Chapter 156

Chapter 156
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**Chapter 156: Five Ri Chui-dal**

“Ugh, ugh! I suffered through that hellish ordeal just so I could stand by and help you, brother—how can you treat your own little brother so cruelly!”

Chui-dal wept in a piteous, heartrending way, his wails echoing through the spacious guest chamber. Any ordinary soul who heard him would have felt sympathy stir in their chest, even without knowing who he was.

But—

“Chui-dal, oh Chui-dal… Chui-dal, where ‘Chui’ means ugly and ‘Dal’ means otter. You look even more hideous when you cry.”

The sobbing cut off instantly. Chui-dal stared at Yang-hui, completely stunned, unable to utter a single word.

*Wait—here I am, pouring my heart out and blubbering like this, and that’s what he says?*

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Chui-dal realized something else: aside from his master Yeo Un-hyeok, even Je-gal Seol-ha and A-du showed not a flicker of pity on their faces.

A-du was simply shoveling rice cakes from the table into his mouth as fast as he could. Je-gal Seol-ha watched on with bright, unmasked curiosity, as though she had stumbled upon something utterly fascinating.

*Fine, the monk A-du—I can understand him—but even the young lady of the Je-gal Clan? Could it be that my sworn brother’s disciples are all cold-blooded through and through?*

“Seol-ha can read people’s true feelings, you know. Your act’s been found out.”

“…Tch.”

Chui-dal brushed away his tears in the blink of an eye, then sat cross-legged and fixed Yang-hui with a sharp glare.

“Come on, it’s been ages since we saw each other—weren’t you the least bit moved? You’re as calm and unshaken as ever.”

“Listen, do you really think I don’t know you inside out by now?”

Right from the start, Chui-dal carried a tragic past: he had lost his father and been taken and raised in an assassin’s sect. It would have been perfectly understandable if he had shed real tears at a little teasing. Yang-hui chuckled, then went on.

“Even when you’re putting on an act, you ought to know where to draw the line. Here we are, in front of a young lady you’ve only just met, and you’re playing the part of the poor, wronged brother, weeping fake tears to win her sympathy and favour.”

“N-no—that’s not what I was doing at all! I only meant to fool you, brother!”

Chui-dal clasped his hands together, bowing and scraping like a humble errand runner, then turned toward Je-gal Seol-ha. “Heh heh—Je-gal Young… no, Sister Je-gal! It’s me, Hu-i, your brother’s younger brother, greeting you again. You aren’t cross with me, are you?”

To his surprise, Je-gal Seol-ha accepted the new title readily.

“I’m far more broad-minded than certain people, so don’t worry about it.”

“Ah, just as I thought—some folk live in a grand house like this and yet stay so petty. Tsk, tsk.”

“Ahaha—you really are as entertaining as everyone says.”

“Did my brother just praise me? Surely not.”

“Every word was a jab, but it was thoroughly enjoyable to listen to.”

“You can twist things and turn them however you like—the truth still shines through. Anyway, you’re my sister now, so you can speak to me casually from now on!”

“Is that so? Then I shall call you Chui-dal as well.”

“Wonderful, sister!”

*Hmm… Seol-ha isn’t the sort to open up to people easily, and Chui-dal isn’t either. Why do they get along so well, all of a sudden?*

From Seol-ha’s point of view, it was easy enough to see why she would take to him: he could not see into her heart directly, but Chui-dal was the loyal sort, the kind who had stood faithfully by his side until his very last moment in his past life—a man of true and sterling character.

As for Chui-dal… well, there was no one alive who could keep a cold distance from Je-gal Seol-ha.

A faint prickle of unease crept over him. *What if later on they team up against me? Ganging up on me together because they’re so thick now?*

Teasing Chui-dal was one of life’s simple pleasures, and a shared front would take all the fun out of it. He decided it was time to turn to more serious matters.

“Still, that was impressive. How did you manage it? Weeping so convincingly on command must take endless practice.”

“It’s one of our sect’s secret techniques. If you can control every muscle in your face, summoning a few tears is nothing at all.”

