Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: 7. Strong Even Walking Alone (2)
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No one opened their mouth. No, they couldn't.
They couldn't believe the scene unfolding before their eyes. No, they didn't want to believe it. But they had to. It had happened right in front of them, after all.
"Insane..."
Someone muttered it before hurriedly clamping their mouth shut. But no one blamed them. Everyone felt the same way, even if they hadn't said it aloud.
The senior disciple of the Kongtong Sect and one of the Nine Dragons lay sprawled at their feet in a pitiful state.
The fight had started, and in the blink of an eye, Namhak was utterly shattered.
In that brief moment, it felt like heaven and earth had been rent asunder.
At least, that's how it seemed to everyone present.
Gulp!
Someone swallowed dryly.
"Senior Brother!"
"Are you alright?"
The Kongtong warriors finally snapped out of their daze and rushed over to support the fallen Namhak.
"How dare you! Laying hands on our senior brother."
"We won't forgive this."
The Kongtong warriors glared at Damho, their hostility blazing.
Damho's expression didn't change as he looked at them. He hadn't expected them to just stand by, anyway.
Having spent time in the Huashan Sect, Damho knew better than anyone the arrogance bordering on hubris that came with their pride as one of the Nine Great Sects.
They forgave nothing that threatened their stronghold. Not even if it came from another of the Nine Great Sects.
The current peace held only because their strengths were evenly matched. If one had overwhelmingly dominated, the peace of the martial world would never have lasted.
Damho had no idea how this would end.
He didn't know how things had escalated this far, but he intended to see it through to the finish. Even if that end meant his own death.
For the first time, emotion flickered in Damho's eyes.
It was something called madness.
"Urk!"
The Kongtong warriors paled at Damho's madness and killing intent. But they had no intention of backing down.
That was when it happened.
"Everyone, stop."
A faint voice halted the Kongtong warriors. It belonged to Namhak.
"Senior Brother!"
"Are you alright?"
The Kongtong warriors hurriedly lifted Namhak into their arms.
Namhak coughed in their embrace, blood mixing with the sound.
"Senior Brother?"
"I'm... fine."
Namhak forced the words out.
If the Thunderclap Heart Technique hadn't protected his internals at the last moment, his heart meridians would have burst and he'd have died on the spot.
But he had barely survived, clinging to his fading consciousness with effort. There was still something he had to do.
He struggled to his feet without their help. It was his last shred of pride.
Propping himself up with great strain, Namhak glared at Damho.
"I lost... As per our agreement, no one here will challenge your actions."
"......"
"Though my competitive spirit burns hot, I'm no coward. So please, don't make me out to be one."
His final words were directed at the Kongtong warriors.
At their senior brother's command, the warriors nodded, swallowing back tears with effort.
"Yes!"
"Senior Brother!"
Namhak's gaze returned to Damho.
Damho stood motionless, watching him. Clad head to toe in black, he evoked the image of a demon god.
"I've lost, but that doesn't mean the Kongtong Sect has. The day I perfect the Thunderclap, I'll challenge you again. Will you accept?"
"Anytime!"
Damho thought Namhak was a man among men. Arrogant and biased though he was, he took responsibility for his words.
That was why Damho had spared him.
Namhak formed a cupped-hand salute toward Damho.
"Thank you."
"......"
"Now may I ask your name? What is it?"
"Damho. My name is Damho."
"I'll etch your name deep into my bones, Damho."
Damho nodded slightly.
Namhak gave a faint smile, then collapsed. He had passed out.
"Senior Brother!"
The Kongtong warriors rushed to support his body.
Damho turned away as if there was nothing more to see. For a fleeting moment, he limped slightly.
In that instant, one of the warriors muttered.
"A limping warrior... The one who wiped out the Western Heaven Manor did the same... Could it be the Blood Star of the Frontier?"
"My god! The Blood Star of the Frontier? That legend from beyond the border is real?"
Everyone's faces drained of color.
The blood-red star of the Frontier had descended upon the Central Plains. And it was dyeing the Central Plains red with blood.
Damho walked away. But no one could bring themselves to stop him. The sheer presence of Damho alone overwhelmed them all.
Yi Sin-pung's jaw clenched.
He wanted to say something to Damho, but he couldn't muster the nerve.
'Where did this monster come from...'
His face was lost. The only consolation was that Namhak of the Kongtong Sect had lost face alongside him.
"Brother!"
Bang Jin-bo hurried to Damho's side.
The gathered heroes watched the two men's retreating backs in stunned silence.
Had there ever been a warrior in Central Plains history who appeared so dramatically? Absolutely not.
Damho had appeared out of nowhere in Gansu Province, rained blood upon it, and vanished just as suddenly as he had come.
***
The Yangtze was often called the lifeblood of the Central Plains. Originating from the Blue Sea, this mighty river crossed the land, birthing countless lives and civilizations.
Far too wide and deep to be called a mere river, the Yangtze hosted large ships aplenty. Among them were massive vessels that could carry hundreds of people. Known as the Horse-Carrying River Ships, these were prime examples.
True to their name, enormous ships capable of transporting both horses and passengers cleaved leisurely through the Yangtze's turbulent waves.
The deck of one such Horse-Carrying River Ship teemed with people. Mostly merchants traveling up and down the river, but there were armed warriors among them too.
