Chapter 50. He, No—She
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What do death and moonlight have in common?
It is that when the time comes, they visit everyone in the world equally.
No matter how hard one tries to avoid it, like the shadow of death that follows all under heaven, the moonlight illuminating the Namgung Family was, naturally, also shining brightly upon places beyond it.
The summit of Ascending Dragon Mountain.
Of course, the moon poured its light fully here as well.
Bathed completely in that glow, two people stood with their long shadows trailing behind them.
Among them, Pa Gahyeol, a man in black clothes with a languid expression, was the first to open his mouth. With his arms folded, he was staring toward the Namgung Family in the distance, and even as he spoke, he did not shift his gaze elsewhere.
"Shadow Shifter... or should I call you Do Heo-ok now? Well, it doesn't really matter. Why don't I hear your excuse from here on out?"
Beside him stood Do Heo-ok, a man with a tall and handsome appearance.
The blue robe Do Heo-ok wore had long since lost its original color from being soaked in so much blood. It had turned so black that it was nearly indistinguishable from the black garments Pa Gahyeol wore. Just by looking at his appearance, one could easily guess how fiercely he had fought throughout the day. Even so, most of that blood belonged to others.
Do Heo-ok, like Pa Gahyeol, spoke while gazing toward the Namgung Family.
"Ashen Shadow, you speak as if I completely failed."
"Is that not the case? Even if they were outer shadows rather than true shadows, four shadows died without gaining anything of note. And the mere fact that you, Shadow Shifter, are standing here beside me flapping your gums already means the First Stratagem failed long ago. The First Stratagem could only succeed when you were a hero capable of becoming the focal point of the orthodox path. But now, when you've been trampled like a stray dog by village brats and do nothing but wag your tongue, that alone means the stratagem is already over."
Do Heo-ok let out a soft chuckle at Pa Gahyeol's somewhat loosened tone and replied.
"You're only half right. It's true that the core of the First Stratagem is for me to become a hero of the orthodox path. But just because I'm standing here in this form doesn't mean I can't become that hero."
"What do you mean by that? Don't tell me you plan to slaughter everyone in the Namgung Family and then declare yourself their successor?"
Pa Gahyeol, who had been staring lazily at the Namgung Family, turned his head to look at Do Heo-ok.
"If that's what you're thinking, drop it right now. The scraps of the orthodox path value the nameplates of families and sects more than anything. They might acknowledge you as a capable expert, but they'll never see you as the successor who will revive the Namgung Family. If you had learned the Namgung Family's martial arts, it might be different, but as things stand now, it's impossible."
"Is that so?"
Pa Gahyeol clicked his tongue lightly at Do Heo-ok's indifferent response.
"Tch, whatever. Enough of this petty excuse-making. It's not like you. Gwangun hasn't changed one bit even after meeting him again after over ten years, but you, Shadow Shifter, have become completely pathetic. Just clean out the Namgung Family and those hangers-on, then return to headquarters, report the truth to Him, and await your punishment. Wouldn't that be more like you...? Huh!? You...?"
Pa Gahyeol was in the middle of urging Do Heo-ok to admit his fault when he suddenly shut his mouth, his face filled with shock.
Crack, crunch.
That was because Do Heo-ok's face and body were suddenly twisting and changing grotesquely.
Crack, thud, crunch...
A moment later.
The handsome man named Do Heo-ok vanished from where he had stood, and in his place stood a peerless beauty.
Do Heo-ok—no, an unknown beautiful woman—smiled shyly and flirtatiously at Pa Gahyeol.
"How about this? In this form, wouldn't I be able to become the successor of the Namgung Family without even needing a witness named Namgung Hye, and without learning the Namgung Family's martial arts?"
The voice of Do Heo-ok, now transformed into a peerless beauty, was also unmistakably that of a woman, leaving Pa Gahyeol dumbfounded.
"... Don't tell me, that appearance right now is!?"
"Yes. This young lady is called Namgung Hye."
Indeed. The figure bowing her head shyly was none other than Namgung Hye—the woman who, just moments ago, had been engaged to him in a hundred-year oath.
At that sight, Pa Gahyeol burst into laughter.
"Kekekeke, hahahahaha. My apologies. I retract what I just said. You're exactly the same as ever..."
"The same?"
"A madman. Heh heh."
Ordinarily, calling someone a madman is an insult. But when it came from Pa Gahyeol—no, Ashen Shadow—it was the highest praise.
The true shadows and the true clouds had all personally received martial arts instruction from the Martial Founder. Each of them possessed some exceptional trait, and that was why they were chosen by him.
The Martial Founder passed down martial arts to each shadow and cloud that maximized those traits. Some had even reached the pinnacle of their specialized arts.
Ashen Shadow's word "madman" was a special term reserved precisely for such people.
Do Heo-ok—no, Shadow Shifter—knew this well, and from that word alone, he could tell that Ashen Shadow fully understood the meaning of his transformation.
"A family wiped out. Vengeance for a man who, before dying, passed on all the advancements of the thunder blade and even his internal energy to her. And on top of that, this woman originally knew no martial arts at all. No one would suspect—no, no one could suspect—that Namgung Hye doesn't know the Namgung Family's martial arts. Wouldn't you say this is more than enough to continue the First Stratagem, Ashen Shadow?"
The respectful tone 'she' had used had already returned to Shadow Shifter's original manner of speech. In response, Ashen Shadow burst out laughing once more.
"Kekekeke, hahahahaha. Good, good. Very good."
At Ashen Shadow's laughter, Shadow Shifter laughed along as well.
