Book 20 Chapter 4

Nighttime Wall Climbers

―Shadow of the Moon

Just as the sun casts a shadow, many people overlook the fact that the moon also casts a shadow. It's just that the darkness created by her [the Moon] in the night is not very noticeable.

*Rustle!*

In a place where shadows untouched by moonlight overlap with the darkness of night, two figures stealthily dash along the tall, long wall, buried in the darkness layered upon it. On the feet of the two silhouettes running like the wind in this place, where even the warmth of moonlight is denied, silence is worn like a boot.

Just a little further, and it was the main gate. Like other estates, a plaque would hang above that main gate, and it would read "Joongyang Express." And perhaps, on the plaque attached to the right pillar, it would clearly say "Namchang Branch." There is a gate there, made for people to come and go. However, they considered using this utterly ordinary main gate as an act of their identities being buried in the prevalent customs of society, and decided to actively resist it.

Their decision was carried out into practice most commendably. It was a revolutionary shift in perspective to enter through something originally installed for the purpose of rejection, as in, "Do not enter." However, this revolutionary shift in perspective met a futile end by being converted into the relatively stale act of wall climbing.

The man at the front quietly gestured to his lips with his index finger and then leaped onto the wall first. Although he appeared to have jumped lightly from where he stood, the man effortlessly placed himself on top of the wall. After glancing around a couple of times, the first man signaled to the second man waiting below with two movements of his left hand, and the man below leaped, albeit reluctantly. Then, a long rope slithered like a snake in the darkness. A long rope connected the two men, and the first man had used it to send signals.

As if afraid of breaking the stillness of the night, where the sound of a falling needle would sound louder than thunder, their movements were extremely cautious and silent. Soon after, the two leaped towards a magnificent, old tree planted about a *jang* away from the wall. No one spoke.

"There it is!"

The first man looked around, searching for their target. The place they were looking for would still be lit even at this late hour.

"That must be the Lord's office…"

Although it was temporary, this was undoubtedly the place these two were aiming for.

It was just as the two intruders were about to move. Like a bird that failed to take flight after pushing off a branch, their bodies froze in the posture of leaping.

"Don't move!"

"Gasp!"

Although it was a woman's voice that echoed from behind them without any sound, in the middle of the night, it wasn't scary. However, the long, slender blade gleaming with moonlight by their neck was terrifyingly chilling.

"Oh no!"

As the first man's movements were blocked, the second man immediately tried to pull back his body, forgetting his own predicament. However, that attempt also ended in failure.

"Don't move! Unless you want a hole in the back of your head!"

Before the man's voice had even finished, something sharp and pointy was already sending a shiver down to his very marrow, carrying the coldness of the night air. The back of his head tingled.

"Now, now, stay still. I'm a timid person and get startled easily by small things. If you so much as flinch, I might flail my arms wildly in surprise, and then you, and anyone around you, could get seriously hurt. I also don't want to be sitting here wiping blood off my sword on such a late night. Wouldn't that be too pathetic?"

In the blink of an eye, the voice of the man who had silently taken position behind the second man—who claimed to be timid—was not only calm but also mixed with a hint of playfulness.

"Put your sword away," the woman instructed in a calm voice. By then, the first man's sword had fully revealed itself under the moonlight. His swordsmanship, in which he had attempted to draw his sword and scatter sword energy in all directions if he had moved even an inch forward, was superb, but alas, it was seen through by a hair's breadth.

"You just need to take your hand off," said the man holding the tip of his sword to the second man's head quietly. There was no hint of threat. There was no tension. Instead, there was an attitude of confidence and ease.

The second man managed to push his sword up slightly with his left thumb. Even this small detail allowed one to gauge the difference in their skill. Although both were subdued.

The woman, who seemed to be on the verge of beheading the first man, took a moment and asked in a calm voice, "Are you the ones who have been loitering around here for the past few days?"

