Chapter 23: Escape (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 23: Escape (1)
Thousand-Li Autumn Scent.
As a spy, there was no way I didn't know what it was.
It was exactly what the name implied: a scented powder that could be tracked for a thousand li.
By scattering this highly fragrant dust, one's location could be tracked using special instruments or trained hounds. Since it hadn't been long since it was scattered, even I could smell the scent.
Why would the second disciple of the Second Venerable—one of the four Great Venerables of the Blood Cult—sneak out in the dead of night to scatter Thousand-Li Autumn Scent?
'It's not outside the realm of possibility.'
I wouldn't know for sure until I subdued him.
Radiating a murderous intent, the fellow looked ready to attack at any moment.
Shing!
He pointed his long sword at me and spoke.
"Haven't you heard that the more curious you are, the shorter your life becomes?"
"I don't know. I think I've heard that the more careless you are, the shorter your life becomes."
"......."
The guy was momentarily speechless. Since he’d been caught moving in secret, he didn't have much of a rebuttal.
Glaring at me, he shifted his gaze around, scanning the surroundings. Then, a greasy smirk spread across his face.
"Stupid brat. Do you really think you can handle me alone?"
He seemed convinced I didn't have any allies with me.
As someone skilled in the art of lying, I didn't let a single muscle in my face twitch as I replied.
"Do you really think I'm alone?"
"Hmph. If you weren't, you would have already blocked my retreat or attacked."
If he were that simple-minded, he wouldn't be playing the role of a spy. He must have received proper training.
In that case...
Swish!
I struck first, swinging my sword toward him.
Despite the surprise attack, Go Eun-jae unfolded a footwork method and evaded it with ease. As expected of a Peak Realm master.
"Did you think a surprise attack would work? You and I are in different leagues. You should have realized that this afternoon."
"Fix your shoes first, you toad."
Because I had appeared so suddenly, he hadn't been able to put his leather shoes on properly; they were just hanging off the tops of his feet.
"Toad? You little shit!"
Rather than the comment about his shoes, being called a toad seemed to have struck a nerve. He stopped retreating and lunged toward me with terrifying momentum.
His long sword swung in a wide arc, aiming for my neck.
I leaned my body back and thrust my sword toward the center of his chest.
Clang!
He kicked off the ground and leaped upward to avoid the strike. From that position, he brought his long sword down toward my head with all his might.
I quickly raised my sword to parry the blow.
Clash!
Step, step, step, step!
He must have pushed his internal power to the limit; my blade vibrated, and I was pushed back four steps.
Thinking he had the upper hand, Go Eun-jae spoke triumphantly.
"Foolish brat. Just because you got lucky and beat Ho Geum-won with some petty evil arts, you've deluded yourself into thinking you can face me."
Seeing as he called his Senior Brother by name, my assessment was correct. He hated Ho Geum-won. Whether that was because he was a spy or for some other reason, I couldn't tell yet.
"Heh, they say those evil arts only work on those with less internal energy than yourself, right? I almost feel sorry for you. Blinded by a desire for glory, you've walked straight into your own grave..."
"You talk too much."
I thrust my sword like a bolt of lightning toward his still-moving mouth.
Confident in his internal power, he raised his blade with swagger.
Claaaaang!
"Huh?"
In that instant, his body was blown backward.
"You...?"
His eyes shook with shock.
I didn't miss the opening and unleashed the first form of the Life Bright Divine Art.
Tiger Fang Momentum Sword.
A sword technique of fierce momentum descended upon him.
Though his balance had been shaken as he was pushed back, he desperately regained his stance and unfolded a saber technique.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
His saber and my sword collided violently.
The tyrannical momentum of his saber forms seemed to be the Raging Blood Saber Method of the famous Second Venerable, Raging Demon Lord Seo Gal-ma. It was an excellent saber style, capable of blocking my sword forms even when he was off-balance.
Boom!
