Tianyang County (3)
After facing Jeokhwa, Dan Myeong-geuk felt a storm of emotion rise in him. Swept along by that turmoil, he ignored even his father's warning and tailed the Zhongnan Sect Taoists.
When he reached the tavern Damjeokbang used as its base, the sight that met him was Damjeokbang's men sprawled across the floor.
How in the world?
However low the Damjeokbang martial artists' levels were—third-class or below—their numbers alone were considerable. He had thought three people would struggle to handle so many.
Reality, however, was nothing like what Dan Myeong-geuk had expected.
"Young Master Dan? What brings you here?"
"Ah, well. I came to help, but…"
Cheonhwa, belatedly noticing Dan Myeong-geuk standing near the tavern entrance, asked the question. Dan Myeong-geuk trailed off without a proper answer—because no matter how he looked at it, this was not a situation that needed help.
Just as he floundered, a so-called helping hand arrived: Damjeokbang's own crew.
"What's going on?"
"It's a raid!"
"Did the Dan Family Manor attack again?!"
Hearing the commotion, more Damjeokbang ruffians poured out from deeper inside the tavern, leaving no room for conversation.
"For now, I won't ask why you're here. You're a first-class martial artist, so I trust you can look after yourself."
"Ah—right."
With that, Cheonhwa began fighting the Black Path thugs who rushed them, together with his companions. From the side, Dan Myeong-geuk lent a hand and watched how Cheonhwa's group subdued the Black Path crowd.
They broke the third-class martial artists' limbs so they could not move. For the untrained ruffians they showed restraint, knocking them unconscious without leaving wounds. And all of it was done through pure physical power honed by external martial training—without even drawing on internal energy.
We're both first-class martial artists, yet the gap is this vast.
Why such a difference? Because they trained in the superior arts of a great sect? No—that wasn't it. The Zhongnan Taoists' movements were so intuitive that even Dan Myeong-geuk could follow them.
Before long, he grasped the reason.
The foundation they've built is different.
Physical refinement through external training. Internal energy accumulated through mind methods. Forms drilled until they could be unleashed by pure reflex. Even the number of times they had walked the line between life and death. These were not things natural talent alone could grant—products that had to be stacked high through acquired effort.
In every respect, the Zhongnan Taoists far surpassed Dan Myeong-geuk. He lagged behind Taoists more than ten years younger than him in basic capability. That fact struck him hard.
Soon the Damjeokbang ruffians were cleaned up. With room to breathe, Cheonhwa turned to Dan Myeong-geuk.
"Do you intend to keep following us?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"At first it was because I was worried about Miss Jeokhwa. Now I want to watch how you all move."
"…I don't think you'd listen even if I tried to stop you."
Cheonhwa sighed and decided to leave him to it. They had already dealt with every Damjeokbang ruffian; only the gang leader remained.
Cheonhwa strode into the tavern interior. Though it was his first visit, his steps held no hesitation—as if he already knew where the Damjeokbang leader was.
Dan Myeong-geuk couldn't contain his curiosity.
"Do you know where the Damjeokbang leader is?"
"Yes. I can sense a single presence deeper inside. Nine times out of ten, that's the Damjeokbang leader."
To sense a presence even at such a distance—senses sharp as an animal's rather than a human's.
"Still, it's strange that he never showed his face even once despite all this commotion."
"That is strange, yes."
Did he trust his subordinates that much? Or did he simply not care? Whatever the reason, if the other side would not come, they would go to him.
Dan Myeong-geuk headed with the Zhongnan Taoists toward the Damjeokbang leader. The deeper they went, the more a sharp fragrance tickled their noses.
This is… liquor?
As someone who enjoyed drinking, Dan Myeong-geuk recognized it at once. The source of the smell matched exactly where they were heading.
When they opened the door, a thick wine reek poured out. The first thing to catch the eye was the mass of wine jars strewn all over the room. Had every jar of liquor stored in the tavern been gathered here? Just the smell alone threatened to get one drunk.
And at the center of it all sat a man chugging wine. Unfocused eyes. A face flushed with drink. Disheveled clothes. The classic picture of a man dead drunk.
When the party entered, the man pulled his mouth from the jar and looked at them.
"Pwah! Huh? Who're you lot?"
Facing unfamiliar faces, the man wiped his mouth and asked. Too drunk, it seemed, to properly assess the situation.
Cheonhwa stepped forward.
"Are you the Damjeokbang leader?"
"Yeah, I'm the Damjeokbang leader."
"When the ruckus broke out downstairs, why didn't you come down?"
"Ahh, come to think of it, it was noisier than usual today."
The Damjeokbang leader spoke as if it were nothing. He had registered the commotion and simply not cared—an irresponsible attitude hard to associate with a gang leader.
How is a guy like this the leader?
Even Dan Myeong-geuk, who had been called a wastrel, found it incomprehensible. A boss who just drank while trouble erupted. It made one wonder why the Damjeokbang thugs followed this man at all.
"I answered your question, so talk. Who the hell are you?"
"People who came to deal with you."
"What, enemies then?"
The Damjeokbang leader staggered to his feet. With an annoyed look he shoved a hand into his disheveled robes and scratched his chest—far too casual for a man whose life was being threatened.
