A Violet Hue
I only came to say goodbye... I had rushed over just to see his face one last time, but now that I've snapped out of it, I'm facing off against a bunch of assassins.
Still, it's a relief. If I hadn't been here, Haryun's head would have been chopped off by that sleazy-looking middle-aged bastard.
"Who the hell is this bitch?!"
The assassins scowled as they surrounded us. There were ten of them. Even for me, taking them all on at once would be a hassle. I needed to thin their numbers first.
I couldn't give them time to organize. Drawing my sword, I immediately lunged at the two assassins in front of me.
"Samjae Sword Style! Slash!"
I unleashed the only martial art I knew: the Samjae Sword Style.
The two assassins were skewered simultaneously.
"Cough...! You clearly said slash..."
"And you actually believed me?"
It worked like a charm every single time. If you yell "slash" and then thrust, people always scramble.
Can't stop now. I had to reduce their numbers as much as possible while they were still in disarray.
"Once more! Samjae Sword Style! Slash!"
This time, my targets were the two on the right.
"Wh-what?!"
As I charged while shouting the exact same technique name, their eyes darted around in sheer panic. They were probably trying to predict what kind of attack I would actually pull. But while they were wasting precious seconds...
Guihua Preservation!
There was no way they could keep up with my movements, accelerated as they were by the Guihua Preservation.
"Focus! Don't think, move on instinct!"
"Tsk."
Taking out four of them in the blink of an eye was great, but that was the end of the easy pickings. At the leader's shout, the remaining assassins began to form a battle array. Does this mean it's a one-versus-six now?
...Actually, let me correct that. Make it one-versus-five. One guy had been standing there with his hands clasped behind his back, just watching us this entire time.
"Your men are dying, and you're just going to stand there and watch?!"
"I am merely an observer. If you die, then so be it."
"Urgh...!"
Judging by his tone and aura, that guy was definitely the strongest among them. The rest were, at best, first-rate.
Hmm... The gap between the Peak Realm and a first-rate martial artist is quite vast. But even so, relying solely on my cultivation realm to charge in blindly felt reckless. In the Murim, you could win ninety-nine times, but a single mistake could leave you dead or crippled.
It's not like I'm planning to retire after this one fight, right? Therefore, the best approach was to make the enemy move first and expose a gap.
"Haryun, get up!"
I pulled Haryun to his feet, making a show of preparing to flee.
"Damn it! They're trying to run!"
Sure enough, they didn't disappoint, immediately closing the distance.
There's only one reason why enemies in a battle array are annoying: while you're attacking one, the others will try to stab you in the back. But if they lose their heads over Haryun and rush in like this... then their fancy array is completely useless!
Guihua Preservation!
It goes without saying, but reacting to an attack is much harder when the opponent is close. This was especially true against a speed-oriented fighter like me.
"Wh-what?! It was a trick!"
"Too fa—"
I cleanly severed the necks of the two leading the charge. They died instantly, completely unable to react, having never expected me to strike first.
Only three left! Three was still enough to maintain a basic formation. So, this time, I had to focus entirely on a single target.
"Samjae Sword Style! Slash! Thrust! Downward Strike!"
I shouted out all the forms of the Samjae Sword Style to throw him off.
"It won't work!"
Following their leader's advice, the assassin ignored my voice and focused his eyes entirely on my sword. But...
"Haaah!"
Too bad for you, it wasn't the Samjae Sword Style this time either! After drawing his attention with my sword, I threw a punch straight at his jaw.
"Huh...?"
Taking a fist packed with inner force directly to the chin, the guy's head spun a full three hundred and sixty degrees, killing him instantly.
"Now there are two!"
"Damn it!"
A battle array requires at least three people to cover all blind spots. With only two left, they were practically begging to be stabbed. This was especially true when there was such a massive gap in cultivation and speed.
"It's over!"
I thrust my sword straight toward the leader's throat.
"Ugh...!"
Sensing his impending doom, the man squeezed his eyes shut. Got him! With a reaction like that, the outcome was set in stone. Smirking inwardly, I lunged forward, driving my blade deeper.
