017. Not Three, But Two
017. Not Three, But Two
Geum Wi-un's goal was extremely simple.
Break through the Jiangshi encirclement and head to the Cheonmyeong Cave.
Deliver the news to Sama Ryang and Sama Dam Cheon, who were in seclusion training, and receive their help.
After all, if it were Sama Dam Cheon, who possessed a truly legendary Indestructible Vajra Body, and Sama Ryang, who could demonstrate near-omnipotent divine power through formations at the mountain peak of Mount Mo, they should be able to resolve this situation.
No, even if two people were insufficient, at the very least, the situation would improve.
"Everyone, follow this Agency Head!"
"""Yes!"""
The death compensation of the Wicheon Escort Agency varied by position. And the Geumseongdae, the agency's elite guard, held a position equivalent to that of the closest confidants.
These were individuals who, in the escort business, would each be treated as a lead escort.
The death compensation for such Geumseongdae members was enough that if a poor commoner used it frugally, three generations could live without working.
Loyalty bought with money. The Geumseongdae, who well understood that physical rewards existed, were sufficiently resolved not to retreat even before Jiangshi, though they might feel fear.
With them, no matter how terrifying the Jiangshi encirclement, they should be able to break through.
"Haahhh! Get lost, you rotten-smelling things!"
Geum Wi-un went all out from the start. The Geumseong Chilgeom (Golden Star Seven Swords), the family's sword technique, unleashed seven golden slashes.
It was a powerful technique that delivered seven attacks at once, but it had the drawback of high internal energy consumption.
If it weren't for the fact that, with the wealth of one of the Ten Great Escort Agencies of the Central Plains, he had consumed elixirs like meals to grow his internal energy, even Geum Wi-un wouldn't have chosen this sword technique.
However, as its flaws were clear and its limits defined, it also had the advantage of allowing one to easily grow stronger up to a certain level.
And those Jiangshi, numerous as they were, were martial artists below that 'certain level.'
The golden flashes, shining like stars in the sky, slaughtered the Jiangshi. True to being already corpses, they charged without regard for injury, but what could those bastards do against being dismembered into five pieces?
As a small space opened within the encirclement, the escort warriors of the Geumseongdae charged in.
True to being considered elites among the Ten Great Escort Agencies, they each drew their signature techniques and eliminated the Jiangshi. Some couldn't handle them, but at the very least, they shook off the Jiangshi and forcibly created a path.
The Jiangshi also tried to counter somehow, unleashing martial arts techniques, but none were particularly outstanding.
"Kuaaahk!"
"Lead Escort Seong!"
"Kkeueuk! ...Please go ahead, Agency Head! I entrust my family to you!"
"Understood!"
Of course, overwhelmed by sheer numbers, Geumseongdae members fell one by one. The swarming Jiangshi tried to kill them whether they were injured or not. At the very least, they clung to limbs to hinder movement, so with the slightly superior martial power of the Geumseongdae, holding on while breaking through was the limit.
However, even when surrounded by Jiangshi until their figures were no longer visible, and the sounds of human flesh being devoured were heard, there were no pleas for mercy or voices of resentment blaming him.
The death compensation of the Wicheon Escort Agency would take responsibility for their families' futures, and Geum Wi-un was a fair and trustworthy agency head in that regard.
"Kkeut! Hurry! The more we delay, the more casualties increase!"
"""Yes!"""
Being human, bonds had formed while working together, so though they were saddened by comrades' deaths, their footsteps did not stop.
Like arrows shot, there was no obstruction in their charge. The number of members who were injured, delayed, and became food for the Jiangshi gradually increased, but the speed remained the same.
Finally, as Geum Wi-un and the Geumseongdae broke through the corpses' encirclement and headed towards the Cheonmyeong Cave, a change occurred among the Jiangshi maintaining the encirclement.
"Kuaaaahk!!!"
"Kyaaaahk!!"
"Kkiiieeeek!!"
Half of the Jiangshi surrounding the Sama Clan abandoned the encirclement and began chasing Geum Wi-un. As if to prevent him from going to the Cheonmyeong Cave and bringing back Sama Ryang.
Seeing this from inside the family estate, Sama Jung infused his voice with internal energy and shouted.
"The encirclement is broken! Use this gap to eliminate half the Jiangshi! We must never miss the opportunity created by the Master's Husband!"
At the command of Sama Jung, the Chief Steward and acting family head, the martial force waiting charged outside the estate.
They threw themselves into the formation protecting the estate and, as they had learned within it, began using the formation via the 'Living Path' to eliminate the Jiangshi.
It wasn't a frontal confrontation but a method of grinding them down by pressuring from both sides, slowly reducing their numbers.
