Canyon Pursuit (4)
The bandits who had been cackling alongside Mo Sam Guk froze, mouths agape, as his head hit the ground.
“That kid… What the hell is this?!”
The furious bandits flew into a rage, but Seo Baek replied in a cold, level voice.
“Let me teach you a lesson in return.”
“What lesson?”
“That evildoers get punished for their crimes.”
“What? You little shit…!”
The bandit at the front grabbed the broad dao at his waist.
But before he could even raise it, a fierce gust of wind grazed past him.
Thwack.
The bandit, arm raised, felt a sharp sting and turned his head—only to widen his eyes in shock.
His hand still gripped the dao's hilt at his waist. His wrist had been severed clean, leaving only his forearm raised.
“Aaaagh…!”
Seo Baek swung his sword again, and the bandit didn't even finish his scream before his head tumbled off.
In the blink of an eye, two comrades had fallen to Seo Baek's blade, becoming guests who would never return. The remaining two finally realized this wasn't some kid they could underestimate.
“You bastard!”
One bandit swung his broad dao at Seo Baek's back.
But a stealthy ambush with a shout was never going to work on him. Without even turning, Seo Baek twisted his sword and parried the strike effortlessly.
Clang!
At that moment, a flash of light erupted from behind the headless bandit's body.
The bandit, whose long robe hung loosely tied, had drawn a flying dagger from his bosom and hurled it.
A proper ambush, at least.
Three flying daggers hurtled straight at his face. Seo Baek spun his arm like a windmill, using the broad flat of his blade to deflect them.
Clang-clang-clang.
He knocked one to the left, one to the right, then deliberately let the last one hang in the air.
Timing it as the dagger spun, he smashed it with the flat of his sword.
Clang!
The flying dagger rocketed back several times faster than it had come. The startled bandit reached out to catch it.
But this time, it carried Seo Baek's infused internal energy—unlike when he'd thrown it.
Trying to grab it barehanded…
Shwick.
The dagger sliced through its owner's index and middle fingers before embedding straight into his forehead.
Thud. It drove in so deep the blade vanished completely.
Without pause, Seo Baek swept his sword in a wide arc, spinning his body. He brought it crashing down on the last bandit behind him.
“You damned killer…!”
The bandit held his broad dao horizontally to block.
But Seo Baek's sword cleaved through it like rotten wood.
Snap.
The blade plunged into the bandit's shoulder.
Crunch.
It carved diagonally through his torso, exiting at his waist.
Seo Baek flicked his sword once to shake off the blood, then sheathed it in the loop on his back.
Only then did the bandit's bisected upper body spray a fountain of blood as it slid limply to the ground.
Splat.
“A lesson from a Murim senior?”
Seo Baek turned away without sparing the four corpses a glance.
“Not much help. I never cared about scum like you anyway.”
With that, Mo Sam Guk's pursuit squad—meant to block the canyon escape route—was eliminated by Seo Baek.
Huuuuh.
Seo Baek took a long, deep breath to steady himself.
It had been close. Any longer, and he'd have exceeded the time limit of the Shika Heart Method.
He'd pushed it to the max to outpace the pursuit squad.
A crucial rule when circulating the Shika Heart Method:
Using it for more than half a shichen—about an hour—risked qi deviation!
His master had warned him to use it up to that limit only when his life was in mortal danger.
Yet he'd nearly crossed it now.
His master would have called him a fool for that choice.
Even without the Shika Heart Method, those four weren't his match.
But by pushing it to the limit, he'd bisected them effortlessly.
Seo Baek had been filled with a rage even he hadn't realized.
The day Shika Manor fell.
His master had entrusted him with the mission to Shaolin. Seo Baek escaped, but Shika Manor was overwhelmed by thousands—tens of thousands—of revenants.
Was it guilt over abandoning his senior brothers and fleeing alone? Ever since, he'd shown no mercy when slaying revenants.
That icy fury he felt against them had reignited now.
Because of these betrayers of comrades.
Unbeknownst to himself, Seo Baek had come to value Yu So Un and Wang Yi Sam that deeply.
At any rate, with Mo Sam Guk's squad dealt with, there was no worry of word reaching Cheon Ri Hyeong.
Now he just had to wait for Yu So Un and Wang Yi Sam to arrive with Son Il Seo and the others.
Seo Baek sat cross-legged and began regulating his internal energy.
After time for a meal, the strain from overusing the Shika Heart Method would fully recover.
But after a short while, a signal flare burst high in the sky.
It was the blue one he'd given Yu So Un.
He'd handled Mo Sam Guk's squad—had they run into another pursuit group?
'Cheon Ri Hyeong.'
Seo Baek's instincts screamed it.
Cheon Ri Hyeong had split his pursuit into three squads.
But the other two, besides Mo Sam Guk's, must have headed for the canyon instead of Shaolin or Ami Sect.
Dividing into three was clearly a ploy to deceive Seo Baek's group from the start.
'We fell for it.'
The Shika Heart Method wasn't fully recovered, but there was no time.
