Chapter 15: First Mission (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15: First Mission (4)
It was an exquisite moment.
The very instant Namgung Jun’s sword pierced the heart of the Bae Gong Gang Leader, a new presence manifested, as if it had been waiting for that exact opportunity.
The wave of qi surging from directly behind his head was incredibly fierce. It belonged to a martial artist who was, at the very least, stronger than the Bae Gong Gang Leader.
Too late.
If he tried to draw his sword and counter, he would be hit. The opponent's strike, aimed at his back, was just that precise.
Keeping his grip on the sword still embedded in his foe, Namgung Jun spun around and met the attack with his left palm.
Crackle!
Blue Thunder Qi had already wrapped around his left hand like a gauntlet as he thrust it forward. It was one of the martial arts he had learned from Lee Se-ha in his spare time.
The Heavenly Thunder Palm Technique.
His Palm Force, writhing wildly like a bolt of lightning, clashed with the gray Palm Force sweeping in from behind.
Boom!
A sound like a bursting drum split the air, and Namgung Jun’s sleeves fluttered violently. But that was all.
He suffered no internal injuries, nor was he pushed back. It was proof that he had completely neutralized the sneak attack.
“To think you blocked this old man’s double palms with just one hand!”
Instead, it was the assailant who was filled with shock.
The old man, who landed lightly after brushing aside the aftermath of the Heavenly Thunder Palm Technique, wore clothes different from those of the Bae Gong Gang. One thing was certain: he was stronger than the Bae Gong Gang Leader, who seemed to have barely reached the First-Rate level.
“Who are you?”
Ignoring Namgung Jun’s question, the old man looked at the corpse of the Bae Gong Gang Leader, his face flushing red with rage.
“You bastard! You ruined this old man’s retirement business!”
“Retirement business?”
Namgung Jun shook out his left hand, which had just clashed with the palm technique, and narrowed his eyes. Considering the old man's words and the state of the Bae Gong Gang, he quickly pieced the situation together.
His gaze fell upon the face of the already deceased Bae Gong Gang Leader, his eyes turning incredibly cold.
“So the Bae Gong Gang wasn’t the end of it. There was someone behind the Bae Gong Gang Leader—and that includes you, old man.”
“Of course! Do you think a mere nobody like him could have opened a trade route with that place? This old man was the one who connected them!”
“That place?”
Instead of answering, the old man lunged forward, unleashing Palm Force from both hands. He seemed intent on silencing Namgung Jun.
Seeing this, Namgung Jun became certain. The Bae Gong Gang wasn't simply selling kidnapped commoners to slave traders.
Squelch!
As casually as drawing a sword from its scabbard, Namgung Jun retrieved his blade from the Bae Gong Gang Leader’s chest. His voice grew low.
“Old man. You’d better give up on a comfortable retirement.”
Namgung Jun sheathed the sword and took the opening stance of the Heavenly Thunder Palm Technique. To uncover the truth, he had to keep the old man alive.
The old man, however, found it laughable when he saw Namgung Jun sheathe his sword.
“A brat who has barely pinned a cloud to his sleeve!”
He could feel a chaotic internal energy swelling in the old man’s hands. The sinister movement of his fingertips as he adjusted his form made it clear he had trained in the martial arts of the Demonic and Heretical Paths.
For his age, his internal energy is considerable. But he hasn't crossed into the Peak Realm.
It appeared he was stuck at the absolute limit of the First-Rate level, having failed to break through the wall of the Peak Stage for many years.
Namgung Jun had roughly gauged the old man’s martial prowess from his palm technique and the Qi Wave he exuded. Having assessed his opponent, he immediately thrust his right palm forward, executing a form of the Heavenly Thunder Palm Technique.
Crackle!
Thunder Qi, even denser than before, flickered along his palm. The old man’s hands, colliding with the Heavenly Thunder Palm Technique, were helplessly deflected. His eyes widened as he felt Namgung Jun’s Thunder Qi. He clenched and unclenched his hands, which had just clashed with the technique, and licked his lips.
“Now that I look closely, I see it clearly. You bastard, you’ve accumulated Scorching Yang Qi. What a rare prey!”
“Prey? You dare covet Scorching Yang Qi without knowing your place?”
Namgung Jun slapped away the palm stretching toward his face, executed an Earth-Trembling Stomp, and thrust out his left hand.
Thud!
The fiercely struck palm grazed the old man’s chest. If his evasion had been even a moment slower, his ribs would have collapsed.
