Chapter 30 : Master’s Gate (5)

Mongseol calmly explored the Blood Sword Sutra.

Ah Geol gave her plenty of time.

He did not say that the Living Sword Sect disciples would be pursuing them even at this very moment. The pursuit team would have come close. He did not even say that they should go now that her body had healed.

He did not rush her at all.

Perhaps because of that, she forgot that she was being chased.

She did not think that she had to leave this place in a hurry. She had also completely forgotten about killing Kang Jo in the Living Sword Sect.

She was only buried in the Blood Sword Sutra.

Reading and training, thinking and training…

She only repeated her training.

Ah Geol had set up a place by the stream. He had cut the grass and laid it down. Softly. He had prepared a bed for her.

He cooked for her. He made soup, and seasoned vegetables. It could by no means be called a poor meal. No, it was even more delicious than what you would eat at a place like an inn.

After finishing his meal, he would disappear somewhere.

Where did he go? Where did he sleep? She didn’t know. He would not show himself until the day broke.

He made people feel at ease, as if he had been serving them for a long time.

It was a really strange thing.

Ah Geol was a stranger. He was a master whose background was unknown. And yet, she did not feel burdened at all by such a person serving her. No, rather, it was as comfortable as if a person she had known for a long time was serving her.

She really did not feel burdened at all.

She did not know why Ah Geol was helping her.

It was also suspicious that he had suddenly handed over an ultimate secret manual like the Blood Sword Sutra without any conditions.

The Blood Sword Sutra was a martial art that would remain for a thousand years.

The person who was revered as the number one person under heaven in the current martial world was Duke Heo Dogi of the Duke Heo’s residence, and it was a peerless ultimate art as outstanding and powerful as the Ten Illuminating Explanations that he had trained in.

It went without saying that the Blood Sword Sutra was not a martial art that could be easily found.

You could not find the Blood Sword Sutra even if you were determined to find it. You could not find it even if you searched the world as if with a fine toothed comb.

The motive for suddenly handing over such a martial art was suspicious.

What on earth did he want? Was he going to ask her to kill someone by having her train in the Blood Sword Sutra?

No. Ah Geol had a martial art that was more outstanding than hers.

If someone had to be killed, it would be much faster and more secretive for Ah Geol to take up his blade himself.

He was not helping her to make a request.

‘I have to ask him today. Why he is helping me.’

* * *

“Why are you helping me?”

“Do you know how many times you’ve asked that? Haha! It’s probably more than twenty times. Stop asking now.”

“Because you’re helping me when there’s no reason to. There’s no such thing as a free lunch in the world, is there? What do you want from me? If it’s a problem I can grant, I’ll grant it, so tell me frankly.”

“Nothing.”

“That’s why it’s even stranger. You should want something.”

“We’ll be parting soon.”

“…”

Mongseol looked at Ah Geol.

Of course, she would part with Ah Geol. Their journey together would not be long. Originally, she had intended to part with him as soon as they left Dongseung, regardless of her physical condition. She had no intention of receiving this much help.

But now that Ah Geol had said that they would be parting, she felt a little sad.

Ah Geol said, “Later, I don’t know if there will be a day when we meet again… If we do happen to meet, let’s have a cup of tea together… that would be enough. If this is also a connection, then it’s a connection.”

Mongseol looked at Ah Geol.

The assassins of the Drunken Flower Garden were skilled in reading the psychology of their opponents.

They could read their state of mind from their actions, their gestures, their tone of voice. They read their psychology from how their eyes shook, how their lips twisted, and even from the way they swallowed their saliva.

If you could not read the psychology of the target of your request, you could not unleash your killing move.

To an assassin, reading the opponent’s psychology was that important.

So in the Drunken Flower Garden, they had created a separate training course to grasp the psychological state. And they were taught to utilize what they had learned in all aspects of their daily lives.

It wasn’t that she had intended to use her assassin’s secret techniques on Ah Geol.

The habit she had cultivated in the Drunken Flower Garden had been unleashed towards Ah Geol without her realizing it.

She looked at Ah Geol.

