Reaper of the Drifting Moon

“Keuk!”

Pyo-wol stopped his laughter and vomited blood.

The blood reddened his chest and stomach. The excruciating pain continued on, but Pyo-wol didn’t care.

He was in a very good mood now.

It was because he threw the spark of strife between the Qingcheng and the Emei sect. It didn’t matter whether the two sects would fight a blood-splattering war or suturing awkwardly.

No matter what the outcome would be, it will be impossible to go back to their amiable relationship.

This was his revenge for the Emei sect, who mocked his fate.

He didn’t feel sorry for the Qingcheng sect.

There are no innocent people among those living in Jianghu. Everyone would commit a sin in one way or another as they live by dominating over others.

The Qingcheng sect also could not get out of that category.

So he didn’t regret it. He didn’t even feel guilty.

“Kukuku!”

At the sight of Pyo-wol, who was grinning even in his horribly ruined state, Mu Jeong-jin’s eyebrows rose to the sky.

‘We must immediately get rid of him.’

He felt afraid of Pyo-Wol.

Simply speaking, assassins such as Pyo-wol did not possess any fear. More than his martial arts, Pyo-wol had a quality that stimulated people’s fear.

It was his first time he had ever seen a person with such features.

That was then.

“Master, are you okay?”

“Sabaek!”

The disciples of the Qingcheng sect, including Qing Ming, ran towards Mu Jeong-jin.

They were full of wounds as they broke through the trap triggered by Pyo-wol. Anger appeared on the face of Mu Jeong-jinin as he looked at them. Because some of the disciples were not present.

“Why are there missing children?”

“I apologize. We fell into his trap and some lost their lives.”

Mu Jeong-jin closed his eyes tightly at Qing Ming’s answer.

After a while, when he opened his eyes again, pressure seemed to overflow. It felt so frightening that Jeonghwa and the rest of the Emei disciples retreated back at once.

Mu Jeong-jin, who looked at Pyo-wol for a moment, grabbed his ankle. And began to drag him somewhere.

“A comfortable death for you is a luxury. You must suffer and die in pain worse than hell to atone for those who have been killed by you.”

His cold voice pierced Pyo-wol’s ears.

‘Atonement? Are you kidding me? Then who will compensate me for the seven years that ruined my life?’

Pyo-wol snorted.

He had his back collapsed, broken and torn on the floor. Still, the reason why he didn’t feel any pain was because he had already suffered a greater wound.

Mu Jeong-jin dragged Pyo-wol and headed to the residence of the instructors. To be precise, it was the abode of Lim Sayeol.

The disciples of the Qingcheng sect hurriedly followed Mu Jeong-jin.

Yong Seol-ran said to Jeonghwa.

“Aren’t we supposed to follow him too?”

“Are you crazy? Do you know what kind of anger we’re going to receive if we follow them? We need to get out of here.”

“The situation will not be resolved if we run away like this. It might be better to be honest and ask for a conversation.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Do you know what we have done? All we can do is fight to the end. Do you have any evidence other than the letter?”

“But—”

“Master will be the one to decide. Don’t talk anymore. Let’s go!”

Jeonghwa led the disciples and climbed the rope.

Yong Seol-ran was the last to go. She looked in the direction where Pyo-wol disappeared.

“Huu…”

She soon climbed up the rope leaving only a small sigh.

Mu Jeong-jin said to Qing Ming.

“You too, take your disciples and go out.”

“Pardon? But…”

“If those bastards cut the rope that leads to the outside, we’re going to end up isolated here. So hurry up and stop that situation from happening.”

“Understood!”

Qing Ming answered with a firm expression on his face.

He went straight up to the ground with some of his disciples.

The place where Mu Jeong-jin took Pyo-wol was the newly discovered space beyond the collapsed wall of Lim Sayeol’s residence.

Sssss!

As they crossed the wall, the loud hissing of the snakes resounded.

“Hiick!”

