Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Battle with Jin Won-gi
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“Jin Won-gi!”
Deung Gwang roared in fury. From his reaction and the name, the opponent seemed to be a blood relative of the Guangdong Jin Clan.
Jin Won-gi's attitude was utterly nonchalant. He treated Deung Gwang and the Haenam Sect warriors as if they were beneath notice, exuding supreme arrogance.
Instead, his gaze turned this way. Slowly scanning the faces of the Flying Stream Pavilion group, Jin Won-gi tilted his head.
“New faces I haven't seen before. Did they hastily scrape together some riffraff from the outer sects? The Haenam Sect, which claims to be the foremost in Hunan, must be weeping over its lost prestige.”
“Cut the nonsense and come at me!”
“Hmph, you don't know your place. You lot are a setting sun now.”
Sneering, Jin Won-gi drew his bow. Without even nocking an arrow on the string, he simply released it.
A sharp whoosh cut the air as something flew in. Its outline wasn't even visible yet when Deung Gwang swiftly swung his sword.
Impressive technique. His long sword swing was free of any wasted motion. The clean, unimpeded trajectory hinted at skill honed through long years of practice.
But the instant his blade cleaved the hidden weapon, something no one could have anticipated occurred.
Boom!
A sudden explosion. A deafening roar echoed as thick smoke billowed up.
“Gah...!”
A choked groan escaped him. Deung Gwang staggered backward and collapsed. As the dense smoke cleared, his wretched state was revealed—face singed black, upper body embedded with shards everywhere.
“S-Senior Brother!”
The Haenam Sect disciples cried out in horror and rushed to support him as they retreated.
The Flying Stream Pavilion warriors were just as stunned.
“What in the world...?”
“How can getting hit by an arrow cause an explosion like that?”
“Could it be thunderbolt bombs?!”
The only one who didn't fall into chaos was Yuk Jin-yang.
This time, he had seen it clearly.
‘Pellet shot. Not a technique you see every day.’
The art of firing iron pellets from a bow instead of arrows was called pellet shooting. It had a short range but excelled in portability and concealment.
Its power was anything but lacking. There was even a saying that a pellet infused with true qi could shatter a great tiger's skull in one shot.
But the pellets they were firing were somehow different. They detonated like thunderbolt bombs.
Soon, Yuk Jin-yang grasped their exact nature.
“They've adapted thunderbolt bombs.”
“Pardon?”
So Yun-un at his side blinked in wide-eyed shock. Smuggling or exporting gunpowder was strictly forbidden by imperial law. It wasn't something a mere martial clan could use freely.
“They mixed the gunpowder with clay, hardened it into shape, and fired it off. They turned the clay's tendency to shatter easily into a weapon to amplify the blast.”
Yuk Jin-yang bellowed at the top of his lungs.
“Everyone, don't try to block—scatter!”
His shout hadn't even reached the Haenam Sect warriors yet.
Boom boom boom!
Explosions erupted from all directions.
The mounted warriors were firing pellets in unison. Some in the group heeded Yuk Jin-yang's words and dodged without blocking, but those who boldly thrust out their swords were struck down without mercy.
“That one's mine.”
A voice rang out clearly amid the din. It was Jin Won-gi.
Yuk Jin-yang sensed killing intent locked onto him. There was no time to spot it and evade. Even moving after hearing the sound would be too late.
He heightened his senses. The entire space opposing him flooded into his awareness. Drawing in information from his sixth sense, he calculated the projectile's speed and trajectory.
Swoosh!
The sound burst out a beat late. The pellet pierced the spot where Yuk Jin-yang had stood just moments before.
He had already unfurled his clairvoyant sight. The incoming projectile flew in as if right on cue. Stepping into Moon Stream Subtle Steps, he drew his Silver Dew Sword. The pellet's outline came into sharp focus.
‘No rule says I have to block or dodge.’
There was also a technique to hurl projectiles back at the sender. The principle wasn't much different from deflecting arrows. It was entirely feasible.
