Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Sorry
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Meanwhile, at almost the same moment, a scrawny thug who looked like a bamboo stalk charged toward the massive shirtless man.
But the big man's expression didn't flicker in the slightest.
Instead, he grabbed his bottle and chugged the liquor down in big gulps.
That casual display seemed to ignite the bamboo thug's killing intent even more.
He rushed in ferociously, wielding a blade as skinny as himself.
The instant his long sword invaded the big man's territory...
The big man raised both arms.
Metal bracelets gleamed on his wrists.
They looked just like handcuffs.
He slammed his wrists together hard.
Clang! A sharp ring echoed out, sparks flying everywhere.
And then...
Whoosh!
A burst of searing flame engulfed the bamboo thug's upper body in an instant.
He panicked and dodged two paces to the left.
But when the big man turned his head, the massive blaze followed right after.
The liquid he'd held in his mouth was clearly the source of this unexpected fire show.
"Urk..."
The bamboo thug couldn't withstand the flames any longer and leaped away, rolling on the ground.
When he finally sprang back up, his hair and eyebrows were singed by the intense heat, leaving him with a ridiculous, charred look.
Han Ibi glanced toward the girl, curious about how the buzzcut thug was faring.
She seemed to be out of hidden weapons now.
She dodged this way and that, evading the buzzcut man.
In that moment, the girl swung her arm again.
The buzzcut man, having been hit several times already, was ready—he whipped off his upper garment to defend himself.
But...
Looking at the trajectory, they weren't hidden weapons at all, but clumps of paper wrappers?
The round pellets inside looked just like the "bean bullets" that had been all the rage among elementary school kids back in the day.
The buzzcut man seemed a bit flustered, but he swung his robe anyway to block them.
Then...
Pop! Pop!
With sounds like real bean bullets exploding, flames erupted with a whoosh.
The girl giggled gleefully and said,
"Mister, play with fire and you'll wet the bed tonight."
That was when it happened.
The buzzcut man hurled his burning jacket straight at the girl.
It was over in a flash.
Though it was just cloth, infused with powerful inner energy, it was no different from a flaming bludgeon.
The girl hadn't anticipated this and flinched, trying to dodge.
But the buzzcut man was already right in front of her.
"Got you at last, you little rat!"
The buzzcut man seized the girl's slender neck in his massive, pot-lid-sized palm and hoisted her up.
She dangled in the air like a mouse on a string.
"You dare make a fool of me, Wang Chil-hyeon?"
At those words, a few of the townsfolk murmured in surprise.
"Wang Chil-hyeon? Did he just say Wang Chil-hyeon?"
"Yeah, that's what I heard."
"You mean that Wang Chil-hyeon?"
"Looks just like the descriptions. The leader of the legendary bandit stronghold Dosanho Forest Fortress—the Leopard Cat Wang Chil-hyeon. The bandit among bandits..."
"No way, the real deal?"
At that moment, the skinny wind-like man and the big man noticed their junior sister's peril.
They shook off their own lackeys mid-fight and turned toward her to rescue her.
Wang Chil-hyeon bellowed,
"Block them with your lives! If you let them through alive, you're dead meat too!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Got it!"
The mustached man and bamboo thug blocked their path once more.
They swung their sword and blade wildly, clinging on with desperate ferocity.
Wang Chil-hyeon laughed loudly and tightened his grip even more.
The girl's struggles ceased. Her face was turning as pale as a corpse.
Han Ibi hesitated.
'I need to get to the Qingcheng Sect... Ugh, why did I bother watching that quack peddle his fake—no, booze? I can't afford to get tangled in this mess right now. But to complete the mission, I have to sell the liquor. What to do...'
The woman's face, on the verge of blacking out, had passed beyond pain into a realm of eerie peace.
The skinny man shouted,
"Junior sister! Just hold on a bit longer!"
But the mustached man was charging at him like a rabid dog, getting in the way.
That was when it happened.
Swish!
The sound of air slicing through.
Han Ibi had drawn his sword in an instant and was slashing down at Wang Chil-hyeon's neck.
The townsfolk gasped, their eyes widening at Han Ibi's sudden appearance.
Wang Chil-hyeon looked somewhat startled but quickly raised the sword in his right hand to defend.
Clang!
Sparks flew as blade met blade.
Wang Chil-hyeon said,
"And who the hell are you?"
Han Ibi replied,
"None of your business, same as you're none of mine."
Han Ibi swung his sword again, slicing low this time.
Wang Chil-hyeon twisted his blade to guard his legs.
Clang!
The massive clash shook both men violently.
Wang Chil-hyeon was inwardly shocked.
Because Han Ibi actually knew some decent martial arts.
