Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Jang Geon dismounted from Jojo’s back and lay flat at the edge of the cliff. Down below, he saw Ju Yeo-rang with her back to the cliff and a man standing in front of her, blocking her way. Seeing them talking back and forth, Jang Geon quickly focused his internal energy to sharpen his hearing.

“…So you are saying you will not cooperate?”

“No, what on earth does any of this have to do with my responsibility!”

The lanky man stood straight with his hands behind his back, looking down at Ju Yeo-rang.

“The clan’s successor hanged himself without even leaving a proper suicide note. All over a mere female travelling musician. Fortunately, even if his breath was saved, he still has not regained consciousness, so it is only natural that the elders of the clan wish to know what transpired.”

“Why do I have to take responsibility for that brat hanging himself on his own!”

Despite Ju Yeo-rang’s shout, the man slowly shook his head.

“There is testimony from Lady Seom Ji-young. That you and Young Master were overly close. Even if her words are not entirely true, it is certain that you are involved somehow. And if you are truly innocent, you need only come to the clan and prove your innocence honorably.”

“Are you crazy? Entering that clan’s grounds after being implicated in the Young Successor’s attempted suicide? Could I even come out alive from there?”

The man took a step toward Ju Yeo-rang.

“If you are innocent, that is something you need not worry about.”

Ju Yeo-rang gritted her teeth, lowered her stance, and grabbed the sword hilt strapped to her lower back.

“…Did a gentleman who speaks like that kill my horse first?”

The man unclasped his hands behind his back and replied.

“That, too, would not have happened had you not attempted to flee.”

From the moment the man unclasped his hands from behind his back, a sword hilt protruding from his right shoulder became visible. Surprisingly, it had been hanging there all along, but until he showed his hands, the sword was completely unnoticeable.

Looking down from above, Jang Geon could tell from that sight that the man was a proper expert, and furthermore, an inheritor of authentic martial arts from an ancient clan. An ancient noble clan that not only produced countless experts for the Imperial Court, but had left its own mark on the martial arts of the Imperial Army.

Although the clans that crossed over to the New Continent were said to be those pushed out of the Central Plains, it was no easy task for rascals roaming the wilderness to surpass their martial arts. Although Ju Yeo-rang’s martial arts shown at the inn were decent, it was difficult to think she could fight and win against that man.

Looking down at the standoff between the two, Jang Geon rolled over on his back and looked up at the sky. Soft white clouds floating in the blue sky were glowing pale from the sunlight.

“…Geez. Someone’s talking about life and death, yet it’s so peaceful. I should have been reincarnated as a cloud instead of a person.”

As he uttered such nonsensical words, Jojo approached beside him. The guy looked blankly at Jang Geon and below the cliff, then nudged Jang Geon’s head as if pressing him whether he was going to keep lying there. Jang Geon pushed his head away as if annoyed.

“Got it, you brat.”

Jang Geon stood up, dusted off his clothes, looked up at the sky once more, and let out a light sigh. Then he leaped lightly off the cliff.

He dropped right between Ju Yeo-rang and the man, who had been glaring at each other as if about to explode at any second. It was a very light sound considering he dropped from a height of about four zhang.

Thanks to that, Ju Yeo-rang and the man were flustered by his sudden appearance, widening their eyes as they looked at Jang Geon crouching on the ground. Only after seeing Jang Geon slowly rise up did the man finally open his mouth.

“…Who are you?”

“Jang Geon.”

The man pondered the meaning of the word ‘Jang Geon’ for a moment before realizing that it was the name of the guy who had just dropped in front of him. Never expecting someone to state their name out of nowhere when asked for their identity, the man fell silent in embarrassment.

“You, you’re the person I saw at the inn yesterday?”

Ju Yeo-rang recognized Jang Geon. Since he was a patron who stayed until the very end at the inn, he remained in her memory. At those words, the man knitted his brows and looked back and forth between the cliff Jang Geon had dropped from and him.

“…Right, Jang Geon. To jump down from that height, impressive physical movement. But why on earth did you drop right between me and that woman?”

“Because it’s flat here.”

As the man looked around, that statement was actually true. However, he frowned even more deeply and spoke.

“This is no situation for wordplay. You are currently interfering with the affairs of the Je Clan. If you do not step aside immediately, I have no choice but to clear you away by force.”

Jang Geon straightened his crooked bamboo hat and spoke.

“Affairs. What affairs?”

“Why are you curious about that?”

At the man’s counter-question, Jang Geon shrugged his shoulders.

“If you tell me, I’ll step aside.”

