Chapter 245
Chapter 245
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Breaking the White Sword (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Chu Un-hwi asked the newly released Yahul Cheok.
"Why were you captured here?"
"I was trying to infiltrate the Twin Dragon Sect. And I failed."
"With your skills, you could have taken them out in one go and escaped."
"The Green Net Sect dumps bodies into the seas controlled by the Twin Dragon Sect whenever one appears. I was biding my time for that."
"So you played dead?"
"I have to get revenge on the Twin Dragon Sect."
Despite his slender build and scholarly appearance that made him seem more like a scholar than a warrior when silent, Yahul Cheok was tenacious.
His eyes gleamed with venomous intent, like a fighting cock ready to plunge a dagger into a heart without hesitation.
"Your needlework was impressive. Didn't you consider taking revenge yourself?"
"I failed. I couldn't even get close to the Four Lords, let alone the Ten Swords."
"Not even ten exchanges with the Ten Swords?"
Even a brief glance revealed that Yahul Cheok's martial prowess was far from low.
He had reached the peak of the supreme realm, gazing toward the transcendent.
An ambiguous level, but one laced with enough poison to easily kill even fellow experts of the same caliber.
"With your poison skills, you could have toppled them somehow."
"The Ten Swords are strong. Their dual sword techniques are troublesome enough, but the sword formation they deploy together could kill even transcendent masters."
"I see."
"Dying for revenge isn't regrettable, but throwing away my life in vain without killing the enemy would be meaningless, wouldn't it?"
Even consumed by hatred for his foes, Yahul Cheok clearly distinguished what he could and couldn't do.
This is his greatest strength.
He relentlessly researched the most efficient ways to kill his enemies without giving up.
Something a mere revenge-obsessed madman couldn't achieve.
"It's not fear of death. What I fear most is failing to exact revenge. If I accomplish my goal, I wouldn't mind dying right after."
Just look at how he subtly gauged the possibilities before immediately setting aside his pride.
"Can you really help me with my revenge?"
"I have a question. Why do you seek revenge on the Twin Dragon Sect?"
"It's personal."
Yahul Cheok, who had been gauging the situation, finally spoke.
"I've lived a harsh life. I've done anything to survive—from lowly thug to rigging gambling dens."
"Go on."
"Eventually, connections led me to learn a fragment of martial arts. But without a master, I fell into qi deviation."
Unlike orthodox martial arts, unorthodox ones were savage and dangerous. Falling into qi deviation while practicing alone was common.
"And then?"
"Half-paralyzed and dying, someone saved me. They were herbalists."
Nothing particularly surprising.
"Despite their meager means, they cared for me with utmost sincerity. Thanks to them, I barely recovered my internal energy."
His voice suddenly turned fierce.
"But the Twin Dragon Sect killed them."
"Were they perhaps江湖 folk?"
"No. They were commoners digging herbs and tilling fields. The sect slaughtered the couple for not paying tribute and even took their child. Later, the child's body washed up from the sea."
"...I see."
"It was an adorable child. The kid would carefully thread herbs onto a string and give them to me. The day I found the body, I buried it properly and made my resolve. I would have my revenge."
It was a commonplace death in the martial world, but Yahul Cheok said,
"I have no grand cause. It's purely personal grudge."
"With your skills, you could have attained wealth and glory. There might be other ways to get revenge. Is there a real need to do it yourself?"
"Time dulls the heart."
Yahul Cheok declared without hesitation.
"I believe revenge means something only when done while my hatred remains sharp."
With that, he cautiously added,
"I'm not seeking some great justice. I'm fighting the Twin Dragon Sect for entirely personal reasons. You might think it's not worth risking your life for..."
"Haha. No, it's more than enough."
Most martial artists change as their skills grow.
They consider themselves superior to the unskilled and often forget favors from those ignorant of even a single technique.
But Yahul Cheok hadn't forgotten the family that cared for him and was willing to forsake everything for revenge.
Good thing he's the Yahul Cheok I remember.
- Boss. I owe you big time.
The memory of him charging alone at the Mangcheon Society's pursuit squad after those words made him chuckle involuntarily.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Makes me think the martial world is still worth living in."
"You're a strange one."
Yahul Cheok replied awkwardly with an expressionless face, his eyes then gleaming.
"Really. Will you help with my revenge?"
"If you accept my offer."
"You'll help with revenge in exchange for becoming your subordinate. I'll keep the promise. Trading one grudge for one bond isn't a bad deal."
"Haha. You won't regret it. But the Twin Dragon Sect alone won't cut it. I plan to crush both the First and Second Dragons, along with all their Imugi."
"Ho-oh?"
Yahul Cheok responded with curious interest.
"Then there's a place we should go first."
Having accepted the offer, Yahul Cheok returned shortly after.
Washed clean and dressed in proper clothes, he looked nothing like the beggar from moments ago.
"My lord. Is that the same person?"
Dan-ya even asked, as Yahul Cheok—with his beard shaved and hair neatly combed—exuded a striking aura.
A sharp presence like a honed sword, combined with a refined scholarly air.
