Chapter 76: Night in Beijing (6)
Chapter 76: Night in Beijing (6)
Slide.
The hand covering her eyes pulled away.
Unconsciously, Ju Woo-rin let out a short, soft sigh.
Was it because her eyes hadn't adjusted to the light yet, or was it a sense of lingering regret?
As the hand moved, Peng Hyeon-hwi came back into view.
Even with his clothes stained dark with clotted blood and his face pale, the young man was smirking.
Then she saw her own hand, feebly thumping against his chest. Thump, thump.
It felt like someone else's hand. A hand moving beyond her own will.
‘It was always like this.’
The malice she felt deep within her ribs.
Whenever that wriggling, cold poison spread through her, her body would raise its hand again. Thump. Striking Peng Hyeon-hwi’s chest.
Even though she could do nothing.
Even though she knew this small fist couldn't even leave a scratch on his solid chest, her hand—acting against her wishes—continued to move, over and over, like a fool.
‘Stop it!’
She didn't even have the strength left to say those words.
Her life had always been this way.
It was a life decided from the moment of her birth.
A child who had to die for the sake of her half-brother’s authority; a child who should have died at the hands of a Noble Consort driven mad by jealousy and greed.
A child who was saved by the Empress Dowager, only to be raised in the arms of strangers, forced to abandon both her surname and her gender.
And yet, of all things, why was she born with such talent?
Her intellect and her skills became her heavenly curse. The Confucian scholars, who called themselves the Pure Stream faction, held her up as the future of the nation.
They forced her to memorize lines of text before she could even walk. They dictated everything—how she breathed, how she walked, how she held a brush, and even how she ate.
She had to become a man and pass the civil service examinations.
She had to risk her life preparing for a coup.
And even if she were to take the throne that way, all that would remain was an emperor reduced to a puppet.
A sacrifice to create a state where the sovereign is weak and the ministers are strong—a dynamic never before seen in the history of this empire’s imperial family.
That was the extent of her existence. No one cared about her will, not anywhere, not ever.
Thump, thump.
Was this hand striking this man’s chest really any different from the life she had lived until now?
The only thing that changed was the name of the one lurking at the very end of the spiderweb her life was entangled in.
As Ju Woo-rin’s eyes grew clouded and dull with these thoughts—
"Open your mouth."
"……."
A rough hand cupped her cheek slowly, yet warmly.
She snapped back to her senses.
Peng Hyeon-hwi’s hand, which had approached her before she realized it, slowly tilted her head up.
Something was pressed between her slightly parted lips.
Crunch.
A bead…? It was a bit bitter, a bit sour, and a bit sweet.
A bead releasing an indescribable flavor was held between her molars.
"Don't swallow it. Just wait a moment."
With those words, his hand stopped.
The hand that had been caught in the spiderweb just moments ago dropped away as if the threads had been cut.
Snap, snap—.
It felt as if all the webs binding her were being severed at once. When she let out a breath, a soft "Ah" escaping her—
"I’m going to kill you."
The tiger turned and began to walk through the night streets of Beijing.
With every step he took, the spiderwebs that had bound her scattered.
He moved with a spirit that could crush evil.
His eyes glowed with a vivid blue light.
Despite the wounds covering his body, his flesh ravaged by poison, and his strength nearly depleted—
He remained upright. Bold.
And ferocious.
*
There’s one thing I just can’t understand.
Well, there’s a lot I don’t get about this "Amazing Medieval China," but still.
Why on earth...
"Do you talk so much?"
I mean, if you’re planning to kill your opponent anyway, what’s the point of talking?
And if you realize you can’t kill them, shouldn't your first thought be to run away?
Even after living here for seventeen years, I still find this cultural difference hard to accept. Why?
Why are they so confident? Why is he so certain he’s going to win?
Whoosh—!!
A palm strike infused with poison flew toward me.
I blocked it with my gauntleted hand.
Clang! With a heavy impact, the man’s hand was deflected.
Even in that brief moment, I felt the poison trying to seep into my fist.
But it was fine. My body was already saturated with poison; adding a little more water to the ocean wouldn't make a difference.
"Even though you know your master died by my hand."
Clang, clang!!
His haphazard palm strikes were blocked by my left hand.
I also swatted away the hidden force and daggers that tried to slip through the gaps.
