Chapter 38
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: The Fire That Has Spread
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Seok Yang-ho responded in utter astonishment.
Involving commoners in the battles of the martial world was something that simply could not happen—and should never be allowed to.
"Even if they are exceptional hunters, they are not martial artists who have cultivated inner arts. The martial families of the jianghu must protect the commoners; we cannot make the commoners defend the martial families."
"I'm not saying we should have them fight the jianghu folk. We just need to evacuate the children and elders there for a single day."
Seok Yang-ho's resolve wavered under Zhuge Ji's persuasion.
He had been greatly startled by the warning of a Jo Clan raid, but he wasn't truly afraid.
Having beheaded the Life-Escaping Sword in a single strike, he judged that no matter how formidable the Jo Clan might be, his clansmen could repel the assault if they fought desperately to hold the line.
Yet in the midst of it all, children or retainers might still end up as sacrifices.
Namgung Hye, who had been watching quietly from the side, lent her support to Zhuge Ji's suggestion.
"Do it, Family Head. We can't just leave the children to get swept up in the melee."
"You two are right. I'll head out at once and get the children and retainers ready."
As Seok Yang-ho hurried outside, only Zhuge Ji and Namgung Hye remained in the room.
"Sister. Those young hunters might end up taking unintended damage."
"I know. But we can't just let the children die, either. The Seok Family Head seems to be taking the Henan Jo Clan too lightly."
"He must have gained some confidence after slicing down the one they called the Life-Escaping Sword in a single stroke."
Namgung Hye had watched the Family Head practice his swordsmanship several times.
His technique was impressive, but nothing particularly extraordinary.
"Even if luck is on their side and they repel the raid, the losses will be heavy."
As Zhuge Ji and Namgung Hye continued their conversation, Seok Yang-ho returned from outside.
"You two should evacuate with the rest of our clansmen."
"If the paragons of the righteous sects who revere justice and chivalry ignore this injustice, the whole world will point fingers at us. We will stand with you, Family Head—so please, never suggest such a thing again."
Zhuge Ji firmly rejected Seok Yang-ho's offer of kindness.
'So this is why the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families lead the jianghu.'
Not all of them would be like this, of course.
But it was because of people like them that the martial world acknowledged the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families.
Seok Yang-ho, unable to contain his inner admiration, bowed his head deeply.
"I will never forget the grace shown by the Zhuge Family and the Namgung Family."
Ugh...
The Great Heavenly Demon's sword split open his thigh.
The silver lining was that lately, it wasn't entirely one-sided beatings.
He had managed to slice sleeves or collars, or even shave off hair like a lion's mane.
And today, by some stroke of heaven's fortune, he had inflicted a tiny wound on the Great Heavenly Demon's hand.
In exchange, one thigh lay split open, and now the other was being carved as well—but he was thrilled beyond measure.
The Great Heavenly Demon, who had been gouging his thigh with the sword and stabbing at his chest, suddenly scowled.
But he soon relaxed his expression and burst into mad laughter.
Kuhahaha...
Ugh...
"Did you suddenly lose your mind or something?"
I looked up at the Great Heavenly Demon amid my pained groans and asked.
"In the end... in the end, you've become fated to survive in the jianghu."
"What are you suddenly talking about?"
The Great Heavenly Demon stopped laughing and raised his sword high as he gazed down at me.
"You are fated to live on in the jianghu."
Slash.
Hoo.
The moment I opened my eyes, what escaped my lips was not a scream, but a sigh.
I wondered when I might finally get a peaceful night's sleep.
"Bro. Why're you up already? Hurry back to sleep."
Gwang-u blinked sleepily and tried to lay my body back down on the ground.
That's when I realized I was lying in a spot where dust and dirt were billowing up around me.
"Sigh... you little shit."
Thwack!
I smacked the back of Gwang-u's head and hauled myself up, scanning the area around the house.
The Great Heavenly Demon had surely said those words for some reason.
And sure enough, black shadows were approaching through the darkness.
"Gwang-u, get ready. Looks like we've got digging to do again today."
Gwang-u rubbed the back of his head as he stood, then stared out beyond the wall.
"No way, these guys... Is our house some plague-ridden funeral parlor? Why do they keep coming here to die?"
I tilted my head as I examined the figures approaching in the dark.
They were too distant, hidden by trees and shadows, so I couldn't make out their identities—but their gaits and builds didn't look like jianghu warriors at all.
'Eh? What the...? Old folks and kids? Even Young Lady Seok...'
I realized events were unfolding in a way I hadn't intended.
I'd thought tipping them off about the Henan Jo Clan's raid would wrap everything up, but that had been wrong.
"Eh? Isn't that Young Lady Seok?"
This idiot apparently hadn't noticed the elders, children, or women—only Seok Su-a's face.
The moment Gwang-u spotted her, he bolted outside.
I followed right behind the fool.
Seok Su-a must have recognized Gwang-u charging out, because she quickened her pace and hurried over first.
"Y-Young Lady Seok, what brings you here?"
Gwang-u stammered out the question.
"I'm sorry. We have unavoidable family circumstances, so we've come to impose on you for just one night."
"O-Of course. Not just one day—we'd be happy to have you stay ongoing... no, that's not what I..."
I stepped up beside the flustered, stammering Gwang-u and asked.
"Young Lady Seok, who was it that told you to take shelter at our house?"
"My father."
No, it couldn't be.
