Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Greenwoods Pacified
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He could turn the tide dramatically even now by unleashing his killing intent. Of course, there was no guarantee of victory. No matter how you sliced it, they were the core of the Greenwoods Bandits. They weren't opponents the Sword King could handle alone.
They could hold out for the moment since the enemy hadn't fully committed yet, but once the real fight began, things would get dicey fast.
While the Sword King struggled, the Sword Demon quietly observed the scene.
Not a single Greenwoods bandit paid him any mind. He was treated as little more than someone who had arrived with the Sword King.
And why not? The rumor of the Sword Demon being at the Henan Escort Bureau had never leaked out. It wouldn't do to let that fact spread.
A faint sneer curled at the Sword Demon's lips. At that moment, the Sword King caught it full-on.
"You bastard!"
The Sword King roared in fury, unleashing sword qi in all directions. It was intimidating but carefully controlled not to harm anyone directly.
And in that instant, the Sword Demon moved.
Whoooosh!
Intense demonic energy erupted from the Sword Demon's body. It momentarily froze the Greenwoods bandits surrounding the Sword King. Then the Sword King's sword qi slammed into them.
"Gasp!"
The Sword King startled and hurriedly shifted his position.
Clang clang clang!
In an absurd turn, he was batting away his own sword qi. They had nearly been shredded by it.
The Sword King scowled at the Sword Demon.
"Cunning bastard."
Then the Sword Demon and Sword King moved in unison.
Kwak Pae gaped in shock, his mouth hanging slack. His subordinates were collapsing everywhere like rotten straw bundles.
As an expert himself, Kwak Pae could tell. None of his men were dead. That made it all the more despairing.
Those two rampaging like demons with swords in hand were utterly beyond blocking.
With the Sword Demon and Sword King working together, no joint attack mattered, and no strike could land properly.
The air filled with sword qi and demonic energy from all sides.
In the end, every Greenwoods bandit fell.
And then Ha Won-hu, the Victory Dragon Unit, and the escorts charged in.
Henan was in an uproar.
Rumors swirled that Greenwoods King Kwak Pae had led all his bandits into hiding in Tianzhong Mountain, plotting something. And when those rumors peaked, word spread that the Henan Escort Bureau had crushed them.
Along with tales of two men who could never be in the same place together.
Rumors that turned Henan upside down.
At the center of it all, the Sword King and Sword Demon glared at each other.
"I'll say it again: I clearly won."
The Sword King ground his teeth as he spoke, but the Sword Demon shook his head.
"Ridiculous."
"You wanna go?"
"Bring it."
Sparks flew between the Sword Demon and Sword King. But neither drew their sword or charged. They faithfully honored their promise not to fight each other.
The Sword King glared at the Sword Demon for a long while before turning to Ha Won-hu, who stood awkwardly nearby. It was more like a glare.
"Count again!"
Ha Won-hu gave a wry smile at the Sword King's command and reluctantly began counting the bandits kneeling on the training ground floor.
The bandits were split into two groups. One had their Tian Ding Acupoint sealed, the other their Tian Zhu Acupoint.
Oddly, the numbers were equal. And one bandit had both sealed.
No matter how many times he checked and recounted, the result was the same.
"I definitely subdued that one first. So I win."
The Sword Demon chuckled at the Sword King's words.
"Heh, funny. Didn't my demonic energy seal the Tian Zhu first?"
"Nonsense! My sword qi pierced the Tian Ding first!"
The Sword King and Sword Demon refused to yield an inch.
As they glared fiercely, a group entered the training ground.
"It's really Kwak Pae. Amazing."
They were people from the Martial Alliance, responding to Ha Won-hu's report, along with Jo Seol-yeon.
The Greenwoods Bandits and Demonic Alliance had long warred with the Martial Alliance. Recently, the Demonic Alliance fell to the Golden Lotus and Sword King, and now the Greenwoods to the Henan Escort Bureau.
For the Martial Alliance, it was like pulling a nagging tooth. Refreshing, yet pride-stinging.
"In any case, our thanks. We'll repay this debt."
At the Martial Alliance members' signal, countless warriors flooded the training ground and dragged the bandits out.
The place emptied in a flash. The Sword Demon and Sword King watched blankly.
With the verdict unsettled, seeing their evidence vanish stirred quiet rage. But with Jo Seol-yeon there, they said nothing.
Jo Seol-yeon smirked at their shifting expressions and left the training ground.
"What a damn spectacle this is."
The Sword King muttered in utter dejection. The Sword Demon felt the same.
"Feels like we showed off for nothing."
The Sword Demon murmured, then glanced at the Sword King. Their eyes met.
"Come to think of it... if it's not a fight but a spar, that should be fine."
The Sword King's words bared the Sword Demon's teeth in a grin. It looked oddly sinister.
"Accidents do happen in spars sometimes..."
"No guts, no glory."
Shing.
Without a word of who first, they drew their swords. This was a spar, not a fight. They shot that intent fiercely at Ha Won-hu, who watched wide-eyed.
Ha Won-hu accepted it in his own way.
'A fight disguised as a spar.'
