The Yellow Dragon Tiger
Namgung Woo broke away from the street where the Wudang Sect’s desperate assault and the Rebel Cloud Gang had clashed, then sprinted straight for the Jegal Family’s manor. With every long stride he took, the surrounding scenery shot backward like a rushing gale.
I have to hurry.
Namgung Woo had also recognized the source of the explosive roar that had erupted from the Jegal Family’s grounds. How could he not? To someone who had attained transcendent senses, even the acrid stench of gunpowder and the thick clouds of smoke rising into the air were perfectly clear.
The Jegal Family’s defensive barrier had collapsed. What remained was a brutal melee—a pure contest of individual strength. Paeng Ha-ryeong, Geumsin, Yang Kvae, and Yang Jeong were all formidable experts who could be dropped anywhere without causing him much worry, but the Rebel Cloud Gang was on an entirely different level.
Using gunpowder… Even so, is it really acceptable to detonate gunpowder weapons so openly in the Murim world?
He decided to ask the Jegal Family or Paeng Ha-ryeong about that later. For now, Namgung Woo spread his qi perception as widely as possible. Within the expanded domain of his senses, countless auras were captured. His thoughts, accelerated by the heat of battle, swiftly sorted through them and locked onto the ones he sought.
They haven’t joined up. Three and two… Ha-ryeong is with Jegal Seon-a.
They were not the only ones. The Jegal Family’s manor had become a battlefield of chaos, with skirmishes breaking out everywhere. True to their reputation as the Jegal Family’s elite, they were responding to the sudden ambush with composure, yet they were steadily being pushed back.
More than half of those fighting against the Jegal Family emitted wildly different auras, so they were undoubtedly members of the Rebel Cloud Gang. However, the especially powerful qi waves Namgung Woo detected belonged to people he already knew.
They were the auras of Myeolseomma and the warriors of the Myeoljinmun Sect he led. The clash between the only two Transcendent Realm experts present—Jegal Chong, the Jegal Family Head, and Neungun Daeju—was fierce enough to shake the heavens.
The aura of the Black Sword Ghost, whom he had fought directly, was nowhere to be felt. It seemed the man had been assigned to draw the attention of the Righteous Path martial artists somewhere within Wuhan Castle.
Priority is Ha-ryeong first.
The opponents Geumsin and the Yang brothers faced were not particularly threatening. The three of them should be able to handle it. But Paeng Ha-ryeong and Jegal Seon-a were different. The level of enemies swarming them was far too high for just the two of them to hold back.
Starting from over there… Hm?
He had been about to raise the output of his true qi even further, sensing danger, when a new aura suddenly flared up. It was on a level comparable to that of Neungun Daeju or Myeolseomma, whom he had detected earlier. If that belonged to an enemy force—if it was someone from the Rebel Cloud Gang—then Paeng Ha-ryeong and Jegal Seon-a’s lives would truly be in peril.
Namgung Woo attempted to activate one of the abilities from the Geumgyegyeong that he had not yet fully mastered. The pinnacle of light footwork—Chukjiseongchon, shrinking the earth into inches. It was a realm he had not yet reached, but if he combined the Geumgyegyeong ability with his Cheonrihojeong…
He drew forth the Gongnyeong Singi from his upper dantian and tried to channel it toward his feet. But the moment the energy reached his solar plexus, Namgung Woo released his control over the qi.
An ally…?
The expert he had perceived as a threat had positioned himself protectively in front of Paeng Ha-ryeong and Jegal Seon-a, beginning to block the enemies. For the time being, they had escaped immediate danger. Still, there was a slim chance the man might suddenly turn and threaten the two, so Namgung Woo did not change course and continued charging forward at full speed.
By the time Namgung Woo arrived at their location, the man had just finished clearing out the surrounding enemies.
“Stop right there.”
Namgung Woo spoke with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. The man who had been approaching Paeng Ha-ryeong and Jegal Seon-a turned his head, meeting Namgung Woo’s gaze.
At a glance, he appeared to be a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties. However, considering that the higher one’s martial realm, the further one moved from the signs of aging—and that reaching the highest stages could even reverse the flow of time—he might well be over fifty. His bold, thick-featured face left a strong impression. There were no traces of demonic or heretical arts. He fought with bare fists, carrying no weapon. Judging by the blood on the back of his hands, his primary martial art was likely fist techniques.
The middle-aged man asked, “And you are?”
“I suppose you could call me their guardian.”
“Is that so? Then you must be that fellow Nam Woo.”
“You know me?”
Namgung Woo’s aura instantly turned aggressive. The moment his refined qi surged sharply, Paeng Ha-ryeong rushed over in a panic to explain.
“G-Gaga! This person is someone we can trust!”
“You know him?”
“If I said I know him… well, I suppose I do.”
“You don’t recognize me? This is quite the interesting feeling after so long.”
The middle-aged man’s tone did not sound offended. Rather, he seemed genuinely curious and amused.
Jegal Seon-a picked up where Paeng Ha-ryeong had left off. “This is the great hero I Ho-yeong, the Yellow Dragon Tiger.”
“Yellow Dragon Tiger? Ah, one of the only three Transcendent Realm experts among the vagabonds?”
