Chapter 23: Middle Dantian (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 23: Middle Dantian (3)
A local guide from the town had joined him.
When one pictured a commoner who knew no martial arts and simply worked for a living, a certain image came to mind. The man who introduced himself as Jang Sam fit that image perfectly.
"Young Master, is it really just you? Are you sure you should be going to the Mantis Sect?"
Shorter than Jeong Yeon-shin, the man trembled, his eyes wide with anxiety. Clad in shabby hemp clothes and clutching a half-empty coin pouch, he looked every bit the family breadwinner trying to make ends meet.
Jeong Yeon-shin understood his reaction.
Unorthodox sects were a world apart from the common thugs of the back alleys. While street thugs might track down and retaliate against anyone who reported them, unorthodox sects were composed of men who had formally trained in martial arts.
It was only natural for a commoner to be terrified.
"I am enough."
"Th-that's a truly admirable, noble spirit. But, but please reconsider! The Mantis Sect is no ordinary crowd. Dozens of them have trained in martial arts, and they say even a single lackey of theirs can sweep through the alleys of Lotus Lake."
"A noble spirit? You sound educated."
Literacy was not common in this world. Expressions used casually in some circles were often known only by scholars in rural villages.
"I am merely a country bumpkin who failed the civil service exams."
Jeong Yeon-shin was glad they could communicate so easily. Since Xi'an was a large city, they would have to spend a night on the road to reach Lotus Lake County.
"Could you tell me more about the Mantis Sect?" Jeong Yeon-shin asked as he walked ahead. At the same time, he took a small salt pouch from his robes and handed it to the man.
The Desolate Fortress's monthly salary was paid in silver coins, which was too much to give away casually. On the other hand, he had no copper coins, as Ma Jin had taken care of all their travel expenses.
Jang Sam stealthily peeked inside the pouch. His eyes widened, and he began to speak quickly.
"They showed up three years ago and took over the streets of Lotus Lake. Most places around Xi'an have a lay sect of the Zhongnan Sect, but Lotus Lake County was one of the few that didn't. They've taken more than a dozen women, claiming they're for kitchen duty. Their tyranny is severe, but they seem to have the County Magistrate well-bribed."
"...What about their martial arts? Has anyone seen them fight?"
"I heard they use all kinds of weapons. I've seen them a few times from a distance, and they carried not only swords and spears but also strangely curved blades... They were so fast it was hard to follow with the naked eye. With a single slash, two men's heads flew off."
They were quite strong. Even without a formal lineage, they were clearly trained martial artists. At that level, they could indeed be called an unorthodox sect.
"Are there still many people being held captive? What are the authorities doing?"
"Since the County Magistrate is in league with the Mantis Sect, there is no one to look after us..."
A thought suddenly occurred to Jeong Yeon-shin: could a martial artist of the Desolate Fortress simply decapitate a government official?
* * *
After staying overnight at an inn along the road, Jeong Yeon-shin and Jang Sam arrived at Lotus Lake County.
As they crossed the hills, a lively town came into view. They had already passed several merchant caravans, their carts and carriages loaded with all kinds of goods. Although it was a county of the same rank as Xinye County, it was far more developed, seeming to be somewhere between a city and a town.
"I can see it."
Under the cloudless blue sky and brilliant sunlight, an exceptionally large and splendid pavilion stood near the end of the road. The characters on the plaque were visible even from this distance.
It couldn't compare to the Demonlight Wing, but it dwarfed the Jeong Family Manor. The vast front yard alone could have served as a training ground.
"You may leave now. Thank you for the guidance."
After bidding the man farewell, Jeong Yeon-shin turned. As he headed toward the main street running through the town, he felt a presence following him.
It seemed to be Jang Sam. He couldn't understand why.
Was his family captured?
Perhaps his wife or daughter had been taken.
He entered a street that looked like a marketplace. Stalls were lined up, and merchants calmly exchanged meat and grain. The usual sounds of bargaining were hushed.
When he followed the wary gazes of the crowd, a shocking sight met his eyes.
"..."
A group of people was bound with ropes like common criminals. Every single one of them was a woman.
Five martial artists carrying swords sat casually guarding them, while people who seemed to be their family members wept from a distance, unable to approach. It was as if they would be killed for making a sound. The stark difference in atmosphere on either side of the street felt like some grim local custom.
"No wonder the Desolate Fortress was established," he spoke aloud, intentionally, as he approached. Because of people like these, the Great Ming Code meant nothing here.
