Episode 48. Sea Mist Sect’s Special-grade Assassin, Blood Flower
The woman spoke.
“When an assassin goes on a mission, she’s prepared to die. If your trail is discovered, you’ve got nothing to say even if you die. Still, before I go, I’d like to have one proper fight.”
“Hmph! So you’re not afraid of death? But aren’t you frustrated? The job was almost a success—until someone interfered. Don’t you want revenge on the one who ruined it?”
“An assassin should account for such variables. I have nothing to say.”
Won Seung listened to their conversation, nodding off.
It had been a tiring day.
He’d lost sleep because of the woman, gained two hundred thousand nyang, and exhausted himself trying to draw the Heavenly Observation Pavilion Master, Cheon Il-hae, into a bet.
After a bellyful of meat and a drink, sleepiness hit him hard.
Yong Jo-woon murmured quietly.
“In Xiangyang, the ones who want me dead are the Clear Water Sect. And the ones who want me to kill Hwa Cheon-gang are the Heavenly Observation Pavilion.”
“……”
“So the Clear Water Sect must have put out the contract.”
The woman’s face didn’t change at all. Yong Jo-woon furrowed his brow, then relaxed and spoke.
“I heard there are three special-grade assassins in the Sea Mist Sect. The kind who only take jobs for a fortune. They’re called Blood Flower, Sleeping Fragrance, and Golden Wolf, right? You used Sleeping Incense—are you Sleeping Fragrance?”
Won Seung’s eyelids, drooping in drowsiness, twitched ever so slightly.
‘Sea Mist Sect—those guys are said to rival Red Blood Mountain. And this woman is one of their special-grade assassins…’
He’d heard from Jong Bi that Red Blood Mountain ran an Assassin Training Center to cultivate special-grade assassins. And the Sea Mist Sect’s special-grade assassins had set that precedent.
Is this fate? If he played his cards right, maybe he could strike a blow against Red Blood Mountain. The idea tickled his mind but wouldn’t fully form.
As expected of a special-grade assassin, the woman was no pushover.
“They say the Peerless Technique of Peerless Valley, one of the Three Great Blade Sects, is a supreme martial art. I see it’s true. I didn’t expect you to cut through Martial Energy.”
“……”
As the conversation between the two continued to go nowhere, Won Seung grew bored.
“Ahem! At this rate, we’ll be here all night. Let me sum things up.”
Won Seung spoke to Yong Jo-woon.
“If this woman is a special-grade assassin from the Sea Mist Sect, she’s Blood Flower. Sleeping Fragrance is a man.”
He then turned his gaze to Blood Flower.
“You were betrayed by the Heavenly Observation Pavilion.”
Yong Jo-woon and Blood Flower’s faces hardened like frost at the same time.
“The Heavenly Observation Pavilion put out the contract to kill the Descendant of the Yong Clan under the name of the Clear Water Sect. They wanted you to fail. That way, the Descendant of the Yong Clan here would raise a fuss, blaming the Clear Water Sect, and use public opinion to pressure Hwa Cheon-gang.”
A dangerous glint flashed in Yong Jo-woon’s eyes.
“You got played by the Heavenly Observation Pavilion Strategist, Gu Ja-ang. I met him earlier today—he didn’t even try to hide it. That guy always uses his brains in such petty ways.”
“……”
Both Yong Jo-woon and Blood Flower frowned, lowering their gazes. Won Seung gave them a moment to think.
Blood Flower spoke first, her voice so cold it could freeze the summer sun.
“Anyone who betrays an assassin must die.”
Pretending not to hear, Won Seung turned to Yong Jo-woon.
“If you let Blood Flower live, I’ll make sure the three-way martial arts duel happens. Train hard and wait two weeks. I’ll have Hwa Cheon-gang and Cheon Il-hae standing before you at the same time.”
Yong Jo-woon glanced at Blood Flower, then suddenly changed the subject.
“You’re younger than I expected.”
At that, Won Seung looked at Blood Flower. Early twenties? She didn’t look a day over her mid-twenties.
