Chapter 41
Chapter 41
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Little White Ghost
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Just as Ha Woojin, startled by the sudden appearance of these intruders, was about to kick off the ground in haste...
Whoosh—
Someone was even faster than him.
"Senior Brother Hyeondo?"
Hyeondo eyed the men in front of him.
His face, gazing at them, brimmed with killing intent that was hard to believe came from a Taoist priest.
"Impressive lightness skill."
Little White Ghost glared at Hyeondo, who had blocked his path, his eyes flashing sharply.
"Was it you who killed the Soul Separation Squad?"
Hyeondo's eyebrow twitched.
From the question, he immediately realized the man belonged to White Ghost Castle.
"From White Ghost Castle, I see."
"Reinforcements already?"
"Gasp!"
"White Ghost Castle?!"
In an instant, Ha Woojin and the Plum Blossom Sword Guards arriving late hardened their expressions.
"Just as I thought."
Hyeondo gritted his teeth.
"One of the Castle Lords?"
"Heh heh heh."
Little White Ghost curled his lips into a cold smile.
"If you want an introduction, shouldn't you give your name first?"
"...You bastard!"
"Hahaha! 'You bastard'—what a unique name!"
No sooner had the mocking words ended than Hyeondo could no longer hold back and moved.
Bam!
It was a swift and elegant lightness skill that pierced through the blazing white lightning-like flames.
"...!"
Little White Ghost's pupils shook.
Hyeondo had displayed a lightness skill far beyond his expectations.
As the flustered man hurriedly circulated his internal energy, a pure white frost enveloped him.
Crackle—
The Evil Yin Ghost Manifest Divine Art, personally taught to Little White Ghost by the Castle Lord of White Ghost Castle!
A chilling, alien energy blending yin qi and ghost qi wrapped around his right hand.
Soon, his right hand moved.
Thud!
With a dull sound, it was repelled backward.
Little White Ghost's face twisted as he staggered back three steps.
"Ghost Yin Palm...!"
Amazement mixed with gritted teeth.
Who was he?
He was Little White Ghost, the absolute being poised to succeed his master as the Castle Lord of White Ghost Castle.
Yet this man had forced him to step back.
As his pride cracked and his face contorted fiercely...
"Little White Ghost."
A low voice flowed out from between the flames scattering in the rough wind.
"This voice...?"
For a moment, Hyeondo, who had unleashed a Plum Blossom Palm on Little White Ghost's abdomen and was preparing a follow-up strike, turned his head.
Atop the crumbled wall, a man stood with his left sleeve fluttering in the wind.
Spotting him, Hyeondo involuntarily uttered the nickname that flashed in his mind.
"Thorn Needle Poison Sword...!"
"Oh ho, you know this old man?"
Thorn Needle Poison Sword's lip curled up, slowly revealing yellowed teeth.
"But regrettably, I don't know who you are. Who might you be?"
"Hyeondo."
Thorn Needle Poison Sword's eyes widened.
"Mount Hua's Greatest Swordsman...!"
He had suspected experts at Bipung Merchant Group, but never imagined Mount Hua's Greatest Swordsman would be among them.
"Even so..."
Thorn Needle Poison Sword's eyes narrowed.
By the rumors spread across the land, Mount Hua's Greatest Swordsman had yet to reach the Ultimate Realm.
"You couldn't have annihilated the Soul Separation Squad alone..."
Muttering softly as he scanned the surroundings, his eyes gleamed coldly.
"I see."
He spotted Ha Woojin, who had suppressed his presence nearby, biding his time.
"With the Whirlwind Sword Lord here too, it makes sense."
His mind cleared.
The Whirlwind Sword Lord and Mount Hua's Greatest Swordsman—Hyeondo—combined could certainly wipe out the Soul Separation Squad.
Of course, questions lingered.
Who had unleashed the Thunderbolt Sword?
And how had they killed the squad with one strike each?
But Thorn Needle Poison Sword had no time to dwell on that now.
His opponents were Mount Hua's Greatest Swordsman, Hyeondo, and the Whirlwind Sword Lord of the Jongnam Sect, implicitly acknowledged as the next Sect Leader.
"One I can handle, but..."
Facing both alone was daunting.
He signaled Little White Ghost with his eyes.
"I'll take Hyeondo. South Castle Lord, take the White Ghost Squad and deal with the Whirlwind Sword Lord and those Plum Blossom Sword Guards."
"Very well."
Little White Ghost responded as if he had been waiting.
With the thorniest opponent, Hyeondo, handled by Thorn Needle Poison Sword, he could relax.
"It's a shame I can't kill him myself, but no choice."
He was angry from Hyeondo's earlier move, but the mission came first.
"Then I'll leave this to you."
Without delay, he spun around.
Ha Woojin and the Plum Blossom Sword Guards, frozen and glaring, entered his view.
"South Castle Lord?"
Ha Woojin recalled the title Thorn Needle Poison Sword had used and gaped.
"So you're Little White Ghost...!"