His pupils, his eyebrows, the wrinkling of his nose, the movement of his cheeks, the way he swallowed his saliva, the goosebumps on his arms… she examined everything in detail.

What was Ah Geol thinking? What was his true intention, and was there any lie in what he was saying now?

There was no lie.

Ah Geol was too comfortable. There was nothing hidden. Innocent? He had opened up everything.

To be honest, this aspect was rather uncomfortable.

Ah Geol was comfortable, but she, who was watching his comfortable appearance, was extremely uncomfortable.

His lack of worry, his innocent appearance… these things felt like a trap.

That’s right! It was a trap!

Ah Geol did not reveal any killing intent at all. And yet, he naturally unleashed his killing blade.

He was a master at hiding his aura.

There might be a lie mixed in what he was saying now. But she could not judge it.

‘Hoo!’

Mongseol secretly sighed.

She felt that she had met a man who was difficult to handle.

She changed the subject.

“How many more days can you give me?”

“How many days do you need?”

“I can’t train all of this… I’m just going to memorize it for now. Tell me how many more days I can stay at most.”

Mongseol was thinking of completely imprinting the Blood Sword Sutra on her body.

Even now, all the incantations and diagrams of the lower volume, the Heart Sutra, were locked in her head. But just in case… she was thinking of repeating it two or three times to completely imprint it on her body.

Only then would she be at ease even if she incinerated the secret manual.

That’s right. The Blood Sword Sutra secret manual had to be incinerated. No one in this world should know that the Blood Sword Sutra secret manual remained. The Blood Sword Sutra was a demonic art whose training was forbidden.

She did not know why the Blood Sword Sutra was a demonic art. The master of the Drunken Flower Garden had told her that it was a demonic art and that she had to hide it well, so she had hidden it. For that reason, she was especially careful when using the Blood Sword Sutra’s sword art.

She had to memorize the Blood Sword Sutra in her head without anyone knowing and train calmly.

Ah Geol thought of something and then opened his mouth.

“I think we have about five more days.”

“Five days? Why five days?”

“It’s difficult to answer if you ask like that. Haha. It’s just a feeling.”

“But there must be a reason. For estimating five days.”

“There’s no reason. How long will it take for them to point their swords at me? About five days? That’s all.”

This time too, his words were sincere. Ah Geol was only speaking the truth from beginning to end.

That was why she couldn’t trust him even more. Ah Geol had the ability to speak a lie as calmly as if it were the truth. Although there was no reason to lie when saying such a thing.

“Alright. Then I’ll finish in four days.”

Nod! Nod!

Ah Geol nodded his head.

* * *

Four days passed quickly.

Sometimes it was a very long time, but here, it passed as quickly as if she had closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them.

When she opened her eyes, the night had already come. When she lit a fire because the night was a waste, the morning rooster would soon crow.

There were also times when she had intended to just close her eyes for a moment, but had slept until the sun was high in the sky.

How much she had regretted it then. She had even hit her head at the thought of having spent the morning sleeping.

She had spent four days without realizing the passage of time.

‘One more time…’

Mongseol memorized the secret manual.

She examined all the incantations and diagrams.

She drew a picture of what letter each chapter started with and what letter it ended with.

She had memorized it all. There were no mistakes.

She set fire to the secret manual.

Fwoosh!

The parchment secret manual instantly caught fire. The secret manual made of leather blazed up.

Mongseol, while watching the secret manual burn, recited the heart sutra from beginning to end once more. The secret manual was already burning… but she still looked at it again, in case she had missed anything.

How great would it be if the Blood Sword Sutra were not a demonic art?

If she could possess the secret manual, if it were not a martial art whose possession itself was forbidden, how great would that be?

Well… a martial art like the Blood Sword Sutra would not be able to avoid a bloody calamity just by its possession. Even if it were not a demonic art, she would be constantly attacked by martial artists blinded by greed.

She had memorized and checked it dozens of times before burning the secret manual, but she memorized it again out of anxiety.

It was completely memorized. There was nothing wrong.

‘It’s done! The Blood Sword Sutra is gone!’

