Chapter 166
Chapter 166
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Before Getting Hit
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Underworld Sect member who had been running hard gradually slowed his pace.
As the Underworld Sect member came to a halt, Byeok Taesan stopped beside him.
"Are we here?"
"Yes. It's over there."
Looking where the man pointed, Byeok Taesan saw a large martial arts hall.
It was the Yellow Springs Martial Arts Hall, one of Nameless's bases.
The sounds of a fierce battle could be heard from inside.
With such a commotion, one would expect the neighbors to come out and see, but the street was utterly deserted.
As if sensing the question, the Underworld Sect member quickly explained.
"It's usually noisy because of training, so the people around here don't pay it much mind."
Still, the current commotion was quite intense. The clash of weapons, shouts, and screams mixed together, spilling out of the martial arts hall in a torrent of noise.
"This level of noise is common, even on a normal day."
Hearing this, Yeon Harin, who had approached Byeok Taesan's side, asked.
"What kind of training do they usually do to make so much noise?"
"From what I can tell, it seems they're intentionally noisy to get the neighbors accustomed to the commotion."
Everyone nodded at his words.
This was a base for Nameless, so it wouldn't be strange if something happened here later.
Therefore, preparing in such a way beforehand would surely be useful someday.
Just like now.
Byeok Taesan's gaze shifted slightly upward.
Everyone followed his gaze and saw a rather tall pavilion.
It was a pavilion not far from the Yellow Springs Martial Arts Hall, and it looked like one could see the entire interior of the hall from its top floor.
"There's someone on top of the pavilion?"
Yeon Harin's eyes widened.
On the top floor of the pavilion, a few men were standing and watching the inside of the Yellow Springs Martial Arts Hall.
At this point, it was immediately clear who they were.
They were involved.
"A good spot."
Byeok Taesan said this and strode toward the pavilion.
Everyone else hurried after him.
"I'll check if anyone is trying to escape from the pavilion."
The Underworld Sect member said quickly, but Byeok Taesan shook his head.
"No need. There's no one else but them anyway. If they give up their spot, take them and ask them whatever you want to know."
The Underworld Sect member looked at Byeok Taesan with a strange expression before quickly coming to his senses and bowing his head.
"Yes. I will do so."
Byeok Taesan's pace quickened.
He took a few steps and was suddenly at the pavilion's entrance; the next moment, to everyone's surprise, he was on the top floor.
Startled, everyone else entered the pavilion and quickly ascended.
When they reached the top floor, three men were lying collapsed at Byeok Taesan's feet.
"Clean this up."
At Byeok Taesan's command, the Underworld Sect member rushed over, grabbed the three men by their legs, and dragged them downstairs.
The other Underworld Sect members would take care of the rest.
Byeok Taesan's group gathered by the window and looked down at the Yellow Springs Martial Arts Hall.
A truly fierce battle was unfolding there.
"There are a lot more of them than I thought."
Hwaok replied to Yeon Harin's comment.
"Those men over there appear to be from the Sangcheon Sect. Those seem to be from the Cheongmu Faction, and those are definitely from the Nine Dragons Sect."
"That man is quite skilled, isn't he?"
The Nameless members in the Yellow Springs Martial Arts Hall were all considerable experts.
But the man Yeon Harin had just pointed out was a master several levels above them.
"He is likely one of the nine dragons of the Nine Dragons Sect."
"Like that Fourth Dragon or whatever his name was that I fought before?"
"That's right."
"Looks like he's about half a step above the Fourth Dragon."
Yeon Harin said this and looked at Byeok Taesan.
"Young Master, shouldn't we go help them?"
Byeok Taesan looked at Yeon Harin and saw she was itching for a fight.
It was clear that if he gave her permission, she would jump from here, leap over the wall of the martial arts hall, and dive into the fray.
A thick fighting spirit was beginning to emanate from her body.
"Yes? Can I go? Can I go now? I'm about to jump! Is that okay?"
Yeon Harin said this as she took a step closer to Byeok Taesan. Her eyes were filled with anticipation and fighting spirit.
