Chapter 711: Do You Still Have Stamina to Spare?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 711: Do You Still Have Stamina to Spare?
"He wasn't a traitor!?"
Lady Gam’s eyes widened as she spoke, her voice trembling. She was reeling from the sudden, shocking revelation.
"Look at this."
In response to her question, Joo So-yang handed over the piece of paper she had taken from her pocket. Lady Gam took the paper and began to examine it carefully.
There, she saw it.
The handwriting was crooked and uneven. It was her husband’s.
Lady Gam began to read the words written on the paper slowly, meticulously, as if determined not to miss a single character. Soon, a look of pure horror washed over her face.
"October 3rd, Hour of the Monkey. Run into the center of the commercial district... Run loudly to draw as much attention as possible... Wait until the martial artists of the Cheonmu Alliance arrive... Once captured... do not confess immediately... Suffer light torture and scream loudly... Say that you conspired with Jang Sam... After speaking, pretend to faint and be dragged away..."
She read the instructions written on the paper one by one.
"What... what is this...?"
She looked up at Joo So-yang with a gaze full of confusion. The paper was filled with stage directions—detailed instructions on exactly how he was supposed to act.
"It’s a script."
Joo So-yang spoke, her cold eyes glinting.
"A script!?"
"Yes. Looking at what’s written here, it’s incredibly similar to how he acted when he claimed to be Jang Sam’s informant. There are a few discrepancies, of course, but based on this, I believe these directions... were a script your husband was meant to perform."
The actions described on the paper were almost identical to Hwang Sam’s behavior on the day his head had exploded. He had appeared in the commercial district on October 3rd during the Hour of the Monkey. He had run around noisily to draw everyone’s attention, almost as if he wanted to be seen.
He had stalled for time until the Black Tortoise Hall Master arrived, and only after the Hall Master applied the Bone-Dislocating Technique did he "confess" to conspiring with Jang Sam.
He had followed the script to the letter.
That was how Joo So-yang knew. These instructions were a script—one that someone had ordered Hwang Sam to follow.
"If... if this really is a script... then why... why did my husband die? Doesn't the script say he was supposed to be taken to the Cheonmu Alliance?"
Lady Gam’s voice broke as she spoke. She couldn't understand it. If these directions were a script, her husband should have been taken into custody. Why, then, did he meet such a gruesome end with his head bursting open?
".......... There might have been a mistake or an error during the arrest."
Joo So-yang continued, her expression grim.
"Or, he might have been silenced."
"Sil... silenced!?" Lady Gam asked, stunned.
"Yes. Murdered by someone who didn't want the full truth of the incident to come to light."
"......But... who?"
"In the current situation, the most likely suspect is the person who gave him the script."
".....How could they..."
Lady Gam began to sob. If he had been murdered by the very person who gave him the script, it meant her husband had been used and then miserably discarded.
A wave of pity for her husband washed over her.
He was a man who had read and re-read that script, boasting that he would earn a fortune, that he would send Seo-ah to the academy, and that he would never let his family suffer again. To think that such a man had been used and thrown away made the tears overflow.
"Ugh... huff... sob... hic..."
Lady Gam finally broke down into sorrowful wails. It was an explosion of resentment against a world that was not just cold, but cruel to people like them who were just desperately trying to survive.
Pat, pat.
Joo So-yang silently and gently began to pat Lady Gam’s back. What words could she possibly offer a woman who had lost her husband? She could only offer silent comfort.
"I don't know... what to do now... I just don't know."
"It will be alright.... Don't worry too much."
As Joo So-yang soothed her, a thought solidified in her mind. For the sake of this poor woman, she had to uncover the truth of this case.
I need to meet the Black Tortoise Hall Master.
Joo So-yang’s sharp eyes flashed. To confirm that the actions in the script perfectly matched the situation at the time, she needed to confront the man who had faced Hwang Sam directly.
Of course, he might be the very person who gave Hwang Sam the orders, but it was a risk she had to take to verify the facts.
If you are involved in this as well, Jin-gang, your head won't remain intact either.
Joo So-yang’s gaze began to fill with killing intent.
*
Whoosh!
Jin-gang, the Black Tortoise Hall Master, swung his great spear. The sound of the wind being sliced apart vibrated through the training ground. Even a single glance revealed the immense strength behind the strike.
"Phew... inhale!"
This time, he thrust the great spear straight forward.
Shwaaaaaak!
The sound of air being pierced spread in all directions.
Whoosh!
Shwaak!
He continued to swing his spear without rest. After some time had passed...
"Phew."
Jin-gang finally withdrew his spear and exhaled deeply. He felt it was time for a short break.
Clap, clap, clap.
Suddenly, the sound of someone clapping reached his ears.
'Applause!?'
Jin-gang looked startled. He hadn't sensed anyone entering the training ground.
Whish!
Jin-gang quickly turned his head. There, he saw an incredibly elegant and beautiful noblewoman.
"............Great Matriarch."
Jin-gang spoke with a sour expression. He was flustered by the appearance of such an unexpected person.
"Your spear is as magnificent as ever, Jin-gang. Have you made further progress in your cultivation?"
The elegant noblewoman, Joo So-yang, spoke with a soft smile—a smile that naturally radiated benevolence and warmth.
".......I have had a small realization."
"Congratulations. You've taken another step forward."
"Thank you...... Regardless... what brings you here?"
The Black Tortoise Hall Master asked, his expression one of confusion. He didn't have a particularly close relationship with Joo So-yang. Her sudden visit was perplexing.
"I came to have a chat."