Within this level of combat, the defensive forms of the Heart-Protecting Fist were no different from Protection Aura.
Perplexity and shock filled the man’s eyes.
"This... this is impossible...! You shouldn't have any internal energy left! You shouldn't even be able to walk right now!"
Well, ta-da, I’m walking just fine. I guess there’s no such thing as "never."
As I took another step forward, he began to stumble backward.
I could see the conflict in his eyes.
If he could just get rid of me, he could stay hidden and use Ju Woo-rin as his puppet.
It wouldn't take long for Beijing to fall into his grasp.
But if he ran away from me, I—knowing the full truth of the situation—would definitely protect Ju Woo-rin.
What if he killed Ju Woo-rin from a distance using the Gu poison? That would also be a bad move.
The Hao Clan and the Hebei Peng Family, no longer restricted in their actions, would surely hunt him down.
In other words, he had to choose.
Either flee immediately and head for the Southern Barbarian lands...
Or kill me and seize Beijing.
The scales must seem incredibly lopsided to him.
He probably thinks he can grasp the world if he just disposes of this one dying martial artist.
And so, malice flared in his eyes once more.
"You will die soon. You’re going to die! Can’t you feel the poison arts devouring your body? Your vision is blurring, your limbs are losing strength, and your internal organs are melting into mush. Your final struggle will end soon!"
The man settled back into a fighting stance.
He had no intention of choosing flight.
His gaze was a sticky mess of desperate resolve and greed.
"Even now, you must be in agony as your nerves melt and your blood vessels twist. Just kneel. I can grant you a peaceful death. You are only torturing yourself!"
"Just snip it off."
I took another step.
Of course, just as he said, my blood was boiling, my vision was blurring, and it felt like needles were being shoved into every nerve in my body.
But still, I took one more step.
"If you’re going to sit there whining and crying about the pain, just snip it off and go live in the Eunuch Bureau."
"Bluffing... you’re just bluffing...!"
"You’re running out of time. You don't have much left. You’re going to die soon..."
I’ve heard those words from so many people already.
Since I entered the martial world, has this been my fourth life-and-death duel?
Everyone I met in between said the same thing to me.
"Please, spare me. I have many uses. I can help you..."
And they all ended up kneeling and begging for their lives.
"I’m sick of it. Really. If you’re going to live by the blade, then act like a martial artist."
"Lies. It’s a lie...! How are you still moving! How can you move so perfectly!"
"Because I’m not dead yet."
Clang, clang. I deflected the palm strikes he threw out in desperation.
Crunch, thud. The daggers that slipped through... unfortunately, due to my poor condition, I couldn't block them all and had to take them with my body.
But I still closed the distance.
I got so close that he couldn't even run away anymore.
I raised the blade resting on my shoulder as if to pierce the sky.
Looking down at the man who had collapsed as his strength failed him—
"Weren't you taught to fight every moment you aren't dead? Were you never taught how to live as a martial artist?"
"I...! I cannot die in a place like this! For my people... for the sake of my people!"
"That’s not an excuse you get to make after melting countless civilians with poison, breeding venomous insects in the corpses of the dead, and planting Gu poison in the bodies of the living."
"You... what do you know? You, a descendant of a prestigious family who grew up pampered in this prosperous land!!"
"Of course I don't know."
Click. I tightened my grip on the hilt.
And then, shhh.
As if drawn by gravity, like an artist making a brushstroke across the sky.
With a trajectory that held almost no internal energy—relying only on form, intent, and consciousness.
The blade shattered the moonlight.
Slash. The tip of the blade touched skin.
Thud. A man collapsed.
"And I don't care."
I flicked the blood off the blade and sheathed it.
Just in case, I placed my foot on his ribs and applied pressure.
Crunch. I felt something wriggling frantically inside his body being crushed.
When I crushed it completely, his corpse finally went limp.
"I might actually die this time."
My body, which had been boiling just a moment ago, was now turning ice-cold.
I was a bit worried because that definitely didn't seem like a good symptom, but—
"Peng... Hyeon-hwi...! Hyeon...!"
Seeing Ju Woo-rin crawling toward me from a distance and reaching out her hand was a bit funny.
Well, whatever. It was worth it. I thought that for a moment.
"Hyeon...! Are you... are you alright?! Hyeon!"
Oh? Suddenly my vision tilted, and before I knew it, I was on the ground, propped up on my knees.
