Chapter 203
Chapter 203
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 203
Chapter Title: That's Him
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The road to Mount Huang was smooth.
Everyone had adapted well to the rapid travel that doubled as training with Byeok Taesan, and now they could run considerable distances without much need for food or rest.
The distance from Nanchang to Mount Huang was about five hundred li. If Byeok Taesan really pushed himself, he could arrive in no time, but he chose not to.
Byeok Taesan scheduled a two-day journey to Mount Huang. This pace would allow his party to travel at their leisure.
Naturally, they needed a guide, and the Underworld Sect member who had honorably guided Byeok Taesan from Changsha to Mount Huang was chosen for the task.
He was selected for the sole reason that he had been to Mount Huang with him once before.
Of course, the Underworld Sect member was overjoyed the moment he heard he had been chosen by Byeok Taesan.
His reaction was due to his skills having improved by several levels from that one experience.
And those who showed such reactions were often the ones who climbed the ranks faster.
Even now, the Underworld Sect member was itching to run faster.
He felt as if he could break through another barrier if he just had one more run like that with Byeok Taesan, and the inability to do so was incredibly frustrating.
The Underworld Sect member kept glancing at Byeok Taesan.
But Byeok Taesan showed no intention of quickening the pace, simply walking leisurely.
When they were about halfway to Mount Huang, a sizable county appeared.
Byeok Taesan entered it and said to the Underworld Sect member.
"We will stay here for the night."
"Yes, sir."
The Underworld Sect member responded immediately and went to find an inn.
He found an inn without much difficulty, and they decided to stay in its detached villa.
The inn's villa even had an attached training ground for martial arts.
It was a well-built and sturdy training ground.
Various weapons of decent quality were displayed, and though they were slightly worn from use by previous visitors, they were well-maintained.
Byeok Taesan took only Yeon Harin to the training ground.
"Do you wish to fight?"
At Byeok Taesan's question, Yeon Harin's eyes widened slightly.
She nodded with a determined expression.
She wanted to fight. That was why she had insisted on coming this far.
"You could die."
Byeok Taesan said calmly. Through Hyeokryeon Hwi's lingering thoughts, he had a rough idea of how strong the man on Mount Huang was.
Judged objectively, Yeon Harin could never defeat him.
"I'm not afraid of death."
Yeon Harin replied, her fighting spirit blazing. The fire in her eyes was more intense than ever before.
Byeok Taesan stared at her for a moment before speaking.
"Let us increase your chances."
At his words, Yeon Harin smiled brightly and nodded.
Byeok Taesan raised his hand slightly to the side.
A branch from a tree outside the wall snapped off and flew toward him.
Astonishingly, as it flew, smaller twigs broke off and all the leaves were stripped away.
The branch that landed in Byeok Taesan's grasp was perfectly smooth.
The weapon of the man on Mount Huang was a saber.
That was why he had prepared this tool.
"I will swing twice. Block them both."
Yeon Harin's eyes shone as she drew her sword.
With a pounding heart, she awaited Byeok Taesan's attack.
Just how fast, precise, and powerful would it be?
But what happened was the complete opposite of her expectations.
Byeok Taesan brought the branch down very slowly.
'He wants me to block this?'
But Yeon Harin did not let her guard down. There was no telling when it might suddenly speed up.
When the branch was as close as possible, Yeon Harin swung her sword upward, intending to sever it.
*Swish!*
Her sword narrowly missed the branch swung by Byeok Taesan.
*Thwack!*
"Kuh!"
Yeon Harin staggered and fell on her bottom.
*Thud.*
She looked up at Byeok Taesan with bewildered eyes.
The speed of the branch hadn't changed at all. And yet, she had failed to block it.
Her shoulder, which had just been hit, throbbed with pain.
"There is no time to linger."
Yeon Harin shot up from her spot. The fighting spirit in her eyes deepened.
The training continued after that.
Yeon Harin was beaten until she was literally a pulp.
The first time she managed to block Byeok Taesan's swing was two hours after the training began.
*Clang!*
*Crack!*
She blocked the first strike, but failed to stop the consecutive attack and was hit in the side.
