A weapon that, depending on how it's used, is optimal for neutralizing an enemy.

What if martial arts were combined with hidden weapon techniques?

He couldn't even dare to imagine how strong it would be.

While flustered by the aim of a hidden weapon, one would be exposed to another attack, be it a sword or a fist.

He began to think that perhaps Tang Cheonyeong, who used both, might be stronger than anyone else.

"Hidden weapons…"

Byeon Gil-tae muttered in a low voice and sighed.

But what on earth was he doing?

He glanced at the forest Cheonyeong had entered.

Saying he had something to ask the man named Jin Samhyeon, Cheonyeong had asked for a guard and remained in the forest, and there was still no word from him.

He must be trying to get the answer he wanted.

It was frustratingly quiet, with no sound of what he was doing.

And it wasn't something he could secretly peek at.

* * *

The blood vessels in his eyes burst one after another.

The pooled moisture flowed down his cheeks as tears of blood, and the veins bulging on his forearms grew as thick as earthworms.

But all he could do in his agony was to writhe madly and roll on the ground.

Because Cheonyeong had sealed his mute point.

Torture, and more torture.

The entire time he was left alone with Cheonyeong, Jin Samhyeon had to suffer in pain.

Death?

It was not something he could decide for himself.

When Jin Obyeong's heart was pierced by a single white flash, the Gu inside his body must have died, and through that, the organization would have known that something had happened to them.

Since they knew he and Jin Obyeong were together, the Lord of Assassins, realizing things had gone wrong, would have immediately tried to kill him by bursting the Gu.

That was the way they had always done things to protect their secrets.

It was a place where sacrificing a few assassins for the sake of the organization was nothing.

But…

Tang Cheonyeong, as if he knew all about such internal affairs, first poured internal energy imbued with heat into his body.

And thus, he drew out the Gu.

It was an unexpected method.

To think he would stimulate the Gu with heat-infused internal energy and make it jump out of the body.

And the moment he spat out the Gu, Cheonyeong burst it.

It spewed out a pungent, poisonous gas.

"This way, they'll think you're dead."

At Cheonyeong's words, Jin Samhyeon smiled bitterly.

He really did know everything.

The Gu inside the body, its use…

And he had asked only one thing.

The location of the Jingagu headquarters.

But he endured.

Because he was trained to do so.

Cheonyeong, as if he had expected it, began the torture.

Tendon Splitting and Bone Dislocation.

It was a type of torture where the pain amplified several times over as more acupoints were sealed.

He had anticipated the torture and was fully prepared for it.

He had been through endless training to endure it.

But Tang Cheonyeong's method was completely different from what he had imagined.

The internal energy that dug into his body contained an intense heat.

Chiiik!

His blood vessels burned, and a pain as if hundreds of fire ants were biting and tearing at his entire body wracked him.

It was a horrific pain he had never felt before in his life, but Tang Cheonyeong had sealed his mute point so he couldn't even scream.

It wasn't as if there was anyone to save him even if he did scream…

Nevertheless, Jin Samhyeon felt like he would rather scream his lungs out.

If he could just let out a torrent of curses, the pain might be relieved even a little.

And when it reached the third acupoint, Jin Samhyeon fainted.

"My, what a stubborn person. The Gu has already been removed, so it wouldn't matter if you spoke. Why are you holding out like this?"

Cheonyeong clicked his tongue and woke Jin Samhyeon up.

"Now, I'll ask again. Where is the Jingagu headquarters?"

"…I don't know."

"Alright, then. Keep not knowing."

A sharp pain pricked his neck, and the agony began anew.

He clenched his teeth so hard his gums were damaged, but the pain didn't lessen in the slightest. It felt as if every single joint in his body was being shattered.

"Incredible. A human who can withstand Tendon Splitting and Bone Dislocation. Truly amazing. Is there a need to be so loyal to an organization that discards you like a consumable?"

"…Ughhh."

Though his mute point was released, Jin Samhyeon's voice wouldn't come out, and he could only let out a pained groan.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'll tell you in advance, I know a more diverse range of torture methods than you think. And you will absolutely not be able to die until you tell me the location of the headquarters."

When he fainted, he was woken up, and when he fainted again, he was woken up again.

The process of pain repeated.

Adaptation?

There was no way he could do such a thing.

After the Tendon Splitting and Bone Dislocation was over, the torture methods kept changing, and the intensity of the pain grew stronger and stronger.

"Hmm, this is work too, and I'm getting hungry. I should probably get something to eat first, right?"

With a smirk, Cheonyeong made small cuts all over Jin Samhyeon's body.

The nauseating smell of a living human's hot blood spread out.

"It'll be a new experience for you. The feeling of being eaten alive."

"Wh-what did you say?"

"I'm too lazy to hunt."

"…"

"I thought I'd just catch and eat whatever is drawn by the smell of blood."

At Cheonyeong's words, Jin Samhyeon's mind cleared even amidst the pain, and he opened his eyes wide and shouted.

"You crazy bastard!"

"I told you to talk, didn't I?"

"…"

"Try to endure it. If you survive, we'll start the torture again then. Oh, I'll only seal your paralyzing point, so if you change your mind, just scream."

"…!"

Cheonyeong melted into the darkness, and his presence disappeared.

How much time had passed?

Awooooo!

The howls of beasts could be heard.

Then came the rustling footsteps of things drawn by the smell of blood.

They were wolves.

Grrrrr.

The hair on his entire body stood on end at the sight of them circling with low growls.

How could the mind in his already exhausted body be sound?

As the beasts, illuminated by the campfire, approached, drooling, he was on the verge of going mad.

An image of his body being torn apart by the beasts formed in his mind.

When a wolf, having sniffed and licked the blood flowing from his body, looked at him with eyes dyed in madness, Jin Samhyeon had no choice but to cry out.

"S-save me!"

Ping!

A single cry.

And a single flash of light.

Keng!

The head of the wolf that had bared its sharp teeth at Jin Samhyeon exploded.

Hot blood splattered onto Jin Samhyeon's face.

The wolf's carcass collapsed on top of Jin Samhyeon's immobile body.

Grrrrr.

The wolves, having lost a comrade, growled threateningly, but they soon tucked their tails and fled from the killing intent emanating from Cheonyeong.

"Thanks to you, I caught one."

With a smirk, Cheonyeong butchered the wolf that had been covering Jin Samhyeon's body.

Without a word…

He really didn't ask anything.

Until the wolf was roasting golden brown over the campfire.

Rip!

And he tore off a large piece of meat and offered it to Jin Samhyeon.

Along with a bottle of liquor, which he must have gotten from somewhere, that gave off a sharp aroma.

"Eat. We need to fill our stomachs if we're going to talk."

"…"

Am I going crazy?

He was a cruel man who had never lost his smile even while torturing him so harshly.

But for some reason, the hand that offered the meat felt strangely grateful, and that smile pierced his heart with such warmth.

The past years he had lived as an assassin flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.

He felt that his situation, abandoned by the organization, was shabby and pathetic.

Tears mixed with blood dripped down.

The smell of the meat was so good.

It was hard to chew because it was tough from being cooked for too long, but at that moment, it felt more delicious than any feast in the world.

"So, the location of the Jingagu headquarters?"

Cheonyeong asked, and Jin Samhyeon muttered as if possessed.

"Gansu… Qilian Mountains."

"Qilian Mountains?"

"Yes, the headquarters is there."

"I see."

Cheonyeong nodded.

And with a smirk, he said.

"If I knew it would be this easy, I would have fed you real meat from the start."

"…What?"

He didn't understand.

Real meat?

What did that mean?

As he was wondering, Cheonyeong moved his hand and shot hidden weapons in all directions.

Thwack!

Something burst, but nothing changed.

The campfire was still burning brightly.

However, Jin Samhyeon realized that the liquor bottle in his hand and the meat he had been deliciously tearing at were just pieces of wood.

"Y-you, don't tell me?"

"Just in case, I tried a little trick. Because it was something I absolutely had to know."

"…"

Jin Samhyeon's hand dropped limply.

He had been deceived.

By an illusion formation…

"Since when?"

"When I left you."

"Heh, I never thought I'd fall for such a crude formation."

Jin Samhyeon said dejectedly.

It seemed he had set up a formation around him the moment he disappeared, saying he would lure prey with the smell of his blood.

Somehow, he had felt a little strange himself.

He had endured all that pain, but then his emotions suddenly welled up and he had opened his mouth.

It was all a lie.

It was just his own emotions that had made him see the wolf and created the fear.

And that delicious meat was the reward.

"Amazing. You couldn't have predicted the result of the illusion formation."

"So I planted a suggestion."

"A suggestion?"

"Yes, by stimulating the fear that you might be eaten alive by beasts."

"I fell for it too easily."

"Your body was exhausted, so you must have been mentally drained."

"Heh."

Jin Samhyeon hung his head.

But, rather than anger at being deceived, a sense of relief came first.

"What… happens to me?"

"Was there a reason for you to live?"

"I see."

"I'll give you a clean death instead. As a reward for answering my question."

A comfortable smile appeared on Jin Samhyeon's face as he nodded.

Come to think of it, it might have been a predetermined end.

An assassin.

He had spent his life taking the lives of others, so how could the resentment be small?

In the end, he was fated to die at the hands of another.

"Farewell."

After a short farewell, a flash so fast that Jin Samhyeon couldn't even close his eyes grazed his neck.

Cheonyeong stared intently at his head as it rolled on the ground.

And he raised his head with a chillingly sharp gaze.

"Qilian Mountains."

The next destination was set.

(End of Chapter)