WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 23: How Much Is My Life Worth? (3)

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The distance to Baek Socheon was roughly ten steps.

At this range, it would not miss.

All he had to do was move a finger.

Still, Cheon Yangho hesitated. Unable to understand the source of his hesitation, he forced himself to calm down.

'You don't need to trust me. Trust the Ten-Step Death Needle!'

The fact that the Murim Alliance had designated it a Prohibited Hidden Weapon spoke to its certain lethality.

'Kill him, and you'll live comfortably for the rest of your life. Come on. Press it.'

Just as Cheon Yangho's finger was about to press the button that launched the hidden weapon, Baek Socheon came out of his handstand, rose to his feet, and spoke first.

"If you're here, why are you hiding over there?"

Cheon Yangho was so startled that he nearly dropped the Ten-Step Death Needle.

Fortunately, he managed to hide it neatly in his sleeve instead.

'How did he know? I even held my breath.'

He had heard that Baek Socheon did not even possess internal energy. How had he noticed his presence?

Cheon Yangho stepped out of the darkness.

"It looked like you were training in martial arts, so I was about to pass by. You're working hard despite the heat."

"I thought people in a rural town would be kind, but after coming here, I found them even more vicious. So I have to train."

"True. The saying that country folk are kind is a thing of the past. Well then, keep up the good work."

Cheon Yangho hurried to turn away before Baek Socheon noticed the hidden weapon in his sleeve, but Baek Socheon's question stopped him.

"Is the investigation into the Liang Qiu case going well?"

"It's still completely unclear. The culprit is so elusive that there are no clues."

"Or is it that you have no intention of catching them?"

Cheon Yangho's brow furrowed.

'Look at this bastard.'

He hid his rising anger behind a smile.

"My abilities must be lacking."

Now that he knew Baek Socheon's skills were far from ordinary, he could not treat him carelessly.

"But how did you notice my presence?"

He wanted to add, 'Even though you have no internal energy,' but he could not. It would reveal that he had investigated Baek Socheon.

"My senses are quite sharp. Didn't I identify the Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root in that box by its scent before?"

"Ah, you did. You truly have remarkable senses."

Now he understood how Baek Socheon had noticed him.

'The smell.'

He assumed Baek Socheon had recognized him by his scent.

Yet this time, it had not been Baek Socheon's sense of smell at work, but his sixth sense.

After losing his internal energy, his physical abilities began to recover, and his natural senses became even sharper. Not only his five senses, but even his instinctive sixth sense had become more accurate.

His heightened senses followed the same principle as his strengthened body.

Just as his physical abilities had broken through their limits to compensate for the absence of internal energy, his senses had improved immensely as well.

As they spoke, the distance between Baek Socheon and Cheon Yangho had narrowed to only three or four steps.

Cheon Yangho's heart began to pound.

'Should I finish him now? At this distance, I can kill him for certain.'

He had never heard of a martial artist who had evaded the Ten-Step Death Needle from within three or four steps.

Most importantly, Gwak, a fellow Unit Commander, had told him that Baek Socheon could not use internal energy. A good sense of smell would not save him from the Ten-Step Death Needle.

What tempted Cheon Yangho even more was that Baek Socheon did not seem wary of him at all. As he wiped away his sweat, he did not even look in Cheon Yangho's direction.

'Now. One press, and I'll have twenty thousand nyang.'

He could spend the rest of his life in comfort, never worrying about money again.

'Wait for an opening. Shoot him. Shoot him.'

It was not even his first time killing someone, yet his heart pounded fiercely.

Then Baek Socheon glanced at Cheon Yangho.

"You seem tense."

"Do I? It's because of the heat. I'm especially weak against hot weather."

"Not weak against bribes?"

"What?"

"Ah, don't get angry. I was only joking. You seem unusually eager to take the Mythic Gang's side, so I made a little joke."

Cheon Yangho nodded as if it did not bother him.

"Give me a cup of water."

"Wait a moment."

The instant Baek Socheon turned his back.

Whoosh!

Thud.

Both men froze.

Cheon Yangho had aimed the Ten-Step Death Needle at Baek Socheon, while Baek Socheon turned his head to look at his own back.

