RDM (Novel) Chapter 389


C 389


Lee Geom-han watched the flow of water closely.

It was almost impossible for someone who was not a skilled fisherman or sailor to determine the true flow of the water.

The flow of water is complex.

They flowed in different directions on the surface and in different directions deep beneath the surface, and it took someone who had been in the area for a long time to distinguish and locate them.

Yet, as if to defy the collective wisdom of the wise, Lee Geom-han read the deep currents beneath the surface of the water.

"Steer the boat to the left. Yes, just like that, perfect."

"Yes, sir!"

Lee Gu-yeol followed Lee Geom-han's instructions with cold sweat pouring down his back.

'Why is this man...?'

Even though he was a lowly figure in the martial world, he had heard of the legends.

Though Pyo Wol was currently making a name for himself as the 'Reaper', before him, it was Jang Mugak of the Heavenly Martial Sect and Lee Geom-han of the (Heavenly Martial Gate ¹) Mad Martial Sect who had sent tremors through the martial world.

They both shared not only the status of being the successors of powerful martial art sects, but also the trait of being martial maniacs.

Among them, Lee Geom-han was particularly obsessed with the Way of the Sword.

He was proficient in various martial arts, but he had an obsessive dedication to the sword.

His grandfather was the famous heavenly swordsman Lee Gwak.

The man who ended the second Great war of Kangho, the Great Heavenly Blood war, with a single sword.

He was called the greatest swordsman in the history of the martial world, an unparalleled master.

Many martial artists gathered to follow this swordsman, who was said to have no equal in the world when he wielded his sword.

The sect formed by these martial artists who voluntarily gathered was the Mad Martial Sect.

As the name suggests,² it was a sect of martial artists crazy about martial arts.

Among the martial artists of Mad Martial Sect, there was no one who was not obsessed with martial arts, but Lee Geom-han was even more special among them.

He followed in his grandfather's footsteps.

He trained like a madman, and when he achieved some degree of accomplishment, he fought like a madman.

He lost countless times, but he also won countless times.

He did not fear defeat.

He believed that he could grow more through defeat, and indeed, he did.

With each scar etched onto his body, he grew stronger, and he ceased to be defeated.

It was a well-known fact that Lee Geom-han was the only martial artist in the world that Jang Mugak of Heavenly Martial Sect was wary of.

The only martial artist capable of matching Jang Mugak was Lee Geom-han.

The appearance of such a person out of nowhere made Lee Gu-yeol nervous.

The problem wasn't Lee Geom-han.

The problem was that his faction was Mad Martial Sect.

It was the strongest faction in the world, a place where monstrous martial artists obsessed with martial arts gathered.

Their intervention meant a storm of power.

That's why many factions tried not to provoke them.

Lee Geom-han's appearance was entirely unforeseen.

Even Deung Cheol-woong, the one who sent him, did not mention Lee Geom-han. He had that Lee Geom-han was in the vicinity.

If Lee Geom-han intervened in the Poyang Lake incident, then the whole area might be turned upside down.

Lee Geom-han was a martial artist who was more than capable of doing so.

'Fuck! This is driving me crazy. How did things get so twisted?'

Lee Gu-yeol glanced nervously at Lee Geom-han.

The situation was spiraling out of control due to Lee Geom-han's involvement.

The problem had already escalated with the death of Seven Sage Scholar, and with Lee Geom-han's interference, the situation was on the brink of a disaster.

The situation was already out of his hands.

On the boat that he and the warriors from the Blood Ant Chamber were sailing, the Seven Sage Scholar had been killed by an assassin. Now, they were left with no choice but to follow the orders of Lee Geom-han.

Then, it happened.

"Why are you so nervous?"

Lee Geom-han approached him with a smile.

"Eh? Oh, it's nothing."

"It doesn't seem like it's nothing. Why are you like this?"

"It's really nothing. I'm fine."

"Is that so?"

Thud!

Suddenly, Lee Geom-han put his arm around his shoulder. 

"Ugh!"

