The Black Bear's Trap
While Yang So-dang went upstairs to fetch the uncle Song Chae-ji had mentioned, Namgung Woo followed her outside the inn. The main road in front of the establishment had been transformed into a makeshift dueling ground by the Black Bear Gang's thugs. Several of their warriors were controlling the civilians trying to pass through, while the crowd that had gathered at the rumor of a fight naturally formed a boundary around the area.
When Song Chae-ji strode boldly into the empty space encircled by the wall of spectators, the man who appeared to be the leader of the Black Bear Gang's group—clearly waiting for her—twisted the corner of his mouth into a sneer.
The remark was clearly aimed at Song Chae-ji. Namgung Woo subtly raised his still-unfamiliar inner energy and observed the man. A faint blue light gleamed in his eyes.
His foundation is quite solid.
Before Namgung Woo's thoughts could delve any deeper, Song Chae-ji's clear voice rang out.
"Hmph, of course. Don't worry. We have no desire to escalate a trivial matter like this into a full conflict between factions either."
"If it was truly trivial, you should have backed off appropriately."
"We've already settled things with every other inn except this one. There's no point in making an exception now and tarnishing our group's reputation. Enough talk—let's begin."
The man drew the large saber strapped to his back. The sharp killing intent rising from its well-maintained blade was quite menacing. Weapons had been drawn. There was no turning back now.
Song Chae-ji drew her sword in response and assumed a ready stance.
The man's expression soured at Song Chae-ji's introduction of her background, but he still responded—albeit grudgingly—for the sake of the surrounding spectators.
There was no official judge, but it didn't matter. At that moment, the empty space prepared on the main road became a world belonging solely to Song Chae-ji and Pung Hyo.
Namgung Woo stood near the inn entrance as if guarding it, watching the two face off. While both sides slowly circled, seeking openings in their opponent's guard, Namgung Woo mulled over their earlier conversation.
Hengshan Sect, huh...
It was a sect Namgung Woo knew well. It had appeared in Chukrok Murim, but even before that, it was one of the recognizable names from the Five Great Sword Sects in wuxia novels.
If we're talking about famous sects in Shanxi Province, Hengshan is pretty much the only one.
But something felt off. While the Hengshan Sect was considered weaker than the Nine Great Schools, it was still one of the prestigious orthodox sects. Would they really hesitate to go to war with a mere Black Dao faction like this?
From what Namgung Woo could see, Pung Hyo's martial prowess wasn't particularly impressive. Unless Song Chae-ji let her guard down or made a mistake, she should win without much difficulty.
Is he just a low-ranking member, then? Maybe the gang leader is an incredible expert. Or perhaps the Hengshan Sect has fallen into decline.
If none of those were true, then the Black Bear Gang must have powerful backers supporting them from behind the scenes.
Just as Namgung Woo was roughly piecing together the power structure of Shanxi's martial world, the two combatants' blades finally clashed.
Clang!
The sound was far too heavy to be mere steel striking steel. Both Song Chae-ji and Pung Hyo had infused their weapons with abundant inner energy. A faint vibration spread from their qi-infused blades. It fell short of being called a true sword cry, but it was the unmistakable realm of Sword Qi Infusion—filling one's blade with energy and treating the sword as an extension of one's own limbs.
They both must have realized it from that exchange. Song Chae-ji is clearly superior.
At some point, Namgung Woo's eyes had gone beyond a deep blue and now burned with a white-hot sky-blue glow. The flow of energy circulating through both fighters' bodies and extending into their blades was completely visible to him.
Neither had reached the level where they could freely manipulate their inner power at will. Even so, there was a clear difference in skill. Song Chae-ji was executing her techniques half a breath faster.
Moreover, her inner energy itself is far purer.
The only reason Pung Hyo was holding on was his purely physical superiority. No matter how much martial artists transcended human limits, the innate difference in strength between men and women didn't simply vanish. That gap might become meaningless at higher realms, but for fighters at Song Chae-ji and Pung Hyo's level, it was still a significant factor.
Still, she's gradually pushing him back. The moment his energy wavers and he takes a hit from a weighted strike, it'll be over for Pung Hyo.
Even while predicting the outcome with near-perfect foresight, Namgung Woo found himself completely absorbed in the duel. It was fascinating. The way these two fought. The mysterious yet immature movements of their inner energy. What would he have done in their place?
Fighting while suppressing his inner power was something Namgung Woo was quite familiar with. During his sparring sessions with Namgung Mae, he had always limited his energy to match her level. If he had been Pung Hyo, or if he had been Song Chae-ji, how would he have fought?
The entire process of hypothesizing and predicting outcomes felt incredibly fresh to him. The vivid sense of life that Chukrok Murim could never provide continuously stimulated his curiosity.
