The Melee at the Inn

Jang Hyeon-nam joined forces with the Plum Blossom Swordmasters and Baek I-jin in a desperate, bloody battle against the Undying Demon.

One of the Plum Blossom Swordmasters, taking a grievous wound in the doing, drove his blade into the Undying Demon's abdomen — and even that accomplished nothing. Within a few breaths the Undying Demon pulled the sword free, and not so much as a scratch remained ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on his belly.

Now I understand why they call him the Undying Demon. This thing is even more of a monster than I thought.

A sense of helplessness settled over Jang Hyeon-nam. Even when he poured everything into his prized Flowing Cloud Sword and managed to land wounds, the Undying Demon's offensive power never flagged. Worse, as the fight dragged on, two of the Plum Blossom Swordmasters fell to him and were left unable to continue. A single hit from that palm force sent a man coughing blood and crumpling to the floor. That they were still circulating their energy even in that state told Jang Hyeon-nam the Undying Demon's palm force ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was far stronger than rumor had claimed.

"Huff! Huff!"

The two remaining Plum Blossom Swordmasters and Jang Hyeon-nam faced the Undying Demon, catching their breath.

Baek I-jin refused to fall back, even when the Plum Blossom Swordmasters told her to withdraw. Her own strength was nothing to dismiss, and she had been a considerable help in pressing the Undying Demon. Besides, with two of the Plum Blossom Swordmasters already wounded and out of the fight, no one was in a position to tell her to stand down now.

The inn had become a slaughterhouse. The innkeeper and the serving boys had already fled — no matter how dearly a man might love his inn, it could never be worth more than his life.

In one corner of the hall, the Undying Demon's men clashed with disciples of the Mount Hua Sect; in another, the martial artists who had been staying at the inn were locked in a fierce struggle of their own against the same enemy. But most of the corpses strewn across the floor belonged to the martial artists who had gathered here. Those still on their feet were the ones who had stormed the Gwak Family Manor with Seo Joo-cheon, and those who had been traveling with Jang Hyeon-nam. And even among them, the only one who could fight the Undying Demon's men on even terms was Sang Ryo.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

He did not let it show, but the Undying Demon was growing impatient.

When he had planned the assault on the inn, the Plum Blossom Swordmasters had not been part of his calculations. His scout had reported that none of them were at the inn. That information had been wrong.

When this is over, that scout is going to pay.

Every unexpected variable felt, to him, like that scout's fault. The man had never imagined that the Plum Blossom Swordmasters would return to the inn so soon after Seo Joo-cheon had left. The Undying Demon had not been able to let the opening slip — Seo Joo-cheon gone from the inn, the martial artists gathering at the Suo River. It had been, in its way, a carefully laid attack.

The two Plum Blossom Swordmasters had known only that the Undying Demon was a swordsman. They had closed in without accounting for his palm arts, and they had paid for it. But now that the remaining two Plum Blossom Swordmasters and Jang Hyeon-nam had taken the measure of his martial arts, they harried him with stubborn, grinding persistence.

The Plum Blossom Swordmasters were accomplished swordmasters in their own right, men who knew how to check an opponent even as they struck. They did not rise to the Undying Demon's taunts. Once they understood that a sword through the gut did him no harm at all, their exchanges grew cautious.

Ham Cheon-yeong and Kang Chu-mi appeared at the inn, but with life-and-death struggles raging on every side, no one paid their arrival any mind. They left the fighting on the ground floor behind them and raced up to the second story.

Blood was being spilled there as well. The Undying Demon had left only a handful of men to guard his boat and brought the rest with him, so the force they faced was no joke.

"Third Brother!"

On the second floor, Dokgo Ho-in was fighting to protect Baek Seol and Do Ok-myeong. The Mount Hua disciples assigned to guard Baek Seol were only fourth-generation disciples, and they were of little real help in the defense. It was fortunate that the Undying Demon's elites were downstairs. Had they not been, Dokgo Ho-in — missing an arm — would never have held.

"Second Brother! Little sister!"

The corridor was blocked by the Undying Demon's men, cutting them off from Dokgo Ho-in, so Kang Chu-mi looped her whip around a roof beam and launched herself through the air. She flung flying daggers at the men who raised their weapons to strike her as she passed. Thud! Thud! Thud!

Behind her, Ham Cheon-yeong swept his great saber in a crushing arc, and the pressure bearing down on Dokgo Ho-in slackened at once. Once Kang Chu-mi joined him, a stronger defensive line took shape.

"Where's Big Brother?"

