Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: A Brief Journey (3)
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"So, you've taken the bait."
Ak Gun, the second of the Two Evils of Shaanxi, who had been watching Ouyang Jue closely, smiled.
His smile held the satisfaction of having achieved his goal.
While Ha Jin-ak was isolated, they would deliver an inescapable death to Ouyang Jue.
It had taken a full ten days to create this situation.
During that time, Ak Gun had used every trick in the book to prevent them from being discovered.
He had also acted with the utmost caution, ensuring his presence nearby remained a secret.
But that didn't mean he had simply stayed hidden.
Hoping to separate or poison the two, he had tried adding poison to their food and water, but it had been completely ineffective.
Instead, several grunts from the Black Dragon Gang had lost their lives at the hands of Ouyang Jue, who seemed to know everything.
Thus, he had been forced to be more cautious.
*Fwoosh!*
Using a flint striker, Ak Gun ignited and burned away the smoke he had secretly spread throughout the inn.
'To think I'd have to resort to this.'
Wasting ten days on those two was already beyond his expectations.
That was how cautious and thorough Ha Jin-ak and Ouyang Jue had been.
Of course, Ha Jin-ak was already a person of interest to the Black Dragon Gang.
But Ouyang Jue was not.
Setting aside his victory at the Nine Dragons Tournament—a festival for novices—the very circumstances of him defeating Du Jeol-gwang were suspicious.
After all, it was the Beggars' Sect that had dealt with the body and spread the rumors.
So, Ak Gun had assumed that Ouyang Jue had merely been there by chance.
'I was going to capture that brat and find out who killed our youngest brother...'
Ak Gun's eyes narrowed.
Seeing his clean Daoist robes when he came out of the inn, he was clearly no ordinary fellow.
This image was different from the one the Three Evils of Shaanxi had initially painted.
Even if he was just a lucky upstart who thrived in the shadows, his opponent had been Amyeong Sosal, a first-rate martial artist and assassin.
An opponent that a fledgling martial artist with little experience in the world was bound to lose against.
Therefore, Ak Gun had to re-evaluate Ouyang Jue.
'Perhaps...'
He had killed Du Jeol-gwang himself without the Beggars' Sect's involvement and simply left the cleanup to them.
'Could he really have been killed by a brat like that?'
Ak Gun felt like digging up his younger brother's corpse just to ask him.
It was no wonder.
From his reaction at the inn, he had confirmed that Ouyang Jue 'had been' affected by the nerve poison.
And yet, even in that state, Ouyang Jue had won the Nine Dragons Tournament.
This meant Ouyang Jue's control over his internal energy was strong enough to not only manage his body's acupoints but also to expel the poison himself.
Perhaps he had already opened all the meridians in his body.
That was why Ak Gun and Tu Gwang had made a swift decision the moment Amyeong Sosal fell.
-We'll finish him for good.
The two brothers, having lost their youngest, decided to eliminate any and all variables.
Inside Ouyang Jue's body.
He had just mixed a poison into the smoke that would react specifically with the remnants of the nerve poison left there.
It wasn't something that could be blocked just by reacting to it.
The moment it was spread, it was as good as ingested.
It was a masterstroke they hadn't even attempted until they were certain it would work.
'And yet, that bastard... just what is he?'
Ak Gun's eyes turned cold.
* * *
*Shunk!*
The gruesome sound of a blade slicing through flesh and bone pierced his ears, awakening Ouyang Jue's instincts.
A direct hit from that would be fatal.
Especially in his current physical state, it was utterly impossible.
"You... you damn bastard."
Ouyang Jue let out the curse he had tried so hard to hold back in front of Ha Jin-ak.
His body wouldn't move as he wanted.
It felt as if every inch of him was coated in wet mud.
*Drip, drop.*
Clotted blood, thick as half a knuckle, formed at his fingertips before falling, unable to bear its own weight.
Despite this, Tu Gwang, who faced him, could not smile.
"Are you truly a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect?"
"Who's the one who used poison first?"
At those words, Tu Gwang couldn't even manage a hollow laugh.
'How could a Daoist from a righteous sect...'
Use someone who had stepped back from the fight as his own shield?
Tu Gwang found himself face to face not with Ouyang Jue, but with a swordsman from the Black Dragon Gang.
"Tu Gwang, you bastard...!"
The look on his face was one of thunderstruck shock, and betrayal.
The swordsman's eyes widened.
But that was the end.