The Central Plains was a land too vast for any one mind to comprehend. If a few local magistrates conspired with a powerful sect, it was nearly impossible for the imperial court to know what was happening in the provinces.
"Are you government soldiers? Are those people really criminals?"
No answer came. The moment Jeong Yeon-shin finished speaking, a dagger tore through the air toward him.
He hadn't even imbued it with internal force. Jeong Yeon-shin snatched it out of the air, and as he relaxed his grip, he unleashed the Fast Sword Formula.
Still, he properly loaded it with sword force. The dagger pierced through the air, shooting out like a bolt of lightning.
Thud!
The man who had thrown it collapsed, the dagger embedded in his forehead pinning him to the ground.
The other four, bewildered for a moment, slowly stood up, brushing themselves off.
"Heh, a kid with some skill. Which academy did you crawl out of?"
"That throwing technique was strange. Did you even learn it properly?"
"It was fast, I'll give you that. You must have been sharpening your fangs for a day like this. Hey, you. What was that technique you just used?"
Was it because he had thrown it so casually? Their reaction was surprisingly calm. One might expect hot-tempered bandits from an unorthodox sect, but these men acted with the lazy confidence of those who had tasted every pleasure in the world.
It seemed they had.
"Why bother naming a parlor trick?" Jeong Yeon-shin muttered calmly and drew the Desolate Fortress Sword.
The pure white, meticulously maintained blade shattered the sunlight.
Their gazes sharpened.
"If we offer it to the Sect Leader..."
Splurt!
Blood erupted from the end of the blade's flashing arc.
The man who had mentioned the Sect Leader knelt, his lips stained red, and collapsed.
Before they knew it, Jeong Yeon-shin was standing in their midst. The strike had erupted mid-leap, his body spinning like a falling leaf as he seemed to step on the wind itself.
Before the other three could even turn, the pure white sword path flickered again.
Demonlight Formula, Fast Sword Form. He felt the familiar sensation of three distinct strikes travel up the hilt into his hand.
"Sh..."
It was the beginning of a curse, spat out by the man as he died.
Jeong Yeon-shin turned and cut the ropes of the captured women. They thanked him with clasped hands, but they could not openly rejoice. Their fearful glances, and his own, were all fixed in one direction—toward the Mantis Sect's pavilion.
This wasn't about taking kitchen maids.
He walked down the road with this question in mind. He didn't sheathe his sword, letting it hang loosely at his side.
The street was now completely silent.
Everyone had retreated, keeping their distance. He could hear the whispers of old men clicking their tongues, certain that an innocent hero was about to die.
The only one still stealthily following him was Jang Sam.
A group battle.
It was said that a peerless expert who reached the Invincible Realm could face an army alone. The Purple Ranks of the Desolate Fortress were likely no different.
Ever since killing the Blood Master Sword, he had been considering solo missions. There was a limit to the merit he could earn moving with the experts of the Demonlight Wing. Anyone who wished to walk the Jianghu alone had to be prepared to face dozens, even hundreds of blades.
Duels against a sworn enemy were the stuff of romantic tales. One needed martial arts capable of handling a group assault.
He learned from every fight. He didn't know what his mind would conjure in the heat of battle.
Even if he wasn't facing experts.
Mantis Sect.
He glanced up at the main gate he had now reached. Up close, the plaque was even larger. The calligraphy for 'Mantis Sect' was magnificent, so full of life it seemed a dragon was about to stir.
A third-rate unorthodox sect must have threatened a retired scholar to write this.
Thinking it undeserved, he kicked one side of the gate hard.
So this was their territory.
About thirty martial artists were lined up in the training ground, seemingly waiting to greet the swordsman who had slain five of their own. The news had traveled incredibly fast.
"Such a greenhorn?"
A middle-aged man standing alone on the stairs leading to the main building frowned.
Jeong Yeon-shin's gaze fell on the man's clothes. It was an incredibly splendid robe, embroidered with all kinds of spiritual beasts, from the Four Auspicious Beasts to dragons.
Crazy.
Is he a rebel? To dare make and wear a dragon robe. He realized just how detached martial artists were from the laws of the land.
"Cut off his limbs and bring him to me. No. It's been a while since I've tasted blood on my blade. I will do it myself."
The man, who appeared to be the Sect Leader, descended the stairs.
Jeong Yeon-shin felt a sense of incongruity. The Mantis Sect was said to be a vicious unorthodox sect, one that took women as they pleased. If they were truly as debauched as their reputation suggested, they'd have at least one captive woman by their side, yet there was no one. Just these men.