"…"

When there was no answer, the middle-aged man, who had been watching silently, rebuked in a low but stern voice, "Can't you hear the Shinnnyo? Answer me quickly!" He seemed angry about the lack of sincerity in their answer to the woman's question. The answer still did not come.

"How dare these brats!"

The silence further inflamed the middle-aged man's anger. "I've already been suspicious of unidentified individuals lurking around for the past few days! That's why I couldn't sleep soundly even at night! But now that I've caught you tonight, I can sleep soundly from today onwards. But what should I do when you two are keeping your mouths shut like clams? It's troublesome, but I have no choice but to find out directly!" His tone clearly indicated annoyance.

"Both of you, turn around slowly! However, it would be wise not to try any funny business! Because no one can be sure what kind of fate awaits you. Now, turn around! Quickly!"

Hesitantly and tensing their bodies, the two slowly turned around. The intangible pressure emanating from the tips of the two swords was enough to suffocate them, so they dared not even dream of any trickery.

Finally, both men turned around.

However, since both were wearing hoods, their faces could still not be recognized.

"Take it off!"

Then, with a shy gesture, the first man began to unbutton his front one by one.

"Not there!"

The middle-aged man exclaimed in surprise. His gaze quickly shifted to the woman. He wished he hadn't looked… The man lowered his head with immense regret. The woman's gaze, which suspected him of having peculiar tastes, simultaneously evoked impulses to kill and to commit suicide, and the man had to fight a fierce battle between them.

"Hmph, who told you to take off your clothes! Take off your hood! That damned hood covering your faces, that's what!" Rough words that the middle-aged man would never normally utter naturally escaped his lips. However, although the two flinched at the man's roar, they continued to hesitate and did not carry out the order.

"Why are you doing this? Do you have something to hide? What secrets do you have that you're hesitating? Hurry and take it off!" And then he quickly added, "…The hood, the hood!"

However, the actions of the captured two remained sluggish.

*Snap!*

The middle-aged man's patience had reached its limit.

"If you don't want to take it off, you don't have to. As a reward for stubbornly adhering to your will, you will be able to broaden your horizons by learning that swords can serve various roles other than cutting people. Among them might be techniques like hood removal."

The first man hesitated for a long time, then finally seemed to make up his mind, bit his lip firmly, and slowly brought both hands to his hood. Soon, the darkness hidden within the shadow of the hood was pulled out into the moonlight.

"Gasp!"

A cry of astonishment erupted from Jin Soryeong. So surprised was she that she immediately decided on swift and powerful demon-exorcising action. If Yoo Eunseong, who was nearby, had not barely stopped her, her sword would have precisely divided the man who had removed his hood into twenty-seven pieces. At the same time, her nephew would have become a widow before getting married.

"How… how could you…?"

There were times even this iron woman, who knew no fear, had a trembling voice.

"You should have been dead, right?"

She uttered the name of the person who should have been dead, the one who should have lost all purpose other than being carved on a tombstone.

"…Namgung Sang! How are you here…?"

The face that appeared from the hood was none other than Namgung Sang, who was reported dead a few days ago. Jin Soryeong's startled reaction, thinking a ghost had appeared, was entirely understandable.

"Uh, well…"

In truth, Namgung Sang had nothing to say even if he had ten mouths. Moreover, there was no worse choice than Ami Shinnnyo Jin Soryeong for him to face.

"Are you mocking me now?"

It didn't take long for her shock to turn into anger.

"Ah, no. How could this humble servant dare…"

Namgung Sang was truly wronged. However, such excuses were not likely to work on her.

"I've always wondered what stories the dead would tell when they came back to life. Shall we hear a near-death experience, or an escape from Yeomra's court, either is fine."

*Screech!*

Jin Soryeong's sword reached the tip of Namgung Sang's chin.

"Th-then… that is…"

*Crash!*

Just as Namgung Sang was facing the crisis of his life, Jang Wooyang, who burst through the door of the temporary office more violently than if he feared it would be smashed, rushed in with his hands waving and shouted,

"Ah! No! No!"