In that instant, Lee Gu-yeol felt an overwhelming pressure, as if his chest was being crushed.
Although he wasn't a master, he was a martial artist who had trained in martial arts, and yet he couldn't breathe properly.

"Co...cough! Your arm, please......"

"But where were you going with the Seven Sage Scholar?"

"I don't know...... I was just asked to......"

"Asked by whom?"

"Rain...Mountain Manor. By young master Jang Ho-yeon......"

"Oh! He was here? I didn't know that. Why did Jang Ho-yeon invite the Seven Sage Scholar?"

"For, mediation......"

"What kind of mediation? Ah, did he ask him to mediate the fight between the Golden Heavenly Hall and the Silver Lotus Hall?"

"Yes!"

"That's odd. Jang Ho-yeon is a sullen person by nature, and he's not someone who would easily ask someone else to do a favor."

Lee Geom-han scratched his chin with his free hand.

Lee Gu-yeol felt chills run down his spine.

Because Lee Geom-han had seen right through Jang Ho-yeon's true nature.

"Hmm! Suspicious, very suspicious!"

"Your arm, please......"

"Ah! I'm sorry. Did it hurt?"

Lee Geom-han apologized and removed his arm from Lee Gu-yeol's shoulder.

Only then did Lee Gu-yeol's complexion return to normal.

Lee Geom-han gently tapped Lee Gu-yeol's cheek with his finger.

"Anyway, remember I've got my eye on you."

"Pardon?"

"You'd better come running when I call you."

"What?"

"Just remember that."

Lee Geom-han gave a small smile and looked back at the ship.

By now, the boat had arrived near the sharp reed fields of Poyang Lake.

"It appears they must have come from here. Excellent!!"

"Do you plan to pursue them?"

Gong Ji-pyo asked cautiously.

“Of course! I can't just let someone who killed a person in front of me go. Especially when the deceased was the righteous Seven Sage Scholar."

"Thank you. Even though we have no relation, you stepped forward to help."

"The world is one community."

"Thank you. I will never forget this favor."

"Remember that sentiment for a long time."

With a slight smile, Lee Geom-han looked at the disciples of the Seven Sage Scholar and then leapt into the reed field.

In an instant, he had disappeared into the reeds.
***
"Huff! Huff!"

Hong Ye-seol gasped for air.

She was drenched, like a rat that had fallen into water.

Letting herself flow with the water using the Ghost Death technique was a wise choice. Thanks to it, she safely reached the reed field.

Her whole body ached as if she had been beaten with a hammer. The most serious wound was on her back.

It was the wound she received from the projectile hurled by Lee Geom-han.

Blood was still oozing from the long slash across her back. She managed to contract her muscles to stop the bleeding in haste, but it wasn't a proper treatment.

She needed to find a safe place to heal as soon as possible.

Hong Ye-seol muttered to herself.

'I have to go to the safe house.'

The safe house was something she had prepared for times like this.

She never expected she would actually have to use it.

Hong Ye-seol quickly opened the door to the workshop and entered.

"What the?"

Her sudden appearance surprised Lee Myung-hak, who had been disguised as a shop assistant, but he immediately sensed something was wrong when he saw Hong Ye-seol's physical condition.

"What happened to you? Don't tell me you failed?"

"I succeeded."

"Then why?"

"There was interference."

"Intervention? Individual or group?"

"One person! He was strong."

"How strong are we talking about?"

"Strong enough that there's no time for idle chatter."

"Serious, then!"

Lee Myung-hak made a quick judgment.

He knew Hong Ye-seol's level better than anyone else.

For her to come back with this many wounds, it meant that the attacker's martial prowess was indeed immense.

Lee Myung-hak said.

"Turn around," 

Without a word, Hong Ye-seol showed him her back.

Chua!

With a small knife, Lee Myung-hak tore off her top. The long wound on her back was revealed.

The moment he saw it, Lee Myung-hak felt a shiver run down his spine.

Just by looking at the wounds, he could tell the level of the attacker.

The attacker was a formidable master.

