Chapter 44: Severed Meridian (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: Severed Meridian (3)
At the sound of Tang Yeo-jin's faint voice, Tang Bo-seon scrambled to his feet and rushed to her side.
"Yeo-jin. Are you awake? How do you feel?"
"Yes. It’s been so long since my body felt this light."
"Is that so? Thank goodness. I didn't even have time to give you your medicine."
"Pardon? Then why do I feel so well?"
Supported by her brother, Tang Yeo-jin sat up. She spotted Namgung Jun and Lee Se-ha standing a short distance away and asked, "Who are they?"
"Our benefactors."
Tang Bo-seon calmly explained what had happened. As she listened, Tang Yeo-jin's eyes widened. She found herself unable to look away from Namgung Jun, who suffered from the same condition she did—a severed meridian.
"I am deeply indebted to you."
Tang Yeo-jin slowly stood and bowed deeply.
"Our family has a rule: repay kindness twice over and vengeance tenfold. I will never forget your names."
Namgung Jun gave a wry smile, amused by the grim family rule, and asked about their plans.
"Young Master Tang, what will you do now?"
"If we head a little further south from here, we will reach Anqing. From there, we intend to take the waterways to Hubei Province."
Lee Se-ha, who had been listening, chimed in.
"If you transfer to another boat in Wuhan, Hubei Province, you can head straight to Sichuan Province."
Tang Bo-seon nodded, having had the same thought. Glancing at Tang Yeo-jin, he asked cautiously, "Earlier, I heard the martial artists in the inn talking. Is the young lady truly the Black Cloud Wandering Maiden?"
"You know of me?"
"How could I not? The reputation of the Black Cloud Wandering Maiden has spread all the way to Sichuan."
Lee Se-ha nudged Namgung Jun with her elbow, a subtle, smug smile on her face. She seemed to be showing off for her disciple. Namgung Jun chuckled and nodded.
"You are truly incredible, Master."
"There's no heart in your words, disciple."
Listening to the exchange, Tang Bo-seon murmured softly, "It really is her. By some stroke of heavenly luck, we've met the righteous heroes of the Azure Heaven Association."
Tang Bo-seon bowed deeply and pleaded, "The Martial Strike Sect is pursuing us so desperately because they know it will be difficult to give chase once we escape Anhui Province by boat. Could you please help us reach Anqing safely?"
Namgung Jun turned his gaze toward Lee Se-ha.
"Master, what are your thoughts?"
"Of course we should help."
Namgung Jun caressed his scabbard, seemingly of the same mind.
"The Martial Strike Sect won't leave us alone either, since we interfered."
"Indeed. They're one of the Eight Great Unorthodox Powers, which means their pride is absurdly high. We'll clash with them one way or another. Perhaps they're even aiming for my head?"
"Why would they do that?"
Lee Se-ha let out a cold smile.
"Their Second Young Master recently suffered a massive blow in the succession struggle, to the point of losing all the elites under his command. He most likely wants the Fire Ginseng to secure a foothold for a comeback."
"Are you saying that if he fails to obtain the Fire Ginseng, he might try to claim your head for an achievement instead?"
As Lee Se-ha swept her hair back, her snow-white nape was revealed. Even the world's finest craftsman would struggle to sculpt such a perfect curve.
Namgung Jun's eyes turned infinitely cold. A sharp, blade-like aura seemed to ripple from his very eyelashes.
"I doubt their Second Young Master has the capability, but even if he did, I would never allow it."
"Jun, I didn't know you could make such a face. It's actually quite scary."
Realizing Lee Se-ha was teasing him again, Namgung Jun smoothly changed the subject.
"Young Master Tang, is it not possible for Lady Tang to consume the Red Cloud Fire Ginseng right now?"
If she did, they wouldn't have to worry about it being stolen. Tang Bo-seon shook his head without a moment's hesitation.
