Pajeo River - (2)

Left behind at the inn, Wi Ilcheong and Baekri Sohyeon were locked in a desperate struggle.

"Die!"

Even as he cut down the charging Moyong Clan martial artists, Wi Ilcheong never stopped watching No Sunpyeong.

The rest of them are nothing special. But two of them I have to be careful with.

One was No Sunpyeong. The other was Moyong Jun.

Baekri Sohyeon was handling Moyong Jun, yet the situation did not look promising.

"You lowborn bitch!"

"…Hngh!"

Moyong Jun had completely dominated Baekri Sohyeon from the start. Seeing her driven all the way to the wall, he swung his sword in a great arc and charged.

"Die!!"

"Miss Baekri!!"

Slash!

For a heartbeat it seemed the blade would split her in two, but she ducked just in time, rolled clear of the wall, and came up again.

"Shameless little whore!"

"…Shut up…."

"I'll rip that mouth of yours open for good!!"

Watching Moyong Jun rush her again, Wi Ilcheong was about to go to her aid when a razor-sharp sword qi came screaming in from the side.

"Where do you think you're going!"

"Kh…!"

"So you had leisure enough to look away while this old man stands before you."

No Sunpyeong swung his sword and closed on Wi Ilcheong.

"Moyong Clan warriors, aid the Second Young Master! I will deal with this one myself!"

"Yes, sir!!"

Seeing them pile onto the seemingly weaker Baekri Sohyeon, Wi Ilcheong clenched his teeth.

"…Is this how a martial artist fights—one against many? And against the weaker one at that!"

"Cowardly?!"

Clang!

No Sunpyeong slashed and opened distance.

"Not cowardice—strategy. Breaking the weaker link first is basic, is it not?"

"…"

"All I need do is pin you down. You stand alone with no backing; I have the entire Moyong Clan behind me. Who wins is obvious, wouldn't you say?"

"…Which is exactly how you lost to the Mad Demon alone."

"Watch…! your… tongue, boy."

"At least the Mad Demon fought like a true martial artist. He charged the Moyong Clan by himself."

"Trying to goad me, are you? Pointless. The Mad Demon can be dealt with any time—"

"Did you know?"

Wi Ilcheong cut him off and pointed at his own crotch with one finger.

"I have exceptional vitality, so I piss a great deal. More than enough to soak every last plaque of the Moyong Clan."

"…"

No Sunpyeong's body began to tremble. The taunt—comparing himself to the infamous tale of the Mad Demon smashing the Moyong Clan and then pissing all over their signboard—finally snapped the elder's restraint. Bloodshot eyes locked on Wi Ilcheong as he charged.

"I'll tear you apart!!!"

Even as No Sunpyeong came at him again, Wi Ilcheong's gaze was already looking past him. With the soft sword in his right hand he parried the elder's blade; with the other he drew a second soft sword.

No Sunpyeong's eyes widened.

He had another sword hidden?!

Wi Ilcheong drove the soft sword into the floor and spoke.

True to its name, the soft sword planted in the floor shot forward, slipped past No Sunpyeong, then sprang up from the ground and pierced Moyong Jun's shoulder from behind.

"Gyaaah!"

"Second Young Master!!"

Seeing the Second Young Master struck from behind by an unexpected blow, No Sunpyeong ground his teeth.

"You underhanded bastard…!"

"Did you not say so yourself?"

Wi Ilcheong smiled coldly at him.

"Breaking the weaker link first is strategy."

"You son of a bitch…!"

"I've learned a great deal from you, senior."

The moment No Sunpyeong lost all reason and lunged to kill him, Wi Ilcheong slipped a hand into his sleeve.

What is it? Hidden weapon? Poison? Dagger?

A thousand possibilities flashed through No Sunpyeong's mind. What emerged was a small ball.

Wi Ilcheong dropped the ball to the floor and once more raised his sword toward the elder.

The instant he heard the name of the form, No Sunpyeong skidded to a halt.

That first great slash he showed! I must dodge it, not take it head-on!

But this was a different form. It began the same way—sword drawn high—yet instead of the sweeping cut of Ten Thousand Peaks, the soft sword curled into a circle and smashed straight down into the floor.

No Sunpyeong leapt clear of the strike, but the inn floor did not survive.

"Aaaaagh!"

"The floor…!"

"What in the—!"