Having blocked the technique, he widened the distance between us.
"You were hiding your true skill."
He seemed shocked by the fact that my internal power exceeded that of a first-rate master. It was a natural reaction, considering he had looked down on me, assuming I was weaker.
Does he not know the martial arts proverb about hiding thirty percent of one's skill?
"Tch."
I could see his eyes darting around as he deliberated. He was likely weighing whether to flee or to silence me forever.
Suddenly, he turned and deployed his lightness skill.
"Are you running away!"
I used my own lightness skill to give chase.
However, after moving only a few dozen feet, he abruptly stopped his flight, dragged his saber across the ground, and spun his body.
Blue sparks flew from the saber as it scraped the earth.
Cr-crack!
'What is he doing?'
In that moment, the dirt and sand swept up by the saber created a cloud of dust that obscured my vision.
I hurriedly swung the Namcheon Iron Sword to block the flying shards of sand.
Ping, ping, ping!
I managed to block the sand, but my vision was momentarily clouded.
In that instant, the Lesser Conversation Sword and the Namcheon Iron Sword shouted simultaneously.
Without a moment to think, I spun my body and leaped into the air.
Swish!
I felt something small and sharp whistle past just beneath me.
The voice of the Lesser Conversation Sword echoed in my head.
Before I even landed, I drew the dagger and hurled it through the dust.
"Gah!"
Clang!
Blue sparks flickered amidst the dust.
The moment I landed, I unleashed a sword technique toward that spot.
The sixth form of the Life Bright Sword Technique.
Chasing Return Sword.
This technique, which involved rotating the sword's momentum precisely into a single point while thrusting forward, was one of the advanced ultimate techniques of the Life Bright Sword Technique—an extreme evolution of a simple thrust.
While it lacked variation, its sheer power was peerless among the forms of the Life Bright Sword Technique.
"Damn it!"
I heard his voice from within the dust.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
The strikes of the Chasing Return Sword collided and sparked before my eyes.
Twelve consecutive thrusts were unleashed simultaneously; he couldn't even block five before being sent flying backward.
As I burst through the dust, I saw him clutching the left side of his chest. The area was turning crimson.
The Lesser Conversation Sword shouted, as if afraid I'd forget him.
Looking over, I saw the dagger embedded in the ground.
But for now, this guy was the priority.
Go Eun-jae stared at me, his expression one of utter disbelief.
"You... what the hell are you? How did you dodge hidden weapons in that dust?"
He seemed stunned that I had evaded them despite him obscuring my vision with dust in the middle of the night.
"I have a third eye."
"What?"
"None of your business. Let's finish this."
I raised my sword into a Qi Control Stance.
Even though he was wounded, he was a man who used hidden weapons; I couldn't afford to be careless.
He also took a stance, but his movements faltered. He seemed to be hesitating, having realized that he was outmatched in skill.
The Lesser Conversation Sword said to me.
'No.'
As a former spy myself, I could guess what he was thinking.
There were only two paths a spy could take in this situation. Flee until the end, or commit suicide.
However, taking one's own life was an extreme choice, not something even a spy could do without hesitation. Even if only for a split second, he had to deliberate.
'He needs time to prepare himself mentally.'
I glared at him intently while silently reciting the oral formula for the Illusion Eye.
Dripping with cold sweat and consumed by indecision, the fellow knew nothing and merely stayed on guard.
'Will it work?'
I pushed my Innate True Qi to its limit.
If we were in the middle of a frantic exchange, it might be different, but right now, there was a high chance of success.
Then, as if he had made up his mind, he brought the saber he was pointing at me toward his own throat and shouted.
"I'd rather die by my own hand than be taken by a piece of trash like—"
"Look into my eyes!"
"What?"
He reflexively looked into my eyes.
It happened in that very instant.
The man, who had been pressing the blade against his throat to slit it, pulled the weapon away and threw it as far as he could with all his strength.
Then, with hollow eyes, his mouth fell wide open.
