Chapter 80: The Youth and the Elder

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SWOOSH-SWOOSH-SWOOSH…

Dust and grass blades scattering in the wind.

As the aftereffects of the ground-shaking tremoring stomp gradually subsided, a thread of calm voice flowed out.

“Are you badly hurt?”

It was Ximen Yue’s question, standing with his back to Nu-heum.

“No. Fortunately, I avoided serious internal injury.”

“Would you have any trouble even if you ran without rest?”

“No, my Lord.”

Nu-heum deliberately refrained from calling him “Young Master” and answered.

With the intention of not giving the masked uninvited guest standing over there any clue for deducing their identities.

“I won’t give separate instructions.”

Ximen Yue’s words meant that Nu-heum surely knew well how he should act from here on.

CLICK-

Reading his intent, Nu-heum first sheathed his sword then clasped his hands respectfully and answered again.

“Yes, understood.”

-Should something happen that might expose our identities… Immediately abandon the lodging and go hide at the pre-arranged place in the forest.

Words he had heard before coming here.

Ximen Yue had given such instructions.

What Nu-heum had to do from now on was clear.

Go to the temporary lodging and gather the Ximen Family’s unique martial attire, swords, and other belongings, then call together the personnel monitoring around the Thousand Snake Gang, hide in the forest near Youyang, and wait for Ximen Yue’s return.

First and foremost, the urgent priority was to cleanly organize and vacate the house where his group had stayed as quickly as possible.

Considering this unexpectedly faced situation, the temporary lodging couldn’t be considered safe either.

Because he had to be prepared for the case of another figure like the uninvited guest here bursting into that place.

“Go.”

Ximen Yue’s brief word and light gesture.

“But…”

Nu-heum, reading the mood, trailed off.

He had been about to ask whether it wouldn’t be better to immediately shake off the uninvited guest and leave together, but he swallowed it back down his throat.

Ximen Yue saw through that intention at once.

“From now on, I’ll take sole charge of matters here. Put other thoughts aside and move immediately.”

Before such a decisive command, Nu-heum answered with a wordless nod and immediately spun around.

Following that.

KICK!

Having kicked off the grass, he passed through the densely packed trees like wind just as before and quickly vanished from sight.

Seop Pyo didn’t particularly try to chase after him.

There was no need to.

His target from the beginning was Ximen Yue, and he had appeared on the scene.

He had been certain that if he slightly lured Nu-heum, Ximen Yue on the opposite side would at some point notice something strange and appear here.

So he had deliberately left traces of his movement here and there, dragging things out without subduing the opponent.

Furthermore.

He had also intended to draw Ximen Yue’s attention here and pull him away from the manor where Cheol Ryu-heun’s party was.

As expected, the result was successful.

Now that things had progressed as predicted, all that remained was to uncover the inside story through the one before him, presumed to be the leader of the group that had been lurking around the Thousand Snake Gang.

Ximen Yue, eyes fixed forward, pulled out a quiet voice from beyond his mask.

“Who are you? Of course you won’t answer, but.”

“Let’s just say I’m a passing traveler around these parts.”

Seop Pyo’s nonchalant reply.

Immediately after, Ximen Yue let out a quiet exclamation.

“Hah, interesting.”

No sooner had his words ended than.

WHIT.

Along with a faint wind sound, Ximen Yue’s figure had suddenly pressed close to the opponent’s face.

WHOONG-

A right hand thrusting out like an arrow.

It was Seizing Hand.

But that hand grabbed empty air and missed its target.

Before he knew it, Seop Pyo had moved about a dozen steps to the side.

In an instant.

WHIT.

Ximen Yue increased his movement speed to approach and once again struck at Seop Pyo’s front.

Along with the rapid trajectory of the Seizing Hand.

SWISH-

A sound of something brushing was heard.

Ximen Yue’s swinging fingertips had slightly touched Seop Pyo’s lapel and barely passed by.

From then on, consecutively executed Seizing Hands narrowly grabbed empty air, leaving wind sounds.

WOONG, WOO-WOONG, WOONG…

Ximen Yue’s offense and Seop Pyo’s evasion, circling around the same spot.

