Chapter 79: Reunion (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 79: Reunion (4)
I couldn't believe my eyes.
Unless they were playing tricks on me, it was definitely A-Song.
Even if his eyes and mouth had been sewn shut, how could I ever forget the face of the boy who had served me since we were children?
How could this happen...
I hadn't been able to find him even after mobilizing the Blood Cult’s intelligence network and the Haomen Sect. It was as if he had vanished from the face of the earth, leaving no trace behind.
To see A-Song in such a state... I was momentarily struck speechless.
...A-Song.
He was the one who had endured such hardships at the Yikyang So Family just to leave and find me. My heart had been so moved when I first learned of that.
"Uuuuugh."
A-Song, whose neck I was holding, struggled wildly, trying to break free from my grasp.
"Stay still!"
I twisted one of A-Song’s arms behind his back and pinned his head and back down. It was truly strange. He possessed a strength so immense it felt as if he had mastered external martial arts to their limit.
Because I was someone who had broken the wall, I was able to suppress him with overwhelming internal power, but his strength was so close to monstrous that even an ordinary master would have been in danger if they let their guard down.
What did she do to him?
I glared at the carriage. It still exuded a chilling, sinister aura. Even though I couldn't see her, it felt as if Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon was watching me.
The voice of the Blood Demon Sword rang out.
When I turned my gaze toward it, I saw that the blade had sunk halfway into a neck, but one of the men in bamboo hats had grabbed it. It was an absurd sight.
He can still move in that state?
He was no longer something that could be called human. The Blood Demon Sword tried to pull away, but another man in a bamboo hat lunged forward and grabbed the blade, pinning it in place.
The Blood Demon Sword seemed to have unleashed its demonic power in anger. Immediately, the blood vessels in the hands of the men holding the sword went berserk, and their veins began to burst.
Yet, they did not let go of the Blood Demon Sword. Perhaps because they couldn't feel pain, they continued to grip it, unbothered by their bursting veins. To think that an inability to feel pain could be utilized in such a way.
Lesser Conversation Sword! Help the Blood Demon Sword!
I knew. At least that much.
I heard the footsteps of two people rushing me from behind. Using my foot to keep A-Song pinned by his twisted arm and back, I reached out my right hand toward the leg of one of the approaching men.
The Silver Smoke Thread shot out and coiled around the man's foot. The man lunged forward as if he didn't care about something like the Silver Smoke Thread in the first place.
Snap!
At that, I yanked the Silver Smoke Thread to the side. The man’s balance shifted, and he collided with the other man running alongside him. Keeping the thread taut, I spun my body, using the man whose leg was caught as a weight to hurl him toward the others.
Crash!
The man tied in the Silver Smoke Thread flew through the air and knocked down the two men who were holding the Blood Demon Sword. In that opening, the Lesser Conversation Sword pierced through their wrists, allowing the Blood Demon Sword to break free.
I heard the Blood Demon Sword click its tongue in disgust. The man whose neck had been sliced staggered but kept moving even after losing his grip on the sword, and the one whose blood vessels had burst stood up, trembling.
It was a sight that would make anyone lose their nerve.
Come back.
Come back!
At my commanding voice, the Blood Demon Sword silently cut through the air and was sucked back into my hand. This wasn't a situation where I could just let it fight however it wanted. These things were doing the impossible, using abnormal methods like grabbing a blade the moment it cut their throats.
Tinkle!
Just then, the sound of a bell echoed from inside the carriage.
Immediately, A-Song’s back, which I had been pinning down, arched backward like a bow.
What?
It was a position from which his back shouldn't have been able to bend. Yet, he forced it, attempting to wrap his legs around me. For a split second, an image of cutting or breaking A-Song’s legs flashed through my mind, but I couldn't bring myself to do that to him.
Swish!
I threw myself backward, dodging the two legs that tried to ensnare me. A-Song then leaped up with lightning speed and righted himself. It was a movement one would never expect from someone who didn't know a lick of martial arts.
"Ah..."
Damn it. I couldn't just call out to A-Song in my original voice while that old monster was right there. On the off chance it might work, I used Sound Transmission.
[A-Song!]
A-Song, who was about to lunge at me, flinched and paused for a moment. His body trembled violently, as if he had recognized my voice. I could see the area around his sewn eyes and mouth twitching.
[A-Song, can you hear my voice?]
"Uuuuugh!"