"The Red Cloud Fire Ginseng alone cannot cure the Three Yin Severed Meridian. Our family is gathering various Elixirs of Extreme Yang, and the Red Cloud Fire Ginseng is merely one of them."
Though not as severe as the Nine Yin Severed Meridian, the Three Yin Severed Meridian was evidently still an incredibly difficult condition to treat.
When Namgung Jun looked at Tang Yeo-jin, she only offered a faint smile—a sorrowful one filled with the empathy of someone suffering the same affliction.
There was no room for choice or compromise.
The master and disciple exchanged a look. That alone decided their next move.
"Jun, how is your condition?"
"I am in perfect condition."
"Then shall we set off?"
The Tang siblings clasped their hands in a martial salute once more.
"We are truly grateful for your help."
"Thank you so much."
* * *
Led by Lee Se-ha, the group began to move. They traveled swiftly using their lightness skills, their speed extraordinary. To say nothing of the supreme expert Lee Se-ha, even the movements of the Tang siblings far exceeded those of ordinary rising stars.
Among them, Namgung Jun had the lowest mastery of the Lightness Movement Art. Just by pushing himself to keep up, he felt his proficiency growing. He stared at the backs of the Tang siblings as they surged ahead.
Their Lightness Movement Art is extraordinary. While their individual skill is impressive, the art itself is a superior one, rarely seen. This is no technique from some nameless sect.
From the looks of it, Tang Yeo-jin's martial cultivation was higher than Tang Bo-seon's. She was said to possess profound knowledge of medicine and herbology; she certainly had the skill to search for the Red Cloud Fire Ginseng herself, despite her severed meridian.
"Lady Tang, I sense the traces of a rare, superior martial art in your movements."
"The first patriarch of our family was known as the 'Fastest Under Heaven'."
Hearing Tang Yeo-jin, Tang Bo-seon added in a proud voice, "You must have heard of the Ascending Wanderer Sword God of Kunlun. Our first patriarch was a close friend of his. They used to study the Lightness Movement Art together."
The Ascending Wanderer Sword God Yong-myeong.
It was a name Namgung Jun naturally knew—one of the martial gods mentioned whenever the greatest of all time were discussed. The Kunlun Sect only attained its towering reputation as the West-Venerated Kunlun because it had produced the Ascending Wanderer Sword God.
"So the first head of the Tang Clan had a connection with the Ascending Wanderer Sword God. What an interesting story," Lee Se-ha remarked, showing interest as if hearing this for the first time.
In the middle of the conversation, Namgung Jun suddenly placed his hand on his hilt. Then, without breaking his stride, he drew his sword.
A heavy gust of wind followed the sweeping arc of his blade. It was a technique from the Heavenly Wind Sword Technique.
The horizontal gale of sword wind tore through the nearby thicket, clearing it completely.
Whoosh!
As the brush was blown away, the martial artists hiding within were exposed. Two who failed to react in time were sent flying with gashes across their chests, while the remaining three leaped into the air.
"Attack!"
"Hand over the Fire Ginseng!"
Crackle!
Before the shouting men could even execute their techniques, Lee Se-ha’s sleeves fluttered. Seven streaks of lightning surged upward. The azure sword strikes slashed through the airborne martial artists, grazing them as they soared endlessly into the sky before vanishing.
Amidst the spray of blood, Lee Se-ha's group never broke stride, continuing to run forward.
"There are more approaching from the southeast," Namgung Jun reported.
"Jun, the range of your perception has widened quite a bit."
"I will handle the one coming from the west."
As they moved, clashes with martial artists targeting the Red Cloud Fire Ginseng occurred one after another. Naturally, this left traces and made noise, and soon, all the martial artists in the vicinity began to converge on them.
Hearing the groans of the men behind them, Tang Bo-seon threw a concealed weapon and asked, "Lady Lee! May I ask why you aren't killing them?"
"Because I want as many people as possible to know that I am here."
"I see!"
