Novel Martial Artist Lee Gwak - chapter 442
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Episode 442
The thread of bad fate does not easily break (4)
Shim Wol’s face was visibly stiff.
He was known for showing little emotion, but even he couldn’t help but show his emotions in the face of an extreme crisis.
A silent war was unfolding, but in his ears, the screams of the Hao Clan disciples seemed vividly real.
“Hah! I was too complacent. Who would’ve thought Ja Hong-cheon would seize this opportunity?”
He had prided himself on knowing Ja Hong-cheon better than anyone else.
After all, he had gathered and studied a vast amount of information about him.
He understood Ja Hong-cheon’s tendencies, his range of action, and even his way of thinking—or so he had believed. With that knowledge, he had assumed he could roughly predict Ja Hong-cheon’s movements.
Ja Hong-cheon personally seeking out and killing the Myriad Merchant Lord Eun Won-ho had been unexpected, but Shim Wol had judged that such an extreme act would be a one-time occurrence.
The Ja hong-cheon he knew had an almost obsessive aversion to leaving the Jade Heaven Alliance unattended.
Because of that, Shim Wol had assumed that Ja Hong-cheon would return to the Jade Heaven Alliance after killing Eun Won-ho. That had been Shim Wol’s fatal miscalculation.
“What kind of change of heart could have caused this?”
It was his firm belief that a person’s nature rarely changed. A radical transformation in personality was as rare as heaven and earth being overturned.
And yet, that rare event had occurred today.
Shim Wol bit his lip hard.
The small fishing boat he was on glided quietly through the canal. Being so small, it had the advantage of avoiding most attention.
Shim Wol spoke to the martial artist rowing the boat.
“What about the Young Master—no, the Lord?”
“Given that there’s still no news, it seems he’s managing to escape safely.”
Shim Wol nodded at the oarsman’s answer, but his expression didn’t ease.
Just as he was about to speak again—
Whoosh!
A sharp, piercing sound tore through the air.
Shim Wol quickly raised his head to the sky. He saw a figure plummeting at terrifying speed.
“Everyone, scatter!”
Shim Wol shouted, hurling himself away.
The Death Reaper Squad guarding him reacted instantly, leaping in all directions. A split second later, the falling figure crashed into the fishing boat they had been on.
Kwaaaang!
Like a meteor striking the earth, the small boat shattered into pieces, and a towering column of water erupted into the sky.
Standing atop the water column, hands clasped behind his back, was the man who had just crashed into the boat.
It was Ja Hong-cheon.
Even after the water column dissipated, Ja Hong-cheon remained suspender in the air.
Shim Wol, who had barely escaped to the shore in time, trembled with shock.
“Ja Hong-cheon!”
“A pleasure to finally meet you, Shim Wol.”
Ja Hong-cheon stood calmly on the surface of the water, slowly advancing toward Shim Wol. He was using a form of qinggong adapted for walking on water.
With his hands still behind his back, he radiated the presence of an absolute master.
“Stop!”
“Do not let him near the Lord!”
The Death Reaper Squad surged forward to intercept Ja Hong-cheon as he reached the riverbank.
Shwiik!
True to their reputation as the Hao Clan’s ultimate elites, their martial prowess was formidable.
They dashed like the wind and closed the distance to Ja Hong-cheon in an instant, their swords aimed at Ja Hong-cheon’s vital points.
“Impressive!”
Ja Hong-cheon let out an admiring exclamation.
Even an enemy like him couldn’t help but acknowledge the brilliance of their coordinated assault. Ten warriors moved in perfect sync, their movements never interfering with one another—instead, they disrupted Ja Hong-cheon’s vision to create openings for their comrades.
Such seamless teamwork wasn’t something that could be achieved in a day or two. It required years of harmony and mutual understanding.
Yet the Death Reaper Squad executed it effortlessly.
But Ja Hong-cheon’s admiration didn’t mean he felt threatened.
With a single palm strike to the ground—
Boom!
