Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Bandit Ending
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In the novel, the key to Yu Somyeong's growth was restoring the lost Willow Flower Sword Technique.
The current version of the Willow Flower Sword Technique differed from the one created by the first Clan Leader of the Western Mountains Yu Clan.
In the story, Yu Somyeong realizes this and works to restore it to its original form. She eventually discovers that the true Willow Flower Sword Technique embodied the subtleties of capturing—making it a form of variable and illusory swordplay.
Of course, she never quite reaches its pinnacle and ends up dying in the war against the Demonic Cult.
I found that regrettable.
So, I helped her approach the restoration faster than in the novel.
And the result was...
*Shwaa shwaa shwaa—!!*
...a clear success.
The sword's trajectory perfectly captured the essence of grasping.
It wasn't fully refined yet...
*Swish—shwick—!*
It evoked the gentle sway of willow branches, with a serene aura that belied the life-or-death battle.
Still a bit raw, but she'd shattered her wall years ahead of the novel's timeline.
She'd even entered a selfless state, so her growth would accelerate even more.
This world had a cheat-code protagonist, so becoming the best under heaven was a long shot...
"But the best in the Western Mountains? That's doable."
The Willow Flower Sword Technique was the ultimate late-bloomer style.
Thinking of how that young willow would grow massive one day filled me with quiet satisfaction.
**
In a selfless state, one typically loses all awareness and memory.
But Yu Somyeong wasn't fully unconscious.
She observed everything from a third-person perspective, like in a dream.
"Graaaahhh—!!"
*'Elder Wei is screaming. He looks agonized.'*
Of course, in her dazed state, she could only catch fragmented scenes.
*'I'm swinging my sword. Willow Flower Sword Technique. But it's different from the original...'*
Her usual Willow Flower Sword Technique focused on swiftness. The one she wielded now wasn't slow, but it was much slower than the original.
However...
*Kagagagak—!!*
*'He blocks it.'*
She effortlessly deflected Wei Yongming's attacks, which were far faster than hers. Or rather, she flowed them away.
The approach differed too.
The original emphasized speed to sever vital points in a single strike, but her movements now...
*Shwaa shwaa—!*
...didn't pour everything into targeting vitals.
Nor did they commit to one overwhelming blow.
Instead, slowly..., while receiving his attacks...
*Shwick—!*
...she mixed in feints to disrupt him.
She could sense panic in Wei Yongming's eyes amid her chaining strikes. He swung his fists wildly to defend...
*Shwick—!!*
"Arrrghhhh—!!"
...but what he blocked was just an empty feint. The true killing blow hid deepest, striking the deadliest spot.
*'Weird... no killing intent...'*
In her haze, Yu Somyeong sensed her sword was unusually unique.
Even when unleashing a killing strike, no murderous aura emanated from it. Though sharp, it felt like embracing the foe..., suffused with gentleness.
That's why the hidden killer moves within feints were so hard to detect or react to.
That was why the much faster Wei Yongming couldn't defend.
*Shwaa—!!*
"Urk—!"
*Shwaaa—!*
"Ugh..., haa...."
After several exchanges, Wei Yongming kept taking wounds while Yu Somyeong's blade grew ever keener.
*'It's ending...'*
She instinctively felt the duel reaching its climax.
Fast yet slow. Slow yet fast.
Her hands began leaving afterimages. Wei Yongming, already unable to distinguish killing blows, struggled even more to defend.
*Tap—.*
Her footwork changed too. Where it had been passive defense before, now she advanced, pressing him.
*'Faster..., gentler...'*
From afar, her accelerated form looked like a dance, but to her opponent, it was...
A storm.
Wei Yongming felt her movements as a massive storm. Serene yet immense..., concealing slaughter within.
And when Yu Somyeong slipped through a gap to close in...
*Shwaa shwaa shwaa shwaa—!!*
"Graaaaaahhhh—!!"
...the tranquil storm shredded him.
*Shwick—!*
First, arms and legs.
*Shwick—!*
Then, his side.
*Shwick—!!*
Finally, solar plexus and throat.
*Shwaaaa—!!*
New Willow Flower Sword Technique: Willow Flower Chaotic Dance.
That's what this move would later be christened.
Thus, with her still-immature yet beautiful and fluid Willow Flower Chaotic Dance...
"Glurghhh...."
*Thud—.*
...Yu Somyeong felled Wei Yongming, even after his demonic transformation.
"Hurk..., hurk...."
"......"
"I want..., I want to swing a sword like that too.... Hurk...."
He spat words laced with regret, but his vitals were already ravaged. Sensing this in her selfless trance, Yu Somyeong sheathed her blade.
But then...
"I too..., such beauty..., urghhh..., RAAAAAHHH—!!!"
"...!"
