Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Chapter 2: One Mountain Five Rivers (1)
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Before the turbulent times, the Shansi martial world was defined by the name of six powerhouses known as One Mountain Five Rivers.
Even when an era of great chaos later engulfed the Central Plains, these six remained symbols that ran through Shansi's major incidents. They were the central figures of the Shansi martial world, their nameless exploits endlessly recounted amid the escalating turmoil of the realm.
One Mountain referred to the sacred site of Fivefold Mountain in name, but it was far more renowned as a person.
One Mountain, Mansu Seongbul, was regarded as the leader of Shansi's warriors. His martial prowess and character were both exceptional, earning him a reputation for matching any master in the land. At the very least, that was what the people of Shansi martial world believed.
Beneath One Mountain were the Five Rivers.
Great Unity Hall, Taihang Gang, Blue Spear Society, Fenyang Sect, and Hahyeon Gang.
They took their name from basing themselves along the five rivers flowing through Shansi, but in truth, Great Unity Hall and Taihang Gang were both in Taiyuan Prefecture, having grown up along a single river known as the Fen River. Strictly speaking by the number of rivers, they should have been called Four Rivers. The term One Mountain Five Rivers was really just a rhetorical flourish to balance the pairing of mountain and river, but no one cared about such etymology, and it was used without resistance.
However, with One Mountain standing apart due to his lack of interest in conflict, the five were often simply called the Five Powerhouses. Over time, this led to the terms One Mountain Five Rivers and One Mountain Five Powerhouses being used interchangeably. There were even quite a few who simply called them all together the Shansi Six Powerhouses.
In the vast expanse of Shansi, they wielded influence rivaling that of any great sect.
Great Unity Hall Leader Dongpungneung, Taihang Gang Leader Hwang Ryeo-man, Blue Spear Society Chief Pyeong Yo-bo, Fenyang Sect Leader Gyeong Nambang, and Hahyeon Gang Chief Jeong Rip-jung—these five were the supreme masters of their respective groups and naturally represented them. No corner of Shansi was so remote that their names weren't known. They enjoyed authority envied by high officials and nobles, and they possessed the skill to justify it.
That was how it had been.
Until the turbulent times.
That was the state of Shansi.
From the Characters Section of the Hanbaek Martial Chronicle, Chapter Twenty-Fifth: Among the Major Figures of the Jianghu.
* * *
There were four of them.
They wore black scholar robes.
In one hand, each held a jian sword, the kind of ornamental blade that idle scholars carried as an accessory.
Ching! Ching ching ching!
They wore no masks.
Their faces were unremarkable, but their eyes gleamed with sinister intent.
Oho swung his black-and-white dao.
The flashing blades clashed fiercely with two of the swords.
"Ah, where do you think you're going!"
Oho leaped to the side, blocking the path of the remaining two.
He meant to take on all four alone.
Sang urgently pushed Seol and Hyang behind him, assuming a defensive stance. Cheonwi did not move. His eyes merely flashed. He sat there calmly in his half-naked state.
Ching! Chiiiing!
Oho gripped his black-and-white dao with both hands and swung it wide to create distance. The sword strikes from the pursuing black-robed scholars were highly threatening. The room—not too spacious, not too cramped—filled with flashing light.
Ching ching! Clang! Slash!
"Look at this...?"
Oho furrowed his brow and bared his teeth.
Not only had his deliberate thrust been blocked, but a light graze had appeared on his forearm.
They were strong.
"Those guys. Don't let your guard down."
Cheonwi spoke as if he already knew them.
It was impossible to relax even if he wanted to.
These were on a completely different level from the ones massacred in Dark Street or encountered at Bucheong Tower.
Thud! Craaang!
One of the four, who had been advancing in formation, broke away and launched himself toward Cheonwi on the bed. Cheonwi did not move. Instead, he shouted in a short, sharp voice.
"Half step back, left bow, lower sweep!"
Oho's reaction was terrifyingly swift.
He stepped back half a pace with his rear foot and twisted his body to the left. Using his bowed waist like a drawn bow as a pivot, he swept the black-and-white dao downward.
Slash!
The black-robed scholar charging at Cheonwi stumbled as if caught on something. The black-and-white dao, curving from behind, had severed his right leg from the knee down.
Spluuurt!
The gushing blood sounded chilling.
"Ahh. You've already seen them, huh. That makes it better!"
Oho smiled.
Sinisterly, cruelly.
Cheonwi's command continued.
"Left step! Flash pivot, upper horizontal cut!"
Oho stepped left again. Flash pivot. He flipped his body and unleashed a fierce horizontal slash toward the upper body.
Craaaang!
One of the black-robed scholar's swords snapped in half. The broken blade flew upward and thunked into the ceiling.
Cheonwi's instructions were a perfect strategy.
It was as if he could read the enemies' movements in advance.
"Hat!"
Oho's shout followed.
Even without Cheonwi's help, Oho was plenty strong. Beneath the halved sword, the black-robed scholar's chest lay wide open. Oho thrust the black-and-white dao straight in.
Puk! Spurt!
The chest was pierced, blood foam bubbling up.
Two down in an instant.
The remaining black-robed scholars seemed considerably rattled.
Seol suddenly glanced toward Cheonwi. Her eyes were drawn there inevitably.
He had decided the fight with just a few words, and now he was rummaging through somewhere on the bed, pulling out a piece of colorful fabric. He crumpled it into a cloth and plugged his nose, furrowing his brow between the eyes as if a foul smell wafted about.
Oho began moving again.
