Novel Martial Artist Lee Gwak - chapter 459
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Episode 459
Seeing One Thing and Knowing Ten (3)
The skill of the archer hiding in the darkness was so outstanding that it was downright frightening. Even in the pitch-black night, they aimed precisely for Lee Gwak’s pressure points and released their arrows.
Twang!
Had Lee Gwak’s reaction been even slightly slower, the arrow would have hit his vital spot.
He deflected the arrow with his blade, then lunged forward, gauging the enemy’s position based on the direction the arrow had come from.
The force behind the enemy’s arrow was so immense that his palm still tingled. If his internal energy had been any weaker, he would have suffered a severe wound.
“Who is it?”
From what he knew, the only archer in the Jianghu with such skill was Chuk Il-yeop. He deserved the title of Bow King, but Lee Gwak had already killed him.
The archer who ambushed him now seemed nearly as skilled as Chuk Il-yeop.
Though the Jianghu was vast, archery was often looked down upon by most martial artists. Many considered it a cowardly method of attacking from a distance. But, in terms of efficiency and lethality, few weapons could match the bow.
Moreover, when striking from the shadows like this, few martial artists could properly defend against.
Fortunately, Lee Gwak was one of the world’s top martial artists, with senses honed to an extreme degree. He could detect shifts in the air, the flow of energy, and subtle changes in his surroundings with almost precognitive ability.
Swish! Ping!
Lee Gwak narrowly dodged the next arrow flying from the darkness. The archer reacted, sensing that their position had been compromised.
The archer moved before Lee Gwak could reach them.
Their footwork was specialized for short-range movement. Almost silently, they moved farther away and took aim at Lee Gwak again.
“Hoo!”
The archer took a deep breath and drew their bowstring.
An iron-tipped arrow rested on the fully drawn bow, aimed straight at Lee Gwak.
A chill ran down their spine.
This archer had hunted countless martial artists as if they were beasts, but none of them had ever moved like Lee Gwak.
Most were helpless against their arrows. Lee Gwak, however, was different.
He deflected arrow after arrow with ease, pinpointed their location, and closed in on them relentlessly.
This was a first.
‘Who is this?’
The darkness obscured his face, but the archer could tell that this man surpassed any martial artist he had ever faced.
‘Whoever you are, meeting me was your misfortune.’
The archer drew their internal energy, forming a bluish aura around the arrow.
It was bow qi.
Unlike sword or blade qi, imbuing arrows with internal energy and sustaining it after release was considered nearly impossible in the Jianghu. But this archer had mastered the art to its peak.
Fwoosh!
The arrow left the bow, streaking through the air like a shooting star.
It was impossibly fast, far beyond what the eye could follow and glowed with a faint blue light as it tore through the darkness toward Lee Gwak’s head.
Sshhhk!
A chilling sound of splitting air echoed through the night.
Lee Gwak drew his blade.
The archer’s eyes widened.
It looked like the arrow vanished just before reaching Lee Gwak. But to be precise, the arrow had been sliced cleanly in two but the archer was too shocked to notice.
Lee Gwak was closing in rapidly.
The distance between them was now less than ten jang.
To a master like Lee Gwak, it was a gap he could close in two or three steps.
Monster!
The archer gritted their teeth and drew the bowstring with all their might. The arrow shaft glowed brighter than before.
This was Bow Aura, the ultimate form of archery that transcended Bow Qi.
“Die!”
The archer roared as they released the string. The Bow Aura shot toward Lee Gwak at a speed beyond human perception.
At such close range, evading was impossible.
The archer was certain of it.
This single strike would either kill Lee Gwak or leave him on the brink of death.
At least, that’s what they believed until Lee Gwak’s blade moved.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion shook the darkness, blasting shockwaves in every direction.
“Ugh!”
The archer staggered from the backlash.
Through the chaos, Lee Gwak’s cold blade cut through the air.
It aimed directly at the archer’s throat.
“No!”
The archer desperately raised their bow to block.
Their bow, forged from black steel, had strength and flexibility rivaling legendary swords.
He believed it would stop Lee Gwak’s attack, if only once.
From there, he planned to retreat and counterattack with another bow.
‘Just once. Only once!’
The archer poured all their energy into the bow, bracing for impact.
Sshhk!
Lee Gwak’s blade met the bow, but the expected impact never came.
Instead, a cold wind brushed past the archer’s chest.
Their brows furrowed in confusion.
“What…?”
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Suddenly, a long gash opened across their chest and blood gushed out like a waterfall. Only then did the archer feel the searing pain and collapse.
“Keugh!”
A moment later, the bow in their hands split in two and clattered to the ground.
Lee Gwak’s strike had severed both the bow and the archer’s body simultaneously.
His chest bone was split and his heart was fatally wounded. No doctor could save such an injury.
Shing!
Lee Gwak sheathed his blade and looked at the fallen archer.
Lying sprawled on the ground, the archer stared back at him.
“So…it was you. Lee Gwak!”
He had recognized him.
Lee Gwak frowned.
Their voice was unexpectedly faint.
He pulled the cloth off the archer’s face, revealing a beautiful woman.
Lee Gwak let out a quiet sigh.
“Huu… You’re one of the Moon Shadow Six Fairies, aren’t you?”
Gu Mun-hye, the Saintess of the Celestial Demon Troupe, had six elite female warriors under her command. The sect referred to them as the Moon Shadow Six Fairies. Each one was peerlessly beautiful and extraordinarily skilled.