Chui-dal’s shoulders puffed out with pride, and Yang-hui offered another compliment to keep him going.

“Your Stealth Skill is remarkably polished too. Even leaving Lady Yeo aside, I didn’t sense your presence at all.”

It was praise given freely, yet it was also true: his senses were sharp, but all he had picked up in the room were the familiar auras of those already present—he had not detected Chui-dal’s at all.

“I never imagined even you could hide your aura so completely from me. Your Stealth Skill has reached a truly profound level.”

“Hahaha! Our sect’s Stealth Skill is the finest under heaven—of course you wouldn’t notice me, brother!”

Chui-dal held his head so high his nose was practically pointing skyward.

*Poor boy—you’ve gone through gruelling, hellish training, and yet you’re still just a child at heart. So easy to read.*

He spoke then with genuine warmth.

“All right, all right. You’ve worked incredibly hard all this time—truly, I mean that.”

There was no jest in his tone now, and Chui-dal looked properly touched, if only for a moment.

“…Thanks. Though to be honest, I’m still only a low-tier first-rate at best.”

“That’s true.”

“Tch—I half-expected you’d soften up and apologise for teasing me after something like that.”

“Why would I fall for the same trick twice? Your intentions are far too obvious.” Yang-hui turned then to Yeo Un-hyeok, who had been watching their banter with a fond smile. “I take it word was sent from the Baek-ri Branch to let you know I was coming?”

“Indeed it was. We planned it as a surprise.”

Good—so Yeo Un-hyeok and Chui-dal were still hidden assets. If Namgung Cheon-hu had no idea they had returned, that was an advantage he could use. And their abilities seemed even stronger than he had hoped.

“I hate to ask as soon as you’re back, but I need your help. Let’s eat first, and we can talk properly.”

As they shared the warm meal set before them, Yang-hui laid out the Baek Clan’s current predicament.

“You’ve likely heard from the Baek-ri Branch already, but our real enemy within the main house isn’t the unorthodox paths—it’s those curs of the Namgung Clan.”

“And you tell us this the moment this old man and his disciple step through the door… you want us to keep watch?”

“Precisely.”

To bring Namgung Cheon-hu down, they needed one thing above all else: irrefutable proof that he was colluding with the unorthodox paths. Moving against the young heir of one of the Five Great Clans would require justification that absolute.

“Pavilion Lord, if you were to take this on personally, you could monitor Namgung Cheon-hu’s every move.”

Yeo Un-hyeok smiled gently and gestured toward Chui-dal. “My disciple would be better suited to this task than I am.”

Yang-hui looked at him in confusion. Namgung Cheon-hu and the Heavenly Sword Brigade were all masters at the peak of their power—surely Yeo Un-hyeok, who stood in the peak realm himself, would be far better than Chui-dal, who was only low-tier first-rate?

“My cultivation is higher, it is true, but my disciple has inherited the Shadow Thrust lineage fully, young master.”

Chui-dal thumped his chest proudly. “Didn’t I tell you? I’d come back from my training completely changed.”

“He speaks the truth,” Yeo Un-hyeok confirmed. “He is still young, but his skill surpasses my own—at least in the secret arts of Shadow Thrust, such as Stealth Skill.”

Yeo Un-hyeok had joined the Spirit Ghost Sect late in life, and had never fully mastered its full inheritance. Chui-dal, by contrast, had been gifted from the start—this was the man who would be known as Baek-ri Chui-dal in the years to come.

*Though for now, only about five ri…* he mused. “Very well. Let’s see what Five Ri Chui-dal is truly capable of.”

“Ugh—why did you have to add ‘Five Ri’ all of a sudden? I’m sick of being called just plain Chui-dal!”

“If it bothers you that much, train harder and make it Ten Ri. A Hundred Ri. A Thousand Ri.”

“Tch. Just you wait and see, brother.”

The lighthearted tone faded. Yang-hui met his gaze seriously.

“Chui-dal—if you are caught, you will not leave there alive. Are you certain you can do this?”

