Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Chapter 2: One Mountain, Five Rivers (7)
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Whish! Clang!
Thanks to Dongpungneung, he had some breathing room.
Oho finally repelled the downward-striking Pae Sword and pulled his body out through the hole above.
Clang clang clang!
Two Pae Swords from either side greeted him as he ascended. Oho swiftly swung his blade to fend them off, then shouted toward the open hole.
“The Flame Jade Merchant Guild’s daughter! Protect her just a moment!”
Only then did he get a clear look at his foes.
Two on either side, blocking his ascent.
And one more in the back, clutching his stomach on the floor—the very one Dongpungneung had taken down.
That made three.
Plus one more who wasn’t here. Whoosh. The night breeze told him the window was open. The one who snatched Seol must have gone that way. He had to give chase right now.
Clang! Craaang!
The black-and-white blades clashed with the two Pae Swords. The impact jolting through his grip was no joke. These weren’t opponents he could subdue in just a couple exchanges. Well, he could manage it, but only by unleashing his true power.
‘Not again…!’
But the situation went from bad to worse.
Rumble! Whirrl!
The door burst open, and men in brown robes poured in like a flood. They seemed from different sects, judging by their wildly varying attire. And instead of Pae Swords, they wielded short clubs.
Someone yelled out.
“One’s on the lower floor!”
He knew exactly what that “one” meant.
Hyang.
They’d already secured Seol. And now they were after Hyang too.
These weren’t all of them—he could sense more presences lurking. They were closing in from all sides.
Warriors leaped over the stairs below, storming straight onto the floor where the Great East Guild Leader waited.
Crash!
Breaking sounds erupted from downstairs.
Clang! Clang clang clang clang!
The clash of weapons followed. The Great East Guild Leader’s guards were swinging their blades against the intruders.
‘This is getting serious!’
He’d fully anticipated the chaos.
A red umbrella on the plains, they’d said. A red cow on green grass stands out like a sore thumb.
This was the plan: stir up a massive commotion to draw every eye. And it was working. But one thing hadn’t gone according to plan.
Seol’s abduction.
He had to find her now. In truth, that alone made the operation a success. With Hyang secured, they’d achieve their goal. But that wasn’t all. He might play the rogue fixer like Parakho, but at his core, he was a swordsman bound by honor. He had to make good on his word to the sisters.
Thud! Clang!
He advanced, then abruptly veered.
He launched toward the window, swinging his black-and-white blades.
His enemies weren’t letting him go easily. After the Pae Swords came three clubs charging in.
With instinctive motion, he scattered their assaults entirely.
The clubs were easier than the Pae Swords. These foes weren’t top-tier. If he slipped through the gaps just right, he could take one down per exchange.
Whirrl! Clang!
The problem was their numbers.
They cut off his rear, surrounding Oho in layers.
Even if he forced one down, the next two would go for his throat. Especially those Pae Swords—their killing intent was vicious. One wrong stab and he was dead. The brown-robed clubs were just as bad. A solid hit would mean fatal injury.
‘Can’t break through like this.’
The window was barely a couple zhang away. Yet it felt like twenty li.
With the techniques he could use now, there was no path through.
‘Should’ve gotten permission to use it…’
Too late for regrets.
He lived free-spirited, but he wasn’t truly free.
He couldn’t unleash a single proper technique on a whim. If he revealed his true arts, he’d have to silence everyone who recognized them. That was the rule. Extracting vows of secrecy after subduing them was an option, but hardly reliable. The baseline was kill and erase. He could only deploy his hidden ultimate moves when he was confident of wiping them all out—and only against foes who deserved it.
‘Damn it…’
Sword and clubs rained down again.
He slammed his black-and-white blades down from above with full force. That deflected the Pae Sword’s tip, then he spun his body to evade the follow-up chain attack.
‘Should’ve brought that bastard along…!’
Another regret.
Cheonwi. He should’ve dragged him here no matter what.
Oho often thought it.
Cheonwi’s eyes belonged in the realm of gods.
Cheonwi possessed an innate gift for piercing the flaws in any technique.
Ten-Second Dismantler.
That was Cheonwi’s nickname among those in the know.
