RDM (Novel) Chapter 388


C 388:


The assassin Hong Ye-Seol suddenly felt dizzy.


It was as if her entire body had been hit by a huge iron hammer. The impact was so powerful that she couldn't breathe for a moment.


She didn't need to look to know.


She didn't need to see it to know that she had suffered serious internal and external injuries.


Blood still flowed from her lips.


What on earth?


Before the attack, she had thoroughly checked all possible threats.


This wasn't a day or two of preparation.


The Seven Sage Scholar was by no means an easy opponent.


His martial arts skills were among the best in Kangho. To kill someone like him, she had to be fully prepared.


That's why the workshop, with the help of Lee Myung-hak, crafted the Dark Lightning Dart


It contained a mixture of acidic poisons and salt herbs, so if someone took a sip of it, it would scatter their insides and make it impossible to breathe properly.


That wasn't the only preparation.


She had discovered the location of the Blood Ant Chamber's boat and had been following it since dawn. She had also received help from Lee Myung-hak's workshop.


She had clung to the bottom of the boat like a rock.


Even when the ship set sail with the seven sage scholar on board, she persevered. She was waiting for the right moment.


Fortunately, the ship's predicted route did not deviate from her prediction. The only thing she didn't expect was seven sage scholar's behaviour.


She hadn't expected him to look under the bow.


Because of this, her hiding place was discovered, and she had no choice but to use the Dark Lightning Dart to ambush him.


It wasn't a perfect situation, but fortunately the Dart worked and she was able to kill him.


Now all she had to do was escape. But then she was hit by an unexpected attack.


Hong Ye Seol held her breath and looked out over the water.


She could see the bottom of the boat the Seven Sage Scholar was on.


Then she saw the boat rock.


The man who had thrown the projectile at Hong Ye-seol had flung himself into the air and landed on the boat carrying the Seven Sage Scholar's disciples.


She could feel his gaze scanning the depths beneath the surface.


Hong Ye-seol felt goose bumps all over her body.


What?


She was now deep below the surface of Poyang Lake.


Even if the water of Poyang Lake was crystal clear, it would be impossible for a human's eyes to find her at this depth. However, the warrior who had thrown the projectile at her seemed to be scanning the depths below the surface with amazing eyesight, as if defying common sense.


Is this even possible?


Then it happened.


Swoosh!


A streak of sword energy pierced through the water and landed right where she was.


Hong Ye-seol quickly unfolded her water escape technique and left her position.


Crash!


Immediately after, there was an explosion where she had just been.


Ugh!


The aftermath of the explosion engulfed Hong Ye-seol.


Hong Ye-seol was swept away by the turbulent water and pushed about ten metres away from where she originally stood. But she couldn't relax.


Whoosh!


Another projectile flew to where she had been.


Gasp!


Boom!


Hong Ye-seol barely managed to dodge the projectile again. But the situation wasn't good.


The enemy on the boat seemed to have an uncanny ability to pinpoint her location.


No matter how good she was at breathing underwater, she couldn't stay underwater forever.


Being human, she would reach her limit and have to stick her head out of the water to breathe.


Who on earth?


Ordinary projectiles could only hit the surface of the water, not penetrate it. However, the projectiles fired by the unknown entity pierced the surface of the water and exploded right where Hong Ye-seol had been.


It was a display of power and precision beyond Hong Ye-seol's comprehension.


As far as she knew, there was no one in the area who possessed such extraordinary abilities.


I have a bad feeling about this.


Maybe that's why she longed for Pyo Wol's embrace so much.


Being cornered like this, it was no coincidence that Pyo Wol was the first person that came to her mind.


I must survive.


She gathered all her strength and spread out her underwater swimming technique.


Hong Ye-seol swam at a fast pace. However, the boat with the seven sage scholar was following her at a fast pace.


This meant that they were closely following her movements.


Like a predator, the person on the boat drove Hong Ye-seol into a corner.


Finally, Hong Ye-seol reached her breaking point.


She could no longer hold her breath.


In the end, Hong Ye-seol had to make a decision.


She quickly surfaced.


The place Hong Ye-seol went to was a fishing boat that was working nearby.

 

Splash!


As a person emerged from the water, the fishermen who had been working on the boat were startled and crouched down in surprise.


"Ouch!"


"What's going on?"


Ignoring the fishermen's looks, Hong Ye-seol took a deep breath and looked at the boat the seven sage scholar had been on.


"You've come out, assassin!"


The warrior who had attacked her stood at the bow of the boat.


He was a dashing young man with his hair pulled back tightly.


A man in his late twenties with a rugged appearance and a fresh smile, he held a sword that curved gently in his hand.


It was much longer than an ordinary sword.


The moment she saw the man, Hong Ye-seol felt a heaviness in her chest. The man's gaze was suffocating her.


Was there someone like that in Kangho?


She didn't know who he was, but at least he wasn't someone in Hong Ye-seol's information network.


The man stared straight at Hong Ye-seol and asked,


"On whose orders did you kill the seven sage scholar? Assassin!"


"..."


"Oh! You'll keep quiet?"


The man showed his white teeth and laughed.


"A lion?


For a moment, Hong Ye-seol felt as if a giant lion had bared its teeth and laughed.


Whoosh!


At that moment, a terrible projectile flew towards her.


There was no time to think.


Hong Ye-seol dove back into the water.


The terrible projectile narrowly missed her head. But there wasn't even a scratch on the fishing boat.


The man had skilfully controlled the projectile to avoid damaging the boat.


A martial artist of the orthodox faction.


It was a trait that was common among martial artists of the Orthodox Faction. Apart from that, there were only a few martial artists who could handle projectiles with such precision, especially at his age.


