#51. A First-Rate Warrior Peeking into the Darkness (4)
Suddenly, Moyong Sangwon's voice reached him through a transmission.
—How fast is your movement technique, lad?
Knowing his intent, Jin Sowoon had already told him the speed from before he'd mastered the Heavenly Lone Walker God Step.
—It takes about half a gak to cover ten li.
—...When running at full speed?
The Tae-eul Gate's movement technique was barely worthy of the name.
—I'll buy us about this much time per gak. Run as fast as you can in the meantime.
Moyong Sangwon spoke with a resolute expression. In one hand, he held the inner core of the fire fox he'd cherished and his nameplate.
—...If by some luck you escape, come to my home. Tell my children and wife my story.
Jin Sowoon pushed the fire fox's inner core and nameplate back to him.
—This isn't the time for heroics. My backup plan, prepared just in case, proved spot on after all.
The Red Turban Assassins had the same unchanging habits from his previous life and now.
—Will you trust me one more time?
When he'd absorbed the demonic energy from Moyong Sangwon's body, a familiar demonic qi had flashed in his mind. The Heavenly Demon Scripture birthed thousands of demonic arts, each with unique traits. The qi of those who'd attacked Moyong Sangwon carried a stealthy, corrosive poison-like property—and he'd dealt with it plenty back in his Small Justice Squad days.
—This might be our last chance.
Twenty Red Turban Assassins were closing in. Jin Sowoon nodded.
—Let's go together. Don't I need a Clarity Pill from the young lord of House Moyong too?
Moyong Sangwon snorted at his calm words and nodded.
—From now on, follow exactly where I step. It's Tae-eul Gate's technique, but it shouldn't be too hard for you, Senior Brother.
As they began running, Moyong Sangwon was a bit confused at first but quickly grasped the technique's rhythm and matched Jin Sowoon's steps perfectly. He didn't know the inner energy circulation, but his profound insight into martial arts let him keep pace almost identically.
The problem was the Red Turban Assassins' speed—the strain was turning Moyong Sangwon's face pale.
—Hey, how about I carry you and run?
Jin Sowoon replied firmly.
—You absolutely cannot step even an inch off where I step.
A chilling killing intent like a drill to the back of his head made him glance back. The assassins were already dangerously close.
'That nasty habit of radiating killing intent from behind the hunted prey hasn't changed.'
Damn them—these assassin-types drenched their targets in terror with horrific killing intent right before the kill. Even the creepy sound of swords drawn.
Shing. Shing. Shing.
Tension cracked Moyong Sangwon's voice.
"Sowoon! It's almost..."
At that moment—
Clank!
A dull clash of metal, followed by a pained groan like biting one's tongue.
"Halt!"
The lead assassin, mid-swing, looked to the one on the far right. His ankle was severed clean by a bear trap.
—I set some traps on the way while foraging for food earlier.
—What the...?
—I figured anyone strong enough to ambush House Moyong's young lord wouldn't hit them by accident.
—...
Moyong Sangwon looked utterly incredulous.
—Do not step off where I step. The bear traps will take your ankles.
—Got it.
As the two hurried on, the assassins scattered lime powder on the severed man and charged after.
"Keurgh!"
Sliced open alive and doused in lime, he screamed for the first time as his flesh melted.
Moyong Sangwon paled even further at the sight.
—Th-Those vicious bastards.
—Tell me about it.
The Red Turbans caught up again, now using lightness skills to avoid the traps.
Moyong Sangwon was shocked anew— no sect in the jianghu specialized in lightness skills like these killers.
Jin Sowoon handed him three throwing knives.
—Throw them at the bastards. We can't let them focus on lightness skills.
Moyong Sangwon snatched them and hurled two at once.
Whoosh.
Clang! Clang!
Jin Sowoon, from the opposite side, infused his power into three knives and flung them.
The assassins tried batting them away like Moyong Sangwon's, but the heavy qi sent some flying back or snapped swords, embedding knives in throats.
Puk! Puk! Puk!
Clank. Clank.
One hit by a knife, two by traps—hands severed, ankles gone. Their comrades dusted lime without pause; the melting screamed to death.
They cleared each crisis, but Moyong Sangwon seemed mentally worn by their brutality. No surprise—the Demonic Cult's style piled psychological fatigue even without the upper hand.
Jin Sowoon veered into the forest past a hill. The assassins bounded tree-to-tree, avoiding ground. Right on cue, he sliced two vines.
Whoosh!
Thud! Thud!
Head-sized rocks—eight of them—dropped right after they passed, smashing two assassins. Traps sprang below, of course.
Clank! Clank!
"Kugh!"
"N-No!"
The first to reject death, but lime ended him as always.
—Senior Brother, don't look back.
—...Got it.
Undeterred by losses, the assassins' killing intent thickened. Jin Sowoon triggered the finale—severing taut ropes unleashed wooden spears from all sides.
Rocks flew next; impaled or crushed, they hit bear traps below. Two more down in seconds—their pursuit slowed at last.
They widened the gap, exiting the forest to a fork.
"Senior Brother, take the right."
"And you?"
"I'll go left."
"Why split?"
"Traps end here. While they're wary, we sow confusion and run."
"Understood. Come to the Clarity Escort Agency in Mugang."
"Yes. See you there."
They dashed opposite ways.
The masked men emerged from the forest and reached the fork. Furious at losing comrades to unforeseen traps, their killing intent choked the air.
Spotting two sets of tracks each way, they split—eight one path, four the other.
Until Jin Sowoon returned.
"!"
The signaler up front froze as he stepped out.
"Long time no see... Ah, not for you yet."
The Red Turban signaled four to pursue Moyong Sangwon.
"Meaningful to chase him now?"
"!"
The assassin panicked—he'd read the signals. Small Justice Squad days chasing these bastards had burned them into memory.
The four dashed off.
"No urge to catch up with an old foe? Infernal Ghost Eyes Brigade?"
"!"
"!"
"!"
The runners halted.
"What is it—nostalgic? Back then, I just desperately fled."
"Who the hell are you?"
A voice like scraping iron.
"Does it matter? What matters is I know your habits inside out."
The assassin nodded; four from behind vanished.
Jin Sowoon tossed three knives into the air from his sleeve.
Cough, kuhk.
Gulk!
Three screams—he spun, Black Dragon Sword slashing.
Slash!
Blood sprayed; a bisected Red Turban appeared.
"No improvisation?"
"...!"
The assassin's eyes shook violently.
"Still so taciturn. Awkward. You weren't this quiet before. Fun playing with us like toys? Rats of the Demonic Cult."
"Ma-gu" was their self-deprecating term in the cult; in the Central Plains, only after invading the jianghu.
"...Who are you?"
"We asked you that endlessly at first. Never answered."
"..."
"Anyway, great to reunite."
He gathered Radiant Heaven Divine Palm qi in both hands and unleashed it.
Kwa-gwang!
The destructive power awed even sane Demonic Cultists— these weren't Yong So-a level to deflect with Four-Two Lightness Skill.
"Hah..."
Two hit directly—erased. One caught in the aftermath lost an arm.
Jin Sowoon stepped into Tae-eul's Eight Myriad Divine Steps. The harmonious movement and footwork created illusions, bewildering foes.
He seized the one-armed assassin's throat, activating the Azure Dragon Ring to fill his empty dantian.
"Grraaagh!"
The man shriveled to a mummy instantly; three-tenths inner energy filled his dantian.
"Should've fed him an Exploding Blood Pill if I'd known."
"..."
Their eyes mirrored what he'd seen in Small Justice Squad comrades facing these guys—their past terror now theirs.
"Not even that strong. Why so scared back then?"
"..."
Their eyes darted, rolling. Knowing their ploy, he grinned.
"Identity blown—still gonna run?"
"!"
Demonic Cult in the Central Plains this early? Unrecorded in his memory—meant years of prep before the Great War. They couldn't let Orthodox and Unorthodox know.
Resolved, five formed sword formation: Infernal Ghost Sword Formation. Overlapping demonic qi turned the area hellish.
"Missed this formation too."
He maxed Tae-eul Pure Scripture. Intruding qi recoiled from its purity.
Socheon Sword Technique: Rising Form scattered.
Splatter.
Unlike before, it tore demonic qi, space, and throats.
Twin Heaven Sword Conclusion. Illusory blades erupted—fakes became real, reals fake.
Puk. Puk. Slash.
Three dead at once. The leader-looking one bolted, flooring it.
"Can't erase witnesses? Fine—report to the cult."
Top-tier lightness—he was a speck already.
Jin Sowoon invoked Heavenly Lone Walker God Step, folding space to block ahead.
"!"
Too late to believe his eyes.
"I-Impossible!"
Scraping voice foreseeing doom. And it came true.
Slash!
Head from body, he watched his blood fountain in death throes.
"Tell your god his followers will visit soon, one by one."