Yet, when Byeok Taesan didn't answer, a look of desperation and sorrow began to creep onto her face.
"I can't?"
In Yeon Harin's expression, gaze, and aura, Byeok Taesan vaguely saw that girl from the past, Seon Haryeong.
Seeing her act like this, they really were similar.
Of course, that didn't mean he would give her what she wanted. Just as he hadn't with Seon Haryeong.
Byeok Taesan turned his gaze to the ten maids.
"You go."
"What?"
Eleven people cried out in unison. Even their expressions were identical.
Byeok Taesan gestured firmly with his chin, as if to say he would accept no objections.
The ten maids moved hastily.
In an instant, they descended from the pavilion, ran to the Yellow Springs Martial Arts Hall, and leaped over the wall.
From the top of the pavilion, Byeok Taesan watched the entire scene unfold.
The six people who had been fighting in the hall from the beginning were struggling valiantly, but it seemed difficult for them to change the tide of battle.
From Byeok Taesan's perspective, the fight was perfectly balanced. This meant that neither side was taking much damage.
This was because the coordination between the men in the hall and the warriors from the Golden Moon Trading Company's affiliated sects was exceptionally good.
It seemed the two sides had engaged in deep martial arts exchanges for quite some time. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for them to coordinate so well on such short notice with almost no awkwardness.
If it continued like this, the side whose stamina ran out first would lose. And the Yellow Springs Martial Arts Hall, which was using a larger number of people in waves, had a clear advantage.
Sending in the ten maids now was intended to create a crack in that situation.
And the effect was immediate.
Of course, it wouldn't last long.
Their skills were relatively inferior, and the enemy's numbers were too great.
The enemy would be flustered at first, creating an opening, but eventually, the balance would be restored.
The outcome would be decided by how the original six fighters responded during that time.
"Watch carefully."
At Byeok Taesan's words, Yeon Harin pouted.
"I am watching. Do you have any idea how much I'm holding back my envy?"
Byeok Taesan chuckled.
"Weren't you hitting a wall? This could be a chance to break through it, so watch closely."
Yeon Harin's eyes went wide as saucers. She unconsciously turned her head to look at Byeok Taesan's profile.
He was still calm, still not giving her a single glance.
"Haa. It's frustrating."
"It's always like that when you hit a wall. So watch carefully."
Yeon Harin shook her head and looked down at the martial arts hall again.
She asked casually, as if in passing.
"Young Master, do you ever feel frustrated? Ah, you said it's frustrating when you hit a wall, right?"
"Usually, I pass through without even knowing if it's a wall or not, so I've never felt frustrated. Ah, I almost did for a moment at the end, but..."
Byeok Taesan stopped mid-sentence and closed his mouth.
He couldn't very well say he died then.
Of course, that too was a very brief moment. He had gained a new enlightenment at the moment of his death.
Now, he was in the process of steadily developing that enlightenment.
Naturally, he had never once hit a wall.
Even now, Byeok Taesan was constantly growing stronger.
Yeon Harin found herself looking at Byeok Taesan again.
How could he say such things so confidently without a change in expression?
Byeok Taesan continued.
"What I find frustrating is watching things like that. There's no progress, is there?"
Yeon Harin flinched and looked down at the fight in the hall again.
The battle, which had briefly been disrupted, had returned to its original state.
The only difference from before was that the enemy now had one more group to rotate into the fight.
Seeing this, a thought flashed through Yeon Harin's mind.
She looked at Byeok Taesan with eyes full of longing.
"Young Master. I... Can I go now? Can I fight?"
Byeok Taesan glanced at Yeon Harin, who was fidgeting restlessly and tapping her feet.
Then, he chuckled and nodded.
"Go. And tell anyone who gets scratched to be prepared."
"Yes!"
Yeon Harin beamed and answered loudly.
For a moment, it felt as if the top floor of the pavilion had brightened.
Yeon Harin leaped straight out of the window.
She ran swiftly and vaulted over the wall of the Yellow Springs Martial Arts Hall.