Seok Yang-ho was not the type to drag powerless commoners into clan matters.
"It was Young Lady Zhuge's idea, wasn't it?"
My guess hit the mark; Seok Su-a fell silent, unable to respond.
I didn't press her on it.
To repay all the kindness they'd shown me so far, I could've lent them the house for a month, not just a night.
"Please, come inside. Gwang-u, get things ready to host them."
"Got it, bro."
Gwang-u dashed into the house first.
"Thank you."
Seok Su-a led her retainers and the children inside.
'In the end, you've become fated to survive in the jianghu.'
As I watched Seok Su-a and her retainers disappear into the house, the Great Heavenly Demon's words echoed in my mind.
'Just how far does that demon see? Please, let things not unfold the way that fiend predicted.'
The Henan Jo Clan entered Huanin County sometime after the hour of the Tiger.
The surroundings were wrapped in utter stillness, without even a stray dog barking.
"If you skirt the outskirts of the village to the south, you'll come upon a fairly large estate. That's the Seok Family of Huanin."
A clansman familiar with the local terrain gave his report, and Jo Sang asked cautiously.
"Before we launch the attack, wouldn't it be best to rest for even a single gak? Our clansmen have been running through the night and are quite fatigued."
"Dawn will break in just one sichen. To finish before the morning sun rises, we must strike now."
"My thinking was shortsighted. We'll begin the assault at once."
Jo Sang turned and nodded to those behind him.
On that signal, the forty-odd clansmen arrayed in formation charged down the southern road as one.
Am-sa watched their backs intently, then glanced briefly toward those standing behind him.
"Remember this well. You have only one task: capture the Five Great Families' clansmen alive. If there are no Five Greats present, withdraw immediately."
"Understood."
Five streaks of gray shadow vanished swiftly into the darkness.
Am-sa followed in their wake, advancing at a measured pace.
With every step, a distance of three or four zhang closed or opened in an instant.
As he proceeded this way, faint screams reached his ears, drawing a faint smirk from him.
"It has begun."
Yet when Am-sa finally arrived before the estate, a chill settled over his features.
Jo Clan members attempting to vault the strangely shaped walls were being struck by arrows flying from within, tumbling to the ground like hedgehogs.
"What in the world are you doing?"
Jo Sang hurried over at his question, which carried a palpable wave of killing intent.
"It's a formation. A Qimen formation has been set up."
"You fools! Do you not even know that all Qimen formations are mere illusions meant to deceive the eyes?!"
Exploding with rage, he barked an order at the gray shadows.
"You lot—step in!"
"Understood!"
The gray shadows promptly leaped over the wall.
No sooner had they cleared it than a sheer cliff face loomed before them.
Shing... clang! Crash...!
Swords were drawn in unison from their waists, cleaving the cliff apart.
With the split cliffs came a rain of arrows, all shattered and scattered like chaff.
Aaagh...!
Screams began rising one after another from inside the wall, and the Jo Clan members started vaulting over as well.
"The enemies are coming. Left wall."
As Namgung Hye pointed to the wall upon sensing their presence, the Seok clansmen nocked arrows to their bowstrings in unison.
The instant they drew back, a black shadow sprang up atop the wall.
"Loose!"
Whoosh...
The volley of arrows from over twenty archers riddled the black shadow's body as it cleared the wall.
Almost simultaneously, another shadow rose on the wall's right side.
Whoosh...
Other Seok clansmen who had drawn their bows loosed their arrows.
The black shadow became a hedgehog and tumbled back over the wall.
Seok Yang-ho unconsciously clenched his fist as he watched the scene.
It was working.
Fortunately, the intruders were scaling the walls precisely where the formations were complete.
If things continued this way, the clan could repel the attack with minimal losses.
But that was a premature judgment on Seok Yang-ho's part.
Suddenly, five gray shadows surged up onto the wall together.
Whoosh.
Clang-clang-clang! Clang-clang...!
The arrow volley rained down like hail, but every shaft was shattered or deflected.
The foes who landed inside the wall cut down the clansmen without mercy.
Aaagh!
The clansmen spilled blood as they rolled across the ground.
"You bastards!"
In the blink of an eye, clansmen were falling dead, and Seok Yang-ho bellowed in fury as he charged the enemies.
Namgung Hye swiftly closed in on the foes as well, slashing her sword upward in a diagonal arc.
Clang-clang! Clang...!
Swords clashed, sparking fiercely.
The number of enemies vaulting the wall grew steadily.
The clansmen engaged the intruders pouring over in fierce melee.
Yet the Seok clansmen were being overwhelmingly pushed back.
Slash.
Namgung Hye beheaded a man clad in gray martial robes, then dodged a sword thrusting toward her waist by leaping backward.
As she flipped back, her eyes caught a middle-aged man standing atop the wall.
An icy killing intent colder than a frozen blade poured from the man atop the wall.
Namgung Hye felt that frigid killing aura with her entire body.
It was the first time since entering the jianghu that she'd encountered an intent so chilling it made every hair on her body stand on end.
'Dangerous.'
That ominous middle-aged man was no one from the Henan Jo Clan.
But she felt no fear.
He was an opponent worth crossing blades with.
Clang! Clang...!
She successively deflected the sword blades stabbing toward her chest, then sliced open the enemy's shoulder.
"Fall back!"
Zhuge Ji's shout rang out then.
Namgung Hye echoed it immediately.
"Family Head! We have to retreat!"