The Former Supreme - Chapter 78

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 78: A One-Nyang Assassination Commission (2)

──────

Nine Dragons Inn, Nanning, Guangxi Province.

A waiter working on the first floor rushed up to the top floor.

He stopped outside the room at the very end of the corridor.

“What is it?”

“Please look at this.”

The waiter held out a sheet of paper.

The man who read it shot to his feet.

“What is this?”

It was an assassination commission report.

This was the Guangxi Division of the Assassin Alliance, and the man was the assassin in charge of the Guangxi region. Everyone working at this inn was an assassin.

There were usually three reasons an assassination commission would shock the assassin in charge.

The client was someone extraordinary, the target was someone extraordinary, or the fee was enormous.

Yet the report in his hands was shocking on all three counts.

Client: Yeom Sawon

Target: Baek Socheon

Commission Fee: One nyang

There was no time to stand around in shock.

“Send this to headquarters immediately. Highest priority!”

* * *

A dispatch hawk carried the commission report to the Assassin Alliance headquarters.

Byeokryeok, a special-grade assassin handling the alliance’s affairs, was also stunned by its contents.

Byeokryeok hurried to find Cheon Geuk at Daru, in front of the Murim Alliance headquarters.

The commission report rested in Cheon Geuk’s hand as she stared at it in disbelief.

Yeom Sawon had boldly submitted the commission under his own name, and the fee was only one nyang.

Cheon Geuk already held a grudge against him. The last time they met, he had treated Na Sarin like a monster and behaved with outrageous disrespect.

Suppressing the curses rising in her throat, she calmly asked Byeokryeok, “How should we interpret this?”

Byeokryeok was one of Cheon Geuk’s trusted subordinates. Byeokryeok had been an excellent assassin in their active days, with a sharp mind and sound judgment, so Cheon Geuk had entrusted the alliance’s affairs to them. Once she gave an order, Byeokryeok was the one who carried it out.

“We should take his use of his own name as pressure to ensure we accept the commission.”

If Yeom Hwasin’s name had been written there, that would have been understandable. He was someone worthy of such arrogance.

But Yeom Sawon was not. Not even close.

“We must remember what happened when we tried to kill him before.”

“Of course, but…”

The implication was clear. Baek Socheon had no internal energy now, so the circumstances were different.

Byeokryeok knew Cheon Geuk had deep ties to both Baek Socheon and the Murim Alliance.

Even without that, anyone who tried to play games with a one-nyang commission would have been made an example of, if the client had not been the Black Heaven Alliance’s heir.

“We promised not to accept any commissions targeting Baek Socheon.”

“Yes, I know.”

She wrote something on the paper and handed it to Byeokryeok.

“Send this as the reply.”

Byeokryeok read what she had written.

‘Tell him to go jerk himself off with that one nyang.’

“Gasp!”

Byeokryeok stared at her in alarm.

Cheon Geuk smiled.

“I’m joking. Send a polite letter declining it.”

“Ah, Alliance Leader…”

Sighing in relief, Byeokryeok tore up the paper before anyone could see it.

“Will it truly be all right to refuse this commission?”

The matter still seemed to weigh on Byeokryeok’s mind. The Assassin Alliance stood between the orthodox and unorthodox factions, but many assassins had one foot planted on the Black Heaven Alliance’s side.

Byeokryeok also believed it might be more advantageous to side with the Black Heaven Alliance in this war. Above all, Baek Socheon, once one of the greatest masters, had lost his martial arts, while Yeom Hwasin was overwhelmingly powerful.

“What if the Black Heaven Alliance Leader makes a move?”

“The Black Heaven Alliance Leader would attack the Assassin Alliance because his son’s one-nyang commission was rejected? The whole world would laugh at him. Besides, Yeom Sawon made a critical mistake.”

“What mistake?”

“Setting the fee at one nyang. If he had once again submitted a commission worth three million nyang, as before, it would have been difficult for us to refuse. We would have had no grounds to do so.”

