The Former Supreme Master [Novel] Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Heavenly Pole (3)

Until she arrived at the Seven Swords Association, Cheon Geuk remained lost in thought.

‘…The Seven Swords Association, huh? So the Seven Swords Association broke the Assassin Law.’

The Seven Swords Association was not only a representative assassin organization in Zhejiang Province, but also a large-scale faction ranked among the top five within the Assassin Alliance itself.

In other words, they were not a target she could recklessly march up to, interrogate with “Did you do it?”, and pin the responsibility onto.

What if it was confirmed that the Seven Swords Association had indeed broken the Assassin Law?

Violating the first law, that children and those without martial arts knowledge must never be killed…meant execution without exception. In a case like the Seven Swords Association, all seven members of the leadership would be executed, and the assassins under them would be scattered into other assassin organizations.

‘In fact, this could be a good opportunity.’

When the previous Alliance Leader’s system suddenly collapsed and the young Cheon Geuk…a woman, no less…ascended to the position of Leader, factions expressing discontent began to emerge within the alliance.

The Seven Swords Association stood at the forefront of this anti-Cheon Geuk faction.

‘If I can eliminate them by taking advantage of this chance…’

She would be able to solidify her standing within the alliance even further.

However, if she handled this incorrectly, her own position could end up threatened instead. This was because the opposition centered around the Seven Swords Association would hold her accountable.

If internal strife escalated into a full-scale war, it would provoke the Murim Alliance. And if the Murim Alliance launched an assassin eradication campaign as a result, she might be forced to step down from the seat of Alliance Leader to take responsibility.

Of course, this was assuming the worst-case scenario, but there was no law saying unexpected variables wouldn’t occur. After all, Baek Socheon summoning her in the first place was something unimagined just a few days ago.

“Tell me about the Myth Sect.”

At her command, the answer from Buk Seong (北星), the Northern Star of the Four Heavenly Kills…echoed from thin air. He was mainly responsible for handling intelligence matters.

“According to initial reports, the Myth Sect is a newly emerging sect that has grown rapidly over the past few years. It has now become a prominent faction well-known throughout Zhejiang Province.”

“There’s no way other sects just stood by and watched them grow like that, is there? Are there only fools living in Zhejiang Province?”

“We will investigate the finer details further and report back.”

Even at this very moment, intelligence regarding this matter was being gathered.

“Right, look into it. There’s definitely something more. If a contract was made, who placed it?”

“Since the deceased Yang Chu resided in Munseong, Wang Gon…the local leader here…might have done it, or someone directly sent from their headquarters might have handled it.”

“So either way, it’s an action taken at the organizational level?”

“Yes. Given the gravity of the matter, we suspect it received authorization from the Sect Master of the Myth Sect himself.”

“What about slaughtering the entire family?”

“We believe it to be a scheme disguised as a feud.”

Having accumulated endless experience regarding assassination contracts, they had grasped the situation remarkably accurately.

“Fine. Setting the Myth Sect aside.”

To her, the core of the problem lay here:

“Why did the Seven Swords Association accept this contract, going so far as to break the Assassin Law?”

“The Myth Sect grew at an explosive pace. Could they really have accomplished that through their own strength alone?”

“They received help from the Seven Swords Association?”

“If the Myth Sect is the largest client of the Seven Swords Association, it wouldn’t have been easy for them to refuse their request.”

“Still, I doubt the Leader of the Seven Swords Association would risk breaking the Assassin Law just for money, wouldn’t he?”

“He likely assumed he wouldn’t get caught.”

Cheon Geuk nodded. Those who committed grand offenses might seem to do a lot of thinking, but surprisingly, the starting point of their nerve could be quite simple.

…As long as I don’t get caught, right?

After all, had Baek Socheon not been involved in this matter, she too would have passed it by without ever knowing.

“You must be cautious. If there is even a slight chance that the Seven Swords Association isn’t involved, the opposition factions…including the Seven Swords Association, will rise up all at once.”

“Right, I must be careful.”

Meanwhile, the carriage arrived at the headquarters of the Seven Swords Association, disguised as an ordinary martial arts hall.

—

The Leader of the Seven Swords Association had no name.

Not only the Leader, but the remaining six masters leading the Seven Swords Association were merely referred to as Second Sword through Seventh Sword.

However, at some point, the Leader of the Seven Swords Association had come to desire a name.

