Chapter 75: Ambush, Continues

The next night, Lee Jaseung stood alone in the forest.

He had come out for a walk near the campsite. Because of yesterday’s ambush, his mood wasn’t good. No, to be exact, it was because of the world’s perception of the Black Way Alliance.

At that moment, Dan Woobin walked over.

"Have a drink."

Lee Jaseung drank straight from the bottle. Taking the bottle back, Dan Woobin also drank.

He was not one to enjoy alcohol, but he gulped it down in big swallows.

Lee Jaseung knew why he had come. He was here to console him about what happened yesterday.

‘He really doesn’t have to do this for me.’

He was far more ruthless and strong than Dan Woobin thought. It was just that the one closest to him did not know this well.

"Are you alright?"

"I am fine. This is something I will have to face again in the future anyway, is it not?"

"That is true."

What Lee Jaseung was concerned about was this.

"When my identity is revealed later, she will be shocked."

"She will understand."

"Will she really?"

It was not that he could claim to have more experience with women than Dan Woobin. But beyond matters between a man and a woman, this was a matter involving trust between people.

As he said, it could pass without much trouble, but if it became a problem, it could turn into an irreparable one.

Dan Woobin spoke carefully.

"You worry about such things because you are kind, my Lord."

Lee Jaseung let out a faint laugh.

"Do I seem kind to you?"

"Yes."

"In what way? I have killed countless people to get to this position. Do you think they were all evil?"

Surely, there had been many who died unjustly.

Seven years of war.

War does not distinguish between evil and good. It only distinguishes between ally and enemy.

"No, I do not."

"Then why do you think so?"

Dan Woobin thought that he saw one good point and ignored ten bad ones. But that was not it.

"You must be good, my Lord."

"I must be good?"

"Yes. You must be good. And you must also be righteous."

A strong will emanated from Dan Woobin’s eyes.

"If in reality you are not, then you must deceive the world into thinking you are. Only then will the world follow you. Because what we have to accomplish from now on is not something that can be done with strength alone."

A faint smile appeared on Lee Jaseung’s lips.

This was why he liked Dan Woobin. Before he revealed his dream, Dan Woobin would never have thought this way. Even in the past, he wanted Lee Jaseung to be good, but that was because Dan Woobin himself was good.

But now he had gone beyond personal reasons and created a reason for the greater cause.

Lee Jaseung thought this was a kind of quick wit in life.

"To unify Jianghu, what is needed most is not strength. It is a justification. Now is a good opportunity. The Demonic Cult is divided, and the Orthodox Faction is corrupt. This is truly the time when heaven has given you the chance."

Lee Jaseung looked up at the sky.

Was there really such a thing as heaven’s mandate? Had that mandate chosen him?

As if seeing straight through his thoughts, Dan Woobin spoke with a voice full of conviction.

"I believe it. Heaven's mandate given to you, my Lord."

* * *

Three days later, Lee Jaseung’s party entered a village in their carriage.

The place, shrouded in thick fog, was a small village of about fifty households. If they did not pass through here, they would have to take a long detour.

Pushing through the damp air, the carriage entered the village.

By now, Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung were focusing more on reaching the Murim Alliance safely than on their feelings for each other. The attempts on their lives had been far from ordinary.

Even today, Lee Jaseung did not let his guard down.

The failures of the assassins and killers must have already been reported to their superiors, and if a top-class assassination order had been issued again, the ambush would come today or tomorrow.

Running an organization like the Black Way Alliance, he naturally knew such things.

In any case, having failed in succession, stronger ones would come to try to kill him.

Ma Young-gi scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes. From outside, the village looked as picturesque as a painting, but once they reached the center, the scene was different.

There was not a trace of human presence, as if everyone had left.

Slowing the carriage, Ma Young-gi spoke quietly.

"This village seems strange."

Looking out the window, Lee Jaseung felt the same.

He asked Baek Seolyoung.

"You are wearing your protective armor, right?"

She slightly opened her collar to show him and nodded.

"Stop somewhere suitable."

"Understood."

Ma Young-gi stopped the carriage in a large open space.

They could have taken a position with their backs to buildings or walls, but in an unfamiliar place, it could be better to face the enemy in a spot open on all sides.

Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung got off the carriage. It had been remodeled from a carriage for the Lord of the Northern Sky Clan, so it was sturdy and would serve as a shield in an emergency.

With the carriage at their backs, Lee Jaseung, Mujin, and Ma Young-gi took positions in three directions to protect Baek Seolyoung and Dan Woobin.

The thick fog made the atmosphere even more eerie.

"It feels like a ghost might appear."

At Dan Woobin’s words, Lee Jaseung replied calmly.

"It would be better if it were a ghost."

Baek Seolyoung smiled and added.

"True, people are scarier than ghosts."

She did not know that Lee Jaseung’s words had a different meaning. He had meant it literally, that ghosts were easier to deal with.

Among the Unorthodox Faction’s martial arts, there were vicious dark arts that used the souls of the dead. But such arts had no effect on Lee Jaseung. No dark arts ever did.

