Episode 68. What Does the Three-way Martial Arts Duel Have to Do with Number Fifty?
There’s a reason Won Seung calls Yong Jo-woon a Great Hero.
After meeting Yong Jo-woon, Won Seung realized he’d been brainwashed by Red Blood Mountain. It wasn’t Yong Jo-woon’s intention, but his words and actions were a refreshing shock to Won Seung.
Yong Jo-woon was a man with a temperament completely unlike anyone Won Seung had ever known.
If Won Seung were in Yong Jo-woon’s shoes, he would have tried every possible method for revenge. He could have ambushed the Hwa Family whenever they left home, killing them one by one, or kidnapped Hua Yeo-wol to use as a hostage. The Hwa Family was unusually close-knit, so if even one of them died, the rest would lose their minds in rage, exposing countless weaknesses.
That’s the kind of assassin tactics they taught at the Assassin Training Center, and Won Seung was confident he could pull them off more cleverly than anyone.
But Yong Jo-woon chose the orthodox method. He even declared that, while he would take revenge on the three Hwa brothers, he wouldn’t hold their descendants responsible.
When he was chasing Blood Flower, Yong Jo-woon could have tortured Won Seung for information, but instead, he simply withdrew and spent an entire day and night perched on a tree branch like an owl.
He even accepted the three-way martial arts duel, knowing full well it would put him at a disadvantage.
From Won Seung’s perspective, Yong Jo-woon’s actions were incomprehensible—there was no bigger pushover. Yet, the man clearly had his own code and a firm conviction about the path he must walk.
‘The world’s only true Blade Intent… What is that, that he’d turn his back on wealth and glory?’
Won Seung found himself reflecting on his own choices, comparing them to Yong Jo-woon’s.
The two of them had arrived in Xiangyang around the same time.
Won Seung had impersonated Seongwang House, deceived Xiangyang’s masters, and even swindled a fortune. If any of this came to light, people would line up to denounce him and threaten to kill him.
He tried to excuse himself, saying he was just a poor, powerless assassin with no other choice, but it was no use. Won Seung knew the truth. He couldn’t confess any of this to Hua Yeo-wol or So San-san. If you can’t even tell your friends the truth… it means you’re not living honestly.
‘Hoo…’
He let out a sigh.
Meeting Yong Jo-woon had shaken beliefs he’d always taken for granted.
Won Seung was sixteen—a time for deep thoughts. For the first time, he was asking himself:
‘What kind of person am I? What am I going to do with my life?’
He’d inherited his father’s sharp mind, never forgetting anything he saw or heard.
As a child, he’d played under the window of his father’s study, listening to the conversations inside. His father must have known he was listening, but never stopped him.
Hearing those secret talks about power, Won Seung always assumed he’d one day sit in his father’s seat. As the eldest son of Won Manor, it seemed only natural. Even as a child, he unconsciously thought and acted like someone with power.
Playing at being a ruler was more than just a child’s game; the awareness of power was deeply rooted in him.
But Red Blood Mountain shattered the young ruler Won Seung completely. From the moment he saw a child’s skull smashed in on his first day, the only thought that filled his mind was survival.
In an instant, he’d fallen from a would-be ruler to a worm who could be crushed at any moment. If an adult had suffered such a fall, they might have died resisting or taken their own life in despair.
But Won Seung was still a child, and children are adaptable. If he’d grown up there, he probably would have become the cold, emotionless assassin Red Blood Mountain intended.
What saved him was the Poison Master, Poison Monster. Though it started as a way to pass on his bloodline and continue the Heavenly Poison Sect, Poison Monster gave Won Seung much more. In that desolate mountain, the two shared a genuine human bond.
Poison Monster even tried to open a path for Won Seung with his own death. Even if he was terminally ill, sacrificing your life for someone else is no easy thing.
His master’s death left a deep, unspoken mark on Won Seung. It was a decision he couldn’t understand—a first encounter with the unfamiliar concept of sacrifice.
Whether it’s a ruthless ruler or a cold-blooded assassin, in the end, they both treat people as things, not humans. Whether for a cause or for money… whatever the reason, anyone in the way gets swept aside like trash.
If the Poison Master kept Won Seung from becoming that kind of person, Yong Jo-woon showed him there was another way to live.
Won Seung’s gaze drifted to the house next door, where Yong Jo-woon was training.
His heart was heavy. No matter the outcome of the martial arts duel, Yong Jo-woon was likely to die.
Clear Water Sect and Heavenly Observation Pavilion both had plenty of masters besides Hwa Cheon-gang and Cheon Il-hae. There was no way they’d accept defeat quietly.
The three-way martial arts duel had started with Won Seung, but it was now beyond his control.
He admitted to himself that things had spiraled out of his hands.
The struggle for dominance over the Xiang River was more complicated than it seemed. Not just Seongwang House, but the Four Great Families of Xiangyang, and even the magistrate, were involved. If all those ambitions erupted because of the martial arts duel, there was no telling where the chaos would lead.
Regardless of the duel’s outcome, Xiangyang would remain in turmoil for some time, and countless lives would be swept away like driftwood on the river.
Jo Bang-un was only the first casualty.
Ever since hearing of Jo Bang-un’s death, Won Seung felt the heavy burden of having opened the gates of hell with his own hands.
‘Seongwang House was already eyeing Xiangyang, so this bloodshed was inevitable.’
He tried to comfort himself, but it didn’t help much.
‘Father was never like this. He always thought through every move to the very end.’
That’s why so many officials knelt before his father and sang his praises.
He’d managed to keep a calm face in front of people like Jong Bi and Ohgu, but alone on a lonely summer night, he couldn’t help but be honest with himself.
