Chapter 296
Chapter 296
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 296
Chapter Title: Reinforcements
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The Shadowless Guest had a few rules. One of them was sitting in the most secluded corner whenever he entered an inn.
It stemmed from his innate dislike of drawing attention, but that wasn't the only reason.
In truth, it was more a habit born from his aversion to sensing someone else's presence behind his back.
For the same reason, the Shadowless Guest didn't care much for crowded places either.
And now, for the first time in over thirty years, someone had approached him from behind.
It was only natural that he leaped away reflexively.
He was a man accustomed to standing behind others. That very familiarity made yielding his back to someone else feel utterly alien.
As the Shadowless Guest launched himself, a thin trickle of blood ran down Dang Mujin's neck.
Strangely, there was no pain at his throat. But his whole body tingled from the tension.
'...I really almost died that time.'
Under normal circumstances, he might have simply thanked Namgung Myeong. But for some reason, the words wouldn't come now. Dang Mujin grumbled instead.
"Ah, your response was lacking."
"...Huh?"
"I deliberately exposed an opening to lure him in, but you didn't finish him off properly? You should've slashed his throat instead of wasting time talking!"
The blatantly exaggerated reaction lightened the mood instead.
Namgung Myeong sighed.
"Hah, I must not have realized. Next time your head flies off, I should've just taken his instead. Would've made Dan Seol Yeong and Mok Wan-ah widows."
Namgung Myeong was teasing, but he didn't seem offended.
They'd known each other too long for him not to understand the intent.
Besides, Namgung Myeong hadn't been in a position to cleanly sever the Shadowless Guest's head right away.
He'd blurted out words first in a hasty bid to save Dang Mujin's life before fully securing his stance.
If he'd kept silent and swung his sword, he might have taken the Shadowless Guest's head as Dang Mujin suggested. But that wasn't the outcome Namgung Myeong wanted.
In any case, that brief clash gave Dang Mujin and Namgung Myeong one key piece of information about the Shadowless Guest.
Unlike the Blood Sect assassins, he valued his own life.
Rather than slicing Dang Mujin's throat and dying, the Shadowless Guest had chosen a path where he could survive without killing him.
'...He must be confident in his skills.'
Whether to kill the foe even at the cost of one's life, or to survive without dying oneself.
People saw it as a difference in resolve and determination, but in reality, it was closer to a difference in certainty.
Those confident in their prowess treasure their own life above all. They knew they could kill the opponent next time, so there was no need to throw it away now.
Dang Mujin eyed the Shadowless Guest's appearance.
He'd concealed himself as much as possible in black garb and a mask, but he couldn't hide the wrinkles around his eyes. Like most masters, the Shadowless Guest seemed quite advanced in years.
'...Namgung Myeong will look just like that when he gets old.'
Dang Mujin lowered his voice to Namgung Myeong.
"By the way, where did this Shadowless Guest guy pop up from? I lured him perfectly, but his movements were pretty stealthy."
"Probably brought by Blazing Inferno. Anyway, it's good. If we take his head, our uncle will be pleased."
"Uncle?"
"Poison Eagle Sword Namgung Jinya. You don't know?"
"Of course I do."
Dang Mujin's first meeting with Namgung Jinya had been quite some time ago.
When Namgung Myeong had fled with Dang Mujin's sword, he'd entered the Nangong Clan with Yi Chung and run into Namgung Jinya first.
Namgung Jinya was one of the rare few who'd treated the eccentric Yi Chung kindly, and a Nangong Clan warrior who'd lived as a one-armed man even before Namgung Myeong.
He'd attended the wedding with Dan Seol Yeong too, and his bold personality had left Dang Mujin with only good memories.
The issue was why Namgung Jinya was being mentioned now.
"But why bring up your uncle?"
Namgung Myeong answered Dang Mujin's question.
"He said the Shadowless Guest is why his left arm got severed."
"...Ah!"
Dang Mujin had heard the story before.
'Young friend. Don't worry. The one who cut my left arm wasn't Yi Chung—it was an assassin called the Shadowless Guest.'
