Chapter 656
Chapter 656
Chapter 656
The arrowhead trembled violently like an aspen leaf.
The person tightly pulling back the bowstring was Dan Li-hyeok from his childhood.
Dan Li-hyeok did not move like a wooden statue.
That's right.
If you looked from afar, he seemed frozen in place without movement.
But if you looked closely from nearby, you could see he was trembling terribly.
His mind could not find its center.
"Hyeok, Hyeok-ah...!"
The young girl reached out one hand and called to Dan Li-hyeok with a pitiful expression.
Gulp...!
The extremely tense Dan Li-hyeok swallowed his dry saliva.
The arrowhead still wavered back and forth, unable to find its direction.
He hadn't expected this.
That Ok Ryu-hyang would be captured by Blood Tear Sword.
Of course, the opponent was an adult who had learned martial arts.
And an evildoer with a bounty on his head at that.
But he and Ok Ryu-hyang were the first disciples of Ilseong Sword Gate.
Though still young, they were promising rising stars.
When they went to the marketplace, people would praise them.
They said Dan Li-hyeok would grow to become the world's greatest divine archer like his father, and that Ok Ryu-hyang was clever and had good Quick-Draw Sword skills, so she would become the world's greatest Quick-Draw Sword master.
Was it because they grew up receiving only such praise?
Though only sixteen years old now, the martial world did seem easy to them.
Since everyone looked up to them, the expression "arrogant and conceited" would fit perfectly.
Yes, they had no fear.
Once, Dan Li-hyeok had said to Ok Ryu-hyang:
"If you ever fall into danger, I'll definitely save you."
"Wow, how reassuring! The second-best archer in the martial world will be my guard!"
Ok Ryu-hyang answered with a bright smile.
The first-best archer was naturally referring to his father, Dan Li-jeong.
Her smiling face was cute and pretty.
If you only considered the Quick-Draw Sword technique, she could be called at least the best in Guiyang.
Ilseong Sword Gate mainly taught Quick-Draw Sword and archery thanks to the foundation laid by the previous Gate Master, and even within the sect, few could match her Quick-Draw Sword technique.
In fact, after Dan Li-chu completely lost his internal energy, the Quick-Draw Sword technique was on the verge of being lost, but it was no exaggeration to say that only Ok Ryu-hyang was continuing that legacy.
That's why Dan Li-jeong especially cherished Ok Ryu-hyang.
In his heart, there was regret about the Quick-Draw Sword technique that had been passed down through the family for generations being lost like this.
Anyway, Dan Li-hyeok and Ok Ryu-hyang held such positions within the sect.
And in Guiyang, there was no one who didn't know these two.
Disciples of the hero who saved the martial world, Heaven Annihilation Squad Leader Dan Li-jeong.
That name value alone was enough to walk with shoulders squared.
Then, by chance, the two met Blood Tear Sword at a remote inn in Guiyang.
The man wearing a deeply pressed conical hat and ragged clothes was definitely Blood Tear Sword.
His wanted poster was hung everywhere in Guiyang.
He was a criminal who had raped women and even cruelly killed children.
Yet other people didn't recognize him because his face was so dirty and his appearance so shabby.
At least on the wanted poster, he looked dignified and had fierce eyes.
But Dan Li-hyeok, who had keen observation skills, recognized him immediately.
From that moment, a wind began to blow in his heart.
Since his father was a martial hero praised by the people of Guiyang, how much fame could he gain if he achieved merit by continuing that legacy?
Surely his father would praise him, and people would give even more acclaim.
Moreover, Ok Ryu-hyang was with him now.
Weren't they called the "Divine Dragon and Phoenix" at least in Guiyang?
The two who were eating noodles at the inn saw Blood Tear Sword leave and slowly began to tail him.
And they waited for him to enter a place with few people.
Though a bustling area would be good for drawing many people's attention, if innocent people were swept up in it, his father wouldn't be pleased.
Anyway, if they captured him or at least brought back his head, the authorities would pay the reward and word would spread.
While following Blood Tear Sword like this, they had just reached a place with few people.
Dan Li-hyeok and Ok Ryu-hyang boldly blocked his path.
There was no ambush.
They were from a prestigious righteous sect.
They chose an honorable method rather than a cowardly one.
Of course, they had their own confidence that they could win even doing it this way.
Perhaps they thought Blood Tear Sword might obediently surrender just hearing their names.
They were Guiyang's Divine Dragon and Phoenix after all.
But all those predictions went wrong.
Blood Tear Sword smiled at them as if he'd been waiting, and the moment they faced that wicked smile, Dan Li-hyeok and Ok Ryu-hyang's bodies went stiff.
Before fighting, there is something called "momentum."
In that momentum, the two were instantly overwhelmed.
It wasn't even that he revealed his Qi.
It was just a natural atmosphere emanating from his experience.
Blood Tear Sword rushed at Ok Ryu-hyang in an instant, dragging his sword Qi long, and Dan Li-jeong reflexively stepped back and drew his bow.
Ok Ryu-hyang used her specialty, Quick-Draw Sword.
But.
Thud, clang!
In the blink of an eye, Blood Tear Sword reached right before her and kicked the hilt with his foot.
While Ok Ryu-hyang panicked, unable to draw her sword from its sheath.
Slash!
"Aaaak!"
Ok Ryu-hyang screamed and clutched her left arm as she retreated.