Yuk Jin-yang relaxed the strength in his sword-gripping hand and softly maneuvered his wrist. Just before a head-on clash with the pellet, he deflected it with the flat of his blade and redirected it. It was the subtlety of yielding steel technique.
The pellet's straight path curved completely. It flew straight back toward the shooter.
Crack!
The shooter's head split open. The explosion right beside them sent the horses into a frenzy.
“Fire!”
“Kill that bastard first!”
The Guangdong Jin Clan warriors bellowed savagely. Pellets rained down like hail. Their trajectories overlapped, forming a solid wall.
Yuk Jin-yang paid it no mind and repeated the motion as he pressed forward. With every advancing step, pellets ricocheted away. He alone withstood the relentless barrage.
At last, the storm of pellets ceased. Yuk Jin-yang stood tall amid the choking dust cloud. The enemies couldn't hide their shock as cries erupted.
“Wh-what?!”
“He deflected them one after another?”
“Sorcery! It's sorcery!”
The group led by Jin Won-gi didn't seem to have deep cultivation. He had suspected as much, but their reaction just now confirmed it.
These were the types to gawk in astonishment at such a feat. He didn't even need to cross swords to gauge their level.
Jin Won-gi, however, was different. He looked somewhat surprised, but one corner of his mouth curled up. The boredom in his eyes had given way to the spark of battle lust.
“Hmph.”
Sneering, Jin Won-gi tossed aside his pellet bow and leaped down from his horse. He seemed intent on clashing with true martial arts, not petty tricks.
“Not outer sect trash after all. Better moves than Haenam Sect's relics.”
He muttered as he drew his sword. A sharp aura emanated from him. Even with his sword casually resting on his shoulder.
“But being young means you're clueless about the jianghu's currents. The tide has already turned.”
“First I've heard of it.”
“A few like you won't shift the momentum. But I'll give you a chance. Retreat quietly, and I won't touch your group.”
The offer, delivered like some magnanimous favor, wasn't worth entertaining.
“I'll pass.”
“What? If you truly seek death, then.”
With a curt jeer, Jin Won-gi lunged forward. In an instant, his sword was right before Yuk Jin-yang's eyes. It was a swift strike too fast for an amateur to even track.
Clang!
Yuk Jin-yang met it with an unflinching draw of his own. The resounding clash sent Jin Won-gi's body reeling.
His eyes flew wide. His gaze dropped to the sword in his hand, where half the blade had snapped off, leaving only the hilt.
“Protect the young master!”
Urgent shouts rang out as the enemies spurred their horses forward. The Flying Stream Pavilion warriors and Haenam Sect disciples didn't stand idle either. They surged with qi and met the charge head-on.
Boom!
The masses collided. Warriors tangled in a chaotic melee. Screams and shouts buzzed from every direction, nearly deafening.
Yuk Jin-yang tried to pursue the retreating Jin Won-gi. But several blocked his path.
“Where do you think you're going!”
He deflected the thrusting narrow sword. In that moment, his razor-sharp senses picked up killing intent from behind. Without turning, he whipped around his Silver Dew Sword.
The oncoming chain sickle bounced away. It seemed to veer out of sight, only to whip back fiercely toward his head. The swordsman he'd been facing joined in with his own swordplay.
Yuk Jin-yang spun in place. He narrowly evaded the sickle before immediately whipping his arm out in a palm strike. It was the first form of Ten Thousand Rivers Single Source Art: Back Lion's Dance.
Clang!
The palm strike slammed dead-center into the torso of the warrior behind him. Savage shockwaves pulverized flesh and bone alike. The man died on his feet.
The follow-up swing from his Silver Dew Sword sent the chain sickle wielder's head flying. He brushed past without watching the body fall.
Yuk Jin-yang traversed the battlefield like a gust of wind. He cut and slashed through any who dared block his path until he finally caught up to Jin Won-gi.
“Where do you think you're going?”
He murmured softly. Startled, Jin Won-gi responded not with words but by thrusting a feinted fist straight at him.