Having narrowly escaped, the old man retreated three steps and glared at Namgung Jun.
“Ugh.”
Namgung Jun did not bother to pursue him, merely staring back. The blue light in his eyes was gradually deepening.
“Old man, have you learned the Star-Absorbing Great Art of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult?”
“How do you know of that?”
“Isn’t it obvious, if you’re targeting my Scorching Yang Qi?” Namgung Jun let out a sigh. “There was a reason the purity of your internal energy is so pathetic. Not only did you learn a chaotic heart method of the Demonic and Heretical Paths, but you also used the Star-Absorbing Great Art indiscriminately.”
“You bastard! Do not insult this old man!”
The old man’s face flushed completely as he rushed forward, but he posed no threat to Namgung Jun.
“Old man. You connected the Bae Gong Gang to the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult and took a cut. Was the Star-Absorbing Great Art part of your reward?”
“Yes! What’s the point of hiding it now! I will swallow your internal energy whole!”
Greed and murderous intent flickered in the old man’s eyes. He had realized it during their brief exchange. If he could absorb the Scorching Yang Qi Namgung Jun had accumulated using the Star-Absorbing Great Art, he could finally ascend to the Peak Realm.
I might even reach the mastery of the Peak Stage in a single bound!
Having failed to gain any significant enlightenment, his martial arts had stagnated for over a decade. It would have been better if he could have consumed a spirit elixir, but those were not easily obtained. In such a situation, meeting a young boy who had accumulated pure Scorching Yang Qi was a stroke of miraculous fortune.
At that moment, the Bae Gong Gang and the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult were completely erased from the old man’s mind. He was filled only with the desire to claim Namgung Jun, who was no different from a walking spirit elixir.
“Die quietly!”
Just as the old man’s hand movements grew even more vicious, the Thunder Qi residing in Namgung Jun's own hands swelled further.
Crackle!
“I’ve heard enough.”
Crack!
Namgung Jun’s Heavenly Thunder Palm Technique became faster and more powerful. In an instant, his right palm shattered the old man’s defense and crushed his shoulder, while a downward strike of his Hand Blade severed the man’s right arm.
Splurt!
“Aaaargh!”
The old man, suddenly unable to use either hand, shrieked in agony, but Namgung Jun paid him no mind. He immediately executed consecutive Earth-Trembling Stomps, shattering both of the old man’s knees.
Having rendered his limbs useless, Namgung Jun sealed the old man’s acupoints. After knocking him unconscious, he looked around the Bae Gong Gang’s premises.
“I suppose that wraps things up.”
As Namgung Jun dusted off his hands, Heo Il hurriedly emerged from between the pavilions.
“Young Master Namgung!”
“Senior Heo. You’ve arrived.”
“Ah. I’m late.” Heo Il looked at the subdued old man with a look of dismay. While guarding the dungeon, he had suddenly sensed a new presence—one even stronger than the Bae Gong Gang Leader. He had worried that no matter how strong Namgung Jun was, dealing with such opponents back-to-back would be overwhelming. He had only come up after ensuring the safety of the commoners, but the situation had already been resolved.
“Do you know this old man’s identity?”
“Sang Ho-no. A scoundrel of the Demonic and Heretical Paths who clings to the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult. So this bastard was the one behind the Bae Gong Gang.”
Nodding as if he had expected it, Namgung Jun relayed what he had learned to Heo Il.
To capture Sang Ho-no right after the Bae Gong Gang Leader… Has there ever been a rookie who achieved such feats on their very first mission?
After staring in admiration for a moment, Heo Il snapped out of it and hurriedly scanned Namgung Jun from head to toe. Worried that the youth might have been injured, he was relieved to see him perfectly fine.
Thus, Heo Il could only ask in a somewhat deflated voice, “Young Master Namgung. Are you alright?”
“Of course.”
“Ha.”
Heo Il was lost for words. The rookie before him looked around with a casual demeanor, as if he had merely done what was expected.
I’ll have to stay sharp if I want to play my part as his senior.
Heo Il glared at the unconscious, sprawled-out Sang Ho-no. Judging by the way he had been subdued, there was a reason he was kept alive.
“It seems there’s some information we need to pry out of him.”
“That is correct.”
Heo Il nodded and rolled up his sleeves. There was still a part for him to play.
“Leave this fellow to me. I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
*
Namgung Jun and Heo Il freed the commoners and thoroughly searched the Bae Gong Gang’s headquarters.