Suddenly, Wei Yongming unleashed a scream more excruciating than his sword wounds, tearing at the air. Demonic qi rising from his body ignited like fire.
Yu Somyeong, facing a demonic human for the first time, didn't know.
Fully transformed demonic humans gathered all their demonic qi into their dantian upon death, forcing a mutual destruction explosion.
"Aaaaaahhhh—!!"
*Fwoosh—!*
Realizing the danger, she leaped back, but the explosion was already underway.
*'No.'*
Sensing the ominous flow, she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the end.
*Swish—.*
"That's beyond what you little miss can handle, so I'll take care of it."
"...!"
At the familiar voice, she opened her eyes to find herself enveloped in slender yet firm arms.
Looking up, the bandit—his demeanor utterly transformed from their first meeting—channeled energy into a sword from who-knows-where.
*Shiver—.*
Just infusing qi into the blade sent chills down her spine, even in her selfless state.
Soon, he raised the sword high...
"...Divine Art."
...muttered something incomprehensible, and swung.
*Fwoooosh—!*
In her daze, Yu Somyeong watched clearly.
*Slash—!*
A ripping sound through the air, Wei Yongming bisected, his demonic qi scattering.
And...
A strike cleaving mere void—perhaps the sharpest under heaven.
Any swordmaster would never forget it..., the realm of the Sword God.
**
*Whew....*
That was close.
Demonic Cult bastards' mutual destructions were vicious enough to take down even top masters.
Good thing I handled it before Yu Somyeong got caught.
*Swish—.*
"...?"
A warm touch on my cheek made me look down. Yu Somyeong, blank-faced, had placed her hand on my face.
Aftereffects of the selfless trance—her eyes half-lidded.
In a sleepy voice, she asked me.
"Young sir...."
"Hm?"
"Your..., true identity is...?"
Her question nearly made me burst out laughing.
She'd gone from calling me "bandit scum" to "young sir."
Grinning, I whispered in her ear.
"My identity, you ask...?"
"......"
"Is a ridiculously handsome bandit."
"......"
I'd meant it as a joke, but no amusement crossed her face. She understood my desire to hide it.
Her eyes drooped further. She must be fighting real sleep now.
Yet she persisted, asking again with effort.
"Then..., at least your..., name...."
"......"
"Please..., tell me my benefactor's name...."
"......"
Her earnest plea gave me pause...
"...Muyeon."
"......"
"My name is Muyeon."
...but I etched it into her.
"Mu..., yeon...."
Like committing it to memory, Yu Somyeong repeated it a few times...
"Muyeon...."
...then closed her eyes.
I laid her gently on the ground and stood.
"No idea if we'll meet again, but if we do, let's chat."
Time to go.
**
"Mm...."
"Somyeong, are you awake?"
"Bro..., brother...?"
"Yes, Somyeong. It's your brother. Coming around?"
At the familiar voice, Yu Somyeong stirred. Her body felt heavy, like she'd slept for ages.
"This is..."
"Your room. Remember? You've been out solid for two whole days."
"Two days..., oh!"
Hearing that snapped her alert. She asked her brother Yu Jinmyeong.
"Brother...! What about Elder Wei?!"
Stroking her head fondly at her urgency, he replied.
"All taken care of. Elder Wei and every demonic human under him—dead. Somyeong, you... you saved the clan."
"Ah...."
Joy at saving the clan was fleeting as the bandit—no, her benefactor—flashed in her mind.
"...That wasn't me."
"...What?"
"That bandit..., no, that man.... He did it all."
Their first meeting was disastrous, but what he'd given her was immense.
Insight into the lost Willow Flower Sword Technique, saving her and her clan.
"He cut down Wei Yongming, and probably handled the other demonic humans too. He even gave me..."
Yu Somyeong lit up, singing his praises.
"Ahh, what could that man's true identity be? A hidden master shunning the world? Or an elder reborn youthful? Whatever, he's undoubtedly a righteous hero brimming with justice."
He'd appeared like the wind, rescuing her and her clan from peril. And that handsome face...
Her mind filled instantly with admiration for him. At the same time...
*Thump.
Thinking of him made her heart race, cheeks flush.
At 18, for a girl who knew only martial arts, it was love's late arrival.
"Did he leave?"
"If you mean 'that man,' he vanished right after the incident."
"How regrettable...."
Yu Somyeong recalled their last moments wistfully.
*'His name was Muyeon.'*
Muyeon (無緣)—meaning "no fate."
Perhaps..., a name he made up to say they'd never meet again.
*'He doesn't want to see me again?'*
But she was a proper young talent of the righteous sects.
She had no intention of letting such a massive debt go unpaid.
She resolved to find him and repay it.
But then...
"Somyeong, there's something I need to tell you..."
"Yes? What now..."
