Chapter 63: Finally Establishing the Name of a Rascal (3)
The sky was completely dyed with ink wash (水墨).
The boy was holding a black staff.
It had an appearance as if the ink color that painted the sky was drawn down to the ground in a single stroke.
Chui blocked Bi Mu-geuk’s way while holding the ink bamboo (墨竹).
“He who ties the knot must untie it (結者解之).”
Toward the Plum Blossom Swordsman standing leaning on his sword, Chui spoke briefly.
“If you are going to untie it to the end, I will leave you be, but if you run away without untying it, I have no choice but to block you.”
“…”
Bi Mu-geuk grit his teeth and was glaring at Chui.
At first, he wondered what kind of fresh young punk had blocked his path without knowing his place.
So he intended to ignore him and go on, or strike him dead with a single sword strike, but… once he stood in confrontation with his sword drawn, the opponent’s spirit was not ordinary.
An oppressive feeling as if facing a massive black mountain (黑山) in front of his eyes was being transmitted.
Eventually, a groan that seemed about to be cut off flowed from Bi Mu-geuk’s mouth.
“I see. You are that fellow called Three Calls of the Yellow Springs or whatever. I heard you caused trouble in the Namgung Clan?”
“Ask that woman later if it was something that could be wrapped up with the expression ‘trouble’.”
It was obvious whom ‘that woman’ of the Namgung Clan referred to.
Bi Mu-geuk spoke while laying his sword horizontally.
“Namgung Yul, what did you do to that child?”
Then, Chui moved his staff instead of answering.
Among the grass on the ground, a long hem of clothing was caught and brought out by the staff.
Flutter—
The blood-stained hem of clothing fluttered like a flag in the wind and rain.
It was a part of the light armor Namgung Yul had been wearing until recently.
Bi Mu-geuk nodded.
“Is the writing on the rock also your work?”
“Yes.”
“Where are my subordinates?”
“They must be lying in the same place as the woman.”
“I see.”
Bi Mu-geuk closed his eyes for a moment.
And soon he opened his mouth in a low voice.
“Each and every one of my subordinates was a strong warrior.”
“…”
“If you killed them all, your body surely would not be intact either.”
“…”
Chui was silent.
Bi Mu-geuk made a proposal toward such a Chui.
“If you and I fight, one of the two will die. And the remaining one will also find it difficult to descend the mountain with an intact body.”
“What are you trying to do?”
“How about we each go our own way from here?”
Bi Mu-geuk did not know Chui.
He only guessed vaguely.
‘The time when that fellow and Oh Ja-woon met has not been long. At best, two demonic heads temporarily joined hands to break through the encirclement. Where would there be loyalty to care for each other while risking their lives?’
So he was misjudging like this.
Naturally, Chui did not step aside.
“Let’s stop the nonsense here.”
Chui swung his staff to shake off Namgung Yul’s clothing hem.
And then he continued speaking, advancing step by step toward Bi Mu-geuk.
“From now on, tell me the weakness of your sword art.”
“…Are you crazy? Why should I tell you my weakness?”
“I am trying to help you.”
Chui stared at Bi Mu-geuk with an expression without a single hint of a smile.
“Only then can I kill you a little faster and less painfully.”
“…”
Bi Mu-geuk could not laugh.
It was because of the sincerity felt in Chui’s words.
Bi Mu-geuk spoke while holding his sword.
“Indeed, you are fit to hang out with a public enemy of the martial world. Are you also going to the Demonic Cult?”
“No. I am not going.”
“I cannot believe you.”
“It does not matter whether you believe it or not.”
Chui’s answer was still short.
Getting hit by the pouring rain, Bi Mu-geuk brandished his sword.
The blood scattered from his waist and right foot dyed the tip of the sword red.
In that way, the red trajectory of plum blossoms filled the front of Chui’s eyes colorfully.
