Flames Over Hangzhou
“This… This can’t be.”
Geum Nak’s face turned ashen as he stared at Eo Gwan’s bisected corpse, his expression betraying the turmoil in his heart.
Chun Ran was no different.
Her mind, once frozen in terror, now held no thoughts at all.
Death.
It stood right before her eyes.
Whoosh!
Geum Nak yanked his chain and seized the Eosalbu in his hand.
Hwa Yuhwa watched the scene in silence before speaking to Dan Hyunwoo in a flat tone.
“Bandits, water pirates, and assassins receive no mercy. Is that order still in effect?”
“……Sweep them away. Thoroughly.”
Bang!
No further reply was needed.
Just as she had done in the Mumyeongdae, Hwa Yuhwa launched herself toward Chun Ran.
What the—! This woman!
Her title as one of the Eight Great Experts of the Janggang Water Sect felt ill-fitting as Chun Ran drew a sharp breath and hastily drew her Hogangssang.
The opponent wasn’t even holding a sword.
Whoosh!
The seventeenth move of the Gyeokhaedaetoe Sword Art unfolded through the twin blades, hurtling toward Hwa Yuhwa.
The two curved edges clashed, ringing with a chilling metallic note.
At that moment, Hwa Yuhwa’s hand flicked.
Crack!
Why?
Chun Ran stared blankly.
Her Hogangssang shattered into countless fragments.
The giant needle Hwa Yuhwa had thrown had broken the twin blades.
Though there had been only one needle.
It destroyed the swords and, before she knew it, pierced her heart.
“Kuhk……”
The needle embedded in her heart reversed her blood flow.
Her inner energy scattered as blood poured from her mouth.
Chun Ran couldn’t understand.
Even if a needle had pierced her heart, that should have been the end of it.
What, then, was this blood she was vomiting?
Her lowered gaze turned toward her chest.
“Kuhk…… Damn it.”
Where her heart should have been beating, there was only an empty hole.
Her eyes widened in disbelief, trembling.
Thud.
Chun Ran collapsed to the ground, eyes still open.
Crack!
A splitting sound rang out, and Hwa Yuhwa turned her gaze from Chun Ran’s corpse, a bitter smile forming on her lips.
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
“There was no need for the commander to step in. Against trash like this.”
Dan Hyunwoo could be seen swinging his sword upward from below.
The Eosalbu and Geum Nak’s body split in two, his hollow face divided along with it.
Blood erupted and spilled across the ground.
Geum Nak muttered through his bisected body, his voice filled with disbelief at the overwhelming inner energy.
“Kuh…… Ugh…… How disgustingly strong……”
Those were his final words, spoken through a throat bubbling with blood.
He lay sprawled in the same manner as Eo Gwan.
In an instant, Dan Hyunwoo spun once.
Splash!
The heads of the twenty water pirates, along with the three corpses, flew into the air.
“Kuhk!”
“Aaaagh!”
Hwa Yuhwa felt a faint thrill.
No matter how many times she witnessed it, Dan Hyunwoo’s martial arts remained chillingly powerful.
Even she, who had so easily slain Chun Ran, found herself in awe.
The sound of blood pouring from the dead gradually faded.
A sudden silence fell.
Only the quiet wind swept through the deserted streets, where no one had yet awakened.
Standing at the center of the drifting scent of blood, Dan Hyunwoo spoke to Hwa Yuhwa.
“The fires in Hangzhou are growing stronger.”
“It seems the remaining water pirates are still setting fires.”
Dan Hyunwoo shook the blood from his sword and spoke coldly.
“Not a single water pirate who entered Hangzhou will be allowed to leave alive.”
* * *
“Ugh……”
Jeon Akgwan rubbed his jaw and cheek.
Yu Sucheon’s fist was still sharp, and the inside of his mouth reeked of blood.
“You bastard, you ran off and hid? Happy you left me behind to save yourself?”
“Brother Yu, those guys weren’t opponents I could handle alone.”
“Then you should’ve said so!”
Thud.
Jeon Akgwan’s eye was now bruised as well.
