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Chapter 357. Encounter with the Enemy (4)
'What the hell?'
At first, I thought Yong So-ah was trying to kill me.
Because asking someone why they were still alive was that strange a question.
Besides, the bastard had several perfectly valid reasons to want me dead.
One of them being the Demon Spirit Plateau incident.
Ѐn̊ u m ā . і̇ d̈
He had been in the wrong, and his reputation--along with Wudang's--had plummeted because of it.
I'd even heard that Wudang's influence within the Righteous Path Association had shriveled up for a while as a result.
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On top of that, after building a degree of closeness with the Hao Gate, I'd had them spread malicious rumors about him.
I'd kept the criticism circulating so it never died down.
The effect had been substantial.
People who had quietly harbored resentment toward Wudang's high-handedness came forward en masse to criticize them, and Wudang's activities had visibly diminished compared to the other Righteous Path Association sects.
Е̂ ńu̇ m a
Above all, it was true that Yong So-ah's once-sacred reputation had lost its luster.
According to Dang Seo-hui, there were even people who cursed Yong So-ah to his face during Dragon and Phoenix Assembly activities.
That alone would push most people to either take their own life or desperately try to trace the rumor back to its source.
Anyone could see that the current barrage of one-sided criticism had a somewhat artificial quality to it.
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Naturally, they'd want to find and kill whoever started the rumor.
Someone with Yong So-ah's skill would never be shackled by helplessness.
Ĕ n̈u̇m̆ а .і.d
In other words, there was no reason for him to hold back.
So the reasonable suspicion that Yong So-ah intended to kill me had crossed my mind.
But.
'That's strange.'
There was no killing intent from him.
No hostility or anything resembling it.
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'What the hell is this?'
His face was filled with nothing but pure bewilderment.
"What kind of......"
And that was somehow--
"--bullshit are you spouting?"
--even more infuriating than killing intent.
W ė b̌_n о v̇ êl Ё n̂ u m a
For an instant, Yong So-ah's eyes flashed before dimming again.
"......"
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Then a suffocating silence followed.
The only sound was the crackling of a torch swaying in the wind beside them.
His expression, caught in the fire-shadow, turned impassive once more.
"I asked."
W éb́ńо.v еl Е̄ň_u̇ mä
The bewilderment that had at least made him look human vanished, and once again it felt like facing an inanimate object.
"Why are you alive?"
And I realized.
Something about the question itself was fundamentally wrong.
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He would know full well that I'd scraped through death countless times. Those stories were everywhere.
And the reaction of most who heard those stories was "What did you do?!" or "How did you survive?!"
W e b_ṅ ǒ v̇ ẽ l Е̃n.um̊ а
Not "Why are you alive?"
And yet this bastard was......
"Not happy that I'm alive, are you?"
Speaking as though my death were the natural order of things.
I drew upon the Taeul True Scripture.
The wind stilled, and my martial arts uniform began to swell.
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Three Forms of the White Moon Governing Heaven? Ten Thousand Seas Heaven-Earth Sword Formula? Or Jegal's Three Forms?
I ran through the martial arts I could use against him.
Having already been through countless real battles, I felt no fear no matter what enemy appeared.
But when I measured those techniques against my memories of Yong So-ah, I could not be sure how effective any of them would be.
He was an endlessly hateful, loathsome existence.
But he was, as far as I knew, undeniably a "monster" who stood no lower than those damned Demonic Cult bastards.
Ē n u m̃á . і̌ ď
"Then again, I'm not too happy that you're still breathing either, Yong So-ah."
"You did not understand what I said."
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He slowly turned his body.
It looked like he was standing at ease, but I knew better.
Sword-Drawing Stance.
That seemingly relaxed posture was a unique Sword-Drawing Stance that Yong So-ah had created himself.
Е̄ n̊ u m а
Concealing both killing intent and presence, he would eliminate his opponent before they could even think of defending.
'Is this crazy bastard actually going to make a move here?'
I drew the Taeul True Scripture to its fullest and assumed my own drawing stance.
No matter how fast his Sword-Drawing Stance was, the Extreme Swiftness of the Three Forms of the White Moon Governing Heaven could certainly surpass that speed.
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Despite standing casually, he showed not a single opening. My palms felt as though they were growing damp.
I stopped blinking and glared at him, and he glanced at my posture before speaking.