Blood Flower of the Sea Mist Sect had been a special-grade assassin for over ten years. That meant she’d been killing since she was a child…
‘Is she really Blood Flower?’
But among the three special-grade assassins of the Sea Mist Sect, only Blood Flower was a woman. If not her, then who?
Yet Blood Flower didn’t deny it.
‘What’s going on?’
There was no time to dwell on it now. He needed to wrap things up quickly.
Won Seung spoke to Yong Jo-woon, who was staring intently at Blood Flower.
“Great Hero Yong, Blood Flower may be pretty, but stop gawking and focus on the deal.”
Treating him like some lecher, Won Seung made Yong Jo-woon flush with embarrassment and glare at him. Still, Won Seung’s proposal was too important to ignore, so Yong Jo-woon fell silent, lost in thought.
While Yong Jo-woon weighed the pros and cons, Won Seung addressed Blood Flower.
“The Peerless Technique is an incredible art. You seem fine now, but your internal injuries aren’t fully healed, are they? You need to rest here a bit longer.”
“No. I have to kill Gu Ja-ang right now.”
Blood Flower ground her teeth, humiliated by the betrayal. For an assassin, the greatest danger was being stabbed in the back by a client. That’s why, in such cases, revenge was a must.
“Geez. That guy’s already as good as dead. Even if you don’t kill him, he’s finished. More importantly, you should repay the favor of being spared.”
Blood Flower looked at him as if to ask what he meant.
“There’s someone who needs killing, but the Descendant of the Yong Clan here refuses. You do it.”
Won Seung was trying to pawn off his target, Lee Eon-pae, onto someone else.
As long as the job got done, the assassination would be a success.
If Blood Flower took it, Lee Eon-pae was as good as dead.
Having sorted things out, Won Seung waved his hand to dismiss them.
“It’s late. Descendant of the Yong Clan, you should head home.”
“I can’t do that. Until things are clear, no one’s leaving this house.”
Yong Jo-woon spoke up. He found Won Seung suspicious, and couldn’t just let an assassin like Blood Flower go.
Won Seung nodded.
“Suit yourself. There’s a shed out back—you can sleep there. Teacher Song, take this patient to your room.”
“I don’t want that guy’s room,” the woman objected.
“My room’s off-limits. My privacy matters. You can sleep in the shed too, if you want.”
Jong Bi spoke up on Blood Flower’s behalf.
“The shed’s a bit much. If we tidy up the study, she could stay there.”
“Fine, then. Teacher Song, handle it. I’m exhausted—I’m going to bed.”
Won Seung disappeared into his room.
The assassin and her target exchanged awkward glances before scattering.
Yong Jo-woon took the shed; Blood Flower, the study.
Jong Bi stood guard outside the study, worried Yong Jo-woon might change his mind.
Lying down, Won Seung spread his senses to make sure everyone was in place, then withdrew them.
He began to ponder the situation in Xiangyang.
He was certain the Prince was behind this chaos.
‘What’s the Prince’s intention?’
Anyone who knew the Prince would find it unthinkable that Yu Bulgwan was acting alone. The Prince must be using Yu Bulgwan as his front.
Judging by how things were unfolding, Yu Bulgwan wasn’t deeply involved. He was hiding something.
That’s why only Gu Ja-ang was running around in a panic.
No matter how much he thought about it, Won Seung couldn’t figure out the Prince’s intentions.
If avenging himself on Red Blood Mountain made it hard to return to the capital, Won Seung planned to stay in Xiangyang. It wasn’t the capital, but it was a big city, and the place where he’d lucked into two hundred thousand nyang.
‘And I met Hua Yeo-wol here, too.’
His demand for a share in the North County Service Association from Cheon Il-hae was also a move for the future.
That meant he needed to clear away any obstacles in Xiangyang—especially the Prince’s shadow.
‘I should meet the Governor.’
The Governor of Xiangyang would surely know what was going on.
He also needed to give advance notice that Cheon Il-hae of the Heavenly Observation Pavilion would be presenting a painting.
*
Governor’s Residence, Xiangyang.
A luxurious ebony carriage rolled up to the front gate and stopped.
“Young master, we’ve arrived.”