The Vagabond King, the Yellow Dragon Tiger, and the Undefeated Battle Guest. These were the three supreme masters who stood at the pinnacle of the countless thousands upon thousands of vagabond martial artists. While the Vagabond King was universally acknowledged as the strongest, the one who earned respect from the entire Murim world despite being a vagabond was the Yellow Dragon Tiger. The single character for “hero” in his title described I Ho-yeong better than anything else. Though he was called a vagabond or a wandering hero, even the Righteous Path martial artists—who usually looked down on vagabonds—addressed him as “great hero” and showed him genuine respect.
I Ho-yeong gave a refreshing smile and said, “Originally, I planned to observe the situation a little longer before stepping in. But after seeing this mess, there was no longer any need to wait. Using gunpowder in a Murim conflict? That’s completely beyond the pale. The Rebel Cloud Gang has crossed the line.”
I Ho-yeong’s words had begun lightly, but as he continued, they grew heavier, filled with rising anger and fighting spirit. The way his emotions influenced even the surrounding qi was truly characteristic of a Transcendent Realm expert.
“More importantly, it looks like you have somewhere you need to be, junior. Leave this place to me and go on ahead. How does that sound?”
“…Thank you for your help.”
“It’s only natural. Besides, I’m also helping a promising junior and the Jegal Family, who are currently standing on the edge of a cliff.”
“I apologize for my rudeness earlier as well.”
I Ho-yeong lightly shook his head. “No need. It was nothing. Don’t worry about it. It was a perfectly natural reaction.”
I Ho-yeong casually dismissed Namgung Woo’s earlier display of killing intent as if it were nothing at all.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“…Wait!”
The one who stopped Namgung Woo as he was about to leave the eye of the storm was Jegal Seon-a. She had instinctively called out to him, but now wore an expression that said she had no idea what to do next. The way she looked startled and flustered by her own actions reminded him of a frightened small animal. Without thinking, Namgung Woo reached out and placed his hand on top of her head.
The moment he felt the smooth texture of her hair against his palm, Namgung Woo realized his mistake—but he had already climbed onto the tiger’s back. Pretending it had been intentional, he gently stroked her hair a few times before withdrawing his hand.
“Don’t worry. I will definitely keep my promise.”
“I-I want to go with…”
“Wait here.”
“…Yes.”
Jegal Seon-a answered with her head bowed deeply, both hands clasped tightly together. Though her face was hidden, the tips of her ears peeking through her falling hair had turned bright red.
Paeng Ha-ryeong, who had been watching Jegal Seon-a closely, opened her mouth, then firmly pressed her lips together. She gave a bitter smile and said, “Have a safe trip, Gaga. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Yeah. I’m counting on you, Great Hero I.”
“The pleasure is mine.”
As Namgung Woo’s back grew distant after their farewells, I Ho-yeong murmured with a look of fond envy, “How enviable. Youth really is something.”
Dongbang Hwa blocked the lightning that came crashing down on him from a clear sky.
A Taiji formation drawn in the air. Taiji Yeokmudo. It completely inverted the very foundation of the Wudang Sect, embodying the principle of using softness to break hardness rather than the usual using hardness to control softness. The technique, which stood on the boundary between sorcery and martial arts, neutralized the lightning qi and dispersed the impact.
Although he had not poured his full power into the surprise attack, it had been executed without the slightest flaw—an Ilseomgeukgwang. The massive force contained within that single sword strike was unraveled by the Taiji Yeokmudo and sent flying back in reverse according to its subtle principles.
KWOOOOONG—!
Namgung Woo twisted his body midair, dodging the rebound force that had gathered above the Taiji Yeokmudo formation. Since deploying the Taiji Yeokmudo had been Dongbang Hwa’s limit, he chose to create distance rather than launch a second or third attack.
Without even giving him time to catch his breath, Namgung Woo’s sword came rushing toward Dongbang Hwa. Following Ilseomgeukgwang came Doreobeonun. The combination that had left Lee Ja-ryong in tatters now bared its gleaming fangs at Dongbang Hwa’s vital point.
“Your inner energy is ridiculous! Did you swallow a Great Rejuvenation Pill or something?”
However, Dongbang Hwa was different from Lee Ja-ryong. While Lee Ja-ryong had reached a high level in both sorcery and martial arts, he had been severely lacking in real combat experience. In contrast, Dongbang Hwa was a true veteran who had been through every kind of battle imaginable.
His movements were as light as if he were stepping on clouds. Using the famous Wudang Sect’s secret footwork, Jeyunjong, Dongbang Hwa’s figure soared into the air.
Namgung Woo did not pursue. He released the sword gang he had condensed with Cheonroe Singi and replaced it with Changgung Singi from his middle dantian. A short, decisive battle would not work against this opponent. For a prolonged fight, the Changgung Daeyeon Singong was more suitable.
Yet that very action only confirmed Dongbang Hwa’s suspicions.
“Unbelievable…! That true qi, that martial art! There’s no doubt. No doubt at all!”
Dongbang Hwa burst into laughter as if in disbelief. Jegal Chong gathered every last bit of his remaining qi, intending to coordinate with Namgung Woo to take the man down. Just before Namgung Woo could dash forward using the Muhanbo footwork, Dongbang Hwa spoke once more.
“You bastard… You’re from the Namgung Clan!”