Chapter 31: Appearing in the Murim (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 31: Appearing in the Murim (4)
Seo-jun followed the trail of disrupted Qi.
Beside him, Chun-bong kept sighing and lamenting. It was a bit distracting, but since it wasn't anything new, he didn't let it bother him too much.
It’s not my fault I’m so talented.
As they walked, a jarring splash of red caught his eye amidst the lush green forest.
Bandit corpses.
The bodies were strewn along the path, cut down from behind as they tried to flee. Seo-jun stroked his chin.
"He definitely lost his cool."
It was understandable, of course.
If your daughter was kidnapped by bandits, it would be weirder to stay calm. If Chun-bong had been taken, Seo-jun would have drawn his blade and slaughtered them all without a second thought, too.
"He must have some decent skill."
Chun-bong raised an eyebrow as she examined the blade marks on the corpses.
"He killed most of them with a single strike. He’s no nameless martial artist."
"But I beat him, didn't I?"
"Yeah, yeah, you’re the best, kid."
Seo-jun chuckled as they continued on.
After a short walk, a cluster of presences finally brushed against the edge of his Qi Sensing.
"Found them."
"What’s the plan?"
"What do you mean? We’re charging in."
Seo-jun plucked a leaf from a low-hanging branch. Blue energy shimmered in his palm, and the leaf instantly froze solid.
"Let’s see…"
Tap. His figure lightly soared upward. Reaching the top of a tree in a single bound, he peered into the distance and spotted the bandits’ den.
Wang… what was his name again? Anyway, the camp was in an uproar, likely because news of the man’s rampage had finally reached them.
Bandits were shouting and herding several women into a building. Judging by their disheveled appearances, they were captives as well.
Among them, one little girl stood out. A bandit held the wailing, struggling child aloft with one hand, shouting orders at the others.
"Is that her?"
"She’s just a brat."
Seo-jun gave Chun-bong an incredulous look as she landed on the branch beside him.
"She looks about the same age as you."
"…I look like that?"
"Yeah."
The girl looked to be about elementary school age. That was exactly how Chun-bong had looked when he first met her. Now, she had grown just enough to pass for a middle schooler.
"Sigh… my baby fat…"
"There she goes again."
"Hey, this is a serious matter!"
Seo-jun grumbled as he observed the bandits. It looked like they intended to use the kid as a hostage. He couldn't understand why that Wang guy had mindlessly slaughtered everyone in his path instead of just sneaking in.
"Well, for now…"
Crackle. Seo-jun crushed the frozen leaf in his hand.
He had considered opening with the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Finger, but collateral damage was out of the question given the situation. Instead, a massive amount of Qi began to condense at the very tip of his index finger.
"Whew…"
As he exhaled, a misty white breath escaped his lips.
Chun-bong’s expression darkened as she watched him.
He’s going to run out of internal energy at this rate.
Sometimes she forgot, but Seo-jun had only been learning martial arts for about a year. Internal energy was something built up slowly over time. There was a reason old masters were feared—for a martial artist, time spent cultivating was raw power.
She kept her mouth shut to avoid distracting him. Seo-jun extended his hand toward the bandit camp.
"I’ll show you the marksmanship of an Air Force Sergeant."
"Sergeant?"
Was this guy a soldier? As Chun-bong tilted her head in confusion—
Phut!
The condensed Finger Pellet shot forward at an impossible speed.
Whiz!
In the blink of an eye, a neat hole appeared right between the eyes of the bandit holding the girl.
As the bandit collapsed, his entire head freezing solid, shouts of alarm erupted throughout the camp.
"Let’s go!"
Seo-jun charged in immediately. Chun-bong drew her sword and followed close behind.
Swoosh.
Landing beside the little girl in an instant, Seo-jun cleared his throat.
"Ahem! Alright, gentlemen bandits. None of you will have any right to complain when you die, right?"
"Y-You’re that guy…!"
One of the bandits recognized him. It was the same one Seo-jun had caught trying to run away earlier.
"Oh, hi there."
Seo-jun smirked and stomped his foot hard.
Boom!
The ground shook, and flames erupted.
"F-Fire…!"
"There, there. It’s okay."
Seo-jun pulled the startled child into his arms.
Yang energy is active. Compared to Yin energy, it has a much stronger tendency to spread. As Seo-jun intentionally diffused his Yang energy, the bandit camp was engulfed in flames in an instant.
"F-Fire…!"
"It’s hot…! Wait, it’s not hot?"
"It’s a trick! Kill him now!"
The bandits rushed forward. Seo-jun nodded after confirming the building where the women were being held.
Yin-Yang Reversal.
He pressed his hand to the ground and instantly converted the Yang energy he had spread into Yin energy.
Cr-cr-crack!
A sudden, frozen silence fell over the camp. Seeing the result, Seo-jun nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad."
He patted the back of the child in his arms. Chun-bong walked over with a steady stride.
"Is the kid okay?"
"Yeah. Probably?"
He pulled the child back slightly to check her face. She had a few bruises, likely from the bandits, but she didn't seem to have any major injuries.
"Ugh…!"
However, the moment her eyes met Seo-jun’s, she began to sob uncontrollably.
