Reaper of the Drifting Moon

The Snow Sword Manor, like most manors, was surrounded by a high wall. They built it like a fortress so no outsider could ever look at what’s on the inside.

Inside the manor, numerous palaces, training halls, rock gardens, and ponds were placed in harmony. Anyone who has ever been to the Snow Sword Manor could not take their eyes off the beautiful interior. However, it only looked that way externally. In reality, the manor was no different from a dragon’s lair, which is filled with all kinds of machinery, traps, and masters.

There is an ironclad security at the front and back gates where masters are hiding in the high walls. They all thought that with the defense they set up, no one would dare think of sneaking in.

The closer a person is to the Snow Sword Manor, the more they would feel its energy.

A building is nothing more than a combination of stone and wood so it’s not capable of giving off this kind of energy. So the energy must be coming from the people gathered inside the manor.

Being able to detect and feel the people’s energy even from a distance meant that there were a lot of outstanding people in the Snow Sword Manor.

Jang Gwang-san and Sa Ok-yeon passed through the front gate of the Snow Sword Manor without any special procedures.

Pyo-wol, who followed them, lowered his head for a moment.

Crack! Crack!

His facial muscles moved with the sound of bones cracking.

When he looked up again, his face had changed to a completely different person.

Pyo-wol also channeled his internal energy into the Black Dragon Robe. Then, the color of his robe changed.

From black to bright red.

That alone made Pyo-wol a completely different person.

He calmly walked towards the front door.

“Stop! Where are you from? Reveal your identity.”

The warriors standing guard at the main gate stopped Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol answered calmly without changing his expression,

“My name is Yu Gyeong-pyo from the Golden Mountain Manor.”

“The Golden Mountain Manor? Didn’t someone go here yesterday?”

“The sect leader said he forgot a slip, so he told me to bring it.”

Pyo-wol did not even smear saliva on his mouth and calmly lied. He even took a piece of paper out of his pocket and waved it in front of the warriors. Of course, the warriors didn’t even dare to check the paper.

It was a lie that he came up with on the spot after seeing the IOU that Jang Gwang-san had kept.

He thought that since Golden Mountain Manor handed over the IOU to the Snow Sword Manor, then the two must have a close relationship. If so, if he posed as a person from the Golden Mountain Manor, then no one would doubt his identity.

The Snow Sword Manor warrior carefully inspected Pyo-wol’s body.

Intentionally expressing a look of displeasure, Pyo-wol raised his voice,

“Aren’t you going to let me in? Should I just go back and tell our Lord that I couldn’t complete my mission because of a warrior from the Snow Sword Manor?”

“Oh, no! W-What did you say your name was again?”

“It’s Yu Gyeong-pyo.”

“Oh, so it’s Lord Yu. You can come in.”

“Thank you.”

“Um!”

Pyo-wol took a shot at the warriors guarding the front gate and then moved inside.

The warriors guarding the front gate did not even suspect Pyo-wol, who was walking calmly as if he had visited several times before.

Pyo-wol, who entered the Snow Sword Manor, quickly looked around.

In an instant, he saw the backs of Jang Gwang-san and Sa Ok-yeon, who were walking from far away.

Pyo-wol naturally headed in the direction they were walking.

No one thought of Pyo-wol’s presence as strange.

Just like the Jin family, the Snow Sword Manor had a lot of people who were injured because of the fight in Runan.

Since so many people come in to treat and take care of these wounded warriors, the new faces coming in couldn’t be fully confirmed.

Thanks to this, Pyo-wol was able to freely move around inside the Snow Sword Manor without being suspected by anyone.

Pyo-wol followed Jang Gwang-san and Sa Ok-yeon at a distance.

The place where the two arrived was an inner courtyard surrounded by a high wall.

The inner courtyard was the place where the true members of the Snow Sword Manor was located.

Most of the personnel recruited from outside could not dream of passing through the main gate of the inner courtyard.

Pyo-wol looked at the inner courtyard from a distance.

Jang Gwang-san and Sa Ok-yeon’s figures disappeared into the inner courtyard and were no longer visible.

He couldn’t blindly pursue them like what he did at the front gate of the Snow Sword Manor.

Even at a glance, he could feel that the energy and eyes of the warriors guarding the inner courtyard was unusual.

They even had to question Jang Gwang-san and Sa Ok-yeon before letting them in. The warriors here aren’t as sloppy and lax as compared to the ones Pyo-wol had met at the entrance. They wouldn’t just let in a person they’re seeing for the first time. If so, he had to change his methods.

Pyo-wol scanned the wall.

