Chapter 84: A Strange Connection (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84: A Strange Connection (1)
A dark night.
A rugged mountain path flanked by cliffs.
Even a seasoned herbalist accustomed to scaling peaks would have struggled here, yet there were those leaping across the mountainside as if sprinting on flat ground.
A man with golden eyes that shone vividly even in the darkness and a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair were running, using light blades of grass and tree branches as stepping stones.
Anyone witnessing this sight would have been struck with awe.
However, the faces of the two men performing this rare feat were far from peaceful. Instead, they were etched with intense tension.
Shweeeek!
Thwack!
The middle-aged man, who possessed the refined air of a scholar, spun mid-air while traversing the treetops to deflect something flying toward him.
It was a long, thick arrow, markedly different from an ordinary one.
“Haah… haah…”
The man who deflected the arrow exhaled raggedly and glared in the direction it had come from. He scowled and muttered, “Persistent bastard. To think he’s caught up already.”
The Golden-Eyed Man spoke to him. “There’s no time for idle chatter, Du Gong.”
The man who had blocked the arrow was none other than Man Bak-ja Du Gong. His tattered clothes, the wounds visible here and there, and his haggard face all betrayed just how exhausted he was.
“Hurry!”
Swish!
The Golden-Eyed Man, after urging Du Gong, threw himself forward first. Du Gong, who had been gripping a branch, let out a breath laced with irritation and followed suit.
Catching up to him, Du Gong asked, “Just what kind of monster is he? I’ve been active in the Murim for over forty years, but I’ve never seen a Bow Ghost—no, someone at the level of a Bow God—like this.”
He hadn't expected that a single arrow could push him, one of the Eight Great Masters, this far. Even if his martial arts were considered inferior to the other Eight Great Masters because he specialized in the Qi Gate Formation and miscellaneous talents, the enemy's archery was truly monstrous.
The Golden-Eyed Man running ahead opened his mouth. “It’s Chosa.”
“Chosa?”
The man, who hadn't said a word while they were busy fleeing, finally revealed something. Perhaps he felt a sense of camaraderie from their shared plight?
The Golden-Eyed Man continued, “He is one of the three trusted lieutenants who have followed that man for a long time.”
“Three lieutenants?”
“That man, Chosa, has reached the realm of a Bow God. He can hit a bird from three li away.”
“Wh-what?”
Du Gong couldn't hide his shock at the mention of three li. Even those hailed as geniuses of the bow usually have a maximum range of one li at best—and that’s only when they imbue their arrows with internal energy.
To shoot from three li, just how sharp must his eyes be?
“He probably isn't at that distance right now.”
“Well, that’s obvious.”
It was night, and the area was thick with vegetation. It was a blessing they were in these conditions; had it been an open plain, they would have been in even deeper trouble.
As Du Gong clicked his tongue in disbelief, the Golden-Eyed Man said, “Chosa is actually the decent one. If Noejangjo, the leader of the three lieutenants, had come, escaping like this would have been impossible.”
“You’ve been mentioning these ‘three lieutenants’ for a while now. Are they the subordinates of that man with the single golden eye?”
“Chosa, Seol Baek, Noejangjo… they are his lieutenants.”
“No, how could such powerful people remain unknown until now…?”
“They were already being called the Eight Great Masters or whatever back in your great-great-grandfather’s time—no, perhaps even further back than that. Stop talking and run. Looking at your stamina, I doubt you can hold out much longer.”
‘Great-great-grandfather? Further back? What on earth does that mean?’
Du Gong wanted to ask more, but he couldn't deny the man’s last point. They had been evading pursuit for days without rest. The enemy must be the same, yet strangely, they didn't seem to tire.
‘Just like this man.’
Just like the Golden-Eyed Man leading the way. Du Gong’s stamina was nearly depleted; he was past the point of hunger, and his stomach felt like it was sticking to his spine from the pain. No matter how much of an Eight Great Master he was, he was still human, and humans had limits.
Shuck! Thwack!
The Golden-Eyed Man and Du Gong deflected incoming arrows simultaneously. Having blocked the shots, the two estimated the direction of the attack and slightly altered their path to make it harder for the archer to fire.
