The moon hung low and silver above the bamboo forest, casting swaying shadows across the temple grounds. A chill wind passed through the leaves.
Ssshhh... Ssshhh...
"How many?" Sun-Ho asked, eyes never leaving the treeline.
The young monk from earlier panted, trying to steady himself. "Five... maybe six. I didn't sense all of them until they were right at the perimeter."
So-Ri drew her fans. "They're not amateurs."
"No," Master Jang murmured, his expression calm but his fingers twitching near his scabbard. "Professional killers. Someone doesn't like our little diplomatic excursion."
Sun-Ho motioned to Yeon and the monk. "Take the inner path. Warn the other elders. Do not engage."
Ji-Mun cracked his knuckles. "Been a while since I had a good nighttime brawl."
Yul-Rin, tying her sleeves tighter, scoffed. "Try not to scare them off with your breath."
Ma-Rok, massive and silent, simply stepped between them and the forest.
---
The Clash Beneath the Bamboo
Without a sound, shadows dropped from the canopy above.
Thump. Swish. Whffft!
Daggers flew.
Sun-Ho deflected one with a flick of his sleeve. Ji-Mun parried two more with the flat of his blade, grinning. "And here I thought monks were pacifists."
The attackers were cloaked, faces covered in silken veils, moving with snake-like grace. Each carried twin crescent blades dipped in something faintly glowing.
"Poisoned," Yul-Rin muttered.
"Oh, lovely," Ji-Mun said, ducking under a swipe. "Yul-Rin, darling?"
"Already working on it," she replied, launching a small needle that struck an attacker square in the shoulder. The man stiffened mid-step.
Thunk!
So-Ri moved like a storm through branches, her fans slicing wind and flesh alike.
Skrreeee! Clang!
Meanwhile, Sun-Ho engaged two at once, limiting his strength to mid-Inner Core realm. Their movements were precise—but predictable. His footwork danced between them like smoke.
Tap. Step. Crack!
A knee to one's gut, a wrist twisted mid-strike, a cloak caught on a fallen branch.
One attacker hissed, "Who are you?"
Sun-Ho's eyes gleamed. "Just a humble guide."
He struck the assassin's pressure point and spun him into a tree.
Thud!
Ma-Rok, meanwhile, tanked a flurry of blows and simply headbutted his opponent.
KWA-DOK!
"Done already?" he grunted.
The tide quickly turned. Three assassins were down. The remaining two retreated into the bamboo.
Sun-Ho raised a hand. "Let them go."
"Why?" So-Ri asked.
He stepped forward. "Because they're not the message. They're the envelope."
---
A Warning Unfolded
Later, with the captured assassin bound beneath the gaze of the elders, Sun-Ho stood in the candlelit temple hall.
The man remained silent until Master Jang poured a drop of his famous plum wine on the floor beside him.
The scent alone made the assassin gag.
"Talk," said Master Jang. "Or I'll make you clean every blade in this sect with your breath."
The man coughed. "We were sent by the Silent Fang... hired blades from Crimson Ink Pavilion."
Gasps rippled across the chamber.
Sun-Ho narrowed his gaze. "And who paid them?"
The assassin shook his head. "We weren't told. Only that someone in the Five Great Clans wanted the boy silenced... or tested."
The elder monk stepped forward. "Then your actions have failed."
Sun-Ho added, "But your message was received. And I will return one of my own soon."
---
Campfire Tension
That night, the party sat in silence around a flickering fire.
Yul-Rin cleaned her poisoned needles meticulously.
"We can't keep moving like this," she said. "Sooner or later, they'll guess our route."
"Then let them," Sun-Ho replied. "I'm done hiding in daylight."
"He's thinking of using the masked persona again," So-Ri said softly.
Ji-Mun huffed. "So dramatic. We need a second tent just for his secret identity's ego."
Even Ma-Rok chuckled.
Sun-Ho leaned back, gazing at the stars. "They fear the Sovereign. Let's give them reason to."
Master Jang raised a brow. "And what will your masked self do now?"
Sun-Ho looked into the fire. "He'll visit the Crimson Ink Pavilion. And politely suggest they change professions."
So-Ri whispered, "You're planning something dangerous."
He gave a tired smile. "Isn't that how legends begin?"
---
A Final Note from the Night
As the party turned in for the night, Yeon stood near the edge of the trees, gazing up at the moon.
Sun-Ho approached silently. "Couldn't sleep?"
Yeon shrugged.
"Me neither," Sun-Ho said, offering a warm smile. "Big moves ahead. The kind that change everything."
Yeon didn't respond, but his eyes flicked toward Sun-Ho's.
"Stay close. Tomorrow, we start sending messages."
End of Chapter 41