Yeon Harin gritted her teeth in pain and staggered, but quickly regained her stance.
A sense of accomplishment began to creep over her.
The corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously. She had blocked it once, at least.
It was another two hours before she could perfectly block the two consecutive strikes.
She couldn't count how many times she had been hit, how much she had pushed her body, or how much internal energy she had expended.
For the first time in a long while, she felt that she might actually die.
But the sense of achievement gained from this training was so immense that it overshadowed everything else.
She felt as if she had broken through a great wall with today's training.
The price was lying sprawled on the training ground floor, unable to move a single finger.
Byeok Taesan slowly approached the gasping Yeon Harin.
Lying on the training ground floor, Yeon Harin gazed up at him.
Standing over her, Byeok Taesan looked down and spoke.
"You did it."
Yeon Harin gave a pleasant smile.
"It's all thanks to you, Young Master."
Her eyes sparkling, she asked.
"Can I win now?"
"Perhaps."
When he didn't give a definite answer, Yeon Harin pouted.
Watching her, Byeok Taesan lifted her up in his arms.
Startled, Yeon Harin looked at Byeok Taesan. His face was right in front of hers.
Without a glance at her, Byeok Taesan strode toward their quarters.
In his arms, Yeon Harin blushed slightly and gently wrapped her arms around his neck.
As Byeok Taesan entered their quarters, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
* * *
The next day, they set out after an early lunch.
They moved incomparably faster than the day before, arriving at the entrance of Mount Huang in what felt like no time at all.
The Underworld Sect member spoke cautiously.
"We have arrived. This is deeper in than the place we visited before. From here on, it will be difficult to find any houses."
This was a bit different from when they had come to Mount Huang in search of Je Wiryong.
Back then, they had gone to a small county near Mount Huang; now, they were in the mountain itself.
The place where Byeok Taesan's party now stood was an area with no civilian homes nearby.
And the deeper they went from here, the harder it would be to find any sign of human life.
While there were occasional hermits living alone in the mountains, Mount Huang itself was so vast that encountering them was no easy task.
Moreover, Mount Huang had as many mountain strongholds as its size would suggest.
Some of these strongholds were so large and housed so many experts that they could rival a decent martial arts clan.
The bandits of Mount Huang roamed the rugged terrain, hunting, and would swiftly descend to raid passing merchant caravans or villages before retreating back into the mountains.
As such, they were agile and strong. Compared to strongholds in other regions, they had a fair number of martial arts practitioners.
Of course, such bandits were no match for Byeok Taesan.
In any case, that was the situation.
The Underworld Sect member looked at Byeok Taesan, waiting for instructions on what to do next.
"From here on, I will lead. Follow me closely."
With those words, Byeok Taesan started walking deeper into the mountain.
Yeon Harin and the three handmaidens followed him without hesitation.
But the Underworld Sect member couldn't hide his anxious expression.
Until now, Byeok Taesan had only followed where he or Hwaok had guided.
So for him to suddenly declare he would lead the way here, how could he not feel uneasy?
Besides, Mount Huang was a massive mountain. Even those who lived nearby found it difficult to navigate.
Yet he had to follow a man who looked like he had never set foot on a mountain in his life.
'Did I make a mistake coming along?'
Of course, it wasn't his choice to make, so the thought was meaningless.
And a short while later, he had no time for such thoughts.
Byeok Taesan moved with incredible speed.
It was a pace similar to their journey to Mount Huang on the second day.
The problem was, this wasn't flat ground; it was a mountain.
The Underworld Sect member panted as he struggled to keep up. His internal energy was draining rapidly.
What was truly astonishing was that Yeon Harin and the three handmaidens were following Byeok Taesan without any trouble at all.
The Underworld Sect member grew increasingly anxious, fearing he might be the only one left behind on Mount Huang.
How long did they travel like that?
Suddenly, Byeok Taesan stopped.
The party gathered closely, looking with curiosity in the direction Byeok Taesan was facing.
In a place where one would wonder how such a thing could possibly be built, there was a small mountain stronghold.
"Is that it?"
The Underworld Sect member asked, unable to hide his astonished eyes.