That was true. Refusing such an enormous commission would be the same as admitting they had joined hands with the Murim Alliance.

“He probably thought he was throwing his weight around, but that was his fatal mistake. Who would understand such an arrogant attitude? Even within the Black Heaven Alliance, they’ll likely condemn this reckless act.”

“The Black Heaven Alliance Leader is still a problem. As you know, he is a terrifying man.”

“That is exactly why. He isn’t the sort who would spare us just because we accept this commission. He has likely already decided how to deal with us, regardless of this matter.”

“What do you mean?”

“If he succeeds in unifying the martial world… he will eliminate every assassin among us.”

Byeokryeok was startled.

“Do you truly believe that?”

“Yes.”

Byeokryeok had not thought that could be true, but Cheon Geuk’s answer carried no doubt.

“The unorthodox underworld and we come from the same root.”

“That is why he’ll seek to erase us. He’ll want to show the world that only his side is the true unorthodox path. That is the Yeom Hwasin I have come to understand.”

Their gazes met.

At least at this moment, there was no sign Cheon Geuk might jeopardize the greater cause for personal feelings. She was calmer and more composed than ever.

“Very well. I will trust your judgment, Alliance Leader.”

At last, Cheon Geuk gave her formal order.

“The Assassin Alliance rejects Yeom Sawon’s one-nyang assassination commission.”

“I accept the Alliance Leader’s solemn command.”

Once Byeokryeok left, she spoke to the Guardian Assassin Stars.

“Can I get angry now? If I keep this in, I feel like I’ll make myself sick.”

“Yes. Please, let it out as much as you wish.”

“Ugh, that brat strutting around because he can lean on his father’s power! Maybe I should go cut his throat right now. I would’ve rejected this commission even if he offered ten million nyang, and what? One nyang? Should I really go kill him for one nyang? Who wants to pay it? No, don’t. Even one nyang is too much. The next time he falls into my hands, I’ll just…”

After unleashing a storm of curses, her anger finally settled.

Then she gave a calm order.

“Leak this information to the Sage Heaven Pavilion. They need to know that we chose the Murim Alliance even at the risk of our own safety.”

“Yes, understood.”

She walked over to the window.

This was only the beginning. More difficult choices would come soon.

Na Sarin entered just then. She had been staying near Cheon Geuk, sometimes coming out to help at Daru, while spending the rest of her time resting and circulating energy at the house across the street.

“Byeokryeok came, paid their respects, and left.”

Na Sarin had heard about the commission from Byeokryeok.

“Elder.”

“Yes, Alliance Leader.”

“I just made an important decision that may change the fate of our alliance.”

Na Sarin calmly asked, “Do you regret it?”

“No.”

Na Sarin smiled at her firm answer.

“Then that is enough. Continue to trust your instincts, Alliance Leader. That is how we have survived until now.”

* * *

“The Assassin Alliance has rejected the commission.”

Yeom Sawon froze at Won Mu’s report.

Won Mu held his breath. This was when he needed to be most careful. Yeom Sawon was probably considering how best to display his anger. Depending on the outcome, a servant might die or a hole might appear in the wall. It was a habitual reaction.

Crash!

Fortunately, the desk before him became the victim instead of a person.

“That fucking bitch must be begging to die!”

Yeom Sawon had not expected this at all. To reject him was the same as rejecting his father and, beyond that, the Black Heaven Alliance.

“They sent a polite apology as well.”

“Tell them to stop talking bullshit!”

Killing intent erupted from Yeom Sawon.

“I’ll drag that bitch in here first and make her kneel before me.”

“You should be cautious about provoking the Assassin Alliance.”

Yeom Sawon’s eyes turned fierce, and Won Mu lowered his head.

Still, he had to say what needed to be said. His predecessor had died trying to dissuade him, but his predecessor’s predecessor had died for not dissuading him. Yeom Sawon had beaten that person to death, calling them a treacherous bastard who never offered honest counsel.

