Chapter 186
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: Yearning Affection (1)
Fox finally showed up after three days.
His face was pale, his eyes sunken and hollow, and his pupils bloodshot red.
"You okay?"
Vanguard asked, concern heavy in his voice.
"I'm fine. Just a bit tired."
Fox glanced around before spotting Four Thousand Four in the middle of his meditative breathing exercise. His gaze locked on.
"Any info on No Gu...?"
Shwick!
Fox pulled a rolled-up scroll from his belt and handed it to Vanguard. Then he trudged over to Four Thousand Four and plopped down beside him.
Vanguard shot Fox a sidelong glance before unrolling the scroll and reading it line by line.
"The Blade Demon of the Wastelands... taken down in three moves?!"
An exclamation of shock burst from Vanguard's lips.
The Blade Demon of the Wastelands was known as the One Demon. He was one of the era's great demons, alongside No Gu, Azure Flame, Iron Whip, Red Moon, and Gentle Darkness—masters of unparalleled martial prowess.
Yet the One Demon had vanished long ago.
No one in the current martial world could imagine him losing to anyone and dying. Even if one of the other four greats had ambushed him, it would have ended in mutual destruction at best. A one-sided victory was impossible.
Where had the One Demon gone?
Some speculated he'd grown disillusioned with the martial world and gone into seclusion... But the Blade Demon was a killer through and through, treating murder as a hobby. It was hard to believe such a man would just stop killing and hide away.
Perhaps he'd fallen victim to qi deviation?
That theory gained traction.
People figured that after cultivating such vicious martial arts, he'd suffered qi deviation and was now paralyzed, unable to move.
The scroll Fox brought revealed the truth about the Blade Demon.
The One Demon, Blade Demon of the Wastelands, was dead.
Killed in a mere three moves by No Gu, the Venerable Ji Gong.
The technique Venerable Ji Gong had used was one of Shaolin's Seventy-Two Arts: the Foot Archer Skill.
Foot Archer Skill!
It was the third art listed in the sequence of Shaolin's Seventy-Two.
True to its name, the Foot Archer Skill involved shooting the foot like a bow. In other words, it was a kicking technique. To master it, one spent the entire day kicking small pebbles with their toes.
As the training method suggested, every Shaolin warrior monk knew the Foot Archer Skill. It wasn't particularly difficult, nor did it hide any secret techniques. It simply demanded consistent practice.
These were arts known from novice to master. Yet depending on one's training, the difference in results could be so vast you'd doubt it was the same technique.
Venerable Ji Gong had slain the One Demon with the Foot Archer Skill. In just three moves.
That was the real reason one of the six absolutes had fallen. It was a secret among secrets, known to only a handful in the martial world.
"Is this for real?"
Vanguard stared at Fox in astonishment.
Fox didn't answer, just gazed up at the sky.
Four Thousand Four had his eyes closed. But supposing he opened them... following his line of sight would lead straight to the heavens. So they all looked up together.
"All rivers return to the sea. So No Gu has already achieved that unity."
There were hundreds, thousands of rivers in the world, each with its own distinct character. Any expert could tell them apart at a glance.
But once those waters reached the ocean, they were just water.
The ocean!
Whether viewed from east or west, from land or aboard a ship, it was always the same vast sea.
Sword arts, saber arts, spear arts, staff arts... all weapon techniques converged into one. Palm strikes, fist arts, kicking arts... every body technique merged as well.
For Venerable Ji Gong, even a casual hand lift was a martial art.
A light extension of the arm could dismantle supreme techniques and elevate them beyond.
The scroll was quite thick. But Vanguard read no further. The unread back half doubtless brimmed with more on No Gu, but there was no point now.
"Fine weather today, huh."
Vanguard plopped down too and looked skyward.
There was nothing else to do. Nothing came to mind.
Four Thousand Four read the scroll with unshaken eyes.
He perused the passages that had shocked and despaired Vanguard as if they were someone else's tale.
Fox waited in silence.
He didn't look at Four Thousand Four. But he knew exactly where he was in the text.
Shwick!
Four Thousand Four finished rolling up the scroll and gripped it tight.
Only then did Fox speak.
"You won't... back out, right?"
"..."
"Yeah. Backing out now wouldn't be you."
"Thanks for this."
Four Thousand Four held up the scroll.
"Glad it helped."
"One more thing I want to know. Can you look into it?"
Fox smirked as if he'd expected it, twisting his lips in a silent laugh.
"What? Spit it out."
"No Gu has a secret disciple he took in about a decade ago. I'd like to know who."
"You're kidding."
Fox scoffed.
"Fox... this is important. Please check it out."
Four Thousand Four said gravely.
No Gu had no secret disciple. Four Thousand Four knew that, and so did Fox. When it came to information, Fox was more expert than Four Thousand Four. How could Four Thousand Four know something she didn't?
His request was... a way of telling her to leave now.