He gripped the sword hilt with both hands and advanced, slashing upward from below in a diagonal arc. The black-robed scholars dared not meet it head-on and flung themselves to either side. Oho kicked off the floor and charged ferociously. To the right. The black-robed scholar raised his sword to block Oho's blade.
Kagagak!
Blade scraped against blade, sparks flying. The black-robed scholar's strength was considerable. Oho pressed down with his sword, but the resistance was no small matter.
Swoosh!
The black-robed scholar who had dodged left aimed for Oho's back and thrust his sword. Oho did not release his pressing hand. He twisted his waist and kicked backward with his rear foot. The sword targeting his back veered wildly, as if intent on severing his leg instead.
"Whirling kick!"
Cheonwi shouted a single word.
Oho's foot twisted direction in midair. Terrifying speed, terrifying flexibility. Like a snake coiling, the sword and leg twisted in an instant, exchanging blows. It was an astonishing sight. In an unstable stance, pressing down with all his might on the sword with one hand while balancing on one leg, Oho's foot perfectly exploited the enemy's gap. It shot through the narrowest opening and struck the black-robed scholar's elbow sharply.
Crack! Crunch!
The elbow twisted, the hand opening. It was not just exquisite but exhilaratingly powerful. The sword clattered to the floor. Seeing it, Cheonwi shouted.
"Oho!!"
It was no exclamation of admiration or cheer.
His face, towel removed, was hardened without concealment. It was a face sternly rebuking Oho.
And that was not all. There was another immediate reaction.
Sang himself.
Sang's face changed dramatically upon seeing the leg technique Oho had used. It was such overwhelming shock that even Seol and Hyang nearby found it baffling. It was that extreme a response. Of course, Cheonwi did not miss Sang's change either. Cheonwi urged.
"Finish it quick!"
"I know."
Oho replied curtly and inhaled sharply. The black-robed scholar's face twisted. The power transmitted through the sword had doubled.
"Urk!"
The black-robed scholar could not hold and withdrew his sword.
That was the moment Oho had been waiting for. His blade moved like lightning. Two downward sweeping linked cuts. The black-robed scholar's collarbone shattered, his ribs splintering. Brutal assault. Cheonwi called his name again.
"Oho!"
"Quit nagging!"
Oho turned his body.
The black-robed scholar who had dropped his sword from the leg technique was picking it up again with his left hand. Oho strode forward and brought down the black-and-white dao.
Clang!
It was blocked by the horizontally raised sword. Oho raised his voice.
"See that?"
He twisted the black-and-white dao to the side and swung it upward from below in a carving motion.
"You bastards."
Ching!
The black-robed scholar blocked again. Oho shouted irritably.
"They're strong!"
Ching! Swoosh! Slash!
Half the black-robed scholar's neck was severed. Blood sprayed.
Splatter.
The entire room was slick with blood.
Now, the only surviving black-robed scholar was the one with the severed leg. Oho moved toward him.
The black-robed scholar looked up at Oho once. Then he tilted his head limply. Oho chuckled and glanced at Cheonwi.
"See? Told you so."
The black-robed scholar's face turned deathly pale. Vicious bastards. When the tide turned against them, they chose suicide.
Cheonwi scanned the room once.
"Ah, the smell of blood."
Cheonwi plugged his nose with the cloth again. He glared at Oho in annoyance.
"Can't you do it cleaner?"
"You saw them. How strong they were!"
"Does that mean you have to use that too?"
"I've told you a hundred times! I used it because it's effective!"
Oho shot back in irritation.
Cheonwi narrowed his eyes and scowled. He continued in a tone laced with annoyance.
"Fine, whatever. They're all dead now. More importantly, look at this mess. How much do you think we'll have to pay?"
"We can just settle it roughly!"
"Oho, Oho. That was the original owner's prized possession."
"Hmph, some white porcelain. Compared to what we've earned for Gold Flower Master all this time, it's a drop in the bucket."
Oho was nonchalant.
Cheonwi lowered his voice.
"If it was once or twice, fine. But every time you show up, it ends like this."
"Who's fault is that? What were you doing here? Why do you think I even set foot in this place?"
"So this mess is my fault?"
"Of course. We were almost done with the mission, and you're fooling around with a girl? And a kid whose blood hasn't even dried on her head? Is that what you should be doing?"
"She's plenty grown. She just looks young."
"Her?"
"Drop it."
Cheonwi pressed his forehead and bowed his head. Then he added curtly.
"Give me my sword."
"What?"
"Mine. You brought it, right?"
"Tch!"
Oho pulled the golden dao from his back and tossed it to Cheonwi. Cheonwi, still bowed, caught it without looking, just raising his hand.
He slowly rose.
One hand still held the cloth over his nose.
His waistband pants threatened to slip down. His firm abs and pubic muscles were fully exposed. He spun the golden dao lightly and placed it over the scabbard on his shoulder. In that state, he gripped the hilt. His knuckles were slender and long. Delicate hands.
Shing.
He drew the hilt. The golden dao slid smoothly from the shoulder-mounted scabbard.
The blade was a blatant golden hue close to yellow. It didn't look like a weapon. It was ornate like jewelry.
Clank.
He flicked it off his shoulder, dropping the scabbard to the floor.
The room's lanterns danced on the blade's surface. The golden saber light was dazzling.
Thud.
He took a step.
Light-footed, advancing despite no enemies left.
"?!"
Cheonwi passed Oho and headed toward Seol's group.
He did not stop. He strode forward and suddenly swung the golden dao.
The target.
Was Sang.
Swoosh! Slash!
Torn lapels fluttered into the air. Sang cried out in shock.
"What do you think you're doing!!"
Cheonwi chuckled and shook the golden dao. He lightly raised his hand and said calmly.
"Wow, good reaction."