A pillar of earth erupted beneath him, obscuring the Death Reaper Squad’s vision.
“Tch!”
“Damn it!”
Though momentarily disoriented, the Death Reaper Squad quickly tried to track Ja Hong-cheon’s movements.
But then—
Fwip! Fwip! Fwip!
Several razor-sharp gusts of wind shot out from the towering earth pillar like arrows.
The wind blades pierced through the chests of the Death Reaper Squad in an instant.
“Guhk!”
“Kgh—!”
Five members of the Death Reaper Squad collapsed.
The survivors stared in horror.
“Fall back!”
Shim Wol’s retreat order echoed, but before it could be fully executed, a streak of sword light flashed.
Fwoosh!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Blood sprayed.
The squad blinked in disbelief.
But only for a moment.
Splat!
Their bodies collapsed simultaneously, as if on signal, blood gushing from their throats.
Ja Hong-cheon had decapitated them all in a single stroke.
His hand-blade was sharper than any forged sword.
“Incredible!”
Shim Wol was stunned.
Knowing the strength of the Death Reaper Squad, Ja Hong-cheon’s feat felt almost inhuman.
His final line of defense had fallen.
As Ja Hong-cheon approached, he spoke.
“I’ve missed you for a long time. After all that patience, I finally meet you. I have much to ask. I hope you’ll answer sincerely.”
“Ja Hong-cheon!”
“Speak.”
“Don’t underestimate me.”
Shim Wol began gathering his internal energy.
A fierce aura burst from his entire being.
As the lord of Hao Clan, he had never neglected his martial training for even a single day.
He was not someone to be taken lightly—not even by Ja Hong-cheon.
Ja Hong-cheon observed Shim Wol’s fighting spirit and replied indifferently:
“I’m not underestimating you. I’m simply assessing you more coldly than anyone else.”
Meanwhile…
“Stop!”
At Hoe-an’s command, Nam Woo-gyeong and the Death Reaper Squad stopped.
The Death Reaper Squad warriors looked at Hoe-an with tense eyes.
Hoe-an’s gray pupils were darker and heavier than ever.
His heightened senses detected every movement and sound within dozens of yards.
The enemies closing in moved with eerie precision, as if they already knew Nam Woo-gyeong’s group’s location, blocking their path in advance and encircling them from all sides.
‘We’ve been discovered.’
He didn’t know how they had been tracked so precisely, but one thing was certain—they were being hunted.
Nam Woo-gyeong had sensed it too.
Throughout their escape, the Hao Clan disciples who had been in constant contact had suddenly gone silent.
It meant that in the battle of intelligence, Hao Clan was losing to the Heavenly Intelligence Hall.
“They’ve prepared thoroughly,” Nam Woo-gyeong muttered.
There was a vast difference between striking with full preparation and counterattacking while defenseless. That’s why the Hao Clan had been forced into a defensive position in the intelligence war.
Nam Woo-gyeong bit his lip until it bled.
‘I was careless. I shouldn’t have let my guard down just because we secured an escape route…’
But regret was useless now.
Instead of getting frustrated, Nam Woo-gyeong tried to calmly analyze the situation.
‘Any feasible escape route is probably already under their control. Escaping without a scratch is impossible now.’
Even now, the enemy was tightening their net.
He had to make a decision before the encirclement was complete.
Nam Woo-gyeong looked at Hoe-an.
“Master!”
“Speak.”
“You’ll have to act as the decoy.”
“Understood.”
Hoe-an didn’t hesitate.
“It could cost you your life.”
“When has life ever not been at risk? If I can protect you from them, my life is a small price to pay.”
“I’m sorry.”
“If I can lay down my life for you, then it’s a worthy death. Tell me—what must I do?”
Instead of answering, Nam Woo-gyeong turned to a Death Reaper Squad martial artist whose build resembled his own.
“What’s your name?”
“Go Joo-yeol.”
“Go Joo-yeol, can you die in my place?”
