Reaper of the Drifting Moon

Pyo-wol walked away while gently rubbing his shoulder.

His clothes were still intact, but dark bruises had formed on the muscles underneath. Had his dodge been even a fraction slower, it wouldn’t only have been his clothes that were torn apart, but his flesh as well.

The gaze that Gu Ja-hwang felt was not a mistake.

Pyo-wol was indeed watching him from behind the tent’s curtain.

The strong aura Gu Ja-hwang exuded had stirred Pyo-wol up. So, Pyo-wol unknowingly channeled qi into his gaze, and Gu Ja-hwang did not miss this subtle change and detected it.

He possessed an animal-like sense.

It was certain that if Pyo-wol had been slightly late in leaving the tent, his whereabouts would have been exposed.

Pyo-wol walked to a spot where Gu Ja-hwang’s senses could not reach and thought,

‘This place is a prison.’

It was unclear when exactly this place had been converted into a prison.

Even the Hao clan, which was said to have the greatest information network in the Jianghu, did not know about this place.

This meant that this place was a closely guarded secret.

Even if Mount Longhu has long been deserted, it would have been impossible to maintain such a thorough secret without the protection of a great power.

The question was which great power was protecting this place.

Pyo-wol realized that the matter was far more complicated than he first thought.

It was chilling to know that such sordid activities were taking place beneath the peaceful surface of Jianghu, yet most if not all martial artists remain unaware of it.

It was clear that Hong Yushin was imprisoned here somewhere.

Finding him comes first and foremost than anything.

Pyo-wol looked around sharply.

In addition to the area he had followed Hwang Ak-chu into earlier, there were countless cave systems and structures. Most of them were naturally formed, with long stalactites hanging from the ceiling.

Just like the cave where Pyo-wol had been imprisoned before, it was clear that these caves had been converted into a prison using the natural terrain.

Pyo-wol’s gaze traveled to the other side of the cave, opposite where So Gyeoksan was held. That side was also blocked by an iron gate.

Pyo-wol approached the iron gate.

The iron gate had a large padlock on it.

The lock, the size of an adult man’s torso, could not be opened without a specific key. It was for this reason that the warriors guarding the place did not need to set up additional guards and left the area unattended.

Pyo-wol fiddled with the lock for a moment before pulling out a phantom dagger.

He inserted the phantom dagger into the lock hole and gently moved it around. He used the phantom dagger as a substitute for a key.

While a lock like this might be able to prevent other martial artists from entering, it was impossible to prevent an expert assassin like Pyo-wol.

Even the ones who first set up this prison probably never imagined an expert assassin like Pyo-wol would infiltrate.

Click!

Pyo-wol easily picked the lock and entered.

The cave was pitch black inside.

In such an environment where it was difficult to even take a single step without a torch to light the way, Pyo-wol walked forward without hesitation.

He was very familiar with this kind of environment.

Not only could he recognize the terrain through the breeze, humidity, and sounds, but he could also see through the darkness.

For him, this level of darkness was no obstacle.

Boom!

A strong rumble came from somewhere, traveling through the air and reaching his ears.

Pyo-wol moved towards the source of the sound.

Thump! Boom!

The rumbling got louder and louder.

Pyo-wol thought the rumbling contained frustration.

Finally, Pyo-wol arrived in front of a small iron door.

It was the same size as the one where So Gyeoksan was held.

Screech!

Pyo-wol opened the small window above the door.

Immediately, a pair of eerie and glowing eyes appeared in front of the window.

“Hong… Yushin!”

The man, whose eyes blazed like wildfire, was none other than Hong Yushin, the chief inspector of the Hao clan.

His forehead was split open, with blood oozing out profusely.

Hong Yushin’s lips twisted.

“Who are you? Are you here to convince me? It’s pointless. I will never take your side!”

Thud!

At that moment, Pyo-wol’s face returned to its original state.

Hong Yushin’s eyes widened.

“Pyo… wol?”

“So you’ve been trapped here.”

“How did you…? No, is it really you, Master Pyo-wol?”

“That’s right.”

“Oh my goodness!”

At Pyo-wol’s confirmation, Hong Yushin’s legs gave way.

There was no one else with such a white and elegant face, even more striking in the darkness, other than Pyo-wol.

“W-Why have you come to find me?”

“The head of the Hao clan requested it.”

“Requested? To find me?”

“That’s right!”

“Hah!”

Hong Yushin finally slumped down on the ground.

He didn’t say a word for a while.

Pyo-wol quietly observed Hong Yushin in silence.

Hong Yushin stared blankly at the iron gate with a myriad of emotions crossing his face and eyes.

The events that had happened the past few days flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

Tracking the Heavenly Flower Variety Theater Troupe and So Gyeoksan to this vicinity, only to be ambushed and captured by the warriors guarding this place.

He didn’t have a chance to resist.

They were incredibly cunning.

Like a tiger snatching its prey in an instant, they ambushed and subdued him. And then they imprisoned him here and tried to entice him.

“Entice?”

“They thought that I might be worth using. Since I am the chief inspector of the Hao clan, I could easily access key information.”

“From the looks of those imprisoned elsewhere, it looks like they’re trying to brainwash them with prohibited drugs.”

“They just want to use them as tools, because tools don’t have to think.”

Pyo-wol nodded.

What Hong Yushin said made sense.

So Gyeoksan was a skilled assassin.

Even if he had no reason left in him, he was still valuable as a tool. But Hong Yushin was different.

If someone with access to key information were to be brainwashed with drugs, it would surely raise suspicions. So it was clear they had imprisoned him separately to get him to cooperate voluntarily.