Not the miserable, squalid name from his childhood, nor any of the aliases he had held while working as an assassin, but a singular title:

The Alliance Leader of the Assassin Alliance.

Since he had spent his entire life as an assassin, he wanted to claim that title before he died. When the previous Leader was alive, he had held no such ambition. It was a dream that had newly formed after Cheon Geuk took the seat.

Just then, the voice of Second Sword came from outside:

“Association Leader.”

“What is it?”

“The Assassin Alliance Leader has arrived.”

“What? Escort her in at once!”

Startled by Cheon Geuk’s unexpected visit, the Leader of the Seven Swords Association gasped.

As he hurried outside, Cheon Geuk…wearing her bamboo hat pressed down, was crossing the courtyard alone.

“Visiting without prior notice… What brings you to our association?”

“I had business in Zhejiang Province and dropped by on my way.”

Though she spoke softly, her dignified posture revealed an authority entirely different from when she dealt with Baek Socheon.

“I am moved. Thank you for not forgetting our association and visiting us.”

“Please forgive my rudeness for dropping by so suddenly.”

“Not at all. Please, step inside.”

The Leader of the Seven Swords Association was utmost polite.

Because he aimed for her position, he knew Cheon Geuk better than anyone else.

She looked young, but was not naive; she seemed gentle, but was far from kind. She was brilliant yet unarrogant, firm yet cautious.

Moreover, her talent as an assassin was innate. It was widely known that in a one-on-one fight, no assassin of the current generation could match her.

The reason the previous Assassin King had chosen her as the successor was precisely because he held her natural gifts in such high regard.

Thus, far too many had been fooled by her beautiful appearance, dropping their guard or acting insolently, only to depart from this world without a trace.

Taking their seats, the two engaged in a relaxed conversation. Because blades were hidden within their hearts aimed at each other, their tongues moved all the more smoothly.

“You seem to have grown even more beautiful.”

“And you have grown even more robust, Association Leader.”

“It is time you got married.”

“If there is a good candidate, please introduce him to me.”

“Your Beauty and talent are so outstanding, Alliance Leader, that finding a suitable match is no easy task.”

“Since you keep praising me like this, my standards only keep rising.”

“Hahaha, of course they should be high!”

The two looked at each other and laughed. Though they were ready to eliminate one another given the chance, warm gazes passed between them as if they were old friends.

At the end of the conversation, Cheon Geuk asked as if the thought had just crossed her mind,

“Ah, speaking of which, I noticed there seems to be a conflict between the local Murim Alliance branch here and the Myth Sect?”

At that, the Leader of the Seven Swords Association replied respectfully:

“I heard there was friction between Hall Master Nam of the Myth Sect and the Munseong Branch.”

“As expected, you were already aware.”

“Naturally, since it’s happening in Zhejiang Province, I keep an eye on it. Did you drop by because of that matter, by any chance?”

“That’s right. Frankly, I came to see you because of that.”

“Please give your command.”

“The Yang Chu family incident… Is your association involved in it by any chance?”

Cheon Geuk fixated her gaze on him as if trying to pierce through him. The Leader of the Seven Swords Association showed no sign of agitation or tension whatsoever.

“How could that be? Absolutely not.”

Cheon Geuk smiled gently and said softly:

“I thought as much. There’s no way you would break the Assassin Law, Association Leader.”

“May I ask why you are taking an interest in that matter?”

“I’ll be frank with you. I received a report.”

“A report?”

“An absurd report claiming that the Seven Swords Association took the contract for the murder of Yang Chu’s family.”

Cheon Geuk didn’t bother trying to deceive him with clumsy tricks. Her opponent was the seasoned, battle-tested Leader of the Seven Swords Association. She judged that telling the truth was a better choice than offering flimsy excuses.

“It is a bogus report. Our association has never broken the Assassin Law.”

“I never believed it from the start.”

“Thank you for trusting us.”

The Leader of the Seven Swords Association was not such a political novice as to say, ‘If you truly believed it, you shouldn’t have come.’

“I know a place that serves fine liquor. Shall we go together?”

“I still have business left to attend to, so let us make it next time.”

“I shall be waiting.”

Just as when she arrived, Cheon Geuk departed alone.

The moment she left, the expression on the Leader of the Seven Swords Association froze cold.

The Second Sword revealed himself at the scene.

“This contract leaked to the outside.”

It was something truly impossible, something that should never have happened.