A linear straight punch. Yet the motion was infused with intricate martial profundity.
Even before they could properly exchange blows, Yuk Jin-yang discerned its origin.
A half-turn pivoting on the stepping foot. Twisting the waist to maximize shoulder recoil.
Splitting Mountain Chen Clan Fist. A fierce fist art founded on Battle Aura Meridian, a form of external meridian skill.
The moment he deflected the opener, the follow-up form came flying in as if anticipated. Just as expected. He easily leaned aside to evade.
Whoosh!
The fist cleaved the air with ferocious momentum. The accompanying shockwave tousled his hair.
Even the aftermath alone hinted at the fist's power. Pure internal energy wise, the opponent held the edge.
‘But he's completely botching the distance.’
Seemed he'd neglected footwork training. The hunch quickly solidified into certainty.
The essence of Battle Aura Meridian was rotation. It gained power through violent motion at the cost of accuracy. Precise body control and footwork were needed to gauge intervals perfectly.
Yet his movements were excessively large. It exposed his raw inexperience.
After dodging several punches, Jin Won-gi snarled in fury.
“Is dodging all you've got?!”
“No, I was watching your fists.”
Yuk Jin-yang's reply was curt.
Jin Won-gi's aura grew even fiercer. He closed the gap in one bold surge, burrowing in like a raging beast.
He had taken all there was to take.
No intention of yielding initiative any longer. Yuk Jin-yang took a light step forward. A single move that pierced the opponent's footwork path.
And delved even deeper inside.
Panic flickered across his face. He hastily thrust a punch, but they were too close. Yuk Jin-yang felt the blow lacked proper power.
Tap.
He lightly parried it and delivered a short meridian strike with his left arm. It landed solidly on the chest.
Yuk Jin-yang frowned.
Something felt off from the sensation against his palm. Layer upon layer of formless qi blocked the fist from advancing.
A superb protective art. It lacked the power to breach through improvisation.
“Urk!”
Groaning, Jin Won-gi retreated while clutching his chest. His eyes still bulged with fighting spirit—he had energy left.
Yuk Jin-yang deliberately muttered to himself.
“Decent protective qi. If your footwork matched this level, you'd have been a real hassle.”
“What?”
“Splitting Mountain Chen Clan Fist isn't about brute power. Overdoing it backfires.”
Yuk Jin-yang's tone was gentle. Like a master instructing a disciple.
“What nonsense...”
“Just sticking to the motions yields plenty of power. Blindly swinging harder doesn't give you any edge?”
“Shut your mouth.”
The voice was far quieter than his earlier shouts. The calm demeanor only underscored that Jin Won-gi's rage had reached its peak.
It was about the origin of his martial art. Not something an outsider should mouth off about.
“I'll rip that mouth off first!”
He advanced with a flurry of strikes.
Even as he blocked the fists, Yuk Jin-yang didn't stop talking. It was meant to provoke anyway.
“See, the more you obsess over speed and power...”
A chilling whisper reached his ear. In that instant, terror washed over Jin Won-gi.
“...the more gaps you expose.”
Yuk Jin-yang twisted his ankle and waist. The gathered rotational force infused his fist.
The opponent's flank was wide open. A straight punch shot like an arrow into the exposed side.
A rotational Battle Aura Meridian short strike. Ironically, a motion Jin Won-gi knew well. It perfectly mimicked a Splitting Mountain Chen Clan Fist form.
This time, it pierced through. He distinctly felt the protective qi's energy shatter and scatter.
Clang――!
The opponent's body bent unnaturally from the side. Unable to withstand the impact, he flew back and slammed into a wall.
Thud!
Jin Won-gi's body slid down the wooden wall to the ground. Propping himself with one arm, he hacked up harsh coughs.
“Cough hack!”
“I spared you on purpose.”
Yuk Jin-yang slowly approached. He locked eyes with Jin Won-gi, who could barely lift his head in his battered state.
The man let out strangled gasps.
“Hah... heok...”
“I have questions for you.”