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| Reaper of The drifting Moon Chapter 266 |
Pyo Wol stepped out of the inn and looked around.
He saw the Namhae three Swords checking their horses in the stable behind the inn. Their gaze met, but the Namhae three Swords quickly turned their heads back to their work.
Pyo Wol silently observed them, taking note of their movements, muscle development, and hand dexterity before taking a step closer.
He could only accurately determine the level of the Namhae three Swords once he fought them himself. But, he could still estimate their martial arts skills based on their physical characteristics.
"One has mastered the sword of speed, the other has mastered the sword of force, and the last has mastered the sword of change," Pyo-Wol concluded, analyzing their body types, hand development, and the shape of the swords on their waist.
Pyo Wol wouldn't have bothered to pay such close attention if it were just a passing encounter. But he had a feeling that their meeting wouldn't end so quickly.
He didn't trust the kindness in Dokgo Hwang's eyes. And knew that unwarranted service was rare. He was not foolish enough to believe that someone in Dokgo Hwang's position would show kindness purely out of goodwill.
Pyo Wol saw Dokgo Hwang as a Blood Sword, emitting a similar but even more potent blood scent than himself. It was a fragrance that only those who had killed countless others could possess.
Only those who had climbed to the top by killing countless others could have such a blood scent.
Meeting Dokgo Hwang was not a coincidence.
It may be that similar types of people are attracted to each other.
There may be other existences like Dokgo Hwang.
The war between Snow Sword Manor and Jin Manor in Yeonnam was like a magnet pulling in ambitious people from all over the world.
Dokgo Hwang was one of those ambitious people who were drawn in.
It was impossible to know how many more ambitious people would join Yeonnam in the future.
The war between Snow Sword Manor and Jin Manor had surpassed the level of a power struggle in a single region.
His mind was complicated.
Pyo Wol tilted his head and dispelled his thoughts because thinking about it now was meaningless anyway.
He had to return to Yeonnam and assess the situation.
It had been more than three days since he left Yeonnam to chase after the Ghost warriors. He did not know how the situation in Yeonnam had changed during that time.
Pyo Wol unfolded his lightness skill and began to run.
After running for a full day, he finally saw Yeonnam in the distance.
Pyo Wol stopped using his lightness skill and strolled.
No matter how great Pyo Wol's internal energy was, using lightness skill for a full day would inevitably cause impurities in his internal energy.
It took time to remove the impurities from his internal energy.
Pyo Wol sat on a rock by the road and practiced his breathing technique.
After performing the breathing technique, the internal energy, which had become impure, became pure again.
Then Pyowol stopped using his martial arts and began to walk slowly.
Since he had arrived near Yeonnam, there was no need to use martial arts unnecessarily.
Pyo Wol strolled towards Yeonnam. However, he had to stop after walking a short distance because he saw a woman leaning against a small tree on the side of the road.
At first glance, she seemed ordinary, but the more you looked at her, the more attractive she appeared. She was none other than Hong Ye-Seol.
Hong Ye-Seol smiled softly when she saw Pyowol.
"I knew you would come this way."
"Did you wait for me?"
"Is there anyone else I can wait for besides you?"
Hong Ye-Seol approached Pyo Wol with a smile.
She looked him up and down while keeping her intentions hidden.
"Fortunately, you didn't get any serious injuries."
"Is that fortunate?"
"Hoho! Compared to the turmoil you caused at Snow Sword Manor, your physical condition is in good shape.
Hong Ye-Seol laughed as if she were pleased.
She was feeling quite cheerful at the moment.
It was because she had seen Heuk-Ho's expression so flustered for the first time.
The deaths of Ice Slayer and the dark ghost greatly shook his emotions.
Although he tried to act composed, his bewildered feelings were evident to Hong Ye-Seol.
It was an enjoyable experience for her.
So now she was feeling excellent.
Pyo Wol asked Hong Ye-Seol, "How did you know I left Yeonnam?"