Byeok Taesan watched Yeon Harin charge into the battlefield before turning away.
The fight was as good as over.
* * *
"Haa... haa... Ah, that was damn exhausting."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages grumbled as he collapsed to the floor, panting heavily.
He had fought so fiercely that his breathing wouldn't easily settle.
"But we won. That's what matters. Huff... huff."
The One-Needle Eccentric, sitting next to him, said. He too was catching his breath, struggling to regulate it.
The others were also sitting nearby, all gasping for air.
Among them, the one in the best shape was Yeon Harin.
It wasn't that Yeon Harin wasn't tired. She had joined last, but she had fought with the most passion.
It was more tiring because she had tried to fight using as little spiritual energy as possible.
The reason she did so was because she felt that her spiritual energy was making it harder to break through her wall.
'I should have watched carefully earlier, just as the Young Master said...'
The thought suddenly occurred to Yeon Harin, and she felt a pang of regret.
Earlier, she had been distracted by her conversation with Byeok Taesan and hadn't watched the fight properly.
By the time she focused on the fight again, it had already reached a stalemate, and there was nothing to be gained from watching.
'If I had, could I have broken through my wall?'
Remembering the frustration she'd been feeling during her recent training, Yeon Harin sighed unconsciously.
"You'll sigh a hole in the ground. Something worrying you?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages casually chimed in.
Yeon Harin shook her head weakly.
"No. It's nothing."
The Divine Doctor was about to tell her to spit it out, knowing that wasn't true, but Yeon Harin suddenly remembered something and spoke first.
"Ah! Come to think of it, the Young Master said to be prepared if we got scratched. I forgot."
"What? Why are you telling us something so important now!"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages shouted, horrified.
He frantically checked his body.
The others did the same, checking to see if they had even a single scratch.
To be honest, they hadn't been able to fight with all their strength during the battle because of that warning.
They had been forced to fight very defensively.
That was part of the reason the fight had dragged on.
"Agh! What's this!"
Suddenly, the Divine Doctor of the Ages screamed.
Everyone's eyes turned toward him.
There was a long gash on the back of his thigh.
It wasn't a deep wound, but his clothes were stained with blood and torn.
The Divine Doctor fretted, glanced around nervously, then quickly took out some wound ointment from his robes.
He had been steadily researching with the Heavenly Medicine Hall and had created an ointment far more effective than the ones they used to use.
The Divine Doctor diligently applied the ointment to his wound.
But that wouldn't make the wound disappear instantly. No matter how effective the ointment was, it still took time for a wound to heal.
No one could watch him with a relaxed smile.
Everyone seriously searched their own bodies for injuries.
Naturally, everyone had a wound or two.
The only one without a single injury was Yeon Harin.
It was unbelievable that someone could fight so many enemies so fiercely and come out unscathed.
Even if they had fought defensively.
Everyone was worried sick.
After applying all the ointment, the Divine Doctor passed the rest to the others.
The One-Needle Eccentric also applied his own ointment and handed the remainder to his comrades.
Everyone carefully applied the ointment to their wounds.
Their worry stemmed from fear. The fear of not knowing what Byeok Taesan would do to them, what kind of absurd training awaited them.
Just then, Byeok Taesan slowly walked in.
With tense expressions, everyone shot to their feet and looked at him.
Byeok Taesan approached the group and glanced over them.
"You're injured."
Hearing those words, everyone swallowed nervously. The time had come.
Byeok Taesan said calmly.
"That's why you should have crushed them before they could hit you."
Everyone stared blankly at Byeok Taesan.
I mean, who didn't know that? Crush them before they hit you. Easier said than done; it wasn't something just anyone could do.
'I'd like to see the Young Master try it then.'
The Divine Doctor of the Ages muttered internally.
Of course, he wouldn't say it out loud. What was the point of saying that to someone who could actually do it?
Everyone else seemed to have similar thoughts, as their gazes toward Byeok Taesan were somewhat vacant.
"It seems you need training on how to strike before you get hit."
Everyone shivered at Byeok Taesan's words.