In response to my Sound Transmission, A-Song let out a groan and nodded his head. It seemed he wasn't completely under Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon’s control. If that was the case, I had to undo those stitches.
Tinkle!
The bell rang out once more.
A-Song clutched his head and staggered in agony.
[A-Song!]
I rushed to the suffering boy and supported him.
[A-Song, get a hold of yourself. You mustn't give in to that old monster's evil arts!]
"Uuuugh..."
Ah!
[Young Master.]
It was nothing more than a groan, but the tone was unmistakably the way A-Song used to address me. If he could understand my voice, there was a high chance he could be saved.
Just then, I heard the sound of the other men in bamboo hats rushing toward me.
"Don't interfere!"
The blade of the Blood Demon Sword turned a deep crimson. Using my full ten stars of internal power, I unleashed a technique from the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Sword—the Blood Purging Sword Refinement—at the charging men.
Swooooosh!
Sharp killing intent, shimmering in red, swept through the air like a surging wave and crashed into them. With power incomparable to when I performed it barehanded, the bodies of the three men in the front row were sliced clean in half. Those behind them were lucky; the force had diminished, and they were only half-cut and sent flying.
This is no time to keep fighting. I have to take A-Song and get out of here.
The most dangerous one, that old monster, hadn't even moved yet. If Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon stepped in, I might not be able to escape with A-Song.
Having made up my mind, I immediately moved toward the agonizing A-Song and struck his pressure points to immobilize him.
"Uuuuugh..."
[Just bear with it for a moment.]
But the moment I tried to hoist A-Song onto my back—
Thwack!
"Gah!"
A searing pain shot through me, and I instinctively thrust my palm forward. A-Song was sent tumbling backward.
The Lesser Conversation Sword, which had been flying through the air, rushed toward me.
A sharp dagger was buried in the center of my chest. The pain was indescribable, as if it had reached my very heart, making it difficult to even breathe.
"Ngh..."
The pain was excruciating. But I couldn't just leave the dagger stuck there. I struggled to pull it out with my hand.
Clang!
If not for my recovery ability, I might have died right then and there.
"Uuuuugh."
I saw A-Song, who had been knocked away, picking himself up. I never expected him to be able to move even after I had struck his pressure points.
[A-Song!]
Unlike before, he only let out eerie groans like the other puppets. It was as if he had never regained his senses at all.
Could she have planned this from the start?
I turned my head to look at the carriage. Right then—
Creeeeeak!
The side door of the carriage swung open. Someone stepped out.
Tinkle! Tinkle! Tinkle!
The sound of the bell was accompanied by the thud of a staff hitting the ground. I saw the profile of a middle-aged woman with a hunched back, carrying a pale-faced child—whose gender was indistinguishable—on her back.
Isn't she supposed to be an old woman?
From the side, she looked to be only in her mid-forties. Even if high-level martial arts could delay aging, she looked nothing like a woman in her eighties or nineties.
Slowly...
The moment the woman turned her head, goosebumps erupted all over my body. There were no pupils in her eyes. They were pure white—the White Eyes.
I had heard she was blind, so perhaps that was why. However, I couldn't understand how she was staring so accurately in my direction.
Then, the woman spoke.
"What is your relationship with that man?"
It was the same voice I had heard from inside the carriage. This meant this middle-aged woman was indeed Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon.
I disguised my voice and spoke to her.
"I should be the one asking. What have you done to this person?"
I pointed at A-Song. At that, Cheol Su-ryeon suddenly let out a bizarre laugh.
"Kh-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka!"
How could someone with such a normal face produce the laugh of an old hag? It was grating just to listen to.
Cheol Su-ryeon stopped laughing abruptly and said, "So, that child's name is A-Song?"
!!!
I was momentarily lost for words. I hadn't mentioned A-Song’s name out loud.
...Impossible.
Does that mean she intercepted my Sound Transmission? That was far more shocking than the fact that she had been listening to my heartbeat from inside the carriage.
As I stood there speechless, Cheol Su-ryeon struck the ground with her staff, which was adorned with bizarrely shaped bells.
Thump! Tinkle!
"Uuuuugh!"
A-Song clutched his head as if in immense pain. His face turned bright red in an instant, and the veins on his forehead bulged as if they were about to burst.
"Cheol Su-ryeon!"
"I asked if you know that man."
Her fingers, gripping the staff, twitched. It seemed she was demonstrating that she could kill A-Song with just a slight movement.
"Stop this instant!"
"Just answer the question."
