Chapter 62
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Blood-Faced Asura
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"Cough! Cough!"
Yi Hwa-young, covering her mouth with her sleeve, emerged through the settling smoke.
Given the shattered remains of the carriage, a frail woman like her should have been covered in injuries, but it seemed she hadn't learned her defensive martial arts in vain.
'What in the world...'
Dust and silence descended together.
Having endured the considerable shock, she scanned her surroundings.
The modest horse and carriage, unbefitting her status, looked beyond saving, and two young men stood blocking the path, with Jeong Gyeon at the center.
'That man... have I seen him somewhere...?'
Setting aside the junior expert she had glimpsed once before, she turned her gaze to Seo Mun-ha.
With his notorious temperament, one might expect him to lash out in rage right away, but he appeared overwhelmed just trying to sort through his disheveled thoughts.
"Quite a rough greeting. I don't know who you are, but you said you're looking for this humble one?"
He was a handsome young man.
'Jeong the escort?'
Yi Hwa-young, her throat parched, barely steadied her wobbling body on her sprained ankle.
She and her companions felt an eerie sense of familiarity mixed with overwhelming pressure.
Natural qi swirled around him, dominating the space.
Though her eyes couldn't fully grasp his unobstructed aura, his pristine appearance and refined poise marked him as no ordinary man.
'Who... is he?'
Someone of that caliber should have lingered in Yi Hwa-young's memory.
Having met countless nobles and their heirs, she had often crossed paths with renowned warriors and young talents. In fact, she had met Seo Mun-ha before.
But from his impression to the tips of his hair and toes, his aura was utterly different from back then.
Neither the lord nor his subordinate could deduce the identity of this Seo Mun-ha, who seemed both familiar and unfamiliar.
Whoosh!
Putting aside his thoughts, Jeong Gyeon suddenly propelled himself backward with his heel.
Without any warning or preliminary movement, he thrust his hand forward in an instant, digging low to counter the previous greeting.
Ssssh.
Seo Mun-ha yielded the distance leisurely, swinging his spear shaft even after committing a fatal mistake as a spearman.
Clang!
His hand, unyielding as tempered steel, produced a metallic ring.
It was the power of the Four Saints that had seized Gang Woon's arm without permission.
'Ho?'
Jeong Gyeon, his eyes flashing with surprise that it was blocked so easily, pulled back after one exchange and widened the gap warily.
"You..."
Just as the junior expert, recognizing Seo Mun-ha, opened his mouth to speak—
"Don't interfere."
The voice pierced through Jeong Gyeon, making him swallow hard.
Having witnessed and evaluated the spar between Seo Mun-ha and Hwang Bo Woo-jun before, he nodded in stunned bewilderment.
"Young hero, may I have your name?"
Jeong Gyeon wasn't even their match to begin with.
"This humble one is Jin Mu of the Unrestrained Sect."
The Murim Alliance had worried about young experts acting on their own, which often worsened situations. Good intentions aside, such rash events and youthful hot-bloodedness were a poor match against formidable foes.
"Go check on that young hero quickly. It would be wise."
Seo Mun-ha pointed out what Jin Mu had overlooked.
Gang Woon's external injuries couldn't be ignored, but his more severe internal wounds were life-threatening.
"...You'll be alright alone?"
Regaining his composure, Jin Mu asked before acting.
Aren't there others? Who is that man?
Regaining his bearings, he offered to relay information and provide support, but Seo Mun-ha replied curtly.
"No need."
Turning his gaze to Jin Mu's retreating back, Jeong Gyeon spoke via transmission.
"A man of few words, aren't you? Or perhaps shyer than he looks."
The coachman responded cautiously.
"In any case, will you tell us your business? If there's none, step aside."
His polite tone belied an attempt to gauge the opponent.
"Acting all high and mighty. How rude."
Stepping past his servant, the master berated Seo Mun-ha sharply, as if her patience had worn thin.
"Barging in like thugs, harming people without even giving your name? Is everyone from the Murim Alliance like this?"
"Step back, miss."
Jeong Gyeon tried to restrain her, who knew nothing of the situation. To an outsider, Seo Mun-ha might seem the villain.
"Blood-Faced Asura, Tang Gyeon."