Both movements were swift and exquisite, making it difficult to readily judge superiority with the naked eye.

At some point, Seop Pyo, having repeatedly evaded the inner-power-laden Seizing Hand, kicked off the ground and stood at a distance behind, composing himself.

“Hmm, that was a dull exploratory exchange.”

At that, Ximen Yue, having stopped his attacks, tossed out a quiet voice.

“What do you mean.”

Meaning it wasn’t even an exploratory exchange, merely a warm-up.

Contrary to the words he had just spoken, Seop Pyo was internally praising the opponent’s skill.

‘Hah, his ability is no joke.’

Just the lightness technique and Seizing Hand shown in that brief time – despite his young age, he could tell they were at a considerably high level.

Seop Pyo sharpened his vision to carefully observe the opponent’s face, which was completely covered except for the eyes by the mask.

‘Not bad…’

It was quite surprising.

The jet-black cloth covering his nose and mouth wasn’t stirring at all.

There wasn’t even a hint of catching his breath briefly.

Ordinarily, after a series of intense movements like that, one would naturally compose one’s breathing, but maintaining calm as if nothing had happened like that was a greater feat than one might think.

Breathing that didn’t waver – wasn’t that proof that the internal cultivation accumulated in his body was deep and profound?

Soon, Seop Pyo let his eyes flash and asked.

“The Ghost Shadow Sword Technique you were originally after has already been ruthlessly torn apart and destroyed. Yet why do you continue watching around the manor instead of leaving?”

In equal measure, Ximen Yue’s eyes also emitted light.

“How did you know that?”

“I saw the reaction of the one who fled earlier. He looked flustered when the book ended up like that.”

“I see, you have good eyes. I don’t know if you’re someone from the White Peak Sword Sect side or not, but… You must be connected in some way.”

“Heh heh. My, improve your discernment a bit more.”

“Wrong?”

“Indeed. If you knew who I am, you wouldn’t be able to say such things.”

But Ximen Yue instead drew a clear smile behind his mask.

“Heh heh, you’ve taken me too lightly. You can’t fool me with such words. My guess would be half right.”

A strong conviction could be glimpsed in the pair of pupils revealed above the jet-black mask.

Reading that, Seop Pyo was inwardly amazed.

‘The young fellow’s mental acuity is somehow enough to rival old masters who’ve been through thick and thin.’

Suddenly, one thought flashed through his mind.

The mental acuity of Sect Master Cheol, who had orchestrated today’s events, would be higher than that fellow’s if anything, definitely not lower.

-You can go now.

-Um… Is it really okay for me to leave like this?

-Yeah.

-Hmm. Yes. If that’s your will, understood.

The brief conversation he had exchanged with Cheol Ryu-heun.

A faint peculiar light settled on Seop Pyo’s face beneath the mask.

‘Could it be… He predicted from the start that I would step forward like this?’

Right.

The possibility was sufficient.

If it was none other than Cheol Ryu-heun, he could fully…

At that moment, Ximen Yue’s dark brown pupils sank deeply.

“Right, so that’s how it was.”

As if he had just realized something.

“You saw me yesterday.”

Seop Pyo, hearing Ximen Yue’s words, didn’t deny it either.

“You were decent. Though it was only an instant.”

“You were hiding on that old tree back then?”

“Yes, it was close.”

“I definitely heightened my energy sense… What kind of trick did you use?”

“It’s a skill you could never predict.”

“It seems you have a special talent for concealing your presence.”

“Further exchange of words would be a waste of time… Let’s have a look at your swordsmanship, shall we?”

Seop Pyo gently waved the tree branch in his hand along with those words.

A gesture meaning he would face him with that, so display his swordsmanship to his heart’s content.

Soon, Ximen Yue nodded slightly.

“Swordsmanship, you say…”

Following the quiet words, he unhesitatingly drew his sword.

Suddenly.

The black light armor wrapped around his body swelled ever so slightly.

RUUUUMBLE-

Immediately after, as haze rose following his body, the surrounding atmosphere felt like it had become heavy as rock.

The oppressive pressure bestowed by intangible energy.