Hong Ye-seol felt a shiver run down her spine.


Although she had been an assassin for a long time, she had never faced an opponent like this before.


Boom!


The projectile landed where she had been.


Hong Ye-seol bit her lip hard.

 

Her lips burst open and blood spilled out.


I can't go on like this.


She could never shake off her opponent with ordinary techniques.


Something more extreme was needed.


Any artificial movement would interfere with the waves. It was clear that her opponent couldn't miss such subtle changes.


Hong Ye-seol went deeper into the water.


Fortunately, Lake Poyang was very deep.


The problem was that the deeper she went, the more pressure she felt.


Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have been able to stand it for long and would have had no choice but to surface.


But Hong Ye-seol had a technique that she trusted.


It was the Ghost Death Technique.


It was a trick to make the body resemble the dead. If she chose to use it, no one would be able to recognise her presence.


The only disadvantage was that she couldn't move her body at will while using the technique.


Pyo Wol could move freely while using the Ghost Death Technique, but her skills were far from Pyo Wol's level.


She let herself go with the flow of the water as she practised her  Ghost Death Technique.


***


"Look at that. She's suddenly completely out of it."


The man muttered as he looked at the lake.


The man muttered as he looked into the lake. He could clearly feel the assassin's aura a moment ago, and the more she struggled, the stronger her presence became. But now it had completely disappeared.


There was only one possibility.


"That's good, you're thinking of using your tricks to escape."


The man crouched down on the bow and watched the water flow carefully.


Although it seemed completely still on the surface, the water in the lake had a certain current.


The man had the eyesight and brains to understand the flow of the vast lake.


He ordered Lee Gu-yeol,


"Take the boat over there."


"Um, excuse me, but who are you?"


 Lee Gu-yeol asked cautiously.


The man hadn't been on the boat to begin with.


He was someone who had jumped over from a nearby boat.


From Lee Gu-yeol's point of view, he was nothing more than an intruder who had trespassed.


The problem was that the intruder's martial arts skills were beyond imagination.


With what appeared to be a casual swing of the sword, a half-moon-shaped blade broke through the surface of the water and exploded in the depths.


It was the first time Lee Gu-yeol had seen a warrior with such an amazing sword technique. His eyes were filled with confusion and fear.


The same was true for the disciples of the seven sage scholar, who had lost his life to the assassin.


They hadn't had time to grieve over their master's death, and they were feeling very wary of the man who had suddenly burst in.


They were ordinary people who had learned from the outstanding martial artist, the Seven Sage Scholar.


Of course, they immediately realised that the man's martial arts skills were extraordinary.


That kind of strength was something that even seven sage scholar in his lifetime wouldn't dare to be confident in.

 

The chief disciple of the seven sage scholar stepped forward and hugged the man.


"Thank you for your help. I am Gong Ji-pyo, the chief disciple of the Seven sage scholar. May I know your honourable name, sir? I will certainly repay this kindness."


"Kindness? What kindness? We haven't even captured the assassin yet. Save your gratitude for when we catch her."


"But still..."


"By the way, was the seven sage scholar the one who was attacked by the Assassin? It's a shame, considering he was a nobleman of Kangho."


The man looked truly sorry.


If only he had noticed the assassin's movements earlier, he could have prevented the unfortunate outcome.


His presence in the area was purely coincidental.


He needed some time alone.


So he left his boat afloat and lay down to think.


The boat, gently rocking on the calm lake, was an ideal environment for contemplation.


In the midst of his thoughts, he fell asleep.


Suddenly, there was a commotion from a nearby fishing boat.


Seeing the Seven Sage Scholar lose their lives to an assassin, the man jumped into action without a moment's hesitation. 


He was well aware of the Seven Sage Scholar's reputation.


His death could potentially cause great turmoil in Kangho. Therefore, he had to catch the assassin at all costs.


It was essential to find out who had hired the assassin to prevent further chaos.


Gong Ji-pyo asked the man again.


"Please tell me your honourable name, sir."


"Tsk!"


"Although we were unable to prevent our master's death due to our lack of ability, we are not ungrateful. Please tell us your honourable name."


"I can't help it. My name is Lee Geom-han."


"Lee Geom-han?"


"Yes!"


"Could it be from the Heavenly Martial Gate?"


The disciples of the Seven Sage Scholar widened their eyes in surprise.


The man neither confirmed nor denied.


From his attitude, the disciples of the Seven Sage Scholar were certain.


They figured out the man's identity.


"Are you the Sword-Crazed Lee Geom-han, the great hero?"


"Ha ha! This is embarrassing."


The man, Lee Geom-han, smirked and laughed. However, the disciples of the Seven Sage Scholar couldn't laugh.


Lee Geom-han.


They knew the weight of those three syllables.


Along with the Heavenly Martial Gate, the martial arts sect known as Heavenly Martial Sect was called the two powerhouses of the Kangho.


A young martial artist boasting unparalleled skills within the Heavenly Martial Gate, where fanatical martial artists gathered.


The only competitor that the owner of the Heavenly Martial Sect, Jang Mugak, considered was Lee Geom-han.


His nickname was Sword-Crazed.


He earned the nickname by living obsessed with the sword.


Although he appeared to be a cheerful and friendly person on the surface, he turned into a madman when he wielded a sword.


Lee Geom-han suddenly touched the black stain on the Seven Sage Scholar's corpse with his finger. It was the trace of the Dark Lightning Dart.


Lee Geom-han smelled the Dark Lightning Dart on his finger.


"Is it a mixture of saltpeter and sulfur, among other things?"

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