Chapter 29: Sunghwa Palace 2

An afternoon when drizzle began to fall.

A man, his hat pulled low, was leaving the An residence. He had only two guards. He hadn’t even told his other subordinates where he was going. He couldn’t help it; the very fact that he had to personally visit someone didn’t sit well with him.

‘Still ordering me around like this…’

His face was full of displeasure as he set out on his way. His name was Lim Gaso.

This man was the master of the Assassination Sect.

He used the wealth amassed through assassination to hire more assassins.

and with the wealth the assassins earned, he expanded the Assassins’ Sect.

Before long, he had secured his place in the rough world of martial arts, becoming a figure whose influence no one could ignore. That man was Lim Gaso.

Today, however, Lim Gaso was not in a good mood.

A message had arrived from Yu Zayan, deputy leader of the Iron Blood Sect—one of his key clients—requesting a meeting. He would have preferred to refuse, but knowing Yu Zayan’s temperament, Lim Gaso couldn’t decline. Moreover, the reality for Lim Gaso and the Assassins’ Guild was that they still fell far short of the Iron Blood Sect’s power.

To make matters worse, on the very day of the meeting, the rain he hated was falling steadily.

‘This is the worst day.’

It felt like all this reflected Lim Gaso’s reality, making him uneasy. Each falling raindrop seemed to mock him.

You’re still far from it.

You’re nothing but an underling of the Iron Blood Sect.

You’re not a man of influence yet.

That’s why you must kill more.

So that no one can ever look down on you.

A murderous intent flickered in Lim Gaso’s eyes. He was utterly ridiculous—someone had merely sent word requesting a meeting, yet he was already radiating a desire to kill.

Lim Gaso was the master of the Blood Gate, yet he was also a killer who committed more murders than any of his subordinates.

That Im Gaso resolved firmly within himself.

‘Today is the last time I go to meet Yoo Ja-eon myself.’

Lim Gaso spat on the floor as he spoke.

“Tsk! Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Lim Gaso, striding out quickly, got splashed by a few raindrops. His subordinate, who had been following behind, looked flustered and hurriedly held up an umbrella.

Lim Gaso clicked his tongue and said.

“Get a grip.”

“My apologies.”

Not long after leaving the residence, Lim Gaso suddenly stopped walking. He looked around and sniffed the air. One of the attendants holding the umbrella tilted his head and asked.

“Master Lim? What’s wrong?”

“I smell something…”

The attendants glanced around at the master’s words, pondering.

‘A smell?’

Lim Gaso sniffed a few more times and said.

“How could the scent of pine resin be here?”

“Pine resin?”

It was strange that Munju could smell pine resin in this rain, but the path they were walking on was flanked by dense bamboo groves on both sides—not a place where the scent of pine resin would naturally linger.

Just as Lim Gaso was about to say something, the bamboo groves swayed in unison. Seeing this, Lim Gaso, gripping a thin dagger within his robe, said.

“Come out.”

Im Gaso suspected the entire area was surrounded by someone. Indeed, in the distance, men in white robes were passing through the bamboo groves, closing in on their encirclement. Yet, they stood there in the rain, as if bound by some unseen line they dared not cross.

Therefore, Lim Gaso was both curious about their identity and, at the same time, quite afraid.

‘We’re completely surrounded…’

2.

From the opposite side of the road where Lim Gaso stood, a middle-aged man approached swiftly, as if gliding above the ground, and stopped silently. Immediately, figures clad in white surged in from both sides behind him.

The middle-aged man was none other than the Left Minister of the Seonghwagung. The Left Minister abruptly addressed him informally.

“Lord Lim, how have you been?”

“Who are you?”

Lim Gaso raised his hat to examine the stranger’s face when the unfamiliar man called his name. He had absolutely no memory of ever meeting him. But the moment he confirmed the attire of the middle-aged man and those forming a perimeter far off, Lim Gaso unconsciously swallowed hard.

“Ah… How did you come to be here, Seonghwa Palace?”

Jusa replied with a smile.