*Thud.*
A pool of blood spread from beneath the belly of the swordsman who had collapsed to the floor.
"..."
Tu Gwang's face hardened into a fearsome mask.
*Drip, drip.*
Bloody water still dripped from Ouyang Jue's fingertips.
Tu Gwang still couldn't comprehend the cause and effect of how it had happened.
The moment he launched his attack at Ouyang Jue, he had been certain Ouyang Jue couldn't dodge.
The Double Severing Poison.
A poison that not only affects the nerves but also slows the heartbeat, completely incapacitating a martial artist.
But how could he have grabbed the swordsman and used him as a shield in that brief moment?
"..."
Tu Gwang's gaze fell to the ground, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
There wasn't a single footprint where Ouyang Jue would have stepped.
Tu Gwang glanced sideways at Ak Gun.
-Did you see?
-I didn't, Big Brother.
Ak Gun hesitated for a moment before answering.
-It seems he's learned a martial art from a school we're unfamiliar with. Something like... an extreme speed technique.
-Is that so.
Tu Gwang watched Ouyang Jue wipe his bloody hand on his Daoist robes.
At the same time, a question arose.
"...?"
Though he was hiding it well, Ouyang Jue's fingertips were trembling faintly.
'It seems he couldn't avoid the poison after all.'
Tu Gwang spotted an opening.
"...Hmph!"
As Tu Gwang unleashed an aura as if about to charge, Ouyang Jue took a sword-drawing stance with Severing Manifestation.
'This is shit.'
*Ptui.*
Ouyang Jue spat out a wad of dark phlegm.
His condition was already poor to begin with.
The balance of his mind, energy, and body was unstable.
His body and internal energy couldn't keep up with the absolute enlightenment he possessed.
In a situation like this, if the poison dulled his senses and his sensitivity to energy, that absolute enlightenment would instead become a great detriment.
For instance.
He would arbitrarily transcend the limits of his martial arts, which were normally controlled by his senses.
*Drip.*
Just now, he had suffered internal injuries from forcibly dragging Bai Dong-il to block Tu Gwang's blade.
Ouyang Jue swallowed hard, forcing down the blood that threatened to erupt from his throat.
'Damn, that hurts.'
Ouyang Jue stared directly at the frozen Tu Gwang and the hidden Ak Gun beyond, grinning.
Then, he carelessly kicked Bai Dong-il's corpse aside.
Finally, Ouyang Jue's lips parted slightly.
"You don't have any real loyalty to the Black Dragon Gang, do you?"
The meaning behind Ouyang Jue's words was simple.
If you value your lives, leave.
It was a bluff, for instance, to buy time until the Mount Hua Sect arrived.
But he couldn't sense any wavering from Tu Gwang or Ak Gun.
'Tch, didn't work.'
Ouyang Jue gave a hollow laugh, but didn't lose his composure.
Even though he couldn't circulate his energy properly and every muscle in his body was screaming.
It didn't matter.
An ordeal like this was nothing compared to what he had experienced in the past.
The great enemies he would face in the future, and the path he would walk.
Thinking of that, he could not afford to kneel here.
'Guess I'll consider this a warm-up.'
Ouyang Jue's eyes narrowed, glinting with a sharp light.
"You're all dead."
*Shriiiing!*
As Severing Manifestation was drawn, the sword energy of the Purple Mist True Energy, which had once shocked the Nine Dragons Tournament, began to coat the blade.
The sharp aura radiating from Severing Manifestation was already chilling enough, but to see such masterfully refined sword energy on top of it.
Tu Gwang's lips naturally parted.
"Where in the world did a guy like this...!"
Even Ak Gun, who was contemplating his next move from a distance, widened his eyes.
"!"
Watching this, Ha Jin-ak smiled proudly at Ouyang Jue, yet didn't hold back his scolding.
"Didn't I tell you to cut back on the rough language?"
*Ting, Kaaang!*
The moment Ha Jin-ak's attention wavered, the strikes of five swordsmen blurred before his eyes.
The fight was not yet over.
* * *
Meanwhile.
At the main gate of the Mount Hua Sect, Song Muk, who was waiting, could not hide his grave expression.
It wasn't that the carrier pigeon sent by Ouyang Jue had disappeared mid-flight or that some other accident had occurred.
"Just... how much did you foresee?"
Song Muk's muttered words hung heavy in the air, reaching Bai Duanxian and Gwak Un-pae who stood nearby.
They too were checking their belongings, their faces filled with deep anguish.
A piece of intelligence that had arrived in secret a few days ago.