Well, whatever. If I die, I die. I thought that too.
"Hyeon!! Open your eyes! Look at me! You cannot... you cannot die like this! Hyeon!!"
Her face was a complete mess as she sobbed, her hands fumbling over my face.
Hmm, this feels a bit warm.
"It’s salty."
"What...?! What?"
"Don't cry over my face. It’s salty."
After delivering one last joke, my vision faded into darkness.
*
"Just pretend to fight and then head back?"
"Yes. If we simply pressure the Tang Family, the martial artists of the Western Depot will appear..."
Baek Seo-ui, breaking into a cold sweat, stammered as he explained to the old men before him.
The black flags of the Peng Family were fluttering everywhere.
In this one district of Beijing, so many martial artists were radiating a murderous intent so fierce it felt as if they were about to start a rebellion right then and there.
"I only asked you to buy some time until then..."
What on earth had his new youngest brother said to his family for this to happen?
Baek Seo-ui’s eyes shook as if an earthquake were happening.
It was a sight never before seen by those who knew the reputation of the Chief of the General Bureau.
All the elders of the Peng Family had gathered.
This place was now no different from the Sanwang Pavilion, where only the most vicious members of the Hebei Peng Family resided.
The decisions of these men determined the direction of the Black Path Demonic Alliance.
The countless Black Path martial artists of the Central Plains...
It was said that the Sanwang Pavilion of the Peng Family stood at the very pinnacle of them all.
The will of the Hebei Peng Family came from the Sanwang Pavilion.
And the will of the Peng Family became the will of the Black Path Demonic Alliance.
There was no need to even send out secret messages; if they all reached a consensus, they could restart the Righteous-Demonic War by themselves at this very moment...!
"Hmm."
The old man at the front stroked his chin and let out a dissatisfied sigh.
The elder in the Harmony Realm looked out at the night streets of Beijing with a crooked expression.
"Where is my grandson and what is he doing?"
"That is... because it is currently a classified matter..."
"The Hao Clan of this generation is quite arrogant."
"……My apologies, my deepest apologies."
Six-Armed Rakshasa Peng Ik-cheon. The peerless master of the previous generation, once known as one of the Peng Family Twin Devils, was glaring at him.
If this old man wished it, Baek Seo-ui would be turned into a pile of bloody meat before he even had time to resist.
He was a master who had lived in seclusion behind the walls of the Peng Family estate for a very long time.
He was the right hand of Bloodhound Asura Peng Ik-jin, a man the world had hoped might already be dead.
Aside from Peng Ik-jin himself, this old man—who could contend for the title of the strongest in Hebei—was here, leading the entire Council of Elders...
"Well, our youngest isn't one to start things without a reason."
"True."
"Still, this is a bit boring. How many of those Tang Family brats are there?"
"Have you reached the age where you're ready to be buried? If your senses have dulled that much, don't go around using the Peng name. There seem to be five of them."
"Then we can kill at least one of them, can't we? You know, to make the 'pretending' to fight look more intense..."
"Hmm. That sounds reasonable."
The Peng Family elders were talking madness.
Baek Seo-ui closed his eyes tight and thought.
If they killed a member of the Tang Family here, it would surely lead to a blood feud...
"You there, peeping tom."
Just then, Peng Ik-cheon spoke, gesturing toward somewhere beyond the wall.
"Come here and kneel."
With those words, a sharp whoosh of wind was heard.
When he turned his head, three martial artists dressed in black were suddenly flung through the air and tumbled onto the ground.
The Peng Family martial artists stood over them, looking down arrogantly.
"Who are you to be spying on our business?"
"……Greetings to the seniors of the Peng Family...!"
"Yeah, yeah. Tell your underlings back there too. Tell them to come and kneel."
"We are... we are direct soldiers of the Eunuch Bureau. This is official government business, so please...!"
"Hmm. Are you from the Eastern Depot?"
"No, not exactly..."
"Then do you have your identification tablets?"
"Our identities are..."
"Then that means you have no way to prove it."
"……Six-Armed Rakshasa... please reconsider. We are clearly acting on the orders of the Grand Eunuch—!"
Crunch.
As the man in black, dripping with cold sweat, tried to continue his excuse, Peng Ik-cheon’s fingertip moved slightly.
That was the end of it.
The man’s head was driven into his own body and exploded, spraying blood over the others lying beside him.