The Sword King and Sword Demon's auras slowly engulfed the training ground. Ha Won-hu retreated to a corner in shock.
Stepping into that range might get him killed.
The martial prowess they'd shown subduing the bandits was beyond imagination. No matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't catch up in the next decade.
The Sword Demon and Sword King heightened their auras, eyes gleaming.
Within the aura filling the training ground, they could detect any movement.
Ha Won-hu's shocked face, the escorts and Victory Dragon Unit fleeing outside, even ants crawling on the walls.
As their auras peaked, someone sliced through them perfectly and entered the training ground.
"Guh!"
"Urk!"
The Sword Demon and Sword King stepped back in unison, as if by agreement, and glared at the newcomer.
It was Dan Hyeong-u.
"What are you doing here?"
The Sword King asked, eyes bulging. Dan Hyeong-u rarely came to the training ground. He didn't train. He preferred crowded places.
Since returning to the bureau, aside from the first few days, his routine was wandering Hyeonchang's busiest spots.
Neither Jo Seol-yeon nor Hyeong Pyo assigned him tasks. What Dan Hyeong-u wanted was to guard the bureau.
Knowing he was there let them push forward with anything in peace.
So Dan Hyeong-u appearing in the empty training ground wasn't surprising for the Sword King.
The Sword King still had his eye on Dan Hyeong-u. He and Jo Seol-yeon seemed close but stagnant. By his standards, Dan Hyeong-u was the perfect grandson-in-law.
He wanted to arrange a meeting ASAP, but his granddaughter was in treatment now.
Anyway, the key was Dan Hyeong-u's arrival. He was why the Sword King and Sword Demon stayed at the bureau.
Dan Hyeong-u entered and stared silently at them. Then he dropped one line.
"Still the same."
Dan Hyeong-u turned and left the training ground.
The Sword King and Sword Demon stared blankly at his back. It felt like a sledgehammer to the nape.
"Hah...! Ha ha ha!"
A hollow, self-mocking laugh escaped the Sword King.
"Kuhahaha!"
Then the Sword Demon burst into hearty laughter.
"Talk about a solid smack. Refreshing. Damn refreshing! Kuhahaha!"
The Sword Demon and Sword King shared the same thought.
Swords in hand, they each retreated to a corner of the training ground and sank into thought. The atmosphere cooled instantly.
The escorts and Victory Dragon Unit members peeking cautiously from outside slipped back in.
Ha Won-hu beckoned them over. They gathered and watched the Sword King and Sword Demon.
After deep contemplation, the two slowly moved. Thus began their sword dance.
Ha Won-hu watched with meaningful eyes. He judged there was no need to monitor the Sword Demon anymore.
In his view, the Sword Demon wasn't one to scheme from the shadows. He lacked the brains for it.
He'd kill upfront but not plot behind backs.
Ha Won-hu's gaze on the Sword Demon had softened considerably. He could now observe their sword dance coolly and objectively.
'This counts as a fateful encounter in its own way.'
When else would he witness the Sword King and Sword Demon dancing swords together?
As Ha Won-hu immersed in their display, he thought of Dan Hyeong-u.
A man who could reduce the Sword King and Sword Demon to this with one word, keeping them pinned at a mere escort bureau. The more he pondered, the more curiosity swelled.
'I wonder what his skills are like.'
He'd never seen Dan Hyeong-u's abilities firsthand, so he couldn't be sure. But taking others' words at face value, he was extraordinary.
Shattering the Sword King with one strike, subduing the Sword Demon with aura alone, cleaving dozens or hundreds with a swing, calling thunder and dragons.
'Heh, nonsense.'
None rang true. If people truly believed that, one answer fit.
'Con artist.'
Ha Won-hu ranked that highest. If all true, Dan Hyeong-u couldn't be human. He'd watched closely but saw only a food lover.
Dan Hyeong-u strolled leisurely from the training ground. He headed to the bustling streets outside the bureau.
Lately, his main pastime was wandering those streets, soaking in the human vibe.
Where people lived held peace laced with fierce undercurrents. Milder than hell's intensity, but life pulsed there.
Living was always a struggle.
The Henan Escort Bureau sat slightly off Hyeonchang's center. Dan Hyeong-u walked slowly toward it from the bureau.
Several eyes secretly tracked his unhurried pace.
"That's definitely him?"
"It is."
"Confirm properly. Check his energy flow and aura too."
"I did!"
Ma Yeong snapped irritably. Geom Yeong smirked at her.
"Heh. You lost him on watch and dragged us here, yet you're pissy? That's chutzpah for you."
Sparks flew from Ma Yeong's eyes at Geom Yeong's jab. She glared and ground her teeth.
"Grr. We're both in the same boat, so shut it."
Geom Yeong ignored her reaction.
"Hmph. Don't screw up this time. You got me in hot water with the Leader too."
Ma Yeong swallowed her anger and turned back to Dan Hyeong-u. No doubt, it was him.
Everyone had a unique energy and aura. Even twins or those with similar upbringings differed.
Yet this Dan Hyeong-u matched exactly the one Ma Yeong remembered.