"You haven't been seen for the past few days, so I thought you had gone out for some reason since you're not the type to run away from Heuk-Ho.
Isn't that right?"
Hong Ye-Seol shrugged.
Although she appeared ordinary on the surface, she was also a skilled assassin. She was unparalleled in gathering information and had a keen understanding of the behavioral patterns of assassins.
Therefore, she thought Pyo Wol had left Yeonnam when he didn't show up.
"Why did you go out of Yeonnam?"
"...."
"You can tell me. I won't tell anyone, especially not Heuk-Ho."
"...."
"Do you still not trust me? It hurts my heart."
Hong Ye-Seol's expression turned melancholy.
Her expression was so deadly that anyone, including men, could not resist it. But it didn't work on Pyo Wol.
Pyo Wol moved on without a word.
Hong Ye-Seol followed behind him with pursed lips.
"Let's go together. There's no reason not to."
Pyo Wol continued walking nonchalantly, ignoring her protests.
Hong Ye-Seol's expression grew even more frustrated at Pyo Wol's indifference. She had been ignored by Pyo Wol so much that she was now becoming resentful.
She was both an assassin and a betrayer.
She had always received admiring looks from countless men, and never once had she been blatantly ignored like this by someone like Pyo Wol. So her anger rose even more.
Hong Ye-Seol kept up with Pyo Wol's brisk pace, walking alongside him while stealing glances at his face.
"He's handsome, really damn handsome. No matter how much I look, I don't get tired of it."
It was the kind of face that, once you saw it, you couldn't stop looking at it.
As Hong Ye-Seol was lost in thought, Pyo Wol suddenly stopped walking.
"Why?"
It was a moment when Hong Ye-Seol made a puzzled expression.
Ssshhh!
A chilling sound of an arrow pierced through the air.
"What?"
Instinctively, Hong Ye-Seol leaped backward.
An arrow flew towards where she was standing and hit the ground.
Whizz!
The arrowhead was quivering fiercely, showing how much force was put into it.
Hong Ye-Seol frowned.
She was more concerned about the small vial tied to the arrow than the relief of dodging the arrow.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
At that moment, a series of arrows flew toward her.
Hong Ye-Seol leaped and dodged like a dog doing tricks, avoiding all the arrows. However, she noticed that each of the arrows had small vials attached to them.
"What is this?"
Pop! Boom!
Suddenly, the small vials tied to the arrow exploded one after another, emitting a pungent smoke.
"Hmph!"
Hong Ye-Seol quickly covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve and retreated. However, it was too late, as she had already inhaled a mouthful of the smoke.
Even though it was only one sip, her head throbbed in pain, and the world spun around her.
"Poison?"
As a skilled assassin, she was very familiar with poison and knew how to use it. She was also well-prepared for such a situation.
Hong Ye-Seol took out a small vial from her bosom.
Inside was the antidote she always carried with her. Taking it would prevent the poison from spreading further. Once the poison was stopped, she could take her time with the antidote.
Hong Ye-Seol quickly swallowed the antidote, but her crisis was not over.
Shwack!
Arrows flew one after another.
The arrows were aimed precisely at her throat.
The archery skills were incredibly fearsome.
Hong Ye-Seol gritted her teeth and dodged the arrows.
The vials emitting the poison were still attached to the arrow. She couldn't afford to attack them recklessly and risk inhaling more poison.
No matter how many antidotes she took, there was a limit to how much poison she could withstand.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a different sound rang out.
Hong Ye-Seol widened her eyes.
A net made of iron was flying towards her, fully extended.
There was nowhere to run.
As she dodged the arrow, Hong Ye-Seol found herself cornered.
Ultimately, she drew her sword and swung it towards the iron net.
With her inner strength, the sword emitted an intense energy that could easily shatter metal scraps.
Clang!
As the sword clashed with the iron net, sparks flew in all directions.
However, the net did not break as Hong Ye-Seol had hoped, and she soon found herself entangled in it.
The net was made of a very special type of metal, but she realized it too late.
"Damn it!"