The stronghold was in the middle of a cliff face.
It had been created by carving out the middle of a stone cliff.
It wasn't just a simple cave.
The stronghold was built as if a giant had scooped out the middle of the cliff with its hand.
From below, parts of the stronghold's interior were visible.
The outermost edge was even lined with a crude fence, likely to prevent anyone from falling off while drunk.
This place was quite deep within Mount Huang, and its location was cleverly concealed.
Perhaps because of that, there wasn't a single person on guard.
The problem was that there was no proper path to climb up to it or descend from the cliff top.
One would have to scale the cliff or climb up a rope lowered from the stronghold.
"How on earth did they build that?"
The Underworld Sect member muttered, staring blankly up at the stronghold.
"Like this, probably."
Byeok Taesan casually swung his hand.
*Kwwwaaaaa!*
A colossal wave of energy shot forward, following the trajectory of Byeok Taesan's hand.
The energy, arcing briefly, tore through the lower part of the cliff.
*Krrrrrack!*
An enormous roar echoed as the lower part of the cliff was gouged out.
The Underworld Sect member's jaw dropped.
With a single wave of Byeok Taesan's hand, a hollow identical in shape to the stronghold in the middle of the cliff had been carved into the lower part.
The Underworld Sect member wasn't the only one startled by the roar.
People from the stronghold swarmed out and crowded against the fence to look down.
"What was that!"
"What's going on!"
"Hey! There are people down there!"
"And women, too!"
The bandits shouted as they looked down at Byeok Taesan's party.
Their gazes eventually fixated on the four women accompanying Byeok Taesan.
Although they were bandits here, it wasn't as if they never went to towns or cities where people lived.
When they got money, they had to go spend it.
Naturally, at those times, they would pose as ordinary martial artists, not bandits, and spend their money freely.
They had been to all the famous courtesan houses in the area.
But the four women here were the most beautiful they had ever seen.
No, there was no comparison at all.
But no one dared to leave the stronghold rashly.
Not until they had confirmed the source of that deafening roar.
At least, that was true for the bandits currently crowded against the fence.
Byeok Taesan scanned the bandits.
"There are some decent ones mixed in."
He saw some who were above the level of ordinary bandits.
Not just one, but three of them. And that was just among those crowded at the fence.
Byeok Taesan's senses told him there were more people inside the stronghold.
Among them were two more who were unusually strong for bandits.
And the man who was the reason Byeok Taesan had come all this way was there as well.
The presence his senses picked up was considerable.
He was the strongest martial artist Byeok Taesan had encountered since awakening in this body.
Byeok Taesan looked at Yeon Harin.
She had certainly grown a lot.
He recalled how she had fought the river pirates in Yichang.
She was impressive back then, but now she was incomparably stronger.
Moreover, she could now use spiritual energy.
Of course, the man inside was still dangerous. The only saving grace was that he couldn't sense any trace of spiritual energy from him.
Byeok Taesan looked up at the stronghold on the cliff again.
An intense aura flared from his body and then vanished.
The bandits crowded at the fence suddenly jumped back in alarm.
They felt something chilling pierce their hearts.
A moment later, an elderly-looking man slowly revealed himself.
"That's him."
Byeok Taesan said, then looked at Yeon Harin as if to ask if she could handle it.
Yeon Harin nodded, a flame of fighting spirit igniting in her eyes.
She then raised her head and looked up at the man standing right by the fence.
The man's eyebrows twitched. A chilling glint radiated from his eyes.
The three handmaidens behind Yeon Harin flinched and stepped back.
And the Underworld Sect member, terrified, scrambled further away.
The man leaped into the air and dropped down.
*Thoom!*
The ground shook.
The man stood tall and strode toward Byeok Taesan. He held a massive saber in his hand, its tip dragging on the ground.
As the man approached, Byeok Taesan took a step to the side.
As if to say, 'Your opponent is not me, but Yeon Harin.'
The man's lips parted slightly in a savage smile.
"How dare you...!"
Yeon Harin strode forward to face him.
Seeing the confidence in her eyes, the man scoffed.
Then he swiftly raised his saber and brought it crashing down.