"???"
My sword was deflected by a heavy impact.
"Hmm... Impressive. To think a hastily hired guard would possess this level of skill."
The assassin who had been watching with his hands behind his back had stepped in to block me. When did he even get this close? Was he a speed-type too?
"Even if they are merely hired help, it would be quite embarrassing for me if they all died."
"So you're stepping in now?"
I retorted confidently, but to be honest, I was sweating a little. No matter how I looked at it, this guy's skills seemed to surpass mine... After all, he had blocked my thrust just now with ridiculous ease.
"I, too, have no desire to fight a master if I can avoid it. How about this?"
"What?"
"Judging by your words and actions, you don't seem to know the full story... You may leave. If you do, we will overlook your involvement."
"Wh-what?"
Was he saying he'd let me go if I left Haryun behind? To make such an offer even after I'd killed seven of his assassins... Was this guy just incredibly generous, or was there some hidden circumstance I didn't know about?
Hmm... Honestly, leaving Haryun behind wasn't even an option. No matter how pragmatic I was, I couldn't just abandon my very first client to die. But the only reason I was hesitating was...
Why does he feel so familiar? There was something incredibly familiar about him. He put on a polite front, but he was insufferable, and just looking at him made my blood boil with murderous intent...
"Yeonhwa, you can go. I have no intention of dragging you to the grave with me."
I was actually pondering something else entirely, but to the others, it must have looked like I was debating whether to abandon Haryun.
And then:
"Fufufu, time is short, so I suggest you make a wise choice."
The assassin's tone was dripping with mock sweetness and sarcasm.
Ah! Finally, a clue clicked. Fufufu, fufufu, fufufu... That creepy, effeminate laugh. I'd heard it somewhere before...
Wait, what?!
Holy shit! That laugh... it was almost identical to Yeop Huhu's! That distinct, high-pitched, effeminate giggle unique to those bastards!
"Hey."
"Have you finally made up your mind? Please, make a wise choi—"
"You're a fucking eunuch, aren't you?"
"???"
"Wh-what?! A eunuch?! Has that woman even laid her hands on the Eastern Depot...?"
Haryun gasped in horror. But more importantly... what? The Eastern Depot??? The Eastern Depot?!
I squeezed the hilt of my sword with all my might. Run away? Don't make me laugh. Eradicating eunuchs—that was my ultimate, absolute mission in this life. Those wicked demons. Those ball-less freaks. I was going to slaughter every single one of them.
Did he sense my resolve? The masked eunuch began to channel his inner force into his sword. As expected, he was also at the level of manifesting Sword Qi—the Peak Realm.
"The Eastern Depot? You never said a word about that to us—"
"You talk too much."
"Huh...?"
To my surprise, the eunuch's Sword Qi swept toward the two remaining assassins beside him. Even I hadn't expected that, so how could those assassins have seen it coming? In an instant, they collapsed as headless corpses.
"You have learned something you shouldn't have. Everyone here must die."
"Ha, why don't you go die by yourself?"
The murderous intent radiating from him was enough to send shivers down my spine... but I wasn't afraid. Why?
"Yeonhwa, what is this bloodlust...?"
Because when it came to bloodlust, I wouldn't lose to anyone! Wiping every single eunuch off the face of this earth! That was my—no, all of humanity's—greatest wish!
Both of us activated the Guihua Preservation, colliding at a terrifying speed. Theoretically, I had the advantage. I had achieved the unprecedented 7th stage of the Guihua Preservation. If we were both accelerating our bodies, I, who could even accelerate my cognitive perception, should have had the upper hand. Yet...
"Tsk...!"
Surprisingly, I was the one being pushed back. And the reason was simple.
"Fufufu, to think you would try to face me with a vulgar sword style picked up from the streets. You dream too big."
That bastard was clearly using some high-class sword style, while I was using the Samjae Sword Style, which you could buy for the price of two steamed buns.
"Ugh..."
