Chapter 29
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Second Ambush
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A small village came into view. Judging by its size, it seemed to be a settlement of slash-and-burn farmers.
They kindly welcomed Ha Yuseong's party of outsiders.
“You must be warriors from the Murim Alliance. Please, rest comfortably before you leave.”
Ha Yuseong once again marveled at the prestige of the Murim Alliance.
‘The Murim Alliance is really something else.’
Jegal Biyeon offered thanks on behalf of the group.
“Then.”
To an outsider, she might have seemed rather rude, but after spending a day with Jegal Biyeon, the party knew this was her own way of showing gratitude.
Fortunately, the villagers didn't seem to mind her attitude.
“In six hours. Reassemble.”
Leaving only those words, Jegal Biyeon went straight to her room.
Namgung Yuya and Hae Myo also intended to go to their rooms and rest. Although they hadn't done much today, the mental fatigue from traveling in a constant state of tension had taken its toll.
Just then.
Ha Yuseong, instead of going to his room, was outside performing some strange exercises.
Why is he getting harder to understand? He's truly like an onion, this man.
“Brother. What on earth are those awkward movements?”
Namgung Yuya had considered just ignoring him, but he felt he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully without finding out what that was, so he finally asked.
If this was an act to get his attention, Namgung Yuya admitted his own defeat.
“Ah! This?”
Ha Yuseong replied without stopping his peculiar exercises.
“You should join me. It's good for your body if you do it every day.”
Unfortunately, Ha Yuseong couldn't explain in detail what he was doing.
-The Muscle-Tendon Change Classic is a martial art that was lost long ago. I recently restored it. Pretty amazing, isn't it?
-You truly are the former Fist King!
-Heh heh. Your flattery is different from others. It doesn't even feel bad to hear.
-That's because it's not flattery, but sincerity. That last one came straight from the gut.
-Heh heh. The way this fellow talks. The point is, it's nothing too special, but if you practice it consistently every day, it'll be good for your body. It doesn't matter who sees. It's been lost for over a hundred years, so no one will recognize the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic anyway.
-Yes, sir!
The former Fist King had told him not to speak of it, but he never said not to do it with others.
“It's true! This is good for you!”
As they say, good things for the body are meant to be shared.
It's fine now because they're young, but later, when they get older and their bodies start to fail, it will be too late for regrets.
These were words born from experience. Ha Yuseong spoke with all his heart.
“I'm telling you, it's true!”
Namgung Yuya briefly imagined himself doing those ridiculous exercises and frowned.
“I'm tired. I think I should get to bed early today.”
“I-I see. Understood.”
He couldn't force someone who said they were tired. They had another journey ahead of them tomorrow.
So, Ha Yuseong sought new prey.
“Junior.”
“Yes?”
Hae Myo, who had been washing up at the well and trying to sneak back to his room, was caught.
“Come here. This is good for your body.”
“Um. I'm also tired. I'm sorry, Senior!”
Ha Yuseong had long ago promised himself that he would never become a nagging senior.
A true senior would coolly let their junior go in a situation like this. It was only proper.
Once again, Ha Yuseong held back his tears and let Hae Myo go.
“But it's really good for you.”
-I only recently restored the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic, so I don't know the details, but in theory, if you keep practicing it, your body will naturally be reconstructed into one optimized for martial arts.
The former Fist King himself had vouched for the effects of the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic.
“Is it really... good?”
At the sudden voice, Ha Yuseong turned around.
He was certain he hadn't felt anyone's presence until just a moment ago, but there was a woman standing there.
With her hair let down for sleep and changed into comfortable clothes, the woman looked different from how she had during the day.
Her relaxed appearance was somewhat cute.
“Senior?”
“Not Senior. Biyeon.”
He hadn't been able to call her that during the day because Namgung Yuya and Hae Myo were there, but Ha Yuseong quickly corrected the address.
“Right. Biyeon, is it alright for you not to be sleeping?”
“Yes. I'm not tired.”
Ha Yuseong remembered that Biyeon had been the first of the group to go to her room.
“Weren't you the first one to go to your room?”
“The stares. They're uncomfortable.”
“Ah! I see. So that's why you've come out now. There aren't many people around at night.”
“Yes. That's right.”