“Eueum!”

The faces of the disciples of the Qingcheng sect turned white when they saw the snake pit using their torch.

The sight of countless snakes wriggling together was so terrible that it was terrifying to even dream of seeing them.

Only then did the disciples of the Qingcheng sect realize why Mu Jeong-jin had brought Pyo-wol here.

Mu Jeong-jin was thinking of throwing Pyo-wol into that snake pit.

He was literally trying to throw him as a prey to the snakes.

Mu Jeong-jin asked,

“You still have no intention of atonement?”

Pyo-wol’s lips twisted and went up.

He didn’t even have the energy to open his mouth anymore. But the meaning behind his smile was clear.

It was a sneer.

Mu Jeong-jin shook his head.

“You are an unworthy human. You do not deserve to breathe in a world like ours. Atone here and die a painful death.”

Huiic!

Mu Jeong-jin picked up Pyo-wol’s body and then threw him into the snake pit.

“Amitabha!¹“

“Heuk!”

The warriors of the Qingcheng sect could not be proud of their actions so they turn their heads

The figure of Pyo-wol, who fell into the snake pit, disappeared in an instant. It was because numerous snakes had already managed to wrap around him and stirred his body.

“Let’s go!”

Mu Jeong-jin said to his disciples without looking back.

“Yes!”

The warriors of the Qingcheng sect hurriedly followed him. Because they didn’t want to see the snakes eating a person who was still breathing.

Sssssshisk!

The sound of snakes enjoying its supper behind them made the situation even more blood-curdling.

Mu Jeong-jin told them,

“As soon as we get out, close this terrible place. No one should be able to enter.”

“Yes!”

Mu Jeong-jin’s eyes shone brilliantly at the response of the warriors.

‘Emei sect! I will never forgive you!’

The only evidence he has was Pyo-wol’s reply and the letter that he had in his arms, but Mu Jeong-jin did not doubt anymore the fact that the Emei sect was behind all these incidents.

Pyo-wol, who had already become prey for snakes, was no longer his concern.

His target was the Emei sect.

“Emei sect! You will soon know that the sword of Qingcheng sect has not rusted.”

* * *

Pyo-wol felt that his body was sinking to the abyss.

In fact, his body was slowly sinking beneath the snake pit. Snakes wrapped around him and crawled.

Pyo-wol was fed up with that terrible feeling, even in the midst of being confused.

The snakes had awakened from their long hibernation and were very hungry. If Pyo-wol had been smaller, he would have devoured it right away. But he was too big to swallow in one bite.

When the snakes couldn’t swallow Pyo-wol, some hasty bastards dug their fangs. As their poison was injected in his body, Pyo-wol felt excruciating pain.

His already dying body trembled in response to the poison. There were different types of poison given the different kinds of snakes.

Different types of poison mixed and reacted within Pyo-wol’s body.

Pyo-wol’s eyes widened at the pain beyond his imagination. The pain was so excruciating that he thought that he would rather die than endure like this.

If it were a normal person, they would have died the moment they were bitten by a snake. However, Pyo-wol was resistant to the snake’s venom.

Although he felt pain, he could not die easily.

Even in his horrible state, his body tried its best to resist the poison.

Rather, his dying body had awakened as the poison entered the body. The poison attacked Pyo-wol’s body and stimulated the natural rebirth.

“Kukhyuk!”

Pyo-wol opened his mouth slightly and let out a rough breath. Then the snakes around him shook.

The other snakes put their fangs on Pyo-wol’s body. Again, Pyo-wol felt indescribable pain as if his body was melting from the newly injected poison.

Pyo-wol’s body trembled. Regardless of his will, his body continued to react.

It was a vicious cycle. He would have snakes stuck their fangs on his body while his body would react in different ways.

Poison gradually accumulated in Pyo-wol’s body as numerous poisons attacked the inside of his body.

His spirit grew clearer as the pain felt more vivid.

