Chapter 26: Chapter 26
Thump!
The dead Cold-Faced Blade Ghost collapsed onto the floor, making a loud noise.
“What is this…….”
Go Gye-yeong alternated his gaze between the corpse of the Cold-Faced Blade Ghost and Cheon-hwi, who wore an indifferent expression, with a dumbfounded look.
‘Why did the Cold-Faced Blade Ghost…….’
His mind became extremely complicated.
Just a moment ago, the Cold-Faced Blade Ghost had rushed in while swinging a blade filled with a strong Yin Qi, which even he, who was ignorant of martial arts, could feel.
But on the contrary, Cheon-hwi only raised his index finger and had no momentum at all.
The result seemed obvious.
But what in the world was this.
Suddenly, a bright red light shone from the index finger, and the exact opposite result appeared.
Cheon-hwi stood exactly as he was with his index finger raised, while the Cold-Faced Blade Ghost, who had been swinging the blade emitting cold Yin Qi, collapsed into a corpse colder than the Yin Qi.
‘Looking only at the momentum, the Cold-Faced Blade Ghost seemed ready to split him in half and kill him…….’
Gulp…
As if his throat was burning from the unexpected situation, Go Gye-yeong’s Adam’s apple twitched.
However, that was only for a moment.
‘Even if I, who have lived as a merchant my entire life, try to think about it, I wouldn’t be able to know…….’
He quickly cut off his thoughts.
As someone who didn’t even know the word ‘martial’ in martial arts, it was something he could never understand forever.
Delving into it would only make his head hurt.
There was only one thing he had to do right now.
It was his priority to express his gratitude to his benefactor, the Taoist of the Mount Hua Sect who had saved him, his wife, and the Flying Wind Merchant Guild.
“I am grateful for your help, benefactor.”
Immediately, he cupped his hands and bowed toward the young Taoist in front of him, showing his respect.
“Thank…… you for your help.”
Her face, having managed to gather her two trembling hands with difficulty, was pale and drawn.
It was understandable, as what she had seen in less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea was a series of horrific sights.
Starting with the sudden attack, the deaths of the guests who tried to protect her, the fire breaking out within the merchant guild, and the sounds of screams.
Was that all?
The acrid smoke still stinging the tip of her nose was enough to throw her mind into chaos.
If it were an ordinary woman, she would still be in shock and unable to come to her senses, but she grabbed hold of her reason with all her might.
Because she was the Grand Madam of the Flying Wind Merchant Guild.
However, Cheon-hwi, who received the sincere words of gratitude from the two, felt no particular inspiration.
No, he wasn’t even paying attention.
Rather than the two of them, he was looking at the Cold-Faced Blade Ghost, who was sprawled out on the floor in the shape of a large character.
His body had heated up from the murderous intent he felt for the first time in a while, so he had deliberately waited until the opponent unleashed his true absolute art, but…….
‘Why is he so weak?’
His heated body cooled down rapidly.
He felt great disappointment towards the Cold-Faced Blade Ghost, who died instantly before he could properly display his martial arts.
He quickly turned his gaze away.
The two men and women looking up at him were still trembling, perhaps still afraid.
“I have cleaned everything up.”
Replying calmly, he checked the two and turned his body.
‘Since I’ve saved these two for now, this place is done.’
The moment he tried to go out through the shattered door after finishing the protection of the Flying Wind Merchant Guild’s leader, which he was told to prioritize among his missions.
“Wh-where are you going?”
Go Gye-yeong asked urgently.
Perhaps because he had been cornered just moments ago, he could not hide his signs of anxiety when Cheon-hwi was about to disappear.
Cheon-hwi tilted his head and looked at him.
Then, grasping his feelings in an instant, he spoke with an annoyed expression.
“If you are anxious, follow me.”
Saying that, he stepped out the door.
“Husband.”
“Wife.”
Go Gye-yeong and Yeon Su-ran met each other’s eyes, then followed behind with stiff faces.
“Gasp!”
“Huk!”
Go Gye-yeong and Yeon Su-ran, who came out following him, were astonished and covered their mouths with their hands.
The hallway was completely filled with corpses.
“When did these corpses……!”
Go Gye-yeong’s two pupils trembled.
Seeing that most of them were not wearing the attire of the Flying Wind Merchant Guild, they were the intruders from this time.
What that meant was only one thing.
The one who created this horrific scene was none other than the Taoist in front of them.
And on top of that, he had accomplished such a massacre so secretly that the Cold-Faced Blade Ghost inside could not notice.