'My left upper arm was rotting from the poison on his dagger. This friend cut it off and treated me. Yi Chung did slice off about three inches of my left arm in the process, though.'
Namgung Jinya wasn't an overwhelming master like Namgung Jincheon, but he was one invariably mentioned when discussing the Nangong Clan.
For someone like him to land a blow on Namgung Jinya meant the Shadowless Guest's own attainment wasn't low. Dang Mujin put a bit more distance between them.
Unlike the average transcendent master who exuded visible strength at a glance, the Shadowless Guest's presence was exceedingly faint.
But precisely because of that, Dang Mujin was certain.
It wasn't that his martial prowess was lacking, making his presence dim. He was simply adept at concealing it—far beyond what Hong Geolgae could manage.
Dang Mujin's suspicion that the Shadowless Guest was a transcendent master deepened.
The Shadowless Guest took greater interest in Namgung Myeong than Dang Mujin.
"Namgung Myeong, was it? Your movements are quite stealthy, boy. How did a Nangong retainer learn such skills? Who taught you?"
The Shadowless Guest was convinced his own prowess and experience far surpassed Namgung Myeong's. Yet even he found Namgung Myeong's faint presence unsettling.
It wasn't something to dismiss as mere talent. It smacked more of experience and effort.
The Shadowless Guest's eyes narrowed.
'The Nangong Clan must be secretly training assassins. Makes sense for a clan of their stature.'
But contrary to his assumption, Namgung Myeong replied indifferently.
"Who taught me? You think this is something you learn or not? It just comes naturally from daily life."
His "daily life" differed from most people's, but Namgung Myeong spoke pure truth.
Of course, the Shadowless Guest didn't believe a word.
He chuckled lightly beneath his mask.
"Don't want to talk, huh? Let's see if you can keep your mouth shut with a blade at your throat."
With that, the Shadowless Guest took a step back.
Like slipping behind softly draping cloth, his figure vanished in an instant. Dang Mujin panicked.
"How'd he do that?"
"Ascendant Invisibility Technique. Higher level than mine."
"What? Since when do you lack confidence?"
"For now. Just for now."
Namgung Myeong said that, then cautioned Dang Mujin.
"The Shadowless Guest will circle you, waiting for an opening. Stay sharp."
"What about you?"
"Hide-and-seek."
With that, Namgung Myeong's form melted into the pitch-black darkness.
Dang Mujin focused his mind. Faintly, he sensed presences approaching and retreating.
He slowly regulated his breathing. What now?
The answer had been set from the start. The Flying Wheel wasn't suited for defense.
Dang Mujin stowed the Flying Wheel up his sleeve, drew his sword, and slowly dispersed poison around him.
Not a mild toxin like Intoxicating Purity Fragrance that caused minor trouble—this was lethal venom truly threatening to life, enveloping his surroundings.
Then, like tearing through the darkness, a hazy sword thrust out, aiming for Dang Mujin's heart.
Dang Mujin barely twisted aside, dodging the Shadowless Guest's blade. The Shadowless Guest frowned in regret and vanished back into the shadows.
It had been a brush with death, but Dang Mujin viewed the situation positively.
'He's a bit more hasty than before. Wants to settle it before the poison fully spreads, huh.'
Dang Mujin concentrated amid the darkness and drifting poison. Namgung Myeong stalked the Shadowless Guest's openings in the gloom. Yet the Shadowless Guest stubbornly targeted Dang Mujin first.
This clarified things. The Shadowless Guest was openly after Dang Mujin—undoubtedly on Blazing Inferno's orders.
Still, shaking Namgung Myeong's pressure and piercing Dang Mujin's defenses wasn't easy even for him. His thrusts at Dang Mujin weren't frequent.
Dang Mujin dodged or parried each swing by a hair's breadth.
The Shadowless Guest failed his goal, while Dang Mujin and Namgung Myeong barely held off his assaults.
It seemed like a win for the righteous faction at first glance, but viewed in the full battle context, it was a clear loss.
'...Can't use the Flying Wheel.'
Dang Mujin's absence wasn't like losing an ordinary first-rate master.