The wall separating the outer courtyard from the inner courtyard was not just high. Masters were placed everywhere, guarding it like iron bars.

Fortunately, the traps and machinery installed here aren’t that much of a threat to Pyo-wol.

If Snow Sword Manor had been here a little longer, they would have installed complex and threatening traps and machinery.

But since they wanted to drive out the Jin family, reclaim their old territory, and build a fortress in its place, it was clear that only minimal investment was made here.

From Pyo-wol’s standpoint, this was better.

It would be a hassle for him if he had to break through such complicated traps and machineries. Doing so would make it hard to avoid people’s attention.

Pyo-wol raised his senses and identified the people hiding on the wall.

No matter how great human concentration is, the amount of time it can be maintained is only a few days. It was human nature to stay idle for the other days.

Unless those warriors were specially raised like Pyo-wol, their concentration could never be maintained for a long time.

It was not difficult for Pyo-wol to find a blind spot where their eyes could not reach.

Pyo-wol, who confirmed that no one was watching him, flew lightly. Like a stray cat, he sneaked in through the inner courtyard.

After a while, those who had been hiding had a strange feeling. They all looked at the place where Pyo-wol had passed, but they didn’t see a trace.

Pyo-wol, who hid in the inner courtyard, changed both of his outfit and face again.

Each sect had its own unique atmosphere.

Taoist sects, such as the Wudang sect, have a unique restrained atmosphere. Furthermore, the disciples of the said sect, especially those who recently joined its ranks, have a passionate spirit.

It was the same with the Snow Sword Manor.

Unlike when they were kicked out of Tianzhongshan like a dog, they came back vigorously.

Pyo-wol read the atmosphere and imitated it exactly the same.

Even if it was their first time seeing Pyo-wol’s new appearance, since the atmosphere he gave off was similar, the warriors inside the inner courtyard did not find Pyo-wol strange.

The first thing Pyo-wol did after infiltrating the inner courtyard was to pursue the whereabouts of Jang Gwang-san and Sa Ok-yeon. But by then, the figures of the two had already disappeared.

Ordinary people would give up at this point, but it was different for Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol raised his head and sniffed the air.

There were so many scents mixed together that it was very turbid. The nose of an ordinary person would only perceive it as a musty smell, but Pyo-wol’s superhuman sense of smell could distinguish the subtle scents contained in it.

Among the numerous scents, Pyo-wol focused on the strong smell of powder.

Sa Ok-yeon took a lot of powder and applied it uncharacteristically. Among the warriors in the inner courtyard, no other warriors will be as well-disposed as she is.

Pyo-wol’s eyes turned to the small gate on the eastern side of the inner courtyard. Because the smell of powder was coming from there.

Pyo-wol opened the gate without hesitation and went inside.

As he opened the gate, a narrow path appeared in between the enormous walls that seemed to be three or four times taller than a person.

Sa Ok-yeon’s scent became stronger.

It was clear that she and Jang Gwang-san had passed this way.

Pyo-wol walked in without hesitation.

The wind seemed to be particularly strong, perhaps because it is a narrow passage in between high walls.

The wind that blew through the walls made Pyo-wol’s hair and clothes flutter.

“…….”

Pyo-wol’s face suddenly stiffened slightly.

It was because he felt the subtle breathing of a person in the gust of wind.

Someone was hiding here.

Even for Pyo-wol who had great senses, he only detected the other person when the wind blew. The person had hid himself so thoroughly.

Nonetheless, Pyo-wol moved on calmly.

It would be foolish of him to stop moving now just because someone is hiding and targeting himself.

He had to act normally.

That way, the person hiding wouldn’t notice that he noticed.

As he walked, Pyo-wol raised his senses to the extreme.

‘The same kind as me.’

No matter how much a normal warrior trained, they could not perform this level of stealth. Only assassins can perform stealth techniques that can thoroughly hide their presence.

By the time he arrived midway through the passage, the wind kept blowing stronger.

Flutter!

The hem of his clothes fluttered wildly in the wind, momentarily blocking his vision.

At that moment, the assassin who was hiding moved.

Clang!

Hidden weapons went over Pyo-wol with a sharp sound.

Pyo-wol executed Snake Steps and stepped back. However, the hidden weapons even aimed for the new area he moved into.

The opponent had already calculated the direction where Pyo-wol would have moved once he avoided the weapons.

Pipiping!

As the Pyo-wol whirled in place, he released his phantom dagger.

Ciit!

The hidden weapon hit the phantom dagger and exploded.