The man glared at Jang Geon with sharp eyes. However, beneath the bamboo hat facing him, Jang Geon’s pupils were merely calm like a quiet lake.

“…The escort of a criminal.”

At the word ‘criminal’, Ju Yeo-rang shouted right out.

“You bastard! Criminal? Didn’t you say everything would be fine as long as I’m innocent! Did you tell me not to flee when you were going to stamp me with such a brand right from the start!”

“If you are truly guiltless, you need only clarify so before the clan elders.”

At the man’s reply, Ju Yeo-rang spat on the ground.

“After pulling out all my fingernails and toenails? Cut the bullshit.”

Despite Ju Yeo-rang’s curses, the man turned his eyes to Jang Geon and spoke.

“Now step aside. Mind you, if you interfere, your name may be placed on the Je Clan’s hit list.”

However, Jang Geon did not step aside. Putting his right foot one step forward, he stood looking at the man with the same calm demeanor. After glaring into his eyes for a moment, the man smirked as if something was funny.

“A warrior stepping forward indignantly upon seeing a weak person oppressed in a deserted forest trail… To think I’d meet someone playing knight-errant here. Foolish.”

Saying so, the man suddenly took a stance similar to Jang Geon’s. Except for pulling his right foot back one step so his left foot came forward and removing the hand placed on his right shoulder, he became calm and quiet just like Jang Geon.

Seeing the sudden standoff between the two, Ju Yeo-rang looked at Jang Geon with flustered eyes. Even if she wanted to step in, a momentum flowed through the confrontation between the two warriors glaring at each other that forbade any careless intrusion.

Facing Jang Geon, the man slowly reached for his sword hilt resting on his shoulder with a leisurely expression. But at a certain moment, he felt his senses expand from a sudden circulation of internal energy. In the storm of explosively swirling internal energy and perception, only the figure of his opponent, Jang Geon, remained. And his extreme five senses and qi perception painted a scene of the very immediate future.

Two blades being drawn. Two streaks of light aimed at each other’s necks. And at some moment, the opponent’s blades splitting into two blurry afterimages and charging like scissors. One was blocked, but the other could not be stopped.

“Hah!”

Gasping for breath, the man took a step backward. A drop of cold sweat flowed down his face. Blinking his eyes, he distinguished the scene he had just seen from the reality right before his eyes. Jang Geon remained in the exact same calm state.

Rather, seeing the man retreat, Jang Geon even asked with a sullen face.

“What are you doing?”

The man licked his lips unwittingly.

“…Impressive skill. Which clan are you from?”

Jang Geon frowned at his irrelevant question.

“Naturally, I’m from the Jang Clan. Didn’t you hear my name just now?”

“The Jang Clan? If not a noble clan member, could you be from the Imperial Army? No, that’s not it. You’re too rough for an Imperial Army soldier.”

Saying so, the man slowly backed away.

“Very well, Jang Geon. If one steps forward without skill, it is the recklessness of a fool, but if one has the confidence to bear the burden, one can truly be called a chivalrous hero. My name is Je Un-seong. I shall retreat for today. However, that does not mean the Je Clan surrenders. I shall see whether you can truly bear all of the Je Clan’s power.”

The man who identified himself as Je Un-seong backed away with backward steps and disappeared into the gaps of the forest trees. As he vanished, Jang Geon let out a light sigh and muttered.

“…Ancient clan martial arts are indeed good.”

Jang Geon could guess what scene Je Un-seong had seen to flee so quickly. Je Un-seong’s consciousness had not felt danger, but the martial arts he had trained for decades and the sharp subconscious derived from it gathered scattered information to see one move ahead.

In a one-on-one situation where drawing a sword meant one person died in the Martial World, such danger-sensing capability and a clan custom that allowed backing down without letting pride get in the way were factors that made ancient noble clans stand out above other martial artists.

Furthermore, Jang Geon felt that his realm had advanced by a level after defeating the three demonic brothers last time. If not for that, he wouldn’t have been able to make an ancient clan warrior retreat through a mental clash alone.

Still, he smacked his lips at the thought of missing an opportunity to experience the martial arts of a noble clan. However, he had no intention of chasing down a fleeing person to force a fight. As he turned around with that thought, Ju Yeo-rang was staring at him with strange eyes.

She spoke abruptly.

“You should have killed him.”

“…What?”

“Even to buy time, you should have killed him. Because now he will use the power of his clan to try and capture both you and me.”

Jang Geon let out a chuckle.

“If I kill him? Then won’t we be pursued?”

