Sword, Silver, Poison (1)
Having obtained information about Seo Baek at the inn, Dang Ryong set off immediately for Shaolin Temple.
It was all for the best anyway. The clan lord had ordered him to bring the head of the one who killed Dang Hong and Dang Jo Jeong to Shaolin Temple.
Through a desperate forced march, Dang Ryong arrived at Song Mountain.
During the not-insignificant journey, he had mercilessly severed the necks of every revenant he encountered. But on Song Mountain, that wasn't so easy.
The closer he got to Shaolin Temple, the more the numbers of revenants increased exponentially.
'Have all the revenants of the Central Plains gathered on Song Mountain?'
Dozens of revenants could simply be cut down. But with their numbers surpassing hundreds, even thousands, no matter how strong one's martial arts, forcing a breakthrough was impossible.
Even if you severed thousands of necks, one bite would be the end.
Dang Ryong decided to travel along the ridgeline that the revenant hordes couldn't climb.
As he scaled the cliff face, a narrow ledge path came into view.
'Made by those Shaolin bastards.'
Dang Ryong figured that following the ledge would allow him to cross over Song Mountain's seventy-two peaks and reach Shaolin Temple.
However, the path was blocked in places, severed here and there.
That was when he encountered the Shaolin monk Jin-mun and the refugees.
Dang Ryong had donned ragged clothes to pose as a refugee, allowing him to conceal his identity.
No one in the world was fearless enough to infiltrate Shaolin Temple wearing a robe embroidered with the Sacheon Tang Clan's emblem, the red butterfly.
It would be no different from suicide.
Of course, Dang Ryong wasn't afraid of Shaolin Temple.
He simply didn't want his identity exposed too early and let his prey slip away.
'This works out even better.'
Dang Ryong continued his refugee act. He figured following the Shaolin monk Jin-mun would let him infiltrate Shaolin Temple easily.
That was when a boy crossed the cliff face to tie a rope.
In that instant, Dang Ryong realized.
'That's the one.'
Not even twenty years old.
A greatsword as large as his own body.
Undoubtedly the boy expert he'd heard about from the Ami Sect's female disciple.
No further confirmation was needed. The boy had exchanged names with the Shaolin monk, revealing his name and destination.
Dang Ryong narrowed his eyes, appraising the boy called Seo Baek.
Using a greatsword meant his raw strength was undoubtedly formidable. Crossing a dizzyingly sheer cliff as if it were flat ground suggested his lightness skill and internal energy were profound as well.
But...
'He doesn't seem capable of decapitating Aunt Dang Hong.'
Dang Ryong wanted to face Seo Baek one-on-one, so he watched the situation unfold for a moment. He crossed the cliff using the rope the boy had secured.
Then, something utterly unexpected happened.
The Underground Hall search party cut the rope and fired crossbows from mechanisms mounted on their spears.
It seemed like a ploy to send the Shaolin monk plummeting and silence witnesses.
'Caught up in some annoying mess.'
A single faction like Underground Hall wouldn't dare declare war on Shaolin Temple, the pillar of the martial world.
So then...
'The government? Or maybe Wudang Sect or Huashan Sect, who've joined hands with them?'
Dang Ryong didn't care who was fighting Shaolin Temple. But he couldn't forgive Underground Hall for dragging Seo Baek down with them.
After crossing the Central Plains to reach Song Mountain, some no-name faction kills his target?
It was like a tiger hunting only for a fox to snatch the prey.
'First, find that Seo Baek bastard and sever his head.'
Whether alive or dead from the fall.
'And before returning to Sichuan, wipe out Underground Hall entirely and exterminate them.'
Seizing the moment when Underground Hall was focused on firing crossbows at Seo Baek and Jin-mun, Dang Ryong slipped away leisurely.
For a Sacheon Tang Clan member, descending a cliff face was as easy as flipping over a child's palm.
The most crucial skill in infiltration and assassination was traversing treacherous terrain like one's own bedroom.
Dang Ryong drove iron pegs into cliff crevices, connected ropes, and descended.
The ground teemed with revenant hordes, but by holding his breath as he moved, he avoided detection.
And now, he had found Seo Baek, resting after battling the revenant horde.
Seo Baek ripped off the gag and performed a fist-and-palm salute.
"I'm Seo Baek of Shika Manor."
"I'm Dang Ryong."
"Why is the Sacheon Tang Clan looking for me?"
"The clan lord's second daughter Dang Hong and her nephew Dang Jo Jeong died at Shu Dao Pass. Dang Jo Jeong was found with his head severed; Dang Hong was hacked into five pieces—head, both arms, and torso."
Seo Baek ripped off the gag again.
"What does that have to do with me? Ask the Ami Sect about what happened at Shu Dao Pass."
"It wasn't Jeong Su Sa Tae."
"Why not?"
"That Ami Sect nun doesn't strike with such cruelty."
Dang Ryong shrugged with a listless expression.
"She pursues a life-preserving technique to save sentient beings, practicing some ridiculous sword style. Ruthlessly severing the neck and both arms doesn't match her martial arts at all."
"......"
"That brutal sword style seems perfect for revenants, though."
Dang Ryong's insight struck right at the core, leaving Seo Baek silent.
Seo Baek's Shika Sword Technique was a sword art specialized against revenants.
From merely seeing the corpses of Dang Hong and Dang Jo Jeong, Dang Ryong had accurately deduced the characteristics of the Shika Sword Technique.
"The Cheongsong Sect members there aren't worth considering—they're worthless trash. Not their doing either."
"......"
