Chapter 126: Gaining the Strongest Bodyguard (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 126: Gaining the Strongest Bodyguard (1)
“I will kill you!”
At the shrill voice of the Blood Witch, Chu Bong-hwa, my heart hammered against my ribs as if it were about to explode. If I let fear take hold of me here, the situation would only worsen.
The greatest difference between a master and a novice is composure.
A true master does not lose their composure even when faced with imminent death. This is because they can find a glimmer of hope, even if it is only as wide as the eye of a needle.
Now was the time I needed the boldness and composure of such a master.
“Fine! Kill me! If it means taking you with me, I’ll gladly give up my life.”
When I shouted back with such confidence, Chu Bong-hwa, who had been approaching me with murderous eyes, hesitated.
As I thought, I was right.
I didn't believe for a second that a witch who increased her internal energy through the Yang-Stealing Yin-Supplementing Art and maintained her youth through the Art of Retaining Youth would easily throw away her life in a fit of rage.
The more a woman is like her, the stronger her obsession with life tends to be.
She likely thought she could threaten me into giving up information about the Gu poison, but when it came to such petty schemes, I was more of a master than she was.
Step. Step.
Chu Bong-hwa walked up to me and raised her hand.
I kept my eyes wide open, staring her down until the very end.
‘I can’t lose here.’
The thought that I might actually die crossed my mind, but I trusted my judgment. The same judgment that had turned me into the New Dragon of Sichuan.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Chu Bong-hwa struck my pressure points, releasing the seal.
If the remnants of the Lesser Demonic Cult saw me while fleeing and tried to kill me, she would die as well. She had no choice but to undo the paralysis.
Since things were proceeding somewhat according to my plan, I stood up, feeling relieved.
Chu Bong-hwa stared at me, her face twitching. She looked as if she were contemplating how to deal with me.
Suddenly, she frowned.
I focused my senses and opened my hearing, catching the sound of footsteps approaching the cave.
It was likely Do Yeon or Jeok Yeong coming this way, searching for my trail.
“I’ll be watching you.”
Since I couldn't be allowed to die, she had no choice but to keep an eye on me. For the time being, she would monitor me while she figured out what to do with me.
After the Blood Witch left the cave, I checked on Mok Seon-hwa.
I placed my hand on her dantian and circulated my internal energy to examine her. Fortunately, her innate energy wasn't significantly damaged, and she had no other injuries.
I hoisted Mok Seon-hwa onto my back and stepped out of the cave.
However, things were unfolding in a way I hadn't expected.
As I neared the cave entrance, the loud clashing of weapons echoed through the air. I opened my Circulating Dantian to its limit to pick up the surrounding sounds.
“What have you done with my brother?!”
“Where is Mok Seon-hwa?!”
Listening closely, I recognized the voices of Jeok Yeong and Do Yeon.
“Ugh!”
Hearing a groan, I grew frantic. I assumed that Jeok Yeong or Do Yeon must have been wounded while fighting the Blood Witch.
“How do you like that, you witch?! From what I can see of your skills, you couldn't have laid a finger on my brother!”
“It seems this witch is trying to flee after losing a fight to Young Hero Eo.”
Hearing Jeok Yeong and Do Yeon’s words, it turned out that the one who was wounded was actually the Blood Witch.
‘How is this possible? The Blood Witch is definitely a master. She might even be at the Extreme Intent Realm. Even if Jeok Yeong and Do Yeon joined forces, they should never be able to defeat her. But from the sounds of it, she’s being pushed back mercilessly.’
Something strange was happening. I concentrated harder to gather the sounds around me.
“Huh? This is strange. The Blood Witch is moving as if she’s been drugged with an aphrodisiac.”
“What kind of trick is this witch trying to pull now?”
Hearing their words, a sudden thought occurred to me.
‘Could it be? Is such a thing even possible?’
But looking at the Blood Witch, I had no choice but to believe it.