Since it was true that he had dumped the fight on Yu Sucheon and fled, he kept his mouth shut this time.
“You’ll get hit more later. For now, we do what Dan Hyunwoo ordered. If we mess this up, I don’t even want to imagine what he’ll do.”
“Huk! Brother Yu, let’s run faster.”
“This brat’s even quicker than when he ran away earlier. Dan Hyunwoo must be terrifying after all.”
Tap-tap-tap.
The closer they drew to the city, the thicker the acrid smoke became, stinging their eyes.
Upon reaching the city, Yu Sucheon and Jeon Akgwan clicked their tongues.
Quite a few houses and shops were burning.
People were running about throwing water, but it was a futile effort, making the scene all the more pitiful.
The citizens had lost their minds.
“They didn’t just set fire to one or two places. Those water pirates have completely lost it.”
“Their eyes looked off from the start.”
Just like yours when you were the boss of the Guryong Sect.
Yu Sucheon thought to himself for a moment.
“But Brother Yu, how do we put out the fires? Throwing water won’t be enough to stop the flames.”
“Why do you think Dan Hyunwoo sent us? Because we’re martial artists.”
“What does being a martial artist have to do with putting out fires?”
“To stop the flames, you don’t throw water. You demolish the surrounding houses so the fire can’t spread. How are you supposed to extinguish a wooden house by splashing water on it?”
“Ah!”
Jeon Akgwan nodded.
Instead of trying to save the houses already engulfed in flames, they needed to destroy the neighboring and rear buildings to prevent the fire from spreading further.
Yu Sucheon ran toward the people throwing water.
“Stop doing that pointless thing and throw the water on the house two doors down!”
“Aigoo! Hero Yu! Please save our house! At this rate, the whole area will burn down!”
“Hero, my ass! I’m only doing this because that guy ordered it. You think I’d be doing this otherwise? Damn it.”
“That guy?”
Everyone looked at one another, repeating “that guy.”
The question of who “that guy” might be didn’t linger long.
After all, if “that guy” had enough influence to move Yu Sucheon into a place where lives were at stake, that was enough.
So “that guy” is the one who sent Hero Yu Sucheon!
Someone shouted.
“We don’t know who that guy is, but his will is with Hero Yu Sucheon! Everyone, follow his will!”
“Waaah—!”
Yu Sucheon flinched at the unexpected cheer.
Uh…… Should I have said “that esteemed person” instead of “that guy”? Am I going to get beaten to death later?
Ah, whatever. Damn it.
Yu Sucheon shouted.
“Everyone, get out of the way! We’re giving up on the burning houses.”
Yu Sucheon gathered his inner energy and focused it at the tip of his sword.
Then, swinging the sword vertically with all his gathered power—
Kwaaaang—!
The house next to the burning one collapsed.
Yu Sucheon continued demolishing the houses on either side and behind to prevent the fire from spreading.
“Everyone, bring axes or whatever you have and tear down the neighboring and rear houses. If we don’t stop the flames here, a fifth of Hangzhou will burn.”
“Did you all hear Hero Yu Sucheon? That guy ordered it! Everyone, tear down the neighboring houses!”
“Waaah—!”
Yu Sucheon broke into a cold sweat.
He hadn’t meant to say it like that.
Even if it was what he truly felt.
Stop saying “that guy.”
Damn it.
The citizens of Hangzhou, who trusted Yu Sucheon’s words without question, shouted “that guy” as they joined forces, tying ropes to pillars and pulling down houses.
Those with axes cut the pillars to make the structures easier to topple.
Even as soot blackened their faces and shallow burns stung their skin, everyone worked together under the orders of the man “that guy” had sent.
In that moment, even those who normally despised one another cooperated.
As everyone united to quell the raging flames, the fire gradually began to subside.
Yu Sucheon hurried toward another area where flames were rising.
Then, he suddenly stopped upon spotting a strangely dressed woman.
“What’s with her?”
A blood-covered woman was staggering.
She was cutting down people with a sword in hand.
Yu Sucheon rushed toward her.
“What’s going on?”