Е̂n̈ u m а̄
"Hmm...... you know about this?"
Bewilderment flickered across his face again.
"Not many are aware of the Sword-Drawing Stance yet."
Then.
Those who had known, he murmured, were mostly dead.
"......"
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This was bad.
My hostility toward him had made me reveal my hand too quickly.
"You made what amounted to a death threat and expected me to let my guard down?"
I tried to play it off as though it were nothing, but he had already lost interest and was staring into my eyes.
"Jin So-un. You...... are an uncertainty."
"......"
Е̃ nû m̌ à
"And uncertainty always creates problems."
SHRING.
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His cherished Whirlwind Sword was drawn.
Beneath the faint moonlight, the silver blade was more transparent and clear than any sword I had ever seen.
I remembered the moment that beautiful sword had been aimed at my throat.
And.
Ẁ e b̂ nо̌ v е́ l̈ Ě n̄ ũm̀ á
"You know what? You're a guaranteed wrong answer."
I knew the future he would create.
"Every choice you've made has always been the wrong one."
I knew the results of the choices he had made in my past life.
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They were never the right choices.
But.
Е́ňũ m̂ а.iď
"I...... do not make wrong choices."
In this life, he still didn't know.
"Ha...... fuck."
That inflectionless voice sent my temper blazing.
"Then what about the Demon Spirit Plateau, you son of a bitch!"
The rage I had held back and held back finally crumbled and poured out.
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Three Forms of the White Moon Governing Heaven
First Form
Extreme Swiftness
The blade swung.
SHING—!
The sound followed after.
W еb̃ nō v̂е̃ l Ẽ n̂ ů m a
At a speed that transcended perception, no one escaped without at least some wound.
Faster than anything.
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Sharper than anything.
That was the first form of the White Moon Sword, Extreme Swiftness.
But.
SLICE.
W̆е̂.bn о v́ е l É nŭm̆а̄
The blue-and-white fabric of a Wudang martial arts uniform was cut away.
The red line of blood that should have followed--
"Hah......"
--was nowhere to be seen.
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"A sharp, fast sword. And a surprise attack on top of that."
His reaction clearly showed he was seeing it for the first time.
Еñ um a
Yet beyond a brief moment of admiration, there was nothing more.
"But that is all."
SHRING--
The Cloud-Ladder Step accompanied the unfolding of the Dark Heaven Seven Stars Sword.
The instant seven sword-shadows descended simultaneously, I scattered the Twin Heaven Sword Formula to block them.
CLATTER, CLATTER, CLATTER.
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Countless sword-forms intercepted the seven sword-shadows.
Wudang's Core Principle was Taiji, certainly.
But the sheer weight of each descending sword was no different from the Way of the Hegemon.
Finding and exploiting weaknesses as smoothly as flowing water, and yet carrying this much crushing force.
A sword art that was the spitting image of its wielder.
I drew deeper upon the Taeul True Scripture's power.
Ẽ n̂ ů m а̇
BOOM BOOM BOOM CRASH—!
With the explosion of Sword Qi, his Whirlwind Sword was knocked backward.
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Judging by the way his eyebrow twitched, even he seemed rather surprised.
"Do I still look like the Jin So-un you saw on the Demon Spirit Plateau?!"
The energy of Sword Force consumed everything around Yong So-ah.
Every swing of my blade poured out in a one-sided torrent, as though to cut through and annihilate all things.
Ê nùm̈à .i d
Even the Demonic Cult forces in the Black Forest had flinched and hesitated before power of this magnitude.
BOOM BOOM BOOM CRASH—!
The shockwaves of the powerful explosions toppled the torches lighting the darkness.
Embers drifted upward like fireflies in every direction.
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At the center of it all stood Yong So-ah, catching the light and sparkling as he always did.
Yes. He had always, always glittered like this--noble and alone in the mire.
W̃ е̄ b̄ṅо̆ v̇ē l Е̊nū m̌а
Amidst those dying as human shields. Amidst warriors worse than third-rate, flailing for just one more day of life, he alone shone with pristine brilliance.
And so, truly.
"The one who deserves to die is you! Yong So-ah!"
SHIIIIING—!
More sword-shadows and Illusion Swords split apart than ever before.
The area was packed so densely with blades it could be called a Forest of Swords, with no escape in sight.
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SHRING--
Within that storm of Sword Force and sword-shadows, an elegant silver blade moved.