Dokgo Ho-in asked Kang Chu-mi.

"He'll be here soon. He's running a little late — he's helping a wounded Plum Blossom Swordmaster along."

"A Plum Blossom Swordmaster?"

Dokgo Ho-in tilted his head. As far as he knew, four Plum Blossom Swordmasters had come down the mountain with Baek I-jin. And there was another wounded one? All four of them were already here. But there was no time to dwell on it. The Undying Demon's men were pouring into the corridor.

"Seize that girl!"

A warrior who had once served as the Undying Demon's escort at the Suo River came striding forward, shouting.

"Yes!"

The Undying Demon's men charged with no regard for their own lives, and Ham Cheon-yeong found himself all but isolated.

If the Undying Demon or his personal guards join this fight, I won't be able to protect them.

Ham Cheon-yeong took in the state of the battle and scowled. He had no clever plan. All he could do now was throw everything he had into holding the enemy back.

If Big Brother would just get here, we might have a chance.

Two of the Undying Demon's men attacked in concert, and Ham Cheon-yeong was forced to give ground again and again.

I need to call for Big Brother.

The instant he opened his mouth to shout, two figures stepped in front of him. A whirling, ferocious saber aura filled the hall — Do Gi, the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber, and Jeo Pung, the White Salt Blade.

The moment the two of them joined the fight, the net closing around Ham Cheon-yeong went slack. The saber auras of the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber and the White Salt Blade overwhelmed the Undying Demon's men.

"Hah!"

More of the Undying Demon's men piled on to meet the two newcomers, and Ham Cheon-yeong unfolded the Phoenix Controlling Dragon Saber, driving them back.

When three saber auras filled the corridor, the Undying Demon's men no longer dared to stand against them and were shoved to the far end of the hall.

"Hahaha! Hero Ham! Truly outstanding saber work! This Jeo Pung is in awe!"

Jeo Pung, the White Salt Blade, meant every word. The technique still lacked a certain refinement — Ham Cheon-yeong had not yet trained it to completion — but Jeo Pung saw at a glance that it was a supreme martial art.

It won't be long before this man makes a name for himself as a saber master of the martial world.

He could not understand how someone like this had gone unknown in the jianghu until now. The saber arts the three of them unleashed were each worthy of founding a school in their own right. Combined, their momentum became a gale, a saber-wind that swept the corridor clean.

Sang Ryo, having joined with the other martial artists, had barely managed to put down the Undying Demon's men and was now regrouping them to strike at the Undying Demon himself.

"If we attack together, even the Undying Demon won't be able to hold."

Sang Ryo said this as he caught sight of Dang Seol-yong, who had just arrived at the inn. Dang Seol-yong scanned the surroundings and asked,

"Where are the Qingcheng Sect martial artists?"

This was the moment they needed every bit of strength they could get, even if the disciples led by Daoist Gojin were not true masters.

"When the Undying Demon stormed the inn, he led the Qingcheng disciples away and vanished."

Dang Seol-yong muttered, as if she could hardly believe it.

"That's exactly the sort of man he is. He'll come back if the tide turns in our favor. He's not the type to sit out an opportunity like this."

She had not known Daoist Gojin long, but even in that short time she had seen that he was, for a Taoist, extraordinarily selfish.

I've never met a Taoist more practical than I am — and I'm from the Tang Clan.

If she, her two escorts, Sang Ryo, and the remaining martial artists all joined the fight, Dang Seol-yong thought they might actually take the Undying Demon down — just as Sang Ryo had said. Watching two Plum Blossom Swordmasters, Baek I-jin, and Jang Hyeon-nam hold their own against him, she figured the Undying Demon was barely hanging on as it was.

If I can just take down the Undying Demon, my name will stand first among the rising talents of this generation.

For a moment Dang Seol-yong let herself sink into that sweet fantasy. The martial artists' eyes glittered with fighting spirit — not from the danger that they might die fighting the Undying Demon, but from the delicious fame that victory would bring.

The Undying Demon, still fighting, swept his gaze around the hall. Seeing the martial artists pouring into the inn, he roared.

The group that had been about to attack him flinched.

Among the martial artists flooding into the inn, there was no shortage of Unorthodox and Black Way fighters. But even at the Undying Demon's appeal, they did not move rashly. They had been thinking of walking away with the elixir as a fisherman's prize, and they were not about to throw themselves into the fray on his word alone.

Seo Joo-cheon, arriving at the inn at just that moment, heard the Undying Demon's cry and thought, If the Unorthodox and the Black Way had that kind of loyalty, the martial world would have been remade by them a long time ago.

