Chapter 52: Loss of a Child (3)
Hae Baek-jeong.
This woman, who had a name meaning pig butcher, was of the Thousand-Head rank, of which there were only twelve in the Yangtze River Water Bandit Union.
She looked at Chui, twitching the scar on the bridge of her nose.
“My subordinates were indebted to you at Qutang Gorge. At Lijiang as well.”
“…….”
“It is because I have a personality that cannot live with debt.”
Uniquely, Hae Baek-jeong used twin swords.
The red sword in her right hand and the blue sword in her left hand were dripping tears of the sword of different colors.
Following the Hegemon Society Leader, Do Mak-saeng, the Thousand-Head Hae Baek-jeong.
Faced with the coordinated attack of two peak experts, Chui also had no choice but to have many thoughts.
‘Was the reason Do Mak-saeng grew strange because of this woman?’
Chui thought of the incomprehensible actions Do Mak-saeng had shown just a moment ago in connection with Hae Baek-jeong.
However.
“Get lost!”
Do Mak-saeng shouted at Hae Baek-jeong without hesitation.
Hae Baek-jeong, who was standing on the ridge of the pavilion’s roof, opened her eyes wide toward Do Mak-saeng who suddenly shouted.
“What? You said Three Calls of the Yellow Springs is a common enemy. Did you forget what we negotiated?”
“Do not interfere uselessly, and come out of there!”
“……?”
Hae Baek-jeong extended her index finger, placed it near her temple, and spun it around a few times.
“Did your mind go screwy? I do not know why you are suddenly acting crazy.”
Before long, she kicked off the pavilion roof.
And after landing in a spot far away from Do Mak-saeng, she began to confront Chui.
“……?”
Meanwhile. Chui did not fully understand this current situation.
It was certain that Do Mak-saeng and Hae Baek-jeong had joined hands before, but what was the reason Do Mak-saeng’s attitude suddenly turned strange?
‘Well, it does not matter.’
One cannot resolve all curiosities.
For now, he had no choice but to focus on one important fact.
Whoosh— bang!
Precisely, the swords of Hae Baek-jeong flying toward this side.
Clang!
Chui raised his staff to block Hae Baek-jeong’s twin swords.
Creak—
Hae Baek-jeong spun her body, playing the two swords alternately.
Because of that, the frequency of the swords slipping through openings was twice as many as other swordsmen, and they were that much faster.
In the midst of that, Do Mak-saeng also began his attack.
Boom, crash, bang!
His slashes only flew toward Chui, evading Hae Baek-jeong.
“It seems you have finally come to your senses.”
“Hmph! Just drive him properly!”
Hae Baek-jeong and Do Mak-saeng drove Chui by swinging their twin swords and saber respectively.
The illusionary swords moving dizzily and the tyrant blade pushing in powerfully targeted Chui’s neck from beginning to end.
“…….”
Deflecting the flying swords with his staff and retreating backward to evade the raging saber, Chui was heading toward the lakeside.
Boom!
Chui went into the water and swept the bottom by stirring his staff.
Along with a thick spray of water, pebbles flew like shrapnel, targeting Hae Baek-jeong and Do Mak-saeng.
“Tsk—”
Hae Baek-jeong deflected the water by swinging the hem of her robe, but she could do nothing about the stones.
Clatter, clatter!
In the end, she had to hide behind a rock to evade the flying pebbles.
However.
Whoosh—
Chui was not one to leave it be.
The moment Hae Baek-jeong turned her body toward a large rock nearby, Chui’s staff was plunged into that very position.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing.
Along with a sharp noise, the two twin swords flew far toward the lake.
“Damn it!”
Hae Baek-jeong, who lost her swords, quickly retreated.
And Do Mak-saeng’s giant frame filled that empty space.
“Die!”
Do Mak-saeng pushed in, leading with his giant build and saber.
Chui played his staff once again to create a spray of water and a shower of pebbles, but it was not enough to stop Do Mak-saeng’s charge.
Boom! Boom, crash, bang!
As Do Mak-saeng swung his saber greatly from top to bottom, the water split into two, and a deep crack formed on the bottom beneath it.
Swoosh—
Chui’s staff cut the water current.
Beyond the water spray and pebbles that blurred his vision, a black trajectory flew like a venomous snake, targeting Do Mak-saeng’s neck.
However.
Clang!
Due to an axe flying suddenly from the side, the trajectory of the staff was deflected.
Hae Baek-jeong, who had returned before anyone knew, had picked up a large hatchet and was swinging it.
Swoosh—
Hae Baek-jeong spun the hatchet, striking down at Chui with centrifugal force added to the weight of the axe blade.
Chui hurriedly turned his head sideways.
The coldness of the axe blade thinly sliced into his cheek.
A few drops of blood and a handful of hair near his temple fluttered in the air.
Chui wiped the blood flowing from his cheek and asked.
“Do you use such a crude thing too?”
“I tend to use whatever is caught in my hand. I am a water bandit, am I not?”
Hae Baek-jeong spun the hatchet she had picked up from the corpse of a dead Hegemon Society guard.
There was a large iron ring near the handle, so it fit perfectly when her wrist went inside.
Whoosh, whoosh— crack!
Hae Baek-jeong spun the ring of the hatchet’s handle around her wrist, then struck down.
Chui tilted his staff to block it.
…Boom!
Hae Baek-jeong’s internal energy formed on the axe blade, dripping down like dew on an execution ground.
If the internal energy formed on a sword was called the tears of the sword, this was worthy of being called the tears of the axe.
…Boom! …Boom! …Boom! …Boom! …Boom!
Hae Baek-jeong continued to rotate the axe.
And with good momentum, she struck down successively, making Chui’s knees bend halfway.
Chui smiled faintly.
“It feels like chopping firewood.”