“Ah! The Blood Witch is running away!”
It seemed she could no longer withstand the combined assault of Jeok Yeong and Do Yeon and was making a break for it.
However, she was heading straight back toward the cave.
A moment later, the Blood Witch arrived at the cave entrance. The moment she saw me, she started hurling insults.
“You little bastard! What did you do to me?!”
Wait, is this witch crazy? Shouldn't I be the one saying that? I’m the one who’s been suffering this whole time, so why do I have to listen to that?
“What do you mean, what did I do?”
When I put on a confused expression, the Blood Witch looked ready to explode with rage, but then her expression shifted.
“What? Why is my internal power returning?”
Just then, Jeok Yeong and Do Yeon arrived.
“Brother!”
“Young Hero Eo! You’re safe!”
Jeok Yeong and Do Yeon smiled brightly upon seeing me, then immediately swung their swords toward the Blood Witch like a flash of lightning.
“We have to capture this witch!”
But soon, Jeok Yeong and Do Yeon recoiled in horror at the sight of the Blood Witch’s glowing white hands.
“Fine! I’ll kill you all with these bare hands!”
Despite the lack of wind, fallen leaves and dust swirled in all directions. This was the manifestation of the Blood Witch Chu Bong-hwa’s internal power, which amounted to nearly four jiazi.
Seeing this, Jeok Yeong and Do Yeon retreated in shock. The Blood Witch they were facing now was worlds apart from the one they had just been fighting.
As she moved, even the air seemed to ripple around her. I wondered if this was what true Shifting Form and Position looked like.
Before Jeok Yeong could even attempt the Golden Immortal Demonic Secret, he was forced into a desperate defense. It looked as if his chest would be pierced by those white hands at any moment.
Do Yeon, unable to just watch, joined the fray from behind, but even that was ineffective.
The Blood Witch not only parried Do Yeon’s attacks with ease but continued to drive Jeok Yeong into a corner. Do Yeon’s strikes weren't even a distraction to her.
‘At this rate, Jeok Yeong and Do Yeon are going to die.’
In my desperation, I shouted.
“Stop! Fall back! Brother Jeok! Fairy Doyeon! And you, Blood Witch, back off!”
When I shouted, the Blood Witch glanced at me and smirked.
A chill ran down my spine at that smile. It was a smile that said she was going to kill the things I cherished most.
Clang!
The Blood Witch struck Do Yeon’s sword, forcing her back, and then lunged toward Jeok Yeong.
“The games end here!”
Snap!
She even snatched Jeok Yeong’s sword with her left hand and thrust her right hand toward his chest.
Even if I attacked her, I would likely be as useless as Do Yeon. There was only one way.
I used the Wu Step.
At that, Chu Bong-hwa’s right hand, which had been reaching for Jeok Yeong’s chest, stopped.
As I stood blocking her path to Jeok Yeong, her face contorted.
“Kill me instead!”
The Blood Witch’s hand was trembling violently.
“Move!”
It seemed she wanted to take out her frustration over what I’d done to her on Jeok Yeong and Do Yeon.
I sent her a message via Sound Transmission.
[What do you think would happen if I moved further away from you? So why don't you stop? I’m the one holding the sword hilt, not you. It would be troublesome if you forgot that.]
As soon as I sent the message, she lowered her hand.
Do Yeon raised her sword again, intending to attack.
“Fairy Doyeon! I ask of you, please wait a moment.”
At my words, Do Yeon lowered her sword.
“Brother Jeok, are you alright?”
“Yes, Brother.”
Looking at Jeok Yeong, he seemed completely exhausted. It was understandable; he had barely managed to fend off the attacks of a master who had surpassed the Super-Peak level.
I knew exactly how he felt, having been suppressed by her myself.
I turned back to the Blood Witch.
“Let’s talk.”
She frowned but replied, “Fine.”
I handed Mok Seon-hwa over to Do Yeon and moved toward the cave.
