Under the sun that was scratching his face, Pyo Wol opened his eyes.
On the messy bed, there was only Pyo Wol as if to prove last night's heat.
In the early morning, Hong Ye-Seol quietly left the guest room without having any intimate conversations such as "I love you" despite spending a passionate time together.
Although they explored each other's bodies, they never let their guard down, even momentarily, because they were both naturally suspicious of others.
They still held onto their rationality, even though desire consumed them.
That's why their bodies felt heavy and exhausted even though they had a hot night.
Pyo Wol got up from the bed and put on his clothes.
He wore a leather belt with a buckle that contained a ghost blade, then descended to the first floor.
However, the atmosphere of the guesthouse was strange.
"Is it really true?"
"Yes! I said it several times already, why do I have to keep repeating it?"
"I can't believe it."
"Me neither. I thought it was just a rumor."
"What's going to happen now? The Snow Sword Manor won't just sit idly by."
"They'll probably fight to the death now that they've lost their only heir."
"That's right. Who would have thought Seol Kwang-Ho would die so tragically..."
Pyo Wol frowned for a moment.
They were talking about the death of Seol Kwang-Ho, the heir of the Snow Sword Manor. Pyo Wol listened to their conversation with a stiff expression.
"Thousand kingdoms school, it's impressive, truly impressive. It's hard to believe that the third son of the Namgung from the Southern Kingdom would kill Seol Kwang-Ho."
The fact that Seol Kwang-Ho lost his life to Namgung Wol was beyond his expectations.
It was not at all strange that Namgung Wol subdued Seol Kwang-Ho.
While Seol Kwang-Ho had gained a reputation to the point of being called the Hell's Blood, it was limited to Henan Province.
It was inevitable that he would fall short compared to Namgung Wol, renowned throughout the region.
It was a natural result, but the repercussions were complex.
Sitting here and thinking wouldn't provide the answer. He had to gather as much information as possible.
With that in mind, Pyo Wol stepped out of the guest room.
Seol Kang-Yeon looked at Seol Kwang-Ho, who returned as a corpse with wide-open eyes.
He was always a reliable son. Although he had a quick and violent personality, and there were concerns mixed with his words, he was the blood relative Seol Kang-Yeon could trust and rely on the most.
He had returned to the southern region because he wanted his son to find his roots on Mount Tianzhong(Cheonjungsan), which was why he had abandoned a stable life for the struggle, but he lost his only heir.
Of course, there were children born from his daughter and concubine, but they did not catch Seol Kang-Yeon's eye.
No matter what anyone said, Seol Kwang-Ho was the only one who could succeed him.
"Kwang...ho!"
Seol Kang-Yeon called Seol Kwang-Ho with a trembling voice, but Seol Kwang-Ho could not answer his call.
Seol Kang-Yeon got up from his seat and approached Seol Kwang-Ho at the altar.
Seol Kwang-Ho was lying on the ground, still holding his weapon.
He had numerous wounds all over his body, but the fatal one was the injury on his neck.
It had almost split his thick log-like neck in half.
Because of it, his head felt like it could easily fall off his body.
"Cry..."
Seol Kang-Yeon held his son's head and shed hot tears.
He was called a ruthless person, but in the face of his son's death, he was no different from an ordinary person.
The warriors of Snow Sword Manor looked at her with mournful faces.
Seol Kwang-Ho, who had led the army as he pleased, returned to Snow Sword Manor this morning with a cold corpse.
According to the survivors' testimonies, Seol Kwang-Ho had fought with Nam Gung-Wol for over three hundred bouts.
Seol Kwang-Ho used his full strength in the Eight Wastelands Great Axe technique, and Nam Gung-Wol responded with thousands of swordsmanship techniques.
At first, Seol Kwang-Ho seemed to have a slight advantage, but Nam Gung-Wol took the lead as time passed.
Nam Gung-Wol also suffered significant injuries but never took a step back and consistently attacked Seol Kwang-Ho.
As a result, he emerged victorious.
The young warriors led by Oh Jugang achieved a great victory against Seol Kwang-Ho's troops.
The surviving soldiers barely managed to retrieve Seol Kwang-Ho's body and return to their base.
Everyone was speechless after the tragic defeat.
They had experienced victories and defeats in past battles, but none were as fatal as this one.
It was not just a simple defeat.
Despite Seol Kwang-Ho's impulsive personality, which scared many people, he led the war against Jin Manor from the frontlines.
The warriors of Snow Sword Manor felt powerless after Seol Kwang-Ho's death.
The word "defeat" lingered in their minds.
"The morale has hit rock bottom."
"Phew!"
After a while, Seol Kang-Yeon regained his composure and stood up.
His robe was stained red with his son's blood, but he paid no attention to the blood on his clothes.
Seol Kang-Yeon's eyes, which had regained composure, were as cold as ice.
Extreme anger can sometimes sharpen a person's reason more than ever before, which was the state Seol Kang-Yeon is in now.
Seol Kang-Yeon ordered his subordinates to "Clean Kwang-ho's body and lay him resting in the Great Hall of the Elements. We will hold a proper funeral after destroying Jin Manor."
"Yes!"
