Chapter 26: Fierce Entrails (1)
The Fish Gut Sword radiated its blade-light without the slightest movement.
Just like the meaning of “fish gut” that the sword’s name possessed, Chui was also crouching like an intestine inside the wolf’s body.
The coldness of the meat felt against his skin, the stench of blood piercing to his marrow, the bones and hide tightly constricting his entire body.
Chui, who was contained within, held his breath, sharpened his blade, and waited for the moment as if he had become a sword.
As time passed, a fire blazed up and the sound of drums reverberated.
The woman currently performing the sword dance on the altar was of a noble status in the Namgung Clan.
Chui already knew that fact through a thorough preliminary investigation.
Around the time the sound of the sword cutting through the air grew closer, Chui came out of the wolf’s belly.
With his face covered by wearing the head-skin of a wolf cub, and his body stained with the blood of the mother wolf.
‘I shall avenge you mother and child instead.’
The only existences qualified to receive Chui’s mourning were the two wolves that had become sacrifices.
Other than them, everyone was merely a debtor who had to pay a blood debt.
A long time ago before his regression.
Toward the culprits of the Namgung Clan who had simply covered up the unjust destruction of the Tiger Pit Sect, Chui pulled himself out, becoming a fierce entrail.
*Riiip!*
When he tore through the wolf’s belly-skin and came outside, the face of the person that first caught Chui’s eyes was that of Namgung Yul.
She, who had been performing the sword dance, stared here while frozen in that very posture.
Ripples arose in her eyes, which were as large as lakes.
Receiving her gaze, in which all these emotions of astonishment, disbelief, and fear were melted, Chui reached out his hand.
*Grab!*
Namgung Yul’s neck fell into Chui’s grasp.
Chui exerted strength into his hand.
…*Crack!*
Namgung Yul’s slender neck caught in that hand seemed as if it would break at any moment.
The neck bone extending straight like a tender bamboo inside the white, soft flesh.
Chui shook his hand with the momentum to snap and break it at the slightest provocation.
“Ack! Keheck! Cough!”
Namgung Yul drooled and coughed.
Her limbs flailed pitifully, and her neatly arranged hair became disheveled in an instant.
The mysterious atmosphere of just a moment ago was nowhere to be found.
It was a matter of course, since she was held by the throat by a blood-drenched monster who had popped out of nowhere.
Chui pulled Namgung Yul close and pressed down on the back of her neck.
And with the Fish Gut Sword held in his other hand, he tapped the back of Namgung Yul’s ear.
“From now on, I am going to strike your acupoints.”
“……”
“If you struggle, I will cut off your ear.”
“……”
Namgung Yul tightly closed her eyes as if feeling dizzy.
Before striking her acupoints, Chui examined her internal energy with the hand holding Namgung Yul’s neck.
‘Her internal energy is deep, but she has absolutely no actual combat experience.’
This is what happens when one learns martial arts sitting at a desk.
Though big in size, they grow up as fledglings whose downy feathers have not even fallen off yet.
No matter how big a chick grows, it is still a chick.
It is easily snatched even by a small hawk and loses everything.
Chui struck Namgung Yul’s paralysis acupoint and mute acupoint.
Then, holding her neck, he lifted her entire body and dragged her straight toward the front of the altar.
Even until then, the warriors of the Namgung Clan were unable to climb onto the altar.
“Y-You bastard! You rascal who deserves death! Release my daughter this instant…!”
Just as Namgung Pa, whose eyes were rolled back in rage, was about to scream.
Chui’s mouth opened.
“I have two demands.”
A stiff and dry voice.
Everyone’s gaze directed toward the wolf mask Chui was wearing.
Namgung Pa shouted.
“You villainous bastard! Did you not hear me tell you to release my daughter first…!”
At that moment, someone next to him interrupted Namgung Pa.
“Be quiet for a moment. Can you not hear what he is saying?”
“……!”
The identity of the person who rebuked Namgung Pa was none other than Namgung Cheon.
When had he come down from the pavilion?
He was stroking his beard with a calm expression.
“Son. Do not act rashly. Can you not fix that habit even after inheriting the position of Clan Leader?”
“……”
“If he intended to kill her, he would have killed her right away. Since he wants something else, is he not doing that over there?”
At Namgung Cheon’s words, Namgung Pa calmed his momentum.
Under the watch of all the warriors of the Namgung Clan, Chui opened his mouth once again.
“You are smart, old man.”
“Thank you, young man.”
Before the people of the world even had time to be astonished, Chui and Namgung Cheon exchanged a brief conversation.
The mysterious man spitting out the word “old man” toward the world-renowned Sword King was surprising, but the attitude of Namgung Cheon replying to it was also extraordinary.
Namgung Cheon gestured as if telling him to speak more.
Chui opened his mouth again.
“If there is any bastard who tries to interrupt my words from now on.”
The indifferent gaze inside the wolf mask directed toward Namgung Pa.
“I will first cut this girl’s throat before that.”
Everyone shut their mouths.
Namgung Pa also only bit his lips tightly and could not make any response.
Soon, Chui continued speaking.
“As I said earlier, I have two demands.”
Chui looked over all the crowds gathered below the altar and spoke calmly.
“First. Today’s Blood Oath Ceremony is invalid. Because it is unfair.”
At those words, the expressions of the Namgung Clan members hardened stiffly, and the expressions of others changed subtly.
Because the words Chui just spoke were harmful only to the Namgung Clan and beneficial to others.
Chui continued to speak.
“Because the Namgung Clan, which is called a giant of the Orthodox faction, constantly engages in such lowly and unfair contracts, the great cause cannot stand upright. I stood in this place today for the public interest.”
