Chapter 10: A Warrior Dies for the One Who Recognizes His Worth (1)
Sssssss……
Bamboo leaves brushed in the wind.
Crows flew up in flocks above the blood bamboo that looked as if they held blood.
“Where did you come from?”
An old man talking in a sluggish tone.
But he was no ordinary old man.
An obstinate and stiff aura.
And the thick scent of blood underlying it.
Like a bamboo that grew red by feeding on blood, Zhao Xiangzi’s aura was foreign.
Thinking that dampness and bamboo-like uprightness could coexist, Chui took a step forward.
Watching that, Cao Yangzi stroked his beard as if it were interesting.
“Seeing you, you are not one who walks the righteous path. Abyss Valley? Hegemon Society? Or the other side of Black Sand?”
To that question, Chui replied briefly.
“Tiger Pit Sect.”
“?”
For the first time, a strange light gleamed in Cao Yangzi’s eyes.
“Are you a child raised by the Tiger Pit Sect Leader? I cannot believe it. A dog cannot raise a tiger.”
“······.”
“What is your relationship with the Tiger Pit Sect?”
At Cao Yangzi’s subsequent question, Chui answered shortly once more.
“Porter.”
“?”
“Or a stable boy.”
“???”
Whether he thought Chui was joking, Cao Yangzi shook his head.
“Indeed. What does it matter where you belong. Since you are a guest who has come to eat the food of blades, it is only natural to feed you blades and send you on your way.”
Cao Yangzi began to raise his aura.
Chui also extended the spear in his hand forward.
Shring—
Soon, a long sword was drawn from Cao Yangzi’s waist.
A bluish sword energy seemed to flow along the blade, and then it immediately began to rotate fiercely.
Chui thought.
‘Seeing a living Cao Yangzi makes me feel quite emotional.’
Before his regression, the Cao Yangzi of his past life lived out his natural lifespan and died of old age.
Because he died of old age, the pursuers of the Cao Family Manor stopped chasing Ho Ye-yang and turned back, and thanks to that, Ho Ye-yang was able to save her life and escape to the military.
Ho Ye-yang suffered for the rest of her life after that.
It was because of the fact that she could not kill Cao Yangzi with her own hands.
And now, Chui was standing in front of the living Cao Yangzi.
It was the spot Ho Ye-yang in her past life had yearned for until right before her death.
Tighten—
The dark spear held by Chui was trembling slightly.
Soon,
Clang!
Cao Yangzi’s sword clashed with Chui’s spear.
As the two cold weapons touched, flowers of heat slowly bloomed from that spot.
The internal energies of both sides, transmitted through the weapons, tangled fiercely and began to heat the iron hot.
“······!”
The one who backed away first was Cao Yangzi.
He frowned as he looked at his long sword, whose tip had turned red-hot.
“What kind of trickery is this, you bastard?”
“Why?”
“Why is it that I feel our Cao Family Manor’s internal energy from your internal energy?”
It was just as Cao Yangzi questioned.
Currently, Chui was using the internal energy gathered through the Cao Family Manor’s unique cultivation method.
Strictly speaking, although this internal energy was not Chui’s but belonged to the warriors of the Cao Family Manor who had become Spear Ghost and submitted to him.
Sssssss……
From Chui’s entire body, dark red demonic energy rose like a haze.
The warriors of the Black Path Gang and the Cao Family Manor became Spear Ghost and were transmitting their internal energy to Chui.
Having trodden the nine tiers of the Bowed Pavilion, Chui’s internal energy had now reached a depth comparable to even Cao Yangzi, who stood between first-rate and peak.
…Boom!
Cao Yangzi stamped his foot.
The floor caved in, and the surrounding walls split apart.
As Cao Yangzi’s sword flew forward, a crescent-shaped trajectory was created, and it flew through the air, falling down toward Chui.
Riiip!
The slash bent like a whip, splitting the corridor into two pieces.
Chui dodged it, moving sideways, and thrust his spear forward three times.
Boom! Boom! Clang—
The first and second thrusts pierced holes in Cao Yangzi’s collar and the hem of his robe, and the third thrust was blocked by the long sword.
…Screeech!
Cao Yangzi deflected Chui’s spear at an angle, and flicked the countless sparks generated in the process toward Chui’s eyes.
Indeed, it was a momentary judgment worthy of an old veteran of the martial world who had fought countless battles.
However,
“······!”
Cao Yangzi swallowed a gasp instantly.
Chui did not close his wide-open eyes.
With his eyes wide open, he took all the sparks and pushed straight in.
If sparks that temporarily flew as weapons clashed fell into one’s eyes, it was only natural for even an expert to close them.
However, Chui pushed in without caring that the sparks hit his eyeballs and bounced off, stabbing his spear toward Cao Yangzi’s chin.
