Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: The Person You Must Meet Will Be Met Again Someday (2)
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Damho's eyes narrowed.
The passersby on the street suddenly transformed into assassins.
A merchant and an old woman drew short daggers and attacked Hae Sowol. The peaceful everyday scene had turned into a deadly threat.
Hae Sowol's response to the sudden assault was dazzling beyond compare. In the instant her sword seemed to be drawn from her waist, fragments of brilliant light scattered in all directions.
Shwaaak!
Her sword spread out like the ribs of a fan, sweeping through the surroundings. The old woman and the merchant were blocked by Hae Sowol's sword barrier and flung backward.
Blood sprayed from their chests. Hae Sowol's sword had already sliced across them.
Azure Sea Wave-Cutting Sword—a sword art of the sea that only a select few disciples in the South Sea Sect could master.
The Azure Sea Wave-Cutting Sword was the perfect fusion of offense and defense.
Defense was offense, and offense was the ultimate defense. That was the sword Hae Sowol pursued.
Shweek! Shweek!
Her sword beautifully cleaved through the air.
Hae Sowol's waist arched gracefully. Her sword pierced the grain of the air itself.
It was blindingly beautiful to the eye, but the ferocity hidden within was beyond words.
"Ah!"
Bang Jinbo, unaware of the circumstances, let out an exclamation of admiration based purely on its appearance. To his eyes, it looked as if a celestial fairy had descended from the heavens to perform a sword dance.
But Damho saw through the ferocity and killing intent contained within. Whoever had first created the sword art that Hae Sowol wielded must have been someone consumed by intense murderous desire.
One could tell just from the relentless sword strikes that targeted vital points.
The power of the sword itself was flawless.
The problem lay with the one wielding it.
'Not enough killing intent.'
It was a sword art created to kill humans. Yet its wielder lacked the will to kill. Thus, it could not unleash its full inherent power.
Hae Sowol's sword carried respect and propriety toward people. Even when she had the chance to kill in one stroke, she held back, sparing their lives.
Shwaaak!
Her sword continued to slice through the air.
Each time, assassins collapsed, spurting blood. Every one of them bore deep sword wounds. But not a single one had lost their life.
Techniques like Severing Wave Play and Sword Parting Sea Surge unfolded in succession.
When Hae Sowol's sword dance finally ended, no one else remained standing in the area.
She stood alone in the wake of the sword's waves. A breeze from Dongting Lake gently lifted her hair.
It was a sight worthy of her moniker, Sea Fairy.
The onlookers erupted in admiration at the sight of Hae Sowol.
"Wooow! She's incredible."
"Who the hell is she?"
They wondered about Hae Sowol's identity.
They were captivated by her feat of felling twelve assassins in a single breath and her eye-dazzling beauty.
"Ah, she's the Sea Fairy."
"The female swordswoman from the South Sea? Then, one of the Nine Dragons?"
Some recognized her from her purple hemp robes and her beloved sword, Wallang.
Those who realized her identity cheered even more fervently.
The martial world cheers for heroes. And if the hero is handsome or beautiful, the support becomes all the more blind.
Hae Sowol possessed exceptional martial prowess and stunning beauty. She was more than qualified to receive the crowd's thunderous cheers.
The people cheered, but Hae Sowol showed no sign of excitement. Her deep and vast cultivation would not be shaken by something like this.
"Ugh!"
The assassins who had barely escaped death clutched their wounds and writhed on the ground. Those who had hidden in the lake and ambushed her were likewise gravely injured.
Sring!
"Who sent you?"
Hae Sowol sheathed her sword and approached them.
Her eyes gleamed colder than ever. But the assassins clamped their mouths shut and refused to answer.
Their glares at Hae Sowol brimmed with venomous hatred. She moved to seize one of them and interrogate him about their backer.
At that moment, one of the assassins silently drew a round object from his bosom. The instant Hae Sowol saw the iron orb, her pupils trembled.
'Thunderbolt bomb?'
She had never seen one before, but she knew instinctively.
A faint smile curled on the lips of the assassin holding the thunderbolt bomb.
'You're coming with us.'
That was what his eyes seemed to say.
It was called Sky-Shaking Thunder. Once detonated, it would engulf everything within thirty paces. Not only Hae Sowol, but hundreds of nearby lives would vanish in an instant.
"You madman!"
Hae Sowol drew Wallang again and charged at the assassin.
She realized her mistake.
'I let my guard down.'
Before venturing into the martial world, her master had repeatedly warned her against carelessness, yet she had become intoxicated with her supreme martial arts and forgotten.
The price was fatal.
Even as she swung Wallang, Hae Sowol squeezed her eyes shut.
Boom!
At that instant, a thunderous roar echoed, and her body jolted slightly. But the impact was not as intense as she had feared.
