In a dark secluded alley, a man stroked the back of his head whilst spouting curse words.
"f.u.c.k-! It still hurts! d.a.m.n it-!"
He was unable to forget the nightmarish events of yesterday.
The man in his nightmare had hit the back of his head thousands of times, and with each beating of his head, it had felt as though his skull was going to separate from his neck.
"So…Boss. If we come across that b.a.s.t.a.r.d again, what should we do?"
The Boss looked at the man who had asked him disdainfully, and proceeded to scold him.
"Do you think we're really going to encounter that b.a.s.t.a.r.d again?"
"But Boss, I'm just wondering what if in that case we do happen to encounter him?"
"Do you think we can catch a man if you keep debating on irrelevant what ifs? Anyways, if we execute this job well, the whole Nakyang will be our yard, and we can each take a share of it! So, stop talking rubbish and keep a look out. This will be the stepping stone for our comeback."
"Yes Boss!"
They had received a commission for a job. It was to kill a man.
Their client was an applicant of the Horticulture teaching job.
The boss simply accepted the commission without asking about the details.
'Since he isn't an appointed teacher yet, there isn't likely to be any major consequences if we go after him. Moreover, the man is most likely weak and unacquainted with any martial skill, so he won't put up much of a fight.'
Even though the job was fairly simple, the pay was high, amounting to five gold coins.
"Boss! He's here! Look over there!"
The boss looked in the direction his underling was pointing in.
Their client was now in the company of, and in conversation with the man that was the target.
The target was fairly tall in height.
"But Boss, doesn't that man look familiar to you?"
"Indeed, he does."
However, due to the fact that the moon had been covered by clouds, they were unable to clearly see his face.
After their client and the targets conversation had finished, the target began to walk towards where the Ten Tigers were.
As soon as the man entered the dark alley, the Ten Tigers shouted out loud.
"Don't resent me but I'm in a bad mood from being bitten by a mad dog, and I suddenly have the mood to rip someone apart with a….."
The boss was unable to finish his sentence.
It was owing to the clouds having moved past the moon, causing their target's face to fully come into sight.
"Oh? We meet again. This must be fate. By any chance, was the mad dog you were referring to...is me?"
"...!"
As the man's ident.i.ty was completely confirmed, the boss flopped down on the ground.
Can you really catch a man with what ifs?
...
From the moment that he had set out on his journey back to the inn he was staying at, Kang-hyuk sensed that he was being followed.
Sometime after setting out, he happened to b.u.mp into someone.
"Ah! Didn't we meet earlier today?"
The man was an applicant for the Horticulture position, and he was one of the three left in the selection process, including Kang-hyuk.
Kang-hyuk was a little annoyed at having to converse with him, but he hid this with a friendly greeting.
"It's good to see you!"
"Where are you headed to at this time of night?"
"I'm in the process of preparing for tomorrow's test."
"Hahaha! Is that so? Apologies for taking up your limited time then! Anyways, good luck!"
"I'll see you tomorrow."
Kang-hyuk stared at the figure of the man hurriedly walking away from him.
He was one of the eyes he had felt watching him.
Kang-hyuk became clearly aware of the man's intentions after his conversation with the Boss of the Ten Tigers.
He looked at the Ten Tigers with an intense gaze.
"You don't have any final wishes, do you? Consider yourselves lucky that I'm busy at the moment, you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds."
Kang-hyuk didn't feel the necessity to draw his sword.
Kang-hyuk found it troublesome drawing his sword, so he only drew it in times of extreme necessity or if there were others watching.
Kang-hyuk pushed his hands out, and used an intangible martial skill known as 'Hand Sword'. He used it to send a wave of energy towards the Ten Tigers.
*Tap*
Flop.
In an instant, one amongst the thugs was slain, and slumped to the ground.
"You have received your rightful karma," Kang-hyuk muttered this under his breath, and then concentrated his efforts on the remaining thugs.
"Aaaaargh-!"
"Save, please save me…Oh no-!"
*Spurt*
Kang-hyuk averted his gaze from the spurting blood, and looked up at the sky. It was only then that, after smelling blood that he realized that he was back in the land of Moorim.
'After I retired, I thought I would never set my feet in Moorim again. Now I'm having to see blood again…'
Whilst his actions were following cause and effect, as usual, killing people put him in a bad mood. That was why Kang-hyuk always gave a second chance unless those in question had directly targeted him or his people.
Some saw his practice of giving a second chance as a weak and cowardly practice, but what else could one do?
He didn't in any way enjoy taking the life of another.
This is why he wanted to avoid killing as much as he could.
Whilst Kang-hyuk was gathering up the bodies of the Ten Tigers, something fell down onto the ground.
It was a small, tightly sealed black bottle.
"What's this?"
Kang-hyuk opened the lid of the bottle.
*Pssshh*
As soon as he opened the lid, smoke gushed out. He hurriedly closed the lid once more.
Kang-hyuk's expression turned dark.
'This isn't an object those thugs should have in their possession."
Kang-hyuk knew what this object was in actuality.
'This must have been given to him by the client — which is why they were so confident in killing me. Either way, I sensed an energy that shouldn't be sensed from that guy. It's extremely suspicious...'
In any case, he couldn't just simply let the man go. Kang-hyuk sprinkled his Bone Acid powder on top of the gathered bodies.
Along with the foul odor and blood stains, their bodies disappeared without a trace.
He picked up the head of the leader of the thugs, and roughly wrapped it in a cloth he was carrying.
'Today's been a rather busy day!'