SHRING-- SHRING--
Instead of the clashing, detonating noise that should have come from sword meeting sword--
A sound as gentle as a whetstone honing an edge spread continuously.
SHRING-- SHRING-- SHRING--
Е́ ňu m а. і d̄
Then, from within the Forest of Swords, the man in the blue-and-white martial arts uniform walked out, smooth as flowing water.
'How is this possible?'
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Less admiration for the opponent's level, more a question about something that defied comprehension.
No matter how agile a person was, they could not dodge every falling raindrop or block the wind that seeped in everywhere.
And yet he had done just that.
Even for Yong So-ah, wasn't this an impossibility?
W̌_ёb n òv̄ ѐl̇ Е n üm̃a
But there was no time to ponder.
Hadn't I learned, time and again, in the Black Forest and the Demonic Reaches?
If it doesn't work, keep going until it does.
If it won't break, keep hitting until it does.
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SHIIIIING—!
The Minor Heaven Sword Art unfolded in relentless repetition.
En̈ ū m а
Layered upon layered, like the Great Heaven Sword Art, like the Twin Heaven Sword Formula--
HISS--
--unfolding like Illusion Swords that left afterimages.
Deciding that this would not do, Yong So-ah shifted to defense.
Following his sword tip, Taiji-shaped qi seemed to materialize into tangible form.
HOOOOOO--
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The instant two all-out Qi Waves were about to collide--
"What do you think you are doing!"
A voice rang out.
Under the restraint of an enormous, undeniable force, both our swords ground to a halt.
My sword before his heart.
His sword before my throat.
E nǔ m̌a . íd́
"I want an explanation for this situation!"
The low voice, dripping with cold, belonged to Dang Seo-hui.
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"......"
"......"
Yong So-ah's gaze, which had been locked on my eyes, shifted to Dang Seo-hui.
Then the Whirlwind Sword was slowly sheathed.
En um̊ а́
"It was nothing. Just a routine sparring match."
Having offered that excuse, Yong So-ah turned on his heel.
Dang Seo-hui glared at his back, but he said nothing and walked away toward his quarters.
Then her gaze, as though demanding an explanation, fell on me.
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I sheathed the Red Radiance Sword and answered.
"It was just a sparring match."
Е̂ n ŭ mâ
There was nothing else to say.
***
The next day.
While I was eating, Dang Seo-hui approached.
"Yong So-ah left first."
Hwa Jeong-san also came over.
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"Kid. Is it true you went a round with Yong So-ah?"
I fumbled for what to say and answered vaguely.
"I just received some instruction."
"Like the kind you received from me?"
Hwa Jeong-san's face twisted.
I answered offhandedly.
Е̄ nu m а̇
"Still, it definitely lacked the sharpness of Mount Hua's plum blossoms."
"......Hmph!"
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The corner of his mouth seemed to twitch despite his scoff.
With that, Hwa Jeong-san turned back to his meal, but Dang Seo-hui would not take her eyes off me.
"Are you not going to tell me why you fought?"
The truth was, I didn't know why we had fought either--or why he had come at me in earnest.
Е̊n.ǔ ṁа̂ . і̃d̃
All I had felt while exchanging blades was:
'Dry, without a single tremor.'
The intent to kill was certainly there, but not a shred of emotion was loaded into it.
His sword had remained devoid of feeling, just as in the past, and his presence carried no personal grudge.
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So I had nothing else to answer.
"Well...... he said that Senior Dang playing chivalrous hero was foolish."
Е́ n̊ú ḿa
"......!!!"
Dang Seo-hui's mouth fell open and her eyes went wide, as though she had received a tremendous shock.
"So I told him what Senior Dang does isn't playing--it's justice in action. Then he said I was foolish too. So we fought."
After being stunned for a while, Dang Seo-hui's expression returned to its default blankness, and she stroked my head with her small hand.
"Well done. Very well done. Yong So-ah is the bigger fool."
Hwa Jeong-san shook his head beside us in utter disbelief, but Dang Seo-hui seemed satisfied with the answer.
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Dang Seo-hui began eating as well.
Since she wouldn't eat her vegetables, I placed vegetable side dishes on top of her rice, and she glared at me with stinging eyes before eventually chewing and swallowing.
"I-I was already going to eat that......"
"You need to grow taller."
In between passing her side dishes every other mouthful, Hwa Jeong-san blurted out.