“I told you. We should have bought time at least. We could have bought at least a day’s time while the Je Clan figures out the situation.”

Jang Geon shook his head gently at her bloodthirsty words. He thought it was very like a martial artist to blurt out killing someone casually when he wasn’t even a bandit. He took his eyes off her and whistled toward the cliff. Jojo was seen rounding the cliff and coming down.

Ju Yeo-rang watched Jang Geon quietly, then placed her hands on both hips and asked.

“Hey. Why did you help me?”

“Weren’t you in a situation where you’d be dragged away?”

“…If you hadn’t helped, that’s right. I’d probably be getting stabbed once and dragged away, wouldn’t I?”

“Then there’s something that should come out first.”

At Jang Geon’s words spoken without even looking at her, she was momentarily speechbound. After hesitating briefly, she tidied her attire, slowly bowed her waist, and cupped her hands.

“Ju Yeo-rang of Gamsan City. Thank you for your help. Thanks to you, I was able to avoid being dragged away unfairly. Whenever it may be, I will make sure to repay this favor as quickly as possible. Thank you very much.”

Watching her blankly, Jang Geon scratched the tip of his nose slightly and asked.

“Is Gamsan City your hometown?”

Ju Yeo-rang slowly straightened her waist and smiled brightly.

“Why? Are you wondering if I’m an Emperor praiser? Although Gamsan prospered early thanks to the Imperial Army unlike other New Continent regions, that doesn’t mean everyone from there likes the Imperial Court. In the first place, if I had lived well and comfortably there, there’d be no reason for me to be scraping by here.”

“That’s true as well.”

Jang Geon roughly agreed and grabbed the reins of Jojo, who had approached. As he was about to hop on, Ju Yeo-rang said in fluster.

“W-wait. Don’t tell me you’re just going to leave like that?”

“Then? That man named Je Un-seong fled, so you should leave quickly as well.”

Ju Yeo-rang stepped a bit closer to Jang Geon and spoke urgently.

“Didn’t you hear what he said just now? He said he’d pursue both me and you together?”

“Well. If we split up, I think he’d pursue you rather than me.”

“…That is true. No, if you were going to do this, why did you help me in the first place?”

“Then should I just watch someone get kidnapped right before my eyes?”

Ju Yeo-rang blinked her lips as if not knowing what to say to Jang Geon’s answer. Her expression showed she hadn’t seen someone say such things in a long time.

Jang Geon didn’t mind and mounted Jojo. He attempted to pull the reins and leave the spot as he was.

“Wait! Help me out!”

Jang Geon turned his head, looked down at Ju Yeo-rang, and asked.

“…Are you asking me to single-handedly fight one of the ancient noble clans for you right now?”

“No, no. I’m not asking you to go that far. There are people I can ask for help. They’re acquaintances I’ve known since Gamsan, so if they know my situation, they’ll help. Even the Je Clan can’t act recklessly against them, so if we get their help, we can resolve the situation.”

She let out a deep sigh and continued speaking.

“Honestly, it makes no sense for things to go like this. I merely played the pipa for money, but that Young Master Je went crazy on his own, talking about liking me, and when I wouldn’t accept him, he hanged himself alone. Fuck, does it make sense to chase me for that?”

Jang Geon quietly looked at her getting angry on her own, then asked.

“What about that person called a witness?”

“Witness? Seom Ji-young? Ha. She’s even more absurd. She was originally Young Master Je’s fiancée, but when Young Master said he liked me, she told me to clear off right away. My drifting around like this after earning good money singing in New Sichuan is all because of that woman. She definitely made me into a bitch with all kinds of slander and defamation. Otherwise there’s no way this would happen, those damn bastards!”

As if she was truly enraged, she even swung her fists in midair. Her attitude suggested that if they were in front of her, she would smash their faces right away. The strange thing was that perhaps because she was a beauty, even such a sight didn’t look ridiculous.

The woman swinging her fists coughed awkwardly at the sullen gazes of Jang Geon and Jojo, then spoke.

“Anyway, just help me until I join up with those people. I can’t handle even a guy like that Je Un-seong on my own right now.”

Jang Geon leaned against the saddle horn and looked down at her.

“For nothing?”

At that question, Ju Yeo-rang smirked and answered.

“Of course I will prepare financial compensation… but did you say your name was Jang Geon? You seem to have learned quite a bit of martial arts. If you didn’t have a clan or sect, you must have suffered a bit all this time.”

“It wasn’t all that tough. Why do you ask?”

Ju Yeo-rang’s eyes sparkled.

“The people helping me can obtain Imperial Army martial arts for you if you want.