As the floor collapsed and Moyong Clan martial artists plummeted to the story below, No Sunpyeong understood.

He was thinning our numbers…!

At that moment the ball Wi Ilcheong had rolled across the floor burst open, belching thick smoke.

"Miss Baekri!"

"…Mm!"

Wi Ilcheong extended his soft sword; it coiled around Baekri Sohyeon's wrist. Then he flung himself out the window, reeling her into his arms as though hauling her in on a line.

Watching the Lust Demon flee, No Sunpyeong poured internal energy into his voice and roared.

"The Lust Demon is escaping!! After him!!"

"Yes, sir!!"

No Sunpyeong himself burned to give chase, yet something more important remained: the Second Young Master, Moyong Jun.

"Second Young Master! Are you all right?!"

"Kh…. That underhanded trick…."

"Stop the bleeding first. A few of you stay and attend the Second Young Master!"

"Uncle."

Moyong Jun seized No Sunpyeong's arm, eyes bloodshot.

"Go after the Lust Demon."

"But your wound—"

"What does a wound matter to a martial artist! Will you let the clan's enemy slip away right before your eyes again?!"

"…"

Hearing those words, No Sunpyeong laid a hand on the young man's head.

"You've already become a proper martial artist, Second Young Master."

"…"

"Next time we meet, I shall bring you the heads of the Lust Demon and those bewitching women as a gift."

"…I look forward to it."

No Sunpyeong looked once more at Moyong Jun, who clutched his shoulder and lay collapsed on the floor, then launched himself in the direction the Lust Demon had fled.

"Hey, Coachman Heo."

"…Am I no longer even a coachman now?"

"You little shit, you're the one who told me to call you that."

"I asked to be called coachman, young lady."

"You talk too much. How much farther?"

"…About one shichen left—two hours."

"Not long, then."

Outwardly she answered calmly, yet Dokgo Ryeong was more than a little surprised. Heo Gwanyeong possessed exactly the superb light-foot skill he had claimed.

"…Hey, Coachman Heo."

"Haa… yes, young lady."

"What the hell are you, really?"

"Pardon?"

"No matter how I look at it, your light-foot skill is way ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠too good for some ordinary Hao Sect dog…."

"…What is the Hao Sect if not an information network? Every last one of us is this good at light-foot and concealment arts."

"Tsk… doesn't feel right."

Deciding the fellow was suspicious in more ways than one, Dokgo Ryeong stared blankly at the back of Heo Gwanyeong's head. But fretting produced no answers, so she simply gave up thinking about it.

"Coachman Heo, is there anything to eat once we get there? I'm starving."

"…Does nothing worry you, young lady?"

"Worry? Fuck yes it does."

"…Then why are you so relaxed?"

"You're the information guy and you don't even know that much?"

Dokgo Ryeong gazed at the back of Heo Gwanyeong's head and recalled something the Hao Sect Leader had once told her long ago.

"You know the ranks—God, Immortal, Venerable, Emperor, King, Lord, Saint?"

"…Yes."

"How strong is No Sunpyeong?"

"The Sword King, isn't he…."

"The Lust Demon, from what I've seen, is at least Sword Emperor level."

"…What?"

"That bastard's internal energy is ridiculous. Pure quantity alone, he could aim for Immortal. Lust Immortal. Haa… a true immortal who fucks every woman he meets."

"How would you know that, young lady?"

"How? My… not me—my father fought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Lust Demon, so I know."

"The Mad Demon, you mean?"

"Yeah, you little shit."

Heo Gwanyeong tilted his head.

"…That's not a story the Hao Sect knows."

"I saw it, damn it. Just because you lot don't know it doesn't mean it never happened."

"…True enough. Who won, if I may ask?"

"Obviously the Mad Demon, you bastard."

"…But the Jade-Faced Young Master is still alive, isn't he?"

"You little shit, you think the Mad Demon just kills everyone he meets? Huh?!"

Dokgo Ryeong smacked the back of Heo Gwanyeong's head a few times. Suddenly he stopped dead.

"Huh…? You sulking?"

"Young lady, lower your voice."

"…Huh?"

"Something's wrong."

"…"

Heo Gwanyeong dropped his voice and crouched; Dokgo Ryeong slid down from his back. She closed her eyes and focused her senses, yet the only things nearby were birds.

"…There's nothing."