The South Castle Lord of White Ghost Castle was the sole disciple of the White Four Gods, a genius said to have reached the Ultimate Realm at a young age.
He had been grouped long ago with himself, Hyeon-gang, and this Little White Ghost as the three promising juniors to lead the western region, so he knew him well.
"For someone who never steps foot outside White Ghost Castle unless it's critical to show up here..."
As Ha Woojin sensed the situation turning dire...
Swish!
The hands of the White Ghost Squad, encircling from afar, moved, hurling hidden weapons.
Thwack thwack thwack!
The sudden ambush was effective.
Especially the Plum Blossom Sword Guards, tense from watching Little White Ghost and Thorn Needle Poison Sword, panicked at the unexpected assault from blind spots.
"Unleash the Plum Blossom Butterfly Dance!"
Jeokgeom, recovering first, shouted, and the Plum Blossom Sword Guards drew their swords.
"Hah!"
"Hah!"
"Hup!"
Shouts erupted here and there.
Their swords left dozens of afterimages, weaving into a dense net.
The true form of the Plum Blossom Butterfly Dance Jeokgeom mentioned.
A sword barrier.
The sword barrier deflected or parried the incoming hidden weapons, blocking the attack.
It was hard to believe these were the same people who had fled in panic from enemies just days ago—their movements were precise and swift.
"Hup!"
"Another ambush...!"
But it was a feint.
The White Ghost Squad had charged with swords right after throwing the hidden weapons.
The Plum Blossom Sword Guards, defending against the daggers flying from all sides, clashed and tangled in an instant.
Jeokgeom raised his sword and yelled.
"Form the Plum Blossom Sword Formation!"
In a flash, the Plum Blossom Sword Guards formed a circle, backs to each other. A red energy soon enveloped the five.
A qi somewhat rough for Taoists.
But that was precisely the manifestation of Mount Hua Sect's proud Plum Blossom Sword Formation.
Jeokgeom and the Plum Blossom Sword Guards eyed the foes charging like a pack of dogs.
They were leagues above the Pawang Sect disciples from days ago.
Each one was at least a first-rate expert.
Worthy of the warriors from White Ghost Castle, called one of the Six Mad Gates.
Yet they did not waver.
So what if they were from White Ghost Castle?
"We're the Plum Blossom Sword Guards!"
"Uwaaaah!"
"Come on!"
"I'm Mount Hua's Red Plum!"
Starting with Jeokgeom's shout, the other four in the Plum Blossom Sword Formation raised their swords with thunderous cries.
Soon, the two groups collided.
Bam! Clang! Kaang!
Sounds of drums bursting, blades clashing, air exploding.
A cacophony of collision noises.
Despite the relentless White Ghost Squad assaults, the Plum Blossom Sword Guards held firm.
Not a single gap among them—like an iron fortress.
Among them, the three who had endured Cheonhwi's infamous torture—no, training—with the Transformation Qi Art were worlds apart from before.
They blocked attacks effortlessly and counterattacked.
One or two might be one thing, but with all five Plum Blossom Sword Guards exceeding expectations, the White Ghost Squad faltered.
"Such swordsmanship at that age..."
Red Plum seized the gap in the astonished White Ghost Squad member's defense and unleashed Plum Blossom Falling Plums.
Slash!
"Kuhk!"
A bloody trail from shoulder blade to waist, and the White Ghost Squad member dropped to his knees.
"Was moving this easy?"
"Was the sword this light?"
"Did I just land that attack?"
Calmly blocking and countering successfully, he felt disoriented instead.
His body was lighter than expected, vitality surging through him made his internal energy flow faster than thought.
And the enemy's attacks?
Palm strikes loaded with qi slammed into his abdomen, but it didn't hurt.
More precisely, compared to the excruciating agony of the Transformation Qi Art, it was like a mere mosquito bite.
Not just Red Plum.
Jeokjae and Jeokun also began blocking and countering the White Ghost Squad.
Recalling how they had struggled against far weaker Pawang Sect disciples days ago, this growth was unbelievable.
"Was that really training?"
"That was training, right?"
"Wasn't it just torment?"
The three wore dazed expressions.
Though Cheonhwi called it training, they had thought it punishment for refusing until now.
The three exchanged glances.
Nod—
Confidence bloomed on their faces as they nodded once.
It had been merely ten days.
Yet the change was striking.
"Let's go!"
"Charge!"
"Go get 'em!"
As the three rampaged...
"We can leave it to them."
"Senior Brother! Focus on the front!"
Jeokgeom and Seollan displayed far superior swordsmanship, like wild horses unleashed.
Their skills outshone the three.
The White Ghost Squad was overwhelmed by their momentum, hesitating and falling back.
That was when it happened.
Whoosh— whoosh—
Those charging blindly retreated.
Abandoning direct assaults, they spread out, slowly pressuring the clustered Plum Blossom Sword Guards.
They had begun wheel warfare.
"Damn it..."
"They figured it out."
Jeokgeom and Seollan's faces darkened.