As Yu Somyeong burned with thoughts of Muyeon, Yu Jinmyeong spoke gravely.
"If you can move, come with me..."
"...Yes."
*'What's going on?'*
With unease, she followed her brother.
He led to the deepest part of the main house: the Clan Leader's quarters. Just before arriving, his voice trembled.
"...Somyeong."
"Yes, brother."
"You know there's a secret vault beneath the Clan Leader's chamber, holding all the Yu Clan's heirlooms from the Western Mountains?"
"Yes..., of course."
From the founder to her father, current Clan Leader Yu Haseong—it housed the clan's entire history and treasures.
As a child, she'd visited it underground with her father.
But...
"B-brother, this!"
"......"
Inside the quarters, it looked ransacked by thieves, the secret door to the vault ajar.
Shocked, she descended. The vault was even worse.
"Ahh...."
Precious elixirs and manuals of the Western Mountains Yu Clan. Items used by past leaders.
Invaluable treasures..., all gone.
"The demonic humans..."
"......"
"Those demonic humans dared... to leave this place in ruins?!"
Rage like a thousand flames surged as she demanded answers.
This vault wasn't just a treasury; it held the clan's soul.
To wreck it like this—she couldn't forgive...
*Swish—.*
"...?"
As she fumed, Yu Jinmyeong handed her a letter.
His hand shook badly delivering it.
"It was on the vault floor amid the loot..."
"What's this that has you so..."
Reading it, Yu Somyeong froze.
*'Little miss, I'll take plenty of protection money! Thanks as always!'*
"......"
Unable to speak, as Yu Jinmyeong finally broke, sobbing.
"Oh nooo...!! They took everything...!! Oh..., I can't face our ancestors...! Sob!"
"......"
*'Gotta charge protection fee since we've kept you safe so far, right?'*
*'Double the protection fee?'*
*'Quadruple protection fee. OK?'*
*'Estimate says quadruple ain't enough—make it octuple.'*
Chanting protection fee nonstop, he'd cleaned them out good.
"Ha, haha...."
Hollow laughter escaped the stunned Yu Somyeong.
"That..., that bandit scum.... So he didn't help for free.... He wanted payment, but this is too much.... I mean, I'm grateful, but..., no way..."
Grace and grudge.
Her mind reeled from the intense mix he'd inflicted.
Muttering like a madwoman for a while, her words erupted as...
"You bastard—!!!"
...raw hostility.
"S-Somyeong?"
Yu Jinmyeong gaped, stunned—his sister never swore. Undeterred, she vented fury.
"You bastard—!! Rotten jerk—!! I won't... forgive you—!!"
She loved her clan. Respected her ancestors.
Yet that bandit had trampled the Western Mountains Yu Clan's soul.
No matter how she weighed it, the grudge outweighed the grace.
A proper righteous sect talent, she wouldn't let such a massive vendetta slide.
"I'll track you down and make you payyyyy—!!"
Screaming at the empty vault, her resentment toward Muyeon rivaled the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's malice.
**
"But, boss."
"Yeah?"
"How'd you know about this secret vault and send us there first?"
I grinned proudly.
"Hey, punk. After all our time together, you don't get it? Does your boss not know everything in this world?"
"Haha, spot on!"
"Like the boss says, manna falls even in our sleep!"
My men bantered, each huggy their arms with rare treasures.
We'd thoroughly looted the Western Mountains Yu Clan's vault.
No clue how much we'd made in one night.
I'd aimed for octuple protection fee, but this felt like... umpteen-illion times?
*'Eh, I've done plenty for the little miss. Should be fine.'*
Saved her life, saved her clan, even hinted at the lost Willow Flower Sword Technique.
Surely Yu little miss would forgive.
...Probably?
"Whatever. If she won't, what can she do?"
Bandit-style, I'd cut losses.
"Boss! Where to now? Can't go back home..., time to relocate?"
"Hey, Dongryong. Remember my usual line?"
"Uh..., 'Earn some cash, you punks' or something?"
*Smack—.*
I thwacked Dongryong's head for the nonsense.
"Guess you forgot. Here it is: 'Evil is the wind, and our path is its trail!'"
"What's that mean?"
"With mountains everywhere under heaven? We're bandits—any mountain's home. Alright, punks! Rich now, let's move to a proper spot!"
"Yee haww—!!"
"With this haul, snag some brides and die without regrets—!"
"Like any girl'd marry the boss's type—! Haha—!"
"You little shit."
Joking, singing, we hit the road.
The massive score had us buzzing.
Felt like some grudge-filled glare burning my nape, but probably imagination.
"Onward—! Southbound—!"
I set course south, farthest from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Loaded with cash, I'd spectate the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult vs. Murim Alliance war from afar, living happily as a normal rich guy.