Chapter 82: Under Attack by Assassins (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 82: Under Attack by Assassins (2)
“The Seven Injuries Fist?”
Galwi cried out in shock.
His eyes went wide as he stared blankly at the corpses, which bore not a single sword wound.
“What is this?” Galwi asked Ilwi, the leader of the Black Spirit Ten Guards.
“I cannot be certain, but judging by the technique, it appears to be the Projectile Sword Style.”
“Projectile Sword Style,” Galwi muttered, his gaze fixing intently on my face.
I ignored his stare and scanned our surroundings.
Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of Galwi and the Black Spirit Ten Guards, the assassins' momentum had been broken, allowing the Blood Wind Squad and Deputy Bu to finish them off easily.
The "Blood Ice Sword," Woo Cheong-rin, had fought so fiercely that he was drenched in blood from head to toe. Half of it was the assassins’, and the other half was his own.
Ham Bi-hye frowned at the sight of his injuries and ordered him to be treated.
“Is it truly the Projectile Sword Style?”
Why is this guy being so persistent?
I didn't even want to bother responding, so I gave a half-hearted reply.
“It is.”
At that, his expression turned somewhat sullen.
“Which group do these men belong to?” I asked, leaving the pensive Galwi behind to approach Ham Bi-hye and Deputy Bu.
“They seem to be assassins from the Hidden Stealth Demon,” Deputy Bu answered.
Ham Bi-hye elaborated on his words. “The Hidden Stealth Demon is a place within the Nine Demons Chamber where assassins are trained.”
Hearing that, I realized how grave the situation was.
Martial artists from the Nine Demons Chamber were targeting Ham Bi-hye, the only daughter of the Ninth Chamber Leader, Ham Jeok? And not just from one faction, but two.
I had a sinking feeling that I was heading somewhere I really shouldn't be.
But what could I do? My nose was already pierced and led by the Golden Qi-Poisoning Bracelet Ham Bi-hye had placed on me.
Should I just chop off my wrist and give her the bracelet?
I was actually looking down at my wrist, seriously contemplating the idea.
“I can’t believe it.”
My train of thought was broken by the man speaking beside me.
“Believe what?”
At my absentminded question, Galwi spoke with a look of profound dissatisfaction.
“I cannot believe that someone who cannot even use Sound Transmission is capable of the Projectile Sword Style.”
Suddenly annoyed, I snapped back at him.
“Why are you so obsessed with the Projectile Sword Style?”
For the first time, Galwi lost his composure and became agitated.
“How can I not be?”
He started to say something more but stopped himself and headed toward the Black Spirit Ten Guards.
I stared at him blankly, not understanding the reason for his outburst, until Ham Bi-hye explained.
“Galwi is currently practicing the Breaking Wild Fist. The Black Lord’s Breaking Wild Fist is, in sword terms, equivalent to the realm of Sword Qi. The stage beyond the Breaking Wild Fist is the Elastic Fist Style, which requires the realm of Elastic Path. He’s frustrated because he hasn't even reached the Elastic Fist Style yet, while you, Young Hero Eo, can already perform the Projectile Sword Style. He’s jealous.”
Is that it? That means he might even struggle to beat Jeok Yeong.
And here I was, getting scared for nothing.
How dare a guy who can't even beat my subordinate yell at me?
Then again, like Mu Gyeol, the leader of the Nine Dragons Group, this guy was a "golden boy"—the kind of perfect specimen whose mother always brags about him. He probably can't stand seeing anyone better than himself.
I decided to avoid bickering with him if possible. When a guy like that gets jealous and comes after you, his persistence is tougher than a bull's tendon.
We gathered our wounded and the dead and set out on the road again.
The Blood Wind Squad did not mourn the death of their comrades. Or rather, even if they were sad, they did not cry. They simply buried the bodies in temporary graves and moved on.
In their silent departure, I could feel a deep sense of sorrow and rage.
As we traveled, I asked Ham Bi-hye about my lingering curiosity.
“Why is the Nine Demons Chamber attacking you, Lady Ham?”