“There’s no need to go far. I can block our sound waves with my internal power.”
I had intended to move further away from Jeok Yeong because it would be problematic if others heard us, but with a monster like the Blood Witch, that wasn't necessary.
Once she blocked the sound, I couldn't even hear the chirping of insects or the sound of the wind from outside. I shook my head at this incredible ability.
Chu Bong-hwa muttered, “If I only had that one jiazi of power you stole from me, I wouldn't have to put up with this.”
“What do you mean by that?”
At her words, I circulated my internal energy and felt a foreign power lodged in my dantian. Just as she said, it was an amount of internal power equivalent to nearly one jiazi.
When she had injected her own energy into me to extract my internal power, the Gu poison had swallowed it, and she hadn't been able to recover it.
‘What a windfall! To gain sixty years of internal power for free. If I combine this with my own, I’ll have two jiazi.’
My joy must have shown on my face.
“Don't get too excited. If refining someone else’s internal power into your own were easy, I wouldn't be in this mess. Now, what is it you wanted to say?”
As expected, nothing good comes for free. Even if I had sixty years of her internal power in my body, it was currently useless.
I focused on the conversation. With a master like this, a single lapse in concentration meant death. She was only holding back right now because of the Gu poison.
But then it occurred to me—if I played my cards right, I could use this Gu poison to put a leash on her.
Just think about it.
If I had a master who had surpassed the Super-Peak level and reached the Extreme Intent Realm by my side, who would dare challenge me?
And I had already prepared a lie to serve as that leash.
“There’s something I didn't tell you. That Gu poison is special. I forgot to mention that if you move too far away from me, the Energy Dissipating Poison will activate, along with an aphrodisiac effect. Your internal power will vanish, and you’ll be consumed by lust.”
At my words, the Blood Witch ground her teeth.
“You expect me to believe that?!”
‘She’s shaking. She must be so frustrated.’
I felt a bit sorry for her, but since things had turned out this way, I decided to make use of her.
“I had no choice either.”
I felt a surge of gratitude toward Hong Myeong and Bi Cheong. I never imagined that the Energy Dissipating Poison and aphrodisiac they had slipped into my tea back at the Nine Demons Chamber would end up saving my life like this.
At the time, I hadn't thought much of it when the Gu poison absorbed both toxins. I figured it was just the nature of a parasite that lived off internal energy, but I hadn't realized the Gu poison would retain those two toxic properties after absorbing them.
Furthermore, the fact that the toxicity manifested when she was away from me was as if Heaven itself had created that Gu poison just for me.
There is a saying: When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a man, it will first exercise his mind with suffering.
Heaven must have intended to grant me this blessing, which is why Gan Cheon-seong made me suffer by forcing me to swallow the Gu poison, and why Bi Cheong and Hong Myeong tried to harm me with those toxins. It was all to save my life now.
‘Come to think of it, Heaven has always been on my side.’
For the first time in a long while, I looked up at the sky with a pious heart.
The Blood Witch watched my distraction with dwindling patience. Sensing her murderous intent, I snapped back to reality and spoke.
“I’ll give you one condition.”
“You dare set conditions for me?!” Her voice rose in anger. Her pride seemed deeply wounded.
“There’s no need to be angry. It’s for your own good. I will tell people that you have repented and that you will fight alongside me to eradicate evil until the day you die.”
At my words, her hand reflexively shot up.
My heart skipped a beat. This witch had a habit of raising her hand and scaring the life out of people.
“What kind of nonsense is that?!”
“Then what are you going to do? If you leave my side, the Energy Dissipating Poison will flare up, and you won't be able to use your internal power. If you run away like that, you’ll eventually be killed by the Orthodox Murim. Or perhaps the aphrodisiac will take over, and you’ll spend the rest of your life unable to escape a pleasure house.”
Her hand trembled at my words. Somehow, it seemed to turn even whiter. I could tell just how immense her rage was.