#181. <Rewriting the Sichuan Blood History>
Twang—whoosh—
A sharp arrow sliced through the sky. But it didn't even reach its target, veering off course and plummeting powerlessly to the ground before exploding.
Boom!
The arrowhead shattered, fragments scattering in all directions, but no one was hurt.
"You messing around right now?"
Jin Sowoon's voice turned sour as he stood there with arms crossed beside him.
Moyong Jaehwa, who had loosed the arrow, was drenched in cold sweat.
"You didn't even hit a hundred and fifty paces, let alone two hundred, kid!"
It was an utterly unfair situation for Moyong Jaehwa. An arrow reaching even a hundred paces was considered impressive. Yet this one had flown past a hundred and even hit a hundred and twenty. Even the archery instructor at the academy, on break, would have been impressed—but Jin Sowoon just clicked his tongue like it was nothing.
"Hyung-nim... this is straight-up unreasonable no matter how you look at it. No archer can reach a hundred and fifty, let alone..."
"So you're saying I'm lying right now?"
"No, that's not—"
"Ah! Or maybe I ate some weird drug and I'm hallucinating?"
"...No, hyung-nim, it's not that."
"Or maybe I should have taken my meds and that's why I'm seeing shit?"
"......"
Jin Sowoon's eyebrows twitched, his face full of dissatisfaction. Sure, he always kept his word and never said anything wrong, but still—a miss was a miss.
What kind of lunatic shoots enemies two hundred paces away...?
Even the world-shaking Fengbai Sword Breaker wasn't this irrational about martial realms. But here was Jin Sowoon spouting something beyond irrational—straight-up unrealistic—like it was the most natural thing. Moyong Jaehwa felt like he was going insane.
"Th-then, hyung-nim, why don't you show me how it's done."
"Can't."
"Pardon?"
"I said I can't."
"......"
No, why say that so confidently...? Moyong Jaehwa finally got why Geum Pyo and Eunho sometimes talked about wanting to give Jin Sowoon a good whack. Back then, he couldn't understand having such irreverent thoughts about their awesome big bro.
...Now he did.
Argh! Seriously!
Jin Sowoon shook his head pityingly.
"Shoot again..."
"C-could I circulate my qi first before shooting?"
Jin Sowoon shot him a glare. "You already burned through all that qi?"
"...It wasn't that much..."
"Didn't you eat the Hwahu's inner core? And you're low on qi?"
"......"
"Plus, you've been rolling around the Moyong family estate, chowing down elixirs like candy every day, right? And you're low on qi?"
"...H-hyung-nim."
"On top of that, the Sword Breaker gave you a beolmo sesu treatment when you were a kid, didn't he? And you're low on qi?"
"......"
Ah... if he could just smack him once...
Even pouring every ounce of qi into the shot with full power, a hundred and twenty paces was the limit. But Jin Sowoon wasn't satisfied. So he had no choice but to cram in two or three times the usual qi. No one in the world could sustain that kind of qi usage forever, no matter how deep their reserves.
"That guy didn't even eat a Hwahu inner core, but he rained Thunderbolt Arrows on enemies three hundred paces away. They couldn't even gauge his position, let alone dare approach."
"Wait... who are we even talking about?"
"...You rebelling on me now?"
As Jin Sowoon glared with a foul expression, Moyong Jaehwa quickly tucked tail and bowed his head. He couldn't fathom how his grandfather the Sword Breaker could be scarier than this guy.
"If you shoot from a hundred paces, they'll spot where it's coming from. Once they do, you gotta keep moving spots."
Jin Sowoon continued, reminiscing like he was back there.
"Then the enemy won't fear facing you head-on anymore. They'll send pursuit squads, thinking they just need to nab you and it's over."
"......"
"You confident you can keep solo-running through enemy lines forever? Especially against Iron Corpses this time?"
"...No, sir."
"That's why you shoot from afar. And you don't even need pinpoint accuracy. This isn't harder than a normal archer's duty—why can't you do it?! Haven't suffered enough yet?"
At this point, Moyong Jaehwa desperately missed Eunho.
Sorry for misunderstanding all this time...
Jin Sowoon's mouth didn't stop.
"If you could hit targets two hundred, even three hundred paces away, would those Blood Humans have dared unleash the Iron Corpses?"
"......"
"Make approaching impossible. Sow chaos, instill fear. Heaven's punishment from the skies—isn't that what makes it punishment? What can enemies do under that?"
"...Run."
"Exactly! That's it! You don't need to obsess over single targets—that's for other experts. Your job is the masses. Block them from approaching, and you're golden."
Now Moyong Jaehwa's own pride started boiling up. When he'd felt powerless before the Iron Corpses, how badly he'd craved that strength. He sank deeper into thought than ever before in his life.
No matter how much qi I pour in, I can't exceed a hundred twenty paces. So how do I hit two hundred, three hundred like hyung-nim says?
This was defying nature's physical limits—like humans flying or breathing underwater.
As Moyong Jaehwa entered a trance of self-forgetfulness, Jin Sowoon's calm voice seeped in.