Slash—
A clump of Cao Yangzi’s white beard was cut off, and a red dot appeared on his Adam’s apple.
Trickle—
Blood flowed down from his Adam’s apple, staining his collar crimson.
Yet despite that, Cao Yangzi’s expression was serene.
“Haha—this is quite something. A little more and I would have had three breathing holes.”
“······.”
Chui frowned.
His flank felt hot.
He aimed for the neck and went in deep, but the attack was shallow.
Just as he had gone in deep, it took longer to pull out, and because of that, he ended up giving up his flank.
[Cao Yang…… zi……]
[Sword…… too long……]
[Attack…… range…… wide……]
It was not easy to seize the victory.
It was only because the Spear Ghost from the Cao Family Manor were telling him inside out about Cao Yangzi’s sword techniques and habits that he could avoid being pushed back.
…Swish!
Chui threw the awls he had kept inside his sleeves.
“Oh? Are you also skilled in throwing techniques?”
Cao Yangzi tilted his head to the side to avoid the flying awls.
Then, the hammer fell toward his temple.
“And you have grit.”
Cao Yangzi avoided the hammer and stabbed his sword toward Chui’s waist.
Chui frowned and avoided it.
Tear—
Through the torn martial uniform, grey bear skin was revealed.
Chui’s flank was stained red before he knew it.
Cao Yangzi smiled as he saw that.
“I wonder what kind of eccentric raised you. Child, lay down your spear even now. I will use you importantly.”
Yet contrary to his words, Cao Yangzi prepared the very next technique.
Boundless Azure Sky Sword Art.
Worthy of a family that was a distant relative of the Namgung Clan, Cao Yangzi performed an orthodox and upright sword technique.
A storm of slashes sweeping from bottom to top, and alternately left and right from top, persistently targeted Chui’s flank.
…Clang! Clang! Clang!
The more strength loaded into Cao Yangzi’s sword, the more Chui’s spear was pushed back.
Before he knew it, Chui was holding the spear right below the blade.
However, Chui had no time to adjust his grip on the spear to keep the blade far away.
Cao Yangzi was charging forward, swinging his sword as if hacking the air.
Eventually, Chui came to be pressed close against the wall, holding the spear right below the blade.
In front of him, Cao Yangzi laid his long sword horizontally.
“It is the end.”
“······.”
Chui was driven to a position where he could no longer block the sword.
The length of the spear had become too short, and the spear shaft protruding backward was caught against the wall, making it impossible to move properly.
In such a situation,
“Farewell.”
Cao Yangzi stabbed his sword toward Chui’s flank.
Stab!
The long blade dug into Chui’s body.
“······.”
Chui shut his mouth.
Bright red blood flowed down from his lips and dripped beneath his chin, but no sound of a scream escaped.
“You do not even scream? How admirable.”
Cao Yangzi drove the sword even deeper into Chui’s flank.
“You are truly worlds apart from my son. Tae-beom, that fellow, lies down all day even if his finger is just cut by a sword.”
Cao Yangzi’s voice carried bitterness.
He looked into Chui’s face and clicked his tongue.
“That is why I wanted to see a brave and spirited daughter-in-law. Thus I sent a marriage proposal to the Tiger Pit Sect. I do not know how much longer I will live, but shouldn’t I at least see my grandchild in my later years?”
Right at that moment,
…Grab!
Chui grabbed the blade lodged in his flank with his hand.
“You do not know how much longer you will live?”
“······!”
At Chui’s words, Cao Yangzi’s expression changed.
Grip……
The blade driven into Chui’s flank did not come out.
“What in the world is this……!?”
Cao Yangzi did not understand the situation.
He twisted the sword frantically, but the blade did not budge.
Why on earth did the blade that entered a human body not come out?
No matter how great the grip strength was, it was impossible to hold and fix the blade this tightly.
Creak—
Chui tilted his body slightly sideways.
At that, the blade was fixed even more firmly, becoming completely untwistable.
Only then did Cao Yangzi realize what his sword was caught by.
Ribs (肋骨).
The sword that penetrated between Chui’s ribs was now caught between bone and bone, unable to go forward or backward.
‘……Could it be that he did this on purpose?’
Cao Yangzi’s expression changed.
Chui deliberately showed his injured flank, inducing the sword to enter that way.
And when the sword pierced his body, he twisted his body, catching the blade with two ribs to prevent it from escaping.
Tight—
Blood poured from Chui’s left hand that was holding the blade.
Yet Chui lowered his head without a single change in his expression.
And he whispered toward Cao Yangzi in front of him.
“If you do not know, I will tell you. How long you will live from now on.”
Chui’s crimson-stained eyes looked into Cao Yangzi’s face.
Soon, Chui’s blood-stained lips moved.
“Cao Yangzi.”