“Of course I came to see you.”

Lim Gaso continued.

“What business? We’ve never received any commission related to the Seonghwa Palace. Even if we did receive a commission concerning the Seonghwa Palace, we intend to refuse the job.”

Lim Gaso muttered insincerely, then immediately swallowed a curse as he assessed the middle-aged man’s aura.

‘Damn it… Who the hell is this? He seems to be someone high up in the Sunghwa Palace too…’

Lim Gaso spoke with more tension than he felt during conversations with Yu Ja-eon, the Iron Blood Division Chief.

Lim Gaso even brought up the Iron Blood Sect to intimidate him.

“I’m meeting the Iron Blood Sect’s deputy leader right here. Let’s not make this into a big deal.”

But the Left Minister paid no heed to the mention of the Iron Blood Sect.

“How dare you compare this palace to the Iron Blood Sect? They say it’s a den of rats secretly plotting assassinations. It seems the Sect Leader’s judgment is no better than a rat’s.”

“What… what did you say?!”

After deliberately provoking Lim Gasa, Jusa continued with a thoroughly contemptuous smile.

“Master Lim, I have an offer you cannot refuse.”

“Shut up! What kind of proposal are you making when you’ve got us surrounded like this?”

Zusa, seemingly intent only on delivering his message, smiled and continued.

“A master from this palace will duel you. If your skill proves exceptional, we shall incorporate the Sal Gate into our Seonghwa Palace’s subordinate forces.”

“You’re trying to intimidate me with nonsense. And you’re the master?”

The left minister shook his head.

At that moment, the white-clad warriors lined up before Lim Gasa suddenly began kneeling one after another, like waves crashing.

At their center, the Young Master of the Sunghwa Palace was walking slowly forward.

Zuo Sha turned sideways and said.

“It is she.”

A woman with a cold expression, likely around twenty years old, the young princess of Seonghwagung, walked out beside Josa, walking straight into the drizzling rain.

The young princess wore clothes of a different color from the left minister’s—a crimson robe with a single white flower blooming upon it.

Rainwater trickled down her jade-like face, and her long hair, reaching to her waist, was drenched.

Though she seemed of a status that should not be exposed to the rain, the fact that no one paid her any mind only added to the mystery.

But the most undeniable fact was this woman’s overwhelming beauty.

Even if she hadn’t mastered martial arts, her overwhelming beauty alone seemed sufficient to reign supreme in the world of men.

Lim Gaso’s eyes flickered violently.

Were he not middle-aged, he would have rushed over immediately to tear her clothes off. Lim Gaso barely suppressed his wavering heart and opened his mouth.

“Truly a beautiful young lady. But surely you don’t mean for me to fight her?”

When Lim Gaso looked at the left attendant, he nodded and replied curtly.

“That’s right.”

Lim Gaso immediately burst into laughter.

“Ha ha! Uh ha ha ha ha ha!”

Im Gaso’s booming laughter, filled with inner strength, caused his two subordinates to urgently cover their ears, and even the nearby bamboo grove shook violently. Im Gaso’s laughter continued long and loud.

3.

The drizzle had stopped without anyone noticing.

Amidst Lim Gaso’s prolonged laughter, Jusa introduced him to the young princess.

“This man is none other than Lim Gaso, the master of the Sword Gate.”

The young princess nodded, uttering a truly tremendous sound.

“Didn’t you say Lim Gaso deserved to die?”

“What did you say?!”

Veins bulged on Lim Gaso’s forehead. Jusa abruptly began listing the murders and atrocities Lim Gaso had committed.

“…Truth be told, he’s not even fit to be used like a dog or a horse.”

Lim Gaso’s entire body began to tremble violently, and his eyes instantly turned frenzied like a madman’s.

Lim Gaso wanted to leap forward immediately, rape the woman before him, and hack her to pieces with his sword.

As Lim Gaso’s eyes flashed with lust and murderous intent, the young princess said.

“Seeing that mad look in his eyes, Lord Zuo’s words seem correct.”