Pyo-wol asked,

“Can you move?”

“It’s difficult, but I can move.”

Hong Yushin replied through clenched teeth.

Even if he couldn’t move, he had to.

Even while eating the gruel given to him once a day, he continued to train his body. He knew that if his body weakened, his mental strength would weaken even more.

That’s how he managed to resist them so far.

Hong Yushin struggled to his feet.

Pyo-wol used his internal energy to cut the lock with his phantom dagger.

Clang!

As the door opened, Hong Yushin staggered out.

An overwhelmed expression appeared on his face.

For the first time in several months since being imprisoned, he had found freedom. But it was too early to feel relieved.

He had only just left this small cell. He has yet to escape this underground prison.

Pyo-wol said,

“Follow me.”

“Are we escaping right away?”

“No. There’s someone else we need to get out.”

“Who?”

“So Gyeoksan.”

“He’s imprisoned here too?”

“Haven’t you been tracking him?”

“Yes, but I was caught first, so I don’t know what happened after that. Hoo!”

Hong Yushin let out a weary sigh.

Seeing that he was not in a state to have a lengthy conversation, Pyo-wol didn’t ask further.

The important thing now was to get Hong Yushin and So Gyeoksan out of here.

Pyo-wol stepped outside with Hong Yushin.

To reach the area where So Gyeoksan was, they first had to enter the underground common area. The underground common area was filled and guarded by many warriors, so Pyo-wol had to be extra careful.

If he were alone, he could easily avoid their gaze, but hiding Hong Yushin was not an easy task. As a result, Pyo-wol was on high alert. However, to his relief, many of the martial artists had left the underground common area.

This made it easier for Pyo-wol to enter the area where So Gyeoksan was imprisoned.

As Hong Yushin made his way to the area where So Gyeoksan was imprisoned, his face contorted.

It was his first time entering this area.

He had assumed there would be many people trapped beside himself, but seeing it firsthand was a different feeling altogether.

The desperate groans and the disgusting smell of the people trapped in a narrow space like animals made Hong Yushin feel a surge of nausea.

“Ugh!”

He barely managed to suppress his nausea by covering his mouth.

As they went deeper inside, another large iron gate appeared.

Pyo-wol easily opened the iron gate. Then, the area where So Gyeoksan was trapped came into view.

Pyo-wol opened the window to the room where So Gyeoksan was trapped. Then, So Gyeoksan’s two eyes, burning with rage, came into view.

Even after Pyo-wol had left, he had continued to stand in the same spot, glaring out the window.

Not knowing when Pyo-wol would return.

So Gyeoksan opened his mouth.

“Pyo… wol! It was you after all.”

His voice might be very muffled from taking the Demonic Soul-Exchange Poison, but he was still full of vitality.

“What happened to you?”

“I was tricked.”

“You?”

“Yes! I was commissioned. I was asked to escort someone to this place. I was skeptical at first, but I believed in myself. I was confident that I could protect myself and my troupe no matter what, but I was wrong.”

“So, you were betrayed?”

“Yes! Ha! I was thoroughly betrayed.”

So Gyeoksan chuckled.

Every time he laughed, a terrible aura of poison and murderous intent flowed out.

“The client requested me to escort a certain person here. To the Prison of No Return.”

“Prison of No Return?”

“You didn’t know? Well, I guess not. It’s a very confidential name after all.”

It was then.

“So this place is the Prison of No Return?”

The one who suddenly spoke was Hong Yushin.

“Ha! What did you think this place was? What other hell-like prison could there be besides the Prison of No Return?”

“I see! So that’s how it is.”

Hong Yushin had heard the name Prison of No Return before.

It had been picked up by the Hao clan’s intelligence network, but they had only heard of the name. Its actual entity was nowhere to be found, as if enveloped in a fog, so Hong Yushin suspected that it was a rumor that someone had deliberately spread.

But, after tracking down So Gyeoksan and being trapped in this place, he thought that he might be in the Prison of No Return. However, back then, it was only a guess, not a certainty.

At that moment, So Gyeoksan continued his story.

“He wanted to keep it a secret.”

“He?”

“The client. He did not want his request to become known to the world, which is why he even kept me, the man who carried out his orders, here.”

So Gyeoksan gritted his teeth.

The client asked him to escort a particular person here, to the Prison of No Return, and So Gyeoksan had no difficulty in bringing him here.

After all, the Heavenly Flower Variety Theater Troupe was the best means of transportation.

But, the problem occurred after they arrived here.

“As soon as I handed over the person the client had asked me to transport, they attacked us. Everyone… except for me… died.”

So Gyeoksan’s shoulders shook, and the fury in his eyes intensified.

To So Gyeoksan, the Heavenly Flower Variety Theater Troupe was not just a hobby.

It was his life’s goal, the only thing that made him human.

It was the troupe that kept him from becoming a full-fledged assassin after leaving the underground cave.

The Heavenly Flower Variety Theater Troupe was everything to him.

But that same troupe collapsed.

Even the woman who loved him, Yi Okran, died at that time.

A foolish woman who looked only at him even as she was dying.

What was so great about a lowly and hunchbacked man like him, for her to look at him with such wistful eyes?

The look in her eyes, as she breathed her last, was still embedded in his heart like a brand.

“Pyo-wol!”

“Speak.”

“Get me out. As long as you let me get my martial arts back… where I can get my revenge, I will then live the rest of my life for you.”

“……”

“I swear to pledge my loyalty to you. Even my soul… So, please show me a little bit of mercy.”

“Do you want revenge?”

“I will now return to being the assassin, So Gyeoksan.”

That was enough answer.