Her left arm was deeply cut and blood was flowing profusely.
The flustered Dan Li-hyeok quickly released the string.
Twaaang!
The arrow that cut through the air grazed Blood Tear Sword's cheek.
Fresh blood trickled down, but Blood Tear Sword didn't stop.
Rather, looking at Dan Li-hyeok, he showed that eerie smile again.
Tap tap tap!
He quickly sealed acupoints on Ok Ryu-hyang's body.
Then he spun her body like a top and held her in front to face Dan Li-hyeok directly.
Clink!
Blood Tear Sword's red blade pointed at Ok Ryu-hyang's neck.
It all happened so suddenly.
Dan Li-hyeok couldn't budge while holding the bowstring pulled back, and Ok Ryu-hyang was held hostage with a face full of fear.
He'd been arrogant.
With his parents' fame at his back, the whole world seemed easy.
He'd forgotten that his parents' greatness was different from his own greatness.
He realized too late that the praise directed at him was ultimately for his parents.
Divine Dragon and Phoenix?
Ridiculous.
Wasn't he unable to properly subdue even one evildoer with a bounty on his head?
Despair wrapped around his entire body.
Thump thump...!
Tremble tremble...!
His heart pounded and his fingertips shook.
Blood Tear Sword licked Ok Ryu-hyang's nape stickily.
"Young girls aren't my type. But when they come saying 'Please catch and eat me,' I can't refuse, can I? Hehehe."
Ok Ryu-hyang trembled with humiliation.
The first provocation she'd experienced in her life.
Dan Li-hyeok's psychology wavered.
His father always said:
In archery, psychology is seven-tenths and spirit is three-tenths.
Seven Parts Mind, Three Parts Spirit.
That's right. Not the "technique" character.
Momentum and spirit.
But his momentum was already broken, his spirit broken.
Needless to say, his psychology was broken too.
There was no way his soul could be on the target.
What he'd practiced and trained was long since erased white from his mind.
Creeeak...
As Dan Li-hyeok put more strength into his hand and pulled the string further.
"Shh shh. Impatient, young friend. Keep that up and you'll only meet this girl in the next life. Well, if she's a girl you have no attachment to, it wouldn't matter."
Swoosh.
As the sharply gleaming blade touched her neck, a thin line of fresh blood flowed down Ok Ryu-hyang's tender skin.
Now Dan Li-hyeok felt like his heart would burst.
'I boasted I'd protect her... I said I'd protect her...!'
He kept taking deep breaths.
And he recalled his father's words.
"Hyeok-ah, one of the most frequent situations an archer faces is hostage situations. Do you know why?"
"Why?"
"Because archers always fight while maintaining proper distance. So naturally they often face situations when allies are captured."
"Then what should I do in that case?"
"First, you must stay calm. Think one breath slower. Always remember that the enemy can't easily kill the hostage. Discarding impatience is the priority. After that, don't try to end the entire situation with just one shot. Think of creating an opportunity. Those who use swords have extremely limited chances to rescue a hostage, but archers are different. You can create just one opportunity."
"Should I aim for vital points and shoot?"
"No. It's very difficult to aim for vital points of an enemy with a hostage held in front. As I said before, don't try to win with just one shot. You must think of creating an opportunity to the end."
"How do I create that opportunity?"
"The best method is to aim for the enemy's wrist. Most enemies expose the hand holding their weapon."
"But they could put their hand behind the hostage's back?"
"That's possible, but generally to restrain the hostage they embrace them from behind and extend their hand forward. For instance, bringing a sword to the neck. This is also the psychological state of those staging hostage situations."
"Ah...."
"So remember this. Aim for the wrist and create an opportunity. You don't have to hit it. Make them continue movements they themselves didn't anticipate. And finishing it comes after that."
"After that...."
"After that...."
Dan Li-hyeok muttered quietly and slowly opened his eyes.
He took a deep breath.
Seven Parts Mind, Three Parts Spirit!
His psychology was gradually stabilizing.
His spirit was also gradually becoming organized.
The trembling branch tip gradually became fixed.
At that branch tip were the hostage Ong Su-ryeong and the masked person.
Ong Su-ryeong said with a resolute expression:
"Don't worry about me, just shoot."
Her expression was so determined it seemed to steady Dan Li-hyeok's heart.
The masked person Eom Cheol looked sharply at Dan Li-hyeok and said:
"So you'll gamble after all? I must have seemed too easy."
Once again his blade approached close to Ong Su-ryeong's neck.
Blood flowed down more.
White Transformation Squad flinched but couldn't move.
Sa Biran also just watched the situation quietly.
She glanced back at Dan Li-hyeok.
Here, Dan Li-hyeok had to do it.
No matter how fast she was, she couldn't be faster than an arrow.
She didn't send a telepathic message.
Now she just had to trust.
The certain fear that had risen in Dan Li-hyeok's eyes seemed to gradually sink.
The branch he held emitted a sharper energy than most arrows.
Because archery Qi was imbued in the arrow.
Eom Cheol furrowed his brow tightly and shouted:
"What are you hesitating for! Do you really want to see this wench die!"
At that moment, Dan Li-hyeok's mouth slowly opened.
He muttered in a barely audible faint voice:
"I really... hate archery."
Finally, when his eyes sank deeply.
Twaaaang!
The branch imbued with sharp energy like an arrow left the string.