‘Something’s wrong.’
Du Gong tilted his head in confusion. Until just an hour ago, the arrows had been relentless, as if the archer had an infinite supply. But for a while now, it felt as if the arrows were being fired specifically to herd them in a certain direction.
A chill ran down his spine.
‘Is this a battue? A driven hunt?’
If that was the case, they shouldn't turn in the direction the enemy wanted. They had to change their position and evade the pursuit.
Just then, the Golden-Eyed Man uttered something cryptic and leaped upward.
“We have to find water.”
Zip!
“Wait a minute!”
It happened before Du Gong could even try to stop him. The Golden-Eyed Man, who had soared more than ten chang into the air, suddenly looked flustered as if he had discovered something.
The Golden-Eyed Man hurriedly sent a sound transmission.
[There’s a valley nearby—]
Fwaaaaaaa!
Before the transmission could even finish, a terrifying killing intent, so immense it seemed to warp the very space around it, engulfed the Golden-Eyed Man in mid-air.
The Golden-Eyed Man’s body became soaked in blood, as if he had been hacked by a thousand blades.
‘What the—?’
Without time to think, Du Gong threw himself toward the Golden-Eyed Man, who was falling after being shredded by the killing intent. If he lost him now, everything they had done so far would be in vain.
‘I have to catch him.’
Step! Step!
He used his lightness skill to weave through the trees, trying to intercept the man before he hit the ground. It was at that moment—
Chwaaaaaa!
Flinch!
Du Gong twisted his body away from a sharp killing intent and threw a palm strike. He couldn't afford to be careless, so he unleashed his palm technique with ten stars of internal power, ignoring how much energy he had left.
Ba-ba-ba-bang!
“Kugh!”
The sheer internal power contained within that killing intent sent his body flying. The force was so immense that he only stopped after smashing through nearly three trees.
“Cough… cough…”
Du Gong spat out a mouthful of blood, having suffered an internal injury.
‘This power is insane. This was just killing intent?’
Du Gong raised his head and looked through the gaps in the broken trees. There, he saw a figure in black martial attire and a bamboo hat walking toward the Golden-Eyed Man, who was staggering on the ground, drenched in blood.
Then, he saw something incredible.
‘The wounds?’
The lacerations covering the Golden-Eyed Man’s body were healing at an incredible speed. It was so fast it was hard to believe.
However, the person in the black bamboo hat stepped on the shoulder of the recovering Golden-Eyed Man, pinning him down.
“You certainly ran well, Gun-bang.”
‘He knows him.’
The man in the bamboo hat knew the Golden-Eyed Man’s name. Did that mean he was a comrade of that Chosa fellow who had been firing arrows from behind?
Just then, the man in the bamboo hat turned his head toward Du Gong’s direction. Seeing this, Du Gong muttered in a trembling voice.
“One… eye!”
It was clearly visible to Du Gong’s eyes. Through the gap in the bamboo hat, a single eye was shimmering with a golden light.
The man in the bamboo hat, staring at Du Gong, spoke.
“An interloper has joined the fray.”
‘Tsk.’
This was bad. The man seemed like even more of a monster than he had imagined. Du Gong couldn't even begin to gauge if he could handle such an opponent.
However, he felt that the man’s gaze was strangely directed somewhere other than himself.
It was at that exact moment.
Shu-shu-shu-shu-shu!
The sound of something whistling past both sides of Du Gong’s head rang in his ears. The man in the bamboo hat, who was still pinning down the Golden-Eyed Man, lightly raised his hand.
Then, accompanied by a tearing sound in front of him, four iron beads appeared in mid-air, spinning at an incredible speed as if blocked by an invisible wall.
“!!!”
Du Gong hurriedly looked behind him.
Drip. Drip.
Something viscous was dripping. Walking out of the dark forest was a middle-aged man with the air of a scholar, holding a severed arm that was still clutching a long arrow.
“Chak!”
It was Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak. Sama Chak’s eyes were fixed intensely on the man in the bamboo hat beyond the iron beads that were spinning as if hitting a wall in the air.
Three days had passed since we left the port village of Honghu County. The sun had already set, and darkness had fallen.