As expected of the White Ghost Squad—they had spotted the incompleteness of the Plum Blossom Sword Formation and shifted to attrition warfare.
Clang! Clang!
They struck and retreated repeatedly.
As soon as counters seemed imminent, they leaped back to create distance, only for another White Ghost Squad member to attack in sequence.
Perfectly timed, the battle didn't tilt easily and instead flowed unfavorably for them.
The Plum Blossom Sword Guards gripped their swords tighter.
They wanted to pursue the retreating White Ghost Squad members, but couldn't.
Doing so would collapse the Plum Blossom Sword Formation, worsening the situation.
"Fleeing from the fearsome White Ghost Castle."
"Tucking tail and running."
Jeokgeom and Seollan taunted them, but they remained cold.
Whoosh— clang!
No reactions—just sharper hit-and-run tactics repeating.
"Damn!"
Blood filled Jeokgeom's mouth from biting his lip hard.
"We're like trapped prey."
The enemy outnumbered them tenfold.
As attrition dragged on past a quarter-hour, Jeokjae and Jeokun wavered greatly.
"You okay?"
"Kh, kuh. I'm fine."
"Still good."
Jeokgeom bit his lip raw.
Time dragging on meant certain defeat.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Roar!
The blaze, origin unknown, engulfed the entire Bipung Merchant Group.
Watching flames lick toward the main hall, Go Gaeyoung urgently shouted.
"Everyone, evacuate!"
Was it the second time?
He assessed the situation more coolly than before, prioritizing the servants around him.
Buildings could be rebuilt, but lives lost were final.
Go Gaeyoung suddenly widened his eyes.
"M-Madam?"
Yeon Suran was missing.
"Quick response the second time around."
He spun around at the sudden voice from behind.
Where moments ago had been empty stood Cheonhwi.
Moreover, cradling Yeon Suran in both arms.
"Madam!"
Cheonhwi handed her to Go Gaeyoung.
"She inhaled quite a bit of smoke and passed out."
"Thank you."
Tears welled in Go Gaeyoung's eyes.
His wife's face was smudged with black soot here and there.
A moment later, and she might have perished in the inferno.
No, highly likely.
The flames were that fierce.
"Benefactor, this favor..."
"Worry about the fire first."
"But water..."
"I broke the wall leading to the pond in the rear garden."
"The wall...!"
Go Gaeyoung immediately yelled.
"Everyone to the rear garden! Draw water from the pond!"
At his command, the evacuated servants rushed off in a line.
"I'll head out first."
Cheonhwi looked up, watching Go Gaeyoung dash off carrying Yeon Suran on his back.
"The urgent flames are out."
Alone in the main hall after everyone left, only the crackling of pillars and walls burning filled his ears.
"Wind dying down too, so no further spread."
He gazed at the sky.
The ashes and flames scattered wildly by gusts had calmed, now rising straight up.
"Was planning to just watch."
He had slipped away at the raid's start, intending to spectate.
But couldn't.
Being unorthodox, they were insidious.
The fighters against Hyeondo, Ha Woojin, and the Plum Blossom Sword Guards weren't all.
They had split their forces.
The main force blatantly revealed to draw eyes, and a detachment to slaughter the servants covertly.
Deliberately showing the main force to focus attention, then quietly wiping out the compound.
"Bipung Merchant Group is quite important to Mount Hua right now."
Cheonhwi's eyes gleamed.
His pupils, holding flames, ashes, and darkness, were eerie.
The moment his gaze sharpened...
Bam!
Air burst, flames exploded.
The hidden White Ghost Squad members watching tensed in confusion.
As they exchanged glances...
Krunch!
With a shattering sound, liquid redder than flames rained down like a shower over their heads, splattering.
"...!"
Forgetting their hiding spots, the White Ghost Squad members startled and looked at the corpse.
The body in the flames was gruesome.
Upper body mangled like torn by a beast.
The head most destroyed, unrecognizable.
"F-Fourth Brother?"
As the panicked men muttered...
"All gathered nicely."
Thud thud!
At Cheonhwi's sudden appearance, the White Ghost Squad raised weapons warily.
Normally, the unexpected would fluster them, but they swiftly regained composure.
Judging him enemy—not their lord—they prepared lethal strikes.
Not ordinary trained movements.
Movements ingrained through rigorous training, familiar with such scenarios.
But...
"Nineteen, huh."
Cheonhwi scanned each one impassively, whispering.
And in that instant.
Thud!
One collapsed with a puff.
No precursor, no change.
The White Ghost Squad fell into chaos.
"Wh-what happened?"
"What the...?"
The squad members were stunned.
The fallen one showed no sign of rising.
Looking closely, a small hole pierced his forehead, hot blood pooling on the ground.
As if possessed by a ghost.
Then the ghost's mouth split in a grin, revealing white teeth in the darkness.
"Shall we end it?"
The ghost's voice was low.
In that moment, the White Ghost Squad recalled the fear and dread they had forgotten.
After an hourglass of teeth chattering in terror, not a single White Ghost Squad survivor remained.