Chapter 115: One Cherry Blossom Day (4)
“This way!”
So-so tracked the clues left by her friends like a bloodhound. Following close behind, So-mu asked in surprise,
“How do you know?”
Her tiny hand picked something up from the ground.
“It’s Yu-seol’s hair ribbon!”
“Good job. Let’s move quickly.”
Under the circumstances, he couldn’t send his daughter back.
When one is in a rush, they tend to overlook many details. Yeon Seo-hwa, her face pale with anxiety, was also relying entirely on So-so.
So-mu gently wrapped his arm around Seo-hwa’s shoulders to comfort her.
“Don’t worry too much. Il-gwang went ahead, so she should be fine for now.”
“I don’t know how long he can hold out… Even if the old woman is missing an arm, I wouldn’t be able to defeat her in a one-on-one fight.”
Even among masters of the same Flower Realm, there were levels. The old woman was a foe that even Seo-hwa, who had reached the realm decades ago, could not handle. For Il-gwang, who had only recently crossed the threshold of the Flower Realm, to face her alone was an impossible task.
“No matter who the opponent is, Il-gwang won’t fall easily. His resilience is the best under heaven.”
Just then, So-so, who was sprinting ahead, suddenly stopped and looked around.
The path split into three directions.
Yeon Seo-hwa asked with a dark expression,
“Which way did they go?”
So-so crossed her arms, her face solemn. A moment later, her finger pointed to the right path.
“They went this way.”
Her sister’s life was on the line. Though she didn’t want to doubt her daughter, she had to verify.
“A-Are you sure?”
So-so picked something up from the ground and showed it to them.
“A cherry blossom!”
It certainly made sense. Looking around, there were no cherry blossom trees nearby.
So-mu scooped So-so up and held her against his chest.
“That’s my girl. Great job.”
“Did I do good? Let’s go quickly.”
Now that the path was confirmed, there was no reason to hesitate. So-mu and Yeon Seo-hwa shot forward simultaneously like bolts of lightning.
Whoosh—!
A powerful gust of wind swept through the path they had occupied, sending birds fluttering into the air. The two streaks of light darted up Mount Xiaohua like arrows. Before long, they detected signs of their destination.
Their hearing reacted before their eyes could see.
Boom—!
A thunderous echo generated by the clash of superhuman forces shook the air. The situation seemed critical. Pushing forward, So-mu set his daughter down on the ground.
“Wait here!”
He knew the shout was futile. There was no way So-so, having come all this way, would hide quietly.
But he didn’t have time to think. Defeating the Silver Flower Crone was the top priority.
Whoosh—!
The air tore open in front of So-mu as he sprinted.
A moment later, a two-story pavilion came into view in the distance. The horrific sight unfolding before it made him grind his teeth.
“Urgh!”
A painful groan escaped Il-gwang’s lips. The Silver Flower Crone was raining palm strikes down on the staggering man.
Boom! Crash!
Yet, Il-gwang refused to back down, fighting with everything he had to hold his ground. Not a single part of his body was unharmed. The white robes he wore had long since turned into a shroud of blood. Crimson streams flowed like rivers through the tears in his shredded clothing.
It was a miracle he had held out this long against a Transcendent Demon. Yet, his eyes remained sharp and wild like those of a beast, refusing to yield.
The Silver Flower Crone was growing exasperated.
“Just die already!”
A dozen streaks of white light erupted from the old woman’s right hand. Il-gwang punched out in response, his crimson force clashing violently with her attacks in midair.
Boom! Boom!
Inevitably, one of the streaks pierced through and struck Il-gwang’s shoulder.
Thump!
“Kh!”
Had it not been for his protective body force, the impact would have pierced his shoulder. By all accounts, he should have collapsed, but his legs remained firmly planted, solid as an iron fortress.
As Il-gwang staggered, the Silver Flower Crone prepared her final strike. However, the old woman’s right hand, which had been darting toward his flank, suddenly changed direction. A powerful strike she couldn’t ignore was approaching from the side.
Clang!
It was a surprise attack launched while she was off guard. Although she managed to block it, the awkward angle left her staggering.
“What bast—”
Swearing under her breath, the Silver Flower Crone hastily retreated. Alarm flashed in her eyes. It was only natural, as her worst nightmare had just appeared.
Every time So-mu’s sword flashed, cold beams of light surged forward relentlessly.
Boom! Crash!
Panicking, the Silver Flower Crone immediately looked for an escape route.
But Yeon Seo-hwa was not about to let her slip away. Unleashing her Black Dragon Divine Palm to its absolute limit, she joined the fray, cutting off the old woman’s retreat. Facing a two-on-one battle, the tide quickly turned against the Crone.
Il-gwang finally let out a sigh of relief.
“You’re late, Commander.”
So-mu shouted as he unleashed a barrage of manifested sword qi,
“Go and save the children!”
Now that his Commander was here, Il-gwang had no worries. Limping heavily, he walked into the pavilion.
Every step throbbed with agony, and he felt on the verge of losing consciousness, but he refused to stop. Just as he entered the building, a voice greeted him.
“You brainless brute. Seeing you in this state is truly satisfying. How dare you stand against the Crone?”
It was Mae Cheon-pung, the leader of the Black Fog Squad, who had finally regained consciousness. He was holding a child hostage to threaten him.
“Release the child. You will regret it.”
Mae Cheon-pung sneered and said softly,
“Shut up and get on your knees.”
Il-gwang had no options. His body was in no condition to safely rescue the child. Just as he was about to drop to his knees, a voice piped up.