Judging by the lack of any signs of people nearby, it didn't seem like there would be an inn or any lodging to stay at tonight.
“Looks like we’ll have to prepare to camp out.”
At my words, everyone began their preparations. Since everyone was experienced, they knew exactly what to do.
The twins, Song Jwa-baek and Song Woo-hyeon, went to gather firewood, while Ghost-Slaying Fist Demon Jang Mun-ryang gathered nearby branches to start a fire. A-Song took out cooking utensils from the bundle on his back.
As the only woman in the group, Sama-yeong naturally took out a water skin and prepared to cook the pheasants she had already plucked.
‘Lesser Conversation Sword, it’s your turn.’
—Yahoo!
At my words, the Lesser Conversation Sword excitedly slid out of its scabbard. As it soared into the air, the other swords muttered in disappointment.
—Hmph. I could have stood guard tonight too.
—Such a vulgar thing, so full of greed.
—Now, now, don't fight. Everyone has their turn.
It was a daily routine: the Blood Demon Sword and the Evil Connection Sword bickering while the Namcheon Iron Sword tried to soothe them.
Thanks to the power of the Prison Torture, it was convenient to have the swords stand guard. Since I shared their vision, I could immediately tell if someone was approaching from a high vantage point.
—Human. Don't forget it's my turn tomorrow.
Yes, yes. Whatever you say.
The swords had developed a taste for flying freely. For me, it was a win-win situation; I could train the energy of the Prison Torture while giving them free time and having them act as sentries.
Sama-yeong, while preparing the pheasants, looked at me with a beaming smile and winked.
“Ahem.”
The reason she was acting like that was simple. It was because we had stayed at an inn yesterday.
—If that monster of a man found out, he’d try to kill you. And I warned you so many times.
—Men are beasts by nature. Our darling’s technique is getting better and better…
I blocked out their voices. If I left them alone, they would tease me relentlessly. This was the only downside to hearing the voices of the swords. It felt like I was sharing my entire private life with them.
—I have no more regrets in life.
…Namcheon Iron Sword, do you want me to shut you up too?
He was the type to casually drop burdensome comments. Every time he said something about how his former master would be jealous, my image of the Namcheon Sword Guest became increasingly strange.
“Sigh.”
I let out a sigh and pulled a map from my robe. It was a map of Hubei Province that I had purchased in Honghu County. Looking at the map, it seemed we would reach the Tomb of King Ping in about four days.
—We’ll stop there and then head to the Martial Alliance, won't we, Un-hwi?
That’s the plan.
—Have you made up your mind?
Well, I don't know yet.
—If that Alliance Leader’s guard was right and Baek Hyang-muk was framed and ousted, wouldn't it be better to help him to infiltrate the inner circle?
‘Hmm.’
That was a valid point, but I definitely had one suspicion regarding Baek Hyang-muk, the First Sword of Wuhan.
The Blood Demon Sword had told me something. Apparently, the oral formula for the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Art was hidden, engraved on a cord near the sword’s hilt. Baek Hyang-muk had discovered it and taken it for himself in secret.
—Do you think he’s hiding something?
If he found it by chance and took it, there’s nothing to be done, but he was ostensibly the leader of the Orthodox Faction. Even now, he is practically a pillar of the Orthodox world, so it bothered me that such a man would secretly learn the martial arts of the Blood Cult.
‘For now, rather than making a hasty decision, I should judge which side to lean toward based on the situation.’
Regardless of whom I chose, they would likely nominate me as the Deputy Alliance Leader. I just had to pick the side that would benefit me the most.
Rustle!
Just then, Song Jwa-baek and Song Woo-hyeon walked out of the forest with armfuls of firewood. They were big guys, so they were good at this kind of work.
“That’s strange,” Song Jwa-baek said, tilting his head.
“What is?” Sama-yeong asked.
Song Jwa-baek dropped the firewood at the campsite and pointed upward. The night sky was clear, decorated with stars and a half-moon. There wasn't a single cloud in sight.
“What about it?” I asked.
This time, Song Jwa-baek pointed toward the north. “No, it’s just that the weather is so clear, but the forest over there is covered in fog.”