At that gruesome sight, even the secret agents of the Hao Clan fell silent and froze.
They hadn't even seen him strike. They couldn't even guess what kind of martial art it was...!
"I don't care."
"And I’m bored."
"You there, boy from the Hao Clan."
The Peng Family elders began to walk slowly.
When Baek Seo-ui looked at him, the old man who had spoken stroked his beard and gave a playful smile.
"Y-yes?"
"I heard we aren't supposed to touch the Tang Family lot, but is there any reason we should leave those guys alone too?"
"There is... none."
Directly attacking the Western Depot? The Eunuch Bureau would certainly hold a grudge, but even so, this wouldn't be seen as a slight to their honor.
They hadn't killed the Tang Family members invited by the Eunuch Bureau, and the Western Depot martial artists dispatched here couldn't even prove their own identities.
It wasn't official government business, nor could it be strictly defined as a matter of the martial world—it was a gray area.
And such gray areas were the domain of the Black Path.
The elders of the greatest clan of the Black Path laughed at Baek Seo-ui’s answer, drawing their blades and resting them on their shoulders.
Like third-rate thugs in a marketplace. With a completely casual attitude.
"Now this is getting interesting."
By the time Baek Seo-ui sighed and closed his eyes, then opened them again, all the Western Depot martial artists hidden in the alley had been hacked to pieces.
"Chief Baek."
"……What is it?"
"A pillar of fire has risen from the Gate of Vast Greatness. Eastern Depot warriors have left to investigate, but given the location, it’s almost certain that the Western Depot’s main base is burning."
"And Hyeon-hwi?"
"Traces of intense Lightness Art were found and are being tracked. Traces identified as the Seven Shadow Immortal Step were leading toward the Inner City of Beijing."
They had lost someone and started a pursuit?
Just as Baek Seo-ui was about to fret and give orders to his agents, one of the dispatched agents ran up and knelt before him.
"Chief Baek. We have located Young Master Peng Hyeon-hwi."
"Where is he?"
"At Scholar Cheon U-rin’s private residence. There was an urgent message from him. He says the Young Master is severely poisoned and is hovering between life and death..."
"You should have said that first!!"
As Baek Seo-ui roared, the agent shrank back and bowed his head.
There was no time for this. If he was dying from the poison of the Five Poisons Sect, they had to find a physician immediately.
If Peng Hyeon-hwi died like this, there was no telling what those old monsters scattered around Beijing would do...!
"He was poisoned?"
A voice came from atop the wall.
When Baek Seo-ui looked up, a middle-aged man was looking down at him.
It was the Poison Lord, Tang Mok-han.
"Senior Poison Lord...!"
"Ugh, those Peng Family fellows make my skin crawl every time I see them. So, you say Young Master Peng was poisoned?"
"Yes, Senior."
"Let’s go."
"Pardon...?"
The Poison Lord hopped down and dusted off his robes.
"That young hero fought hard to settle our business; how can a martial artist of the Tang Family ignore that? I guarantee you. Even if you bring a physician from the Imperial Medical Bureau... at least in the realm of poison mastery, they won't be better than me."
The Poison Lord smiled gently and began to walk.
*
Ugh.
"Wa..."
My throat is dry, but I can't open my mouth.
Am I dead? Is this the afterlife? Or am I starting over from infancy again?
If this is an infinite regression story, I’m going to feel really cheated.
"Wa... ter... glug."
A stream of cold water entered my mouth.
It came in while I was talking, and I almost choked. After finally swallowing the water, I managed to open my eyes a little.
"Are you awake?"
I saw Ju Woo-rin, who had been tilting a water bottle to my lips.
She looked at me with a haggard face, then slowly set the bottle down and raised her fist.
Thump.
"You’ve been asleep for too long. You foolish Peng Family brat."
She tapped my chest and smiled.
My heart sank at those words. No way?
"Did I... did I sleep for like twenty years or something...?"
"……? What are you talking about? How could a person sleep for that long?"
"You’ve been suffering for five whole days. For the first three days, I truly thought you were going to die!"
"Oh."
Then why are you talking to me like I’m a vegetable who just woke up after ten years, ma'am...?
When I looked at Ju Woo-rin like that, she met my gaze with bloodshot eyes.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For helping me. For staying alive."
And then, she gave a radiant smile.