He’d uncovered over two hundred weaknesses in the main family’s secret arts alone. That made him the core of the Dismantle Counter-Plan. Or rather, Cheonwi was the plan itself. They’d scouted others with similar talents and brought them in, but none measured up. That was why they couldn’t cast him out, no matter his woman troubles or the messes he caused.
Clang!
He swung his black-and-white blades left twice. As expected, the Pae Swords were tricky.
He narrowed the gap to the window with effort.
A word or two from Cheonwi, and these guys would’ve been child’s play.
No matter how sturdy their defense looked, it meant nothing.
Slice where Cheonwi said, and they fell.
He turned ten exchanges of shaky parries into half a beat with effortless miracles.
Thud! Shiiing! Crack! Crraack!
He stamped his heel like planting it in the earth, then swept his black-and-white blades upward in a full circle from below.
Two clubs severed in a single stroke.
“Tch!”
No momentum gained. A counter came instantly.
He twisted urgently, dodging the charging Pae Sword. Slash! A burning pain seared near his shoulder.
‘Not the time for this…!’
Dwelling on the absent would just build frustration.
Time to handle this solo. He quickly scanned around. Eyes and ears swept the scene.
Crash! Boom!
Sounds from below rang in his ears.
A majestic aura pulsed from the floorboards. The Great East Guild Leader—and Dongpungneung too.
They were smashing things up proper.
His gaze caught the hole leading down. Right behind it gaped the hole the Great East Guild Leader had smashed upward from below.
‘This is it…!!’
Oho’s eyes flashed.
Mid-leap, he suddenly veered left. The two black-clad Pae Sword wielders blocking the window pursued his flank, somewhat flustered.
Clang! Thwack!
His foot slammed into a brown-robed warrior’s chest.
A close call.
Iron Blood White Lion Forty-Eight Kicks. Not pure form, but with improvisation. A gamble. Someone with vast knowledge might recognize it. He could only hope no such expert lurked here.
Shiiik! Shiiiik!
He dove into the open space, unleashing a flurry of chained blade strikes. The two ahead panicked at the thin, razor-sharp arcs, backing away to give ground.
Thud.
Path blocked. Before him hung only a single landscape scroll on the wall.
“Hah!”
A fierce shout burst from his lips.
That wall was his window now. Like how he’d drilled up while the Great East Guild Leader drilled down, now he punched sideways through the wall.
Shkkk! Craaack!
Blade strikes followed by a kick shattered it.
He raised his elbow to block flying splinters and shoved his torso through. The thin remaining panel exploded.
Crunch! Craaackle!
His body shot outward.
But not outside the building. It was the fourth-floor inner corridor. Below the broken railing, the first floor’s crowded tables came into view.
Boom! Rumble!
His foes didn’t just watch, of course.
They smashed the wall with clubs and tore open doors in pursuit. Oho kicked off the railing and leaped.
Thud!
He landed on the third-floor stairs. He turned his head toward the Great East Guild Leader’s private room far off. The door to it had long since been torn off. Brown-robed warriors lay scattered in the hall. Shouts, yells, and clashing steel exploded from within.
Screee! Flutter!
Shadows loomed overhead. Pae Sword black-cloaks.
He gripped the railing and vaulted back to the second-floor stairs.
Thud! Whirrl!
‘You too, bastards!’
Clatter! Click!
Over a dozen men who’d been at a drinking table rose, drawing their weapons. He’d sensed something off when they were chatting with the espionage squad earlier.
Oho vaulted the railing again, crashing into their spreading drink table.
Crack! Thump! Shatter!
Liquor bottles broke, cups flew.
The messy table turned utter chaos.
By the time weapon clashes started, the non-warriors had already scattered. Trembling folk huddled in corners. Drunks unable to stand properly were just now tumbling out windows.
Clang! Crash clang!
The men from the table charged Oho like mad. Chairs splintered and flew. Dishes and food sprayed everywhere.
“You’re all geared for this!”
He leaped two tables, glancing upward. Gauging direction. From his fourth-floor room’s window, it’d be to the right on this first floor.
Kicking off a table to turn, he heard a railing shatter above. Third-floor one. A brown-robe tumbled, followed by one of Dongpungneung’s guards. The fallen guard didn’t rise. His upper body was soaked in blood—serious wound. Things weren’t perfect on the Great East side either.
