The Voice That Shouldn’t Be There
“Kuhk!”
Baek Cheon clenched his teeth.
Black liquid streamed down the hand that was gripping the net. His pale skin turned black in an instant, and the poison soaked through to his sleeve as well.
“Don’t breathe in! You’ll get poisoned through your breath too!”
Dang Soso’s desperate voice rang out. Despair and regret churned in her eyes.
It’s my fault.
She was the daughter of the Sichuan Tang Family.
Of course, in the patriarchal, male-centered Sichuan Tang Family, it had been impossible for her to learn deeply about poison. But she was still a daughter of the Tang Family; her knowledge of toxins was far beyond that of an ordinary warrior.
And yet she hadn’t noticed when the enemy was using poison.
But in truth, no matter how deeply she blamed herself, this wasn’t something that could fairly be called her fault.
If everyone could simply do what they had learned and apply it flawlessly in real combat, the martial world would be overflowing with geniuses. Experience was necessary to make knowledge part of one’s body and instincts, and she had been sorely lacking in experience fighting enemies who used poison.
If anything, being from the Tang Family—the very clan of poison—had worked against her. To the Sichuan Tang Family, poison was usually something they used, not something used against them.
“Kuhk! This is—”
“It’s piercing through the clothes! Push your inner force up and block it!”
“Aaagh! There are spikes on this net!”
“Damn it!”
Groans spilled from the lips of the Mount Hua disciples.
They were used to head-on clashes. They had forced their way through enemies headfirst in every situation. But the foes they had faced until now had always met them head-on, too.
Whether the enemy came crashing in with brute force or gave up and surrendered.
They had almost no experience dealing with people who fought with tricks instead of strength.
“Monk!”
“I know!”
Hye Yeon gritted his teeth and drove a fist forward.
Kwaaaang!
The powerful force made the net heave, but with so many holes punching through it, the power dispersed and couldn’t fully push it away.
“Don’t give them an opening! Stab them to death!”
Seeing the Mount Hua disciples falter, the river bandits grew bolder and surged up onto the net. Sharp ameja, thin spears, and long claw blades—weapons with long blades mounted at the ends of gauntlets—were ideal for stabbing through the gaps in the net.
Swaeaeak! Swaeaeak!
The spears and claw blades kept thrusting through the openings in the net without pause.
“Dammit!”
“You bastards! Aagh!”
The Mount Hua disciples swung their swords to block the spears and twisted their bodies to deflect the claw blades, but as the heavy net kept tangling around them, their movements began to slow. Every time they tried to dodge, it felt as if the net was clutching at their whole bodies and dragging them down.
Worse still, the places touched by the net kept burning hotter and hotter, and before long even their heads began to swim.
If this continued, the outcome was obvious.
“Jo Gul, Yoon Jong!”
“Yes, Sasuk!”
Even in that desperate situation, Jo Gul and Yoon Jong didn’t miss Baek Cheon’s voice.
“Knock the net away just once! Just once is enough!”
“Yes!”
Jo Gul and Yoon Jong exchanged a glance.
“Monk!”
“Hye Yeon Monk! Just one more time!”
“Understood! Chaaaaap!”
Without hesitation, Hye Yeon thrust out his fist and knocked the net upward.
Kwaaaaooooom!
The net, now even heavier with the bandits clinging to it, could not withstand that terrifying force and buckled. The net that had already endured Hye Yeon’s power several times began to tear apart here and there, holes opening throughout it.
In that instant, Jo Gul and Yoon Jong planted their swords into the ground and threw both hands upward.
“Taaaaaaat!”
“Huaaaaaaap!”
Blue force burst repeatedly from their palms.
Mount Hua’s long palm technique, the Bamboo Leaf Hand.
It was still only at the most basic level, but it was a Bamboo Leaf Hand powered by Zaha Divine Art. It couldn’t compare to Hye Yeon’s fist, but it was enough to hold the rising net back for an instant.
“Hup!”
Baek Cheon drew a long breath and brought his sword down.
“Not enough.”
But at that very moment, Yu I-seol kicked off the ground and sprang upward first.
Swirl.
She spun the sword once in her hand and hurled it into the air. There was nothing especially majestic about the movement. The flat of the blade—not even its edge—slapped against the net.
And right then—
Twirl.
Yu I-seol flipped once through the air and kicked the sword that was pressed against the net.
Kwang!
The net surged upward a little more. Those standing on it could not withstand the shock and began rolling off in all directions.
