Nano Machine

“Ambushed?”

It seemed looking from the left shoulder, Yang Danwa wasn’t in good state. Yang Danwa turned his pale face toward the barn.

“I was on my way to tend to horses, and the old man of the inn killed a man.”

“Killed?”

Another group of warriors then quickly ran toward the barn. There was the old man who died within the barn.

“L-leader!”

Three people were shocked to see the dead man, their leader down at the barn. The man said he will go ask questions to the old man, but was found dead. While they were sad and angry, one of them searched through the man but they couldn’t find the orange tag.

“No! It’s not here!”

They then began to search the area and quickly ran to where Yang Danwa was at and asked.

“D-did the old man kill our leader here?”

“Ugh… y-yes. I saw it with my own eyes. He then ran toward the creek when you all were coming out.”

“No! Get ready!”

“Yes, sir!”

Three of them were only thinking on finding the old man, who were responsible for their leader’s death and stolen orange tag. It was night of heavy rain, but they got the horses out and took their dead leader and left the inn. Monks from Mudan clan tried to stop them as the rain was too heavy, but there was no use. Mu Jinja seemed dumbfounded from what happened and shook his head.

“To God almighty… how can this happen?”

He had known the old man for years, but he couldn’t believe that the old man was actually a powerful warrior and killed one of his guest. They too thought of asking the old man regarding questions, so they also thought they were bit lucky.

“He’s losing too much blood. I should return to my room and rest him.”

“Yes, of course.”

Yeowun helped Yang Danwa inside the room, and one of monks from Mudan clan whispered to Mu Jinja.

“Did you see him, brother?”

“…Yes.”

“It’s a skin mask.”

They realized Yeowun had a skin mask over his face. There was no way they would not recognize the skin mask that had twisted slightly through the rain.

“Do you think they are actually behind the killing of the man, and possibly the old man?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

A monk asked to Mu Jinja and another monk who had looked closely at Yeowun and Danwa’s blade spoke out.

“Brother Mu is right. Both of them uses blade. But the dead man had sword wound.”

“Oh.”

But even if Yeowun wasn’t the suspect, it didn’t mean he wasn’t suspicious with a skin mask. This Sword Creek was a place of secrets after all. Mu Jinja then looked up to the nightsky with heavy rain and thunders roaring through.

“It seems treacherous wind is blowing through the Sword Creek yet again.”

Early next morning, the heavy rain fall stopped as if it had never rained. Birds chirped from all around, and it didn’t seem there will be any more rain. It was a good news to those who were planning to leave. Yeowun’s group prepared to leave before the dawn. Yeowun planned to leave early, as he overheard Mudan clan monks talking about him yesterday night, and thought they are growing suspicious. But…

‘They left already?’

When Yeowun woke up early in the morning, the rain slowed down and monks from Mudan clan quickly left the inn. They left quietly, trying to not let anyone know that they were leaving.

‘Is it because about what happened yesterday?’

After the incident last night, Yeowun and monks of Mudan clan woke up the kitchen staff so that they can ask who the old man was.

“I-I don’t know anything, sir! I’m telling the truth!’

Unlike the old man, the kitchen staff was just an ordinary man who have not learned any martial art. What’s interesting was that the old man disappeared about five days a month ago and returned.

‘He-he did seem like strange after that but…’

The old man was weird in many ways originally, so the kitchen staff thought it wasn’t much of a deal. Yeowun then realized that the man he fought had came to this inn about month ago, faking himself as a old man. The five days was probably days for the man to create a mask of dead old man. But after knowing that they realized the old man was changed a month ago, monks of Mudan clan became grim.

[Brother! It is matches the date when we lost contact with him!]

[…We should make haste then.]

Yeowun thought there had been something going on, after tapping into their telepathic message. It seemed their quick leave was related to what they have said.

‘If they went to the Sword Creek, I’ll find out soon.’

Yeowun felt like he will know. As he waited outside the barn, Fourth Elder Yang Danwa and Hu Bong quietly came out of the inn. They were carrying food and water they got from the kitchen. Yang Danwa was still pale from the wound.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, master. But I can do my part.”

“Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

Yang Danwa tended to his internal damage by meditating through the night, but the wound on his shoulder was too severe. AT least it was left shoulder, that allowed him to use the blade. Hu Bong, who had been sleeping through, was able to find out what happened after being told by Yang Danwa early in the morning.

“I-I’ll take out horses.”

“You do that, Lieutenant Hu.”

Hu Bong felt sorry for not even realizing what happened and lowered his head. He then met his eyes with Mun Ku. But Mun Ku blushed instantly and turned away to avoid meeting eyes with Hu Bong.

Hu Bong grinned.

‘She did it.’