Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Won't Run Away
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Martial God (30)
Won't run...
"Halt!"
The group reined in their camels all at once.
"Who goes there?"
The man standing atop the Great Bow Dragon asked.
"I'm Luha of the Chacha Kingdom!"
Luha urged her camel forward and answered.
"Great Bow Dragon?"
The man was startled. Luha of the Chacha Kingdom had been one of the Yellow Heaven Ten Dragons for the past ten years.
"That's right."
Luha nodded.
"I have one question."
The man's tone shifted to deference.
"Ask away."
"We're looking for Central Plains folk."
"And who might you be?"
"I am..."
"You dare insult me without even giving your name?"
Killing intent laced Luha's voice. She raised her Great Heaven Demon Bow.
"My apologies. This is my subordinate."
At that moment, a man with dark, swarthy skin stepped forward beside him. He was Jeok Riha, the Black Wind Dragon, one of the Yellow Heaven Ten Dragons and disciple of Parap, the Lord of the Black Snake Black Dragon Heaven and Black Wind Killing Venerable. His dark skin made Jeok Riha look particularly tough.
"You're..."
Luha trailed off.
Jeok Riha, the Black Wind Dragon. They had once been lovers. Though she was five years his senior, it had never been an issue between them.
The problem had been Jeok Riha's parents. More precisely, his mother.
She had scorned Luha's family and threatened to ruin them if her son kept seeing her.
In fact, Luha's father and mother had even been attacked under the guise of an accident. Fearing for her parents' lives, Luha had no choice but to leave Jeok Riha's side.
"Yes, it's me."
"Your eyes are full of emotion toward me."
"It'd be a lie to say there were none. I was told we were through out of the blue."
"You're saying you didn't know why I left?"
"I didn't."
"You really didn't know your mother tried to kill my parents?"
"..."
"I thought you'd protect me. But you pretended not to know. And now you claim ignorance? Isn't that a pretty weak excuse?"
"You should've waited while I convinced my parents. But you..."
"I gave you six months. Do you know how much humiliation and scorn my parents endured from your mother during that time? I held back, over and over. But you never said a word about your mother. Just like she said, we were never meant to be—master and slave from the start."
"..."
It was all too familiar for Jeok Riha to argue. In truth, even after they parted, he'd sought Luha out several times, begging her to keep seeing him regardless of his mother.
But Luha had refused coldly and eventually left for the Chacha Kingdom.
"Now, may we go?"
"Where's the Great Heaven Demon Bow?"
"I was chasing the Four Evils Bandits. I'm heading back with my retainers now."
She couldn't say they were dead, so she phrased it that way.
"Why were the Four Evils Bandits..."
"They attacked us."
"I see. I'd like to see your retainers' faces, if that's all right."
"Checking my retainers' faces would be an insult to me."
Luha's tone grew icy.
"...Understood. Be on your way."
"Let's go."
Luha took the lead. Gun Cheokjeon and his group followed her, while Ak Muyoo brought up the rear with his two fear demon blades slung over his shoulders.
Moments later, Luha's group exited the dunes.
"Hurry."
Luha said to Gun Cheokjeon and the others.
"Hya!"
"Taha!"
"Chaha!"
The group cracked their whips.
The camels sped off.
Ak Muyoo, at the very back, unleashed Mad Thousand Blood Steps once more to catch up.
Jeok Riha glared at the receding group.
"Young master."
The man who had first shouted at the group called to Jeok Riha. This thin-lipped fellow was Bal Woong, leader of the Four Evils Bandits.
Jeok Riha had secretly founded and run the Four Evils Bandits without even telling his master Parap or his parents.
"Didn't you say you killed Cha Sawoong?"
Jeok Riha said.
He hadn't ordered the Four Evils Bandits to attack Cha Sawoong and Luha for the Great Heaven Demon Bow. His sole target had been Luha's husband, Cha Sawoong.
"We couldn't confirm the kill. But he absolutely can't have survived."
"There were only the two of them, right?"
"Yes. No retainers."
"Attack."
"Yes."
Bal Woong bowed and withdrew.
Jeok Riha looked up. Far off, Luha's group was fleeing.
"If you thought you could leave me and live well, you were mistaken, woman. I never let those who reject me prosper. I'll destroy you utterly."
Jeok Riha clenched his fist tight. Then he pulled on a mask.
Flash!
He shot down into the dunes.
"Hohohoho!"
With a low laugh, the sand collapsed, revealing a woman. Her appearance was peculiar. Shaved head and crimson monk's robes marked her as a nun, yet she exuded decadent sensuality from every pore.
Utterly unlike the typical image of a monk, she was Seo Haran, the Fire Buddha Dragon, one of the Yellow Heaven Ten Dragons.
"Something interesting's afoot."
On the other side, sand crumbled as a massive man rose. Clad in leather exposing his thick forearms, he was Muk Bu-seong, the Sea Dragon from the Blue Sea Sea Horse Fortress.
Muk Bu-seong was another of the Yellow Heaven Ten Dragons.
The two had come here to eliminate the Four Evils Bandits, scourge of the desert. They'd hidden and waited for the bandits to gather, only for Black Wind Dragon Jeok Riha to appear, forcing them to conceal themselves.
That's how they'd learned of the connection between the Four Evils Bandits and Jeok Riha.
"You never really know people until you see them in action. I learned that again today."
Seo Haran gazed at Muk Bu-seong with slightly glazed eyes.
"Indeed. What now?"
