Episode 42. I Am Not a Great Hero
Won Seung turned his head in surprise toward the source of the voice. There was a person standing on the wall.
"Descendant of the Yong Clan?"
Then, as if understanding, he nodded.
"Ah... You came for revenge, didn't you? I knew you'd show up sooner or later."
He was the one who had told him before: if you want to find a way to take revenge, come to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
The Descendant of the Yong Clan scanned the area with sharp eyes before asking Won Seung,
"Where is the assassin?"
Just then, Jong Bi, the current assassin who was coming out from the inner quarters, heard the question and quietly slipped back inside.
Won Seung frowned.
"Seriously, you people have no sense of manners whatsoever."
The Descendant of the Yong Clan was taken aback by Won Seung's retort. He couldn't figure out what gave this brat the confidence to act so arrogantly.
"Do you want to die?"
A chilling voice, dripping with killing intent. Yet Won Seung didn't even flinch as he replied,
"No! But for a man, not being able to say what needs to be said is more miserable than death. Because of you, I was dragged off to the Clear Water Sect and suffered. And now, in the middle of the night, you're standing on my wall... 'Where is the assassin?'"
Won Seung, in the middle of his words, suddenly burst out in anger.
"Do I look that easy to you? I respected your desire to avenge your parents and even wanted to help. But seeing you barge in like this, that feeling is completely gone. Forget what I said before about coming here!"
"You little—!"
The Descendant of the Yong Clan glared, a cold wave of energy bursting from his body, filling the night garden with an eerie aura.
"Hmph! So you're trying to kill me! Fine by me. I don't have a son to avenge me, so at least there won't be any trouble left behind."
Even after unleashing his killing intent, Won Seung didn't cower—instead, he just yelled louder, leaving the Descendant of the Yong Clan at a loss.
He had followed the trail of blood and scent all the way to Xiangyang.
The assassin, exhausted, had left many bloodstains after arriving in Xiangyang.
Following the trail, he lost the assassin's tracks in an alley by the stream. While checking if the assassin had gone toward the stream, he noticed a house with its lights on in the middle of the night.
Climbing the wall to take a look, he saw a familiar, cocky brat wandering around the house.
'Why does this kid keep showing up in front of me?'
He had threatened Won Seung, but killing him was never his intention. In fact, he couldn't kill him.
His sect forbade fighting without just cause, especially harming ordinary people who didn't know martial arts—such acts were strictly punished. Even without the sect's rules, the Descendant of the Yong Clan prided himself on being a righteous man and had no intention of resorting to violence.
No one in Xiangyang knew that Won Seung had learned martial arts.
Even Hua Yeo-wol didn't know.
Because his Governing Meridian was open, he appeared completely ordinary. Who would imagine someone his age had already opened their Governing Meridian?
Even the highly skilled Descendant of the Yong Clan couldn't sense Won Seung's internal energy. There was nothing he could do.
The Descendant of the Yong Clan jumped down from the wall.
If a night watchman heard Won Seung's shouting, things could get complicated.
As the Descendant of the Yong Clan crossed the wall and walked into the garden, Won Seung shouted,
"That's breaking and entering, you know."
"Quiet! If you keep shouting, I'll rip your mouth open."
The Descendant of the Yong Clan glared.
Won Seung flinched and shut his mouth.
The Descendant of the Yong Clan walked up to the steps leading from the living room to the garden and spoke in a gentler tone,
"My name is Yong Jo-woon. An assassin broke into my place while I was sleeping. I chased after them, and it led me to your house."
Won Seung frowned.
"That sounds like you're accusing me of being behind the assassin. Are you trying to frame me now?"
"That's not what I mean. I just thought you might have seen something."
"I did see something. I saw someone standing on my wall threatening to kill me."
Won Seung pointed at Yong Jo-woon.
"He's standing right in front of me now."
'This brat...'
Yong Jo-woon was fuming inside but suppressed his anger and said,
"If an assassin has snuck in, you're in danger too. To tie up loose ends, they might come after you."
"Me? But I haven't done anything wrong."
"You're a witness. Assassins often eliminate witnesses to avoid trouble later."
"Hmm. That's a problem... I don't want to die yet."
As Won Seung looked around anxiously, Yong Jo-woon spoke with genuine concern,
"For your safety, may I look around your house?"
"You want to check for my sake?"
Won Seung's tone softened.
"In that case... go ahead and look. I don't want to be killed by an assassin either."
After the county magistrate's last visit, the entrance to the medicine room had been thoroughly disguised. Only Won Seung and Jong Bi knew about it. Even Ohgu, who went in and out dozens of times a day, thought it was just an ordinary wall.
As Won Seung gave him free rein, Yong Jo-woon frowned slightly.
'Is it really not here?'
Judging by Won Seung's reaction, he really seemed clueless... But finding out the assassin's identity was important. If he could prove the Clear Water Sect was behind it, he could corner the Hwa Family. He had to do everything he could.
Yong Jo-woon searched every corner of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
When he opened Jong Bi's room, the stench of alcohol made him frown. One man was sprawled out on the bed, another slumped over the table.
Bottles rolled across the table and floor.
Snoring~
The one on the bed was even snoring.
"Hmm..."
After thoroughly searching the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and finding nothing, Yong Jo-woon let out a sigh.
"Sorry. Looks like the assassin didn't come this way after all."
"If that's cleared up, then good. Come have some tea. I just brewed it."
"No, maybe next time."
As Yong Jo-woon turned to climb over the wall, Won Seung called out,
"Climbing over walls isn't proper. I'll open the door for you."
Won Seung opened the side gate leading to the back alley and said,
"I told you before—if you want to know how to get revenge, come find me. Since you were worried about my safety, I'll take back what I said earlier."
"Thank you."