“As expected of the Mount Hua Sect…….”
Go Gye-yeong’s eyes sparkled as he stared at the back of Cheon-hwi, who was walking ahead.
Step… Step…
In fact, the sight of the Taoist walking among the corpses was quite incredibly bizarre.
Moreover, for a Taoist, his methods were fierce, but what did that matter right now.
He was an ally, not an enemy.
‘He is like an army of thousands of troops and horses.’
A bright color returned to Go Gye-yeong’s face.
At that time, as soon as Cheon-hwi, who was walking ahead, came outside, he frowned.
‘What is this? Are they still not finished?’
As soon as he left the depths, what welcomed him was a scene of a fight where acrid smoke stung the tip of his nose.
* * *
“Keuk!”
Jeok-geom gritted his teeth at the enemies that kept increasing no matter how many he knocked down and knocked down again.
They were numerically inferior.
The Plum Blossom Swordsmen were only five, but the unidentified martial artists were a number well over fifty even upon a rough count.
“Now is not the time for this!”
Jeok-geom shouted loudly.
Right now, he was quite impatient.
‘I have to hurry and go inside!’
From the moment he saw the horrific scene of the Flying Wind Merchant Guild, his eyes had already turned upside down. On top of that, whether his parents, who should be deep inside, were alive or dead made him anxious.
“Get out of the way!”
Just when he swung his sword while screaming maliciously.
Swish!
A sharp sound of tearing through the air headed toward him.
“……!”
Startled, Jeok-geom quickly turned his head.
The sword of the martial artist who launched a surprise attack was shooting toward his temple.
He hurriedly changed the direction of his swinging sword.
Clang!
He narrowly deflected the sword with the blade of his sword, but his sword shook from the impact.
“Senior Brother!”
At that time, Seol Ran shouted.
Having urgently widened the distance from the martial artist who was in front of her, she cried out once again.
“Snap out of it! What do you plan to do if Martial Uncle sees you like this right now?”
At the stinging advice, Jeok-geom flinched.
Cheon-hwi was the object of his respect, and at the same time, the person he feared the most.
Usually, he found everything annoying and handled things roughly, but when it came to martial arts, he judged more thoroughly and coldly than anything else.
If he were to see this sight…….
Tremble…
Jeok-geom shuddered.
“……Thank you, Junior Sister.”
Having become calm, he grasped his sword lightly at the same time as he assessed the surrounding situation.
His sword moved.
Hwaaak!
A thick scent of plum blossoms wafted everywhere.
His own Plum Blossom Sword Art, which he had trained every single day for a year, was unleashed.
Slash!
He cut off the arm of the ambushing martial artist.
“Kkeuaaak!”
The martial artist looked at his severed elbow and rolled on the ground, writhing in pain.
The eyes of Jeok-geom looking at him were indifferent.
If he were a martial artist who had cut down an opponent for the first time, his reason would have been shaken by the opponent’s screams and the unfamiliar sensation felt in his hands, but he was calm.
‘……It wasn’t training in vain.’
Perhaps it was thanks to the experience he gained through the real combat known as hunting.
The him from five years ago, who was nervous and crushed by the pressure of the sparring match, was no longer there.
All that remained was the Plum Blossom Swordsman Jeok-geom.
Swoosh!
Jeok-geom continued to unleash the Plum Blossom Sword Art.
The sword emitting the scent of plum blossoms knocked down opponents without hesitation, and Seol Ran also cut down opponents in the same manner.
“They are somewhat better at least.”
Cheon-hwi, who was watching, muttered.
Normally, it would have been a sight that did not satisfy his eyes, but there was a sight that made him frown more than that.
“Compared to those guys, that is.”
With a pathetic look in his eyes, Cheon-hwi stared at the remaining Plum Blossom Swordsmen excluding the two.
“Pant, pant.”
“Is everyone alright?”
“I’m dying.”
Jeok-jae, Jeok-un, and Jeok-bi, who were dealing with the Supreme King Sect disciples who were performing a joint attack, were unable to avoid a hard struggle.
‘Tsk, are those kids lacking in real combat experience too?’
Clearly, the martial prowess and martial arts skills of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen were far ahead of the Supreme King Sect disciples in front of them.
However, what did that matter?
When they were getting beaten up like dogs like that.
‘Compared to those three, Jeok-geom and Seol Ran are fairies, pure fairies.’
Around the time Cheon-hwi clicked his tongue with a ‘Tsk’.
