Chapter 48: In the Human World, April's Fragrance Ends (19)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48: In the Human World, April's Fragrance Ends (19)
Lee Yu-baek’s blade flashed like a streak of light.
A man’s head was severed from his torso in eerie silence.
“……?”
The head tumbled through the air, mouth agape in a silent scream.
The decapitated bandit had been an expert, skilled enough to have parried Lee Yu-baek’s opening strike. His fatal mistake was a momentary lapse in concentration—distracted by an arrow that had streaked in from nowhere.
The sword of the Pungryu Sect was always one step ahead.
By the time the bandit’s focus returned, the blade had already carved through his neck.
Sshhhkk!
Amidst the spray of crimson, Lee Yu-baek fixed his gaze on his true target.
Hang In-woo.
If I can take him down as well, we might actually have a chance…!
Hang In-woo stared back, his eyes wide with shock.
To break that gaze, Lee Yu-baek pushed his Willow Leaf Step to its absolute limit.
Fwoosh!
His True Fire blazed, heating his Eight Extraordinary Meridians and surging through every pathway in his body. The True Qi roiling within his meridians worked wonders, defying the natural order to grant him impossible speed.
A faint, shimmering glow enveloped him.
Wrapped in a haze of heat, Lee Yu-baek’s form became both distinct and elusive. His position was impossible to pinpoint; one moment he was directly in front of his foe, the next he was at their flank, sword raised high. He moved between the beats of breath and thought—a staggering, overwhelming assault.
“Block him!”
Three first-rate swordsmen moved to intercept. One was Hang In-woo; the other two were Mount Cheonro bandits.
No matter how masterful the deceptions of the Willow Leaf Step and the Pungryu Sword were, they were no match for sheer numbers. With three blades flashing in unison, one was bound to find its mark. Once a trick is exposed, the performer becomes prey.
Cl-cl-clang!
Lee Yu-baek’s sword clashed with the three blades in rapid succession. Hard Force exploded outward, kicking up dust and snapping the hems of their robes.
Cough!
Lee Yu-baek spat a mouthful of blood.
The Hard Force transmitted through the blades had violently jarred his meridians. Thanks to the half-dose of the Injury Healing Pill he had taken, he could still exert his usual strength, but his body was far from recovered. His Eight Extraordinary Meridians, already strained by previous injuries, contorted under the sudden pressure.
His control over his Fire Phase faltered.
Lee Yu-baek staggered back five steps.
It wasn’t just his Eight Extraordinary Meridians that had been shaken. The Twelve Standard Meridians, the Meridian Divergences, and the Collateral Vessels were vibrating even more violently. The finer pathways, like the Fine and Floating Collaterals, began to burst.
With the pathways that stoked his heat and the channels that carried his flames both compromised, his Fire Phase didn't just flicker—it died out.
Parts of his body grew icy cold while others burned with fever.
Just as his internal injuries threatened to spiral into Qi Deviation, Lee Yu-baek frantically reconnected his fractured Fire Phase. He gently soothed his trembling Eight Extraordinary Meridians, bypassed the severed channels, and used his Essence as a makeshift patch for the twisted ones.
He heated the Essence within his ruptured vessels to stem the bleeding and accelerate recovery, while simultaneously drawing the pooling blood up to his mouth to prevent clotting.
“Cough. Ptoo.”
Lee Yu-baek spat out a dark, thick clot.
All of this occurred in the brief moment he was retreating—an emergency repair performed with the precision of a master craftsman.
But his enemies were not about to wait.
“So his internal injuries weren’t healed after all!”
Hang In-woo’s eyes flashed with predatory intent as he charged. He gave Lee Yu-baek no time to breathe.
Lee Yu-baek’s expression darkened. He had intended to finish Hang In-woo even at the cost of overexerting himself, but he had failed, and the price was steep. Three swordsmen were bearing down on him. Having only just stabilized his internal injuries with a temporary fix, he had no strength left to spare.
If only I had a moment to breathe…
Lee Yu-baek sensed the end approaching.
Can I even last five more moves…?
If only he weren't injured. But such regrets were useless now. With a trembling hand, Lee Yu-baek gripped his hilt and formed a Sword Secret Finger.
Even if he died here, he had to take at least one more enemy with him for the sake of his disciples.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, an arrow tore through the wind, aimed straight for Hang In-woo’s heart.
“Hmph!”
Hang In-woo scoffed, moving to swat the projectile aside, but—
Flick!
The arrow, originally aimed at his chest, suddenly dipped. It altered its trajectory mid-air, diving toward his lower abdomen as if it were a living thing.
“You—!”
Utterly astonished, Hang In-woo frantically kicked off the ground, twisting his body to narrowly evade the strike. His pursuit came to an abrupt halt.