The upper volume, the Body Sutra, still remained. She had no way of knowing if it existed in the world, and if it did, who possessed it. She did not even know what was written in the Body Sutra.

But with just the Sword Sutra and the Heart Sutra, she could look down on the world.

She suddenly felt as if she had become a master.

“It’s all done. Thank you for waiting.”

Mongseol expressed her sincere gratitude.

“I have a favor to ask.”

Mongseol’s lips twisted up slightly.

She had expected this. Of course, she had expected that he would have a favor to ask.

She did not know what kind of favor it was, but she had not believed that he would just help her without wanting anything in return.

“What is it? Tell me.”

“I would really like you to grant this.”

“Tell me. I owe you, so I’ll grant you any favor.”

Mongseol stared at Ah Geol.

“For the next ten years. Do not use the martial arts of the Blood Sword Sutra for the next ten years.”

“Is that the favor?”

“I would really like you to keep it.”

Ah Geol said, nodding his head.

“You don’t have to ask for that, I was thinking of doing that anyway.”

“That’s good, then.”

“I’ll only use it when I’m carrying out an assassination, when I’m sure I can kill the target of the request.”

“Alright. You’re smart, so you’ll do well.”

“How do you know I’m smart?”

“I know that much. Is there anyone in the Drunken Flower Garden who isn’t smart?”

Mongseol suddenly had the thought that the man named Ah Geol knew her well.

No, it wasn’t a feeling. He definitely knew her well.

The feeling that he was seeing right through her came to her so clearly.

Mongseol asked, “Have we met before?”

“No.”

“Have we really never met? You look very familiar.”

“We’ve never met.”

“Come and find me at the Drunken Flower Garden. You helped me, so I’ll treat you to a drink.”

“No, this is the last time. I’m going to hide in a place where no one can find me and live for about ten years. We’ll never meet again. Live well.”

“Thank you. But do you really not have any favors to ask of me? Did you really help me without any compensation?”

“Yes.”

“Then I think you can at least tell me the reason why you helped me. We’re parting ways now.”

“Take this one. It will be helpful in escaping the Living Sword Sect’s siege.”

Ah Geol gave her the black horse.

“No, you don’t have to do this…”

“I don’t have the means to feed this one anymore. This one needs to meet a new owner too. It wasn’t my horse to begin with.”

Ah Geol grinned.

Was it because the sunlight was shining on Ah Geol’s face? His smile felt very bright.

Mongseol found a different side to the dirty, shabby, and lame stable boy.

Now… she could see the appearance of a strong person who was difficult to handle.

* * *

His master’s daughter, Mongseol.

Ah Sam had been looking for Mongseol for over ten years. He had searched all the assassin sects to find Mongseol. He had known that the wife of the Single-Instant Sect Master was a former assassin, but he had not known which assassin sect she was from. So he had searched all the assassin sects.

Mongseol was well hidden.

Ah Sam had understood the words of the Single-Instant Sect Master… as that she was hidden in an assassin sect. And he was right. Well, since he was the secret line of the Single-Instant Sect Master, was it strange that he didn’t know?

“Let’s start when we find Oh Bia.”

“Why are we starting then?”

“Because I can die in peace only after I see with my own eyes that the heir is alive. Isn’t it the same for you? Can you die without seeing that your woman is alive?”

“My woman, what…”

“Let’s start as soon as we find her.”

As Ah Sam had said… as soon as they found her, a life and death battle had begun.

Mongseol did not need to know about this fight. She could just live as an assassin as she was now.

Since he had passed on the Blood Sword Sutra, if she could just endure for another year or two, there would be almost no one who could harm her.

His master had said that the Blood Sword Sutra was an engagement gift.

That woman… the assassin called Mongseol, Oh Bia, was his fiancée.

Mongseol did not seem to know that the Blood Sword Sutra was an engagement gift. Even when she was faced with the Blood Sword Sutra, she did not think in that direction at all. She just focused on her training without any thought.

He was not sad. Rather, he was relieved.

Mongseol could just live her life without knowing anything.

Ah Geol… Seori Heun watched Mongseol… his fiancée Oh Bia, as she went far away.

(End of Chapter)