Crunch! Craaack!
He cleared another table.
No matter how rough it looked, Dongpungneung himself was there. The guard fell to overzealous loyalty. If he’d just let Dongpungneung go all out unleashed, the fight would’ve ended already.
No time to fret over them.
Nasty weapons like wolf fangs and chain sickles pursued from behind.
He didn’t engage. He lightly hopped over a dagger aimed at his ankles, cleared a chair, and landed.
Swept the room quick.
Every visible foe glared murderously at him.
Felt oddly proud.
The entire Jinseong Pavilion had turned into a battlefield. Pure carnage.
He dashed to the wide-open right window.
Halted just before leaping. Warriors appeared from outside that very window, vaulting the frame inward. At the same time, rumble rumble! Doors to rooms he’d ignored flew open on this floor, over twenty warriors spilling out. They’d been lying in wait inside.
‘Taihang Guild?!’
Shock crossed his eyes for the first time.
Indeed.
They wore Taihang Guild robes. “Taihang” blazed huge on backs and chests, dizzying his gaze.
‘Why these guys?’
Anyone else, fine—but Taihang Guild shouldn’t be here yet. No, they shouldn’t be here at all. Their debut was set for a day or two later. Fastest tomorrow.
The Taihang warriors gripped swords with blunt tips and dulled edges.
Their signature weapon, self-named Gentleman’s Sword. Yet even they aimed at Oho. Bewilderment—or more precisely, irritation—flashed across his face.
Clang clang clang clang!
He advanced, clashing with oncoming blades.
These were decent. For a mob rush, their sword tips were precise.
And they were Taihang Guild. He couldn’t go lethal on them. Starting a kill-or-be-killed grudge would doom the mission.
His limit.
Patience limit, technique limit.
Seol had vanished from sight ages ago. At this rate, she’d be gone forever. Rules be damned—he itched to unleash everything.
He crouched low, skimming the floor with his black-and-white blades. Clang! One Gentleman’s Sword snapped clean. He righted himself in a trick move. It shouldn’t have looked tricky. Just poor posture made it seem so. Couldn’t even use proper footwork freely—pure agony.
Shiiik! Screee!
A sword tip swept high-to-low from the left.
Above too.
From the fourth-floor drop-ins.
The whoosh was sharp and deadly. Perilous moment.
Then it happened.
Splash! Spuuurt!
A chilling sound ripped overhead. Something spraying—he hurled himself backward. Crimson liquid poured down like a blanket where Oho had stood.
“You bastard!”
He spotted the culprit and cursed.
Thicker than the blood rain, a vivid scarlet blade gleamed.
A man vaulted over Oho’s head and landed. The blade in his right hand shone that pure blood-red.
Danmun.
“Taihang Guild! What’re you doing killing them like this!”
Oho yelled.
“How far?”
“Huh?”
“Your eyes.”
Danmun’s voice stayed soft, regardless of words.
“Fakes. Not Taihang Guild.”
Danmun added in a secretive whisper.
Oho’s face changed sharply.
His eyes swept the “Taihang” warriors. Realization dawned. Irritation surged again. Perfectly fooled.
“They dressed the part well.”
Danmun swung his scarlet blade at a charging fake.
Slash!
The warrior’s arm sheared off. Blood sprayed.
“I’ll kill them all. You go.”
Danmun said.
Some skill. Casual as could be with brutal words.
“Ease up. Push it and you’ll get that grand demon head label you want.”
“Sounds good!”
Danmun’s melancholic face twisted into an odd smile. Oho shook his head in dismay and leaped off.
“Heading out!”
“Yeah.”
Danmun spun horizontally, tracing a semicircle with his scarlet blade. A fake’s waist cleaved in two, toppling. Oho was bold with strikes, but Danmun went beyond. He chopped men like logs. Blood and guts flew everywhere. Danmun was a monster in his own right. Innate slaughter aura coated his blade thick, swung wildly. And it was brutally effective. No need for true arts—even his style alone wrecked squads. He’d never favored the family swordsmanship as “proper” anyway. Somewhere in that slaughter form lurked the family essence, but long mutated beyond recognition.
Boom! Spurt!
A path cleared amid the gore. Blood and flesh sounds chased the fleeing Oho’s back.