The woman lying before him was Jin Ryeong, the first among them.
Lee Gwak had seen her once before when he visited the troupe as part of an envoy.
Darkness settled in his gaze.
“Why is a Moon Shadow Fairy here…? Is the Saintess in these mountains as well?”
The Moon Shadow Fairies rarely left Gu Mun-hye’s side unless under exceptional circumstances.
“Gurgle—! Y-you…!”
Instead of answering, Jin Ryeong coughed up bloody foam.
A gurgling sound escaped her throat before her eyes rolled back. She was dead.
“Huu…”
Lee Gwak exhaled deeply as he looked at her corpse.
If he had known her identity earlier, he might have shown restraint to interrogate her.
Suppressing his regret, he returned to where Ki Jin-hwi was.
“Father!”
Lee Soo-ah rushed to meet him.
“How is he?”
“He is out of danger for now.”
As she said, a faint flush had returned to Ki Jin-hwi’s pale face. Lee Soo-ah had administered proper first aid and given him life-saving pills.
Though he had survived the worst, he was still too weak to speak.
Lee Gwak lifted Ki Jin-hwi onto his back.
“There may be more pursuers. Let’s move.”
“Right!”
Lee Soo-ah quickly put out the campfire and even erased signs of their camp. Not because Lee Gwak told her to, she just knew it had to be done.
Soon after the trio disappeared, a group arrived at the scene.
They were black-clad martial artists.
“The trail leads here.”
“Search the area.”
They scattered to investigate.
Moments later, a near-scream rang out.
“Ah! It’s the First fairy’s body!”
“What?!”
“This can’t be!”
They had found Jin Ryeong’s corpse.
These warriors were from New Moon Manor, where Gu Mun-hye reigned as the Bow Empress. They were furious.
“How could this happen? The First Fairy is dead…”
“Who dares to kill her?!”
Jin Ryeong was greatly respected by New Moon Manor’s warriors. Her death enraged them.
The one leading them, Go Ho-myeong, the “Phantom Blood Demon,” cradled Jin Ryeong’s body and barked orders.
“They must have accomplices. If we don’t catch them before they escape these mountains, the secret of the Endless Prison will get out. Find them!”
“Yes!”
They scattered to search.
Left alone, Goh Ho-myeong’s bloodshot eyes locked on Jin Ryeong’s corpse.
“I will never forgive the one who killed you. I’ll grind them to dust.”
He had joined the New Moon Manor for one reason, to stay close to Jin Ryeong.
Now the only person who made him feel human was gone.
Crack!
Only the sound of grinding teeth echoed in the night.
**
“This should do.”
Lee Gwak peered into a small cave and murmured.
It looked like a bear’s winter den. The inside reeked of filth.
Normally he’d never consider resting in such a place, but now wasn’t the time to be picky.
He sent Soo-ah in with Ki Jin-hwi, then set up an illusion array at the entrance.
It was simple, but it perfectly hid the cave.
Lee Soo-ah tended to Ki Jin-hwi, laying him on his side because of the arrow wound on his shoulder. Without treatment, the area around the wound would continue to necrose, and not even the life-saving pills would be enough.
Lee Gwak focused qi into his fingertips and cleanly severed the arrowhead protruding from Ki Jin-hwi’s shoulder. Then he slapped the shaft, pushing it out the back.
Blood gushed out again, but Lee Gwak swiftly sealed the acupoints to stop the bleeding. Then, he bandaged the wound with torn cloth.
Only then could he and Lee Soo-ah breathe a sigh of relief.
The immediate danger had passed.
They sat against the cave wall and waited for Ki Jin-hwi to regain consciousness.
“What on earth is happening at Kongtong Mountain?”
Lee Soo-ah murmured, looking at Ki Jin-hwi.
Lee Gwak was just as curious.
Last he knew, Ki Jin-hwi had infiltrated the Celestial Demon Troupe to capture Gyeong Chu-wol. Why was he suddenly at Kongtong Mountain?
Jin Ryeong’s presence was another mystery.
And why had one of the Moon Shadow Fairies appeared?
Only Ki Jin-hwi could answer these questions.
They waited, watching over him.
“Ugh…!”
Nearly three hours later, Gi Jin-hwi finally stirred.
“Are you alright?”
“L-Leader! It’s really you!”
“How do you feel?”
“My condition doesn’t matter.”
“Pardon?”
“The leader of the seize fortress is imprisoned here.”
“Leader of the Siege Fortress?”
“I mean Seo Jong-myeong, the former lord of Siege Fortress…”
“What do you mean?”
Lee Gwak asked urgently. It was a name he hadn’t expected to hear at all.
Ki Jin-hwi forced himself upright.
His wound hadn’t even begun to scab, and the pain was immense, but he didn’t care.
Lee Gwak asked,
“Are you saying Brother Jong-myeong is alive?”
“Y-Yes. I saw him with my own eyes.”
“That’s impossible…”
“That’s the reason I came here. Though I ended up being chased like a dog after being discovered…”
“Please tell me everything. What on earth is happening in this place? Why are the New Manor Palace’s warriors here?”
“There’s a secret prison here.”
“Secret prison?”
“They’ve locked up everyone who opposes the Celestial Demon Troupe in this place.”
An astonishing truth spilled from Ki Jin-hwi’s lips.