"What about my boys?"
"We didn't kill them."
"That's a relief. Recruiting people again is a pain."
The Damjeokbang leader looked over the intruders, then his gaze stopped on Yeonhwa and Jeokhwa.
"Still, you bothered me, so I should get compensation. Those two young ladies are quite pretty—I think I'll have them wait on me."
Having Zhongnan disciples serve him wine. An arrogance that never once considered the possibility of defeat. Dan Myeong-geuk found that arrogance galling.
"I've held my tongue long enough. You really don't know when to shut up."
Dan Myeong-geuk glared at the Damjeokbang leader and drew the sword at his waist. The way the man ogled Jeokhwa, whom Dan Myeong-geuk had taken a liking to, made his blood boil. In answer to that surging emotion, his aura burst free.
The Damjeokbang leader scratched his chin with a finger.
"Fair warning—if you're thinking of attacking, you'd better stop."
"Save the sleep-talk for when you're asleep!"
Dan Myeong-geuk dismissed the warning. He had heard beforehand that the man's protective qi was formidable. But that just meant he had to break through the protective qi.
Dan Myeong-geuk drew up the Balgyeong he had built downstairs. His aura vibrated fiercely as he released all the force he had stored. A sword strike meant to bring heavenly punishment down on a scoundrel who had harassed women crashed in—
But the Damjeokbang leader did not move. His languid expression showed not the slightest sense of crisis.
The reason became clear the moment the sword strike landed.
Clang!
A sharp noise rang through the room—the sound of the sword strike being flung back. At the same time, Dan Myeong-geuk was blasted backward by an unexpected impact and tumbled across the floor.
"Guh!"
Unable to steady himself, Dan Myeong-geuk spat blood. The massive shock that had shaken his entire body had left him with internal injuries.
What just happened?
Dan Myeong-geuk could not understand. The instant his Chukgyeong struck the protective qi surrounding the Damjeokbang leader, a rebound force arose that not only blocked the strike but blasted the attacker away.
The true nature of that rebound was Rebound Qi—an extremely rare and aggressive internal energy barrier among protective qi arts. Dan Myeong-geuk had been thrown back because he had taken his own sword force returned at him in full.
"Junior Sister Yeonhwa, that…"
"Yeah. It's not normal."
Cheonhwa and Yeonhwa felt something off about the Damjeokbang leader's Rebound Qi. The aura from the Damjeokbang leader was only second-class at best—internal energy that could not even manage techniques like Qi-Infused Sword or Balgyeong waves, let alone proper protective qi. Yet the internal energy barrier wrapping his whole body carried force beyond first-class. Why such a gap between the Damjeokbang leader's martial level and the internal energy of his protective qi was utterly baffling.
One thing is certain—it's no ordinary protective qi.
Dan Myeong-geuk had used a strong-sword form with Chukgyeong. The sword force had been enough to smash through most internal energy barriers, defense and all. Yet this not only blocked it but returned the impact intact.
With protective qi like that, of course he'd be arrogant.
From the Damjeokbang leader's perspective, he wore unbreakable armor—and armor that returned the opponent's attacks in full. Even charging in like a wild boar would have been enough to stop first-class martial artists.
Ordinary methods won't break through.
The structure of the internal energy barrier sensed through qi perception was quite solid. Heavenly Cloud Mountain, specialized for shattering protective qi, might break a portion of it—but at the risk of taking massive rebound force and suffering internal injuries.
To crack that protective qi, I need to shave it away rather than smash it in one blow.
Fortunately, Cheonhwa had a move suited for this situation—an applied form created in his mindscape together with the founding ancestor who took Jinhyun's shape. That form should be able to neutralize the Rebound Qi.
"Junior Sister Yeonhwa, Junior Sister Jeokhwa. Please look after Young Master Dan Myeong-geuk."
"Okay. Be careful."
Yeonhwa and Jeokhwa ran to Dan Myeong-geuk, who still could not properly stand after tumbling on the floor. Cheonhwa glanced at them, then turned his gaze to the Damjeokbang leader.
The man shook his head at the sight of Dan Myeong-geuk collapsed.
"I warned you to stop."
"Why aren't you attacking?"
"Hmm? Odd question. What if some blind swing hurts the girls who'll be serving me wine?"
"…"
"Looks like it's your turn this time."
The Damjeokbang leader looked at Cheonhwa alone, then tilted his head at the wooden sword in his hands.
"A wooden sword? And pretty beat up, too. What do you plan to do with that?"
Cheonhwa answered with action instead of words. Using the method of Qi-Infused Sword, internal energy seeped into Okgyeong and a soft jade light began to shine. Aura coiled around the blade, preparing to form the edge of Balgyeong force.
Up to here it was the same as the Clear Wind Soft Hands form he usually used.
From here is what matters.
He increased the strands of aura wrapping Okgyeong—an application of Heavenly Wind Flow, which poured out successive sword winds. Multiple strands of aura began to whirl fiercely.
"Huh?"
The Damjeokbang leader was startled by the ominous omen—but it was already too late to respond. Closing the distance in a flash, Cheonhwa swung Okgyeong, aura swirling around it, at the Damjeokbang leader.
The applied form embodying the image of clouds scattering in the flow of wind erupted forth.