"Waaaaah… Daddy…!"
The child clung to Seo-jun, tears streaming down her face. Holding her tight, Seo-jun walked toward the building where the women were trapped.
"Hey, is your internal energy okay? You’re not overdoing it, are you?"
Chun-bong tugged at his sleeve. Seo-jun patted her head.
"I’m perfectly fine. I can just refill my internal energy through cultivation anyway."
Besides, if you used it efficiently from the start, you rarely ran out.
"Really? Then do you want to cultivate for a bit? I’ll stand guard for you."
"I’m doing it right now."
"Huh? What kind of bullshit is that?"
Chun-bong stared at Seo-jun blankly before jumping in surprise.
"W-Wait…! Seriously!?"
"Yeah. It works."
Normally, cultivating while moving would be an act of madness, but he had figured it out while researching protective energy techniques. It seemed his enlightenment regarding Taiji had played a bigger role than the protective energy itself.
"No, fuck, how does that make sense? The…"
Chun-bong glanced at the child in his arms before continuing.
"The martial art I taught you isn't a moving meditation technique!"
"If you focus enough, anything is possible."
"No! I’m telling you, it’s not!"
"But it’s working."
"Agh, fuck!"
Chun-bong threw a fit. The child seemed frightened by her outburst and clung even tighter to Seo-jun.
"O-Oppa… Seo-ryeong is scared…"
"There, there. It’s okay."
"Mm… Hehe."
For some reason, Chun-bong’s glare seemed to sharpen.
Nah, surely not. She can't be jealous of a kid.
*
Approaching the building where the women were held, Seo-jun placed his hand on the frozen door.
Shatter!
The sound of ice breaking echoed out. But it wasn't a sound Seo-jun had made.
"One of them survived."
Seo-jun turned his head. A man with a messy, unkempt beard approached, grinding his teeth.
"You… you damn bastard."
"You’re a brave one. You should have just run away."
"Damn it all. Running is not an option for a real man."
"Hmm."
Why would someone with that kind of mindset choose to be a bandit? He was an utterly incomprehensible fellow.
Seo-jun sighed and was about to step forward, but Chun-bong drew her sword first.
"A man? Don't make me laugh. Stop talking nonsense and come at me."
"…Now even a pathetic brat is looking down on me."
The man, likely the chief of this camp, stomped his foot and lunged forward. Murky green Blade Qi coated his broad blade.
In contrast, Chun-bong moved as lightly as if she were taking a stroll.
Her sword rose gracefully, like a dancer, and coiled around the man’s descending blade.
Screech!
With the sound of grinding metal, the man’s broad blade was deflected upward.
"What…!"
The man’s eyes widened. Chun-bong walked past him with an indifferent stride.
Thud.
The man’s head hit the dirt.
Chun-bong flicked the platinum-colored Sword Qi from her blade and let out a cold sneer.
"Pathetic."
Has she been stressed lately? Chun-bong had become quite fierce.
"Now, now, Chun-bong. Be a good girl. You shouldn't use such bad words."
"Shut up."
Chun-bong grumbled as she sheathed her sword.
Seo-jun patted her head while reflecting on the sword technique she had just displayed.
While she used the Azure Cloud Divine Art to manipulate energy close to Yin, her aura felt more like absolute stillness than sheer coldness.
Indeed… thinking that Yin energy is just cold is a prejudice.
While it did possess such properties, one shouldn't equate Yin energy solely with ice. If anything, wouldn't ice fall under the Water attribute of the Five Elements?
Just moments ago, he had spread his Yang energy like fire, yet it wasn't actually hot like real flames.
"The Five Elements…"
Since the Five Elements were ultimately derivatives of the two poles of Yin and Yang, there was no reason he couldn't master them. He wondered if he’d end up using elemental magic later on.
Lost in thought, he snapped back to reality to find Chun-bong staring at him.
"Are you done?"
"Yeah."
As he nodded, Chun-bong walked over and pulled open the door to the building.
Creeak—
The women inside flinched in fear at the sound.
But when they saw Chun-bong, their eyes widened, and one woman cautiously spoke up.
"Um… excuse me…"
"The bandits have all been dealt with, so you can come out now."
"O-Oh…! Thank you…! Thank you so much…!"
The woman collapsed and began to cry. As if it were contagious, the other women began to sob one by one.
The woman who had spoken first crawled to Seo-jun’s feet, still weeping, and bowed repeatedly. It seemed she hadn't even considered that Chun-bong might have been the one to save them.
"Thank… thank you…"
"Ah, yes. Please, stand up…"
"No, it’s alright… Thank you so much…"
He wondered just how horribly those bandits had treated them, but one look at the women’s state provided the answer. The signs of the unspeakable things they had endured were vivid.
It seemed they hadn't touched the child, at least, but then why had they kidnapped her? Unless they were sick pedophiles, there was no reason to take her. But if they were sick pedophiles, it was strange that they hadn't laid a finger on her yet.
Seo-jun adjusted his hold on the child and quirked an eyebrow.
"Let’s go for now."
He decided it would be best to return the child to that Wang guy first. He could always come back and loot the camp later.