Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Chapter 4 Hebei Peng Clan (7)
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The swordsman in the gray robe stood looking straight at Cheonwi.
His face appeared devoid of any emotion.
He spoke in a flat, toneless voice.
"For me to face off against a mere punk like this..."
Cheonwi laughed. He replied in a tone as smooth as flowing water.
"Exactly. I wonder what fool came all this way personally to catch someone like me."
It wasn't that he lacked emotion.
A faint anger tinged his face, which had seemed as inhuman as a carving etched into stone. Seeing Cheonwi boldly mocking him, his already thick killing intent surged up ferociously.
"Watch your tongue. Three swords are enough to pierce that body of yours."
Three swords.
And he drew his sword.
Cheonwi flinched.
It was due to the overwhelming evil qi emanating from the sword.
It was just a jagged, elongated blade. There were no ornate decorations, no specially engraved patterns.
And yet, he couldn't tear his gaze away from it.
It felt as if something slimy and sticky was plastered all over it.
It was the aura of death. It looked like shattered and rotting grudge spirits were disgustingly tangled together.
'A monster. This thing is.'
A demonic object. That sword couldn't be considered a normal weapon. It was a demon that would even devour the life of the one holding it.
Unknowingly, Cheonwi took a step backward.
He wielded such a demonic thing with complete freedom.
The man before him was utterly unaffected by the sword's evil qi.
It wasn't because his internal energy was pure or his mind steadfast. It was because he was even crueler and more dangerous than the sword. He was someone who could easily overwhelm the demonic sword's evil qi. Both the sword and the man were horrific monsters.
"No escape. Stand there and die, or reveal your backer."
"Backer? So that's what you were curious about? No wonder you didn't kill me right away."
Cheonwi felt the wind rising behind his back and gauged the distance to the cliff edge.
Next, he had to consider the reach of that demonic thing gripped in the man's hand. Its power might be immeasurable, but even instantaneous human sword strikes had their fundamental limits.
The cliff edge behind him was about three zhang away.
They said that from footwork to sword strike, one could close over five zhang in a single breath, which made things precarious. Escaping by leaping off the cliff wouldn't be easy.
"Stay right there. Take one step, and I'll sever your head."
The moment he tried to step back even slightly to create distance, a rebuke came immediately. Cheonwi set his foot down on the ground. This wouldn't work. If the opponent could predict it so clearly, it was meaningless.
It was clichéd terrain.
With dense forest on both sides, a mortal enemy ahead, and a cliff behind, jumping off at the risk of his life was the only path to survival. The problem was that the opponent knew this fact all too well. Without something to catch him off guard, his life would be gone before he could reach the cliff edge.
There was no method.
At the very least, he had to use his lips. He possessed a three-inch tongue, and while wielding it, he could at least preserve his life for the moment.
"I don't have much to say about my backer. I'm just a sort of hired hand. With my temperament, I couldn't settle down anywhere, so I ended up drifting into the back alleys and picked up a job. Unfortunately, it turned out like this. I'm nothing more than a moth fluttering into a fire I shouldn't have."
"If there's nothing worth hearing, there's no reason to let you live."
"Wait, wait!"
Cheonwi naturally waved his hand dismissively as he took a step back.
The opponent gave him no further distance.
As Cheonwi retreated one step, the man advanced one with bold strides. He was a fearsome individual. The chill creeping up Cheonwi's spine made it clear that no tricks would be tolerated.
"I'm the type who only moves on commission. This job was the same. I simply received generous pay and did what I could."
"You received a commission? From whom?"
"Before I tell you, let me ask one thing. Who exactly are you?"
"Answer only what's asked."
"I'm no fool. Whether I give you what you want or not, you're going to kill me. A life lived like floating duckweed anyway. A wanderer's end always comes on an unexpected day. At least before I die, shouldn't I know the name of the one taking my life?"
It was a sincere tone. Perhaps it was Cheonwi's true feelings laid bare.
The opponent seemed to sense it as well. He fell silent for a moment before revealing his identity in an eerie voice.
"In the Yangtze, they call me the Gray-Clad Reaper."
‘Gray-Clad Reaper...! Fourth Sword Venerable!!’
He had heard of it before.
Endless reports pouring in from every branch of the Intelligence Corps in Huguang, Anhui, Jiangsu, and the Yangtze tributaries—all warnings about the Yangtze Sword Venerables.
The Non-Sword Alliance had Five Sword Venerables.
They were called a rising new force.
No, by now they had solidified their power and were swallowing the Yangtze region with unstoppable momentum. Among them, the Sword Venerables were classified as their maximum forces.
Setting aside the Blade Sword Venerable Yukgeuksin, who was said to be in a league of his own, the Gray-Clad Reaper, Fourth Sword Venerable who wielded the demonic sword Death Spirit Sword, was reportedly the top contender among the remaining Sword Venerables.
"Why has a Yangtze Sword Venerable come all this way?"