Hae Sowol cracked her eyes open. Before her, a black shadow flickered briefly.
Beyond the shadow, she saw the assassin sailing through the air toward Dongting Lake.
Kwaaaang!
Then the real explosion erupted, and the shockwave engulfed her and everyone nearby.
"Aaack!"
"Kugh!"
Countless people were swept up in the blast and tumbled to the ground. But not a single one lost their life to the explosion.
Hae Sowol brushed back her disheveled hair and straightened her deeply bent waist. Bewilderment was plain on her face.
She hurriedly scanned her surroundings. Ripples and smoke rose from the lake. The thunderbolt bomb had detonated in the water.
Thanks to that, there were injuries, but no deaths from the blast.
"Who...?"
The moment she had closed her eyes was but a fraction of a second.
In that brief instant, the assassin holding the thunderbolt bomb had vanished, and the explosion had occurred in the lake. Someone had clearly thrown or struck the assassin into the water.
Hae Sowol rushed to the other assassins. Their faces had already turned black. Just before the explosion, they had bitten down on poison pills hidden in their mouths.
Hae Sowol frantically thought of someone and looked around. But he was already gone.
'That man.'
The man in black robes who had been with the chubby boy.
Hae Sowol recalled him.
Damho slipped out of the street where the explosion had occurred, with Bang Jinbo in tow.
"Hyung!"
Bang Jinbo called out to Damho. But Damho did not respond.
It was Damho who had hurled the assassin about to detonate the thunderbolt bomb into the lake.
With a single Breaking Sound Palm after the 충보, he sent the assassin flying. The assassin died without realizing how, and even those right beside him noticed nothing.
Damho had killed the assassin because Bang Jinbo was there. It was far more efficient than fleeing with Bang Jinbo.
"Thanks, hyung. Because of me, for no reason..."
Bang Jinbo looked up at Damho.
Others might not know, but Bang Jinbo did. How little Damho cared about other people's affairs.
He had acted purely for Bang Jinbo's sake.
Damho silently ruffled Bang Jinbo's hair with his large hand. Bang Jinbo beamed broadly.
"Over there."
"Hurry."
A group of martial artists came running. They were from the Oyang Sword Sect. They rushed past Damho and Bang Jinbo toward the explosion site.
It wasn't just the Oyang Sword Sect. Every sect based in Oyang was converging on the site. The entire city of Oyang was in an uproar.
"Hyung, over there."
How much time had passed? Suddenly, Bang Jinbo pointed to a spot.
A night market was bustling where Bang Jinbo pointed.
Merchants sold food under bright lanterns. Though an explosion had nearly killed crowds at Dongting Lake, here people still enjoyed the night.
Damho followed Bang Jinbo into the night market.
The street overflowed with food stalls. Vendors tempted passersby with their homemade wares spread on carts.
Unable to resist, Bang Jinbo dashed toward them.
"Wooow!"
An exclamation burst from Bang Jinbo's mouth. He looked up at Damho eagerly.
"Hyung, can I try some of these?"
Damho nodded, and Bang Jinbo bounced around excitedly. His hands were soon full of street foods like small dragon buns and green onion pancakes.
Damho followed silently.
During their journey here, Bang Jinbo had been steadily growing. He loved food more than anyone and wanted to make others happy with his cooking.
Bang Jinbo's heart was purer than anyone's. And he possessed a passion Damho could never attain in a lifetime.
Everyone yearns for what they lack.
Perhaps that was the biggest reason Damho traveled with Bang Jinbo.
It was then.
A man walking toward them caught Damho's eye.
He had an ordinary build and plain attire. But he did not seem ordinary.
Most striking was his sculpted face. Aristocratic elegance flowed from his handsome features, chiseled as if from marble, and deep melancholy shadowed his pitch-black eyes.
He carried a large wooden box on his back, from which five sword hilts protruded. It resembled a peacock fanning its tail feathers.
Quite a few people stared at the man's unusual appearance. Despite drawing so much attention, he walked leisurely with a smile on his lips.
The man brushed past Damho.
In that instant, Damho wrinkled his nose. An intensely pungent scent emanated from the man.
'Blood scent.'
The metallic tang of blood assaulted his senses.
Damho turned to look back. But the man had already vanished into the crowd.
First Hae Sowol, now this man with the peculiar wooden box. Masters were entering Oyang one after another.
Whether coincidence or some force at work, it bothered Damho that they arrived just as he did.
He recalled something Priest Hyeon So had once said.
—There is no word in the world more deceiving than "coincidence." Countless causes weave together like warp and weft to form the net of result. Only then does necessity disguised as coincidence arise. When such things happen, always examine your surroundings carefully. Omens accompany them.
A wind blew from Dongting Lake.
It had been blowing since the moment Damho entered Oyang. He hoped it would not affect him.