Chapter 281: The Iron Snake Gang
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 281: The Iron Snake Gang
“By the way, what about the information on the man who killed the Ghost Hand Twin Swords?”
“Ah! H-here it is!”
The man carefully rose from his seat and handed the bundle of papers he was holding to the old man.
Tap, tap, tap.
The old man, as if by habit, tapped his fingers on the desk as he flipped through the papers.
In the subtle silence, the man dripped with cold sweat.
“...So, when the Ghost Hand Twin Swords tried to harass the woman he was with, he beheaded both of them in a single strike?”
The old man frowned at that part.
The Ghost Hand Twin Swords were masters of combined attacks, capable of killing even a master who had reached the peak of the pinnacle.
To kill two such men in a single strike?
‘The entry level of the Transcendent Realm... No, the report said he was around twenty, so that can’t be it. He’s probably a peak-pinnacle master who uses a swift sword.’
Across both the Orthodox and Evil factions, there wasn't a single rising star who had reached the Transcendent Realm at that age.
Still, one could never be sure. The old man proceeded with the assumption that the man might be a master at the entry level of the Transcendent Realm.
After reading the entire bundle of papers, the old man narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
Although there was nothing properly written about the pair’s identities, it wasn't as if there was no room for speculation.
Considering they had spent silver like water at Monghyeonru, the most expensive tavern in Seoyu County, it was highly likely he was a guardian warrior from a noble family, traveling the martial world with a naive young lady.
‘Hmm, which family could it be?’
To have a guardian of such skill, it would have to be at least one of the Five Great Families or a family of comparable stature.
The closest noble family to Seoyu County was the Jegal Family of Xiangyang.
‘But the only young lady of that age in the Jegal Family is the ‘Wisdom Phoenix.’ And she is currently at the Murim Alliance in Henan.’
That meant it couldn't be the Jegal Family.
But even after cross-referencing information on the surrounding noble families, none of them fit the current situation. A beauty so absurd you could tell even through a veil...
‘...Could she be one of the ‘Three Flowers’?’
If the Orthodox Faction had a soaring phoenix, the Evil Faction had a flower of fatal beauty.
If she was as stunningly beautiful as the report described, she could only be one of the Three Flowers.
Moreover, the fact that she was a naive girl traveling the martial world without her family's knowledge and spending silver like water turned his suspicion into conviction.
‘Excluding Seolhwa, whose fate is unknown, and Dokhwa, who should be in Hunan, Hyeolhwa seems the most likely.’
At that moment, a bizarre smile crept onto the old man’s lips.
An undeniable lust glistened in his eyes.
Seeing this, the man felt a chill run down his spine. He wanted to get out of this place as quickly as possible.
‘Of course, the Black Dragon Castle Lord would throw a fucking fit if I touched Hyeolhwa, but the only one who knows I’m here is the Alliance Leader. Even if Hyeolhwa disappears, the Alliance Leader won’t tell the Black Dragon Castle Lord...’
What filled the old man’s eyes was not just lust.
Twisted obsession and possessiveness oozed from them.
The tapping on the desk subsided, and the old man, having organized his thoughts, looked at the man.
“You will follow that veiled woman at once.”
Ssk-
At his gesture, a centipede crawled up the back of the man’s hand.
“This is a Seven-Horned Centipede that has consumed Thousand-Mile Tracking Incense. You don’t need to report back to me. Just follow that woman.”
The centipede’s appearance was utterly vile.
The man thought that if a demon were to crawl up from the underworld, it would look just like this.
“However.”
At that moment, a formless energy constricted the man.
Overwhelmed by the dense killing intent, the man gasped for breath and trembled uncontrollably.
“If you happen to lose her, you will bleed from your seven orifices and die in agony. Do you understand?”
Faced with the bloodcurdling warning, the man could do nothing but nod his head repeatedly.
*
After a duel that lasted nearly two hours, Mujin collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.
Not only was his entire body drenched in sweat, but his hands and feet were also trembling slightly.