Among the martial artists gathered to seize the Red Cloud Fire Ginseng, none seemed capable of handling Lee Se-ha. The name of the Black Cloud Wandering Maiden, a supreme expert who had achieved the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown, was more than enough to strike terror into their hearts.
Lee Se-ha was intentionally letting her enemies live to broadcast her involvement to everyone in the area.
"Jun, I'm thinking of increasing our speed. Can you keep up?" Lee Se-ha called out as she used the Heavenly Thunder Palm Technique to crush the collarbone of a lunging attacker.
"I am fine."
Not missing the slight strain in his breath, Lee Se-ha smiled. "Once we return to the clan headquarters, we'll have to work on your Lightness Movement Art!"
Namgung Jun could not refute her. Although he hadn't neglected his training, if he had to point out a weakness, his lightness skill was it.
Thud! Rumble!
A thunderous roar echoed from beyond the mountain ridge as several massive boulders came rolling down. If they continued on their path, the boulders would crash into their flank and crush them. To avoid them, they would have to change course and take a detour—which was undoubtedly what their pursuers intended.
Just as the Tang siblings’ expressions stiffened at the continuous rumbling—
"Do not panic. Keep moving forward."
Even while pushing his lightness skill to the limit, Namgung Jun raised his sword high into an upper stance.
Heavenly Wind Sword Technique.
Single Vista Flooding the Field.
A thin, long beam of blue light curved from the tip of his sword. The unleashed sword wind sliced straight through all the rolling boulders.
Crash!
Namgung Jun had cut the massive boulders in half.
However, the sliced rocks didn't stop immediately. The split fragments bounced in all directions, raining down from above.
"Young Master Namgung! We will handle the rest!"
"Catch your breath!"
After staring blankly at Namgung Jun's terrifying Sword Force, the Tang siblings snapped back to their senses and thrust their hands forward. Concealed weapons flew from their green sleeves, intercepting every single rock fragment. Thanks to them, the group was able to charge straight ahead without changing their path.
After clearing the last of the fragments, the Tang siblings couldn't help but marvel as they watched the master and disciple charging ahead, swords extended. Lee Se-ha, who displayed a martial prowess worthy of her title as the Black Cloud Wandering Maiden, was incredible, but her disciple, Namgung Jun, was also unleashing sword strikes far beyond his years.
Both of them are extraordinary.
Perhaps they can even defeat the Martial Strike Sect?
Hope swelled in the hearts of the Tang siblings. The two swordsmen guarding their path possessed that kind of power.
* * *
After four days, the constant pursuit finally began to taper off. Strangely, the warriors from the Martial Strike Sect had barely shown themselves. Even when their paths did cross, they would retreat before the distance could close, limiting themselves to tracking the group's route rather than taking direct action.
This was likely a move to minimize their own losses and concentrate their strength. Even if they obtained the Red Cloud Fire Ginseng, they couldn't participate in the succession struggle if their subordinates were wiped out. The other martial artists who had jumped in like wolves had merely been used to wear down Namgung Jun's group.
"It's quiet."
"Watch out for traps or ambushes."
Before long, the group reached the ferry dock of Anqing. It was deserted. The Anqing dock was one of the major waterways of Anhui Province and was usually bustling with people.
Yet now, there was no one.
Even the boats that should have been busily moving were all moored at the dock. Aside from the lapping of the water and the sound of their own footsteps, it was dead silent.
Even so, Namgung Jun's group did not stop. They had expected this much.
As they stepped further onto the dock, they saw a middle-aged man in the uniform of the Martial Strike Sect standing alone. Spotting them, he approached with a slightly tense expression.
"Black Cloud Wandering Maiden. The Second Young Master is waiting for you."
Lee Se-ha let out a cold laugh.
"I knew it would come to this."
She immediately gripped her hilt, her hand enveloped in Thunder Qi. The atmosphere instantly grew heavy and tense.