Seo Baek took a deep breath, stood, and raced toward the flare's origin.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Moments later, Seo Baek reached the signal site.
It had taken longer than expected. He couldn't use the Shika Heart Method.
The spot was a small grove between canyon walls.
But neither Yu So Un, Wang Yi Sam, nor Son Il Seo's group was there.
Instead, the ground was littered with chaotic footprints.
Examining the dirt, Seo Baek spotted something and bit his lip hard.
Droplets of blood!
Someone in the group had been wounded fighting Cheon Ri Hyeong's squad.
Worse, not a single arrow lay around.
Yu So Un, faster on the draw than hidden weapons—had he not loosed even one shot?
It meant an ambush from hiding.
Cheon Ri Hyeong might have clocked Yu So Un as an archer and prepared. A sharp-eyed expert could manage that.
'My mistake.'
Letting rage control him against Mo Sam Guk's squad was the error. Without overtaxing the Shika Heart Method, he'd have reached the grove before Cheon Ri Hyeong.
Seo Baek calmly assessed the situation.
Son Il Seo, branded a traitor to Iron Palm Gang, would be hauled alive to Iron Palm Mountain.
Yang San and Chuk Yeong would likely be taken as hostages too.
The problem was Yu So Un and Wang Yi Sam.
Cheon Ri Hyeong wouldn't care if they lived or died.
Plus, Yu So Un was a first-rate expert, and Wang Yi Sam a solid swordsman. Risky hostages who might rebel anytime.
Even if Cheon Ri Hyeong killed them and returned to Iron Palm Mountain alone, it wouldn't be strange.
The worst possible outcome.
On the positive side?
Only blood in the grove, no bodies of Yu So Un or Wang Yi Sam.
Proof they were still alive!
'Why take them alive instead of killing on the spot?'
Only Cheon Ri Hyeong knew.
No need to figure it out. Their survival was what mattered.
But his mind could change at any moment.
'I have to tail him ASAP.'
Yet Seo Baek halted.
The pursuit had shifted to a hostage rescue.
Even a superior master kneels to an inferior with hostages. Trying to save them exposes weaknesses, leading to defeat.
Seo Baek, who had erred by pushing the Shika Heart Method to its limit against Mo Sam Guk's squad.
'Can't repeat mistakes.'
He paused the chase, sat, and began regulating his energy.
His ragged breathing soon flowed calm and clear as a mirror pond.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A small clearing between canyon walls.
Cheon Ri Hyeong's group gathered there—six including him.
A bonfire blazed in the center, logs crackling. Over it sat a pot brimming with mutton chunks.
One bandit sniffed the air.
“Smells damn good!”
“Stew's ready—where's Mo Sam Guk's crew?”
“Better if they're late. More for us!”
“Wahaha!”
The bandits roared with laughter.
Then one ventured, half-joking.
“You think that kid got 'em? He looked pretty skilled.”
“Mo Sam Guk taken down by a milk-drinking brat? Hilarious!”
As they scoffed, quiet Cheon Ri Hyeong spoke.
“Even if the kid wiped out Mo Sam Guk's squad, no issue.”
He turned to the clearing's edge.
“We've got hostages.”
There sat Yu So Un and Wang Yi Sam, bound in ropes. Son Il Seo, Yang San, and Chuk Yeong were tied beside them.
From the skirmish with Cheon Ri Hyeong's crew, Yu So Un, Wang Yi Sam, and Yang San bore bloodstains on faces and clothes.
Yu So Un's eyes were black and swollen, face a bloody mess. His fierce resistance had earned him a beating post-capture.
“New gang leader's right!”
The bandits chimed agreement.
No one dared contradict Cheon Ri Hyeong now. With Son Il Seo captured, his ascension was set.
His right-hand man, Ja Chung, bellowed arrogantly.
“Even if Mo Sam Guk slipped up, that kid's long gone. A twenty-something punk challenging Iron Palm Gang? A passing dog would laugh!”
“Wahaha!”
The bandits burst out laughing.
Cheon Ri Hyeong smirked, pleased by the flattery.
Then a voice shattered the merriment.
“No, he'll come for sure.”
Cheon Ri Hyeong and the bandits whipped toward it.
“Seo Baek's not like you scum. Don't spout nonsense.”
It was Yu So Un. He forced words through his battered, swollen lips.
Cheon Ri Hyeong rose from the fire and approached.
“You trust that kid a lot.”
“Of course. Seo Baek doesn't betray and abandon comrades like you.”
Yu So Un referenced what Son Il Seo's group had told him.
A jab at Cheon Ri Hyeong fleeing alone, abandoning his gang leader and deputy amid the revenant horde.
He couldn't miss the implication.
“Never betrays comrades… That's the law of the jianghu?”
“Exactly. And Seo Baek's a master you've never seen in your lives. Give him time for a cup of tea, and your heads roll. Wanna bet?”
“A bet? Good call.”
Cheon Ri Hyeong curled his lip in a grin, eyes scheming.
He glanced between Yu So Un and Wang Yi Sam.
“How about a gamble with me, starting now?”