Chapter 3: Where is the Sword Saint (3)

The door to Soho Tavern flew open, and a massive man staggered inside. It was Il-gwang, and his entire body was covered in blood. Deep gashes cut by sharp weapons were clearly visible through his torn clothes.

“Phew…”

Territorial fights frequently occurred between local gang factions, with minor and major skirmishes being a regular occurrence. However, his current state was clearly not the result of a simple turf war.

Il-gwang slumped into a chair in the corner of the tavern as if nothing had happened.

“What happened?”

So-mu’s gaze fell upon Il-gwang’s hands resting on the table.

His knuckles were stained with dark, thick blood. It was definitely not Il-gwang’s own blood.

Moreover, a faint murderous intent still lingered in his eyes. He had killed. And not just one or two people.

Il-gwang looked toward So-mu in the kitchen and spoke dismissively, “Before I leave this town, I wanted to eat a bowl of Soho Tavern’s meat noodles one last time. I don’t have any money on me right now, but you can spare a bowl of noodles for me, right?”

“I can make you as many bowls of noodles as you want. What on earth happened?”

“Right now, our Baiyang County is being plundered by the bastards of the Hui Dynasty. Sigh. I wanted to smash all of their skulls, but…”

Il-gwang was breathing heavily, his chest heaving with rage.

Instead of fear, a look of puzzlement appeared on So-mu’s face. Since the enemy soldiers had not yet reached this part of town, the danger felt distant and unreal.

“Couldn’t you have just fled the town?”

“I may be a hoodlum, but this is my hometown. Besides, I’ve been taking protection fees from the merchants here all this time. You didn’t think this Il-gwang was the kind of unfaithful bastard who would just run, did you?”

“Of course not. So you fought the Hui soldiers while trying to protect the merchants?”

“Something like that. Unfortunately, I couldn’t protect everyone. All my boys are dead, too. Just give me a bowl of noodles quickly, and then you get out of here too.”

“Yes. The noodles will be right out.”

After a short while, So-mu placed the bowl of noodles on the table, sat opposite him, and rested his chin in his hand.

“Then what do you plan to do now?”

Gulping down a mouthful of noodles and taking a sip of the broth, Il-gwang wiped his bloody mouth with his sleeve.

“It’s not like I can make a living here anymore. I heard they are recruiting new soldiers in Hanzhong. I’m not qualified to take the military examinations, so I plan to start from the bottom there.”

It was then. A loud commotion suddenly erupted outside the tavern door, interrupting their conversation. It was clear the Hui soldiers had arrived.

“Looks like those bastards are already here. Leave this to me and hide in the kitchen. Those dishonorable scum… I’ll kill them all after I finish these noodles.”

With that, Il-gwang lifted the bowl to his face and began to inhale the remaining noodles.

So-mu’s expression shifted. The signs of presence approaching outside were clear to his heightened senses. It wasn’t just one or two men. Among them were those who had trained in martial arts.

Although Il-gwang was the leader of the local gang, by martial arts standards, he was barely above a third-rate fighter. It was a force he could never defeat alone.

Clang!

Il-gwang slammed the empty bowl onto the table. But the moment he tried to stand up, So-mu’s left hand moved like lightning toward his neck. His finger struck the Cheonju acupoint at the back of Il-gwang’s neck.

Thud!

Without even realizing what had happened, Il-gwang’s eyes rolled back, and his head slumped onto the table.

“I swore I would never use martial arts again, but I have no choice. Since it’s only acupoint manipulation, it should be fine.”

Leaving the unconscious Il-gwang behind, So-mu pushed open the tavern door.

A dozen soldiers clad in iron armor over black combat uniforms stood outside. As they neared the tavern, their eyes burned with raw madness.

“What is the meaning of this?” So-mu asked calmly.

One of the soldiers replied in a cold, murderous tone, “Get out of the way before I kill you.”

“There is only one customer inside. You may take everything, so just let us leave in peace.”

The soldiers ignored So-mu, peering through the crack of the door at the slumped figure of Il-gwang. After a moment, one of them pointed and said, “It’s him.”

The squad leader commanding the group curled his lip. “Kill them both.”

So-mu looked dumbfounded. Deciding a person’s life with a single phrase? Such casual ruthlessness was rare even in the treacherous depths of the Jianghu.

“Are you truly going to do this?”

There was no reply. Instead, the soldiers’ blades lunged toward him without mercy.

So-mu’s brow furrowed.

In the next instant, the sound of tearing wind echoed consecutively.

Swish! Thud!

An expression of utter bewilderment washed over the soldiers’ faces. Not only had their strikes met empty air, but the man had vanished from his spot entirely.

Before they could react, the tavern keeper had already slipped into their ranks, his fingers darting out like lightning.

Thud! Thud-thud-thud!

With every strike of So-mu’s finger, the soldiers collapsed to the ground one by one. In the span of a single breath, five soldiers lay unconscious.

“W-What?”

“W-What just happened?”

The remaining four soldiers panicked, but they could not just stand there. Four swords lunged forward simultaneously, trapping So-mu from all sides.

Yet So-mu simply swayed his body lightly, effortlessly dodging every single strike.

“W-Who the hell is this bastard?”

Just as the soldiers’ faces filled with sheer terror, So-mu’s hand moved again.

Thud! Thud-thud-thud!

The remaining soldiers slammed face-first into the dirt in rapid succession.