A brief silence followed after that.
The audience was showing a subtle reaction to Chui’s speech.
Naturally there was no cheering, but there was no booing either.
Everyone was watching the Namgung Clan’s reaction.
However, before any reaction could come from the Namgung Clan, Chui stated his second demand.
“Second. I must kill the bastard who made this treaty. If you send him up onto this altar, I will release this girl without a single scratch.”
At those words, the audience, who had been rolling their eyes with subtle expressions, was also astonished.
They had not expected him to make an even more outrageous demand than the first one.
Soon, Namgung Pa cautiously raised his hand.
Chui tilted his head and granted him the right to speak.
Namgung Pa ground his teeth and said.
“Are you done speaking?”
“I am done.”
“Then can I answer now?”
“Go ahead.”
When Chui nodded, Namgung Pa let out a low sigh.
And then he continued speaking in a heavy voice.
“We will modify the treaty fairly. However, killing the one who made the treaty terms is not possi…”
“Before saying it is not possible, how about asking the person’s own intention first?”
Chui’s response cut off Namgung Pa’s words.
With that, the gaze of the crowd shifted toward one place.
“……!”
It was none other than the spot where Namgung Paeng-saeng was standing.
The expression of Namgung Paeng-saeng, who was standing blankly, was dyed with embarrassment.
Because the one who made the treaty terms of this unfair contract was precisely him.
Although he did not know how the mysterious man knew this fact, now was not the time to ponder it.
Soon, Namgung Paeng-saeng shouted loudly.
“You villainous bastard! Do you think the Namgung Clan will play into your three inches of cunning tongue?”
But Chui was calm.
“If only you climb up here, I will release this woman without injury.”
“Crazy bastard! Are you telling me to seal my martial arts or something? Speak sense! You bastard whose tongue would not be enough even if pulled out and pickled in salt!”
Namgung Paeng-saeng shrieked as if he could not accept it.
Seeing that, Namgung Pa raised veins on his forehead.
“……”
But it was an unavoidable matter.
Since Chui’s demand now was telling Namgung Paeng-saeng to die instead of Namgung Yul, there was nothing he could do either.
However.
“When did I tell you to seal your martial arts?”
Chui’s tone was still sluggish and calm.
It was an attitude as if he really did not know and was asking.
Namgung Paeng-saeng knit his brows fiercely.
“……What do you mean, you villainous bastard! Did you not say that since you will send Yul-ah down, I should climb up there instead? Are you not saying we should exchange hostages!”
When Namgung Paeng-saeng asked, Chui answered once again.
“You do not need to seal your martial arts. Just come up.”
“……?”
“Because I can beat someone like you to death even without that.”
“……!”
Leaving aside the hostage situation, this was an insult as a martial artist to a martial artist.
How many people in the martial world could just let it pass after hearing such words?
Furthermore, it was even more so if it was someone who was an elder of the Namgung Clan, which was famous as one of the Fifteen Pillars of the Orthodox Path.
Namgung Paeng-saeng’s face flushed red with anger.
Soon, he turned to Namgung Pa and shouted loudly.
“Clan Leader! I will go! I will climb up and rescue Yul-ah!”
“……”
At those words, Namgung Pa shut his mouth and remained silent.
In this situation, it would not be easy for Namgung Paeng-saeng to reject Chui’s demand.
Regardless of whether the mysterious man’s words were right or wrong, the focus of the public’s attention was already fixed on whether Namgung Paeng-saeng would throw himself in for his niece or not.
Namgung Pa knew that as well.
But.
“……”
He was still hesitating.
Although he had to be wary of falling into the mysterious man’s scheme, the life of his daughter held hostage was too precious.
In the end, Namgung Pa made a decision.
“I understand, Elder of the Northern Palace. Please go up.”
“……!”
As soon as the Clan Leader’s permission was granted, Namgung Paeng-saeng’s expression changed oddly.
How should one put it, he felt uncomfortable and uneasy now that he actually had to climb up.
In a situation where he had absolutely no idea what kind of trick that mysterious bastard might be hiding, he had agreed to the proposal too hastily.
“……Ugh.”
Namgung Paeng-saeng began to hesitate, standing in a half-hearted posture in front of the altar.
As Clan Leader, Namgung Pa could not urge him either.
Because if he did so poorly, it could be seen as failing to fulfill the duties of a Clan Leader and driving a vassal to his death.
“……”
Everyone hesitated in a half-hearted manner.
The crowd was bewildered by this incident that had befallen the Namgung Clan, and the Namgung Clan was equally embarrassed to experience such a thing for the first time.
Clan Leader Namgung Pa and Namgung Paeng-saeng, the party designated by the mysterious man, were also hesitating, unable to do one thing or another.
Right at that moment, a shout that sounded irritated was heard.
“Paeng-saeng, you lazy bastard! How long are you going to make this old man wait!”
Namgung Cheon.
The only existence who was not watching anyone else’s reaction in this situation.
He, who had always dozed off with a bored expression, was scolding in a thunderous voice.
Furthermore, how was the look in his eyes?
Bright eyes that looked as if they had grown younger by more than a decade.
It was a gaze as if he was dying of amusement at this situation.
Namgung Paeng-saeng, who heard Namgung Cheon’s scolding, bowed his head in surprise as if burned by hot water.
“Yes, yes! Former Clan Leader! I-I will climb up right now!”
With this, it was established.
A mysterious person covered in blood all over his body.
And an old elder of the Namgung Clan.
Namely, the life-and-death duel between these two.
Unrivaled Spear Ghost