“Fair and square, one on one…….”
Jeok-un glared and opened his mouth.
“Puhahaha!”
However, before Jeok-un’s words could finish, the Supreme King Sect disciples burst into laughter.
“What stupid fools. What do you mean fair and square in the Jianghu.”
“What was Mount Hua thinking, sending fools like this who don’t even know the ways of the world.”
Cheon-hwi, who was watching Jeok-un and Jeok-jae charging forward in anger after hearing the mockery, revealed a pathetic expression.
“To think they are struggling to deal with merely such bastards. Haa.”
Cheon-hwi let out a deep sigh.
“The martial arts they learned is wasted.”
When he summarized his evaluation of them in one word, he felt killing intent from the side.
“Die!”
Sshweeeeek!
A Supreme King Sect disciple who suddenly appeared thrust his sword toward Cheon-hwi’s side.
In a split second, the tip of the sword drew near.
Kwaang!
An explosion erupted, and a pillar was destroyed.
Roll roll roll
In an instant, the one who flew breaking through the pillar rolled among the Supreme King Sect disciples in a miserable state where his form was unrecognizable.
And then, around the time a desolate silence flowed between the fighting Plum Blossom Swordsmen and the Supreme King Sect disciples.
“Martial Uncle?”
“When did you arrive?”
Jeok-geom and Seol Ran smiled brightly.
Cheon-hwi, who appeared in a situation where they were already cornered by numerical inferiority, was no different from a ray of light.
“Was there another guy?”
On the contrary, the Supreme King Sect disciples took on a sharp gaze and adjusted their grips on their swords.
“You bastard!”
“How dare you touch a disciple of our sect!”
“Everyone, kill that bastard!”
Looking at those who were charging from all directions at the same time, Cheon-hwi let out a cold laugh.
A chilly and creepy laugh.
“You guys are crazy to die.”
Pow! Pow!
Along with blunt sounds, five martial artists who were rushing in fell down, scattering blood.
Grab!
Cheon-hwi spun his body and grabbed the neck of the Supreme King Sect disciple who was ambushing him from behind.
“S-spare me……!”
Looking at the man who was struggling and pleading, Cheon-hwi snapped his neck with an indifferent expression.
Crack…
An unpleasant sound spread out, and the complexions of the Supreme King Sect disciples turned deathly pale.
The situation where six Supreme King Sect disciples died in the short time it took to blink an eye was enough to plant the seed of fear in them.
However, they did not know.
That it was only the beginning.
Swish…
In an instant, his figure blurred and then abruptly appeared among the Supreme King Sect disciples.
“Gasp!”
“……!”
They quickly swung their weapons toward Cheon-hwi, who had suddenly appeared.
Boom!
However, their weapons vainly cut through the empty air.
And a sound like a drum bursting spread out loudly, and their martial arts uniforms swelled up greatly.
“Keoheok!”
“Gurgle… “
They vomited blood profusely, then fell to their knees and slowly collapsed.
Tremble…
“I-Internal Family Heavy Hand Art?”
The one who recognized the art Cheon-hwi had just unleashed wore a dumbfounded expression.
Was the Internal Family Heavy Hand Art an easy realm?
It was a realm that one could unleash only if they were at least the sect leader of a sect.
Yet, such a young Taoist was unleashing it skillfully.
Trickle…
Around the time sweat formed on the forehead of the Supreme King Sect disciple who saw Cheon-hwi getting closer and closer trickled down.
“What are you doing? Are you not coming? If you don’t come, I’ll go.”
Along with the words, Cheon-hwi kicked the ground.
Just when he was shooting forward like an arrow.
“You bastard!”
A man with a massive physique appeared and blocked the front of the advancing Cheon-hwi.
“Troop Leader!”
“The Troop Leader has arrived!”
The expressions of the Supreme King Sect disciples brightened.
The man wearing a black robe was the troop leader of the Supreme Scenery Troop that ambushed the Flying Wind Merchant Guild, and a master who was counted among the top three in the Supreme King Sect, the Mount Tai One Fist.
“You bastard. Won’t you stop those cruel methods……”
The moment he, who stood blocking the way with a stern expression, shouted, Cheon-hwi moved his fist.
Pow!
“Keoheok!”
His massive physique floated up and flew away, and presently crashed into the wall.
Kwaaang!
“……!”
When the Supreme King Sect disciples gaped their mouths in shock, Cheon-hwi, the very person who sent him flying, tilted his head and opened his mouth.
“What is that guy?”
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