When the Unorthodox and Black Way martial artists showed no sign of stirring at the Undying Demon's provocation, Jang Hyeon-nam stepped forward.

"If the Undying Demon obtains the spiritual elixir, not a single person here will leave this place alive. He will slaughter every witness to hide the fact that he has it. Is there anyone here who believes that nonsense about him sharing the elixir?"

The original protagonist, knowing exactly when to speak. At those words, the Black Way and Unorthodox groups found themselves nodding despite themselves. There was no one who did not know what kind of man the Undying Demon was.

"But!"

Seeing that the martial artists were listening, Jang Hyeon-nam raised his voice still further.

"If you help us destroy the Undying Demon, do you think the Mount Hua Sect will stand idle? Is the foremost of the Nine Great Sects a place that would take your aid and then turn its back? They will surely repay, by one means or another, those who help us slay him!"

At that, Baek I-jin, who had been attacking the Undying Demon, fell back and shouted in agreement.

When Baek I-jin backed Jang Hyeon-nam's words, the martial artists who had entered the inn turned their eyes toward the Undying Demon. Seo Joo-cheon read the current and thrust his hand high.

Dang Seol-yong joined in.

"Let's kill the Undying Demon!"

And Do-eo-ak-jon, who had been watching the situation in silence until now, decided that if he could not have the elixir, he would at least have the fame.

If I kill the Undying Demon, I won't be one of the Three Great Evils anymore — I'll be one of the Three Great Sovereigns.

Judging by the flow of the battle, the Undying Demon did not look likely to win. And he was clearly being pressed by two Plum Blossom Swordmasters. For the first time in his life, Do-eo-ak-jon found himself thinking of helping one of the Nine Great Sects.

Seo Joo-cheon stood behind Do-eo-ak-jon, watching him make his choice. The only reason they had not thrown themselves into the fight until now was Do-eo-ak-jon. Whichever side he attacked would completely reverse the course of the battle.

If Do-eo-ak-jon sides with the Undying Demon, I'll have to cut his throat from behind.

Do-eo-ak-jon bellowed and charged the Undying Demon.

"Undying Demon! Take the saber of this Do-eo-ak-jon!"

The open mockery sent the Undying Demon into a sky-splitting laugh.

"Euhahaha! So the moths come flying to the flame now, do they? Come! This Lord will kill you all!"

The Undying Demon shifted from palm arts to swordsmanship. When Seo Joo-cheon had created the character, he had written him as a master whose sword was superior to his palms. That was why, even with Do-eo-ak-jon and the other martial artists joining in, he barely gave ground.

Still, it shouldn't be this much. How much stronger has he gotten?

Seo Joo-cheon shook his head, watching an Undying Demon stronger than the martial prowess he himself had set.

In Macheonchong, the Twelve Demon Lords are not absolute masters. Above them stand the Eight Lotus Elders, and above those the Four Great Protectors. Strictly speaking, they are only the third tier of experts.

Seo Joo-cheon disliked power inflation, so he had capped the realms of martial arts. The Undying Demon was one of the masters meant to torment the protagonist Jang Hyeon-nam, and a character who would later die at Jang Hyeon-nam's hands. But watching him fend off the Plum Blossom Swordmasters, Jang Hyeon-nam, Baek I-jin, and even Do-eo-ak-jon, it looked less like a fighter of the First-Class Peak and more ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like a martial artist of the Peak Realm.

Something else bothered Seo Joo-cheon more than that.

I'll grant that martial prowess can grow beyond what I wrote, if a man works at it. That's not the problem.

What kept needling him was that the fight was turning against the Undying Demon, and yet the man showed no sign of wanting to retreat.

The Undying Demon is cunning and selfish — the sort of man who would abandon his own subordinates and run the moment things went badly. That's why, even as one of the Twelve Demon Lords, he was never much respected inside Macheonchong.

That Hyeok Chung, the Undying Demon, was fighting as if this were a last stand made no sense at all.

Don't tell me even his personality has changed?

Seo Joo-cheon shook his head.

No. There have been small variations in how the story unfolds, but it hasn't broken the larger frame. And every person I've met so far has been exactly as I wrote them. The plot can shift. The people don't.

Seo Joo-cheon stared at the Undying Demon.

What is it? What is that bastard after?

Even the author of this novel felt a creeping unease when he ran up against the unknown. This was not a novel. This was reality, and there was no way to know. The more his thoughts spread, the more that anxious feeling clung to him like leeches, plastering itself to his skin.