Baek Seolyoung had taken it simply as a modern saying that people were the scariest.

Then, in the distance through the fog, a figure appeared.

Everyone tensed and looked at him.

It was a man. Moving as if in a trance, his eyes vacant, he walked slowly toward them. At a glance he looked like a ghost, but he was clearly human. And judging from his steps and movements, he was not a great master.

Still, Lee Jaseung felt it instinctively.

It was dangerous.

He was not the only one. Ma Young-gi shouted.

"Stop!"

But the man did not stop. Instead, he began to run toward them.

Swiish!

Lee Jaseung’s throwing knife pierced his chest.

The man took a few more steps before collapsing.

The next moment.

Boooom!

With a massive explosion, the man blew apart.

Everyone was shocked.

"He was trying to take everyone out with him with a Thunderclap Bomb.”

As Mujin spoke urgently, figures emerged from the fog.

Not just one or two. Ready for death, there were about a hundred of them. Every one of them carried Thunderclap Bombs strapped to their chests.

"Stop them before they get close!"

Lee Jaseung shouted urgently and threw his knives.

Shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik shwik!

Men fell. Several in the distance collapsed.

Boom! Booom! Boom!

As soon as they died, they exploded, and the chain explosions killed more than ten others.

Despite the explosions, more men charged from all directions. They had no fear of death.

Blazing heat and fierce wind swept toward the carriage. Before he knew it, Lee Jaseung was standing in front of Baek Seolyoung.

"I will help too."

She unleashed Sword Qi alongside him. Lee Jaseung did not stop her.

If it became truly dangerous, Mook Young, who was hiding, would protect her. And as long as she did not stray from this place, she would not be in danger. The real challenge was enduring the mental shock of this scene.

Shwik, shwik-shwik!

Boom! Boom!

Seeing people explode as they rushed at her was shocking. She wanted to close her eyes, but forced them open and sent out Sword Qi. She could not hide while everyone else fought. She did not want to.

Unlike her, everyone else was calm.

Lee Jaseung, Mujin, and Ma Young-gi were veterans who had seen far worse on the battlefield.

Even Dan Woobin, standing quietly to the side, showed no sign of fear. Mook Young, though unseen, was also watching the situation with a cold eye.

Swiish!

Sword Qi burst from Mujin’s blade, cutting down men who exploded in turn.

The attackers came like madmen. Even as their comrades were blown to pieces beside them, they charged.

"Aaaaargh!"

Screaming, their appearance was more horrifying than frightening.

Spear Qi poured from Ma Young-gi’s spear, and each time it struck, the men exploded.

Lee Jaseung was certain. If it had been anyone else here, they would never have survived this assault.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosions went on and on.

How much time passed?

At last, there were no more explosions. As the fog lifted, the scene revealed was horrific. A hundred unrecognizable corpses lay scattered, the air thick with the stench of blood.

Baek Seolyoung’s body trembled as she stood there, having thrown Sword Qi without pause.

This was a sight she never wanted to see even in a dream.

Tears streamed down her face. She was afraid, she was angry. How could anyone conceive such a monstrous idea?

To send people charging with explosives strapped to their chests.

She bit her lip hard.

"...I will never forgive the one who ordered this."

Even with her resolve, her body shook. The scene around her was too terrible.

Then, someone took her hand.

Startled, she turned and saw Lee Jaseung.

He said nothing and only looked around with indifferent eyes.

As he held her hand, her trembling slowly subsided.

He did not speak a word, but his hand was warm. That alone felt enough.

When her trembling stopped completely, Lee Jaseung let go and gave his order.

"Pack up. We leave at once."

The horses were dead, so they had to abandon the carriage. Heavy-hearted, they took the baggage from it.

Shouldering their loads, they left the place.

As she left, Baek Seolyoung vowed never to forget this sight. If she ever felt a shred of pity for the enemy, she would recall this moment.

Lee Jaseung truly wondered.

Why were they so intent on killing him and Baek Seolyoung? Who could it be, and why?

Just before they exited the village, Lee Jaseung, who was walking last, stopped.

He felt as if someone were glaring at him and slowly turned his head. His gaze went to a distant tree. On its branch sat a crow, staring at him.

Lee Jaseung stared into the crow’s eyes.

At that moment, the one meeting his gaze was not the crow.

Far away, hundreds of li from there.

A man wearing a wide straw hat was looking at a large orb.

To his surprise, the orb showed Lee Jaseung. The view from the crow’s eyes was reflected in it.

Their eyes met through the orb.

The corner of Lee Jaseung’s mouth curled upward.

Then his throwing knife flashed and flew.

In the next instant, the scene showing Lee Jaseung shook violently. The sky and trees spun, then the ground’s grass came into view.

And then!

Crack!

A fissure spread across the orb, then it shattered and fell.

Looking down at the broken shards, the man’s lips curled into a sinister smile.

"Kekekekeke. Not bad huh?"

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