Two transcendent masters—Hong Geolgae and Manryeokseung—could tie down Blazing Inferno without hesitation because they trusted Dang Mujin's killing power and performance in such fights rivaled a typical transcendent master.
They lagged in first-rate numbers but could seize the advantage if transcendent involvement vanished. That was Manryeokseung and Hwahwa Nogae's prediction.
It had held true. The righteous warriors were gaining slight edges over the evil sect foes—at least until Dang Mujin's actions were restricted.
But the Shadowless Guest's arrival muddled everything.
With Hong Geolgae and Manryeokseung pinned by Blazing Inferno, Dang Mujin and Namgung Myeong were now pinned by a single transcendent master.
The tide turned. Righteous warriors were being pushed back bit by bit. Casualties and severe wounds mounted—not just one or two. As losses piled, Dang Mujin's impatience grew.
'...Should I call Hyeon-gong to block the Shadowless Guest instead?'
Not a good choice.
No matter how defense-oriented Hyeon-gong was, that applied to visible blades.
Perfectly blocking the Shadowless Guest's near-imperceptible strikes wouldn't be easy for him either.
Even if Hyeon-gong held him off, Dang Mujin likely couldn't unleash his full strength.
How could he focus on the Flying Wheel when a blade might pierce his heart from behind any second?
The gradually retreating righteous warriors glanced at Dang Mujin.
His role had been so pivotal they couldn't miss something amiss.
They saw the dark green poison faintly rising around him and the sword in his hand.
It was clear Dang Mujin couldn't launch the Flying Wheel.
Yet the righteous warriors didn't lose hope. They had one more ace.
Now, eyes turned to the southern hills instead of Dang Mujin.
Tonight was the new moon.
The night the Nangong Clan warriors had promised to arrive.
What the righteous warriors awaited was reinforcements from distant southern Anhui Province, led by the Nangong Clan.
Clutching hope, they swung their swords desperately.
They held out so desperately that Insi hour was nearly ending—more dawn than night now. Someone shouted.
"They’re here! They’ve come!"
Turning, they saw sword-wielding figures atop the southern hill. Joy lit their faces.
Bewilderment filled the half of the evil sect warriors'. They'd never dreamed of righteous reinforcements mid-battle.
Blazing Inferno was just as flustered.
'Just a bit more pushing!'
He'd come to stall for time initially. But the favorable tide had sparked unintended greed.
Inflict heavy losses tonight, clash again tomorrow, and he could seize the righteous murim's east entirely. With Shaolin Temple and Beggars' Sect fallen, who could stop them?
'...Damn it.'
Regretfully ordering the evil sect retreat, Blazing Inferno noticed something odd.
Reinforcements needed at least dozens. But fewer than ten crested the hill, with no sign of more.
'No way?'
Blazing Inferno hurriedly scanned the righteous reinforcements.
In national wars, few numbers meant weakness.
But in murim, it could signal confidence.
A handful of overwhelming masters could crush mobs—that was the murim way.
'...Not Namgung Jincheon too?'
A bunch of middling masters wouldn't trouble him much. How could weaklings hold his feet?
But Namgung Jincheon appearing changed things.
This was enemy territory. If he pinned Blazing Inferno, he'd be done for.
Yet no one among the "reinforcements" resembled Namgung Jincheon.
'...?'
Not even famed masters like Namgung Jinya.
At best, two who barely crossed into first-rate. The rest all below.
'They sent just this lot?'
Finally, Blazing Inferno checked the righteous warriors' faces.
Manryeokseung, Hwahwa Nogae, Hong Geolgae—all bore shock.
Blazing Inferno's stiff expression relaxed, a smile curling his lips.
As he gestured for the evil sect to charge.
One figure caught his eye.
Hyeon-gong stared past Blazing Inferno's shoulder.
Hyeon-gong bellowed in his booming voice.
"Sword Ghost, elder! That guy's Blazing Inferno!"
An ambush from someone Sword Ghost-rank?
Blazing Inferno whirled, thinking that. But no one was behind him.
'...?'
Regaining his senses, he looked back. Righteous warriors were slipping away like receding tide.
Blazing Inferno grasped the situation late and roared in fury.
"Pursue them now! Sweep them all away!"