Struggling to break free, Hong Ye-Seol found that the net was only getting tighter around her. The net was designed to be flexible and required a soft touch to break free; any attempt to use brute force would only cause it to constrict even more.
That's when it happened.
Crash!
Several masked men suddenly emerged from the forest, wielding long spears.
Without hesitation, they stabbed Hong Ye-Seol with their spears.
Their actions were more reminiscent of hunters than warriors.
The method of driving a wild animal into a corner and then cutting off its air supply in one blow.
It was not the typical method used by warriors.
"Kuk!"
Unintentionally, a groan escaped from Hong Ye-Seol's lips.
She had assassinated countless people without them even realizing it, but she had never been so one-sidedly overwhelmed.
She didn't know the attackers' identities, but it was clear that they knew how to deal with assassins like Hong Ye-Seol.
"I was too careless."
Hong Ye-Seol blamed herself for her complacency, but it was too late for regrets.
The spears had already reached within arm's reach.
It was when Hong Ye-Seol gritted her teeth and prepared for the pain.
"Shuaak!"
"Kryuk!"
"Kuk!"
With a sharp slicing sound, the warriors holding the spears screamed. A blade as thin as a child's palm was embedded in their bodies.
It was the Ghost Blade thrown by Pyo Wol.
Only then was Hong Ye-Seol able to regain her composure.
She calmly untangled the iron net and emerged.
"Hu!"
Hong Ye-Seol breathed a sigh of relief and looked around.
She could see the troops attacking Pyo Wol.
The cavalry, riding well-trained warhorses, attacked Pyo Wol fiercely.
There were spiderwebs spread out around him.
Clearly, he had been attacked the same way as Hong Ye-Seol. Yet he had managed to escape on his own.
The scene clearly shows the difference between Hong Ye-Seol and Pyo Wol. However, Hong Ye-Seol did not feel ashamed.
She already knew that Pyo Wol's abilities exceeded her own.
Hong Ye-Seol looked at the person leading the attack from the front.
Surprisingly, the leader was a woman.
The woman, dressed in black armor, attacking Pyo Wol from the front, was someone Hong Ye-Seol knew well.
"Heo Ran-Ju!"
She was none other than Heo Ran-Ju, the leader of the Black Cloud Corps.
Beside Heo Ran-Ju was her soulmate, monk Go Dosa.
"Switch to the tiger-capturing defensive formation," Heo Ran-Ju shouted.
The cavalry quickly retreated at her command.
In their place, foot soldiers with spears appeared and filled the gap.
Meanwhile, archers from a distance continued to shoot arrows at Pyo-Wol.
The spearmen, archers, cavalry, and venomous poison all attacked Pyo-Wol as one organism.
At the center of it all was Heo Ran-Ju.
She led the attack while giving constant orders.
The Black Cloud Corps suffered a crushing defeat against Pyo Wol in Chengdu.
They could not adequately respond to his hit-and-run attacks and lost many comrades.
Afterward, the Black Cloud Corps made a defensive formation out of determination.
Like a group of hunters hunting tigers, it was the strongest formation created to face skilled opponents like Pyo Wol.
The eyes of Heo Ran-Ju, who led the attack, were even crazed.
"You've been hiding this whole time just to spend time with that woman?"
She had been relentlessly tracking Pyo Wol for the past few days. But she couldn't find his trace anywhere in Yeonnam.
That's why she was half-given up, but unexpectedly, Pyo Wol appeared on the outskirts of Yeonnam. And he was with Hong Ye-Seol.
It was a perfect situation for Heo Ran-Ju to misunderstand.
Hong Ye-Seol was also furious.
It was only being with Pyo Wol if she had committed any crime.
There was a small skirmish between Hong Ye-Seol and Heo Ran-Ju, but it didn't cause any harm to the Black Cloud Brigade. But they were caught off guard and almost lost their lives.
Her anger pierced the sky.
"How dare you touch me?"
Hong Ye-Seol threw herself at Heo Ran-Ju.
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