At the coachman’s call, Won Seung drew back the curtain and stepped out, carrying a painting tube taller than himself.
He slung the tube over his back and headed for the gate.
“What business do you have here?” a gate guard asked as Won Seung approached.
“Tell the Governor that Pung Un-saeng of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion is here.”
Though young, Won Seung’s confidence made the guard hesitate.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“The Governor told me to come by this evening.”
Won Seung tapped the painting tube on his back. He’d requested an audience under the pretext of delivering a painting, and that morning, someone had told him to come by this evening.
The guard went inside and, after a long wait, returned and bowed.
“You may enter. The Chief Steward is waiting for you.”
Won Seung discreetly pressed a silver coin into the guard’s hand and asked him to look after the carriage and coachman.
“Don’t worry, sir. I’ll take good care of them.”
For a single silver coin, the guard was eager to help.
With two hundred thousand nyang in his pocket, Won Seung had started spending freely. He’d bought a carriage, hired a new coachman, purchased the house next door to expand his residence, and was having a new garden built.
His clothes were already top-quality, and he’d ordered new fabrics from the capital.
Not long ago, he’d been a penniless assassin. Now, self-made, he brimmed with confidence.
With a shrug, Won Seung entered the Governor’s Residence.
Inside, a middle-aged man with narrow eyes and a distinctive mustache stood waiting, wearing a peculiar expression.
The Governor had insisted he personally greet this important guest, but the visitor turned out to be a boy of sixteen or seventeen.
Suppressing his misgivings, the man clasped his hands in greeting.
“I am Jeong Gu-in, Chief Steward of the Governor’s Residence. I was ordered to escort Young Master Pung.”
Won Seung returned the greeting with measured formality.
“Thank you, Chief Steward Jeong. I look forward to your guidance.”
Jeong Gu-in was quietly impressed by the young man’s poise—neither overbearing nor timid. Most sons of noble families who frequented the Governor’s Residence were arrogant, but not Won Seung.
Following the Chief Steward, Won Seung was led to a reception room.
At the door, Jeong Gu-in announced, “The guest has arrived.”
The door opened, and So Yeong-gwan himself stepped out.
Won Seung quickly bowed. So Yeong-gwan smiled.
“Come in. I’ve been waiting.”
He led Won Seung inside. The spacious, ornate room had a large table set with nuts.
Four men, mostly middle-aged or elderly, sat around the table.
All eyes were on Won Seung, their sharp gazes marking them as no ordinary men.
“Let me introduce you,” So Yeong-gwan said, leading Won Seung to the table.
“This is the owner of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion I mentioned earlier.”
“I am Pung Un-saeng,” Won Seung said, bowing as he glanced at the men.
He had a good idea who they were.
‘These must be the heads of the Four Great Families of Xiangyang.’
Sure enough, So Yeong-gwan confirmed it.
“These gentlemen are the heads of Xiangyang’s four great clans.”
If the Heavenly Observation Pavilion and Clear Water Sect ruled the martial world of Xiangyang, the four great clans—Yang, Jong, Woo, and Sang—held all the wealth and power.
They were the local aristocracy, gripping Xiangyang’s riches and influence with iron fists.
“Haha, I’d heard a young talent had settled in Xiangyang, and now we finally meet.”
The man with a warm smile was Yang Woo-bo, head of the Yang Family Mansion.
The one with a cold, twisted smile must be Jong Ji-ji, father of Jong Won-bo.
Among the four families, the Yang and Jong clans were the most powerful. Woo Gukseon of the Woo Family and Sang Ju-gwan of the Sang Family seemed a bit younger than Yang Woo-bo and Jong Ji-ji.
Won Seung committed their faces to memory.
They looked like scholars or kindly gentlemen, but as heads of powerful clans, they were ruthless and highly sensitive to profit and power.
Woo Gukseon smiled gently.
“To open a Calligraphy and Painting Shop at your age—truly bold, as one would expect from a youth of the capital. So, how are things in the capital these days?”
Won Seung steeled himself.
He’d come to see the Governor, but now found himself face-to-face with the hidden rulers of Xiangyang.