Ham Bi-hye flinched at my question. However, realizing she couldn't avoid it forever, she answered honestly.
“The Nine Demons Chamber was formed with the nine Demon Lords as its pillars, so the internal power struggle is immense. In their quest for dominance, if one of the nine shows any sign of weakness, the others attack without mercy.”
I already knew that much. What I found strange was how they were attacking so openly.
“To be honest, I didn't tell you because I was worried you would find it burdensome, Young Hero Eo. But since things have come to this, I will be frank.”
Ham Bi-hye lowered her voice so only I could hear.
But just as she was about to speak, Galwi approached us.
“I must confirm this.”
For some reason, the man was acting even more polite than before.
“Confirm what?” Ham Bi-hye asked with an annoyed face, her important explanation interrupted.
“Whether the great New Dragon of Sichuan, Young Hero Eo, can actually use Sound Transmission.”
“And why do you need to confirm that?”
Despite Ham Bi-hye’s questioning, Galwi didn't even look at her. He stared only at me.
See? In the end, he’s just that kind of guy.
Just because his pride was slightly bruised, he’s stepped forward to trample me down just to restore it.
There are people who, despite their high status or background, admit their faults and try to correct them. Such people deserve respect.
But there are many more who cannot endure even a minor slight and seek to punish the one who damaged their ego. They are the type who believe only their own pride is sacred.
Ultimately, this Galwi fellow was just another greenhorn who couldn't escape that category.
At first, I thought he was a true master because he remained composed even in the face of death. In reality, the Black Spirit Ten Guards possessed more of a master’s dignity than he did.
The reason he kept emphasizing Sound Transmission was that it was the easiest way to distinguish a master from an amateur.
For a master, Sound Transmission is basic. It’s said that once you have a full Jiazi of internal energy, it comes naturally. It’s not something someone teaches you; you can succeed just by hearing how to manipulate the blood paths.
Of course, advanced forms of communication like Wisdom Light Heart Language or Six Harmonies Voice Transmission are secret techniques that even masters cannot easily perform.
The funny thing is, even if anyone with a Jiazi of energy can do it, they still can't if they don't know which blood paths to use. Usually, a sect will teach the specific blood paths for Sound Transmission to any member who surpasses a Jiazi of energy. These paths can vary slightly from sect to sect.
But I had never heard of, nor even thought about, the blood paths for Sound Transmission, so I didn't know how to do it.
Furthermore, I didn't even have a full Jiazi yet—only about half a Jiazi of internal energy stored in my upper dantian. With that level of power, Sound Transmission was impossible.
He’s stabbing right at my weakness. What do I do?
No matter how I looked at it, even if someone told me the blood paths, I couldn't do it. I had no choice but to respond with my "Tongue Flicking Art" at the level of a divine skill.
I pretended to think for a moment while searching for the right words.
“I do not know how to use Sound Transmission.”
When I spoke to Galwi with a serious face, he suddenly burst into a triumphant roar of laughter.
“Hahahaha! I knew it! How can someone who can't even use Sound Transmission perform the Projectile Sword Style? You must be using some kind of sorcery!”
He was right. My method was sorcery, in a way. I was using the Golden Qi-Poisoning Bracelet. But a technique is still a technique.
I had anticipated that response and fired back.
“And what exactly is the problem with that?”
When I replied nonchalantly, his eyes narrowed.
“Ha! Are you asking because you don't know, or are you truly that ignorant? Sound Transmission is a technique that anyone capable of the Projectile Sword Style should naturally know.”
Sensing my opening, I spat out my prepared line.
“That is not how my late father taught me.”
“What? Then how did he teach you?”
I didn't miss the moment he reflexively responded and spoke quickly.
“My father told me that I should only learn Sound Transmission once I am able to hear all the sounds of the world.”
Galwi scoffed at my words.
“Nonsense. What was his reason for that?”
“He said that learning Sound Transmission sets a limit on one's martial arts.”
Galwi chuckled. He clearly thought I was just making things up because I had nothing else to say.