“Huuuuu.”
Even in the middle of that chaos, Baek Cheon kept his eyes closed without wavering. It almost looked as though he trusted his martial siblings to buy him the time he needed.
Then, opening his eyes, Baek Cheon moved his sword slowly.
Gooooooo.
Majestic sunset-colored energy drew the shape of a crescent moon and shot toward the net.
“Sword qi?”
“N-no! It’s sword gang!”
Kagagagagak!
The blazing sword gang tore through the falling net in one stroke. It didn’t stop there; with the remaining force, it sent the split net flying far away.
“Aaaagh!”
“My face! Aaaagh! Chaejuuunim!”
The river bandits who had been covered by the poisonous net shrieked in agony.
“Form up!”
“Yes!”
At Baek Cheon’s command, the Mount Hua disciples took positions in a circle around him.
“Huff! Huff!”
“Ugh……”
They had somehow escaped the net, but their faces were anything but bright. Because the bandits had stabbed wildly with their tridents, the disciples had taken injuries here and there. Worse, the places touched by the net felt like they were still burning. Their feet felt as if they were floating, and waves of dizziness kept washing over them.
“Here!”
Dang Soso took an antidote pill from her robes and handed it to her martial siblings.
“You were well prepared.”
“It’s nothing impressive. It’ll only slow it down for a little while. Something like this poison can’t be cured by this.”
“That’s enough.”
The Mount Hua disciples quickly took the pills she offered and popped them into their mouths. Dang Soso herself had a bit more resistance thanks to the Tang Family’s peculiar constitution, even if her martial power was somewhat weaker. But Baek Sang had gone so pale he looked ready to collapse at any moment.
“Sang-ah, are you all right?”
“Please don’t mind me, Sasuk. If I’m only going to drag everyone down, I’d rather bite my tongue off.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Nobody’s dying.”
Baek Cheon said through gritted teeth.
This is the worst.
He had never imagined they would fall for a trick like this. It was true that disciples of prestigious sects, with little experience on the martial world’s battlefields, sometimes died after falling victim to sinister schemes by the demonic or evil factions—but he had assumed that was someone else’s problem.
Was I arrogant?
Mount Hua’s accomplishments up to now had been nothing short of astonishing.
But all of it had been possible because Chung Myung was at their side. Without Chung Myung, they would likely still be trapped within Mount Hua, enduring pressure from Zhongnan while barely scraping by.
Then what, exactly, had made him believe they could do everything with just this handful of people?
He should have been cautious. He should have known himself to be a novice and crossed the stepping stones by striking them ten times, a hundred times, before daring to walk across.
Crossing without testing isn’t courage. It’s arrogance.
But that regret came far too late.
The hand that had gripped the net was already swollen to the point of bursting. Even after suppressing the poison as much as he could with inner force and taking the antidote pill, the toxin was still spreading—slowly, but surely.
The longer they dragged this out, the worse their position would become.
The problem was that they had no ability to break through the people blocking their way in the short term, and with poison already spreading through their bodies, they couldn’t possibly swim across the Yangtze.
A rat trapped in a jar.
That was exactly what their situation was like.
“Move aside.”
Then the river bandits who had been blocking and threatening them parted left and right, and a man wearing a blue windbreaker strode forward.
Standing before the Mount Hua disciples, he wore a faint smirk as he said,
“Quite the sight, aren’t you, you children? You ran around relying on some empty prestige about the Five Swords or whatever.”
“……”
“The easiest people to kill in the martial world aren’t nameless fighters. They’re youngsters who’ve only just started making a name for themselves. Those types always think they’re the real deal.”
It was obvious he was provoking them.
But every single word of it seemed to burrow under their skin.
“Even now, if you surrender obediently, I might let you live.”
Baek Cheon’s eyes wavered slightly.
If this had been any other time, he wouldn’t have listened to that for even a second. But now he couldn’t afford to dismiss it. If they resisted, he wouldn’t be the only one who died.
“What’s this blue-faced bastard talking about? Trying to sound smart or something?”
“Gul. It’s only natural for river bandits to be ignorant. And making fun of someone for being ignorant is not a noble thing to do.”
“……Then can I attack his face? He’s kind of ugly.”
“Hmm. Insulting someone’s looks is also poor manners, so let’s insult his character instead. He doesn’t seem human anyway.”
“Yes, sir. Will do.”
Startled by the voices coming so blatantly from behind him, Baek Cheon turned around.