Yong Jo-woon replied absentmindedly. With Hwa Cheon-gang not taking action, he doubted Won Seung had any clever ideas.
He was about to brush it off when a thought struck him.
'Wait, isn't this kid close with that family's daughter?'
But he quickly shook his head. He didn't want to use others for his revenge.
He intended to avenge his family honorably, with his own strength. That was why he'd endured years of grueling training.
"I appreciate the thought, but I won't drag innocent people into my affairs."
Yong Jo-woon refused flatly.
'Tch! But I'm involved too, you know. I have to kill Hwa Cheon-gang myself.'
As Won Seung grumbled inwardly, a wave of embarrassment washed over him.
'This man wants to take revenge righteously, while I'm just plotting to kill someone on Red Blood Mountain's orders.'
Won Seung looked at Yong Jo-woon.
Yong Jo-woon's eyes were clear and upright, and his voice carried strength.
From him, Won Seung sensed the aura of a Great Hero—and realized something.
"Right. Descendant of the Yong Clan—no, Yong Jo-woon the Great Hero. Do it your way. Everyone should handle their own affairs."
When Won Seung called him a Great Hero, Yong Jo-woon looked at him for a moment before bursting out laughing.
"I'm not a Great Hero."
With that, he disappeared into the darkness of the alley.
After Yong Jo-woon left, Won Seung drank the now-cold tea at the table.
It tasted bitter.
'All because of the Ten Perfections Assassin...'
He had sworn to do the opposite of what Red Blood Mountain wanted, yet here he was, thinking about killing his friend's uncle.
Why did he want to kill Hwa Cheon-gang?
Of course, the man was no saint—a vicious person who killed for profit.
But was that really the reason?
Won Seung realized he secretly craved the reputation of the Ten Perfections Assassin.
'That damned Instructor Jang brainwashed me.'
Ever since Instructor Jang called him a candidate for the Ten Perfections Assassin, he'd started acting as if he already was one.
'I've even forgotten my master's last words... Master, your disciple is so lacking. Here I am, the future leader of the Heavenly Poison Sect, thinking about becoming an assassin.'
The Poison Master had sacrificed himself to prevent his disciple from becoming an assassin for Red Blood Mountain.
The more Won Seung thought about it, the more guilty he felt.
'Let's drink.'
But there was no alcohol in the kitchen. He went to the wine cellar, but the shelves were empty.
'What the...?'
He went to find Jong Bi, who was passed out on the bed. Ohgu was slumped over the table, dead to the world.
Bottles were scattered everywhere.
'Idiots...'
To fool Yong Jo-woon's senses, they must have drunk everything in the short time he was there.
Won Seung looked under Jong Bi's bed.
There, he locked eyes with a woman lying face down, her head turned toward him.
'Huh? The pressure point's already worn off?'
He was a bit surprised. He thought she wouldn't wake up until morning.
"You're awake? Come out."
The woman didn't move. She just rolled her eyes, sizing up Won Seung.
"Ah, the Paralyzing Needle..."
Won Seung reached to pull out the Paralyzing Needle, then stopped.
-If an assassin has snuck in, you're in danger too. To tie up loose ends, they might come after you.
Yong Jo-woon's words came to mind, and he decided not to take unnecessary risks.
"If you move now, your wound will reopen. Just stay like that until morning."
Won Seung took a needle and stuck it into her pressure point. The woman's eyes slowly closed.
*
The Great Hero Yong Jo-woon hadn't left.
He was perched atop a tall tree by the stream, watching Won Seung's house.
With a body honed by harsh training and deep internal energy, Yong Jo-woon could easily stay awake for a night or two.
Sitting on a branch, he chastised himself for letting his guard down. He'd been too arrogant.
He should have been more careful when he started feeling drowsy.
He had checked for poison energy with his cultivation practice, but nothing showed up. It must have been a subtle toxin that couldn't be detected by energy.
He'd nearly died and failed his revenge because of a single moment of carelessness.
'But who was the one who threw the stone to warn me?'
It was probably someone else who had been watching him.
Yong Jo-woon recalled the energy of those who had been observing him. To throw a stone that far, they had to be a master. Of all the people who had been watching him lately, the most skilled had appeared just a few days ago.
'But why haven't they made a move?'
That was a mystery too.
Without solving any of his questions, dawn broke.
He saw the cheeky brat come out into the yard, looking around.
*
Waking up and thinking about the events of the previous night, Won Seung put on his shoes and stepped into the yard.
He couldn't shake the feeling from when Yong Jo-woon said he wasn't a Great Hero after being called one.
It felt like he was making excuses before doing something wrong.
And sure enough—
'There he is. Thinks he's a bird, sitting up in that tree?'
Pretending to stretch, Won Seung glanced around and spotted Yong Jo-woon hiding on a high branch by the stream.
When he was choosing the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, Won Seung had checked every spot from which the house could be watched.
'From that spot, you can see the yard, the living room window, and Jong Bi's room...'
With the weather getting warmer, it was normal to open the windows in the morning after closing them at night.
If he kept them shut, it would look suspicious.
Won Seung woke Jong Bi and Ohgu.
"The Descendant of the Yong Clan who came last night is watching the house. Move the woman to my room for now."
Jong Bi and Ohgu knew well enough that the Descendant of the Yong Clan was a master beyond their ability to handle. He was someone who dared to challenge Hwa Cheon-gang of the Clear Water Sect.
They quickly came to their senses, pulled the woman out from under the bed, wrapped her in a blanket, and moved her to Won Seung's room.
When Jong Bi reached to pull the needle from her pressure point, Won Seung stopped him.
"She needs breakfast, doesn't she? I just want to ask what she likes."
"This woman is a master too. Don't forget she escaped the Descendant of the Yong Clan's grasp even while injured."