“Do not smile. You are handsome, so it makes my heart grow weak.”
Hae Baek-jeong finished speaking and retreated quickly.
Do Mak-saeng, who leaped up above that, slashed down his saber once again.
Screeech!
Chui’s two feet were buried up to his knees in the gravel field.
Do Mak-saeng immediately backed away, and Hae Baek-jeong plunged in once again.
Being peak experts, the consecutive strikes were executed perfectly despite clashing together for the first time.
Chui planted his staff in the ground and used that force to pull out his knees.
And while holding the staff, he leaped into the air and kicked the chin of the retreating Do Mak-saeng.
“Gah!?”
Do Mak-saeng spat out a few teeth along with blood from his mouth.
However, Chui was not satisfied with that.
Spin—
Chui showered caltrops from his chest toward Hae Baek-jeong below.
“Ow, that hurts!”
While Hae Baek-jeong retreated, shaking off the caltrops stuck in the back of her neck and back, Chui swung his hand toward Do Mak-saeng once again.
Thud!
Do Mak-saeng blocked the hammer that flew before his nose with his thick palm.
However.
…Stab!
He could not block the awl that flew immediately after.
The sharp sting when the blade of the awl pierced through the skin of his palm changed into a burning pain as if scorched by fire by the time the blade tip pierced through the back of his hand.
“Damn it!”
Do Mak-saeng quickly shook his hand.
However, because countless tiny barbs were raised on the blade of the awl, it could not be pulled out simply by shaking his hand.
In the end, Do Mak-saeng could pull out the awl stuck in his hand only after retreating and putting down his saber.
Crack—
As the awl was pulled out, blood streamed from the hole in his palm.
Confirming that Do Mak-saeng retreated, Chui finally retrieved his staff and retreated.
“Wow—you survive this.”
Hae Baek-jeong admired.
Do Mak-saeng was also gritting his teeth.
Before long, Do Mak-saeng shouted loudly.
“Assemble, everyone!”
At those words, Chui looked back.
“……!”
When had they gathered like this.
The guards of the Hegemon Society had crossed the eastern bridge and arrived at the island.
Shing…… Clang! Clang!
The sound of drawing swords was loud.
Thirty-two guards clad in black cloaks surrounded Chui.
On their chests, the words ‘Special-Class Guard’ embroidered with gold thread were shining.
Chui scanned the aspects of the Tyrant Blade members forming the encirclement.
‘……They are not minnows.’
These guys looked stronger than the Six Tigers of the Hegemon Society he had killed at Fuchai Pavilion before.
Meaning each of them was an elite, competent swordsman.
“Phew—”
Chui let out a small sigh.
Two peak experts.
And thirty-two Special-Class Guards.
“Slightly excessive for post-meal exercise.”
Chui’s temple held a drop of cold sweat.
At that point, Do Mak-saeng’s command fell.
“Kill him!”
It seemed he planned to capture Chui by commanding his subordinates rather than stepping forward himself.
Hae Baek-jeong also backed away half a step, not joining that flow.
“Ah—that sting. Then I will also be off.”
She began to observe the situation while removing a caltrop lightly stuck in the back of her neck.
Before long.
Thud, thud, thud—
The Special-Class Guards drew their red sabers and narrowed the distance toward Chui.
“Fine. Come at me.”
Chui gestured with his hand toward the guard at the very front.
It was still an expressionless face, a voice without high or low.
Then, one guard in the back row stepped forward with a sneer.
He was a swordsman with a build as large as Do Mak-saeng.
“A novice playing tricks. What do you intend to do with that body?”
Right at that moment.
“I will do this.”
Chui’s staff moved.
The staff end held with only his index finger and middle finger.
And the opposite end of the staff that shot straight forward precisely crushed the Special-Class Guard’s nose tip.
“Gah!?”
The guard held his nose and sprayed a nosebleed.
Chui knitted his brows.
‘Originally I intended to smash his skull…… but he threw his head back at that moment.’
Since they were guys receiving treatment of the Special-Class Guard level, it seemed they would not die so easily.
“Strike first!”
“Here I go!”
“Yah!”
The guards on the opposite side rushed in a crowd, carrying sabers.
Chui swung his staff to push them away, and pulled the ear of the one at the very front.
“Ugh!?”
The guard whose ear was grabbed was dragged by Chui’s hand.
Stab—
Chui immediately drove the awl into his eye.
“Aaahhhh!”
The guard shrieked, spraying blood from his eye.
Chui used his body as a shield and advanced.
…Thud! …Thud!
Two guards who were turning sideways to enter collapsed, struck by the hammer swung by Chui.
However, they did not die.
Kneeling on one knee, they still held their heads high toward Chui.
Seeing their eyes alive despite blood streaming from where their heads were burst, they were well-trained hounds.
Even the guy whose eye was pierced by the awl just now was staring at Chui with his opposite eye.
Chui spoke.
“……You are dogs that lack insight in choosing a master. Just like the guy named Il-do before.”
“If one knows how to choose and serve a master, is that a dog?”
Do Mak-saeng sneered from beyond the guards’ encirclement.
He gave a solemn command toward the guards.
“What are you doing! Go slice him up! I will offer him before my son’s spirit!”
At those words, the guards’ eyes grew even more ferocious.
Their blades, dyed in blood, shone even brighter upon receiving the moonlight that had begun to rise before anyone knew.
Meanwhile. Chui thought.
‘……It is actually good.’
Those who die to Chui turn into spear ghost.
Chui, who absorbs the spear ghost, grows even stronger.
If he killed all thirty-two swordsmen here and then turned them into spear ghost to employ, he would be able to grow stronger than now.
“Come.”
Of course, surviving this swamp of blood-red sword stabs would be first.
Unrivaled Spear Ghost