"Don't set limits. Humans always break their own. We can't match tigers with raw strength, outrun deer, or harden like steel. But we've overcome all that already."
Humans can't fly—so we developed lightness skills and flight arts to linger in the air. Can't breathe underwater—so we made diving techniques to hold out longer.
Qi won't reach... then...
Moyong Jaehwa's eyes snapped open. He nocked an arrow on the Iron Bow and drew.
Not pulling hard enough to snap the old steel bow. Not angling low like before. Just aiming high, like shooting the sky itself.
And.
Twang—whoosh—
With a light twang, the arrow flew. Boom. An explosion erupted behind it, and in a blink, it vanished from sight.
"......"
Moyong Jaehwa lowered the bow, straining his eyes to track it.
Fifty paces... a hundred... past a hundred twenty, no slowdown.
A hundred thirty... fifty... eighty...
Finally, two hundred.
Thud—boom!
The arrow hit with a small pop and exploded. Too far for screams, but he saw Blood Humans stumbling out of tents in agony.
Success.
"Whoa..."
"See? Told you it's possible."
Jin Sowoon grinned smugly at him. Moyong Jaehwa was more awed by the man before him than his own shot.
"Hyung-nim!"
"Nail the explosion range at launch. That keeps it on course."
As he listened, Moyong Jaehwa sensed something off.
"...Wait, hyung-nim, you knew this from the start?"
If qi won't cut it, use martial arts. Channel the Heaven-Earth Splitting Sword Art not just in the arrowhead, but at its tip too. Jin Sowoon had known this absurd application all along?
Jin Sowoon's relaxed voice tickled his ear.
"When have I ever lied?"
"......"
Incredible, sure—but seeing that smiling face made him feel a bit wronged.
"Then... you could've just told me sooner..."
No need for all that pointless nagging...
Jin Sowoon snorted like it was nonsense.
"Then you wouldn't have figured it out yourself. Think ahead—when I'm not around, you need to grow on your own. These little experiences will build your foundation."
"......"
True... totally true. It was right, but...
"Planning for your self-growth way in advance like this—aren't you lucky to have a hyung-nim like me? Heh heh heh."
"......"
Why did those broad shoulders and that grin piss him off so much? He respected Jin Sowoon deeply, yet now he got why Geum Pyo and Eunho practiced sword formations like mad just to land one hit. He really got it.
Moyong Jaehwa wondered why his frustration wouldn't fade.
Eunho... sorry again.
He'd apologize sincerely next time he saw him.
#
The Blood Cult bastards hit by Moyong Jaehwa's attack hurriedly reorganized and pulled their camp further back.
I slipped away secretly with him, repositioning so his range covered them again. Then I descended the peak alone.
Waiting for clouds to veil the moonlight, thickening the darkness, I unleashed Heavenly Lone Walker God Step and crept toward the camp.
Having retreated in a panic, the Blood Cult camp was a madhouse even at midnight. Still, fearing more arrows, no fires were lit.
"Tents up, fast!"
"Shields! Drag out every damn shield!"
"Assemble search parties! Find the bastard!"
Hundreds moving meant I could see them clearly despite no lights. I aimed to infiltrate before they set watches.
Huh?
Slipping toward the camp, something unexpected blocked me.
What the hell?
Like the illusion array Nam Hwaseong accidentally shattered with a lantern. A similar one was now around their camp.
Damn, they're quick.
Geomunjinbeop or Giganjin-sik can't be easily relocated once set. But they'd somehow simplified a sorcerer's elaborate illusion array into a portable version.
Jealous...
Deploy illusions anywhere like that? Massive edge in battle or war. And for long journeys, the scariest time for escorts or warriors is after lights out. Same watch rotation, but with illusions? Tension levels totally different.
Kidnap a sorcerer?
I shook it off. Too busy snatching the Blood Sea Jade. If things went south, I'd have to grab Moyong Jaehwa and bolt—any delay could ruin everything.
"Still a shame. Once the Murim Alliance conquers, Blood Cult sorcerers'll go extinct."
Regret didn't help. I ditched it fast.
I approached the illusion array cautiously.
Squelch— A chilling sensation pierced my body.
Inside, the Blood Cult voices vanished.
And the camp right in front of me? Gone.
No presence even with senses extended. If I hadn't scouted from afar, I'd swear no one was here.
Zing—
A piercing hum stabbed my mind. I surged Jade Pure Heavenly Star Force to shield upper, middle, and lower dantian.
Awoo—grrr—
Wild beast cries in my ears faded, revealing the illusion interior clearly.
I crept forward carefully, avoiding the four gates.
How long passed?
"Here! Wounded! We've got wounded!"
"Save the sorcerers first!"
"Search parties still no sign of the enemy?"
"No signal yet."
Blood Cult clamor returned.
Where is it...
Hiding in shadows amid hundreds, I scanned for the Blood Sea Jade.
Soon, a tent matching the records from Manseogo caught my eye.
A grin slipped out.
"There you are. My Cheokgwanggeom."
I stepped Gwisi Haengbo, vanishing into the crowd.