It was the result of giving his all.
But not once did his sword ever reach me. In fact, as time went on, he found it increasingly difficult to even parry my blows.
It was, in a way, to be expected.
The more I crossed swords with Mujin, the more I mastered the profound principles of ‘softness overcoming hardness’ and how to counter an opponent who strikes after I do. Mujin, on the other hand, had to face me after all his tricks had been exposed.
Essentially, Mujin had been getting beaten up by me for almost two hours straight.
Of course, I wasn't the only one who gained something from this duel.
Compared to when he started, Mujin had learned to break free from his rigid forms and observe his surroundings with a broader perspective. His Sword Qi had also become much sharper.
As proof, just an hour ago, he had shown his lack of real combat experience, completely unable to react when I switched from swordplay to fist and palm techniques. But as time passed, he began to move more practically, rolling on the ground to dodge attacks or using kicks while our swords were locked.
Of course, a Daoist rolling on the ground might draw some criticism, but the old saying "being cursed at makes you live longer" really means you have to live shamelessly to live long.
Worrying about such things in a real fight is just shooting yourself in the foot.
It’s like getting stabbed and then regretting it later, thinking, ‘Ah, I should have dodged back then, even if it meant rolling around like a dog...’ By then, it’s already too late.
“Haa, haa, haa...! I... I have learned a great deal...!”
“Stop being so dramatic and get up.”
At my words, Mujin groaned and sat up.
His stamina and internal energy were completely depleted; he looked like he could pass out at any moment.
Normally, I wouldn't have cared, but considering the upcoming subjugation of the Iron Snake Gang, I couldn't just leave him like this.
“Stop panting and sit in the lotus position.”
“Pardon?”
Despite the sudden command, Mujin glanced at me but complied without a word, crossing his legs.
Sitting behind him, I placed my palm on his back.
In that instant, the Vajra Ki transmitted through his meridians began to spread throughout his body.
A warm energy enveloped Mujin’s Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
“Th-this is Internal Healing Arts?!”
“Shut your mouth and focus.”
“Hup...!”
Although I couldn't replenish his depleted dantian, I could at least restore his battered muscles and stamina.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Mujin shot up to his feet.
“Oh, ooh...!!”
Mujin moved around, checking his condition, then looked at me and let out a heartfelt exclamation of awe.
Beyond his burdensome gaze was a sense of respect I couldn't quite understand.
“I knew you were my senior!” Mujin shouted, his face full of conviction.
His eyes were sparkling with an unsettling brightness.
‘...Did I accidentally twist his qi and blood?’
Otherwise, there was no reason for him to suddenly act so strange.
It wasn't mere flattery; he was utterly sincere.
“Senior? I am not from the same sect as you, Daoist.”
“Haha! I’m often told I’m unobservant, but I realized long ago that you, Senior, are a reclusive master who has reached the absolute realm and undergone rejuvenation! Besides, the energy that just enveloped my body was clearly an aura of ‘destroying evil and revealing righteousness’! That must mean you, Senior, are also registered with a Daoist sect, just like me!”
“...?”
For a moment, my eyes met Cheon Yeo-hwa’s in mid-air.
We conversed without needing to send telepathic messages.
‘What is he talking about now?’
‘I don’t know... Perhaps getting hit by you so much has made him go half-mad?’
‘Hmm...’
I pondered for a moment.
Could magic fix his mind?
‘...Probably not.’
Holy power might be able to, but it would be difficult with magic.
Of course, it wasn't impossible. The limits of magic are merely the limits of the magician.
But I knew nothing about mental-type magic.
So, for now, it was safe to assume it was next to impossible.
That left only one option.
“Even my master said Internal Healing Arts were tricky and couldn't perform them... Senior? Why are you suddenly approaching me—”
Thwack, thud, crack!
As the old saying goes, a good beating is the best medicine.
Besides, if he became strange from being hit by me, then the way to turn him back should be the same.