It was the opening Lee Yu-baek needed.
Clang! Cl-clang!
Hang In-woo had reached the realm of Fierce Fire Piercing the Heavens, making him a nightmare to face while injured. The other two bandits, however, were merely at the entry-level stage of Soaring Dragon Fire.
With Hang In-woo momentarily sidelined, Lee Yu-baek’s movements became fluid once more.
Clang! Ch-chang!
He deflected the two bandits’ swords with ease, then leaped back to create distance.
“Master!”
Kang Mu-hyeok, having slain one of the White Dragon Gang’s squad leaders, rushed to Lee Yu-baek’s side, guarding his flank.
In that brief respite, Lee Yu-baek steadied his breathing. As he watched Hang In-woo grind his teeth in frustration, he thought of the arrow. It had been shot by a man in a dented cap and patched clothes.
The arrow was imbued with True Qi. He’s a first-rate expert. Who is he? He looked so young.
Then, a memory surfaced. He had seen that man before.
I think he was at the feast… with So-wol…
The thought of Yeon So-wol made Lee Yu-baek’s heart sink.
“So-wol shouldn’t be here…”
Even with this brief pause, the area was still a deathtrap. The path to survival was nearly invisible. Lee Yu-baek prayed that, if nothing else, Yeon So-wol would escape this place alive.
*
The scholar, Jin Geol, adjusted his dented cap and looked at his tattered robes in bewilderment.
“He said there was a good show to see…”
Jin Geol felt miserable. Looking back, this entire trip had been cursed. His original plan was to loiter around and catch Yeon So-wol’s eye, hoping the boy would invite him over for fine wine and food.
But Yeon So-wol was nowhere to be found.
Still, thinking he could at least watch the spectacle, he had followed the crowd, only to be caught in the middle of a bloodbath. People were screaming and fleeing, and Jin Geol’s head was spinning.
From what I heard, Hang In-woo owed Lee Yu-baek a massive debt. And yet he betrays him like this?
Bitterness washed over him, followed by a searing heat of anger. The fact that the victim was his friend’s adoptive father made his blood boil.
“That son of a bitch… The Hang family bastard must have lost his mind. Whatever his reasons, he of all people shouldn’t be betraying Great Hero Lee Yu-baek. Anyone else, but not a Hang!”
Jin Geol startled himself. Did I say that out loud?
A voice that perfectly mirrored his thoughts had come from right behind him. He turned to see a grimy man.
Jin Geol’s own clothes were shabby, but he was clean. He washed regularly. This man, however, was different. A sour stench wafted from him; filth seemed to drip from his clothes, and his face was a mask of soot and stains. Even for a commoner, he was exceptionally unkempt.
Judging by the calluses on his hands, he wasn't a beggar, but a laborer. He must have taken the day off to see the "show," likely hoping for a tale of loyalty and brotherhood. Instead, he was trembling with rage, glaring at Hang In-woo while everyone else fled.
Hmm…
Jin Geol had an idea. This was the man he needed.
“Excuse me.”
“...What?” the man asked, his expression sullen.
Without a word, Jin Geol pulled a one-tael gold ingot from his robes—the one he had swiped from the Chief Daoist of Yanggwang. It was his entire fortune.
“I’ll give you this if you do me a favor.”
“……!”
“Run to Xinxing County as fast as your legs will carry you. Find Yeon So-wol and give him a message.”
“A whole gold tael for just that…?”
“That’s why I need you to give it your all. Speed and precision. Do you understand?”
Jin Geol whispered the message and patted the man’s shoulder. “I’m counting on you.”
“...How can you trust me?”
“I just do. I don’t have any other choice.”
“Hah.”
The man clutched the gold ingot tightly and looked Jin Geol in the eye. Jin Geol didn't flinch. Finally, the man nodded.
“Alright. I’ll make sure he gets the message. I’ll run like the wind.”
As the man disappeared into the distance, Jin Geol reached for his back and drew his bow.
“I never wanted to be a scholar, but I’m glad I learned archery.”
According to the Rites of Zhou, a gentleman must master six arts. Archery was one of them. Jin Geol had no intention of being a "gentleman" and had famously stormed out of his home vowing never to take the imperial exams, but horsemanship and archery were two skills he had actually enjoyed.
Especially archery.
Though he had mastered a high-level internal cultivation method, his martial techniques were lacking. Archery had become his signature.
Thump! Th-thump!
Climbing a tree, Jin Geol nocked an arrow and squinted.
“Let’s see. I have ten arrows left. How should I spend them?”
He assessed the battlefield, drew the string, and gathered his True Qi.
Fwoooosh!