Normally, it would have been a trivial piece of information, not even worth half a point on the grand Go board of the martial world. But combined with Ouyang Jue's warning before he left, it painted a plausible sequence of moves.
"When I send a carrier pigeon, please seek out the masters of our secular branch families nearby."
Remembering how Ouyang Jue had spoken as if something would happen to Ha Jin-ak, Song Muk nervously stroked his scabbard.
'Did he really predict this situation?'
Song Muk quickly shook his head to clear away the stray thoughts.
It was something he couldn't know without asking directly anyway.
So, he had no choice but to go now.
Even if Ouyang Jue's carrier pigeon hadn't arrived, Song Muk had been planning to set out alone.
Just then, a disciple could be seen running towards them in the distance, carrying a medicine box.
"Hurry! Hurry up!"
Normally, he would have spoken gently, but there was no time for that.
The same was true for the Sect Leader, Bai Duanxian.
The respect between the Sect Leader and the elders, which should have been maintained according to the rules, had vanished.
"Un-pae, quickly pack the Golden Wound Powder and Burn Ointment. You'll need to take clean cloths and water as well!"
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
Gwak Un-pae answered without looking back at Bai Duanxian.
Instead, as if every second counted, he rummaged through the medicine box and stuffed the necessary items into his travel pack.
Bai Duanxian's orders continued.
"Un-pae will take the most urgent items, the burn ointment and cloths, and Song Muk will be in charge of the rest. Understand?"
To the swift and orderly command, Song Muk replied in a loud voice.
"Yes!"
"Time is of the essence, so hurry!"
Bai Duanxian's sharp, cold gaze swept over the two elders and the disciple.
In his hand, he tightly gripped a plaque engraved with the words "Plum Blossom Cave."
"Normally, the Master of the Reception Hall, Gwak Un-pae, and the Master of the Disciplinary Hall, Song Muk, are not to leave their posts in Mount Hua. However, by the will of the Plum Blossom Cave, you are to prioritize the rescue of our disciple!"
The moment he finished speaking, Gwak Un-pae and Song Muk rushed out of the Mount Hua Sect's main gate.
Rules and etiquette.
Bai Duanxian now wielded an authority and power that surpassed them all.
"...Haa, what is to become of all this."
Left alone, Bai Duanxian stroked the Plum Blossom Cave plaque, lost in thought.
* * *
"Keuk, cough!"
*Kaaang!*
Leaning his weight on Severing Manifestation as if it were a cane, Ouyang Jue let out a harsh cough.
It constantly interfered with his breathing, the foundation of all martial arts, making him feel as if he would vomit blood at any moment.
That wasn't all.
The remnants of the nerve poison that had not yet dissipated in his body were dulling his senses.
'And yet, he doesn't fall.'
The Two Evils of Shaanxi, who could clearly see Ouyang Jue's condition, couldn't hide their weary expressions.
Whenever Tu Gwang's assault lessened, he would even help Ha Jin-ak take care of the Black Dragon Gang's swordsmen.
The number killed that way was now half the total.
Three men were not enough to hold down Ha Jin-ak.
That one bastard.
Because of that one brat who wasn't even of age, everything was going wrong.
Tu Gwang asked, genuinely curious.
"What in the world are you?"
"You're asking because you don't know?"
Even while completely intoxicated by the poison, Ouyang Jue did not loosen his grip on Severing Manifestation.
"Ouyang Jue, a disciple of Mount Hua. What more do you need?"
A smile traced itself across Ouyang Jue's face.
"Old bastards like you, trying to find a reason for why you're losing. How pathetic."
"..."
Though such words should have angered him, Tu Gwang felt no rage at all.
Instead, he couldn't help but admire Ouyang Jue.
One could even call it respect.
A body riddled with poison, facing enemies whose combined internal energy was two to three times greater than his own.
Not only was he holding his own against them, but he was even thinning their numbers!
For a moment, Tu Gwang completely forgot that Ouyang Jue was his youngest brother's killer.
He forgot about enemies and vengeance, and decided to show him respect as a fellow martial artist.
'He's going to die anyway. I'll make sure his final moments aren't disgraceful.'
*Ssk.*
Seeing Tu Gwang perform a cupped fist salute, Ouyang Jue laughed in disbelief.
"What the hell are you doing?"
*Skak!*
Ouyang Jue kicked the spine of Severing Manifestation, which he had been leaning on like a cane, and sliced off both of Tu Gwang's hands.