The ship was pulling into a dock at the entrance to Hubei Province. A fair crowd waited on the pier to board.
At last, the ship docked, and a large gangplank lowered.
"Passengers disembarking first. Everyone, please keep order."
A middle-aged boatswain bellowed the instruction.
Under his direction, many disembarked onto the pier. People first, then horses and carts.
Dozens of people and horses departed at once, but the empty spots filled instantly. A throng from the pier boarded en masse.
"Hey, don't push!"
"There's space over here."
The deck quickly buzzed with voices.
People clustered in groups of twos and dozens, based on their connections.
The largest gathering was near the stern, where nearly thirty people in matching uniforms stood.
One of them held a large flag.
Immortal Peach Escort Agency.
A mid-sized escort agency based in Seondo County, Hubei Province. Known as quite promising there, it commanded nearly a hundred escorts under its banner.
Half that number—over fifty escorts—had been mobilized for this vital shipment. Yet not a trace of tension showed on their faces.
This was Hubei Province.
Home to the Wudang Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, and the Zhuge Clan, one of the Five Great Families.
Countless righteous sects had also planted their flags here. No bandits would dare target their cargo, and even if they did, the escorts' strength could handle them with confidence.
Geum Jong-kyung, the chief escort leading this mission for the Immortal Peach Escort Agency, stood just five chi tall. But his shoulders were broad as a mountain, and his eyes sharp and piercing. First-time onlookers often shrank under his intense presence.
It wasn't just his looks—Geum Jong-kyung was strong in martial arts too. Though nominally below the agency head, his skills surpassed those of the head, Deung Il-cheong.
With the aging Deung Il-cheong stepping back, Geum Jong-kyung effectively ran the agency. His escorts trusted him deeply for it.
Geum Jong-kyung addressed his men.
"Don't let your guard down just because we're on a Horse-Carrying River Ship. You never know when trouble might strike."
"No worries, Chief. With all of us keeping sharp eyes, what could go wrong?"
"Exactly."
Geum Jong-kyung smiled faintly at their responses.
"I know. Still, we must always be prepared."
"Of course."
"Leave the watch to us. Rest easy for a bit, Chief."
"Alright!"
But even as he spoke, Geum Jong-kyung never slacked on scanning his surroundings. Twenty years of habit didn't vanish easily.
Knowing his near-paranoid nature, the escorts didn't press further. Instead, they dove into their own chatter.
"Just five more days to Dongting Lake? Time flies."
"Tell me about it. These ships make it so comfortable. I'd have no regrets if every escort run was like this."
"As if we'd get that lucky."
"Who doesn't know? Just wishful thinking. Dreams are free, right?"
"True enough."
Smiles crept onto the escorts' faces.
They were returning from Sichuan Province, where they had delivered to the renowned Tang Clan.
They'd thought the job done once the goods reached the Tang Clan. But unexpectedly, the clan asked them to transport it onward to Hunan Province.
Geum Jong-kyung saw no reason to refuse. The destination, Yueyang in Hunan, wasn't far from their Seondo base.
"By the way, have you heard the rumors from Gansu?"
"What rumors?"
"You're clueless, huh? Even something this huge?"
"What is it?"
The speaker was Jang Sam, the agency's info broker. He loved mingling during escort runs, staying abreast of all gossip.
Everyone eyed him expectantly. Jang Sam, relishing the attention, put on a smug air before speaking.
"There was a massive bloodbath in Gansu recently."
"What do you mean, bloodbath?"
"Everyone knows Red Rock Manor, right? Biggest sect up north in Gansu."
"Of course."
"The manor lord Yi Sin-pung's sixtieth birthday banquet got turned to ash by one man."
"No way?"
"It's true. Gansu's in an uproar now. First to tangle with him was Zuo Sang-cheon, senior disciple of the Hyunhyeon Sect—he ended up half-crippled. And that's not all. Jang Hak-kyung of the Daehwa Merchant Association, Jo Kyung-ui of Unyang Martial Hall, and his junior Mo Jung-hyeon all lost their lives to him."
"Really?"
As interest piqued, Jang Sam excitedly rattled off the Gansu tales. At the crowd's skepticism, he thumped his chest in frustration.
"It's true! Word is, before entering the Central Plains, he single-handedly wiped out the Western Heaven Manor in the Frontier. That's how he got the moniker Blood Star of the Frontier."
"Hah! Hard to believe."
"They say even Namhak, senior disciple of Kongtong and one of the Nine Dragons, knelt before him. He's a merciless killer with no blood or tears, brooking no offense."
"But Namhak of the Nine Dragons went down, and Kongtong just sits there?"
"Namhak swore on his name that Kongtong wouldn't interfere. So they're stewing helplessly."
"If that's true, a major player has entered the Central Plains. Tell us more."
Flattered, Jang Sam kept blabbing excitedly.
"But get this—the Blood Star of the Frontier is supposedly a cripple with a limp."
"That's nonsense. A warrior like that, lame?"
"No, really. I..."
Geum Jong-kyung let Jang Sam's voice flow in one ear and out the other as he scanned the deck. He wasn't incurious about the Blood Star, but the cargo's safety came first.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, his eyes caught an odd pair of men.
A stern-faced man in black robes and a chubby boy grinning nonstop as he looked around.