To survive under this mad master, Won Mu had to know exactly when to hold him back and when to follow.

“So what? You want me to leave that bitch alone?”

Yeom Sawon knew it too.

He called her a damned bitch and swore he would kill her, but he knew she was not an easy opponent.

He was not confident he could defeat her one-on-one. The thought of every assassin in the Central Plains hunting him was terrifying as well.

Still, he could not endure the filthy feeling of being ignored. Except in matters concerning his father, patience did not exist for him.

“Would it not be better to speak with the Alliance Leader and ask for his help?”

Yeom Sawon snorted.

“My father would never help me. He would laugh at me to his heart’s content.”

Yeom Hwasin’s eyes had always been cold when he looked at him. Not once had his father looked at him warmly.

Even what he had done in Zhejiang Province had been driven by his desire to win Yeom Hwasin’s recognition.

“My father knows about this too, right?”

“Yes.”

Not only Yeom Hwasin, but all the Black Heaven Alliance’s high-ranking masters knew.

“If I back down now, they’ll all treat me like an idiot.”

At times like this, Won Mu wanted to go to the bamboo forest behind the mountain and scream.

‘They already treat you like one.’

Still, Yeom Sawon was his master. Their fates were tied together. Won Mu tried to calm his anger somehow.

“I do not believe your resentment should be directed at a mere assassin organization. The one who ruined matters in Zhejiang Province was Baek Socheon.”

He gave Yeom Sawon a way out, making it easier for him to back down. The Assassin King was difficult to deal with, but Baek Socheon, who had lost his internal energy, could be dealt with easily.

But instead of an escape route, those words threw the front gate wide open. Baek Socheon became oil, making the flames of Yeom Sawon’s rage burn even hotter.

“I’ll kill both of those bastards while I have the chance! Call Jan Baek in at once!”

Won Mu was startled at the name Jan Baek. Jan Baek was a master Yeom Hwasin had assigned to Yeom Sawon. He belonged to the Black Heaven Alliance’s Eighteen Ghost Swords and was one of its three strongest masters.

Won Mu had been about to object, but he saw that Yeom Sawon had completely lost his head.

“I will obey.”

Once outside, Won Mu sighed.

Calling Jan Baek was one problem. Whether Jan Baek would obediently follow orders was an even greater one.

* * *

Baek Socheon came to see her.

“I heard the news.”

“What news?”

She asked innocently.

“I heard you rejected the commission placed on me.”

“The news reached you already? Information travels fast.”

Cheon Geuk pretended she had not leaked the information herself. Baek Socheon knew that she had, but he played along.

He thought it had been the right choice. It was better to tell someone what they needed to know as it happened, rather than feel hurt later because they had failed to understand something they had never been told.

“Aren’t you afraid?”

“Of who? That ill-mannered brat? Not at all.”

“No. The Black Heaven Alliance.”

“I’m afraid of the Black Heaven Alliance.”

“Then why?”

“You’re here, aren’t you? I told you. I’m betting on you in this war. I should have said that to the subordinate who came earlier too, but I couldn’t bring myself to.”

“Why not?”

“I was worried they might have prejudices about women. You know, that I’m so infatuated with a man that I’m ruining the organization… It’s not as if I’m that passionate about love.”

Baek Socheon chuckled.

“You need to fight well later. If you die, all of us die too.”

“If I die, run. Don’t fight a battle you can’t win.”

“Don’t worry about that. Disappearing is what we do better than anyone else.”

Cheon Geuk smiled faintly, and Baek Socheon smiled back.

“Why did you come, though?”

“To thank you. You rejected the commission on me.”

“It was a promise.”

“You said Yeom Sawon submitted it?”

“Yes.”

“He’s not the sort to let this go. Whether he tries to kill you or kill me, he’ll do something.”

“What should we do?”