Chapter 37: The Pursuit Squad's Secret (Part 2)
The blue shadow was Seo Baek.
Seo Baek raced along the sheer cliff face before kicking off and launching himself toward the bandits.
By then, the massive sword from his back was already in his hands.
"Th-that's... that damn brat!"
The bandits, who had dismissed it as a hallucination and stood dumbfounded, finally snapped to attention and reached for the swords at their waists.
In that instant, Seo Baek descended upon them.
He spun in midair, thrusting out with his sword.
But this time, there was no gale-force wind that usually accompanied the Shika Sword Technique. He wasn't wielding the blade itself—he was gripping the hilt and swinging it like a club.
Weapons were better the longer they were. The extended reach allowed strikes from afar, and the forward-weighted balance amplified their power.
Which made striking with the hilt the epitome of self-imposed weakness.
Yet Seo Baek accepted it.
What he needed now was absolute silence.
To dispatch these bandits without alerting Cheon Ri Hyeong, he couldn't unleash his sword energy. That would put Yu So Un and Wang Yi Sam in danger.
To avoid even the clash of steel, he'd opted for the hilt.
But Seo Baek's martial prowess far exceeded his own expectations.
Before the bandit could even draw his sword, the hilt had already smashed into his face.
Thwack.
The hilt struck the bandit's temple with devastating force. Unable to withstand the tidal surge of power, the man's head snapped sideways.
Crack.
His neck twisted more than half a turn in an instant, shattering the vertebrae. He was dead before he hit the ground.
A wild, formless attack—no stances, no techniques.
Seo Baek didn't care.
This wasn't a duel. It was kill or be killed.
As his comrade dropped lifelessly, the remaining bandit flinched in shock and reached into his bosom.
Signaling Cheon Ri Hyeong with a flare.
Seo Baek wasn't about to let that happen.
Flowing seamlessly from the hilt strike, he spun his body and drove a back kick into the bandit's gut.
Crunch.
The plump belly absorbed the kick, but bones still cracked audibly. Seo Baek's kick was so swift and ferocious that it burrowed through the abdomen and pulverized the spine.
The bandit's body floated into the air, unable to resist the force.
It sailed several zhang before plummeting into the misty abyss below.
The cliff was so deep that no impact sounded. Only the rumble of tumbling rocks echoed faintly a few times.
Seo Baek tossed the other bandit's corpse—neck snapped—over the edge as well.
As expected, just two in ambush.
Six more ahead.
Now the real challenge began.
Rescuing the hostages safely would be several times harder than carving through enemies.
The sun was dipping low, just as planned.
Mountains darkened early. The gloom would favor infiltration and extraction.
The optimal moment to strike: right after sunset, before eyes adjusted to the night.
The issue was the Shika Heart Method.
Cheon Ri Hyeong might send someone to check on the ambush squad. With unknowns lurking, he couldn't afford to rest it even for a moment.
How much time left?
Seo Baek gauged the sinking sun.
Having grown up deep in the mountains at Shika Manor, he'd honed an innate sense for dawn and dusk.
About one gak until full dark.
His current Shika Heart Method could sustain two gak.
That left at least one gak after sunset.
Plenty.
Seo Baek drew a deep breath and activated the Shika Heart Method in earnest. His breathing vanished, silent as the Ear Breathing Grand Technique.
Channeling it to its tenth layer!
He plunged into the dense underbrush shadows and vanished in an instant.
Cheon Ri Hyeong untied the ropes, allowing Yu So Un and Wang Yi Sam to roll the iron casters.
Two bandits stood behind them, swords pressed to their throats—no chance for flight or counterattack.
Wang Yi Sam stared blankly at the two iron casters in his palm.
Seeing his trembling hands, Cheon Ri Hyeong spoke in his refined tone.
"You look like you've got some gambling chops. No need to fret."
"……."
"Why not roll double fives? Just costs your pinkies."
The bandits burst into laughter.
"Wise words!"
"Pinkies are useless anyway, even attached."
"What're you gonna do with 'em, Iron Palm Divine Skill?"
"Wahahaha!"
"Roll already. Sun's about to set."
"……."
Wang Yi Sam took a long breath, cupped his hands.
As he rolled the casters in his palms, he muttered under his breath.
"Dara sam mak bori bori, dara sam mak bori bori."
"What's that?"
Yu So Un whispered, puzzled.
"Some monk's sutra he chants as a gambling mantra. Swept the tables at Manchun Tavern by Lake Dongjeong with it."
"May fortune favor you."
Yu So Un cracked a wry smile, understanding the desperation.