Where did the abducted people go?
As he pondered, he noticed that the Mantis Sect disciples arrayed around him were generally large in stature. The men exchanged few words, their sinister smiles unsettling.
"It's not every day we meet a hero."
The Mantis Sect Leader drew his sword as he walked. A wave of true qi emanated from the narrow blade. He was an expert whom Jeong Yeon-shin, back at the time of the Desolate Fortress Entrance Exam, would not have been able to defeat.
The Sect Leader continued, "Why did you have to show your face to our sect of all places? A pity your life will be so short."
"What is your name?"
"What use is it for a dying man to hear my great name?"
"I need to know the Sect Leader's name to claim my merit."
Speaking in a low voice, he simultaneously raised the energy of the Jeong Family Dynamic Art. The moment he and the Desolate Fortress Sword became one through true qi, he felt the opponent's sword formula.
The Sect Leader's sword thrust rode the wind as if skewering a common piece of meat. He, too, used a fast sword. But now that Jeong Yeon-shin had created a fist art that could properly handle internal force, the path of the sword strike was clear to him.
Clang!
He struck upward. The motion looked effortless, but it contained the overlapping true qi of the Scripture of Initial Overcoming.
He clearly felt the force of the pushback. The Sect Leader's face twisted in embarrassment, his own strike overpowered.
"Strike!"
Instantly, the surrounding Mantis Sect disciples rushed in. A sharp spear was the first to block his vision.
The Desolate Fortress Sword struck first, intercepting the spear that had been thrust to prevent him from following up on the Sect Leader.
Slash!
The moment the spear shaft was severed, the weapons of the other disciples closed in. Even throwing daggers flew.
The sharp energies slicing through the air from all directions heightened his senses. It was his first time facing so many weapons at once.
Whoosh!
The moment he dodged a saber aimed at his right arm, a wheel-blade swept past his back. He glanced at it, then struck out with the Desolate Fortress Sword in a horizontal Fast Sword Form.
The man holding the disc-shaped blade still wore a grin as his head flew from his shoulders. The man's grin froze on his face, a final, hardened image flashing in Jeong Yeon-shin's vision.
It hurts.
A stinging cut on his arm sharpened and expanded his sense of qi.
In that instant, a talent he could scarcely believe he possessed began to manifest.
He could see the trajectory of every blade, and the perfect path through them began to form in his mind.
Strike, pass through, deflect and redirect.
The overlapping energy of the blades brought an evolution to his Fast Sword Formula as he became one with his sword. He moved along a trajectory visible only to his eyes.
The Desolate Fortress Sword, faster than any weapon here, deflected blades and caused them to collide with one another.
A throwing dagger he parried embedded itself in another man's heart.
He deflected one man's spear, causing it to pierce the neck of an ally swinging a saber from the side.
"Agh!"
"Ugh..."
His eyes darted everywhere.
All the weapons trying to cut him down fanned a strange sensation within him. It was as if another self was looking down from the sky; even the movements in his blind spots entered his mind.
It completely transcended the realm of prediction.
With movements that rode the wind, he roamed freely through the web of blades. Sand thrown by one man was blocked by the body of another charging forward.
The Sect Leader's narrow-bladed sword, thrusting through a gap, was on another level entirely. Jeong Yeon-shin spun like a whirlwind and struck the flat of the blade.
Clang!
The Sect Leader, who almost dropped his sword, retreated back into the crowd of disciples and shouted.
"Impressive! But your sword path is simple. I have already seen through your fast sword...!"
His voice held the experience of a hundred battles, betraying no anxiety. He sounded relaxed, but the words died in his throat when he found himself face-to-face with Jeong Yeon-shin, who had vaulted over a storm of attacks as lightly as a blade of grass.
He said to seize the initiative.
In an instant, true qi blazed like a wildfire through the meridians of his entire body. He thought of the hand holding the sword as a fist.
The force of the Infinite Flower of Time Fist began to climb up his arm. Second Form: Advancing Thunder. It was possible.
An intangible, still unfamiliar power gathered in his grip. He felt the Demonlight Formula naturally rise to assist the force of Fa Jin.
In an instant, he tightened his grasp on the hilt of the Desolate Fortress Sword.
Rumble!
He closed the distance in a flash, as if propelled by a storm.
The startled Sect Leader's eyes widened in his vision. He brought his sword straight down upon the man's head.
"Y-you...!"
The moment the Sect Leader opened his mouth, a flash of pure white sword light descended. A merciless thrill ran through him.