Pajeo River: A Calculated Capture
The instant the Moyong Clan martial artist drew his blade, Dokgo Ryeong squeezed her eyes shut.
That bastard Heo Gwanyeong…
The martial artist leveled his sword and closed the distance with deliberate steps.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Oh my, sir…"
"Don't give me that nonsense! Do you even realize where you—"
Heo Gwanyeong's hand moved before the man could finish.
"Guh!"
The Moyong martial artist crumpled without so much as a proper scream.
Heo Gwanyeong scratched his head and offered Dokgo Ryeong an awkward grin.
"Haha… why didn't that work…?"
"…"
He was smiling sheepishly, yet the sight only left Dokgo Ryeong's heart unsettled.
…What the hell is this guy?
Even in a woman's body her sensory perception remained razor-sharp. Yet Heo Gwanyeong had launched an attack that completely slipped past it. She guessed he had sealed the man's pressure points, but she knew of no one in the Hao Sect with hand speed that fast.
…This feels way too off.
Trusting someone whose true identity she did not know was bound to leave a bad taste. Whether Heo Gwanyeong sensed her unease or not, he tilted his head.
"…Young lady?"
"Hurry up and hide the body, you bastard. Someone's gonna notice."
"Yes. But everything went according to my plan!"
"…Didn't you just say we were gonna walk past pretending to be local villagers, you fuck?"
"Yes. And for that I simply needed a set of Moyong Clan uniforms. Really."
"…"
His excuses were pathetic.
After stripping the fallen martial artist, Heo Gwanyeong gathered the clothes and said,
"I'll go change, then."
"…Fine."
Watching him disappear behind the trees, Dokgo Ryeong sank into thought.
…Can I even trust Heo Gwanyeong?
Wi Ilcheong had vouched for him, yet the Hao Sect were bats by nature—selling information to the unorthodox or the Demonic Cult alike if the price was right, and even dipping their hands into the black market where a virgin's balls could supposedly be bought. A disciple from a place like that could turn on her the moment the profit lined up. More than anything, her gut simply felt wrong.
People laughed at "gut feelings," but Dokgo Jin—who had clawed his way out of countless killing grounds—had always put his instincts first. That instinct was the sum of every hard-won experience screaming a warning.
Just then Heo Gwanyeong returned.
"Young Lady Dokgo. I'm back."
"…Yeah."
She eyed him suspiciously in the Moyong uniform; he scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
"Does it not suit me after all?"
"…It's fine. More importantly, you…"
"Shh."
He suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth.
"…A considerable number of martial artists are approaching."
She focused, and sure enough a large group was heading toward the river from the direction he had come. In that same moment the suspicion she had harbored toward Heo Gwanyeong hardened into certainty.
This bastard's a master.
Right now Dokgo Ryeong's sensory range surpassed even Wi Ilcheong's. Yet somehow Heo Gwanyeong's was sharper still.
"…They're coming this way. Don't tell me…"
Dokgo Ryeong swung her arm and drew the soft sword.
Clang!
She blocked a sudden ambush from behind, then rose to her feet and shouted,
"We've been spott—guh."
Pain lanced through the back of her neck and her consciousness cut out.
When Dokgo Ryeong opened her eyes again, a sharp ache greeted her along with the stifling discomfort of being bound hand and foot. Confirming the ropes that trussed her entire body, she scowled and scanned her surroundings.
It looked like some sort of hut.
"Ah… young lady. You're awake?"
"…"
She turned toward the voice and found Heo Gwanyeong likewise bound in rope.
"…You fucking bastard."
"I'm sorry…"
"Shit…"
Dokgo Ryeong let out a long breath.
The instant she had started to shout that they had been spotted, she had sensed someone closing in from behind. That was all. No matter how keen her senses, they meant nothing if her body could not keep up. She had clearly registered the attack yet still failed to dodge it.
This piece-of-shit body… damn it.
Rage boiled up. The helplessness of being able to do nothing. The frustration of having to borrow someone else's hands. Back when she had been Dokgo Jin, anything she wanted she simply took care of herself. Ever since becoming Dokgo Ryeong, not a single thing had gone the way she wanted, not a single thing she could handle with her own two hands.
Fuck…
Just as her irritation peaked she felt someone approaching. The moment she saw his face she could not hold back the laugh that burst out.
"Pfft."
The newcomer’s right cheek was massively swollen. Watching Dokgo Ryeong fail to suppress her mirth, No Geukmyeong let out a hollow chuckle of his own.
"Ha! Something funny?"
"You're No Sunpyeong's kid, right? Figures. That old man's palm really does sting."
