The Road Ahead is Busy
The thugs from the Dongjeong Waterway Gang stood there dumbfounded, their eyes wide in shock. No one had seen where these newcomers had come from or how they'd ambushed them so suddenly. And to top it all off, Yi Jinpyeong had somehow slipped to the opposite side in that brief moment, subduing their comrades and rescuing the women before anyone could blink.
"Young master!!!"
"You're back!"
"We knew you would!"
"Quick, finish these bastards—!"
The Yi Family warriors shouted in joyous relief. There was no one more welcome than Yi Jinpyeong at this critical juncture.
But Yi Jinpyeong showed no sign of joining the fray. Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed indifferently at the tangled mass of fighters and drawled, "What are you doing? Get to fighting already."
Silence fell over them.
Gwak Yeonyong, the chief steward, spoke up on behalf of the group, flustered. "And what will you be doing, young master?"
"Fighting's your job. You think this body has to keep scrapping with small fry forever?"
"......"
"I've done my part. No more hostages holding you back, so go wild. I'll watch and see just how much you've grown."
Gwak Yeonyong recalled something. Yi Jinpyeong had once said something similar to Gang Ryong.
But it wasn't just the hostages that had them on the back foot. Considering the overwhelming numbers of the Dongjeong Waterway Gang, now wasn't the time for Yi Jinpyeong to sit back and spectate.
As the Yi Family warriors blinked in confusion, Yi Jinpyeong tilted his head. "What? Short on manpower? That's why I brought reinforcements. Two rising stars who turned the haughty Nine Great Beggars' Clan upside down."
The warriors looked around in bewilderment. Rising stars? And ones capable of shaking up the Nine Great Beggars' Clan, no less? Where had they come from?
Yi Jinpyeong grinned. "Guess the news hasn't spread here yet."
At that moment, the rotund figures that had ambushed the Dongjeong Waterway Gang and Yi Family warriors—groaning like jiangshi with deep, guttural "Kuuuuh"—began to rise.
It was Yi Jingang and Yi Jinun. The brothers had nearly had their souls scared out of them after Yi Jinpyeong unceremoniously hurled them into the heart of the enemy.
"What the—!"
"Kill them!"
Realizing Yi Family brothers had landed right in their midst, the thugs frantically swung their blades down.
But even in the chaos, the brothers instinctively unleashed their sword arts. The thugs crumpled like dominoes, collapsing powerlessly.
Just days ago, these brothers had proudly wielded their swords against the Nine Great Beggars' Clan's later-generation disciples. Having tasted the thrill of a grand stage, the wild swings of mere waterway thugs posed no real threat.
Normally, they might have hesitated out of fear, but in this dire moment, their bodies moved on pure instinct.
Hahaha! The insolent youngest brother, Yi Jinpyeong—who had so brazenly tossed his elders into the thick of battle—threw his head back and laughed. Spreading his arms wide like some wicked sorcerer, he bellowed, "Yi Family! Fight! Crush them all!"
At his command, Gang Ryong—the hairy brute who had lain unconscious—sprang up as if possessed by a god. His body was grotesquely swollen from Jjak-gwi's poison, his skin bruised purple all over. Yet like an undead warrior, he rose, clenched his fists, and roared through his bloated tongue in a garbled bellow.
"Fiiight... if you say fiiight, then fiiight! Kuuuwaaaah!!"
Yi Jingang and Yi Jinun scattered sword strikes in all directions. Gang Ryong, revived from the brink of death, rampaged with even greater ferocity. The Yi Family warriors' eyes blazed with newfound fire.
No longer fighting with worries of victory, defeat, survival, or death—they were in a different state now. More terrifying than a few thug blades was the piercing gaze of Yi Jinpyeong, watching them with those sharp, unblinking eyes!
"Ooooh!!!"
The Yi Family warriors charged ferociously, swinging their swords. The thugs faltered as they met the onslaught.
***
Jjak-gwi's face twisted in agony. He had instantly sensed the extraordinary aura of the boy who appeared out of nowhere. The third young master of Yi Family, was it? He had no idea how the boy had shown up or how he'd freed the hostages in a flash.
But that wasn't the only problem. The Yi Family warriors' momentum had surged unbelievably, and the two youths slashing through his men from the center wielded skills far from ordinary. They fought without even drawing their swords fully from their sheaths—clear confidence in their prowess.
And that hairy brute he'd stabbed with his poisoned awl? He should be dead, yet here he was, back up and fighting. Jjak-gwi's awls bore venom that felled bears and tigers. Nine times out of ten, it killed or crippled—yet this guy endured like he was immune to all poisons.
No. Impossible.
If the man were poison-proof or had taken an antidote, his body wouldn't be so grotesquely swollen and bruised. It meant he was surviving on raw vitality alone—and fighting through it? Unfathomable.
Today's a bust. I need to get out of here.