“Covered in fog?”
What was he talking about? The weather was this good; what fog could there be? There was no particular dampness in the air, and the nearby forest was perfectly clear.
“Are you seeing things?” Sama-yeong asked.
Song Jwa-baek stamped his feet in frustration. “No! Why would I lie? Woo-hyeon, you saw it too, right?”
“I… I saw it too. The fog made it hard to see… ahead.”
If both of them saw it, it couldn't be a lie. I focused my mind and spoke to the Lesser Conversation Sword through the Prison Torture.
‘Sodam. They say there’s fog to the north. Can you check it out?’
—Got it.
The Lesser Conversation Sword, which had been swimming through the air like a fish, turned toward the north. Immediately, the view of the ground to the north was shared with my mind.
‘Huh?’
But just as I thought, the northern forest wasn't covered in fog. Instead, the forest scenery was perfectly clear.
‘Did Jwa-baek tease me on purpose?’
It seemed like he was playing a prank. There was even a fairly large lake not too far away. The scenery around the lake was beautiful, and there were buildings that looked like pavilions and an inn, along with a few small rowboats for boating.
‘Wait.’
There’s an inn so close by, yet why didn't I sense any presence of people? I had dismissed it as a prank, but this was strange. Since breaking the wall, my Qi sense had expanded significantly; at this distance, I should normally be able to sense the presence of ordinary people.
—There’s even a boat floating in the middle of the lake.
Just as the Lesser Conversation Sword said, a boat was floating right in the center of the lake. I could even see two figures on it. One had very long hair and appeared to be a woman; she was lying across the lap of a man who was leisurely fishing from the boat.
‘What is this? Why can't I sense them with my Qi sense?’
It was truly bizarre. But that aside, if there was an inn nearby, there was no reason to sleep outdoors in the cold.
—Should I go take a look?
No.
If there’s no fog, we can just go there ourselves. I spoke to Song Jwa-baek and the rest of the group.
“It seems there might be a place to stay in that forest Jwa-baek said was foggy. Why don't we go there and rest?”
“No, I’m telling you, there really was fog, why won't you believe—”
Sama-yeong cut off the indignant Song Jwa-baek and answered excitedly. “Oh, really? That sounds great!”
Ahem. It’s a bit embarrassing when you make it that obvious.
Song Jwa-baek looked back and forth between the two of us and grumbled, “Is there no decent lady for me? Good grief.”
Clang!
On the other hand, A-Song, who had unpacked everything and almost finished preparing the food and bedding, looked at me as if a bolt from the blue had struck him.
It can't be helped. Pack it back up. I sent him that message silently with my eyes.
While a dejected A-Song was repacking, the voice of the Lesser Conversation Sword rang in my head.
—Since I have to stand guard anyway, I can keep flying around, right?
Do as you wish.
—Yahoo! This is so fun—huh?
Suddenly, I heard its flustered voice.
—Wh-what’s happening…
It was at that exact moment.
Snap!
“!?”
The vision the Lesser Conversation Sword was seeing suddenly surged toward somewhere at an incredible speed. It felt as if the sword was trying its best to resist, but it was being pulled by an unknown force.
‘Sodam! Sodam!’
As the sword shook, the vision became blurred and shaky. But even through that vision, I could tell exactly where it was being pulled.
It was being drawn toward the lakeshore.
While I was struggling to understand what was happening, I saw the Lesser Conversation Sword being caught in someone’s hand.
‘Sodam! What’s going on?’
There was no answer. The vision was clearly being shared, but I couldn't understand the phenomenon. It was the first time I had experienced this.
Then, even that vision began to fade. It started turning black as if lines were being drawn across it, and then a voice reached me.
—What is this?
—I’m not sure. It’s quite different from the Self-Moving Sword Art.
Along with those voices, through the fading vision, I saw a young man with a face so pale it was almost white, tall and handsome with long hair.
What on earth was happening? Did this man pull the Lesser Conversation Sword to him from that great distance?
Soon after, the connection with the Lesser Conversation Sword’s vision was completely severed.
“Dammit!”
Without a second thought, I immediately threw myself toward the northern forest.