Seeing the bizarre turn of events, the squad leader shouted in a panic, “W-We will retreat!”

Though his martial arts level was low, the squad leader was a trained warrior. So-mu’s eyes locked onto him, and without hesitation, he thrust his index finger toward the man’s throat.

Thud!

The squad leader collapsed, his eyes rolling back before he could even attempt to dodge.

“There was no will to surrender in your eyes.”

If he let the man go, he would only return with more soldiers. There was no need to make a larger scene than necessary.

Returning to the tavern, So-mu slung the unconscious Il-gwang over his shoulder. Despite the man’s bear-like build, So-mu carried him without the slightest strain.

Stepping outside, he scanned the surroundings. Since this was a remote corner of Baiyang County, there was no one around.

Deciding on his destination, he walked along the narrow mountain path for a long time. After about fifteen minutes, they arrived at a secluded forest trail. He laid Il-gwang down gently near the entrance.

“He should be able to escape the town safely from here. Since he is a native of Baiyang County, he will know the way.”

As he walked back to the tavern, his steps felt heavier than before.

I must pack my things and leave. But where can I go now?

His mind was a tangled mess.

He had abandoned the Jianghu to escape the eyes of the martial world, finally settling in this peaceful town. It was natural for his heart to feel heavy.

Turning a corner of the mountain path, Soho Tavern came into view. A peaceful refuge he had built over the span of several years after leaving the martial world. So-mu’s emotions as he gazed upon it one last time were indescribable.

As he surveyed the town, his gaze suddenly locked onto a path about ten zhang away. A familiar child was wandering there. No, more accurately, he was crying hysterically.

It was A-gwang, one of the orphans under Ha-chil’s care. The child, who was supposed to be heading to Henan by now, was desperately searching for him.

Focusing his internal energy into his hearing, the child’s sobbing sounded as clear as if he were standing right next to him.

“Sniff… sob… Mister…”

An ominous dread gripped So-mu’s heart. Without a second thought, he dashed forward and grabbed the child’s shoulders.

“A-gwang, is that you? What happened?”

Seeing So-mu, A-gwang burst into tears, unable to contain his sorrow.

“Uwahhh… Please help us, Mister…”

“Calm down and tell me. Where is Ha-chil?”

A-gwang sobbed, rambling incoherently as he struggled to speak.

Seeing this, So-mu placed his right hand on A-gwang’s chest. The warm, profound internal energy emanating from his dantian flowed into the child, instantly soothing his frayed nerves.

“Sniff… Brother Ha-chil… he ran away last night… and then the bad men came…”

So-mu’s mind went completely blank.

He did not need to ask for details to understand what had transpired. Ha-chil had abandoned the children, running away in the dead of night with the silver coins So-mu had given him. And in his absence, the Hui army had raided their hideout.

Suppressing his shock, So-mu reached into his robe, pulled out a handful of copper coins, and pressed them into A-gwang’s hand.

“The southern road is still safe. Keep walking in this direction until sunrise tomorrow. Once you get there, look for a beggar with knots tied to his belt. You can do that, right?”

A-gwang nodded. He knew that only beggars of the Beggars’ Sect tied knots on their belts. He had seen them several times before.

“Yes, I can do it.”

“My friend is there, so do not worry. Do not hesitate and go now!”

“…Thank you, Mister.”

So-mu patted A-gwang’s shoulder and turned around. There was not a single second to waste.

Given how slow A-gwang’s pace was, it was highly likely that he was already too late.

So-mu gritted his teeth. His body transformed into a blur, shooting forward like a bolt of lightning. The movement was so incredibly swift that no ordinary martial artist could trace it with the naked eye. The grass along the forest path shrieked as it was crushed under the sheer pressure of his speed.

He had vowed never to use his martial arts again, but such oaths meant nothing now.

Please…

Arriving in front of the ruined temple in the blink of an eye, So-mu’s expression darkened. His hands began to tremble.

A blood scent so thick it made him wince hung in the air. Yet he could feel no signs of life inside. Though he dreaded entering, he had to see it with his own eyes.

Forcing his heavy feet forward, So-mu stepped inside. The moment he saw the scene within the hall, his heart stopped.

“How could they commit such an atrocity…”

Cold, lifeless corpses of the children lay scattered across the ruined temple. Just a day ago, they had been smiling, eating the dumplings he brought them. Even though he had witnessed the cruelty of the martial world, the horrific sight left him utterly speechless.

Then, So-mu’s eyes locked onto a single spot. He prayed it was just an unfounded worry, but his premonition was correct.

The child he wanted to protect…

Lay cold and lifeless on the stone floor.

“Yoo-hwa…”

A half-eaten dumpling peeked out from Yoo-hwa’s bloodied front pocket.

There was a small sword wound on her abdomen. It was not a fatal blow, which meant she had not died instantly, but had suffered a slow, painful death.

Yoo-hwa must have called out for him until her very last breath. Cradling her small body in his arms, So-mu stood completely still, as if time itself had frozen.

A freezing aura whirled around him as an hour passed. Finally, he took a step forward.

Through his disheveled hair, So-mu’s eyes gleamed like those of a wild beast. His distorted face looked like that of an enraged demon. Who could possibly recognize this man as the mild-mannered tavern keeper from before?

Cradling Yoo-hwa in his arms, So-mu walked out, heading toward the streets of Baiyang County.