Chui-dal’s expression hardened to match his.

“Absolutely. Trust me, brother.”

“Good. I do.”

“Eh? What’s this—you actually saying you trust me, just like that?”

Yang-hui gave a faint, knowing smile. “It’s not as simple as all that.”

*From our past life to this very moment, I have never once doubted you.*

Je-gal Seol-ha sat quietly, watching the two of them, and a sudden, sharp pang of jealousy rose within her. *Does senior brother… trust me that way too?* It seemed she would not be sleeping well tonight. She would have to redouble her efforts on the project she had been developing alongside these past three months of training.

*Senior brother—your junior disciple is me.*

A junior disciple, vying for her senior brother’s attention against his sworn brother…

—

The Cheongha Pavilion stood within the Baek Clan Manor, set aside as a guest residence—and it was where Namgung Cheon-hu was staying.

*Sneaking into my own home to catch a fox in the henhouse…* Chui-dal vaulted over the outer wall, making his way toward the pavilion, Stealth Skill fully active. None of the guards so much as lifted their heads.

*The Discipline Pavilion Lord is going to have someone’s head over this later.* The head of the estate guards was Kwak Mun, a man who followed rules to the letter—there would be quite the fuss when he found out.

*Should be fun.* Chui-dal grinned to himself as he climbed one of the wooden pillars and pulled himself up onto the roof.

*As master taught me: every building has three ways in—the main door, the windows, and the vents.* Every structure had openings for air; without them, the wood would rot from within. Only places like Shaolin’s scripture vault, built with secrecy in mind, were different.

Chui-dal slipped through a ventilation grille and found himself in the narrow space above Namgung Cheon-hu’s quarters. The passages were tight and winding, far too small for most people to move quickly through—but Chui-dal moved faster than a running man, squeezing through gaps that should have been impossible.

*Body-Swap Trace-Erasing Art*—the ultimate technique of infiltration and stealth. The supreme secret art of the Spirit Ghost Sect, it fused Stealth Skill and Bone Shrinkage into something unmatched, letting him alter his shape and erase his presence entirely. Layered with the Asura Hell Great Law, it let him slip through cracks as thin as a cat, or creep through crevices like a shadow—completely invisible.

A low voice drifted up from below. Chui-dal focused his energy, sharpening his hearing to a razor’s edge.

“In three days.”

*Three days…* The ceiling was made of woven wooden planks, with fine gaps between the slats. He wove Heavenly Silken Threads through the crack and guided them downward with his qi—another secret art of the Spirit Ghost Sect: *Silken Shadow Knots*. The technique could control ten threads at once, and served purposes far beyond combat.

*Got it.* Through the threads, he could see clearly into the room beneath.

Namgung Cheon-hu sat alone, holding a letter in his hands. Chui-dal noticed immediately that he looked different from the last time he had seen him, months ago—there was something darker, heavier about him.

“Kill… I will kill him. Cheon-yeong… my brother… Baek Yang-hui… how could you… Father… why did you do this to me… Heavens, why… Defile… yes, I will defile everything… even if my hands are stained forever… Heavenly Sword Brigade… Namgung Clan… Tang Clan… they must all be dealt with… Baek Yang-hui… Baek Yang-hui… Baek Yang-hui… Baek Yang-hui…”

He spoke in disjointed fragments, as though talking to no one at all, his words unconnected and wild. It was more than just anxiety; there was something deeply, ominously wrong about it. *Is he possessed by some evil spirit?* The thought sent a chill down his spine.

Then, abruptly, the rambling stopped.

“I will have it. In three days.”

*Three days… this is important.* Pushing further would be dangerous—Namgung Cheon-hu was a peak realm master, after all—but Chui-dal wanted something concrete to show his brother, something that would make him proud. He extended the threads further, pouring every ounce of his skill into *Body-Swap Trace-Erasing Art*, guiding them to hover just above Namgung Cheon-hu’s head, angling to read the letter he held.

Written there were four lines:
**Two Hundred**
**Three Days**
**Open Gate**
**Annihilate**