The assasins

I look back immediately to see what Rang Min pointed at. I was expecting to see soldiers rushing to us to attack us or Kim's assassins shooting at us which is the only thing that can happen now. 

But to my surprise, we saw Kang Yun's horse struggling with the soldiers to get through to us. Kang Yun rushed to his horse happily and took it from the soldiers. 

"it is mine, it roams away and we could not wait for it", he comes up with an excuse for them. 

He checked the bag and everything was still intact. 

"is the map still in it? ", I asked him. 

"yes your Highness, I think he ran away from them immediately", he guessed. 

"Thank God it returned to us else our lives would have been at risk now", Rang Min said thankfully. 

Kang Yun's horse is as smart as his master, he didn't just choose horses. 

"you must share a deep connection with your horse" he always said. 

There was a time when Kang Yun was shot with an error in battle, the horse ran back to the barrack to save him

And whenever the horse was lost in battle it always waited for us at the barrack. He saved us yet today. 

We continue our journey as if nothing happened with the map in our hands. On getting to the China border we are asked to return in the morning for we can't cross in the night. The journey to the Chinese border took us 3 days.

We rented an inn again to rest for the night and around midnight some strange footsteps approached our door as I was not fast asleep. 

"who is there", Kang Yun asked immediately before I could talk. I planned to trick the person inside and catch him. 

The footsteps withdraw immediately Kang Yun asks the question. 

We rushed outside to find out who it was and saw an assassin waiting on the fence, Kang Yunrann after it, remaining I and Rang Min on the doorstep. 

Two assassins approached us immediately after Kang Yun left, I knew I had to take them on by myself as Rang Min was not well skilled. 

I picked up my sword and drew it to the ground. I wonder where the peddlers are and why are they not awake with all this noise. 

They rushed to me together and the fight began, with their moves I could tell they were well trained and they knew I was well trained too. 

A third assassin appeared from no one and swung his knife at me, he moved a small knife and cut me in a blink, the cut was small as I dodged it immediately. He was better than the other assassins that I fought with. 

Immediately after he made the cut they looked at each other and ran off. I want to chase after them but my feet become weak and my arms stiff. I fell to the ground as I was paralyzed. An arrow hit Rang Min from nowhere and he fell to the ground too. 

My memory flashed back to the physician(Gu Won) he used the same type of poison. I crawl to where Rang Min lies facing down, I turn him over and thankfully the arrow hits his right harm. I removed the arrow and checked the arrowhead, it was laced with poison too. 

I noticed someone approaching me from behind. And I throw my small knife at him but he avoids it easily. He was the one that cut me, and I recognized him immediately. 

"Kang Yun POV**

I followed the assassin into the bush and met two others waiting for me there. They jump at me immediately and I roll into the ground to avoid them. They don't give me a chance to think as they attack me on both sides and the middle too. They are well-trained and with the way they attack me, they know how well I can fight too. 

But they can't match me still as I aim for their legs, I make a few cuts at their legs as they fall to the ground. I approached the one I followed to question them but an arrow flew at me. The shooter is near me and he is well skilled too as the arrow was very hard to avoid. I managed to dodge it but I scratched myself. 

I ran towards him to cut him down but I fell to the ground instead. The arrowhead was poisoned. 

"This was planned by someone who knew me", I said as I crawled onto the ground. 

"oh shit, the physician", I groan in pain. This poison is more effective and poisonous than the last one. 

I always doubted him not to use the poison on us again, so before we were sent on this mission I swept through his store and took some antidote with me. He was careless to put the antidote of each poison by its side. 

I reached for my pocket inside my shirt and took out one small bottle from the three I took and drank everything inside it. 

I was back on my feet in no time and fought them more fiercely, 

"how can he still be this strong? ", one of them asked. 

"he is sure the messenger of death", another one replied and they ran off immediately. I chase them down but he kills himself immediately before I lay my hands on him the other two escape as they split up at a junction. 

I remember the crown prince suddenly as I stood at the dead body of the assassin. 

"they lure me from him, what if they have poisoned him too and he didn't have the antidote", I thought with anxiety. 

I face the road that leads back to the inn and runs as fast as my legs can carry me. My horse joined me on the road and I hopped on it as we journeyed back to the inn together. 

**Yi San POV** 

Before the assassin could finish me off, the security in the inn rang the emergency bell at the inn entrance. 

"thieves, thieves", they shout. 

The assassin ran off immediately as the security and other people joined them as they rushed at him. I would have lost my life yet again if not for these people. 

"what is going on here", one of them asked. 

"They are assassins, not thieves, they are here to kill me", I explained as I groaned on the ground

"who are you that they put bounty on your head", one of them asked. 

"maybe they took me for another person, please attend to my servant, he is there lying down", I said pointing at him. 

They helped Rang Min up and took him back into the room. 

"why are you here and where are the others with you", the innkeeper asked me. 

"I don't know", we are about checking their rooms when Kang Min appears. 

"what happened here? Your Highness ", he asked as he checked all over my body. 

"I am alive but weak, I think it's the paralytic poison the physician used back in the village", I managed to say. 

He brought out a bottle from his inner shirt pocket and gave me to drink. 

"what is this?", I asked. 

"It is the antidote I found in the physician's store and it works for me", he said as he showed me the place they cut him, which was perfectly okay whereas mine had turned dark in the opening of the cut. 

"I hope it's not too late", I said as I gulped down the portion in the bottle. 

I feel strong after some minutes and I stand up. 

"wow, this is very effective", I said looking at the bottle. 

"so it's the physician that sent them", I added. 

Kang Yun rushed to Rang Min and gave him the antidote too. He stand up after a while because he is not strong like us. 

"yes, and I think they are among the peddlers too", Kang Yun said with confidence. 

"I make some cut near their angle so I can fish them out with that and one killed himself before I could question him", he joined. 

The next day we waited outside till the peddlers gathered outside and we noticed 5 people were missing among the peddlers. 

"Where are the rest? " Kang Min asked. 

"They didn't arrive last night after they said they needed fresh air", one of them said. 

They ran away to their matters, I will not let this be and I must get my revenge from them. I boil in great anger.