“That is preposterous.”
If he got tired and backed off now, great. If he kept pestering me, I still had more to say.
Admittedly, packaging my inability to use Sound Transmission in a plausible way was quite a headache. Since I didn't have the actual martial knowledge to argue theory, I had to recite the "wind and moon" philosophy I’d picked up from that failed scholar.
“Why is it preposterous?”
When I turned the question back on him, he gave a mocking smile.
“Sound Transmission is something that comes naturally as you build your cultivation and become a master. Your claim that it’s some grand martial secret is what’s absurd.”
He spoke loudly, intending for everyone to hear and to thoroughly humiliate me.
The members of the Blood Wind Squad nearby seemed to be listening intently to our conversation. Since Galwi and I were both rumored to be masters, they likely hoped to gain some martial insight from our debate.
If I backed down here, there was no telling what kind of treatment I’d receive once we reached the Nine Demons Chamber.
I can't lose here.
I had my secret weapon: my silver tongue.
I dredged up the martial theories I had pestered the Elder Third Rate into telling me, just for a moment like this.
“Martial arts can only be perfected when they are learned naturally, following the flow of providence. Is that not so?”
Since it was an undeniable truth, Galwi nodded.
“That is true.”
“That is how 'Accomplishment' is achieved. Accomplishment means achieving something by following the natural order. When we say we have achieved Threefold Accomplishment or Sevenfold Accomplishment in a sword technique, this is what we mean. Is it not?”
At my words, not only Galwi but also the Blood Wind Squad and the Demon Subjugation Group listened closely. Even Deputy Bu and Ham Bi-hye were staring at me with wide eyes.
This was getting a bit burdensome.
However, my tongue was already in motion, and the words flowed out like a mountain stream.
“When we speak of 'Great Achievement' in any martial art, we mean Tenfold Accomplishment. Is that not so?”
Since my words were fundamental truths of martial studies, everyone listening nodded.
“Yes. So what? Why are you stating things that even a beginner in a village dojo knows?”
He snapped at me, seemingly annoyed by my obvious points.
But the more he did, the more leisurely I continued.
“Have some patience and listen. Now, in the Demonic Arts, Great Achievement is called Tenfold Accomplishment. However, in the Orthodox Murim, you have likely heard people speak of Twelvefold Accomplishment when they reach Great Achievement. Do you know why?”
Galwi flinched slightly before replying.
“Isn't that all just nonsense? Twelvefold is just a subjective feeling. It’s just the bluster of Orthodox martial artists claiming they’ve surpassed the Tenfold limit. In that regard, the Unorthodox Murim is certainly much more honest.”
“It could be bluster, of course. However, in the Orthodox Murim, reaching Twelvefold Accomplishment means that one has learned martial arts according to the natural order, and thus the profound meanings have overflowed. Demonic Arts cannot do that. This is because the strength of Demonic Arts lies in simplification and specialization. Therefore, even if they are perfectly filled, they can only reach Tenfold Accomplishment; they cannot reach the theoretical completion of Twelvefold Accomplishment.”
Galwi jumped and shouted.
“That’s sophistry! You’re talking nonsense!”
Galwi was agitated. The leader of the Black Spirit Ten Guards stepped forward to calm him down.
“Ilwi, back off!”
Galwi was so furious he even snapped at the man trying to steady him.
My, my. You did such a good job pretending to be composed until now, only to crumble over this? What a greenhorn.
When Ilwi tried to stop him once more, Galwi flinched, cooled his anger, and spoke.
“Fine. Let’s say that’s true. What does any of this have to do with you not being able to use Sound Transmission?”
Oh? I tried to lead him down a side path by blurring the core issue, but he’s already back on track? Ilwi must have advised him.
“Do you still not understand? What I am saying is that I am studying martial arts according to the natural order. I am saying that this simple truth is the shortcut to Great Achievement in martial arts.”
I looked around after speaking, but not a single face looked impressed. It was because my words were too plain and ordinary.
I suppose I have to start using the fancy terminology now.