Chapter 31: Chapter 31

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Oh Jung-seo, whom Seo Wi-ryang called Warrior Oh, looked at the burning inn with complicated eyes.

He had not wanted to push people this far. No matter how much the local ranches and mines belonged to Son Gwang and Seo Wi-ryang was in a position to manage them, pushing people so harshly would ultimately only result in greater resistance.

Moreover, that resistance had already manifested in the form of bandits. In fact, it was now uncertain whether they could prevent the Martial Alliance from intervening any longer.

But in the end, Oh Jung-seo was merely a wage earner living off the salary he received under Seo Wi-ryang. At least, he himself believed so and thought that way. He told himself he was just doing what the person who paid him ordered him to do, so no one could hold him guilty.

“There are people inside! You have to save them! What on earth are you doing!”

Old Man Go, the chief of Cheongsu Village, shouted angrily at a volume unfitting for his age and pointed his finger at the martial artists surrounding the inn. Besides him, the people of Cheongsu Village were looking at the inn with pitiful eyes. Currently trapped inside were the female innkeeper, Madam Yeo, and the waiter boy, Horyong.

Seeing the inn burning, people filled washbasins and gourds from their homes with water and ran over. Originally, when a fire broke out in the village, all the villagers ran out and joined forces to put it out because they did not know how the fire would spread.

But now, blocked by Seo Wi-ryang’s martial artists blocking the inn, everyone could only look on with heartbreak.

“You bastards! This won’t do! Move out of the way!”

Unable to endure it any longer, Old Man Go, who had been shouting, charged in among the martial artists. He intended to break through with his body to save Madam Yeo and Horyong. The old man was surprisingly nimble at that moment for someone so advanced in age, so the two martial artists glaring menacingly at the villagers lost track of him in a split second. Carrying a wooden bucket brimming with water, Old Man Go ran toward the inn.

At the same time, Oh Jung-seo’s sword was drawn.

“Father!”

“Heavens!”

The bucket fell to the ground, splashing water everywhere. And Old Man Go collapsed on top of it, blood streaming from his thigh. As the old man let out a painful groan, Oh Jung-seo stepped on the wound and said quietly.

“Look here, Chief Go. Why are you stepping forward? You’ve been taking the money we gave you all this time.”

“Ugh, you damn bastard! Then should I just watch a child burn to death? There is a line that a human being must keep!”

Oh Jung-seo let out a snort and slowly shook his head.

“You keep that line so well, yet you endorse the bandits who raid our warehouses and ranches? Do you know how much loss we suffered because of those bastards?”

“You crazy bastard… Even if they raid warehouses, they don’t burn people to death like you do…”

Oh Jung-seo gave a light scoff, turned his eyes to the villagers, and shouted.

“You think we’re being too harsh? But Overseer Seo died on our side too! And four other martial artists died! Now we have nothing to hold back either! If you don’t tell us the location of those son of a bitches right now, we’ll burn down all the remaining houses! If you don’t want to lose your homes, speak up right now!”

At his shout, the other martial artists also drew their blades and swords with sharp clangs. Intimidated by the cold blades, the villagers murmured and stepped back in fear. Someone among them shouted.

“Why, why are you doing this only to us? The bandits aren’t made up of only Cheongsu Village people!”

“Where else would there be people then! This is where the most people live gathered together in this area, and this village produced the most bandits, so where else am I supposed to look for those bastards!”

As Oh Jung-seo thrust his sword forward and shouted, the villagers backed up a little further. The inn was burning and the village chief was fallen with a slashed leg, but no one could step forward. Among them were a few outsider martial artists staying at the inn, but they merely avoided the villagers’ glances subtly and did not step up.

“Now, say something! Or do you want to see this old man die as well!”

Oh Jung-seo’s sword, which had been pointing at the villagers, turned toward Old Man Go’s neck. Old Man Go’s daughter-in-law, who was watching, let out a scream, but Oh Jung-seo and the martial artists did not budge at all. Rather, he pressed the fierce blade deeper, leaving a red thin line on Old Man Go’s neck.