"You, what are you actually going to do?"
En̂ u̇ m̃а̇
"About what?"
"The instructors. You can't possibly think you can make this big a mess and just walk away."
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I gaped in surprise just as Dang Seo-hui had moments ago.
"Are you worrying about me right now?"
Concern from Hwa Jeong-san.
Truly, you live long enough to see everything.
Еñ um̌ӓ . ï.d
To witness this miscreant worrying about me.
"......What exactly do you think of me?"
"A miscreant."
"......This little......"
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When Hwa Jeong-san ground his teeth, Dang Seo-hui added a word.
"Hwa Jeong-san is indeed a miscreant. Going to someone else's sect and picking a fight with their Sect Leader like that. A miscreant is what he is."
Е̄ ǹu m а
"......Th-That was just a test! An agreed-upon test! An inspection!"
"They assigned you that role because you were a miscreant in the first place. A person's nature does not change easily."
"......"
I couldn't believe Dang Seo-hui's simple logic actually worked.
Seeing Hwa Jeong-san fall silent, I was astonished all over again.
The Life-or-Death Unit spent three more days at the Ten-Thousand-Poison Sect.
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The Ten-Thousand-Poison Sect was an organization of poison craftsmen who also possessed medical skills rivaling the Tang Clan's.
The academy students were healthy patients who responded quickly to treatment.
Once treatment was more or less complete, there was no one left who couldn't move on their own.
Most could walk under their own power.
Even so, the Ten-Thousand-Poison Sect provided several carriages so the wounded could travel back in comfort.
Furthermore, they dispatched one full company to escort us safely to the Kunming branch.
Ŵе̇ b nоv̇ ӗl E.n̂ üm̆ а̇
We traveled mainly during the day and used large inns, so there were no ambushes.
From the moment we'd left the Black Forest, there had been little need to worry about drawing the Demonic Cult's attention, but there was always the chance of the unexpected.
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Still, the academy students showed little fear.
Most injuries had healed, and they had recovered their vitality through rest.
Some were even itching for the enemy to show up so they could take revenge.
The presence of Dang Seo-hui and Hwa Jeong-san helped enormously as well.
W̃ ӗb n о̄ v̊e l Еnüm̂ а
"But why do these kids walk like that?"
At Hwa Jeong-san's question, I turned to look at the academy students.
Fair enough--from his perspective, it had to be curious.
"Hey, Zhongnan cheapskate! What are you going to do when we get back?"
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"Who knows...... are you heading back to your clan?"
"Well, I was thinking of having a drink with the Western Heaven Sect guys."
Е n̆ uma .і̇d
The factional divisions of the Righteous Path Association, the Orthodox Path Association, and the Twelve Peak Citadels had vanished.
The jumbled procession, transcending sect affiliation and skill hierarchy, was naturally an unfamiliar sight to him.
I looked at the bald...... no, at Il-gak and Cheol Sun-jik standing beside me like bodyguards.
"I'm not sure either."
The Life-or-Death Unit had effectively been disbanded the moment we left the Black Forest.
Once we'd entered the Ten-Thousand-Poison Sect, there was no longer any need to maintain escape formation.
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Yet the academy students still marched in the Life-or-Death Unit's order.
By now it seemed second nature, and there were even those who flaunted deep friendships formed within the unit, cutting across sects and affiliations.
And Hwa Jeong-san found this profoundly bizarre.
"Is this what happens to academy students when the academy representative isn't normal?"
"That's harsh."
"Then you're saying this is normal?"
E nũ m а̌. i d̃
"Didn't the Murim Alliance originally claim to be an organization that transcended affiliation and family?"
"Talking ideals, are we? Something that never happened even once in the Murim Alliance's entire history...... and you call it natural?"
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I shrugged and stopped trying to persuade him.
Well, this kind of Murim Alliance only came into being after fleeing to Bukhae, so I suppose it's hard to believe......
"Ah!"
Hwa Jeong-san punched his palm as though he'd had an epiphany.
Ẇ еb̊n̊о v̂ēl̈ Е.n um а
"You bribed them! You've got all that money, don't you! That's it!! That was it!"
"......"
Right. This was the guy who got along like peas in a pod with Gye Cheol-yeong.
I'd briefly forgotten.
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"Wh-What? What's with that look!"
I could not hide the pity I felt.
Е̇ n̈ ũ m ä
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