Seo Mun-ha smirked and reiterated his intent.
"I've been looking for you. For quite a while."
And with that, he shifted his stance.
Having answered their questions, he moved as if reuniting with a long-lost lover, his curt words contrasting with an almost affectionate air.
"Was my explanation insufficient?"
"It seems you've mistaken me, young hero. This humble one is not Tang Gyeon, but Jeong Gyeon, a worthless nobody."
Feigning innocence while radiating sharp killing intent that rivaled Seo Mun-ha's.
A flimsy alias and convincing facade.
Even the Murim Alliance and the clans dominating Shandong might have overlooked his movements.
"Who would've thought you'd stoop to being that fool's lackey."
It wasn't unreasonable.
"A prideful demon like you, cleaning up after a brainless mutt."
His confident words made the middle-aged man's face harden coldly.
'That woman seems clueless.'
Yi Hwa-young's father, Yi Geon-pyeong, who held sway in Yeonju.
For a man of his reputed integrity, exposure of his ties to a demon was only a matter of time.
"Enough, you. Didn't I say you've got the wrong person? No matter who you are, if you keep slandering Jeong the escort with that loose tongue, even I won't stand by..."
He had given his name as requested. As always, she heard only what she wanted, a hallmark of those backed by power. Surprisingly, the one stopping her was the middle-aged coachman she had defended.
"Hoo."
Not Jeong Gyeon, but Tang Gyeon.
"I planned to use you until we crossed all the checkpoints."
Admitting his true name, he slowly twisted his upper body.
"...Jeong, the escort?"
A matter of time meant denial was futile.
"Go on ahead, miss. You won't be lonely."
Revealing his true colors, the Blood-Faced Asura raised his infamous hand.
Swish.
Directly in front of Yi Hwa-young's eyes.
As she blinked in confusion at the palm obscuring her vision, a surge of qi erupted, enveloping her.
Pah!
Not even a dying scream escaped.
Her value expended, she vanished without a trace, as if erased by his emitted energy.
"Haven't fought in a while; can't control my strength properly."
His flexing hand seemed weaker than expected.
Behind the departing Tang Gyeon, what seemed a corpse fluttered limply to the ground.
Thud.
Her horrific state was worse than death.
"Whatever."
Her once-fair skin peeled away, replaced by charred black bloodstains clinging to raw flesh. Rather than crumbling to dust, Yi Hwa-young barely clung to life.
'Not for long.'
Seo Mun-ha watched coldly, ignoring her entirely and focusing solely on Tang Gyeon's every move.
What a long-awaited reunion.
Reflecting on the past, he paused with evident delight, as if the brief time wasn't enough to sate his nostalgia.
"I've droned on. Should I thank you for waiting?"
Facing him, Blood-Faced Asura Tang Gyeon curled his lips.
'No agitation at all.'
Unlike hypocritical fools who balk at unrelated victims.
Even so, assessing the surroundings, he regarded Seo Mun-ha—alone without backup—with disdain.
"Not Murim Alliance. Beggar Clan?"
Crisis was opportunity.
Nothing was riskier or more variable than a sudden ambush. Confirming the source of his information, he realized his arrogant foe had unwittingly brought him heaven-sent luck.
His identity exposed. That knowledge sufficed.
'What an utter fool.'
Shaking off pursuers was another matter, but he was confident in protecting himself.
"That's right."
Seo Mun-ha shrugged, slinging the spear shaft over his shoulder.
"Heh, beggars have multiplied in Shandong lately."
The distance between them was about ten paces.
"So, which are you?"
"Which?"
"The fool chasing righteousness, or the fool chasing fame and bounties? Maybe both, like those two greenhorns earlier."
"Who knows."
"Well, we'll find out soon enough. Plenty of time later to pry it out."
Blood-Faced Asura, implying it wouldn't be too late even after smashing that arrogant face and tearing the flesh.
Soon, as if by prior agreement, the two clashed.
Boom!
Each had much to say, much to ask.
As these dreamers of conflicting visions unleashed their true power, the still air churned violently.
Crack.
A massive dead tree toppled helplessly.
Thud!