His voice was as urgent as the frantic flapping of a hummingbird's wings.

"Those people are not intruders!"

By the time Jang Wooyang finally reached the tree where the four people had gathered, he was gasping for breath. It was a scene that clearly showed how urgent he had been.

"Then what are they, Lord Jang?" Yoo Eunseong asked with a slightly suspicious tone.

"They are… *huff*!"

Jang Wooyang took two deep breaths for a moment.

"Please speak slowly." Yoo Eunseong calmed him down.

"Th-thank you."

Jang Wooyang, barely having calmed his breathing that had been like a wild horse, shouted again.

"Th-they are… my guests!"

Jin Soryeong and Yoo Eunseong looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions.

"Guests?" Yoo Eunseong had to struggle to suppress a snicker.

"What a unique way to arrive, Lord Jang." Moreover, one of them was supposed to be resting in peace underground.

"Do you mean to say that guests are aware that they will be coming here at this hour?"

"Y-yes, Lady Jin!" Jang Wooyang replied, wiping away cold sweat.

Jin Soryeong's sharp gaze turned back to Namgung Sang. Namgung Sang, perhaps startled by that profound gaze that seemed to dissect him, or perhaps having something to hide, turned his head away to avoid the gaze.

"A ghost who keeps appointments… Then, let's see who the companion of that dead ghost is." Her sword tip pointed towards the second man. Jin Soryeong's voice was as cold as the sharpness of her sword.

"Show your face!"

The second man hesitated for a moment, but realizing the situation was unfavorable, he slowly removed his hood. Then, beneath it, a young man with a slightly youthful but handsome appearance revealed himself.

"Fortunately, this one is an unfamiliar face." He was blushing, his brow furrowed, as if he found the current situation extremely shameful. It was evidence of his immature emotional control.

"State your name!"

"I… I am Jeolhwi." The young man replied.

"Your surname?"

The young man hesitated again but could not help but answer after the repeated question.

"It is Gongsun."

Although Jin Soryeong did not notice, Yoo Eunseong, who had more experience and knowledge of the martial world than she, who rarely showed herself, had several thoughts about that surname. Without even looking at the sword hanging from his waist, the young man was a swordsman, and at that age, he had achieved accomplishments that were hard to find peers for. The sects or families capable of producing such a young, rising master could be counted on one's fingers. Judging by his attire, his sword, and his demeanor, he was clearly the son of a noble family. It was unlikely he was a disciple of a major sect with strict communal living. If so, there were not many options left.

"What is your relationship with that Sword Venerable?"

The young man seemed startled by Yoo Eunseong's question but did not want to deny what could be called the very root of his existence.

"He… he is my grandfather." Gongsun Jeolhwi truthfully confessed.

"As expected!" Yoo Eunseong murmured softly, as if he had anticipated it. Jang Wooyang was surprised. He could not maintain his composure as well as Yoo Eunseong. This young man was also a considerable figure.

'Damn it…' Jang Wooyang inwardly cursed the person who had broadened his network in such a way. There was no good to be gained by being associated in this manner.

However, even after Gongsun Jeolhwi's identity was revealed, Jin Soryeong did not bat an eye. Exploring the young man's lineage was not of interest to her at all. The only question filling her mind at the moment was:

"Now, Mr. Namgung Sang, who was said to be dead! If you are not spectacularly resurrected, denying the power of death, shall we hear the full story now?" Her voice allowed no refusal.

"I would like to hear it too. And I'm curious about what kind of bond tied those two people together so closely," Yoo Eunseong added, pointing to the leather straps tied around Namgung Sang and Gongsun Jeolhwi's wrists.

"Uh, well…"

Facing her cold gaze, which was filled with the determination to extract every last ounce of compensation for startling her if his explanation proved unconvincing, Namgung Sang could not help but open his mouth.

"So, you see…"

Since his life was still precious, Namgung Sang began his story, omitting the name of Bi Ryuyeon, who could be called the core, the body, the cause, and the culprit of the incident.