And so, with a few moments of violence and a brief conversation, I was able to return Mujin to his original state.
I dragged the battered Mujin to a nearby inn.
“Thank you for the meal! Om nom nom!”
Perhaps because he was a martial artist who had reached a certain realm, he quickly came to his senses after a meal.
‘Well, I didn’t just hit him randomly. I used Acupoint Manipulation to loosen his blocked qi and blood, so it’s natural his recovery would be fast.’
After the meal, we had a simple cup of tea and talked.
In the process, we were able to clear up the misunderstandings that had piled up.
“Heoh... So you’re saying it’s only been two years since you passed the age of twenty?”
“To be precise, I’m still twenty-one.”
Including the time I spent in other worlds, my physical age was nearly twenty-two.
Not that it mattered much, since my life expectancy had increased to two hundred years.
And it would increase even further if I consumed elixirs related to longevity.
As long as I had the dating app, there were plenty of ways to overcome the limits of a human lifespan.
Because of this, I tended to focus more on my mental age than my physical age.
For ordinary people, their mental state changes with their body, but a magician’s mind is so powerful that it doesn't change even if their body does.
“By the way, since you are older than me, Daoist, please speak comfortably.”
“I cannot do that.”
Mujin shook his head.
“Today, thanks to Young Hero Kang, I realized what a frog in a well I have been. Furthermore, I have even seen the path I must walk from now on, and I have keenly felt how complacent I have been until now. I have learned so much from you, Young Hero Kang. For me to speak down to you simply because I am older is absolutely out of the question—”
“Just speak casually.”
“...”
I had no desire to be addressed with honorifics by a man older than me.
Mujin sipped his leaf tea, sneaking glances at me.
“A-ahem... Then how about we... both speak casually?”
“Sure.”
“?”
It was annoying having to use honorifics all the time anyway, so when he suggested it first, I had no reason to refuse.
Since things had turned out this way, I relaxed my posture as well.
We were people who would likely never see each other again soon, so being overly formal was strange.
I ignored Mujin, who was staring at me with a peculiar expression, and fell into thought.
‘I should hide my aura from now on.’
Until now, I hadn't thought it strange because Cheon Yeo-hwa was right beside me, but on second thought, reaching the Transcendent Realm at my age was abnormal in itself.
It would be better to hide my aura to avoid misunderstandings like today.
Most importantly, if I wanted to continue gaining real combat experience, it was better for moderately strong opponents to underestimate me.
Having quickly reached a conclusion, I closed my eyes and blocked the aura leaking from my body.
It wasn't very difficult.
I was already used to spreading a thin veil of mana to suppress my pheromones.
This was just an extension of that.
‘Hmm... At this level, others will probably see me as a first-rate master.’
With a satisfied expression, I looked out the window.
The streets of Seoyu County, where the sun was gradually setting, had a strange charm.
As I tilted my teacup, I gazed into an alley untouched by a single ray of light.
‘Five second-rates and one first-rate?’
They were the ones who had been tailing us since we returned to Seoyu County after the duel.
At first, I thought they were a pursuit team from the Heavenly Demonic Cult or assassins sent from an assassin's guild, but they were clumsy from top to bottom.
It was as if this was their first time ever tailing someone.
After a moment of thought, I decided to just leave them be.
If they were real assassins, they would make their move when night fell. If not, they were most likely remnants of the Iron Snake Gang.
—Hyun-woo, they’re on the move.
As Cheon Yeo-hwa said, a few of the hidden men began to move. They were either changing shifts or returning to their base to report.
Either way, it didn't really matter.
As long as they were within Seoyu County, they couldn't escape my eyes.
Vwooom!!
I unleashed my mana detection at full power.
The detection range instantly blanketed the entirety of Seoyu County.
I could watch where they were headed without having to tail them myself.
A short while later, after confirming where they had stopped, I turned my head back from the window.
My gaze fell upon Monghyeonru, the number one gisaeng house in Seoyu County.