Watching the frightened villagers, Oh Jung-seo smiled with satisfaction. It seemed there would be no need to burn down the village completely or kill more people. If he pressed them a little more, they would likely spill whatever they knew.

So just as he was about to shout something again, the sound of horse hooves suddenly began to reach Oh Jung-seo’s ears. Wondering who would ride a horse at this late hour, he turned his head and saw someone riding over from far away with their clothes fluttering.

“…What?”

Not only Oh Jung-seo, but also the martial artists and villagers spotted him riding closer and became bewildered. However, the one galloping on horseback showed no intention of stopping even though he had already gotten very close. So a martial artist stepped forward and shouted.

“Halt!”

The horse did not stop. Instead, it galloped even faster. The face of the martial artist who had stepped forward turned pale at that momentum, and in the end, he tried to throw himself aside while screaming in panic.

At that moment, the horse kicked off the ground and leaped cleanly over the martial artist. And having broken through the encirclement of martial artists in one breath like that, the horse arrived in front of the burning inn without hesitation.

“Th-That…”

While Oh Jung-seo and the other martial artists were flustered by that sudden appearance, as soon as the horse stopped, the person riding on it kicked off the saddle, leaped up, broke through a second-floor room window where the fire had not spread much yet, and entered inside.

Watching that dumbfounded, Oh Jung-seo found it absurd and turned back to look at the other martial artists.

“…What was that?”

“…I don’t know. I couldn’t even see his face properly.”

Oh Jung-seo turned his gaze to Old Man Go and asked again.

“What is that, who is that guy?”

But Old Man Go was also bewildered and merely stared back at him blankly. Seeing that expression, Oh Jung-seo crumpled his face completely and shouted toward the villagers.

“Are you kidding me right now? Who is that bastard! Is he a martial artist you hired from outside, ”

At that moment, a window a short distance away from the one shattered first burst open with a crash, and that unidentified figure dropped down lightly. In his arms were the innkeeper Madam Yeo and the waiter boy Horyong. As Oh Jung-seo and the people watched with startled faces, the man laid Madam Yeo down straight away and checked her breathing.

Horyong, who came out together, couldn’t even think of wiping off the thick soot on his face and cried out tearfully.

“Auntie! Wake up, Auntie! You can’t die!”

The person who suddenly appeared then checked Madam Yeo’s pulse and generously loosened her tight waist belt. He then placed his right hand over her chest and closed his eyes. Then, after a short while, Madam Yeo regained consciousness, coughing and hacking. Horyong smiled brightly upon seeing her.

“Auntie!”

“You brat… Call me Big Sister… I’m not an auntie…”

As the two of them looked so fine, cheers burst out among the watching villagers. It was as if their gloomy appearance frightened by the martial artists’ blades until a moment ago was a lie.

“Shut up! All of you, shut your mouths!”

Oh Jung-seo, who had only been blankly watching the uninvited guest’s reckless actions, finally came to his senses and shouted furiously at the villagers. The other martial artists, who likewise only regained their senses after hearing that shout, distorted their faces again and pointed their blades at the people.

Seeing the people shut their mouths again, Oh Jung-seo turned to the uninvited guest who was dusting off his clothes and standing up.

“You! Who are you! Reveal your identity!”

In contrast to that angry shout, the uninvited guest answered calmly.

“Jang Geon.”

“…Wh-What? Jang Geon?”

Oh Jung-seo turned his head to the other martial artists and signaled with his eyes as if asking if they had heard of him. But the martial artists merely shrugged as if they had no idea. Just then, one of the martial artists pointed at Jang Geon and spoke as if remembering.

“Ah! I know that bastard! He’s an outsider who came a few days ago! The guy who was damn terrible at gambling!”

The man with a scar below his lip was a thug who had played dominoes together when Jang Geon visited this inn. A few martial artists who played dominoes together also remembered him. Hearing their story, Oh Jung-seo glared at Jang Geon.