Seo Baek gave a wry smile at those words.
It would be hard to find anyone in the world who would call Cheongsong Sect—one of the Nine Great Sects of the Central Plains—worthless trash.
A man who viewed everyone but himself as fools.
Words only someone from the Sacheon Tang Clan could utter.
"So it was some unaffiliated bastard's doing. Took some effort to figure out it was you."
"So you've come for revenge on behalf of the Sacheon Tang Clan?"
"Revenge? Why would I?"
"Then?"
"Dang Hong and Dang Jo Jeong were overreaching fools who could've died anytime. I'm just following the clan lord's orders."
Shring. Dang Ryong drew his sword.
Unlike what one might expect from a Sacheon Tang Clan expert, his sword was utterly ordinary, without any distinctive features.
The Sacheon Tang Clan was infamous for hidden weapons, poison arts, and countless mechanisms.
Seo Baek assumed Dang Ryong was concealing other weapons or tricks.
"Chasing me all the way to Shaolin Temple—your persistence deserves praise, at least."
Courteous words laced with thorns.
Seo Baek tested the waters, probing his opponent's mood.
The start of a fight was a battle of minds.
But there was no reaction.
Dang Ryong didn't bite back, merely extending the conversation with a listless expression.
"I was coming to Shaolin Temple anyway."
"Why's that?"
"The clan lord told me to sever your head and leave it in Shaolin's guest hall."
"Why go to such lengths?"
"To screw over Shaolin, probably. That old coot's schemes are obvious."
"Even if it means making enemies of not just Shaolin Temple, but the entire Central Plains martial world?"
"Who cares about that."
Whoosh. Before finishing his words, Dang Ryong hurled his sword.
"Just cut down anything annoying."
The sword spun like a cartwheel.
Not a refined flying sword technique or a thrusting adaptation—just a flick of the wrist to spin it.
Yet Seo Baek could tell.
Tremendous internal energy was infused into what looked like a clumsy throw from a third-rate swordsman.
Clang. Seo Baek swung his sword, batting the flying blade into the air.
In that instant, Dang Ryong's form floated up like a leaf, kicking the airborne hilt with his instep.
The sword shot toward Seo Baek's brow like an arrow. Whiiiiiish.
Seo Baek laid his blade flat to block. Clang. The deflected sword spun and embedded deeply into a pillar.
'My turn.'
Seo Baek reached back, gripping his hilt.
As he unhooked it from the loop on his back, he swung in a massive arc over his shoulder toward the front.
Flash. Whoooosh.
A gale whipped through the shrine hall.
The sword traced a huge semicircle, leaving a scar on the ceiling beam before cleaving the stone floor and burying deep.
Shraaaash. Thunk.
Though it was a strike of conviction, Seo Baek remained silent.
"......"
Dang Ryong stood calmly, unscathed by even the sword's edge, gazing at Seo Baek.
If split by the strike, he'd be a mere amateur.
If merely dodged, a decent martial artist.
But Dang Ryong was on another level.
He had evaded the sword's arc by the slimmest margin, as if grazing it.
Meaning he'd instantly calculated the blade's length, rotation radius, and speed.
Moreover, he'd retreated with the casual ease of someone out for a stroll. Any lightness skill practitioner knew that ordinary steps to evade were harder than explosive leaps.
'An expert.'
"Your raw power's decent enough."
Dang Ryong began critiquing Seo Baek's strike.
With arms crossed and head tilted slightly, he looked like an old master lecturing disciples on martial arts.
"Length like a decent spear, width like a guandao."
"Spears emphasize one-sided assaults beyond the opponent's reach."
"But your sword's excessively large. Its forms lean more toward saber arts than spear or sword techniques."
"Wielding a greatsword like that at your age—your strength deserves praise."
"If caught off-guard by the reach, blocking would be tough. Is that how you got Dang Hong?"
Dang Ryong dissected Seo Baek's swordsmanship point by point.
His demeanor differed greatly from other martial artists.
Most would avoid an opponent's strengths and feign ignorance of weaknesses to strike vital points.
That was the norm in life-or-death fights.
Yet here was Dang Ryong openly pointing out strengths and flaws, leaving Seo Baek baffled as his opponent.
Underestimating him?
Or just a martial arts fanatic...?
"Greatsword, relentless pressure with that power to finish foes. Not a bad style. But it has a fatal flaw."
In different circumstances, one might mistake this for a kindly expert appraising techniques.
Dang Ryong's absurdity prompted Seo Baek to play along.
"What is it?"
"Too slow."
Dang Ryong's eyes gleamed with predatory light.
Unlike before, brimming with killing intent.
The joy of a beast finally facing a worthy foe.
'I misunderstood.'
Dang Ryong wasn't teaching martial arts pros and cons.
He was merely sizing up his prey.
Now, only the hunt remained.
Swish. Two swords slid from Dang Ryong's sleeves.
The sleek, slender sword had a peculiar T-shaped hilt.
Resembling a go club with a mid-grip, but with the advantage of thrusting or slashing like a sword.
Typically, such sword-clubs were concealed in sleeves for surprise vital strikes.
Yet he drew twin blades openly?
Respecting the opponent's arts?
'No way. Not him.'
Though they'd met mere moments ago, Seo Baek could tell. Dang Ryong utterly despised his foes.
'Can't use the Shika Heart Method right now.'
No Shika Heart Method meant no Shika Sword Technique.
Could he fend off the killing intent before him with just raw strength and greatsword swings?
'Impossible. Then...'
In that instant, Dang Ryong charged at Seo Baek.