At that moment, cracks of disordered shape spread CRACK-CRACK! outward from the ground beneath Ximen Yue’s feet.

Simultaneously, the ordinary iron sword he held underwent a transformation as if becoming a precious or famous sword, wildly radiating suffocating edge.

Seop Pyo, encountering that mighty force, was seized by a strange excitement.

‘At such a young age, such tremendous intangible aura…’

He had never sparred with Cheol Ryu-heun so direct comparison was difficult, but somehow he felt they might be at equal levels of martial prowess.

Ximen Yue’s voice reached his ears again.

“I’ll personally test it. Whether that provocative behavior of yours stems from confidence in your innate martial prowess or is empty bravado from arrogance.”

Not to be outdone, Seop Pyo rapidly circulated his dantian to raise his internal cultivation a level higher and replied.

“You’ll test this old man? Then I’ll let you pass easily.”

Thus, as the intangible energies of the two martial artists intertwined as one, the ground and atmosphere created a great RUMBLE! of vibration.

A brief standoff.

While serene gazes were exchanged, the first to move was Ximen Yue.

PAAAAAAT-!

The body that moved faster than the sound of kicking off arrived directly before Seop Pyo.

SHWING!

A blade shooting like lightning.

Before Ximen Yue’s rapid sword attack, Seop Pyo also reacted rapidly.

THUNK-!

Such a heavy sound burst from the tree branch that had collided with the sharp blade.

It was the effect of coating it with massive vital energy like sword energy.

One could tell that when a master like Seop Pyo gripped something in his hand, even a mere tree branch transformed into an incomparably solid sword.

It was wondrous internal energy technique.

A level of mastery that even a famous swordsman couldn’t easily imitate.

Yet.

Ximen Yue was in the midst of executing his next sword form with eyes that didn’t seem particularly surprised.

THUNK, THU-THUNK, THUNK-!

Thrusts rushing in rapid succession barely in the space of a single exhale.

Yet the tree branch in Seop Pyo’s hand was still intact without a single scratch.

‘Is rapid swordsmanship his forte?’

While Seop Pyo was thinking that, no less than six thrusting sword attacks rushed in.

THU-THU-THUNK- THU-THU-THUNK-!

‘Urk!’

Suddenly, Seop Pyo’s expression beneath the mask changed completely.

The tree branch was still holding its shape.

However.

His body failed to hold out and was pushed back.

By the power loaded in the consecutively flying sword tips.

Ximen Yue’s attacks surged with increased speed.

THU-THU-THU-THUNK-!

Seop Pyo’s figure retreated about ten paces.

Right at that moment.

TICK-

The tip of the tree branch split.

It was the effect of the vital energy coated on it like sword energy being strongly shaken by the opponent’s rapid sword power.

That wasn’t the end.

Ximen Yue’s sword power once again swept in like a storm, making the split-ended tree branch vibrate.

THU-THU-THUNK- THU-THUNK, THU-THU-THUNK-!

Amid round haze spreading without rest, Seop Pyo’s figure had at some point retreated nearly twenty jang.

‘As expected, an expert well-versed in rapid swordsmanship! With martial prowess that could even be called upper-tier strong…’

But then Ximen Yue’s sword form changed bizarrely.

BUUUUUUMMM-!

A blade falling fiercely from above to below was pouring out power as heavy as to evoke a dark mountain.

That wasn’t rapid swordsmanship.

Collapsing swordsmanship.

A sword path study of the type that maximized sword power and pressure, exploding them all at once to crush the opponent down.

A sword path with an essence diametrically opposed to that of rapid swordsmanship – emphasizing power instead of speed – was being deployed.

Moreover.

The gap in transitioning from operating rapid swordsmanship to collapsing swordsmanship was dizzyingly swift to the point of being incomprehensible.

‘Him!’

Eyes flashing, Seop Pyo instantly injected a massive amount of vital energy and forcefully swept the tree branch upward, colliding with Ximen Yue’s collapsing swordsmanship.

THUUUUUNK- KRAAAAAASH-!

As a fierce explosion echoed and a great dust cloud rose.

RUUUM…

Someone’s murmur, barely audible, leaked out.

“From now on, I’ll have to face him seriously.”