"Trying to buy time? I am one who gains life through human deaths. Even if you say nothing, I have no hesitation in killing."
"Understood. I'll tell you. About half a month ago, I met someone. The commission was to disrupt the duel between Dongpungneung and Hwang Ryeo-man, to prevent a clear winner and loser from being decided. I have my guesses about the reasons, but I doubt you'd care."
Cheonwi stared straight at the Gray-Clad Reaper and fell silent.
The Gray-Clad Reaper commanded.
"Continue."
It was a reprieve for his life.
It was also a display of confidence that he could kill at any moment. Though he had resolved not to die easily, Cheonwi could feel his life hanging by a thread with just one word from the Gray-Clad Reaper. The sword embedded in his body and the ongoing bleeding were problems too. His freakishly built body had its limits, after all.
"The commission's main goal was probably maintaining the balance of One Mountain Five Rivers. A drastic shift in the power structure might be a huge opportunity for some, but unwelcome for others."
"So, who was the client?"
The Gray-Clad Reaper asked.
‘He took the bait...’
It was as expected.
The Gray-Clad Reaper had no interest in such changes in the political landscape or structures.
He cared about nothing else—only the core. And that core was simply who he needed to kill. That left room to shake things up. Cheonwi furrowed his brows as if in thought and continued.
"From his accent and gestures, he was definitely a local from Shanxi, but that was the only clue. Of course, there was no way to identify his sect. People commissioning something this big aren't that sloppy. But I'm not one to handle jobs carelessly either, so I couldn't just accept it blindly. If things went wrong, surviving without some collateral would be tough. I put in no small effort to uncover the backer, and by tracking the underling who approached me, I finally laid eyes on the real boss above him."
"..."
Silence, waiting for the next words.
Cheonwi couldn't easily part his lips. Whether this worked or not would decide his life or death. Speaking could mean instant death—or it could prolong this tense conversation.
Stall for time?
He didn't even know what he was waiting for. This time, even he had no sharp breakthrough. The cliff behind him was his only hope, but it looked far too narrow, like a mere mouse hole.
At least draw in one more breath of the cool night air.
Extend his time among the living, even if just a little.
And in that time, learn one more thing.
Cheonwi opened his mouth.
"He was holding a white crane fan. Dignified appearance, with power not inferior to yours."
The Gray-Clad Reaper's eyes changed.
It was the clearest shift Cheonwi had sensed from him so far. Seeing it, Cheonwi instinctively knew it was time to play his trump card.
His foresight allowed him to glimpse many cards in advance, but there were times when he saw nothing at all. Even then, he had to roll the dice. That was the feeling now.
"Men like that are rare. The name I uncovered was Seo Ja-gang. Known as the Shanxi Divine Hero, a rare expert in this region. Rumors say he's stronger not just than the heads of One Mountain Five Rivers, but even than Mansu Seongbul."
"Seo Ja-gang? Don't spout nonsense!"
‘He bit!’
Cheonwi felt a thrilling surge rise in his chest.
It was like winning a hard-fought gamble.
He had squeezed out a powerful truth with a fabricated lie.
That single phrase, "nonsense," had revealed so much.
‘It's all connected. Even the Shanxi Divine Hero is part of this.’
A Sword Venerable from the distant Yangtze Non-Sword Alliance—a death god interested only in killing—knew the Shanxi Divine Hero Seo Ja-gang.
That fact alone was sufficient evidence.
On top of that, the Gray-Clad Reaper had given him a crucial clue by confirming the claim's impossibility.
It meant that Shanxi Divine Hero Seo Ja-gang, Non-Sword Alliance's Gray-Clad Reaper, and White Sword Squad's White Sword Heavenly Demon were all linked. This was critically important. His near-superhuman senses were registering the connection between these three experts as top-priority information.
"You're hastening your death with that sly tongue."
The Gray-Clad Reaper raised his demonic sword, the Death Spirit Sword.
"Die."
Death was coming.
Cheonwi thought.
‘I can't just die. Not now.’
It was a life lived without particular regrets; he had even thought dying wouldn't be so bad.
Not now. At the very least, he had to spread this information before dying.
They needed to beware of Shanxi Divine Hero Seo Ja-gang.
The Shanxi Divine Hero was known to have no particular affiliation, but undoubtedly, a considerable organization backed him. Was Seo Ja-gang's group the final culprit? He didn't know. It could be, or it might not. But it was certainly part of this.
The enemy's forces were deep and vast.
They could scheme to fracture One Mountain Five Rivers, link up with Shanxi Divine Hero Seo Ja-gang and his group, deploy pursuit forces with White Sword Heavenly Demon and the White Sword Squad, and even summon top-tier forces from the distant Non-Sword Alliance.
It was the first time in his life that his home base felt small.
He would need to request access to the Intelligence Corps' classified documents.
But would that even be possible?
With the reaper drawing near.
Toward Cheonwi, the Death Spirit Sword lunged.