“It would be an honor.”
“Thank you. And I’m sorry.”
“No need. What must I do?”
“Switch clothes with me.”
“So I’ll disguise myself as the Young Master—no, the Lord?”
“Yes. And accompany Master.”
“Understood. I’ll do it.”
Go Ju-yeol willingly changed clothes with Nam Woo-gyeong.
Nam Woo-gyeong addressed the rest of the squad.
“You all will accompany Master.”
“But then who will protect you, Lord? A few of us should—”
“If some of you stay behind, the enemy will grow suspicious. To fool them completely, all of you must go with him.”
His eyes were now red with emotion.
He felt ashamed for giving such an order. If he were merely the Young Master, he would’ve rather died than issue such a command.
But now, he was the lord of Hao Clan.
The lord of the Hao Clan could not be captured and killed by the enemy. If he died, Hao Clan would lose its center and inevitably fracture, marching toward ruin.
That’s why Shim Wol had prioritized Nam Woo-gyeong’s escape.
Hoe-an gripped Nam Woo-gyeong’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry about us. What matters is your safety. You are the Hao Clan itself. For Hao Clan’s sake, you must escape alive.”
“Yes!”
Nam Woo-gyeong nodded.
He had bitten down so hard that blood seeped from his gums.
The agony of sending his most trusted allies into a death trap was indescribable.
“Please… all of you, survive. Let’s meet again.”
He bowed deeply to Hoe-an and the Death Reaper Squad.
Hoe-an turned to the Death Reaper Squad.
“Let’s move!”
Smiling, he turned away.
The Death Reaper Squad followed, smiling as well.
Only Nam Woo-gyeong couldn’t smile.
He watched their backs disappear and sighed deeply before moving.
‘I must take them by surprise.’
While Hoae-an and the others drew attention, he had to escape Suzhou.
He bit into a breathing reed and dove into the canal.
The canal’s current wasn’t strong, but the water was murky—so dark he couldn’t see an inch ahead. Swimming through it was far from easy.
Navigating accurately was even harder. But he had no choice.
The layout of Suzhou’s intricate canal system was etched in his mind.
All he could rely on was his knowledge and physical endurance.
‘Jade Heaven Alliance… I’ll never forget this grudge.’
A nobleman’s revenge is never too late, even if it takes ten years.
But Nam Woo-gyeong had no intention of waiting that long.
‘First, I must escape and reach Gwak. Only he can offer safety now.’
He thought of Lee Gwak.
Though not bound by blood, he was the only person Nam Woo-gyeong could call a brother.
That Lee Gwak came to mind in this moment of crisis was no coincidence.
Just then—
“This way! The Young Master of the Hao Clan moved this way!”
“Squad Three and Four, pursue them. Team One, stay alert for any unexpected situations.”
Loud voices echoed from above the water.
Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to hear such sounds while submerged, but thanks to his martial prowess, Nam Woo-gyeong caught every word clearly.
‘Master must have successfully drawn them away.’
Even underwater, he felt tears welling up.
Part of him wanted to burst out of the water and fight alongside Hoe-an. But he desperately restrained that urge.
“Watch for any movement underwater.”
A little further on, he saw a small boat floating on the surface.
It had been dispatched by the Heavenly Intelligence Hall.
They were monitoring the water in case anyone tried to escape through it.
Nam Woo-gyeong removed the reed from his mouth and dove deeper into the murky canal.
No matter how sharp-eyed the watchers above were, they couldn’t easily detect movement deep in such muddy water.
However, he had to be careful not to create any ripples or release any air bubbles that might reach the surface.
Like a carp gliding smoothly through the current, he had to move silently.
His lungs ached from holding his breath so long, and his heart felt like it was being squeezed.
Even so, Nam Woo-gyeong endured the pain and continued moving slowly.
A long while later, he finally surfaced.
With only the top of his head exposed, Nam Woo-gyeong looked back toward Suzhou.
Suzhou was burning.