"…"
No Geukmyeong sighed, then lifted his foot.
"Guhk…!"
"You don't know your place and still act cocky."
"Khh…"
His boot drove squarely into her solar plexus. Dokgo Ryeong could not even draw breath; she could only choke and endure the pain.
Fuck… how long has it been since I felt pain like this…
Looking down at her crawling on the dirt, No Geukmyeong squatted, seized her hair, and yanked her head up.
"Red hair, sharp eyes, that rough mouth. No matter how I look at it, you're the one."
"Kh… what the hell…!"
"You're the Mad Demon's daughter, aren't you?"
"!!"
"Surprised, huh? So was I. Never imagined that bastard Mad Demon actually had a daughter."
Smack!
He backhanded her across the cheek.
"The Wulin Alliance sent out a top-priority dispatch. Something felt off the moment they said you were running around with the Lust Demon."
"…"
"Ha! Even that foul mouth of yours goes quiet in a situation like this."
"…How did you know?"
"Hm?"
"…How the hell did you figure it out so fast?"
"Ahh… curious, are you?"
"…"
When she simply shut her mouth, No Geukmyeong grinned.
"What would you do with the answer?"
"…You fucking bastard."
"Kh… khuhuh… khahahaha!!"
He roared with laughter, then slammed her face into the dirt floor.
"Bark all you want, you stupid bitch. You're getting dragged back to the Moyong Clan and turned into a slave."
"Khh…!"
"Oh, and even if your old man abandons you, don't worry."
Lust filled No Geukmyeong's eyes.
"Looks like I can sell you for a high price. Khahahaha!"
Still laughing, he strode outside.
"Keep a tight watch. This is our chance to restore the Moyong Clan's honor."
"Yes, sir!"
Once he was gone, Dokgo Ryeong trembled with fury.
Fuck, some nobody like him…!
If she still had Dokgo Jin's body she could have slaughtered ten thousand No Geukmyeongs by herself. But now she was nothing more than Dokgo Ryeong.
Thud. Thud.
Unable to contain her rage she began slamming her forehead into the floor; Heo Gwanyeong slipped a hand between her head and the dirt.
"…Please stop harming yourself, young lady. This is also part of my plan."
"You fucking bastard! How the hell can you still say shit like that in this situation?!"
Enraged, she tried to head-butt his nose; he met her forehead with his own and sent a sound transmission.
[Yes. Just keep yelling while you listen. I was the one who leaked the information to No Geukmyeong.]
"…What?"
[There are two guards outside. Keep cursing, young lady.]
At those words Dokgo Ryeong began spewing every insult that came to mind.
"You eunuch bastard I'll deep-fry in shit water!"
[That one actually stings a little. Anyway, there was no way to slip past the Pajeo River without being noticed. The place was crawling with Moyong martial artists, and we couldn't ignore the presence of masters either.]
…No Sunpyeong. And possibly…
[If the Moyong Clan Head shows up, even the Jade-Faced Young Master is finished.]
Dokgo Ryeong agreed. No Sunpyeong and Moyong Byeok were on entirely different levels. Above all, the man who had fought the current Alliance Leader—Sword Immortal Namgung Jin—to a draw more than once was not someone even Dokgo Jin could casually claim victory over.
…If we fought to the bitter end I'd win for sure, but still.
As she resumed cursing, Heo Gwanyeong continued.
[So I figured it would be better to get caught on purpose and buy time.]
What kind of bullshit is that?
The thought must have shown on her face; Heo Gwanyeong gave an awkward smile.
[A fish already in the net tends to make people lower their guard. And I still have a hidden trump card.]
The moment the words ended, his body began to shrink little by little.
Crack. Crunch.
A sickening sound of bones rearranging filled the hut. Moments later Heo Gwanyeong looked completely different.
Silver hair, crimson eyes, porcelain skin—and a modest swell of breasts.
Dokgo Ryeong's eyes went wide with shock.
Bone Shrinking Art!
The secret technique that altered the size and position of bones and organs to reshape the body. Only now did Heo Gwanyeong's earlier confidence make sense.
Wait, so this bastard was a woman too, you fuck?
She tilted her head; the transformed Heo Gwanyeong smiled and bowed.
"Heehee, surprised?"
"…"
"I'll take care of the two outside first and be right back, young lady."
"Uh… yeah. Sure…"
Silver hair streaming, she slipped out of the hut.
"Guh!"
"Ugh!"
A short while later she returned, having dropped both guards.
"…Nice to meet you properly, Young Lady Dokgo. I'm sorry for hiding my identity all this time."