Something had just flown in and lodged there.

Cheon Yangho's face brightened.

As expected, nothing unusual had happened.

The needle had struck its target perfectly. It had been so easy that he could not understand why he had been so nervous.

"Ah, that stings! What is this?"

"What else? It's the Paradise Needle that will send you to hell! Hahahaha!"

As Baek Socheon tried to pull it out, Cheon Yangho sneered.

"Too late. The instant the needle enters the body, it melts away. The deadly poison coating it has already spread through your body."

"Why me?"

"I was asked to, and I was paid. Yes, you saw correctly. I'm on the Mythic Gang's payroll. They pay me more than I get from the Alliance. Wouldn't you take it too?"

"I didn't."

"That's because you're an idiot. No, you were doing well in the Iron Sword Corps, weren't you? You must have received a large monthly salary."

Cheon Yangho was in such high spirits at the thought of gaining twenty thousand nyang that he spilled even things he did not need to say.

"I happened to acquire this hidden weapon years ago. I meant to use it only to save my life or when I had a chance to change my life. I never imagined that day would be today."

"At least one thing you said was right."

"What?"

"This is the moment your life changes."

Only then did Cheon Yangho feel anxiety rise within him as he noticed that Baek Socheon was still perfectly fine, even though he should have collapsed by now.

Cheon Yangho looked down at the Ten-Step Death Needle in his hand.

'It couldn't have been defective, could it?'

As if he had read Cheon Yangho's anxious thoughts, Baek Socheon said, "The Ten-Step Death Needle was fine."

Cheon Yangho was even more shocked when Baek Socheon named the hidden weapon exactly.

"Then why?"

His voice trembled.

"There was a time when assassins kept coming after me relentlessly. I nearly fell victim to poison many times back then, and I went through quite a bit. Still, I was needed, so the Alliance took great care of me. The Divine Physician and even poison specialists stepped forward, using every kind of rare spiritual herb and poisonous herb on me."

"What are you even trying to say...?"

Then something occurred to Cheon Yangho. He flinched and shouted.

"A Myriad-Poison-Immunity Body?"

"Yes. That is what people in the martial world call my body."

"But you don't have internal energy."

"Listen, a Myriad-Poison-Immunity Body is a change in one's constitution. It takes an enormous amount of internal energy to create it, but once the constitution has completely changed, it has nothing to do with internal energy."

Cheon Yangho was horrified. Questions raced through his mind.

'What? Why did they turn this bastard into someone with a Myriad-Poison-Immunity Body? Why would they do that for someone who was only an Iron Sword Corps Squad Leader?'

But this was no time to stand there in shock.

Cheon Yangho threw away the empty hidden weapon case and drew his sword. There was still hope. His opponent had no internal energy.

No matter how corrupt he was, Cheon Yangho was still a Unit Commander of a division.

His sword shot toward Baek Socheon's vital points, swift and precise.

Yet his martial arts were a level below Black Hand's, while Baek Socheon was physically stronger than he had been during his fight with Black Hand.

Whether he used Cheon Yangho as a training partner or toyed with him, Baek Socheon would have felt no pressure.

But Baek Socheon chose to disable him as quickly as possible.

It meant Cheon Yangho had no value to him either way.

Whoosh.

Dodging the first attack, Baek Socheon struck Cheon Yangho's knee.

Crack.

The powerful snapping kick bent his knee joint sideways.

"Urgh!"

Cheon Yangho staggered and swung his sword. But as if he had expected that response, Baek Socheon leaned back and kicked him in the stomach.

With a thud, Cheon Yangho slid backward.

It had seemed like a light hit, but his stomach hurt as if his intestines had burst.

He clutched his stomach with his left hand and tried to thrust his sword again.

"Urgh."

For a moment, he had forgotten about his injured knee, and his body lost balance.

The next instant.

Thud!

Baek Socheon spun through the air as though doing a somersault and kicked Cheon Yangho in the jaw.

There was no grand duel. That was the end of it.

Cheon Yangho was sent flying, then plunged headfirst into the ground.

Baek Socheon picked up Cheon Yangho's sword from the ground.