"I wasn't aware our relationship was deep enough for us to seek each other out for 'chats'."
The Hall Master responded prickily. Usually, it was common courtesy to send word before visiting someone you weren't close with. To have her just show up and demand a chat felt like an intrusion, sparking a defensive reaction.
"Friendship is something that can be built over time, isn't it?"
Despite his prickly response, Joo So-yang continued to speak with a smile.
"You'll have to wait," the Hall Master said bluntly.
"Is your training not finished yet?"
"I still have stamina to spare."
"Shall I help you with that?" Joo So-yang asked, her eyes twinkling.
".....You, Great Matriarch?"
"Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve wanted to test the great spear of the Spear King."
'Spear King' was Jin-gang’s title. It was a title earned because his martial prowess was so great that he was considered a king among the many warriors who used the spear.
".......Are you sure?"
Jin-gang asked back, his expression skeptical. Honestly, a duel with her wasn't a bad idea. In fact, it would be an understatement to say it was good. A duel with her—the Best Among Women who had reached the Upper Stage of the Transcendent Realm—could be the perfect catalyst to push him to the next level.
However, he felt a slight sense of suspicion. It was far too strange for her to seek him out specifically to request a duel.
What is your intention, Joo So-yang?
The suspicion in Jin-gang’s eyes deepened.
"Of course I'm sure," Joo So-yang replied, her expression remaining benevolent.
"......Then, I ask for your guidance."
Jin-gang bowed slightly. Regardless of her intentions, this was an opportunity he couldn't miss—the chance to spar with a master ranked higher than himself.
"Shall we begin immediately?"
Joo So-yang stood poised a short distance away from him. She gazed at him with a calm, steady look. Seeing this, Jin-gang immediately raised his great spear, ready to lunge and strike the moment she showed an opening.
The two began to face off, exchanging serious glares as they searched for a weakness in the other. After the standoff had continued for some time...
"Are you not going to draw your sword?" Jin-gang asked, looking confused.
Even though they had been facing off for quite a while, she hadn't even reached for her weapon.
"I'll draw it if I need to."
"........Are you mocking me?"
"It’s not that. I just feel it isn't necessary yet."
Joo So-yang slowly shook her head as she spoke.
"It seems I've been underestimated."
Jin-gang stared at Joo So-yang with eyes as cold as ice. His pride as a martial artist had been wounded by the thought that she was looking down on him.
Wuuuuuuuuuung!
Jin-gang began to circulate his internal energy. Immense power began to permeate the great spear.
"If you don't draw your sword, you will be in danger, Madam," Jin-gang warned.
Even if she was a master of a higher stage, they were both in the Transcendent Realm. The gap in their levels wasn't so vast that she could face him unarmed. Yet, Joo So-yang still didn't draw her sword. This only served to provoke Jin-gang further.
How dare she!
Jin-gang felt a massive surge of rage rising from deep within his chest. Though his realm might be lower, he took pride in the fact that his practical combat experience was superior. Unlike her, who had spent the twenty years since the Great War of Righteousness and Demons seeking enlightenment in secluded valleys, he had faced countless real battles as the Master of the Black Tortoise Hall.
And yet, he was being ignored. He was being treated like a mere insect that didn't even require her to draw a weapon. How could he not be furious?
"Prepare yourself!"
Thump, thump, thump!
Jin-gang unleashed his internal energy through his Yongcheon points and charged like an enraged bull. He thrust his great spear straight at her. His target was her shoulder.
Wuuuuuuuuung!
The sheer force of the strike, enough to separate bone from flesh upon impact, exploded forward.
Joo So-yang watched the incoming spear calmly. Even at a glance, the weapon was imbued with a vicious, terrifying energy. Yet, strangely, she felt no fear or sense of danger. She only felt that it was... pathetic.
That was rude of me.
She thought to herself. It was a very disrespectful thought to have toward Jin-gang, who was putting every ounce of his soul into this strike.
Slide.
Joo So-yang slowly reached out her left hand toward the flying spear.
BAM!
She struck the side of the spearhead with the back of her hand. A thunderous boom erupted, and the spear’s trajectory was completely diverted.
Shwaaaaaak!
The spear pierced the air about three inches away from her shoulder.
"Wh-What!?"
Jin-gang’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He was horrified by the fact that his attack had been neutralized by such a casual movement. How could she so easily nullify an attack backed by his full internal energy?
Whoosh!
Suddenly, he heard the sound of something cutting through the air. Jin-gang looked straight ahead. There, he saw it.
Joo So-yang’s small fist was flying toward his face.
CRACK!
Joo So-yang’s fist slammed squarely into Jin-gang’s face.
Spin, spin, spin!
Upon impact, Jin-gang’s body was lifted into the air, spinning uncontrollably. His body couldn't withstand the immense shock and was sent into a tailspin. After several mid-air somersaults...
THOOM!
A moment later, Jin-gang crashed into the ground. It was a pathetic sight.
"Do you still have stamina to spare?"
Joo So-yang spoke as she looked down at the grounded Jin-gang. That warm, gentle smile was still fixed on her lips.
On purpose?
Hearing her words, Jin-gang finally understood why she had suddenly challenged him to a duel. She was punishing him—for rejecting her offer to have a chat.
"......I've had enough," Jin-gang managed to say while still face-down on the ground.
A wave of terror had washed over him; he realized that if he remained stubborn, he might actually end up crippled.
"That’s good to hear."
Joo So-yang’s smile widened. She felt satisfied that she had made him a bit more cooperative before they began their serious conversation.