He had a solid level of inner energy too.
But his raw strength was a gift from the heavens.
Since he was seven or eight, he'd been famed as a powerhouse, and after joining the bandits and learning martial arts, he'd never lost in anything strength-related.
Yet here was this young, slender kid daring to match him in a contest of power.
Suddenly, Han Ibi froze in place, halting his movements.
Wang Chil-hyeon sneered,
"Giving up already, punk?"
Han Ibi said,
"Sorry."
"What?"
"I said sorry."
"Hahaha! Apology won't save you. You're as good as dead."
"No, not that. Sorry for the misunderstanding."
"What nonsense is this?"
"I thought you were an extra."
"Extra... what?"
"Figured with that minion look, you'd be mid-boss level at most. Guess this quest is more important than I thought."
"What the hell are you babbling about, you lunatic?"
Han Ibi began unfolding the Zhongli Pure Swordsmanship.
Having mostly fought imaginary foes in his mind, this was finally his first real combat experience against actual people.
The thrusts extended calmly, appearing simple yet elegant.
Some of the townsfolk couldn't help but gasp in admiration.
"Whoa! What graceful moves!"
"That young man's a true master of the martial world. Why are there so many experts showing up in our market square today?"
Rooting for the underdog was human nature.
Their worry for the dying girl and awe at the slender youth stood in perfect contrast to Wang Chil-hyeon's villainous mug, born bad to the bone.
They all cheered for Han Ibi as one.
'Heh heh heh. All that hard training with mountain runs pays off.'
Feeling the mood, Han Ibi struck a dramatic pose and bellowed,
"Demonic Phantom Sword Art: Lightning Annihilation!"
He'd always thought announcing techniques in wuxia novels was stupid, but damn, trying it himself felt pretty satisfying.
So Han Ibi shouted the move's name grandly...
But the storm-like momentum vanished, leaving no movement at all.
It wasn't just Wang Chil-hyeon who found the bizarre pause odd.
The onlookers exchanged baffled glances.
"What... is he doing?"
"He shouts all bold like that, then chickens out?"
"Maybe some feint tactic, like luring the enemy?"
"Still... shouldn't he at least twitch or something?"
"Tsk tsk, at this rate, that girl he's protecting is done for."
Unable to wait any longer, Wang Chil-hyeon stepped forward instead.
At that instant, Han Ibi's body shot toward him swiftly.
His sword thrust out like lightning... only to halt again at the perfect moment.
Wang Chil-hyeon said,
"What the...?"
Han Ibi's blade darted forward once more, his form flickering rapidly.
It targeted Wang Chil-hyeon's solar plexus.
Wang Chil-hyeon jerked in surprise and raised his sword straight up.
But the expected clang never came.
Han Ibi's sword had stopped dead in its tracks again.
Wang Chil-hyeon scowled in irritation and growled,
"You damn brat, if you can't win fair and square..."
Flash!
The blade reflected sunlight as it closed in on Wang Chil-hyeon up close.
He flinched again and twisted his sword into a defensive stance.
But Han Ibi's sword kept popping like a breakdancer, stuttering to abrupt halts mid-motion and changing direction.
This was the pinnacle of short-pattern feints.
Quick, nimble movements.
Then stop! Dead halt.
This was the Shadow of Lightning.
Half of the lost "Light," master of counters.
By the time you see the shadow of lightning, the bolt has already struck.
Wang Chil-hyeon felt a cold, stinging burn near his right shoulder blade.
Numbness hit like paralysis; he couldn't move properly for a split second.
And there on the ground... an arm.
Facing the horrific reality that it was his arm, the dammed-up pain flooded in all at once.
His left hand went slack, and the girl slipped free.
Han Ibi tossed his sword aside and rushed to her side.
Like a figure skater, he spun twice gracefully and caught the falling girl in his arms.
In that fleeting instant.
Her wide eyes met his.
A single spark in the flicker.
She blacked out simultaneously.
Her wig tumbled to the ground.
Han Ibi used just the right centrifugal force to set her down lightly as a feather.
All thanks to his diligent mountain runs practicing the Zhongli Swift Leopard Step.
'Thanks, old man Song.'
Her face was hidden under her bangs.
The townsfolk erupted in cheers and applause without thinking.
"An immortal! An immortal! A heavenly immortal has descended upon our village!"
"Ah! The true bearing of a master. Lived forty-five years, and today my eyes are finally open."
"That young man's amazing. Heh heh, I'd love him as a son-in-law."
"Come on now. Caterpillars eat mulberry leaves—what would a bumpkin like us know about martial artists?"
That was when it happened.
The skinny man, who'd been stealing glances at the fight, yelled loudly,
"Watch out!"
(To be continued...)