“Mister, can’t you let my friend go…?”
A little girl was walking into the entrance of the pavilion. The hostage child looked at her with tearful eyes.
“So-so… what do I do…”
Realizing the situation, Mae Cheon-pung scowled and barked,
“When did you get down here?!”
“Just now…”
“Get back up to the second floor!”
The girl bowed her head and slowly walked closer. Why was she approaching him instead of going back upstairs?
But she was just a small child. Sensing no threat, Mae Cheon-pung ignored her. That was, until the distance closed.
The moment she got within ten feet, Mae Cheon-pung realized she was concealing her qi. An ominous feeling washed over him.
“Who are you? S-Stop!”
He shouted in alarm, but the girl was already right in front of him. So-so looked up and asked,
“Mister, do you know what the Mountain-Cleaving Fist is?”
“What is that?”
“A present for bad uncles.”
A chill ran down Mae Cheon-pung’s spine, and he looked down.
The little girl had clenched her fist, which was the size of a walnut. Furthermore, a fierce wave of qi was swirling around her knuckles.
“Wh-what?!”
Before he could react, the fist darted toward his abdomen at lightning speed. It was a surprise attack launched while he was completely off guard. He had no time to dodge.
Whoosh—!
The fist sliced through the air and slammed squarely into his lower stomach.
Crack—!
“Blegh!”
His upper body bent at a ninety-degree angle, and Mae Cheon-pung spewed vomit. So-so swiftly dodged and grabbed her friend.
“Ew, gross.”
Though not as powerful as Il-gwang’s, it was still a devastating blow.
Rendered completely helpless by a single strike, Mae Cheon-pung’s face was filled with pure indignation.
His legs trembled, and he began to collapse forward. But just as he was about to fall into his own vomit, Il-gwang stepped forward and grabbed him by the throat.
Grab!
“I told you that you’d regret it.”
Mae Cheon-pung was in no state to reply. His eyes were half-rolled back; he would need time to recover.
“Let’s go up, Uncle!”
Il-gwang slung the limp Mae Cheon-pung over his shoulder and followed So-so upstairs.
The children waiting on the second floor welled up with tears upon seeing Il-gwang. The uncle who had left to protect them had returned covered in blood. Seeing him struggle to even stand pained their hearts.
“Uncle… are you okay…?”
“Sob… You can’t die.”
So-so calmed her friends down, assuring them.
“Don’t worry. My uncle will never die.”
Il-gwang forced a weary nod and gave them a reassuring smile.
“Let’s go home. To our home…”
“Uncle, we can’t go out right now.”
So-so stood on her tiptoes and peeked out the window.
A fierce battle was raging outside the entrance. The witch-like old woman was being thoroughly thrashed by her father and her Master.
Il-gwang looked out the window as well. At that moment, the Silver Flower Crone’s desperate scream echoed from below.
“You wretched bastards! Let’s see who survives this!”
The nature of the battle suddenly shifted.
Using the children inside as hostages, the old woman began to redirect her attacks toward the pavilion. Il-gwang was well aware of her monstrous internal energy. A few direct hits would bring the entire structure down. So-mu and Yeon Seo-hwa were forced to shift to the defensive to protect the pavilion.
Boom! Crash!
The building shook continuously under the barrage of explosions.
“What do we do, Uncle?”
They had to evacuate the children first.
“Everyone, step back and cover your ears…”
As the children moved to the side, Il-gwang clenched his right hand. A moment later, his iron fist smashed into the wall.
Boom—!
One side of the wall crumbled completely, exposing the outside.
Without hesitation, Il-gwang jumped down. Tossing Mae Cheon-pung onto the ground, he looked up and shouted,
“Jump down, one by one!”
The children hesitated in fear. How could they leap from the second floor?
So-so held onto the edge of the broken wall and asked her friends,
“You trust my uncle, right?”
“Yes… we trust him…”
“But how do we jump from here… I’m scared…”
So-so offered a bright smile to reassure them.
“Then why don’t you all close your eyes?”
The children covered their eyes with both hands. In that instant, So-so grabbed the nearest child and shouted,
“Uncle, catch!”
Whoosh—!
The child, flying through the air like a bird, gasped in shock.
“Aaaah!”
Grab!
Il-gwang caught the child safely and set them on the ground. And that was just the beginning.
So-so grabbed her friends one by one and tossed them out the opening.
“Whoa!”
“Agh!”
Descending two or three at a time, the number of rescued children on the ground grew rapidly.
A few children tried to back away in fear, but they were no match for So-so’s strength. Moreover, the children who had already landed safely cheered them on from below.
“Don’t worry!”
“Hurry and jump!”
Soon, all the children were safely on the ground, letting out sighs of relief.
Leaping down last, So-so shrugged, her expression asking if she had done well.
“Great job. You know the way down, right? Take your friends and head back first.”
“What about you, Uncle?”
“I still have someone to rescue…”
Squatting down, Il-gwang slapped Mae Cheon-pung to wake him up.
Slap!
“Kh…”
He still seemed dazed from the shock of So-so’s punch.
“I will ask you only once. Do you want to guide me after a beating, or do you want to guide me now?”
Terrified by the blood-drenched giant glaring down at him, Mae Cheon-pung lost all courage.
“It’s… that way…”
Il-gwang grabbed Mae Cheon-pung and limped away into the woods. So-so watched his retreating figure with concern. She wanted to help, but she couldn’t leave her friends behind.
“Uncle will rescue Teacher Cho-hee… Let’s head back.”
Right after the children departed, the pavilion collapsed with a thunderous crash.