“Indeed. You observed well. The martial world is full of such scum. You must learn to recognize that gaze. Just moments ago, it was ordinary enough, but now it has completely transformed, hasn’t it?”

Nodding, the young princess tied her long hair with the ribbon she held between her fingers as she spoke.

“If I happen to lose to Lord Lim, Master Zuo, please avenge me.”

At those words, Jusa burst into laughter without a single word.

“Hahahahahaha.”

The young princess seemed to be joking too. Thinking she had made Zuo Sha laugh, she finished tying her hair and gave a faint smile, revealing a tiny dimple at the corner of her lips.

Lim Gaso, forgetting his own predicament, nearly cursed but managed to hold back.

‘These damn bastards…’

Lim Gaso tore off his bamboo hat with his left hand and flung it aside, then roughly yanked the cord binding his blood-red cloak. With a thud, the cloak flew backward, revealing his black robes.

Grasping the black straight sword, Lim Gaso addressed the left-hand assassin.

“I shall personally verify your skills.”

Lim Gaso knew the woman before him was a crucial figure in the Seonghwa Palace. He resolved to capture her by any means necessary and use her to break through this crisis.

On the side of the Young Princess, the Left Minister crossed his arms and stepped back.

On Lim Gaso’s side, his subordinates also stepped back.

Lim Gaso also widened the distance slightly, positioning himself in a combat stance, then gazed at the woman from the Sunghwa Palace with a greedy look. The Young Princess looked at Lim Gaso and slightly furrowed her brow.

Lim Gaso bared his teeth and said.

“May I proceed?”

The Young Princess shook her head.

“I need to make some preparations.”

At that absurd remark, the left attendant shook his head briefly. Lim Gaso’s mind was in turmoil. He had intended to rush out immediately, subdue the woman, and then make a deal with the middle-aged man.

But the young princess, who said she needed to prepare, stretched out her right hand, palm facing the sky.

Seeing this, Jusa sighed softly and pressed his hand to his forehead.

‘I told her to get some experience…’

What on earth was she planning to do?

Seeing the young princess about to do something strange without any weapons, Lim Gaso realized she was preparing something. He immediately pushed off the ground and slid forward.

Thud-

The outcome seemed poised to be decided in a single exchange.

Lim Gaso proved himself worthy of the title of the Gate of Life. Despite the considerable distance, he arrived perfectly suspended in midair before the young princess. Even then, she maintained her posture with her right arm extended.

The moment Lim Gaso’s left foot touched the ground, his straight sword fell vertically.

In that instant, Lim Gaso lost sight of the young palace master.

Instead, what filled Lim Gaso’s eyes was, strangely, a flame.

His sword had sliced through the flames.

And it did so with a refreshingly powerful, unhesitating motion…

The sword had cleaved the flame in two.

What martial art could possibly create flames?

Lim Gaso was curious.

But there was no time left to ask, no chance remaining. The split flame grew like two fiery dragons, swallowing the Lim family estate whole.

Whoosh!

With a strange scream, Lim Gaso, engulfed in flames, collapsed onto the sticky ground. He twitched a few times before instantly turning into a pile of black ash.

At that moment, the young princess who had soared into the air to evade Lim Gaso’s straight sword descended to the ground.

Jusa clicked his tongue as he approached.

“I arranged this so you could observe combat and gain experience in offense and defense. How could you use the Heaven-Shattering Flaming Breath right away?”

At Zuo Shi’s words, which bordered on scolding, the young princess fell silent for a moment, gazing down at the charred remains of the Lim family estate. Zuo Shi was one of the masters who had taught her since childhood, and such a tone occasionally slipped out unexpectedly.

After a moment, the young princess explained her reason in a quiet voice.

“I didn’t like the look in his eyes.”

As Jusa let out a sharp intake of breath, another order fell from the young princess’s lips.

“Burn down the entire An family compound.”

With that, the young princess turned and headed toward the carriage. Then, as if apologizing for her earlier rebuke, Jusa bowed respectfully and said.

“I… receive your orders.”