Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Slaying the Southern Sea Cloud Sword
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The Moon Maiden Sword Art wasn't a martial art that made speed its specialty. Yuk Jin-yang had merely adjusted it to match Bae Ji-hak.
Hainan martial arts were deep but narrow. It was the price paid for pursuing nothing but fast swords.
The Moon Maiden Sword Art was shallow but broad. It didn't hone any one sword form to the extreme, nor was it shackled to a single style. There was no need to stubbornly force a speed contest.
Even so, the reason he persisted with fast sword exchanges in the opening skirmish was to draw out the opponent's complacency. It allowed him to precisely strike the blind spot in his foe's psyche.
"You told me to keep up if I could, yet here you are, unable to handle my sword."
Yuk Jin-yang spat out the curt remark. Without waiting for a response, he launched a sword strike.
Bae Ji-hak, attempting to parry, suddenly vomited blood. His clumsy block had caused internal injuries.
He hastily unleashed his movement technique and fell back.
"If only my arm were whole...!"
"Who threatened you to swing a fast sword with a body like that?"
Yuk Jin-yang met the pathetic excuse with scorn.
Was the retort humiliating? Or did allowing a single strike from someone he deemed inferior cut deep? Bae Ji-hak flushed red and gnashed his teeth. Yet he didn't charge recklessly.
Just as Yuk Jin-yang grew impatient and prepared to press the attack, Bae Ji-hak muttered.
"I see obsession in your sword."
"Nonsense."
Yuk Jin-yang replied calmly as he swung his blade upward.
Chaeng! Bae Ji-hak deflected the blow but, rather than committing to the fight, retreated smoothly. And he kept talking.
"That technique was brilliant. But it was just an adaptation, not the core form of the martial art itself."
"Say what you will."
"I've sensed it since I first saw it. The sword art you wield isn't true supreme martial arts, is it?"
Bae Ji-hak grinned wryly.
"I'm no stranger to the Yuk Clan's martial arts. Moon Maiden Sword Art, right? A primitive style obsessed with rigid forms over fluid stances."
"And?"
"That's why I feel a sudden kinship. I was the same. I obsessed over Hainan martial arts just to please the old fogeys."
Bae Ji-hak steadied his breath and asked in a low voice.
"It was effort on a level far beyond merely refining orthodox techniques. You're the same, aren't you?"
"......"
"The Yuk Clan's youngest. Flashy on the surface, but miles from inheriting the family legacy. You're no different from me—in wasting effort on something forever out of reach!"
Yuk Jin-yang ignored the drivel and advanced with Moon Stream Subtle Steps. He slipped forward boldly in gliding, elegant motions.
Before he knew it, the momentum had flipped completely. Now Yuk Jin-yang was the one driving Bae Ji-hak back.
Chaeeng!
Sparks erupted from the clash of steel, dancing wildly through the air. Amid the choking dust, flashes blinked in rapid succession.
Yuk Jin-yang swung according to heavy sword principles, aiming to crush the opponent's light, swift blade. The approach was proving devastatingly effective.
"Kuh!"
Bae Ji-hak groaned. His sword had lost its momentum, wobbling erratically. He was dragged helplessly along by Yuk Jin-yang's rhythm.
Exploiting flaws in Hainan techniques like the Surging Waves Half-Water Sword left Bae Ji-hak visibly rattled. He shouted abruptly.
"Let's make a deal!"
"......"
"I'll give you Hainan martial arts. The Surging Waves Half-Water Sword—no, even the essentials of the Lemo Entering God Sword!"
"You must not have heard of the Yuk Clan's martial repository."
Yuk Jin-yang scoffed at the transparent ploy, contempt etched on his face.
The Lemo Entering God Sword was Hainan's peerless divine art, one only the sect leader could wield. There was no way Bae Ji-hak had mastered it. It was pure bluffing to buy time.
"Did your clan grant you access to the repository? I doubt it."
"......"
"Think carefully. A chance to acquire new supreme arts. You could use Hainan techniques as fertilizer to elevate your realm!"
Bae Ji-hak was deeply deluded.
Yuk Jin-yang made no effort to correct him. Let the fool prattle. The offer stirred nothing in him.
Did he think the ruse had worked? Bae Ji-hak began subtly gathering his energy, poised for a desperate life-saving technique.
Yuk Jin-yang spotted it instantly and deliberately exposed his upper body. Bait to reel him in.
"Die!"
A roar revealed his true intent as the technique surged forward. Yuk Jin-yang extended his foot lightly. Channeling true energy differently from the Moon Maiden Sword Art, he unleashed his strike.
A chill raced up Bae Ji-hak's neck. Eerily, the move looked all too familiar.
Jjeong!
The near-identical techniques nullified each other. Even the follow-up chain was the same.
Bae Ji-hak choked, squeezing out the words.
"How do you know the Surging Waves Half-Water Sword...! Did Sa Jong-seop teach you?"
"Would a man like that leak his sect's arts to an outsider? Don't assume everyone's as low as you."