Jo Gul, his sword slung carelessly over one shoulder, and Yoon Jong standing beside him were both looking at him with faint smiles.
“Why is our very distinguished Sasuk acting like this today?”
“Mount Hua disciples don’t know the meaning of retreat. Isn’t that right?”
“……”
Those damn fools……
Then Yu I-seol, who had been standing silently, took one step forward and came to stand beside Baek Cheon. Baek Sang followed as well, leveling his sword at Janpo Heukeo.
“Saje, stand back.”
“The Baek generation takes the lead, you youngsters.”
Hye Yeon, too, smiled faintly as he stood beside Yu I-seol.
“Amitabha. Though this is not yet over, Sir’s expression is far too heavy.”
“……Monk.”
“Right! We just need to smash them all to bits!”
Dang Soso, sword in hand, shouted spiritedly as she took her place beside Baek Sang. When Jo Gul and Yoon Jong also took their places to the left and right, all of them formed a line centered on Baek Cheon.
“For now, we’ll probably need to carve out a retreat route toward that cliff in the back.”
“Climbing cliffs is our specialty.”
“Amitabha. This humble monk is at least a squirrel of Songshan by now.”
“Monk, you’re still far off.”
“Agreed. Still miles away.”
Listening to them mutter among themselves, Baek Cheon shook his head.
Those damn idiots.
If their lives were on the line, they ought to at least look solemn about it.
“Fine, you miserable bastards. Let’s see who dies first.”
Baek Cheon bared his teeth.
No matter how hopeless the situation, he could not lose himself. In that sense, everyone here was a better warrior than he was.
As soon as Baek Cheon pointed his sword forward, Janpo Heukeo let out a grin. It was an unmistakable sneer.
“A bunch of idiots. Even with healthy bodies, you’d have no chance, and now you’re like this?”
“Maybe we are idiots. But I know one thing. There are times in life when you have to be stupid.”
“Hah! Your mouth is alive, at least.”
Janpo Heukeo crooked a finger.
“Kill them all and throw them in the river for fish bait!”
“Yes!”
After giving the order, he backed away without dropping his guard. Baek Cheon bit his lip.
Damn it.
That bastard might be a river bandit, but as a martial artist he was far more cautious than Baek Cheon could ever hope to be.
From the moment he stepped forward to the moment he withdrew, he had never shown even the slightest opening.
If that man had been full of swagger and tried to handle them personally, they might have had one chance. But once he left it to his subordinates and stepped back, there was no chance left.
No. It’s not over yet.
No matter what it took, he would open a path. And he would make sure at least his martial siblings lived to escape. Even if he had to die here!
“Sasuk.”
“Don’t you dare say something stupid! I’ll open the path.”
“No, Sasuk……”
“I said that’s enough! Follow the Great Senior Brother’s lead!”
“No, that’s not what I mean!”
“Huh?”
Baek Cheon tilted his head and looked at Jo Gul. He had clearly expected him to say something about opening the way himself, but that didn’t seem to be it.
Jo Gul looked at Baek Cheon with a miserable face.
“S-Sasuk! I keep hearing things!”
“……Hearing things?”
“Yes. There’s no way it should be here, but…… I think it’s that bastard’s voice.”
Baek Cheon’s face twisted.
So Gul, that kid was pretending to be fine, but he was shaken inside after all.
So that was why he was hearing a voice that couldn’t possibly be here.
“Don’t worry. I may not be as good as that bastard, but I can still open a path. So…….”
“No, I’m serious. I really do hear it.”
“What nonsense are you…….”
At that moment, Baek Cheon’s body jerked slightly.
“Huh?”
No, wait. Just now……
“Hold on. I thought I heard it too.”
“Me too.”
“……Is there really another person in this world who can sound this annoyingly smug?”
The Mount Hua disciples looked at one another.
And then, all at once—
“……Aaaah!”
With that unmistakable voice piercing their ears, the Mount Hua disciples jolted and spun around, completely forgetting the bandits in front of them. Their movement was almost comically synchronized.
“……What’s coming?”
“Looks like it’s something.”
“……What kind of ghost is that?”
They could see it clearly. Far out in the middle of the river, a small boat was cutting through the spray and charging toward them at unbelievable speed.
“Ch- Chung Myung…….”
“You bastards! You went out on a boat, so why the hell are you fighting on dry land?! Goddamn, I’m pissed!”
Huh.
Heh heh.
Heh heh heh heh.
It was him.
Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh.