Chapter 14
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Bad Ones
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“It will probably take about a month. The bounty is five thousand nyang, but after a few deductions, it will be roughly four thousand.”
I visited my parents and gave them a brief explanation.
Perhaps it was because they had received a report from Seong Je about my growth into a powerful warrior.
They showed me their complete trust.
“Still, I don’t understand how someone with your skills could have failed the Demon-Dispelling Pavilion’s test.”
Ouyang Hyeon tilted his head in confusion.
“It must not have been our destiny. I’ll be on my way now.”
“Be careful. The martial world is a treacherous place, full of vile schemes. Never let your guard down.”
“I understand.”
I replied with a faint smile.
During my time as the Alliance Leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, I lived a life revered by all, but I was not happy.
Now, though my fame was laughably insignificant compared to then, with few who even knew my name, I was happy because I had a family.
“Are you going alone again?”
When Mo Yong-hye asked with a worried expression, Ouyang Hyeon answered in my stead.
“Our Cheon’s skills now surpass even the Captain of the Emperor's Sword Guard. What is there to worry about? If he continues to build his experience in the martial world like this, he will become an outstanding master. My only regret is that I don’t have the money to buy you spirit elixirs.”
“Then I will take my leave.”
I rose from my seat.
If I stayed any longer, they would undoubtedly blame themselves for not being able to do more for me.
After all the trouble the previous owner of this body had caused as a scoundrel, they were now lamenting their inability to provide more just because I had come to my senses.
My former self would never have understood such feelings.
But now, I thought I could understand their hearts a little.
It was unconditional love.
I wrote a document detailing my destination and placed it on the writing desk in my room.
If an order came from the Demon-Dispelling Pavilion, Pure would see it and come find me.
After leaving my room, I instructed Seong Hwi to train diligently and then left the house.
Seong Hwi looked as if he wanted to follow me, but perhaps because I had chided him to swing his sword one more time in the time he would waste, he immediately complied with my order.
As for Hwangbo Yeon, I sent a letter in place of a meeting.
If we met, she would cling to me with all sorts of questions, and that would be tiring.
‘After living eighty-two boring years, even forging these small connections with people isn’t easy.’
A dry laugh escaped my lips.
It should have been a natural thing, but it wasn't.
Before becoming the Alliance Leader, I suppressed all worldly desires and emotions, dedicating myself solely to martial arts training and spending my time subduing the forces of evil.
Even after becoming the Alliance Leader, I spent most of my time eradicating heretics, and when I wasn't, everyone treated me with such reverence that I was inept at forming proper human relationships.
Leaving Jeongju Prefecture behind, I used my lightness skill to travel swiftly toward Shanxi Province.
Shanxi Province.
A province cradling the rugged Taihang Mountains, it was considered a frontier compared to Henan and Hebei Provinces.
Mostly mountainous, it was a poor region, also infamous for its many bands of thieves.
And though unknown to the common folk, it was notorious in the martial world as a hiding place for the heretics who were branded as public enemies.
That was how formidable the ruggedness of the Taihang Mountains was, the greatest in the Central Plains.
Yangwon County.
A large town situated deep within the Taihang Mountains.
The villages here had developed in small basin plains formed by a river that cut through the mountains, and Yangwon County was one such place.
Late evening.
A deserted house on the outskirts of the county.
Three men dressed in black, each with a long sack slung over their shoulder, were heading toward the abandoned house. The sacks squirmed with every movement, suggesting their contents were anything but ordinary.
“Ugh.”
They carefully lowered the sacks from their shoulders to the ground.
The three men all resembled one another and exuded a vicious, murderous aura. They were the Three Evils of the Gok Clan, infamous throughout the Yangwon area.
“Brother. This should be worth a fair bit, right? They’re pretty decent kids.”
“We’ll see when we make the deal. Youngest, check if they’re alive. It’s over if they’re dead.”
“Yes, brother.”
The youngest, Gok Sam, hurriedly untied the rope sealing the sack’s opening. From inside, two young women and a young boy, all gagged, were revealed.
“They’re alive.”
“Leave them be. He will be here soon.”
“We should get at least a thousand nyang for them.”
Neither the eldest, Gok Cheong, nor the second, Gok Yung, responded to Gok Sam’s words.
Their main source of income was human trafficking, and the client they were meeting today was notoriously infamous in this region.
“He will pay properly, won’t he?”
At Gok Sam’s question, Gok Cheong spoke heavily.
“If he doesn’t pay the proper price this time, I won’t let it slide.”
“But why does that man do this sort of thing?”
Gok Yung asked Gok Cheong, and Gok Sam also turned to look at him.
“I don’t know for sure. There are rumors he uses them for his evil arts. In any case, be careful.”
Using people for evil arts?
Gok Yung and Gok Sam exchanged glances, their expressions startled.
They themselves were the dregs of humanity, but this was something they couldn't even imagine.
*Kekekekeke.*
An eerie laugh made Gok Cheong frown and turn his head. A man in a Daoist robe was leaning against the doorframe, letting out a strange laugh.
“Taiji Sword?”
“The goods?”
“Over there.”
Gok Cheong, making no effort to hide his displeasure, gestured with his chin toward the people they had kidnapped.
Taiji Sword Doyang’s eyes gleamed as he walked over and meticulously inspected the woman and the man before standing up.
“Excellent.”
“Then you should pay up.”
“I’ll give you one thousand nyang.”
“Two thousand.”
When Gok Cheong demanded two thousand, Gok Yung and Gok Sam were startled.
Doyang stuck out his tongue, lightly licked his sword, and sneered.
“Too much greed will cost you your neck. If you’re a worm from the bottom, live like one.”
“If we’re worms, what does that make you? Aren’t you a worm too, Doyang?”
Gok Cheong, incensed by the feeling of being cheated in his past dealings with Doyang, snapped.
At that moment, a blue light flickered in Doyang’s eyes—a clear sign of killing intent.
Gok Yung and Gok Sam exchanged a look and moved to flank Doyang, surrounding him.
“Hmph, you think you can do anything to me with that pathetic pincer attack?”
“The coordinated attack of us Three Heroes of Gok is renowned in Shanxi Province.”
“The Three Heroes of Gok? Hahaha. More like the Three Vermin of Gok.”
By changing the character for ‘hero’ to ‘vermin,’ he mocked them openly, causing the Three Evils of the Gok Clan to explode with rage.
“Get him!”
At Gok Cheong’s command, Gok Yung and Gok Sam swung their swords in unison.
It was clear this was not their first joint attack, as their sword paths moved with exquisite precision.
The swords, striking simultaneously from three directions at his head, chest, and stomach, seemed impossible to evade.
“This is nothing.”
Gok Cheong was certain of Doyang’s death.
*Flash.*
Doyang, who had been chuckling, swung his sword with the speed of lightning, parrying Gok Yung and Gok Sam’s blades before lunging straight at Gok Cheong.
His sword was so fast it was difficult to follow with the naked eye.
Realizing his opponent was a superior master, Gok Cheong’s mind went blank.
“Brother!”
Startled, Gok Yung and Gok Sam swung their swords at Doyang’s back.
“Keoheok.”
After slitting Gok Cheong’s throat, Doyang rolled on the ground to evade the other two swords.
However, he couldn't dodge completely and his leg was slightly cut.
“I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch.”
“My, how the dogs bark.”
Doyang, still taunting them, charged at Gok Yung and Gok Sam.
*Clang. Clang.*
Though injured, Doyang fought brilliantly against the two brothers.
The fact that he could display such martial prowess while injured and facing a joint attack was proof that his skill was far superior to that of the Three Evils.
However, the leg injury cost him the opportunity to finish them off.
Gok Yung and Gok Sam exchanged a look.
They both felt that if they lingered any longer, their heads might roll.
“You’ll regret this.”
Gok Yung and Gok Sam immediately turned and fled.
“Damn it.”
Doyang collapsed to the ground.
The wound on his leg was more severe than he had thought. He quickly stopped the bleeding and tore a strip from his clothes to bind the injury.
It was then.
*Clang, clang, clang.*
The sound of clashing swords came from outside, followed by successive screams.
“Aaargh!”
“Keoheok.”
The screams from outside the house startled Doyang, and he scrambled to his feet.
*Creeak.*
Just then, the door opened and a strange man walked in, carrying Gok Yung and Gok Sam tucked under each arm.
*Thud. Thud.*
The man tossed the two brothers to the floor and spoke to the Daoist.
“Taiji Sword Doyang. Is that right?”
“Who are you? I’ve never seen you before.”
“Let’s just say I’m a bounty hunter. Though I’m not particularly fond of the title.”
I spoke calmly and looked around the room.
One man lay dead with his throat slit, and on the other side, three sacks were squirming.
“Human traffickers. That’s more than enough reason to die.”
“I am not a human trafficker.”
“Then these men are. Just one question. Doyang, why were you trying to buy them?”
“I have no obligation to answer you.”
“You will.”
I slowly drew the Ghost Soul Sword and infused it with my true energy. The blade shimmered with a faint red light, and Doyang felt a chilling sensation.
“Hiyah!”
In that instant, Doyang’s sword flew toward my heart with incredible speed.
I was surprised by the unexpected swiftness of his blade, but I instinctively raised the Ghost Soul Sword to parry it.
However, Doyang pressed on relentlessly, unleashing a flurry of rapid strikes.
I calmly focused on defense, blocking his attacks.
If I had intended to kill him, he would already be dead, but trying to subdue him alive took time.
*Thump.*
Spotting an opening, I unleashed Thunderclap Finger, the third form of the Heavenly Will Sword Art.
With only fifty years of internal energy, it lacked its full power, but it was more than enough to subdue Doyang.
“Keoheok.”
A hole was punched through Doyang’s right shoulder. He staggered back several steps, dropping his sword, and I used my footwork to close the distance and press my blade to his neck.
“Tell me. Why are you buying people? What are you using them for?”
Doyang didn’t answer, merely glaring at me with vicious eyes.
Without hesitation, I struck his paralysis point, then pressed other points to inflict pain.
I had dealt with countless men like him before.
Doyang let out a groan and struggled, then with a series of cracking sounds, he charged at me.
*Flash.*
My sword moved in a swift Lightning Flash, and a vertical line of blood appeared on Doyang’s body.
“Long… live… the Dark… Heaven.”
*Splat.*
Doyang’s body split into three pieces as he met his end.
“‘Long live the Dark Heaven.’ Don’t tell me the Dark Heavenly Cult has been revived?”
‘Long live the Dark Heaven’ was the slogan of the Dark Heavenly Cult, which had been annihilated thirty-two years ago.
I recalled the difficult days I had spent to bring down the cult.
I shook my head.
There was little I could do right now.
My only thought was that I needed to build up my internal energy as quickly as possible.
I looked at the bodies of Doyang and the Three Evils of the Gok Clan, and a question suddenly occurred to me.
“The Three Evils of the Gok Clan must have a bounty on them too. If only Pure were here, I could ask her. What a shame.”
—Speak.
Pure’s voice echoed in my mind, and she appeared from my left.
She was as captivating as ever.
“What? Did an order already come down?”
“No. I was curious, so I followed you. Wow, your swordsmanship is incredible. I thought my eyes were going to tear.”
“Your art of concealment is impressive. I really had no idea.”
“That’s because I was watching quietly without any killing intent.”
“That might be it. In any case, I must admit your concealment skill is remarkable.”
“There’s a two-thousand-nyang bounty on the heads of the Three Evils of the Gok Clan. Shall I take care of it? The payment will be issued within a few days.”
“Please do.”
“This is really strange. You exude the aura of a Grandmaster, Sir Affectionate.”
I didn’t answer, just gave a slight smile and left the abandoned house.
Left alone, she looked around before gazing in the direction I had disappeared, licking her upper lip and murmuring to herself.
“It’s been a while since a true master has appeared in the martial world. My boring life is about to get quite interesting.”
Pure cut off the heads of the Three Evils and Doyang, placed them in a sack, and then took a chemical from her robes, pouring it over their bodies.
A pungent smell arose as their corpses sizzled and bubbled.
As she watched, Pure’s eyes grew cold.
“Less than human filth. Go to hell and repent. That aside… has the Dark Heavenly Cult truly been revived? I must report this to the Alliance.”
She cleaned up the area, removing any traces of the fight and the blood, then took the three captives in her arms, leaped into the air, and vanished.
The abandoned house became as eerie as if nothing had ever happened.