"Who on earth are you talking about?"
"The one you people call Jonju."
What was she talking about? My original reason for seeking an alliance was to learn Jonju’s weakness. I couldn't understand what she meant.
Cheol Su-ryeon continued.
"Are you planning to betray your master?"
"What are you talking about? If you don't stop right now..."
Tinkle!
Before I could finish, the bell rang out.
Immediately, A-Song, who had been suffering from the bulging veins in his head, grabbed his own arm and snapped it.
Crack!
The bone of his elbow tore through the flesh and protruded outward.
"Cheol Su-ryeon!"
Without a second thought, I lunged at Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon. Closing the distance in an instant like a diving hawk, I drew a crescent arc with the Blood Demon Sword.
It was the Blood Net Sword Sky from the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Sword.
There were only two ways to stop her from using her evil arts: subdue her or kill her.
But then, something unbelievable happened.
Cheol Su-ryeon shifted her upper body slightly, moving like flowing water, and dodged the path of my sword with perfect ease.
How?
It made me doubt if she was truly blind. Even if she could see, the trajectory of the Blood Net Sword Sky was both simple and profound; to dodge it so easily meant her martial prowess was beyond imagination.
Whoosh!
The head of Cheol Su-ryeon’s staff lunged for my chest. I used my footwork to evade it. The trajectory of the staff was like a bolt of lightning.
She's fast.
It was like watching a master of the fast sword. I swung the Blood Demon Sword to match the path of her staff.
Blood Heaven Great Achievement Sword, 3rd Form: Meridian of No Blood.
Clang!
It was a technique that concentrated energy at the tip of the sword to produce an effect similar to the Penetration Scripture. The force flowing through the staff should have reached her hand.
However—
Cr-cr-crack!
The ground beneath Cheol Su-ryeon’s feet suddenly split apart. It meant she had discharged the force out of her body the moment it flowed in. To be able to react like this in such a short time... the level of her capability was staggering.
Tinkle!
Just then, the sound of the bell reached my ears.
In that moment, I felt a chilling sensation, as if someone had grabbed my legs.
What is this?
I didn't have time to be pinned down. Just as I was about to draw out my internal power to shake it off, Cheol Su-ryeon’s staff struck my chest with great force.
Thud!
"Cough!"
Fresh blood sprayed from my mouth as the force surged through my chest and invaded my internal organs. Even though I was protecting my body with the True Blood Golden Body, to suffer such damage from a single strike was staggering.
Cheol Su-ryeon curled the corners of her mouth and said, "This is how you use force, brat."
No sooner had she spoken than her staff aimed for my face. I hurriedly parried the staff with my sword.
Clang! Shhhhk!
However, the profound internal power behind the staff pushed me back nearly five paces. Even though I was utilizing both the Blood Demon Flower and the True Blood Golden Body, I could tell her internal power was a level above mine.
This old monster was a literal freak. She was so strong that the phrase "breaking the wall beyond the wall" felt real. A single moment of carelessness would lead straight to death.
All my senses became razor-sharp.
Then, Cheol Su-ryeon said to me, "You're fine even after being stabbed in the heart, and you can still take a hit from my staff after my force invaded your organs. Are you going to keep feigning ignorance about the procedure you received?"
!!!
...This woman realized I had recovery abilities. She must have noticed when A-Song launched that surprise attack on my heart.
Cheol Su-ryeon pointed her staff at me and said, "Judging by how your heart is racing, it seems you have quite a few secrets. I'll make you confess them with your own mouth."
Swish!
In that instant, Cheol Su-ryeon’s form blurred as she lunged forward. This was no longer a situation where I could afford to hold back any of my cards. The only way to face this old monster now was with the Wind Shadow Eight Streams and the New Path Life-Drawing Sword Technique.
Just as I was about to circulate my energy to perform the Wind Shadow Eight Streams—
Clang!
Cheol Su-ryeon, who was rushing toward me, suddenly stopped and swatted something away. Even though she couldn't see, she scowled.
Thud! Roll, roll, roll!
I saw something fall to the ground and roll. It was a small iron ball.
This is...
Cheol Su-ryeon looked toward a certain direction and spoke with a voice laced with caution.
"...Who is it?"
From where she was looking, a middle-aged man with a pale face and a mustache, looking like a scholar, was walking toward us with his hands behind his back.
The man glanced at me briefly, then snorted at Cheol Su-ryeon.
"I'm that brat's father-in-law."