‘I’m still just a green, unripe apple.’
Just tonight, he’d been thrown into confusion by Elder Bi’s sudden appearance.
He should have expected that causing such a stir in Xiangyang would draw the attention of Red Blood Mountain’s branch, or even the main sect.
Staring out at the muggy summer garden, Won Seung reflected on his actions.
Then, suddenly, something felt off.
It was too quiet.
The sound of insects stopped… A chilly wind swept through.
Then, patter—raindrops began to fall, followed by a sudden flash of lightning that lit up the sky, and a booming thunderclap.
And then, the rain poured down.
Whoosh.
A midnight downpour… That deep red sunset must have been a sign of rain.
Lightning flashed and thunder crashed again and again.
Won Seung suddenly wondered if the heavens were mourning someone’s death in advance.
In two days… Hwa Cheon-gang, Cheon Il-hae, Yong Jo-woon—one or even two of them would surely die.
Or maybe even tonight… It wouldn’t be surprising if someone died.
*
It was a luxurious annex.
There were three rooms, a separate bath and living room, even a guest hall and a small main hall.
So this is the kind of place Red Blood Mountain elders use. Compared to this, the guest rooms at Cloud Flower Pavilion were little more than straw huts.
Jong Bi waited at the stone platform below the main hall for Elder Bi to appear.
Elder Bi, exhausted from his long journey, was said to be bathing and resting his eyes for a bit.
When Jong Bi offered to return the next day, one of Elder Bi’s attendants glared at him and told him to wait.
Flash! Crackle! Boom!
Lightning and thunder crashed as rain poured down.
Jong Bi flinched, but kept his composure, staring out at the falling rain.
He was bracing himself.
‘I’ve detoxified the Blood Drying Powder… If things go south, I’ll run for it.’
He’d changed out of his scholar’s clothes into something more practical. He wore a heart-guard to protect his chest and had a foot-long sword strapped to his back.
Inside the loose short sleeves, tucked against his upper arms, he hid flying daggers, and at his sides, two razor-sharp knives. Two more daggers were strapped to each thigh and calf—eight flying daggers in all.
On the outside, he looked like a man in loose summer clothes, empty-handed, but he was armed to throw ten daggers, stab with two knives, and draw a sword if needed.
He was well-prepared, but still anxious.
Looking back, he wondered why he hadn’t just run away sooner… He felt foolish.
He could have escaped after detoxifying the Blood Drying Powder, changed his identity, and lived as a freelancer…
He didn’t realize it was his time with Won Seung that made him think this way. Before that, he’d never even imagined leaving Red Blood Mountain.
Having lost his memory to the Soul-Erasing Pill and grown up in Red Blood Mountain since childhood, Jong Bi saw the place as both his enemy and his home.
A light flickered in Elder Bi’s bedroom window—perhaps he’d been woken by the thunder.
A moment later.
Elder Bi emerged. He was a bit short, but had a solid build, and his eyes were especially sharp.
It was Jong Bi’s second time seeing Elder Bi.
Red Blood Mountain had four elders. Each elder oversaw two halls, and beneath each hall were countless branches.
Elder Bi was the real power among them, overseeing the main hall and the central halls covering Henan and Hebei.
Jong Bi was at the very bottom of the central hall’s hierarchy. No wonder he’d been so shocked when Elder Bi summoned him—he couldn’t even look him in the eye. In fact, he still couldn’t.
He honestly had no idea why Elder Bi had put him in charge of monitoring Won Seung.
“I greet the Elder.”
He bowed and lowered his gaze.
“Come up here.”
Seated at the head of the main hall, Elder Bi beckoned Jong Bi forward and picked up a teacup brought by his attendant.
The subtle fragrance of tea drifted through the rain-soaked air, filling Jong Bi’s nose.
Slurp!
As Elder Bi took a sip and set down his cup, Jong Bi steeled himself.
‘Get a grip!’
What have I done wrong?
Number Fifty hasn’t done anything wrong either. The mission period is six months. There are still two months left!
Elder Bi spoke arrogantly.
“I received your report on Number Fifty. If anyone else had sent in a report like that, I would have killed them on the spot. Be grateful you’re still a rookie.”
“Ah, yes. My writing skills are lacking… I apologize.”
“Enough! Just tell me everything you’ve seen and heard while following Number Fifty.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jong Bi began reciting Won Seung’s movements from memory.
“The first place we went after leaving the mountain was Choyang County. The county magistrate there was the target, but after some investigation, we moved straight on to Jungyang County…”
“In Xiangyang, he holed up at an inn on the outskirts… then exchanged all his promissory notes at the money house… entered Cloud Flower Pavilion and pretended to be a nobleman…”
“He infiltrated Clear Water Sect, disguised himself as Pung Un-Saeng from Seongwang House… and made me his servant…”
At this point, Jong Bi’s face darkened. To think he’d been made a servant by the very man he was supposed to monitor. Anger welled up, and he clenched his fists.
“…So in the end, we acted together. After that, we left Cloud Flower Pavilion, rented a house as a safehouse…”
Jong Bi reported almost everything about Won Seung’s actions, omitting only the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
Won Seung had told him to do so.
“…He spends all day gathering information, and lately, he’s been extremely busy with matters related to the three-way martial arts duel. He leaves in the morning and doesn’t return until late at night.”
By all accounts, it sounded like the daily life of an ordinary assassin.
“Three-way martial arts duel?”
When Jong Bi mentioned the three-way martial arts duel, Elder Bi asked about it for the first time.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes—the look of a venomous snake that’s found its prey.
“What does the three-way martial arts duel have to do with Number Fifty?”