“It wasn’t from our side.”

The only ones who knew about the contract regarding Yang Chu’s family were the Leader of the Seven Swords Association and Second Sword, who was speaking with him now. Second Sword himself was the one who had personally carried out the assassination, a testament to how critically they had handled this matter.

“She said there was an informant.”

“It seems information leaked from their side.”

“Fools! How on earth did they handle things?”

Truthfully, he had hesitated multiple times over this contract. Slaughtering an entire family without martial arts training was an outright violation of the Assassin Law.

However, the client was the Myth Sect.

They had been the largest client of the Seven Swords Association for the past few years. The loss would be too devastating to give them up. Furthermore, they had offered a sum several times larger than usual for this assignment.

Yet the decisive factor in accepting this contract was his own ambition.

He intended to usurp the position of Leader of the Assassin Alliance in the near future. When the time came to exert all his power, he planned to use the Myth Sect as his backing. Since they had put in a contract to kill Yang Chu’s family, they would have no choice but to help him.

Of course, the Myth Sect might have held a similar thought. The moment the Seven Swords Association violated the Assassin Law, both parties ended up in the same boat.

“We must find the bastard who made the report.”

“I will look into it.”

“Be careful. The Assassin Alliance Leader will be watching us.”

“Yes.”

As Second Sword withdrew, the Leader of the Seven Swords Association walked over to the window.

His heart was in a hurry and he had a long way to go, yet why were there so many blocking his path?

He utterly despised the saying ‘When busy, take the long way around.’ If you’re busy, you should run…why take a detour?

Even over sixty, the heart of the Seven Swords Association Leader was racing forward at this very moment.

—

As the carriage moved far away from the Seven Swords Association, Cheon Geuk finally opened her mouth:

“It’s definitely the work of the Seven Swords Association.”

Dong Seong, seated on the driver’s bench, asked her through the small window at the back:

“How can you be so certain?”

“Given the personality of the Seven Swords Association Leader, if it weren’t their doing, he would have definitely asked about the informant. Even if I refused to tell him, he would have tried to find a clue in my answer somehow. It’s a false accusation involving the Assassin Law, after all. He would have raised a storm, demanding a thorough investigation and punishment for the bogus informant who tarnished their honor.”

“Ah, indeed.”

“Sly old fox as he is, even he couldn’t have expected me to ask about that contract out of nowhere.”

Because she had brought up the matter so abruptly, the old fox had failed to handle it properly.

“Even if it is their doing, finding proof won’t be easy.”

“Presumably.”

Breaking the Assassin Law meant staking one’s life. There was no way they would have left evidence behind.

The assassination itself was likely carried out either by the Leader himself or entrusted to his most trusted confidant. If not, the perpetrator might have been eliminated already.

Lost in thought for a moment, Cheon Geuk spoke to Dong Seong:

“Let’s head back to Baek Socheon.”

—

“Why are you back?”

Those were the first words Baek Socheon uttered to Cheon Geuk upon her return.

“My, aren’t you prickly? If we meet again, offer a greeting first.”

“Not like your face is something I was dying to see.”

“Same here, you know? Why do you think I came back? I came because of work.”

“You figured it out already? Quite impressive.”

“I have to move diligently if I want to avoid seeing a face I dislike.”

“All right, let’s not waste time.”

“It seems certain that the Seven Swords Association took the contract.”

“I already told you that.”

“To find proof that the Seven Swords Association killed Yang Chu’s family, we have to deal with those who broke the Assassin Law. But there’s a problem.”

“What is it?”

“It’s difficult to find proof. Breaking the Assassin Law means death, so they wouldn’t have left evidence easily.”

“Then go turn the place upside down! Interrogate them until they confess. You have at least that much power, don’t you? That’s why I called you.”

“That’s difficult. The Seven Swords Association itself is formidable, and there are many factions within the alliance that support them.”

“So?”

“The proof must be found from the Myth Sect’s side, not the Seven Swords Association. You find the proof for me.”

Staring at her for a moment, Baek Socheon answered readily,

“Fine. I’ll do that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Cheon Geuk found it unexpected. He wasn’t the type to agree so easily.

“You don’t want anything else in return?”

“Of course I do. Nothing in this world is free.”

Thinking ‘I knew it’, she asked back,

“What do you want?”

Baek Socheon brought up a condition she had never anticipated:

“Let me meet Gwang Sal (光殺).”