"That man she mentioned."
"Who?"
"Everyone else was on camels, but one was running alone."
"You mean the Great Bow Dragon's retainer?"
"He's no retainer of hers."
"Then..."
"I don't forget faces easily. That man's the Wind Squad's chief steward."
"You recognized him under that hood?"
"It's not just faces I remember. I recall builds too. He's definitely the Wind Squad captain."
Seo Haran said, eyeing Ak Muyoo racing away in the distance.
"The Wind Squad captain—the one Red Witch Talri promised to protect?"
"Yes. They said he drowned in the Sun God's sacrificial rite at the Sun God Temple, but looks like he survived."
"Lucky fellow. I asked earlier, but what's your plan now?"
"Shouldn't we achieve our goal?"
"Hit the Four Evils Bandits?"
Muk Bu-seong's eyes widened.
If they were founded by Jeok Riha, that made them part of the Black Snake Black Dragon Heaven. Attacking them could escalate into war. And yet...
"Our Demon Temple disciples were attacked by them. Letting it slide would make us look like fools."
"We might clash with the Black Wind Dragon."
"Does the Sea Dragon fear him?"
"What kind of talk is that?"
Muk Bu-seong's voice rose.
"Then why worry about him?"
"I..."
"I don't care who leads the Four Evils Bandits. Even if it's the Black Wind Dragon's master or Wind Lord Jeok Yeom-cheon of the Desert Ten Heroes. Anyone who touches our Demon Temple pays the price. That's my unbreakable rule as the Fire Buddha Dragon."
Flash!
Seo Haran's form shot downward.
She moved at tremendous speed, yet left no footprints in the sand. It was supreme lightness skill—bordering on Wall-Walking.
"Tch! Jeok Riha, you're in for it now. You picked the wrong one to mess with—our hottest-tempered, the Fire Buddha Dragon herself... Nah, nothing beats watching a good fight."
Muk Bu-seong grinned and leaped after Seo Haran. He too left no footprints.
"Halt!"
Luha, ahead, stopped her camel. The others followed suit.
"What sort of foes are they?"
Ak Muyoo said, pulling alongside Luha's camel.
"Who knows."
Luha scanned the surroundings.
Two dunes ahead, three each to left and right. About ten paces between dunes. Dozens hid behind them.
"They're tense as hell, breathing heavy. They're primed to charge."
Even from over ten paces, he sensed the hidden foes perfectly.
He glanced at the three generals.
Despite their poor condition, they remained calm. Gun Cheokjeon met his gaze.
"It's gonna be a tough fight."
Ak Muyoo said.
"We're ready."
"Try not to use your sword if you can."
"That's the plan."
Gun Cheokjeon nodded.
Then, hooded figures emerged between the dunes.
"Four Evils Bandits!"
Thick killing intent poured from Luha. These were her husband Cha Sawoong's killers.
"Charge!"
The one ordering the main force was Bal Woong, leader of the Four Evils Bandits.
"Chaha!"
"Taha!"
Dozens surged from front, left, and right.
"We need to break the encirclement first."
Ak Muyoo said, charging forward.
"I'll make the breach. Hya!"
Luha kicked her camel's flank and leaped ahead.
Thung! Thung-thung-thung! Thung!
Her hands moved like lightning as five arrows sliced the air.
"Kuhk!"
"Urk!"
"Ugh!"
Five men screamed and flew backward.
She kept nocking arrows.
"Follow me!"
Ak Muyoo shouted to Gun Cheokjeon and the others, dashing forward. As he did, Four Evils Bandits poured from the dunes' left and right.
Ak Muyoo charged them.
Two led with sabers.
Ak Muyoo's legs and arms moved near-simultaneously, fear demon blades cleaving the air.
Clang! Chaaang!
The bandits raised weapons to block. At the same instant, two more kicked off the ground, vaulting over their comrades' heads.
Shwaang! Kaaang!
Slaash! Thud!
"Kraaak!"
"Aaack!"
The two who blocked had their torsos diagonally severed, weapons and all. Ak Muyoo yanked hard on the airborne fear demon blade as he advanced. Its targets: the two leaping over the corpses.
Slaash! Slaash!
"Kuhk!"
"Kraaak!"
Two heads flew into the air.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Ak Muyoo dashed with Mad Thousand Blood Steps, swinging the fear demon blades. Sometimes legs led, snatching the blades; other times blades led, legs following. Slashing foes propelled him forward.
Was he stepping to swing, or swinging then stepping to balance? Unclear.
Right arm whipped forward, left back—fear demon blades tracing taiji patterns left and right.
Slaash! Slaash!
Men on left and right fell bisected.
Thud! Thud!
Two charging ahead were struck by Luha's arrows and hurled back. Left and right blades swapped. Left shot forward, slashing; right arced back, clearing foes. Ak Muyoo parted the enemy ranks like water, advancing. Pulling right blade surged him forward; left did the same.
Shaaa!
A chill suddenly swept from the left.
Ak Muyoo clenched his fist and swung his left arm. The fear demon blade instantly slashed the air.
Claaang!
A sharp ring—the blade rebounded.
'Hm?'
Ak Muyoo's eyes widened slightly.
No one had blocked his fear demon blades before. This was the first.
'High-level expert.'
Ak Muyoo eyed the blocker.
'Jeok Riha.'
He murmured inwardly. The mask didn't fool him.
'Won't run...'
Ak Muyoo gripped his fist.
Then murmured low.
"Away."