Backed by the city walls, the plain stretched out; beyond it, a road flanked by dense green forests wound onward, trodden by travelers.
Crack!
Little had changed since the road's formation, and this remote pass followed timeless laws.
Boom!
Until these two warriors left their savage footprints.
Blood-Faced Asura met Seo Mun-ha's advances with open palms throughout.
His face lost its leisure due to Seo Mun-ha's unflinching demeanor, brutish strike power, and unexpected momentum.
'Arrogant for good reason, eh?'
Pushed into pure defense, he shifted positions repeatedly.
Retreating steadily, he was pursued by Seo Mun-ha, gradually distancing themselves from the pinpoint city walls.
As one who had rolled through the mud, Blood-Faced Asura seemed to steer the situation and terrain smoothly to his advantage.
Halt.
Mid-assault, Seo Mun-ha stopped and glanced back at the deep forest they had entered.
"Caught on, have you?"
Tang Gyeon dusted himself off with a sneer.
"Too late to turn back, though. Impressive, I'll admit. Hard to fully master one's arts at your age. Few juniors in the world match you."
Unlike the open road, the cluttered forest made a long spear cumbersome.
Facing youthful vigor, Tang Gyeon relied on his superior inner arts, experience, and technique.
Pretending weakness briefly, he envisioned overpowering this nameless junior soon after.
"So?"
"Don't feel too hard done by. This old, worn body has only these tricks."
Not perfect. Too straightforward, in fact.
Thus, Seo Mun-ha's unflustered poise, without a hint of unease, nagged at him.
With a few words exchanged, they tangled once more.
Not the be-all of a warrior, but three key measures decided fights.
In other words, downplaying himself, Tang Gyeon inwardly held absolute superiority.
Undaunted by surrounding obstacles, Seo Mun-ha swung Muk-ryeong freely.
Whoosh!
A horizontal slash.
Tang Gyeon twisted his shoulders, spinning to adjust distance; his light leap flowed seamlessly like water.
Thud.
Muk-ryeong's tip, slicing air and brush, lodged in a thick tree trunk, losing momentum.
'Fine weapon.'
Vines tangled as a bonus. Targeting Seo Mun-ha's exposed hand, his descending kick split into strikes.
Swish! Shk!
No time for Seo Mun-ha, bereft of his spear, to recover stance.
The relentless kicks aimed straight for his throat.
Swish.
Lowering his gaze, Seo Mun-ha leaned back.
In an instant, limbs swapped positions.
Bang!
He parried Tang Gyeon's hand with a rising kick, drawing a short arc, then planted his feet and lunged with twin kicks at the startled foe.
Bam! Bang!
Just two crisp roundhouse kicks.
In the process of resetting his guard, he pressured the opponent, demonstrating improvisation unbefitting a junior.
'Relentless...!'
Tang Gyeon's upper body faltered soon after.
Hooking Tang Gyeon's hand with his heel and slamming down, Seo Mun-ha thrust a fist forward.
Booom!
A heavy roar spread around where he cratered the ground.
"You're too frantic in your rush."
Dispelling the dust, he emerged unscathed.
Step.
Seo Mun-ha advanced leisurely as well.
Thud.
Then yanked Muk-ryeong free from the tree.
Snap!
Shaking off vines, he fixed Tang Gyeon with a steady gaze.
"That thing's quite the piece."
Appraising it grudgingly, Tang Gyeon couldn't hide his admiration.
A spearman's strength and weakness alike was range.
An opponent unconcerned wielded diverse skills etched into body or was innately a fighter.
'At that kid's age, must be the latter.'
His hand tingled from blocking the punch earlier.
'Can't dawdle on the next move either.'
Recalling how long since he last used his Seven Star Power, he muttered lowly.
"Don't know where you crawled from... do you?"
Ahead of the name-sealing strike, a memory flashed; Tang Gyeon's eyes widened.
Even depleting his qi, astonishment filled him.
'No way.'
Different meaning from before.
Not just any pursuer; after multiple exchanges, he had observed Seo Mun-ha closer than anyone, and the familiar face finally overlapped with someone.
"That delinquent from the Seo Mun Clan?"
It clicked.
Piercing the indescribable unease and dissonance, rumors that never reached his ears now struck home.