Jjak-gwi's eyes darted. His lifelong survival instinct kicked in. He tried to slip away swiftly, but Nak Pung-hyeon, locked in combat with him, refused to yield an inch.
"Urgh—!"
He lashed out wildly with the awls in both hands at Nak Pung-hyeon blocking his path. Under the ferocious barrage, Nak Pung-hyeon gradually fell back. His breathing grew ragged, his face pale. A closer look revealed he'd been grazed by what he'd thought was a miss.
Of course! My poison isn't that weak! But that hairy bastard, how...
Jjak-gwi stopped overthinking. Survival came first, poison or no.
"Get out of my way! You think I have time to deal with you?!"
Nak Pung-hyeon offered no reply. Since the fight began, he hadn't uttered a word. He simply poured his all into unfolding the Sword Path of Un Sword Three Cuts.
Jjak-gwi tried every trick to shake him, but Nak Pung-hyeon had no intention of letting him go. This bastard had held his family-like women hostage, toyed with them, threatened them—he would capture and punish him.
But even before the poison slowed him, Jjak-gwi had been a slippery foe. As Nak Pung-hyeon's movements dulled, Jjak-gwi grew even more elusive and deadly. He lacked Gang Ryong's superhuman vitality and recovery. Only his profound inner energy and iron will to never let this man escape drove him to expel the poison qi amid the fight.
After thwarting several escape attempts, murderous intent and venom dripped from Jjak-gwi's eyes.
"You... you bastard! You wanna die that bad? Fine! I'll flay your damn skin!"
Jjak-gwi's assault became a whirlwind. No longer holding back for escape, he unleashed everything. Nak Pung-hyeon retreated once more.
Then, Yi Jinpyeong's voice transmission echoed from behind, his attention fixed on Nak Pung-hyeon amid overseeing the battlefield.
Need help? No, you don't.
Why ask if he was just going to answer himself? Yi Jinpyeong continued.
Reaching fifty percent mastery of Un Sword Three Cuts is reason enough for confidence. Few opponents you can't beat now. Hone it further, and you'll hit the pinnacle in no time. But reality isn't so kind. Think: even before the poison, was this guy an easy mark?
....!
Especially against agile, unpredictable types like him, clinging too rigidly to a precise, structured art like Un Sword Three Cuts is suicide. He's mediocre, sure—but what if you faced someone far freer, more erratic? How would you handle it?
Nak Pung-hyeon felt like he'd been struck by a hammer. Was his failure to subdue the foe because he was bound by Un Sword Three Cuts?
His movements grew even more chaotic. Yi Jinpyeong's transmission offered no aid—only hindrance. Yet as if reading his mind, Yi Jinpyeong pressed on calmly.
Un Sword Three Cuts is flawless. The issue is your approach to it. Time to advance. Cast off your reverence for martial arts. Don't idolize them. It's the stepping stone you've crossed—not your home. Shatter the mental frame you've built. Learn to erase the sword's form from your mind.
Lightning struck Nak Pung-hyeon's mind. Erase the sword's form? An approach he'd never dared imagine. He'd devoted his life to perfectly embodying Un Sword Three Cuts—the art that elevated him.
But now he understood. What he lacked. The path ahead.
Suddenly, Nak Pung-hyeon's vision cleared. Distractions sank like ripples, his mind still as a calm lake—like Dongjeong Lake itself, where he'd lived his life.
His precise, systematic swordplay broke free of rules and bounds, growing freer. The rigid form that had unconsciously weighed him down cracked. His sword no longer traced fixed paths.
Yet the disarray was liberation. No matter how wildly Jjak-gwi roared and tore the air, Nak Pung-hyeon naturally parried and flowed without strain.
"Kraaaah!"
A massive scream snapped him back. Jjak-gwi's remaining ear flew off, severed clean. He was no longer "One-Eared." What big ears he had. The thought flashed as Nak Pung-hyeon's blade slashed deep once more.
Guided by Un Sword Three Cuts yet free; wild yet true to its path. Every motion was Un Sword Three Cuts.
Crack! Jjak-gwi's body split in two.
Splurt! Blood sprayed skyward.
From afar, Yi Jinpyeong smirked at the sight. "Now that's refreshing."
***
Nak Pung-hyeon snapped to awareness. He remembered: right after cleaving Jjak-gwi in half, he'd collapsed.
Yi Jinpyeong had approached, pressing a palm to his back and infusing wood qi. The vital energy expelled the dominating poison.
Fresh vigor flooded Nak Pung-hyeon's body.
"Hey, if you're awake, get up. The road ahead is busy."
Yi Jinpyeong said.
His body recovered, but his mind still foggy, Nak Pung-hyeon asked, "Where to?"
"Where else?"
Yi Jinpyeong replied as if it were obvious. "To wipe out the Dongjeong Waterway Gang, root and stem."