"Chief Steward, if we continue like this, it seems we can handle them with minimal losses without much difficulty."
As one of the Sama Clan's elders approached and said so, Sama Jung replied.
"Call me Acting Family Head."
"Chief Steward?"
"I am currently performing the duties of acting family head, which the Master's Husband had entrusted. And now is wartime, meaning that acting familiarly with someone in the position of family head is an act punishable by military law."
"...My apologies, Acting Family Head."
The elder looked at him suspiciously, as if wondering what this guy had eaten wrong.
The usual Sama Jung was an extremely quiet and mature man. A figure of the direct bloodline who showed respect using honorifics regardless of the other party and did not discriminate.
As Sama Ryang's cousin brother, a dullard with absolutely no talent in martial arts, he couldn't participate in the young master competition and survived by living parasitically under her.
That was the evaluation of Sama Jung within the clan.
'But what's with those murderous eyes? Was he a man capable of such a gaze?'
Since it wasn't a false statement, he could truly be punished now. Thus, the elder who yielded for now couldn't shake off his doubts while looking at Sama Jung's blazing eyes.
Perhaps Sama Jung had hidden his desire to become family head all this time.
"Huff, huff! Everyone, hang in there a little more! The Cheonmyeong Cave is right ahead!"
As if they truly didn't want Sama Ryang and Sama Dam Cheon to emerge from seclusion training, the Jiangshi pursued Geum Wi-un and the Geumseongdae.
This meant the situation had improved as the Sama Clan gained more leeway, but conversely, it also meant there was a traitor within the clan.
'Although we openly entered seclusion to the extent that even the servants knew, it wasn't spread to the point of leaking externally, yet they brought such a force without a whisper in just a few days. Surely, a traitor passed on the information upon hearing the seclusion news, and they prepared and invaded accordingly.'
The problem was perhaps that the traitor's scope couldn't be narrowed down at all.
Including the servants, more than half the clan knew of Sama Ryang's seclusion training.
If it were someone in an important position, they could have used a messenger pigeon anytime; if it were a mere servant, they could have secretly made contact under the guise of shopping.
For now, let's focus on breaking Sama Ryang and Sama Dam Cheon's seclusion first.
With only that goal in mind, they somehow reached the Cheonmyeong Cave.
"Agency Head.... Including me, only five Geumseongdae members remain."
"......I'm sorry. Thank you for your hard work until the end."
"Yes. I entrust my family to you, Agency Head."
Only Geum Wi-un, the Sama Clan's son-in-law by marriage, could enter the Cheonmyeong Cave interior. The warriors of the Wicheon Escort Agency were strictly outsiders, with no right to know about or access the formation.
At the far end of his vision, a number of Jiangshi still difficult to count were charging.
To avoid them, entering the Cheonmyeong Cave interior was best, but being unable to enter, the Geumseongdae members had to bury their bones here.
The Geumseongdae, who bowed their heads to Geum Wi-un, soon began turning back towards the charging Jiangshi.
To buy a little more time. Although Geum Wi-un generously provided death compensation, doing this might reduce it further, so.
One might say they were throwing their lives away too easily like weeds, but from the start, Geum Wi-un had sought out such individuals, indebted them with money, and hired them.
It wasn't that he felt no guilt, but this too was something that could be repaid with money.
Thinking so, the moment he stepped into the Cheonmyeong Cave entrance.
Crackle!
"Kkeok?!"
The formation rebelled and repelled Geum Wi-un. He wasn't internally injured, but the impact was like a punch to the solar plexus.
Unable to accept the situation, he couldn't hide his bewilderment.
"Wh-what is this? The formation... changed?"
"Kkulkulkul. Well, since it fell into this old woman's hands, did you think it would remain as is?"
"?!"
Pat.
A stranger's voice from close range. Above all, he hadn't detected any presence until it was this close.
That meant the other was a master superior to himself, and in the current situation, a 99.9% chance of being an enemy, so Geum Wi-un immediately created distance in the opposite direction and assumed a combat stance.
A wrinkled old woman.
Her appearance seemed to worry about her mobility, perhaps her back bent from weathering the storms of time.
But the thick blood scent unique to Blood Arts flowing from her reminded him she was by no means an easy opponent.
"...Who are you, venerable one? Why come to the Sama Clan and cause such havoc?"
"Kkulkulkul. Escort Agency brat. If you already have an idea of who this old woman is, why bother asking?"
As she said.
Geum Wi-un already knew who the old woman before him was.
Red hair, gleaming golden eyes, and considering the age estimated from her appearance, it was impossible not to know.
"Blood Cult Elder <Blood Spirit Granny> Mae I-ran...!"
"Kkilk kilkilkil. You know well. Well, this old woman is quite famous, after all."