Flash!
I lunged toward him.
With movements like lightning, I struck his pressure points.
The moment his points were sealed, his eyes returned to normal, and he regained his senses.
"Ah...?"
Frozen with his mouth still agape, he couldn't hide his bewilderment. He likely had no idea what had just happened.
In his panic, he tried to scream and move his body, but it was useless.
"Let's see."
I thrust my fingers into his wide-open mouth.
He stared at me with bloodshot eyes.
Stare all you want, it's too late.
Not this side... is it the other?
'Found it.'
I carefully grasped something attached to his molar and pulled.
A very thin thread was tied to his left molar. As I pulled gently, he began to gag as if he were about to vomit.
Pop!
Something tied to the thread emerged from his throat. It was a tiny, black, bead-like object.
Even while stuck in the ground, the dagger seemed to have a good view of the situation.
'A poison pill.'
'Exactly.'
This was usually the standard. As expected, the guy was indeed a spy.
Spies have two ways of committing suicide. One is slitting their own throat, which is generally preferred. This is because if a poison pill is dissolved by stomach acid, all the internal organs melt away, making the death feel agonizingly long.
'Do you have to experience it to know? You can guess because you don't die immediately upon taking the poison.'
That's why they slit their throats. It's better than being captured and forced to swallow the pill.
But what can you do? This guy failed at both.
Go Eun-jae, still gagging as if he were about to throw up, looked back and forth between the poison pill and me with an expression of utter absurdity.
I gave him a bright smile.
"You got taken by a 'piece of trash,' didn't you?"
With those words, I slammed my fist into his toad-like face.
*
Dong! Dong! Dong!
As I neared the main hall of Six Blood Valley, I heard the sound of an alarm bell.
It was a truly ominous sound.
Just as I expected.
The fact that he had scattered Thousand-Li Autumn Scent meant he was signaling this location to someone. Consequently, something must have tripped the sentry net of Six Blood Valley.
I glanced down at Go Eun-jae, whom I was carrying over my shoulder.
'Things have definitely changed.'
Six Blood Valley's location was destined to be discovered eventually. But it wasn't supposed to be now. Considering that Raging Demon Lord Seo Gal-ma was never supposed to be here in the first place, his presence must have influenced this.
'Then Ho Geum-won's fate has changed as well.'
If my guess was right, he would have died at Go Eun-jae's hands one way or another. But since I captured this guy here and now, his fate might have been altered.
Regardless, I had to hurry.
Whoosh!
I used my lightness skill to pass the pavilions and head inside.
Once inside, I saw numerous Blood Cult warriors from Six Blood Valley moving busily. They were placing oil-soaked straw all around the buildings.
'It looks like they're going to burn it down.'
If the location was compromised, erasing all traces was the top priority. Since the Blood Cult had been hiding beneath the surface for a long time, their response to such situations was incredibly fast.
A crowd had gathered in front of the main hall building.
My master Haeakcheon, the Song twins, Baek Ryeonha, Blood Hand Witch Han Baek-ha, Raging Demon Lord Seo Gal-ma, the Divine Healer of Ten Thousand Ailments, and Bloody Unit Leader Gu Sang-ung were all engaged in a serious conversation.
"Master."
"Wait, you?"
"Young Master?"
As I appeared, everyone's gaze shifted toward me. Their expressions varied, but most showed suspicion. It was a natural reaction, given that I had been missing while the alarm bells were ringing.
"You brat! Where on earth have you been?"
Haeakcheon asked me.
Thud!
I dropped Go Eun-jae onto the ground.
"Eun-jae!"
Seo Gal-ma shouted upon seeing his unconscious disciple. He then glared at me and demanded, "You! What have you done?"
"He's a spy."
"A spy? What are you talk—what?"
'!!!'
Not just Seo Gal-ma, but everyone stared back and forth between me and the unconscious Go Eun-jae with shocked eyes.