Only his venomous eyes created an unapproachable atmosphere.
"Follow me."
For some reason, something had changed in his demeanor, and Yahul Cheok took the lead.
"You two, follow from the shadows."
"Yes!"
"Got it, my lord."
Dan-ya and Myo-gwang melted into the surroundings.
The place Yahul Cheok led them to was a small sect in a corner of Fujian Province.
"Nosopa. They have ties to the Green Net Sect."
"Is that so?"
As they followed him in, a few inside recognized Yahul Cheok and their eyes lit up.
"Yahul Cheok? How are you here?"
"I thought Gold Prohibition Brother took you away."
Hostile glares flew at him, but Yahul Cheok didn't flinch.
His guts are definitely top-tier.
Pushing up his bamboo hat slightly to watch, Yahul Cheok extended his hand.
"Can I borrow it for a bit?"
"No reason not to."
He handed over a sword recovered from the corpses in the warehouse, and Yahul Cheok pressed his thumb to the blade and flicked it.
Zing zing zing zing.
The clear sword cry confirmed it was a fine blade worthy of being called a famed sword.
If a Thousand Sword is this good, how impressive is a White Sword?
Even Yahul Cheok seemed surprised by the sword's resonance.
"No wonder everyone covets them. Fits perfectly."
"Need any help?"
"I'll handle as much as I can on my own first. Only call for aid after."
As he swung the sword to get a feel, murmurs arose from all around.
"It's Gold Brother's sword."
"You're mad, Yahul Cheok. Stealing a Thousand Sword."
"Kill him. For a non-Thousand Sword Lord to wield it is a capital offense."
Shing. Shiiiing.
Swords were drawn sharply from everywhere.
"I'll be off."
Ignoring the killing intent pouring from all sides, Yahul Cheok dangled the sword from his loose sleeve and strode into the heart of Nosopa.
Whoosh whoosh.
Still flicking his wrist wildly to gauge the weight.
"Feels right."
"Die!"
Yahul Cheok bared his teeth in a grin toward the charging Nosopa members.
What followed was indiscriminate slaughter.
Sword qi erupted like pent-up rage, sweeping through the Nosopa members in an instant.
Slash!
"Kuhk!"
Splatter!
"Y-You're supposed to be just a farmer... Ack!"
While they were off-guard, over ten members became corpses rolling on the ground.
"Hoo."
Yahul Cheok, holding his sword amid the bodies he'd created, let out a long breath.
"All done."
"Seems so. Why start here?"
"These scum were rude to my benefactor. I've wanted to kill them for a while."
It seemed Yahul Cheok's revenge involved methodically cutting down the enemy from the very bottom.
"They embezzled my benefactor's tribute and caused him hardship for a time. Plenty of reason to die."
His neat expression contrasted eerily with the blood speckling his cheeks.
"Some are still alive."
He slit the throats of the groaning survivors, killed even the chained dog barking in a corner, and laughed.
"You damn mutt, you bit that cute kid's leg, didn't you?"
Stab stab.
The dog's corpse, spilling hot blood, flopped limply under the shower of blade strikes.
"Next are the bastards who insulted my benefactor's wife."
Without pause, as he advanced radiating killing intent, Dan-ya popped out from thin air with an ambiguous expression.
"M-my lord. Aren't youngest siblings supposed to be cute and pitiful? Why is this one so ferocious?"
Why, indeed.
- Thunderbolt of a Thousand Battles, Yahul Cheok.
He's the battle maniac no one could rein in, even in my past life.
The next stop after Nosopa was a trading house with a ornate signboard.
"You bastard! What brings you here?"
Yahul Cheok glared at the burly, bearded warrior who bellowed first.
"I'll be off."
Just like at Nosopa, it turned into a one-sided massacre.
Stab stab stab stab.
Unlike Nosopa, Yahul Cheok struggled against the charging guards.
Slash!
His back was sliced.
Stab stab.
A blade pierced his side.
"Heh heh heh."
But Yahul Cheok's battle spirit didn't wane.
"You hid your skills, you rat!"
"Save your bullshit and recite your prayers, mutt."
Stab stab stab stab.
Only after thrusting repeatedly into the warrior's gut did the man collapse in a pool of blood.
"Groooan."
Unlike at Nosopa, however, Yahul Cheok wasn't unscathed.
He'd fought over thirty warriors—twice as many as before—and the final burly bandit-like warrior was a peak supreme expert.
Though he won through relentless assault, he had gashes on his arms and legs, and his side was punctured, dark red blood gushing out.
Thud.
As he sealed his own acupoints and silently tended his wounds, Chu Un-hwi asked,
"Satisfied with your rampage now?"
"Not yet. Both arms are fine, and my legs still move."
"Can't have my new subordinate dying on me..."
"Won't happen."
Tearing cloth from the dead to bind his wounds, Yahul Cheok staggered to his feet.
"Next, I'll cut out the tongues of those who cursed my benefactor."
It seemed Yahul Cheok was holding accountable all those connected to the family he owed.
Clear grudges make it nice.
Staggering.
Following the unsteady Yahul Cheok, they moved slowly.