That was a shame. If she'd used a feint instead of that horizontal strike just now, she could have ended it.
Namgung Woo, who had been immersed to the point of losing himself, only snapped back to awareness when someone began tugging insistently at his sleeve. Following the hand, he saw Yang So-dang—who must have returned at some point—clutching his sleeve tightly with an anxious expression.
Namgung Woo gently stroked the head of the teary-eyed girl looking up at him. Perhaps it was the warmth of his touch, but Yang So-dang's expression brightened just a little.
After comforting Yang So-dang, Namgung Woo offered a slight nod of greeting to the man standing beside her, leaning on her for support. His battered appearance spoke volumes about what he had endured. He must have gone to confront the Black Bear Gang's tyranny and gotten thoroughly beaten. Still, it was fortunate that nothing seemed broken.
"Yes. I am deeply grateful to your daughter."
"Not at all. It's only natural to help someone in need..."
Through those words, Namgung Woo could see where Yang So-dang's altruism came from. With a father who considered giving to others as a matter of course, it was only natural that she had inherited that character.
He wasn't sure exactly what relationship Song Chae-ji had with the father and daughter, but he could vaguely understand why she was going to such lengths to help them. The warm feeling in his chest was punctuated by the sight of Song Chae-ji, who—with a sharp metallic ring—deflected Pung Hyo's large saber and pointed her sword tip directly at his throat.
A satisfied, triumphant smile bloomed across Song Chae-ji's face, filled with satisfaction and joy. Pung Hyo, seemingly unperturbed, simply raised both hands with a calm expression.
The moment Pung Hyo verbally admitted defeat, cheers erupted from the watching crowd.
The Black Bear Gang's reputation within Pyeongyo County was far from favorable. This incident alone proved it. They were a faction that colluded with the local magistrate to commit the atrocity of forcing sales at absurdly low prices. To the people of Pyeongyo who had been oppressed by such villains, Song Chae-ji's victory over the Black Bear Gang in the duel was something to celebrate.
But their joy lasted only that long.
The moment Song Chae-ji sheathed her sword, Pung Hyo spoke.
"What?"
At the completely unexpected words, a bewildered question burst from Song Chae-ji's lips.
"Nonsense! You just admitted with your own mouth that you lost..."
Pung Hyo smiled viciously. They said that when anger reaches its peak, words fail you—and that was exactly the state of Song Chae-ji's mind right now. As she stared at Pung Hyo with her mouth agape and an expression of utter disbelief, the man called Jin Chung approached with heavy steps.
"Th-that's ridiculous!"
Namgung Woo couldn't stop Yang So-dang as she burst forward from beside him. Even he had been inwardly exclaiming at the audacity of that logic.
"Wh-what kind of nonsense is that?!"
Jin Chung spoke coldly to Yang So-dang, who had stepped between them as if to protect Song Chae-ji.
The Black Bear Gang. True to their Black Dao nature, they were perfectly in sync. Jin Chung's threat, followed by Pung Hyo's mocking laughter, crushed Yang So-dang's courage.
Song Chae-ji gently pulled Yang So-dang behind her with a soft touch. Then she returned threat for threat.
Taiyuan—the provincial capital and heart of Shanxi. Could the Black Bear Gang's brazen behavior be backed by powerful support from there? Song Chae-ji's brows furrowed deeply. Her discomfort was obvious.
Song Chae-ji declared boldly, raising her momentum once more. The crowd let out admiring gasps at the heroic demeanor of the female warrior, but Namgung Woo judged the situation coldly.
She's letting her emotions get the better of her.
It was true that Song Chae-ji was stronger than Pung Hyo, but the gap wasn't large. The previous duel had already consumed a great deal of her stamina and inner energy. Continuing with a wheel battle like this? It was reckless. Unless she suddenly gained enlightenment and leaped to a higher realm, defeat was inevitable.
She must know that. Then again, she looks like she's barely twenty, if that.
Even that was generous coming from Namgung Woo. Saying she was in her teens would make it strange for her to travel alone, so he estimated around twenty—but judging purely by appearance, even twenty seemed too old.
"Jin Chung's martial arts are roughly on par with Big Brother Pung Hyo's."
The duel resumed. Watching Song Chae-ji fight more defensively than before, Namgung Woo secretly clenched and unclenched his fists. Little by little, his inner energy began to circulate through his meridians.
It looks like I'll have to step in. This is the perfect opportunity to repay my debt.
His inner power still felt awkward. Namgung Woo examined his body's meridians using only a single strand of true qi. His experience from Chukrok Murim wasn't completely useless. The sensation was somewhat similar.
Control is key. Control.
After all, it would be problematic if he accidentally killed someone.