"Then you saw it and copied it? Why would heaven send down a monster like you?!"
"Beats me. I'm wondering too."
Yuk Jin-yang took a step forward.
"You said you understood me? Wrong. You just wanted an excuse for your own pitiful obsession."
"Shut your mouth!"
He bellowed, but his voice quavered. His will utterly broken. Gnashing his teeth, Bae Ji-hak lunged in a frenzy. Yuk Jin-yang met him without hesitation.
Two sword trails lanced through the darkness. One shattered. The Silver Dew Sword raked diagonally across Bae Ji-hak's torso.
Seogeuk.
Bae Ji-hak stared blankly at his chest. The thin line widened, blood erupting.
"I... what have I..."
His final words scattered unfinished into the void.
Yuk Jin-yang surveyed his surroundings, sword still drawn. The Azure Swallow Division members gaped vacantly at the corpse.
At last, their vice leader sighed.
"We surrender."
Night had fully fallen. So Yun-un fetched torches and lit them.
Yuk Jin-yang dispatched one man back to the outpost to summon Hwang Dal-pyeong. He then inspected the compound's interior with the rest.
Foul odors wafted from every corner. The stench of rotting corpses. The central halls, gardens, and even warehouses were littered with bodies.
"Here—the accountant's remains!"
A warrior entering the office shouted. A torso bisected at the waist sprawled on the floor.
Yuk Jin-yang turned to the trailing Azure Swallow Division members.
"So why slaughter the accountant's entire family? A grudge against me I could understand, but he was completely uninvolved."
"Exactly as Bae Ji-hak said."
The vice leader replied flatly. So Yun-un promptly smacked the back of his head.
"Answer straight. Unless you want to die."
"......He tried to break us like hunting dogs. Told us to threaten merchants the moment the Yuk Clan warriors left."
Yuk Jin-yang scanned the office and gestured for him to continue.
"The leader agreed readily, but his intentions were different. He planned a complete fresh start. Taking orders from a mere merchant wounded his pride."
"Fresh start—by killing the accountant and stealing his wealth?"
"Yes. Settle here permanently or flee to some backwater like Shanxi or Yunnan and open a martial school. Truthfully, we had no idea you were here. Only learned after reaching the gate."
Yuk Jin-yang smirked.
"The accountant must not have warned you properly."
"Yes."
"And you planned to follow him all the way?"
"......I'm not sure."
"What does that mean?"
The vice leader hesitated before answering.
"We're all orphans. Lost our parents or abandoned by them. That's when Bae Ji-hak appeared. He took us in, taught us martial arts, gave us new lives."
"Practically a foster father."
"Exactly. We did terrible things to outsiders, but he was our benefactor. Still, we're exhausted. The finger-pointing, the endless pursuits— we're sick of it all."
Yuk Jin-yang nodded and exited the office. He headed for the unchecked warehouse.
"Heard you called for me......"
Hwang Dal-pyeong, standing at the main gate, wrinkled his nose and grimaced at the stench permeating the compound. But the reaction didn't last.
His eyes widened in shock.
"Don't tell me—you massacred the accountant's family?"
"Details later. Wasn't my doing anyway. Turns out well for us, though."
With that, Yuk Jin-yang smashed the warehouse lock.
Kkiiik.
Torchlight pierced the gloom, revealing mounds of treasure. The Flying Stream Pavilion warriors' eyes bulged as they cheered.
"Whoa, incredible."
"How much do you reckon this is?"
"Thousands in gold, easy."
Even the unflappable Hwang Dal-pyeong cracked a joke.
"That accountant might haunt the mortal world as a vengeful ghost."
"Dead without ever enjoying this fortune?"
"Disposing of it will be the issue. There's just too much. We could stash some at the outpost, but......"
Yuk Jin-yang glanced at So Yun-un, who quickly ushered the others away.
In the ensuing quiet, Yuk Jin-yang methodically examined the goods. Mostly silver coins and grain, but some treasures of the jianghu too.
One wooden box especially drew his eye. Sensing energy within, he opened it to find jade beads strung on red cord.
Poison-Avoiding Pearls. Rarities that reacted to nearby toxins, proof of the accountant's paranoia.
"Take this one. Share with the other warriors too."
"My thanks."
Nothing else caught his interest.
A bejeweled sword paled next to his Silver Dew Blade. Silk armor was a dime a dozen.
No spirit elixirs—disappointing. Just basic tonics at best.
Having roughly finished his inspection, Yuk Jin-yang asked.
"Once word spreads that the accountant's dead, the local officials will eye his wealth, right?"
"We'd have to share some to avoid backlash. No sense inviting scrutiny."
"Then spread it generously."
"No real need. They're just here on assignment—reassigned when terms end. Hand over too much, and the next ones will expect the same."
Yuk Jin-yang shook his head.
"With civil war brewing, do you think they'll have time to shuffle bureaucrats? Some maybe. The talented ones shine brightest in chaos. But are Fuzhou officials that caliber?"
"Ah......"
"They'll be stuck here for years at least. Worth the investment."