But there was still one more task at hand before he could gather the materials needed for the blooming of the Radiant Golden Lotus.
It was to pay a visit to the lodging of the man who had ordered his a.s.sa.s.sination.
***
"Hahahah!"
Chang Il-mun was unable to contain his joy. He now had one less compet.i.tor.
Once he had dealt with his last rival, the position of Horticulture Teacher was sure to be his.
He recalled his family's long-cherished ambition. For this ambition, he would go to any lengths, even if it involved murder.
"Why aren't those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds here yet?"
He was waiting upon the group he had commissioned for the murder, the Ten Tigers.
It was only after they arrived, and wiped out his final compet.i.tor would he begin the work of blooming the Radiant Golden Lotus.
He took out the pouch of seeds from within his sleeve.
He had been a little perplexed when the last test was announced as it wasn't what he had been antic.i.p.ating.
As far as he was aware, the final test for the Horticulture Position was either to cultivate a garden, plant a tree, or sprout seeds.
However, it didn't really matter.
He had already found out what kind of seeds these were, and the method one would have to use to induce its blooming. His knowledge of this was due to the fact that he was the second son of the Chang family.
The sound of footsteps could be heard.
He could hear someone approaching his room. His door slid open. He thought it was the thugs he had been antic.i.p.ating the arrival of.
He then suddenly let out a cry.
"You fools must be out of your mind! Don't you want to make any mone-…."
"Unfortunately, those who you've been waiting for won't be able to make it here by foot."
"Huh! You, you…."
Chang Il-mun was completely taken aback, seeing the figure of Kang-hyuk in front of him.
He hadn't expected to see Kang-hyuk alive and well after he had commissioned him to be killed.
"So that's why I brought one of them to you myself."
Kang-hyuk threw a bundle of cloth at Chang Il-mun.
As the bundle unravelled, and its contents became clear to see, Chang Il-mun grimaced.
It was the head of the Ten Tigers' Boss.
"So that's why you said they couldn't come using their own feet. Nonetheless, you made a mistake bringing his head all this way. Instead, I'm going to kill you here!"
All of a sudden, Chang Il-mun sprayed a black liquid at Kang-hyuk's eyes.
"Ah-! What is this?!"
Chang Il-mun grinned triumphantly at Kang-hyuk's disconcerted voice upon being covered in his black liquid.
"It's a pyrolytic acid. Soon, you will turn into a puddle of blood! Hahahaha!"
"Pyrolytic acid and even traceless smoke….I had hoped my suspicions were wrong."
"...!"
Chang Il-mun thought something was strange, and looked at Kang-hyuk. He should have turned into smoke by now from the effects of the Pyrolytic Acid, but he was completely fine.
"How, how are you…"
"I was only acting you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"
"Acting?"
A gentle vibration emanated from Kang-hyuk's body. The pyrolytic acid that Kang-hyuk was covered in, disappeared in an instant.
He had used the technique of Sammaejinhwa(1) to evaporate the pyrolytic acid off his body.
Kang-hyuk was already aware that the biggest weakness of potions manufactured by the Chang Family was Fire Qi.
The Chang Family was actually known by another name as well.
"Are you from the Dark Medicine Valley?"
"The Dark Medicine Valley! That's only a name that hypocrites call us! The official name of our family is the Prosperous Medicine Valley."
"You could only be called the Prosperous Medicine Valley if you behaviour elicited such a name. Your family manufactures potions to kill people rather than manufacture potions for healing."
"Ugh….."
Chang Il-mun paused his groaning.
The reason why his family was known as the Dark Medicine Valley was because they made and sold all kinds of strange, harmful and dark potions in Moorim.
If it was for the sake of money, they would freely sell potions that had the ability to kill thousands of people.
"The question is, what interest could you have in being appointed as a teacher in Hwacheon Academy?"
Kang-hyuk slightly smiled.
"The Academy's guards have an advanced ability to detect Dark energy, but you managed to penetrate their senses."
He continued speaking.
"And so far, you haven't been a leading player within your family. So tell me, whose instructions are you under?"
"Hah-! Do you really think I would willingly tell you that?"
"I'll give you one more chance. If you tell me the truth, I promise to show some mercy to you."
"Whatever you say, I won't speak either way."
Kang-hyuk saw Chang Il-mun's resolute expression.
"The result will be the same. You'll either die by my hands, or by the hands of the person who gave you the orders."
"Haha, have you heard of the Blood Eye Snake?"
"What?"
For the first time in their interaction, Kang-hyuk looked surprised at hearing the phrase 'Blood Eye Snake'.
"So you have heard of it. In preparation of coming to Nakyang, I had to eat the eggs of the Blood Eye Snake. For the sake of my family…"
As he spoke, blood began pouring out of the five holes in his face.
"Oh my!"
A black snake then leaped out of Chang Il-mun's mouth.
Kang-hyuk immediately caught the snake and broke it into two.
He looked at the face of the black snake he had cut into two and grimaced.
Its red eyes still had a wicked glint.
"Blood Eye Snake."
A moment hasn't even pa.s.sed and the snake suddenly turned into a fistful of blood.
The snake's existence was such that it laid dormant inside a person's body, so until it emerges, it is impossible to know of its presence.
The purpose of the snake was to eliminate a person that may speak of confidential information.
After ingesting the eggs, the eggs incubated within the person's brain, and when there was a detection that the person was close to speaking a confidential secret, it would begin its work!
It would emerge after pushing its way through the person's brain.
It was an extremely vicious method.
(1) A technique of burning things using your Qi energy