He wouldn't win in a head-to-head fight.

'This person interfered?'

He felt a strong sense of crisis.

Lee Myung-hak hurriedly applied the golden pearl medicine to Hong Ye-sheol's wound.

"Ah!"

Involuntarily, Hong Ye-seol moaned from the pain.

Because he was in a hurry, Lee Myung-hak didn't care about Hong Ye Seol's feelings and applied the golden pearl medicine liberally. This caused her to feel hellish pain.

Lee Myung-hak finished by tying a white cloth around Hong Ye-seol's wound.

Without pausing, he spoke to the men in the workshop.

"Evacuate everyone immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

His subordinates began to evacuate immediately at his command.

There was no hesitation or doubt in their actions.

This was because they knew that Lee Myung-hak's judgment had never been wrong before.

They had all been burned as soon as Hong Ye-seol had set out on her mission.

Everything had been incinerated the moment Hong Ye-seol set out on her mission.

Their actions were swift, as they only needed to get out of the workshop.

In the meantime, Lee Myung-hak handed Hong Ye-seol the uniform he had prepared in advance and said.

"You know we can't move together, so change into these clothes and get out on your own."

"Don't worry. I don't intend to burden you further."

"Given your abilities, I'm sure you've arranged a way or two to escape."

Hong Ye-seol was a top-notch assassin for a good reason.

In order to become a top-tier assassin, one must not only be skilled in killing, but also in hiding and securing an exit.

Hong Ye-seol had skills worthy of a top-tier assassin. She could find her own way out.

"See you later."

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Where did this mission come from?"

"Are you asking because you don't know? It came directly from the head of the hundred wraith union."

"So, isn't it the first time that the union head has given a mission without revealing the client's identity?"

"Hmm!"

"Did anything like this ever happen when you were active?"

"Never!"

Lee Myung-hak's face hardened.

Only then did he realize that this mission was different from usual.

"Looks like we've gotten ourselves into some trouble. I'll look into this, but let's get out of here."

"Okay."

"Be careful. If you need anything, get it from here."

"Don't worry about me, just make sure you get out safely."

"See you later."

Lee Myung-hak was the first to leave.

Hong Ye-seol also took some weapons she needed from the workshop and left.

Inside the evacuated workshop, only the furnace was flaming. The flame was noticeably weaker now that no firewood had been added.

Crash!

Suddenly, with a loud bang, the wall of the workshop burst open.

Through the collapsed wall, a man appeared.

The man with the long longsword strapped to his waist was Lee Geom-han.

"What? They've already left? They're quick."

Lee Geom-han muttered, looking around the empty workshop.

He couldn't feel anyone inside the workshop.

"If the flame of the furnace is this weak, they must have left between half an hour to an hour ago."

Lee Geom-han had deduced when the people here had left based on the flames of the furnace alone.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on a pile of items to one side of the workshop.

Something that seemed out of place in the workshop: saltpeter.

Due to its tendency to burst into flames when ignited, it was something that should never be left in the workshop.

Lee Geom-han rubbed the saltpeter with his finger and muttered.

"This place must have concocted the acidic poison and the salt herb."

The scale of the workshop was larger than he thought.

If it was this large, there must be a lot of people involved.

Lee Geom-han straightened his back and muttered.

"I may need Seol Mae's help after all.

(1)It took me quite some time to find an accurate translation for this sect that martial artist Lee Gwak founded after his master Gwang Noh ya (Lunatic Pugilistic). Here is a breakdown of the raws.

광무문(Gwang Mumun )

(광): "Gwang" - It can mean "light", "glow", "ray" or "shine", but it can also mean "wild" or "mad". Since Lee Gwak's master was called crazy/insane (2), and the mention of a sect where martial artists crazy about martial arts gathered, the word mad was used

(무)(Mu): It usually means martial or military, so the word martial was used. Therefore, Mad Martial

"문" (Mun)-"gate" or "door", but in the context of martial arts, sect would be better. So Mad Martial Sect 

P.S- I will change the name in previous chapters as well.

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