“Judging by your movements, it seems you know some martial arts… A wanderer suddenly appearing at a time like this. A suspicious guy.”

But as if not caring about that gaze, Jang Geon finished dusting off his clothes and asked nonchalantly.

“Was it you guys who locked those two in the second-floor room and set the fire?”

“So what if we did?”

“Is treating people like firewood something to be proud of? Why are you so confident?”

Oh Jung-seo distorted his face even further and stepped forward.

“This is merely setting an example for the villagers here. Since you’re an outsider, you might not know, but there are bandits nearby who have been the biggest problem lately. They’re trash who raid cattle ranches and loot warehouses where goods are stored.”

As he slowly approached like that, the other martial artists also began to move stealthily to surround Jang Geon.

“Yet the residents of this village hid information about those bandits because there were people they knew among them, and sometimes even protected those who fled. Is that right? Even in the laws of the Central Plains, hiding criminals is punished. They should rather be grateful that it passes with just a warning example. Isn’t that right? A woman and a child without a family are just fine.”

Stopping a short distance away from Jang Geon, he stole a glance at the sword tied to Jang Geon’s waist. It looked like nothing special.

“And for now, you’ll have to come with us. You’ll have to explain everything, one by one, where you came from, what you were doing, and how you came to this village.”

However, Jang Geon remained nonchalant, looking around the surroundings, and asked.

“Is there no Martial Alliance branch here? What is anyone doing, letting an arsonist who isn’t even an Alliance member try to detain me?”

At those words, Oh Jung-seo turned to look to the side without realizing it. Standing among the villagers, the head of the Cheongsu Village branch of the Martial Alliance subtly covered his Martial Alliance badge with his collar and lowered his eyes. Even as the surrounding villagers looked at him with disgusted eyes, he did not step forward.

Seeing that, Oh Jung-seo raised the corner of his mouth into a slight, greasy smile and turned back to Jang Geon.

“There are no Martial Alliance members here, so hand over your weapon quietly and follow. Or will you only behave after a sheath mark is made somewhere on you?”

Jang Geon slowly looked around at his words spoken while brandishing a sword. With the inn behind him blazing and brightly illuminating the surroundings, ten swordsmen, unsure if they were thugs or martial artists, surrounded him in a semicircle. Beyond them, villagers could be seen taking the injured old man to their side.

The villagers were looking at Jang Geon surrounded by the swordsmen with pitying eyes. As for the other swordsmen, they were just thugs not much different from hooligans with blades, but among them, Oh Jung-seo was Seo Wi-ryang’s right-hand man, sent directly from Gamsan City by Son Gwang. He was a skilled man who was rumored to have fought and defeated a martial artist from an ancient noble clan. It was no wonder people looked at Jang Geon with pity.

But even amidst Oh Jung-seo’s killing intent and the encirclement surrounding him, Jang Geon let out a chuckle.

“Try it if you can.”

“Why, you little shit. A wandering bastard who doesn’t know where he rolled in from…”

Oh Jung-seo grimaced even harder, adjusting his sword grip, then startled. It was because he felt an unknown sense of pressure from Jang Geon, who had stood at a slant while holding his scabbard with his left hand before anyone noticed.

“…Heh. Yeah. You’re indeed a guy with a move up your sleeve. But no matter how good, you’re alone. Attack.”

Slightly startled by Jang Geon’s aura, Oh Jung-seo laughed roughly and commanded his subordinates. At that, the martial artists who had already drawn their weapons immediately charged at Jang Geon en masse.

Even if he were a guy with a move up his sleeve, he couldn’t use that single move repeatedly while fighting ten swordsmen. Because a single exchange between martial artists was very fast and powerful, putting a lot into that one blow to attack. Oh Jung-seo thought that if it were the swordsmen he had trained, they would be able to find out the truth behind that strange aura.

And Jang Geon’s sword was drawn.

Just as something seemed to flash in the flames of the inn, the neck of the swordsman who had charged first was severed. Next, he took a step to the side and thrust the drawn sword sharply. At the same time another swordsman whose neck was pierced by that blade tip made a choking sound, Jang Geon pulled back the sword, lifted his body, and spun to the side.