A faint heat haze shimmered around his blazing True Fire. The power imbued in the arrowhead allowed him to manipulate its flight path.
Swwwoooosh!
His first arrow split the air. The second and third followed instantly. The chaos he sowed allowed the Pungryu Martial Arts Hall to regain their footing.
We still can’t win like this. They need to retreat…
His gaze shifted to Lee Yu-baek. He saw the master decapitate a bandit, only to be struck by a counterattack. To save him, Jin Geol fired his arrows one after another.
The fourth. The fifth. The sixth.
And because of that…
“Over there!”
“The archer is in the tree!”
The bandits spotted him. They rushed toward his position, using lightness techniques to leap through the air like pouncing tigers. In a desperate final volley, Jin Geol fired his last four arrows, taking down four more bandits.
Ah. I never did learn how to run away properly, did I…?
Though his internal cultivation was first-rate, his actual combat skills were third-rate at best. He had no way to escape. He had zero confidence in a melee, but…
He leaped down from the tree and let out a thunderous roar.
“You there! Hang family bastard! In all my life, I’ve never seen a piece of filth like you! Even a dog knows more about gratitude! You vermin of the Hang family and the bandit maggots following him—come on! Do you think I’m afraid of you?!”
Jin Geol drew the short saber from his waist. A heat haze shimmered from his skin.
“True Fire?”
“He’s a first-rate expert?”
As the bandits hesitated, a new voice cut through the air.
“Now that’s a refreshing way to put it.”
Thud.
A middle-aged man with graying hair landed beside Jin Geol.
Shin Ja-eon, the Severing Sword Sect Leader.
Fwump!
The moment his robes billowed, a sharp sound echoed.
Crrrack!
The three bandits at the front were sliced clean in half at the waist. Their upper torsos spun through the air before hitting the dirt. The blade hadn't even touched them; the sheer aura emanating from the steel had done the work.
“Is that… Injuring Others with Sword Qi?”
“It’s the Severing Sword Sect Leader!”
As the scream rang out, the battle ground to a sudden halt.
“What?”
“Why is the Severing Sword Sect here?”
The White Dragon Gang and the Mount Cheonro bandits began to glance around nervously. The encirclement was no longer one-sided; they now had to worry about their own backs.
In the uneasy silence, Hang In-woo shrieked.
“Sect Leader Shin! What is the meaning of this!”
Shin Ja-eon answered calmly, “What about it?”
“What grudge do you have against me? You have nothing to gain and everything to lose by interfering!”
“So? What if I don’t interfere? Do I gain something then?”
“You do! I am leaving Xinxing County. With both Lee Yu-baek and myself gone, Xinxing will belong solely to the Severing Sword Sect!”
“Oh-ho!”
“Is that all? You can forge a connection with Mount Cheonro and take over the White Dragon Gang’s business! Your influence will grow sevenfold!”
“Sounds great!”
“Then why interfere?”
Shin Ja-eon smirked. “Your proposal… if Seo Mu-ryang had made it, I might have accepted. I agreed to strike Mount Cheonro with Lee Yu-baek because it was profitable, not because we’re friends. If it were Seo Mu-ryang, I’d listen. I’m not keen on a death match with him.”
“...If it were Seo Mu-ryang?”
“Right. But you’re Hang In-woo. And I… I just can’t stomach it. Anyone else, fine. But how could Hang In-woo stab Lee Yu-baek in the back?”
“What kind of bullshit is that? A stab is a stab! Sect Leader Shin, calculate your gains! It’s not too late!”
“So, you’re saying if I back down, I become the master of Xinxing and trade with the bandits?”
“Exactly! It’s an offer so good even I’m jealous of it!”
Swaaa—
A sudden wind scattered oleander petals like a rain of blood. Shin Ja-eon looked up at the sky, then chuckled.
“What good is an offer from a man whose word is worth nothing?”
“What?”
“If Hang In-woo can stab Lee Yu-baek, what’s to stop him from stabbing me? You think the man who betrayed his brother wouldn't betray a rival?”
“Ha…?”
“That’s why, In-woo. You shouldn’t have stabbed Lee Yu-baek. Even if the entire world turned against him, you should have stayed by his side.”
Hang In-woo’s beard trembled with fury. “Fuck! So what? Was I supposed to live in his shadow forever?”
“You son of a bitch. If you hated it so much, you should have cut ties and fucked off to Foshan or Danju years ago. Or at the very least, joined the bandits openly. Instead, you stuck by his side, sucking him dry like a parasite, and only now you strike?”
Shin Ja-eon spat on the ground, his lips curled in a sneer.
“You’re worse than a dog.”
Hang In-woo’s face flushed from a violent red to a dark, bruised shade of pure rage.