He used it to slap the unconscious Cheon Yangho across the cheek.

Before long, Cheon Yangho regained consciousness.

Seeing Baek Socheon looking down at him, he cried out, "Please spare me."

"Get up."

"Yes."

Cheon Yangho quickly stood and dropped to his knees. He was someone who valued himself above all else. With his life on the line, his mind began working for one purpose alone: survival.

"Black Hand is buried beneath your feet."

Cheon Yangho flinched and looked down at the ground where he stood.

He had guessed that Black Hand had died at Baek Socheon's hands.

What shocked him now was that Baek Socheon had buried the corpse in his front yard.

"Don't look at me like that. I don't have a hobby of collecting corpses in my yard."

"Ah, yes."

"Still, it seems like I could bury a few more. Black Hand must be lonely too."

"Please spare me."

"Why should I?"

Cheon Yangho understood. If he gave the wrong answer, he would die immediately.

"Please take this first."

He held out the pouch of money Wang Gon had given him. He hated to give it up, but surviving came first.

"This is the money Wang Gon gave me to kill Martial Artist Baek."

His first move was to shift the blame onto Wang Gon.

Baek Socheon held out the sword flat, and Cheon Yangho placed the pouch on its blade.

Slide.

As Baek Socheon raised the blade, the pouch slid along it toward him.

Baek Socheon checked the amount inside.

"My life is worth only this much?"

"He said I would receive the same amount again if I succeeded."

"That still only makes twenty thousand nyang, doesn't it? Are these bastards messing with me? Do you know how much the Black Heaven Alliance once offered for my head? Three million nyang."

Cheon Yangho could not understand Baek Socheon at all as he spoke so proudly. Three million nyang just because he had once done well in the Iron Sword Corps?

'This lunatic! He has the upper hand, so he's saying whatever he wants.'

But at this moment, even if Baek Socheon had said ten million nyang, Cheon Yangho had to shower him with praise.

"Wang Gon simply failed to recognize a hero of the martial world."

"You didn't recognize me either."

"What would a worthless person like me know?"

Cheon Yangho's tongue moved on instinct, driven only by his desire to survive.

"Did Wang Gon order Liang Qiu's family killed?"

"I believe so."

"You believe so?"

"He did not make it clear to me either... but I am certain that was the case."

Cheon Yangho quickly relayed the impression he had received earlier from Wang Gon's son, Wang U, as well as the impression Wang Gon had given him when offering the assassination commission.

"It was definitely them. Those dog bastards! They are not even human."

"Who killed them?"

"I don't know who the culprit is. I'll find out from now on."

Baek Socheon could tell that Cheon Yangho did not know the Mythic Gang had commissioned the Seven Sword Society. He was nothing more than a corrupt martial artist who took bribes.

"I will serve Martial Artist Baek from now on."

"Serve me? Why?"

"If you keep me around, I will be useful. Leave any troublesome work to me."

Of course, the only things in Cheon Yangho's heart were revenge against Baek Socheon and the determination not to let that hatred show.

"Listen, Unit Commander Cheon."

"Command me."

"I don't like people with nasty tempers. Since I have a nasty temper myself, I want kinder people around me. Understand?"

Cheon Yangho answered quickly.

"I will change my temperament from now on. I will turn over a new leaf. I will do anything you ask."

"Can you?"

"What cannot be done with effort?"

"Fine, let's say you can. There's still one problem, though."

"Just say the word!"

Baek Socheon stared at him and asked, "Have you ever spared someone who tried to kill you?"

"Yes!"

The answer burst out reflexively. By a miracle, there had been exactly one time. In truth, he had not spared that person, he had simply failed to kill them. The bastard had fled far beyond the frontier.

"I once showed mercy and spared someone!"

The instant he finished speaking.

Whoosh, slash!

Baek Socheon swung the sword in his hand and severed Cheon Yangho's neck in a single stroke.

Splat!

Blood sprayed from Cheon Yangho's neck. Without leaving behind a single word, he collapsed dead.

Baek Socheon looked down at the corpse and said coldly, "I haven't."

Then he looked at the sword in his hand and realized something.

"Ah, I said I wasn't going to use a sword..."

Footnotes:

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