Chapter 40
Nobody knows Salmak like Salmak.
Yeo-il, who had accumulated sins and a nasty reputation, earning the trust of 'that guy,' knew pretty much everything about the organization called Salmak.
Especially in cases like the fake Namgung Choomyeong's assignment, which was more than just an assassination – it involved long-term undercover work.
'Damn, it's been a while.'
Yeo-il had been around the block, too.
Just like the fake Namgung Choomyeong, Yeo-il had spent over two years undercover for her own reasons.
It was one of the Nine Great Sects, not the Five Great Families, though.
[Why... why is that nasty-ass tattoo on Yeon-woo's back...?]
Things went sideways, so it wasn't exactly a clean getaway...
Anyway, she'd done the same kind of thing, so she figured she had a good handle on what made this imposter tick.
Yes, psychological warfare. That's the key. That's how Yeo-il was going to deal with this fake.
Finally, the oil lamp went out.
Darkness fell on Namgung Choomyeong's room, where the yellow lamp had been burning brightly.
This was Dongcheong.
It's where the three Namgung brothers lived, including the young master, but Namgung Choomyeong's place was isolated on the west side.
Bamboo grew all along the walls, making it perfect for sneaking messages out.
Yeo-il put on her black outfit – it had been a while.
A black veil hid everything below her eyes, and a gold hairpin shaped like a butterfly wing held up her hair, making the long, flowery gold dangly ornaments swing with every little move.
This getup was both stealthy and flashy, leaving a subtle hint of her presence wherever she went.
Namgung Choomyeong's room was heavily guarded.
Clink-clink-
The clinking of her hair ornaments got their attention, and she immediately struck their pressure points, knocking them out cold.
One, two, three. Taking out all seven of them, one by one, was supposed to really unnerve the fake.
The fake must have noticed Yeo-il by now.
He'd have a poisoned dagger hidden up his sleeve; one scratch and you're dead. He'd be ready to take a hit to land a bigger one.
Yeo-il stood in front of the door.
"The craftsman is dead."
She could feel the opponent inside the room holding his breath.
"Which means you're screwed when it comes to getting a new face."
She opened the door.
Namgung Choomyeong was lying motionless on the bed as if in a deep sleep. However, Yeo-il leisurely walked around the room as if she saw right through the fake's intentions.
"You're even more useless than I thought."
Her steps were light, but her eyes thoroughly scanned the interior of the room, dimly lit by moonlight.
"Slow."
"..."
"Incompetent."
"..."
"I'll give you one chance. Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now."
Something whizzed through the air, barely audible unless you were really listening.
He dodged it easily, then the fake jumped up and came at Yeo-il, aiming for vital spots. For a guy who'd been impersonating Namgung Choomyeong for so long, he moved pretty fast, but it was all for nothing.
Crack-
"Gahk."
Yeo-il twisted the opponent's right wrist and climbed onto his back.
The fake, who had been twitching his fingertips as if contemplating suicide, breathed roughly and asked.
"Who are you?"
"You've got to be kidding me."
This fake had no clue that Yeo-il and Namgung Soyo were the same person.
It made sense. Nobody in the Namgung family had ever seen Yeo-il with her eyes open.
"...I've never heard of anyone like you."
"You're slow on the uptake, too."
After a silence, the fake whispered in a low voice.
"Yeonghwang Yuse." (Yeonghwang Yuse – a code phrase)
At first, she wondered why he was going on about his sect.
"Yeonghwang Yuse."
Yeonghwang Yuse.
Yes, now she understood.
'It's a code.'
For a group nobody knew much about, it was a pretty elaborate name. Just a code, really.
More likely, 'Yeonghwang Yuse' was probably just part of the code. The easiest way to identify their own.
The fake was waiting for Yeo-il to answer the code. Something like 'Yeombyeong Cheonbyeong' or 'Jiraldongssa.'
But did Yeo-il know the answer? Hell no. But she had a way to play it cool.
Yeo-il smirked.
"Do you even know who this 'eternal emperor' is about?"
He probably had no clue. Even Yeo-il didn't know what the Salmak code really meant.
"Yeonghwang Yuse."
"Yuse. You probably don't even know what this emperor's so-called legacy is."
"Yeonghwang Yuse."
People who are full of it tend to talk a lot.
She couldn't let the fake see through her, so Yeo-il, since she was already on a roll, just kept talking, throwing out whatever she knew. Just like Jin Cheongak.
"What a load of crap. Salmak, you guys, it's all the same. Turning people into mindless puppets, you don't even know what you're fighting for, and without that, you're just useless. Spouting off codes like idiots."
"..."
"Losing Chuhyeol Geomgwi was a major screw-up. I wonder how far the fallout from your colossal blunder will reach."
The fake froze. He was clearly rattled by the mention of Salmak and Chuhyeol Geomgwi.
So, is Yeonghwang Yuse really Salmak 2.0?
If so... why did Salmak disappear two years ago, only to come back as this Yeonghwang Yuse thing?
She didn't want anything to do with them again. But it looked like she was already in too deep. To avoid more trouble, she needed to get the lay of the land.
"Yeonghwang Yu..."
Thinking she had instilled enough confusion, Yeo-il took out a red-tinged, highly poisonous dart from the fake's sleeve, threw it away, and warned.
"Time's running out."
A killer who's lost his chance to commit suicide is going to get desperate.
"Because you're a moron, Namgung Jeokmyeong found out about your second face, and now you're useless. You'd better come up with something good before 'that guy' decides to make you pay. Otherwise..."
"'That guy'? Who are you talking about?"
The fake, who'd been repeating 'Yeonghwang Yuse' like a broken record, finally asked something else. Yeo-il had definitely gotten under his skin.
This was it. What Yeo-il said next would decide if she was in charge or not.
'The way he's asking, he's definitely scared of someone.'
An image of a face flashed through Yeo-il's mind.
Someone with absolute power and insane skills in Salmak.
A natural-born killer who didn't give a damn about being human. Total scumbag. Piece of shit. Crazy son of a bitch.
"Would it even ring a bell?"
".........Yeonghwang Yuse."
To show him who's boss, she yanked his leg and hit the Yongcheon pressure point.
"Argh!"
The fake, who'd been writhing in pain, finally calmed down and started spouting that nonsense again.
"Yeonghwang Yu..."
(repeated pressing sound)
"Yeonghwang..."
(repeated pressing sound)
"..."
(repeated pressing sound)
"...Argh! Gahk, Agggh... I didn't say anything!"
As they say, with animals or people, sometimes you have to use a little force.
"Spill it. Who is this guy?"
If Yeonghwang Yuse really was Salmak's successor, then it had to be connected to 'that guy.'
"Jeilak."
Even after two years, everyone in Gangho knew that name.
A guy so bad, they called him Jeilak – calling him the 'strongest in the world' would be an insult to the heavens.
Jeilak Cheonmuryeong.