After an eternity of rolling, Wang Yi Sam steeled himself and flung them to the ground.
Roll... roll...
Cheon Ri Hyeong's mild gaze sharpened like a predator's.
All eyes—Yu So Un, Wang Yi Sam, Cheon Ri Hyeong's crew, even Son Il Seo's group—locked on the casters.
Wang Yi Sam bellowed at them.
"Double palms, come on!"
The tops showed...
No numbers.
Black palms on both. A one-in-thirty-six miracle!
"Woooah! Yes!"
Wang Yi Sam pumped his fists in the air.
"I did it! The guy who owned Dongjeong Lake's Manchun Tavern tables!"
Cheon Ri Hyeong smirked.
"Heh. Never seen that before."
Yu So Un added,
"Congratulations on your fortune."
"See? Told ya I always win at gambling!"
But Cheon Ri Hyeong cut in sharply, his voice turning shrill.
"Next up."
"Ah......"
Wang Yi Sam clamped his mouth shut and swallowed hard.
He'd dodged punishment by luck, but Yu So Un's turn loomed.
And expecting double palms from him? A one-in-thirty-six pipe dream.
Yu So Un calmly scooped up the casters, ignoring Wang Yi Sam's apologetic glance.
"No worries. I've got luck on my side too."
"Chant the sutra and roll."
"No need for mantras."
Yu So Un brushed it off with a chuckle.
But it reminded him: back when he couldn't loose an arrow without reciting a sutra.
Strange how crisis dredged up the past. Not a bad thing.
"Jo mun do seok sa ui."
"Jo mun... what? What kinda mantra's that?"
"From the Analects. 'Hear the Way in the morning, and you may die content come evening.'"
Fling.
Yu So Un tossed them casually.
One caster rolled to a stop.
"Palm!"
Wang Yi Sam whooped. Another black palm by sheer coincidence.
"One more and..."
But the second showed two red dots.
Two.
"Ah......"
Wang Yi Sam gaped, stunned. Yu So Un gazed impassively.
"Ho, a two on red."
"……."
"Right, you're an archer. Perfect match, haha!"
Cheon Ri Hyeong feigned sudden realization, his voice childishly gleeful.
Wang Yi Sam paled as the meaning hit.
"Red two... right index finger!"
Archers drew in two ways: thumb and index pinching, or index and middle hooked.
Both needed the index.
Losing his right index meant no more bow.
A death sentence for an archer.
"Prepare him!"
Cheon Ri Hyeong barked. A bandit pressed his sword to Yu So Un's throat, forcing him down. Another pinned his right hand to the dirt.
Shing.
Cheon Ri Hyeong drew a dagger from his waist, its edge gleaming razor-sharp.
"Say goodbye to your index."
His smile was cruel.
But Yu So Un's reply was odd.
"No need."
"What?"
"Cut this finger, and I die."
"Die from one finger? Even street dogs would laugh! Don't worry—we'll chop one per roll. Survive ten, easy!"
Cheon Ri Hyeong scoffed.
Wang Yi Sam, watching, chilled as he grasped it.
Yu So Un vowed: sever his index, and he'd take Cheon Ri Hyeong down with him, mutual destruction.
Wang Yi Sam knew desperate martial artists were terrifying. And unstoppable.
Index for a life? Take up a sword instead.
He couldn't fathom Yu So Un's obsession with the bow.
"Brace. It'll sting—bite down."
Cheon Ri Hyeong laid the dagger on the pinned hand.
Then—
Whoosh. Thwip.
A wind-cutting whistle. Like a bamboo bow snapping straight from full draw.
Yu So Un and Wang Yi Sam blinked in confusion as Cheon Ri Hyeong grinned wickedly.
"Gotcha!"
He pulled the dagger away, stood, and ordered the guards.
"I'll fetch the brat. Guard the rest."
"Yes, sir!"
Cheon Ri Hyeong led three bandits into the brush and vanished.
The two left sneered, swords at the hostages' throats.
"Know where the new boss went? To drag back the trapped beast."
"We set real traps on the way. Not beast snares—man-catchers!"
Yu So Un spoke cryptically again.
"Half right, half wrong."
"Huh?"
"Seo Baek won't fall for your traps. Traps catch the cleverer foe—the idiot's snare snags no one."
"You trust that brat implicitly."
"Naturally. I've rarely seen such a master."
The bandits shrugged at his earnest tone, exchanging glances.
One asked curiously,
"Half right, half wrong? Trap's wrong—so what's right?"
"Simple. Seo Baek is the beast."
Yu So Un replied.
"You're herbivores. Herbivores picking fights with a predator? Even street dogs would laugh."