Ha Yuseong realized anew that being excessively good-looking must be tiring. Of course, it was a feeling he himself had never once experienced.
“So, if I do that. Is it really good for the body?”
Ha Yuseong answered.
Very enthusiastically.
Originally, martial arts training is more fun when done with others than alone!
During his days as a third-rate ronin, Ha Yuseong had envied many things, but the seventh among them was the sight of people training 'together'.
No one wanted to train with the third-rate Ha Yuseong. In fact, they even avoided going near him.
Something about the aura of a third-rater being contagious.
But now, he was a warrior of the Murim Alliance!
“Like this?”
Ha Yuseong did his best to correct Biyeon's posture.
“Spread your arms a bit more. Bring your legs together like this, and then let your body sway like this.”
“Like this?”
“Oh! As expected of you, Biyeon. You're doing great.”
It was the first time. Training with someone else. So, Ha Yuseong made a suggestion.
“Biyeon. Would you like to train with me in the future as well?”
“Alright. I'd like that.”
“Haha. I'd like that too, if it's with you, Biyeon.”
Little did Ha Yuseong know what repercussions these words would one day have.
Their private training session that day lasted for more than two hours.
And as Jegal Biyeon lay down in bed, she moved her body here and there, slightly surprised.
“My body... feels at ease.”
As if she had rested soundly for three whole days.
Yuseong's words had not been a lie.
“Training. I look forward to it.”
***
The next day.
Ha Yuseong, Namgung Yuya, and Hae Myo were currently filled with a single doubt.
It was that this mission was far too easy, more so than they had expected.
Of course, publicly, no fool would dare to touch a carriage of the Murim Alliance, but this mission looked anything but ordinary.
A single box that looked suspicious at a glance.
“What do you think is inside?”
Hae Myo carefully observed the box, which was bound tightly with iron chains.
Namgung Yuya offered a reasonably plausible theory.
“The Tang Family banquet is soon, so maybe it's a gift from the Alliance?”
“That must be it, right?”
“Probably. But it's a little too suspicious for just that.”
“Couldn't it be something ordinary? Like a formal gift sent out of courtesy.”
“Hmm. But to say that, the former Poison King himself requested this mission.”
“He's always been famous for his eccentric behavior, hasn't he? He might have assigned this mission out of boredom. Besides...”
Namgung Yuya anticipated the rest of the sentence and finished it.
“If it were something extraordinary, it wouldn't have been entrusted to us?”
“Exactly my point! As proof, hasn't it been far too peaceful until now?”
“Indeed.”
While there was the unexpected landslide, that was strictly a natural disaster. And they had resolved it more easily than expected.
Just then.
“Hm?”
Ha Yuseong, who was diligently running behind the carriage again today, suddenly looked up at the sky.
The other two now ignored him out of habit.
They had learned from yesterday's experience that paying him any mind would only tire themselves out.
Immediately after, Jegal Biyeon urgently brought the carriage to a halt.
“Everyone. Prepare.”
Her low voice continued, speaking quickly.
“They're coming.”
Ha Yuseong was still looking at the sky, beyond the mountains.
Namgung Yuya and Hae Myo still hadn't grasped the situation.
Jegal Biyeon drew her sword.
Ha Yuseong drank the black liquid from his vial. A day had passed, and it was time to drink the poison.
*Fwoosh!*
The sound of something flying.
Only then did Namgung Yuya and Hae Myo also look up at the sky.
A single fire arrow was flying through the air in an arc.
*Thud!*
The moment the fire arrow hit the ground, *Fwoom!* Flames erupted around the carriage.
“Wh-what is this!”
Flustered, Namgung Yuya moved to quickly escape the fire.
Jegal Biyeon stopped him.
“Everyone. Stay put!”
Even surrounded by fire on all sides, Jegal Biyeon calmly assessed the situation.
Her low voice.
“The mission. Is to protect the carriage.”
Reminded them of what they had to do.
“Remember. Only that.”
The scattered atmosphere among the three instantly settled.
“Yes!”
It was clearly a dangerous situation.
Something is coming.
The moment they sensed it.
“All units! Attack!”
With someone's shout, enemies swarmed in from both sides.
For some reason, Jegal Biyeon sheathed her sword and took out small pebbles from the pouch she always carried.