Heo Il was highly skilled in such matters, easily finding hidden passages and safes. Furthermore, he took charge of extracting information from Sang Ho-no. If Namgung Jun had come alone, he either wouldn’t have found them or it would have taken a considerable amount of time.
Sensing Namgung Jun’s admiring gaze, Heo Il merely let out a bitter smile.
“I am only skilled in miscellaneous tricks. Compared to you, Young Master Namgung, my capabilities as a swordsman are sorely lacking.”
“That isn’t true at all.”
The various skills Heo Il possessed could not be dismissed as mere tricks. They were proving to be of immense help. Right now, Heo Il held the wealth and ledgers that the Bae Gong Gang Leader had hidden.
It was then that a young boy approached them, looking hesitant.
“Excuse me…”
“What is it?”
As Namgung Jun knelt on one knee to meet his gaze, the boy, seemingly heartened, spoke with tears in his eyes.
“My older sister is gone. We were locked up together until this morning, but she was taken somewhere.”
Other commoners who had followed the boy also chimed in, their faces anxious.
“She’s a girl who looks just like this boy, probably about five years older.”
“There are children missing among those who were freed, Great Heroes!”
“Those bastards picked out several children and took them somewhere else!”
Hearing their words, the expressions of the two swordsmen hardened.
“Senior Heo.”
When Namgung Jun turned his head, Heo Il was already flipping through the ledger in his hand at a rapid pace.
“Hmm. It’s recorded in this ledger.”
The ledger detailed exactly how many people had been sent to the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult and on which days. It appeared this wasn't kept by the Bae Gong Gang Leader, but was a separate record Sang Ho-no maintained to report to his superiors in the cult.
“We must rescue them.”
“You are right, Young Master Namgung, but…” After a moment of deliberation, Heo Il shook his head. “Your mission ends here. From this point on, I must proceed alone.”
Heo Il recalled what the Hall Master had told him before they set out. There had been a heated debate about Namgung Jun’s debut in the Jianghu. If he were to get entangled with the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult on his very first mission, it would only hinder his future.
Heo Il tried to take a step forward, but Namgung Jun’s foot blocked his path.
It is undeniably dangerous.
Even so, he could not turn a blind eye. He had mastered the sword so that he would never have to turn back, so that he would never have to retreat. If he had to back down simply because his life was in danger, the sword at his waist would be nothing more than an ornament.
He had held the sword with that mindset in his past life, and this life was no different.
Namgung Jun felt the sword hanging at his waist grow exceptionally heavy, but he lightly brushed his hand over the hilt. He believed that the weight he felt from the sword would support his steps.
“I will go with you.”
“It’s too dangerous for a rookie. Stand down.” Heo Il, who had always worn a good-natured smile, turned serious for the first time.
Namgung Jun smiled back. “I’m not exactly an ordinary rookie, am I?”
After a deep thought, Heo Il replied seriously, “A chivalrous hero is not someone who throws away their life for the sake of chivalry. What is the use of saving others if you cannot save yourself?”
“I know.”
At Namgung Jun's resolve, Heo Il sighed. “Young Master Namgung, aside from the reasons I mentioned, I also don’t wish for you to get entangled with the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult. You possess a unique constitution that they are targeting, do you not?”
“I am well aware of the danger.”
“Then why?”
Namgung Jun smiled, a calmness resembling the blue sky settling in his eyes.
“I have taken up the sword. How can I turn a blind eye?”
“Turn a blind eye…”
Heo Il understood the weight behind those words. If they did not act now, the children who had yet to be found would never return home. They were the only ones who could reach out a helping hand.
To turn a blind eye based on one’s ability.
To turn a blind eye based on the situation.
What would be the point of a safe, convenient chivalry achieved at the end of such compromises? No, could that even be called chivalry?
Having reached this realization, Heo Il slowly lowered his gaze to meet Namgung Jun’s.
Namgung Jun quietly continued, “This is my first step as a Cloud of the Azure Heaven Association.”
After a brief moment, Heo Il burst into laughter.
“Very well. Let’s move. However, just in case, we should request reinforcements from headquarters.”
Namgung Jun asked, “But will we be able to track them?”
“Of course,” Heo Il said, his confidence returning. “My moniker is the Sure-Finding Sword. It means I will surely find them.”
The two men immediately began to move, following the tracks leading away from the Bae Gong Gang.