Pyo-wol became unable to both live or die. He just suffered from the countless snake bites.

His face and body became swollen from snake venom.

He wanted to scream as much as he could. But the moment he opened his mouth wide, the fear that a snake might crawl into his throat made his teeth clench.

Pyo-wol thought desperately.

‘If I go on like this, I will die.’

Even though his body was resistant to poison, he was still human.

He couldn’t stand the poison being injected indiscriminately.

His body had already reached its limit.

If a snake bites anymore than this, it is clear that his body will be out of balance and he would end up dying.

So before that happens, he had to figure out a way.

At that moment, the first thing that popped into his head was the first snake that bit him in the underground room. Back then he couldn’t even guess where the snake came from, but it seemed like it probably escaped from this pit.

The snake was perfectly adapted to the darkness.

‘I have to adapt like that snake.’

Similarly with how the small snake adapted to the darkness in order to live, Pyo-wol had to adapt to the snake den in order survive.

‘I have to think like a snake, breathe like a snake, and move like a snake. That’s the only way to survive.’

Quak!

Again, he felt pain in his ankle. Another snake has bitten his ankle.

There was no area where his body was not full of snake-bite marks. Wherever the snake bites the area becomes undoubtedly swollen.

Having a painful area was actually fine. The most unbearable part for him was the itchy area. Some poisons caused an unbearable itching layer.

It would have been better if he could scratch it with his hand, but it was clear that moving his body even a little bit would irritate the snakes, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and put up with it.

Pyo-wol held his breath.

Simply weakening his breathing was not enough.

He had to breathe like a snake.

Pyo-wol tried to feel the snake’s breath with his eyes closed.

It would have been normally impossible.

But now it soon became possible.

Because Pyo-wol’s spirit was clearer than ever.

His body, which was seriously injured and suffered from various snake venoms, was unable to move like a stone statue, so his senses were more sensitive than usual.

Sreuk! Srreuk!

Countless snakes wrapped around him, and a terrifying sound echoed.

Some of them choked Pyo-wol’s neck, while the smaller ones tried to enter the body through Pyo-wol’s nostrils and ears.

Fortunately, such an incident did not happen, but for Pyo-wol, it was a horrifying xperience.

“Ssss–!”

A voice resembling a snake came out of Pyo-wol’s mouth.

As he forcibly tried to breathe like a snake, a similar sound came out.

In an instant, the snakes covering Pyo-wol’s body responded to his voice.

He looked like he was thinking of something.

Not just one or two, but tens of thousands of snakes having its head raised up close would be terrifying.

But Pyo-wol didn’t even think of that.

It was because he had his eyes closed and his whole mind was focused on breathing like a snake.

In the meantime, he had his body bitten several more times.

Now that his body has reached its limit, his breathing became even more ragged. Still, Pyo-wol desperately tried to imitate the snake’s breath.

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

At some point, Pyo-wol’s breathing stabilized.

Ssss!

The sound of a snake’s breath was coming out of his mouth. It wasn’t perfect, but it was able to somehow imitate a snake’s breath.

Snakes breathe differently from humans.

Whereas humans breathe by inhaling and exhaling all of the air in their lungs, snakes always leave about half of the air in the lungs.

By leaving extra air in the lungs, they were able to hold their breath for much longer.

Pyo-wol also found out about that fact while imitating the breath of a snake.

The more he knew about the snake, the more amazing he found the creature was. There were no body parts that were useless to snakes. The reptile was specialized in survival.

He thought it was exactly the same as him.

Strong patience and stamina, as well as tenacity and venom were the snake’s characteristics that were similar to him.

His fear of snakes disappeared. Even as he was buried in an insurmountable number of snakes, he did not feel any discomfort.

Pyo-wol soon fell asleep comfortably for the first time buried in a number of snakes.

Editor’s Notes

Sssssssee you in the ~ sss~

1. Amitabha. 무량수불. It is what monks usually say. It means Infinite Light.