“I'm going to deploy the Water Formation of the Five Elements March.”
*Clink, clink, clink, clink, clink!*
Jegal Biyeon quickly threw the pebbles into specific positions. The flames then subsided, and a path opened before them.
“Everyone. Hold on tight to the carriage.”
Ha Yuseong leaped onto the carriage.
Namgung Yuya and Hae Myo tensed their bodies as they watched the enormous number of enemies rushing toward them.
Jegal Biyeon slapped the horses' rumps.
“*Neigh!*”
The two Blood-Sweating Horses let out a cry and galloped forward with all their might.
“Fire!”
A voice called out from behind.
The enemies hurriedly fired arrows at Ha Yuseong's retreating party.
But even arrows couldn't catch up to the incredible speed of the Blood-Sweating Horses.
“Tch!”
Someone, feeling frustrated, stepped forward.
And threw the spear he was holding.
*Swwwoooosh!*
The spear flew precisely toward the carriage wheel.
At this rate, the spear would shatter the carriage.
“Brother?”
“Senior?”
Ha Yuseong leaped off.
“I'll knock it away and rejoin you!”
It was an absurd claim. Even for a martial artist, the carriage was moving at an incredible speed.
Leaping from such a place? It was like jumping off a cliff. There was no way he would emerge unscathed.
Moreover, he didn't just have to jump; he had to deflect the spear as well.
If he made a mistake, it wouldn't be surprising if his body was pierced by the spear.
Even if he managed to deflect the spear, getting back on the carriage was also impossible. The carriage would keep moving all the while.
In other words, what Ha Yuseong was doing was sacrificing himself so the rest of the party could escape from the enemies.
Namgung Yuya and Hae Myo realized this immediately.
‘Brother is doing this for us!’
‘Senior! It's because I was careless!’
It was the same for Jegal Biyeon.
Ha Yuseong leaped from the carriage.
Simultaneously, he drew his sword and struck the spear.
*Clang!*
Despite having flown a considerable distance, the spear was incredibly heavy.
“Kuh!”
Ha Yuseong succeeded in deflecting the spear. And as expected, he tumbled across the ground.
The carriage was still speeding away.
In an instant, the distance between them widened.
Seeing this, the enemy leader, Heukmugwang, shouted.
“Everyone! Capture that man!”
About thirty men rushed toward Ha Yuseong all at once.
Ha Yuseong, who seemed to have rolled quite roughly on the ground, immediately got back up.
Just then, it was a situation where even a martial artist couldn't have escaped without a single injury.
Surely, he must have broken a bone somewhere.
That was what everyone, friend and foe alike, was thinking.
However, Ha Yuseong immediately started running.
“Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!”
His swaying posture gradually became more refined.
His arms swung far back, and his legs stretched far forward.
He was fast.
He certainly didn't look like someone with a broken bone.
But those chasing him from behind were also the elites of the Black Killing Squad. The distance was closing fast.
Just then, the carriage's speed noticeably slowed.
The corners of the mouths of those chasing the carriage crept up slightly.
“Don't slow down!”
Ha Yuseong shouted.
The Black Killing Squad chasing him scoffed at Ha Yuseong.
And the carriage.
As if having decided to abandon Ha Yuseong, it picked up speed again.
“The orthodox sects are nothing special, are they?”
“Look at them, saving their own skins first, forgetting all about a comrade's sacrifice!”
“This is what they call the orthodox faction! Kehehe. A passing dog would laugh!”
*Press.*
Ha Yuseong's foot pressed into the ground.
*Step.*
The moment his foot left the ground, Ha Yuseong's body soared into the air.
It was a leap that seemed to defy gravity.
*Thump.*
Ha Yuseong landed on the carriage.
The thoughts of everyone watching came to a brief halt.
All but one person.
Jegal Biyeon.
“I... trusted you.”
And there was another person.
In Heukmugwang's hands was an ominous red bow.
Heukmugwang drew his hand back.
The red bow bent as if it would break.
Nocked within it was an arrow made of steel.
A steel arrow.
*Twang!*
A clear, resonant sound.
*Swwwoooooosh!*
The opposite, a terrifying sound of the air being torn apart.
*CRASH!*
The carriage was blown to pieces.