"Vanguard went to Hanbi. He needs to know the essentials too. So I'm saying this with no one around... You know me, right?"
Fox said abruptly.
"I do. After all the time we've moved together, how could I not?"
"Don't dodge... You know I'm a woman, right?"
"..."
Four Thousand Four fell silent.
"When you hesitated to touch my body, I thought it was weird. Figured it might be coincidence at first. But I watched you closely after... Hoho! Knew it. You did know."
Fox undid the hero's headband tightly bound around his head. In an instant, long hair cascaded down like a waterfall in three thick strands.
Four Thousand Four wasn't surprised.
Fox's eyes sparkled like they used to.
"Knew it all along, huh?"
As she smoothed her hair, Fox looked every bit the young girl. It was hard to believe such a pretty, refined woman had been locked in the Nineteen Hells. Truth be told, Fox wasn't exactly prim and proper.
"You're beautiful."
Four Thousand Four chuckled softly.
"Oh! You can say stuff like that?"
Fox's eyes twinkled as she shot back.
"Some reason for the disguise?"
"Didn't want to be seen as a woman."
"What's the difference between seeing a woman as a woman or a man?"
"I wanted you to see me as a fellow martial artist, beyond gender."
"Ah!"
Four Thousand Four nodded.
"But am I really pretty?"
"Very."
"Even so, not as pretty as Jeogal Soso, right?"
"What? Hahaha!"
"Don't laugh—answer me. Am I prettier, or is Jeogal Soso?"
"Quit messing around and head down."
Four Thousand Four patted Fox's shoulder like an old friend and stood.
Fox grabbed his collar as he rose.
"What if... just what if. If you get past this hurdle... it's ridiculous, but hypothetically. If it happens... I'd like you."
"Fox."
"Sanghwa. Bi Sanghwa. That's my name—Bi Sanghwa. I'd like you."
Fox gazed at Four Thousand Four with burning eyes.
"Sang... Hard to say it. 'Fox' sticks to the tongue. Fox, do you think I can make it past this?"
"No loss for you either way. Just say it's okay."
"If... heh, 'if' again."
"Say it's fine."
"Alright, go ahead and like me."
Fox sprang up and stared at Four Thousand Four.
"You said it yourself. It's okay to like you."
"Yeah."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Fox threw herself into his arms.
Four Thousand Four instinctively embraced the small body burrowing into his chest.
He hadn't noticed when she was Fox... even after learning she was a woman, he hadn't paid it mind... but now her soft breasts brushed against him like a spring breeze.
Before Four Thousand Four could collect himself, Fox pulled back. She smacked his chest and said,
"Survive, no matter what. That's the only way I can like you. Got it?"
Fox was back to her old self.
"Deal. Let's survive and see about that like. But first, promise me. Head down the mountain now. A hundred li away. And don't come back for four days."
"Got it."
Fox nodded readily, a faint, unsettling smile on her lips.
'No way to win!'
That realization had hit her hard while investigating No Gu.
No one in the current martial world could stand against him. Speaking as someone who knew Azure Flame well, even her grandfather wouldn't stand a chance.
No Gu had slain the One Demon in three moves.
The martial world ranked the five strongest, but they needed further division: the supreme one and those who followed.
Four Thousand Four's Shadowless Steps had grown astonishingly.
But against No Gu, it was futile. Even Red Moon or Gentle Darkness couldn't match his arts—taking him on was like an egg against a rock.
In other words... facing No Gu meant death.
There was only one way. Kill No Gu before he reached Four Thousand Four.
Possible? Of course not. But for Four Thousand Four, she'd try the impossible.
'He'll come this path.'
Among the myriad trails into the wild hills, Fox selected one.
This was one of her specialties.
Considering No Gu's personality, habits, companions, and purpose—factoring every circumstance—the path became clear.
No Gu would choose a narrow trail avoiding crowds.
'Plant one here.'
She buried a thunderbolt explosive under a massive pine.
'Seven paces left.'
She shifted left seven steps and planted another.
The thunderbolt array would collapse heaven and earth.
The fuses connected them, igniting from the array's core.
Anyone deploying the array was doomed to die.
So too those trapped inside. All within the blast radius perished.
Any gaps for escape?
She double- and triple-checked the range and effects.
For Four Thousand Four, she'd even die—that much she'd realized moments ago.
Gazing into his eyes, even if his "let's see about liking" was casual, hearing it, melting into his embrace... she'd discovered her feelings ran deeper than imagined.
It wasn't any one trait. She just liked him.
'I know Jeogal Soso's in your heart. I'm sharp enough for that. Fine, live well. I won't just watch from afar like some spectator. I'll make myself your woman, bear your kids, and thrive. I'll be watching.'
She walked to the heart of the thunderbolt array.
All checks complete. Now, whether No Gu or a heavenly god entered, it was over.
Leaning against a tree, she sat. In her left hand, the fuse to trigger the array.