A blade aiming at his lower body and a sword aiming at his head missed their targets and stabbed empty air.

With the momentum of his rotation, Jang Geon slashed upwards, splitting one swordsman’s head vertically, and landed back in place. Immediately after, he straightened his bent knees and lunged straight forward. Caught on that sword tip, the guy who had thrust his sword had his neck severed.

Four died instantly like that. Before the other guys could even gasp in surprise, Jang Geon’s ghost-like sword descended upon them.

Two guys who swung their swords blindly in shock collapsed without even cutting a thread of Jang Geon’s clothes, their necks severed and waists half-sliced open respectively. The guy holding a long straight sword aimed for the moment right after Jang Geon swung his sword and thrust that long sword in, but Jang Geon, who spun right and stuck close to him, struck his chest with his palm, causing him to cough once and sink down.

Only then did Oh Jung-seo realize he shouldn’t just watch, and adjusting his sword, tried to charge in. But the moment he tried to take just one step forward, Jang Geon, who finished off one more swordsman, snapped his body around and faced him head-on.

Even after sending eight swordsmen away like that, Jang Geon’s eyes facing Oh Jung-seo were sunken deep without any agitation. And the same was true of his breathing. Because of that, Oh Jung-seo could not attack immediately and hesitated.

Just then, as if thinking he had to create an opening for Oh Jung-seo, the remaining martial artist charged at Jang Geon with a loud shout. His waist was pulled far back, making it seem like he only intended to fake an attack, but Jang Geon catching up and thrusting his sword was faster than the speed of him trying to pull back. The blade pierced straight through his face.

At that moment, Oh Jung-seo kicked off the ground. It was so as not to miss the opening created by the swordsman offering his life, though he hadn’t intended to go that far.

In the next instant, Oh Jung-seo, who drew a long flash of light, passed Jang Geon and stopped. Jang Geon’s blade was still lodged in the swordsman’s face.

The villagers gasped in astonishment at the fight that unfolded in the blink of an eye and watched them. And the last remaining swordsman, the thug with a scar below his lip, put on a bright expression. Thinking Jang Geon’s sword hadn’t moved, he assumed Oh Jung-seo had won.

At that moment, from the chest of Oh Jung-seo, who was standing still in the posture of extending his sword forward, air-bursting sounds rang out with a thud-thud, and it crumpled in as if hit by an invisible hammer. Jang Geon was holding two fists low after letting go of his sword.

Soon, Oh Jung-seo spewed a mouthful of blood and collapsed forward. Having felled all his opponents like that, Jang Geon pulled his sword out of the corpse and snapped it clean. Then he walked steadily toward the scarred thug who had begun to tremble violently.

Approaching him, Jang Geon smirked as he looked at the thug who was merely shaking with wide-open eyes. As his hand was raised, the thug winced and couldn’t move a muscle.

Jang Geon reached into the trembling thug’s shirt, pulling out a tobacco pouch and a small piece of paper he had. Then, sheathing his sword, he said:

“Seo Wi-ryang is your boss, right? Go tell him. That I killed his subordinates, and I’ll come finish it in person, so tell him to get ready. Got that?”

At those words, the thug barely managed to nod his head.

“Then get lost.”

As if waiting for those words, he threw away the sword he was holding and fled, pushing through the gathered villagers.

Watching his retreating figure as he ran away quickly, Jang Geon rolled the paper and tobacco he had just pulled out. Biting it in his mouth and placing his index finger against the tip of the tobacco, smoke gradually began to rise after a short moment. Inhaling a puff of the rising smoke, Jang Geon turned his head.

There stood Madam Yeo, the innkeeper, Horyong, and the rest of the villagers, looking at him with dumbfounded expressions. The flames of the inn illuminated their faces in red.

Facing them, Jang Geon spoke.

“What are you just standing around watching for? Aren’t you going to put out the fire?”