The Blood Cult, which disappeared about thirty years ago.
Even back then, appearing as a demonic ghost who kidnapped masters of the righteous path while controlling Jiangshi at an age over fifty, Geum Wi-un tensed up sharply.
The Jiangshi she commanded were fundamentally different in quality from those scattered about.
An old woman who gained notoriety by taking one arm of the previous Martial Alliance Leader with four Jiangshi called the Four Spirits.
Though her martial arts weren't outstanding, she was a martial world public enemy who rose to master ranks through the Blood Cult's dark arts.
"What exactly have you done to the Cheonmyeong Cave? This formation cannot even be touched by anyone, no matter how skilled, without knowing the Sama Clan's spells and formations...!"
"At this old woman's level, while I can't dispel it, twisting it to modify conditions is entirely possible, brat. Kkulkulkul. I twisted it into a condition where no one from outside can enter, but inside, it automatically dispels if there are three people."
"...That's possible?"
"Possible indeed."
A formation that dispels only when there are three people, but entry is impossible? Watching Geum Wi-un amazed that such a cheat-like formation existed, Mae I-ran sneered.
"However, even using this ley line, it only lasts two days. But two days is enough for the Sama Clan to already become this cult's foundation."
"...There's a traitor in a high position within the clan."
"Hoh. On what basis do you think so?"
Jiangshi surrounded them. Entering the Cheonmyeong Cave was already impossible.
Considering escape or fight equally improbable, Geum Wi-un could only hope for a miracle.
The best he could do now was buy as much time as possible until a miracle came. In short, an act of entrusting his life to heaven.
Perhaps because his life hung by a thread, his mind worked faster too.
"Even if you kill everything of the Sama's, you'd only seize the foundation. The essence is different, the methods are different; how could you immediately utilize and use that? Probably, after the Blood Cult inflicts significant damage to make the clan controllable, a traitor in a high position secretly working hard for the Blood Cult's support would be more efficient."
"Is it because you run an escort agency? Your head works better than expected. Usually, when people are in dire situations, they forget even what they've learned and act like beasts."
"Perhaps it's because I'm not a beast?"
"Is that so?"
Mae I-ran's mouth corners rose grotesquely. At the smile that sent shivers down the spine, Geum Wi-un gripped his sword and steeled his resolve.
"Then this old woman will grant you a miserable death. Die like a beast."
Thud. Thud.
As she formed a hand seal with her hands, two Jiangshi with talismans on their foreheads appeared.
They were the remaining two of the Four Spirits, broken by the Martial Alliance Leader.
The two spirits charged at Geum Wi-un.
Crack.
He crushed and consumed a Cheon-wang-dan, hastily replenishing his internal energy. Not minding internal energy waste, he unleashed powerful techniques in succession, trying to resist somehow, but with two opponents where even one was burdensome, he was helplessly overwhelmed.
The more he fought, the more blood he shed, and his body wouldn't obey.
To make matters worse, rapidly consuming the elixir for internal energy replenishment made his blood vessels feel as if scorched by fire.
'Life is truly incomprehensible.'
Thwack!
"Kehk!"
A vital point. Although his dantian wasn't shattered, the attack grazed right beside it, cracking the dantian.
Geum Wi-un, having suffered serious internal injuries, couldn't rise from his spot.
"Kkulkulkul. Now it's over. You held out better than expected. Excluding masters of the highest order, no one has held out this long against two of the spirits."
What kind of sentiment is it to praise him now?
"Cough! Cough! That's really... bullshit talk."
"Showing mercy to one about to die is simply human decency, isn't it?"
Mae I-ran formed another hand seal.
Death approached.
Watching the death god coming to send him to the King of Hell, Geum Wi-un lamented inwardly.
'Still, being born as the son of an escort agency and even becoming the Sama Clan's son-in-law by marriage. Isn't that a decent life?'
The only regret was.
'If I knew it would come to this, I would have treated my daughter better.'
The daughter he couldn't properly care for due to circumstances where he couldn't take responsibility.
The moment he gave up everything.
Rumble rumble rumble.
"......Huh?"
"......Oh."
Not only Mae I-ran but even Geum Wi-un blankly stared at the Cheonmyeong Cave, which suddenly began opening as the formation dispel.
The two fell silent, unable to understand why it was opening.
Creak creak creak.
Soon, the door fully opened.
"What... is this situation?"
"Don't know what, but it seems a fucked-up situation has occurred, Mother."
The ones who emerged were only Sama Ryang and Sama Dam Cheon. Just two. Not three, but two.
Yet, the formation that should only dispel with three people had released, meaning.
"Keheuk!"
Geum Wi-un, whose thoughts reached the truth, fainted along with vomiting blood as his internal injuries flared up.