"Uh… yeah. Right…"
"I'm Eun Gwanyeong, a candidate for junior branch master of the Hao Sect."
Heo Gwanyeong—no, Eun Gwanyeong—folded her hands and offered a polite bow. Dokgo Ryeong returned it half-heartedly.
"…'Eun' Gwanyeong?"
"I was originally a child without a surname, but upon becoming a junior branch master candidate I inherited the Eun name."
"Ahh…"
"I'm still inexperienced, but by order of the Sect Master I was to serve the Jade-Faced Young Master while concealing my true form. You understand, yes?"
"…"
"Heehee, please treat me just as you treated 'Heo Gwanyeong,' young lady."
"Aigoo, fuck… easier said than done… ah!"
Dokgo Ryeong suddenly snapped back to the present.
"…Hey, so how the hell do we get out of here?"
"Heehee, I have a method for everything, of course."
Eun Gwanyeong eyed the two unconscious guards, then selected the bulkier of the pair.
"…If I do this, and this…"
"Whoa… you're pretty damn good."
"Thank you, young lady. But Young Lady Dokgo, I have a question of my own."
"What?"
"Do you know our Sect Master?"
"No."
"…Then if you ever meet the Sect Master later, please try to refrain from expressions like 'pounding rice cakes'…"
"Aigoo, fuck. Just hurry up and work."
"P-please don't hit my head! I'm just a delicate little girl…"
"Bullshit. You said treat you like Heo Gwanyeong."
"Heeing…"
And a short while later…
No Geukmyeong was in excellent spirits.
"Khuhuhu…"
He had been depressed after the thrashing from his father, but capturing the Mad Demon's daughter had left him swaggering. This was the daughter of the Moyong Clan's sworn enemy. Bringing her in would surely change the way his father looked at him. On top of that, the rewards waiting back at the clan were beyond imagining.
Plus there's the Wulin Alliance bounty, too.
Luck had been on his side. A messenger pigeon from the Alliance just happened to fly in his direction, just happened to land on his head because it was tired, and just happened to be carrying news about the Mad Demon's daughter.
"Heaven itself is helping me!"
Buoyed by that thought, No Geukmyeong suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"C-Captain! Big trouble!"
"What is it?"
"The prisoners escaped!"
"What did you say?!"
He shot to his feet and raced to the hut where the two had been held. Two of his escort martial artists lay sprawled on the ground.
"Th-this…"
Trembling, he flung the door open.
Fortunately the Mad Demon's daughter was still inside.
He patted his chest in relief.
"Hoo…"
The other one no longer mattered. The key was Dokgo Ryeong. Looking down at her collapsed form, No Geukmyeong sneered.
"Tsk tsk tsk… how little loyalty must you inspire for your companion to run off alone."
He pointed at the martial artists who had followed him.
"You, you, and you. From now on the three of you guard this hut. Don't let a single soul near it."
"Understood!"
"And… you may torment that bitch as long as you don't leave lasting injuries."
"Hehehe… yes, sir."
Lust filled the eyes of the three newly assigned guards.
No Geukmyeong kicked the two fallen martial artists awake.
"Ugh… where…"
"Hah!"
"Useless trash…"
Once they scrambled to attention he kicked their legs out from under them.
"You bastards. When we return to the Moyong Clan I will not let this slide. Understood?"
"…Yes, sir!"
"We're sorry!"
"Haa… both of you get out of my sight."
"Yes."
Watching the two guards trudge away, No Geukmyeong sighed.
"Hoo… I nearly made a huge mistake."
Whether heaven had truly helped him or not, the Mad Demon's daughter remained right where she was. Truly a lucky day.
No Geukmyeong firmly believed that—without the slightest idea who had manufactured that luck.
The two escort martial artists shuffled along until one suddenly split off to the side. The other called after him.
"Hey, Chunpyeong. Where are you going?"
"Need to take a leak. You go on ahead."
"…Fine. Haa…"
The other man slumped his shoulders and headed back to the barracks alone.
The one called Chunpyeong stepped into the woods, checked the surroundings, and peeled open his upper robe.
Dokgo Ryeong, who had been clinging to his belly, tumbled out.
"Pwah—I thought I was gonna die holding my breath."
"See? I told you I plan far ahead."
"Bullshit. You think I won't hit you just because I know you're a girl now?"
"…You wouldn't?"
"Who's my dad?"
"…Elder Mad Demon."
"You think someone raised under that man is gonna hold back just because the target's a woman?"
"Heeing…"
"Fuck, don't make that sound with that face. It's disgusting."
"…Yes."
Eun Gwanyeong shifted back into her true female form.