His subordinates answered and took care of Seol Kwang-Ho's body.
Seol Kang-Yeon headed towards his residence, with his staff, including Lee-Yul, following behind.
"Others, wait outside, and only the chief officer should come in."
"Yes!"
The staff answered and remained outside, and only Lee-Yul entered Seol Kang-Yeon's residence.
When they were alone, Seol Kang-Yeon glared at Lee-Yul.
"Why did you leave Kwang-Ho alone there?"
"It was a decision made by Seol Kwang-Ho. By the time I found out, he had already left the residence."
Lee-Yul answered without any hesitation.
"I trusted you."
"I am aware."
"That's why you were allowed to return to Yeonnam as you wanted, even though there was no need for you to come back."
"I am aware."
"I gave you full authority."
"I am also aware of that."
"And this is the result. Do you understand? This is the result."
Thump!
Seol Kang-Yeon slammed his fist on the table.
The thick table made of Rosewood broke apart and rolled onto the floor.
It felt like a storm was raging inside the room.
It was the storm that Seol Kang-Yeon was unleashing.
His anger was directed at Lee-Yul. If it were an ordinary master-servant relationship, it would have been impossible.
However, Lee-Yul looked at Seol Kang-Yeon without even blinking an eye as if he were an ordinary person.
Seol Kang-Yeon tried to calm down and said, "It's because of you. You need to fix it."
"I will do so."
"Make sure you pay the price for my son's death. If you can't, I won't forgive you. Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
"It doesn't matter how many people die. Even if all the residents of Yeonnam die, I won't care. Even if Kangho blames me for it. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Yes!"
"I'll be watching. Now, leave."
"I will not disappoint you. Then..."
After bowing his head to Seol Kang-Yeon, Lee-Yul left the room.
As he came outside, Lee-Yul's expression changed completely.
"Foolish...," he cursed at Seol Kwang-Ho, who had led the secret army alone.
If he had known about Seol Gwang-ho's actions in advance, Lee-Yul would have stopped him no matter what.
The result of Seol Kwang-Ho's sense of righteousness was truly fatal.
The moral of Snow Sword Manor fell to the ground, and people were anticipating defeat.
Lee-Yul knew very well that it was impossible to lift the fallen morale in the usual way.
If left unchecked, Snow Sword Manor would collapse completely.
A special measure was needed.
When he returned to his residence, Lee-Yul spoke up.
"Do-Gyeong!"
"Yes!"
As always, Baek Do-Gyeong appeared without a sound.
However, his expression was quite serious.
It was never expected for Baek Do-Gyeong to have such an expression in front of him.
"What's going on?"
"The Ghost Warriors contacted us."
"How long has it been since we left?"
"They say that Mok-han-Seong has passed away."
"What?"
It was such a shocking story that Lee-Yul thought he had misheard.
"After leaving Yeonnam and arriving at the temporary base, they were attacked by someone right away. Many people, including the head of the clan, were killed or injured."
"Who on earth did this?"
"Pyo... Wol."
"Him again? This is getting tiresome now."
Lee-Yul bit his tongue.
The damage caused by Pyo Wol seemed even more significant than the damage sustained during the battle with Jin Manor.
Pyo Wol was like a mosquito—constantly buzzing around and annoying everyone.
But his destructive power was unparalleled, which made it even more frustrating.
"In the worst-case scenario, the Ghost warriors may have to forcibly evacuate our lord,"
Baek Do-Gyeong reported.
"That will never happen."
"But as you know, if the Ghost warriors intervene, there's nothing we can do."
Baek Do-Gyeong looked at Lee-Yul with a worried expression.
The Ghost warriors were not above Lee-Yul. But in some exceptional cases, they could intervene without Lee-Yul's permission.
One of those cases was Lee-Yul's safety.
If they believed his safety was at risk, the Ghost warriors could intervene without Lee-Yul's consent and forcibly evacuate him.
Lee-Yul bit his lip.
They will act as ordered by the commanding party, but if they intervene, his status will plummet.
The reason why Lee-Yul was able to take such independent actions is that he has always succeeded.
One failure would leave a fatal flaw in his career.
If that happened, he might not be guaranteed the independent command and authority he had until now.
The worst-case scenario had to be prevented at all costs.
"Call for Man Slaughter(만인살)."
"What? But..."
"We need a game-changing move. We can't turn the current situation around with ordinary moves."
"But he is an uncontrollable person. If we're not careful, things could get worse."
"That's why I'm calling for him."
"What?"
"We've even brought Shaolin into this. Is Man Slaughter the only alternative? It might turn out to be for the best."
Lee-Yul was not a person who succumbed to anger.
He was coolly assessing the current situation.
What he needed now was a mad dog that could tear everyone apart.
Man Slaughter (the Killer of Ten Thousand Men).
No name or identity was known.
But everyone feared him.
Because he was one of the Eight Constellations, Man Slaughter had earned the nickname of "the Killer of Ten Thousand Men" for killing countless people.
Under normal circumstances, he could never be moved.
But he owed a great debt to Lee-Yul.
Otherwise, he could never be moved.
In fact, the strongest card that Lee-Yul could play was none other than Man Slaughter.
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