It was difficult to match the trajectory of a hidden weapon which was smaller than the palm of a child with a dagger.

He could feel the agitation of the assassin who had lost their hidden weapon. They must not have expected that Pyo-wol would beat their hidden weapons with a dagger.

But the assassin approached Pyo-wol without panicking.

Tatatak!

The figure of an assassin running horizontally with their arms outstretched across the towering wall seemed like a hawk flying.

Shiak!

In an instant, the assassin’s hand aimed for Pyo-wol’s chest.

Pyo-wol used his phantom dagger to attack the assassin’s hand.

Kaaang!

The sharp dagger and hand collided, and a metal sound burst out.

Surprisingly, the assassin’s hand was intact without the slightest scratch.

Pyo-wol had a hunch that the assassin had learned a special technique.

There were numerous martial arts in Jianghu, and among them, there were quite a few martial arts that made human skin and muscles harder than steel.

Pyo-wol thought that the assassin had learned one of those techniques.

Shuaak!

The assassin attacked Pyo-wol alternately with both of their hands.

Their hand attacks were so heavy that it could destroy a rock the size of a house.

It was truly a one-hit kill.

Pyo-wol retrieved his phantom dagger and dealt with the assassin’s attacks with his bare hands.

Tadadadak!

Their hands clashed dozens of times.

The assassin’s hand strikes were great, but Pyo-wol’s hands, which had been trained to the limit, were also formidable.

It wasn’t hard like an assassin’s, but it was soft and tough like a snake.

As a result, most of the shock was absorbed leaving no significant damage.

Tadadadak!

The only thing that could be heard was the sound of the two hands hitting each other.

Neither of them made a sound as they clashed so violently.

It was a characteristic of highly trained assassins.

Even when their lives are at stake due to fatal injuries, they are trained not to make a sound.

Some assassins even cut their own tongues so that they could not scream at all.

Making a sound itself was a reason for disqualification as an assassin.

The assassin’s attacks were indeed sharp.

What was frightening more than anything was the formidable weight behind the attacks.

Pyo-wol realized that the unknown assassin’s hands were exceptionally white.

Kwaaaaa!

A terrifying energy was swirling in the assassin’s pure white hands.

Taking a single hit could make him lose his life.

But Pyo-wol had Jade Destruction.1

Jade Destruction, which focuses everything on one point, caused him not to be pushed at all even against the assassin’s hand strikes.

The assassin’s movements became more and more intense.

As if whipping a top, the assassin’s attack gradually accelerates. Their movements became so fast making it difficult to follow.

It was clear that if it was an ordinary warrior, their hands and feet would have become disheveled because they could not keep up with the movement.

However, Pyo-wol was neither an ordinary warrior nor an ordinary assassin.

Pyo-wol used Black Lightning.

As lightning stimulated his nerves, his reaction speed heightened several times. It wasn’t just his reaction speed that became fast. His thoughts and senses also became enhanced.

He could see the assassin’s breathing, eye movements and even the slightest changes in their muscles.

Pyo-wol’s blade struck the spot where he expected the opponent’s attack would land.

Jjooeng!

At that moment, a heavy sound burst out and the assassin’s body was thrown backwards.

The assassin, who had rolled on the floor, immediately got up. The assassin had a confused expression on their face.

As the assassin clutched their swollen wrist, they muttered,

“How can it be! For the Extreme Yin Hand2 to lose…”

A look of disbelief flashed across their face.

The Extreme Yin Hand is a martial art as powerful as the White Lotus Hand3 that descended like a legend in Jianghu.

They found it hard to believe that their Extreme Yin Hand has been rendered useless.

“Who are you?”

The assassin raised their head and glared at Pyo-wol. Then, a beautiful face hidden by their black hair was revealed.

Pyo-wol recognized the assassin’s identity at once.

‘Hong Ye-seol!’

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

I used the pronoun their/them to refer to the assassin even if there’s only one. This is so that the gender of the assassin remains unknown not until Pyo-wol recognizes them.

Anyway, thank you for reading!

Jailbreak. Raws: Poyu, Paok, 파옥(破玉). 破 pò – break, ruin, destroy 玉 yù – jade, precious stone Extreme Yin Hand. Raws: 태음수(太陰手). 太 tài – very, too, much; big; extreme 陰 yīn – ‘female’ principle; dark; secret 手 shǒu – hand White Lotus Hand. Raws: 백련소수(白蓮素手) 白 bài – white; pure, unblemished; bright 蓮 lián – lotus, water lily; paradise 素 sù – white (silk); plain; vegetarian; formerly; normally 手 shǒu – hand