Even if I had superior inner force, if I was wielding a pea shooter while my opponent had an assault rifle, I was bound to be at a disadvantage. Actually, calling it a pea shooter was being generous. It was a third-rate martial art among third-rate martial arts, with only three basic forms: thrust, slash, and downward strike.
"Try blocking this as well."
The eunuch lunged forward, spinning his body. At the same time, multiple streaks of green Sword Qi rained down on me.
"Urgh!"
Thanks to my accelerated perception, I managed to see and deflect them, but there were simply too many. At this rate, I couldn't utilize my slight advantage in speed at all...!
"Argh!"
A stray strand of Sword Qi I failed to deflect grazed my flank. Fortunately, it only nicked the skin, but if it had gone any deeper... And if the fight kept going like this, it felt like a fatal blow was only a matter of time.
It was a truly desperate situation. Haryun seemed to sense it too, looking visibly anxious. He probably felt guilty that I was going to die because of him. Huh? But looking closely, he didn't just seem anxious; he looked like he was deeply contemplating something... Did he have some other plan?
"Gah!"
Just a moment of distraction, and I had another wound. This time, on my left shoulder. It wasn't fatal, but since I was constantly getting chipped away... I might have to prepare for the worst. Should I sacrifice an arm to create an opening?
Did he read my mind? Haryun squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip. Then, he suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Yeonhwa! Listen carefully!"
"Huh?"
"Lower Dantian! Mingmen point! Governor Vessel! Mingmen point again! Jianjing point! And finally, the Laogong point!"
What was he talking about all of a sudden? Ah! Is he telling me to circulate my true qi in that exact order?
Pushing the Guihua Preservation to its absolute limit, I leaped back to create some distance from the eunuch. Then, as I circulated my true qi in the order Haryun had specified...
My acupoints vibrated, and I felt my true qi begin to transform. Is he... actually teaching me a martial art right now? The way the qi is transforming is based on a principle I've never even heard of...
"Now, the mnemonic formula! Before the faint dawn breaks, the great light harbors stillness! Though the sun and moon cycle, heaven and earth remain unchanging!"
Next is the mnemonic? Since they are four-character idioms, if I break them down...
"Before the faint dawn breaks, the great light harbors stillness.
Though the sun and moon cycle, heaven and earth remain unchanging."
"All that lies within the boundary of my sight is my domain! Wherever the heavenly energy reaches, none dare disobey!"
"All that lies within the boundary of my sight is my domain.
Wherever the heavenly energy reaches, none dare disobey."
Ho... What an incredibly arrogant formula. But I like it.
"Are you insane?! To pass down that sword style to an outsider!"
The eunuch shrieked at Haryun in sheer horror. Judging by his reaction, was this some kind of closely guarded family technique?
"Mencius said, if others treat me like an enemy, I have no choice but to treat them as an enemy in return! Since you dare to defy the laws of heaven to take my life, why should I care about the means?!"
He's absolutely right. If your stepmother is trying to have you killed, you can't just die quietly! So hurry up and give me the next formula!
"The phoenix spreads its wings, and the golden dragon ascends to heaven! The sun and moon shine together, illuminating all nations!"
"The phoenix spreads its wings, and the golden dragon ascends to heaven.
The sun and moon shine together, illuminating all nations."
As I circulated my true qi while reciting the final formula, the tip of my sword began to vibrate, emitting a crackling sound like static electricity.
"I... I think it's working!"
"Shut up! That sword style is meant only for the chosen! How dare a wench like you covet it!"
Terrified by what he was seeing, the eunuch lunged at me. He was clearly trying to finish me off before I could fully grasp the technique.
"Tsk!"
Just a little more and I'd have it... But with his sword flying toward me, I had no more time to think. Screw it! Reciting the mnemonic in my mind, I thrust my sword forward.
Sparks flew as our swords clashed. But...
"Huh?"
Our blades had met head-on, yet I wasn't pushed back at all! In fact, the eunuch was the one who stumbled back slightly.
No way...
Did I succeed? I squinted and looked down at my sword. There, I saw...
A fierce, undulating Sword Qi. And its color was...
"Is this... purple?"