“I was only cutting down the ones setting fires.”
“These guys were setting the fires? Really?”
Though he asked, Yu Sucheon had already noticed.
Beside the fallen men lay a canister of petroleum and a flint.
The strong smell of petroleum made Yu Sucheon grimace.
“Are there many like this?”
“I’ve cut down about ten. There are probably more.”
The woman answered, swaying unsteadily.
Her complexion was poor.
Yu Sucheon quickly supported the woman, who looked ready to collapse at any moment, and spoke without thinking.
“I’m Yu Sucheon. I’m not a suspicious person, so don’t misunderstand. I only supported you because your complexion looks terrible.”
The woman—Moyong Sehui’s eyes widened.
This man is really that Blood-Killing Demon Sword, Yu Sucheon? He’s surprisingly handsome, but he has that cruel aura. But……
His concern felt genuine.
Usually, rumors in the martial world were roughly accurate, even if not entirely true.
This man was clearly supposed to be a villain, so what on earth was going on?
He really was running around putting out fires. As expected of the one who holds the Six-Horse Golden Plaque……
Moyong Sehui removed Yu Sucheon’s hand.
She judged that leaving a good impression now would make approaching him easier later.
“Thank you, but I’m fine. It’s just that my body isn’t feeling well.”
“Are you really all right?”
“It would be better to catch the arsonists than to waste time supporting me.”
“Understood.”
She must be staggering from fighting one tough battle after another.
Yu Sucheon nodded.
If he lingered here and the fire spread, Dan Hyunwoo wouldn’t stay silent.
With that conclusion, Yu Sucheon turned away.
“Take care of yourself.”
Yu Sucheon ran toward the rising smoke.
Watching his retreating figure, Moyong Sehui exhaled a hot breath.
The fever is too severe.
Her entire body felt like a furnace.
Though she had the urge to lie down immediately, the inn she had been staying at was already engulfed in flames—she had seen it half an hour ago.
Moyong Sehui staggered through the city, searching for the arsonists.
Her hand gripping the sword trembled, but she kept walking.
After walking for a long time, Moyong Sehui stopped in the middle of the city where the smoke had thinned, sensing something strange.
At some point, the arsonists had disappeared.
By now, she should have encountered one or two.
This is odd…… The arsonists have all vanished at once.
She had seen several flints lying on the ground along the way.
It was as if someone had eliminated them, leaving only the remnants behind.
Changing direction, Moyong Sehui headed toward the money exchange.
Since her inn had burned down and she had no money, she needed funds to find a place to rest her aching body.
The sweet taste in her mouth was growing stronger.
But when Moyong Sehui arrived at the money exchange, she let out a hollow laugh.
The building, now reduced to a charred skeleton, greeted her.
She stared blankly at the empty ruins.
She stood there for half an hour.
Sway.
Suddenly, her body tilted.
The world spun once, and strength drained from her swaying frame.
Moyong Sehui leaned against the wall and stumbled into an alley.
Every wall she touched left a sweaty palm print.
Huh? Why is my body like this……
Her body, once burning like a furnace, now felt as though it were aflame.
Clang.
The sword she had been holding rolled across the ground.
Thud.
Overcome by sudden dizziness, she collapsed.
A terrible sense of exhaustion washed over her fallen body.
The shoulder that had been struck by an iron arrow throbbed as if it were being torn apart.
So that was it.
She had been treated, but the wound hadn’t healed and had festered from within.
Her eyes closed.
Her trembling body burned even as it grew cold.
Sweat drenched her forehead…… and her vision turned black.
Soon, she could see nothing at all.
* * *
“It seems everything’s been dealt with.”
Hwa Yuhwa headed north of Hangzhou.
By now, that area should have been cleared as well.
Dan Hyunwoo walked slowly through the market.
Fortunately, the fires hadn’t spread far in his long-missed hometown.
Walking thus, he took in the sight of the home he had protected.
Then he stopped.
Moyong Sehui lay unconscious in the alley, her face pale.
Her feverish, shallow breaths seemed on the verge of stopping, hanging on precariously.
“Why is this kid……”