The moment he heard that call, goosebumps rose all over Cao Yangzi’s body.
He did not know why, but he felt he had to run away.
Only that thought was echoing in his head.
“Cao Yangzi.”
The moment he heard the second call, the hairs on his entire body stood up stiff like needles.
Cao Yangzi distorted his expression in the cold sweat covering his entire face.
Soon, the third call was heard.
“Cao Yangzi.”
At that moment, Cao Yangzi saw.
The countless faces behind Chui’s back.
The death throes of countless people screaming while shedding tears of blood toward him.
[You come here too!]
[I can’t go alone!]
[Your swaggering is also at an end now!]
[You will become the same state as us!]
[Eee-heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!]
With that mind-numbing spectacle before his eyes, Cao Yangzi momentarily released the strength that was going into his hand.
Chui did not miss that split-second opening.
Stab!
The shortly held spear lodged into Cao Yangzi’s abdomen.
“Keuhg!?”
Cao Yangzi’s small eyes widened as if tearing.
Chui lifted the spear blade that had entered Cao Yangzi’s belly upward and then stirred it fiercely.
The spear blade did not penetrate Cao Yangzi’s belly, but instead tore all the internal organs inside his belly to shreds.
Barf!
Cao Yangzi vomited blood from his mouth.
It was blood heavily mixed with fragments of internal organs.
“H-How…… how…… did you……?”
Cao Yangzi looked down at Chui with an expression of disbelief.
Chui shrugged.
Cao Yangzi was a veteran who had fought many one-on-one battles, but those were merely duels or sparring matches with forms and structures.
However, the place where Chui lived was the battlefield.
In that place overflowing with blind swords, spears, and arrows, all kinds of horrible atrocities that humans could experience were commonplace.
A low-ranking soldier’s life-and-death struggle.
A desperate struggle, floundering while disregarding one’s life.
For Chui, these were things that were nothing new.
…Clatter!
The spear and the sword fell to the floor at the same time.
The one standing was Chui, and the one fallen was Cao Yangzi.
Cao Yangzi lay on the floor, looking up at Chui.
Chui stood straight and looked down at Cao Yangzi.
The one about to die spoke to the living one.
“Kill only…… me…… and spare…… my son……”
The living one answered the dead one.
“No.”
If he were to show mercy while indulged in useless emotion, he would not have come all the way here.
No, in the first place, he would not have been able to stand in this spot.
Chui picked up the hammer he had dropped on the floor and struck Cao Yangzi’s face.
…Crunch! …Crunch! Whack!
Two confirming strikes, and the third hammer blow hit almost only the floor.
Chui withdrew the hammer and wiped the blood splattered on his face with his sleeve.
“You left without seeing him. Your grandchild.”
Soon, Chui passed Cao Yangzi’s corpse and headed inside.
An empty inner chamber.
At a glance, there seemed to be nothing.
However,
[Woo-woooo……]
[Young master……]
[That way…… that way……]
[This way…… this way……]
[There…… below…… the jar……]
the spear ghosts of the Cao Family Manor pointed in one direction while shedding tears of blood.
Chui walked toward the direction the ghosts pointed.
Sssssss……
A penetration wound in the flank is quickly healed.
He only had to wring a few Spear Ghost to squeeze out internal energy.
Soon, Chui stood in front of the table inside the inner chamber.
Two teacups.
Tea water that had not yet cooled.
Beside it, a large jar was placed.
…Crash!
Chui kicked and broke the bottom of the jar.
At that, there was a reaction inside.
“Heuak!?”
Cao Taibeom. Drenched in tears, he was seen crouching on the floor, trembling.
Seeing that sight, Chui furrowed his brows.
‘……Was it a fellow like this who coveted Ho Ye-yang.’
Ho Ye-yang, who burned her face and body with hot coals for her father’s revenge, and swallowed those coals to even change her voice.
Cao Taibeom, who hid inside a jar and trembled to escape the enemy even though his father died before his eyes.
One who did not know his place was greedy, drawing tears of blood from the eyes of countless people.
Because of such a trivial fellow, Ho Ye-yang had to abandon her gender and appearance, become an ugly avenger, and lose her life on the battlefield with the border barbarians.
Thud—
Chui grabbed Cao Taibeom’s hair.
And he asked.
“Are you still acting arrogant?”
“Uuuuu……”
“Because you met good parents, had a bit of money, and wielded a bit of power, did you think you were the protagonist of the world?”
Seeing Chui’s eyes burning crimson, Cao Taibeom’s crotch began to be soaked yellow.
“Fine. I will make you the center of this world.”
Soon, from the throat of Chui, who held the awl and hammer, a voice as hot as charcoal flowed out.
“The protagonist tonight is you.”
Coincidentally, today was the first day of the eleventh lunar month, the longest night of the year.
Unrivaled Spear Ghost