"…That's not it."

Heo Gwanyeong raised a hand and pointed.

"Do you see that?"

"…Just a village?"

"But every light is out."

"So what? People sleep at night, don't they?"

"…They don't extinguish the lamps on the first floor of an inn."

"Ah…."

True enough—an inn always kept its ground floor lit for late-night guests. For even that light to be dark was strange.

"I'd like to believe the inn is simply closed for the day, but that can't be it."

"…Yes. Coincidence is impossible at a time like this."

Heo Gwanyeong crouched again; Dokgo Ryeong climbed onto his back.

"Young lady, the encirclement is wider than expected. We'll have to take a detour."

"…Fine. The meeting place is safe, right?"

"Probably. It's a safe house our Hao Sect uses during missions, so it should be secure."

"…Then that's a relief, at least."

In moments like these, something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠always went wrong—that had been the lifelong pattern of the Mad Demon Dokgo Jin.

"Setting out again, young lady."

"Yeah. I'll keep an eye on the surroundings too. If anything pings, you stop as well."

"…Yes."

And so Heo Gwanyeong and Dokgo Ryeong headed once more toward the place where they were to meet Wi Ilcheong—far slower and far more carefully than before.

"…Fuck. I knew it would be like this."

What met Dokgo Ryeong's eyes when they reached the Pajeo River was an enormous host of martial artists. Judging by their uniforms, they belonged to the Moyong Clan.

…I'm going crazy. What now?

Pursuit behind them, a sea of enemies ahead. Truly surrounded on all sides.

While Dokgo Ryeong racked her brains for a way out, Heo Gwanyeong spoke calmly.

"Young lady, this is an opportunity."

"…Huh?"

"Look at them. Their uniforms are spotless, their weapons clean."

"…So?"

"They're a different group from the ones we met at the inn."

"Obviously. Reinforcements the Moyong Clan sent, right?"

"I think otherwise."

Heo Gwanyeong continued.

"Even if they released messenger pigeons, it would take two full days to reach the Moyong main house in Liaoning. In this short time additional forces could not possibly have arrived already."

"…Then?"

"These are most likely the welcoming party for Moyong Clan warriors returning from Heilongjiang."

"Hmm…."

It made sense. The Moyong Clan regularly dispatched martial artists to Heilongjiang and Jilin to clear out the surrounding barbarians and expand their influence. No Sunpyeong and the Second Young Master had almost certainly been on just such an expedition. That would explain why Moyong warriors were already waiting here in advance.

"…But does that change anything?"

"It does."

Heo Gwanyeong pulled a length of cloth from his pack and suddenly thrust out a hand.

"Fuck, what are you doing?"

"…I can hardly cut off the young lady's hair, can I?"

"What?"

"A kill order has been issued by the Wulin Alliance, so descriptions of your appearance have surely circulated to some degree. And what stands out most among them? Your hair."

"…Yeah. That damn flashy red."

"Conversely, if we simply hide the hair, the young lady is just an ordinary young woman."

"…Will this actually work?"

"If it doesn't, I'll carry you on my back and cross the river. I know water-walking arts."

"…"

Hearing that he could walk on water, Dokgo Ryeong eyed Heo Gwanyeong with fresh suspicion.

"…No matter how I think about it, I feel like I ought to know who you are."

"What do you mean?"

"You seem like someone fairly high up in the Hao Sect…."

"Would someone like that play horse for the young lady? Anyway, hurry over here. Let's hide that hair."

"…Fine."

Heo Gwanyeong bound Dokgo Ryeong's hair with the cloth, dressing her up like an ordinary peasant woman from a farming village.

"…We should smear a little dirt on your face as well. Your beauty is far too striking."

"Bullshit. I'll do it myself, you bastard."

"Aigoo! Not like that—"

Once Heo Gwanyeong finished the disguise, he nodded.

"At this level, anyone would take you for a commoner."

"Hey. If we get made, I'm climbing straight onto your back."

"Yes. Just trust me."

Heo Gwanyeong grinned and stepped out of the forest. A Moyong Clan martial artist scanning the riverbank came face to face with him.

"Aigoo, my lord…."

"You there!"

Contrary to Heo Gwanyeong's expectations, the man drew his sword at once. Seeing that, Dokgo Ryeong squeezed her eyes shut.

Heo Gwanyeong, you son of a bitch….