"Hahahaha. Ah, no, that won't do. From now on, I should laugh like this, shouldn't I? Hohohohoho!"
The two laughed like that for quite some time.
At some point, Ashen Shadow stopped laughing and, while subtly scanning Shadow Shifter from top to bottom, spoke in a suggestive tone.
"Still, Namgung Hye really is beautiful. Even knowing you're a man, my lower half is getting restless."
At those words, Shadow Shifter abruptly stopped her feminine laughter and took on a murderous expression.
From her mouth flowed a sinister, grotesque voice that the real Namgung Hye could never have produced.
"If you do not immediately restore that filthy object to its original state, you will never let it get restless again. I will, right here and now, cut it off beau-ti-ful-ly."
Ashen Shadow knew well that Shadow Shifter was joking.
Still, that didn't mean he could keep drooling over a man who merely looked like a woman.
He swallowed his dry saliva once and had no choice but to calm the third leg hanging below his waist.
At that moment.
Kiiiaaak.
From far up in the sky, a hawk appeared and flew rapidly toward them.
In an instant, it reached the summit of Ascending Dragon Mountain, circled briefly above their heads, then began a sharp descent toward them. Judging by its expanding figure, it was not the same species as the Blood-Sweating Horse Falcon Ashen Shadow had released to hunt messenger pigeons.
"Ring Hawk?"
The hawk was a Ring Hawk, a bird raised by a fairly well-known organization in the Martial World to regularly exchange information in place of messenger pigeons.
Both Ashen Shadow and Shadow Shifter knew the owner of that organization well.
It was Water Shadow.
The last of the seven shadows mobilized for this First Stratagem, and the only one not present here.
The arrival of a Ring Hawk meant the time to begin had drawn near.
Restoring his original exceedingly languid expression, Ashen Shadow raised one arm horizontally.
Shaaak, flap flap.
The Ring Hawk slowed into a glide and landed on his arm.
A small, elongated tube was tied to the hawk's leg.
Pop.
Ashen Shadow removed the tube and immediately opened its lid.
As the air packed inside escaped, it made a light sound. Inside was a single sheet of paper, upon which was written briefly:
[Float.]
The moment Ashen Shadow confirmed the contents, he ignited purifying fire and burned the paper away. Then, in a languid voice, he tossed out a single remark.
"It's afloat."
Though the words seemed to lack context, Shadow Shifter understood immediately.
"Already? Well, I suppose it's not really 'already.' The plan to commence on the full moon was disrupted in the first place, so there's nothing strange about the ship setting sail now."
Rip.
Ashen Shadow suddenly tore the hem of his trousers and poked holes into it with his finger. Shadow Shifter knew exactly what he was doing and merely watched in silence.
A moment later, the single character 'Begin' was carved into the fabric.
Ashen Shadow rolled up the cloth, placed it into the tube, and tied it back onto the Ring Hawk's leg.
Then he immediately sent the hawk flying back into the sky.
Watching the Ring Hawk soar away, Ashen Shadow grinned.
The impending feast of blood. The anticipation of it made his chest thrum.
"Then I suppose I should move sooner than planned. What about you, Shadow Shifter? Will you stay here and join me?"
Shadow Shifter shook her head at once.
"No. I'll follow that hawk."
"To Water Shadow? Why? This side looks far more fun."
"You don't know what you're talking about. That side will be far more entertaining. I guarantee it."
"How so? Ah? Because of Tang Wu? Come on, one person isn't enough to match the weight of the Namgung Family."
"Well, one might not be enough—but two would be a different story."
"Two? Ah! That light from last night?"
Ashen Shadow quickly realized who Shadow Shifter meant.
"Yes, that light. He's not from the Namgung Family, so he'll definitely head that way. I didn't see the light myself, but from what I heard, his cultivation should be at least on the level of the Three Eccentric Gods. He might... even be one of the real Three Eccentric Gods. Or perhaps their successor. If not, he'd at least be a reclusive expert."
"Damn it. Hearing that makes that side even more tempting."
"Just wrap things up properly here. Leave everything on that side to me and Water Shadow."
"But listen. If that tremendous flash last night was truly created purely by cultivation power... even you and Water Shadow together won't be able to defeat him."
"Probably. But... wouldn't that be fun in its own way? Haha... hoho."
Ending with a laugh that made it hard to tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman, Shadow Shifter bent her knees. She was preparing to leap away.
The direction she set was south, toward Chaohu, where the Ring Hawk had disappeared moments earlier.
Just as she was about to straighten her knees and leap—
"Oh, by the way, Shadow Shifter, be careful on the way. I've scattered my people all around this area. As you know, the Heavenly Demon Castle's lot are extremely rough."
Shadow Shifter replied with a faint smile.
At the same time, her beautiful face and slender figure began to distort.
Crack-crack, crunch, crack, snap...
Before long, Namgung Hye vanished, and in her place was a man kneeling deeply, wearing an exceedingly languid expression.
"Is this good enough? Heh heh heh."
Face, tone, laughter—everything was far too similar to himself.
Ashen Shadow could only let out a hollow laugh at Shadow Shifter's new appearance.
Pop!
Shadow Shifter finally departed from the summit of Ascending Dragon Mountain.
Watching him leave, Ashen Shadow shook his head and muttered to himself.
"Gwangun's unlucky enough, but that guy's just as unlucky. The meanings are very different, though. Still, if he was going to turn into me, shouldn't he have changed into my clothes too? He could've changed here before transforming. Kekeke."
With that lewd remark, Ashen Shadow also vanished from the scene.
The ship had set sail, and the Martial Founder's grand plan—which had briefly gone off track—began to flow once more.
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