The meeting with the King concluded with a modest banquet.
All the guests departed, and Jun returned to his daily life, but that didn't mean everything was peaceful.
Why wouldn't it be?
An impending storm loomed over Qin, casting its shadow across all of China. The current situation resembled the calm before the storm.
At that moment, Qin, which had begun warring for the unification of the warring states, would likely intensify its efforts as the days passed.
Jun's army also needed to prepare for the battles ahead, as it was almost certain that Qin's carefully constructed defenses would be breached by their enemies.
In the heart of a small village near the border and the Kankoku Pass, during a brief peace of uncertain duration, Jun took a moment to visit the villages that his soldiers had cleared of criminals.
His purpose was to check on the villagers' well-being and, at the same time, locate Chen, who should have been somewhere nearby.
"It's been a while. You look much better."
A peaceful smile appeared on Chen's face when they finally reunited.
Having shed the burdens and regrets of his past, the old man had become someone capable of showing a warm smile—and he was doing just that.
Jun returned the smile, feeling a warmth inside from Chen's expression.
"It's all thanks to you, Chen."
He didn't say this out of mere politeness.
He had learned much from his encounter with Chen.
The first thing that came to mind was the complete unification of the assassin clans in Zhao.
Even without that, he had gained significant insight through the sequence of events that unfolded during his journey to Zhao.
It was valuable enlightenment that couldn't be measured in gold, and at the same time, it was wisdom that had shaped who he was now.
"How's taking care of the village?"
"It's going well. Now that I've set aside the sword, I feel renewed inside."
Chen laughed heartily. His body had lost so much muscle mass that he was hardly recognizable as the assassin who once terrorized every clan.
But now, Chen, who felt he had fulfilled his life's purpose, had volunteered to protect the weak who had been abused for decades without anyone intervening.
However, Jun found nothing regrettable about Chen's decision.
He had come to understand that there were things far more important than honor and glory.
"I'm glad to hear that."
"I heard the war has begun. Are you sure you can hold back the bastards if they breach the walls?" Chen asked a rather delicate question.
"I'm certain. Besides, I won't stay behind the scenes the entire time. At the very least, I'll ensure the safety of a few good people who must survive this war—I need them for future plans."
"That's good to hear. Take good care of the future.
But more importantly, make sure you're in good condition."
Jun smiled at that and soon asked Chen if he had ever thought of having a family.
"By the way, Chen, have you ever thought about having a family?"
"Don't even start. You already know the answer to your question. We assassins could never have something like that and live peacefully into old age. For that, the wars in China must first cease."
"Besides, even if you did, there would always be enemies looking to kill you."
Jun's expression hardened.
This was news he had never heard before, and the reason was obvious.
'Enemies…' Jun sighed with regret.
He, who had never taken his enemies into account, began to imagine how many were still alive, and soon one came to mind.
'Ri Boku…'
"We always kill our enemies," Kyou Kai said, looking at Chen, fully convinced.
"Is that true?" Chen asked Jun with a broad smile.
The truth was no; Jun had left many of his enemies alive, such as Ri Boku, who had not yet been killed by his shadows.
Ri Boku must have deliberately cut off information to protect himself from assassins, spreading false reports to confuse Jun's shadows.
When Kyou Kai noticed Jun's silence, she asked, "Is there a problem?"
"The truth is, I have a small problem. The person uniting Qin's warring states has tried to kill me more than once." Jun told her about Ri Boku and how this man had expressed his desire to end his life.
"Why haven't you sent professional assassins?"
"They're all in Zhao, working to take over that state."
Jun had a plan. Regardless of whether or not Ri Boku died, he would take his home and make it his own.
In the war to come, Zhao would be the first to fall, and Ri Boku would be in his hands. By then, he would end his life.
But this didn't seem like a joke to Kyou Kai, especially because Jun was now the greatest enemy of a man who had easily gathered an army of more than half a million soldiers.
"Let's forget about that. We're not here to talk about more enemies to kill."
"But…"
"We need to take a break."
Jun was here to let his body relax for a bit.
All assassins needed to disappear for a while.
The only way for Jun to truly relax was to travel alone with Kyou Kai, whom he hadn't seen in some time.
Chen, watching the two argue, smiled slightly and said, "I can see that you two are like calm and storm, silence and noise. You'll be fine."
Jun would be fine because, in the darkness, there were more than thirty very quiet breaths constantly watching over him.
As the hope of all China's assassin clans, Jun had to survive to the end of his dream.
"Let's take it easy, like in the old days." Jun smiled at Kyou Kai, who was too worried to stay still in one place.