Plum Blossom by the Roadside (梅花路傍), Plum Blossom Butterfly Dance (梅花蝶舞), Plum Blossom Exhaling Allure (梅花吐艶), Plum Blossoms Opening for Sharp Guidance (梅開利導), Plum Blossom Falling in Sunlight (梅花落暹), Falling and Falling Plum Blossoms (梅花落落), Plum Blossoms Falling in Profusion (梅花頻紛), Plum Blossom Blood Rain (梅花血雨), Nine Transformations of the Plum Blossom (梅花九變), Plum Blossom in Full Bloom (梅花滿開), Plum Blossom Enduring Winter (梅花忍冬), Plum Blossoms Gradually Opening (梅花漸開)…
And following that, the next stances stretched out.
Thirteenth Stance: Gradually Spreading Plum Blossoms (梅花漸漸).
The bloomed plum blossoms spread and spread, creating waves of color.
It pushed in fiercely with a momentum that seemed about to dye even Chui’s black color.
Fourteenth Stance: Plum Blossoms in Full Splendor (梅花爛漫).
The plum blossoms fluttered chaotically and scattered in full bloom.
Bi Mu-geuk’s sword was blocking not only Chui’s retreat route but also his path forward entirely.
Fifteenth Stance: Falling Plum Blossoms in Profusion (落梅紛紛).
The chaotically flying plum blossoms covered the entire world.
They slowly carved away Chui’s body as he stood still, scattering red in full bloom.
Sixteenth Stance: Falling Plum Blossoms Forming Rain (落梅成雨).
The plum blossom petals formed rain.
Even the countless raindrops falling from the sky were deeply dyed with the color of these plum blossoms.
Seventeenth Stance: Plum Shadow Creating a River (梅影造河).
The rainwater dyed with the plum blossom color like that fell to the ground, making a river of petals.
That also was creating strong waves as if about to cover Chui’s entire body.
Eighteenth Stance: Plum Enduring Snowy Cold (梅忍雪寒).
Chui swung his staff, but the plum blossom petals did not split.
The petals, which had become even redder after enduring the cold winter, clung to Chui’s staff as they were, fluttering in the air and biting off his flesh.
Bi Mu-geuk shouted.
“I will also cut off your neck while I am at it and bring it to the Namgung Clan!”
The highly skilled Plum Blossom Sword Art displayed by the Plum Blossom Swordsman pushed Chui.
Even until then, Chui did not show any particular reaction.
Only.
Slowly raising his staff.
Whoosh—
He had only stirred it hard to the side once.
“…!”
Bi Mu-geuk’s eyes widened as if they would tear.
Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop!
At a single stick swing, which could not even be called a stance, countless petals faded away.
Bi Mu-geuk was startled by the violent blow striking the back of his sword and stepped back.
Throb—throb—throb—
The blade only grazed the tip of the staff, yet his wrist throbbed like crazy.
If he had made even a slight mistake, he would have dropped the sword as it was.
Bang! Bang! Whoosh!
Chui silently swung the stick.
The ways the black staff moved were exactly three.
Lan (攔): turning the staff to push outward.
Na (拿), pulling the staff inward to press down.
Zha (扎), thrusting the staff forward.
With only these three movements, Chui broke through most of the Twenty-Four Movements Plum Blossom Sword Art.
“…! …! …!”
Bi Mu-geuk’s eyes widened as if they would tear.
He could not help but be shocked.
Because his ultimate technique, the plum blossom petals he had painstakingly bloomed strand by strand and leaf by leaf, was being ruthlessly torn apart by the violence of a crazy thug’s stick swings.
And through the gap revealed for a brief moment by that shock, Chui’s staff pushed in mercilessly and forcefully.
Thwack!
The tip of the swung stick struck Bi Mu-geuk’s cheek.
Flesh fell off in lumps, and the alignment of Bi Mu-geuk’s left molars was revealed clearly.
“…!”
Bi Mu-geuk thrust his final sword while feeling his facial skin being pushed back, but it was blocked by Chui’s staff and could not advance any further.
Klang!
Along with countless flying sparks, Chui raised the shaft of his staff and deflected Bi Mu-geuk’s sword.
And.
Thump!
He drove the opposite end of the staff into Bi Mu-geuk’s stomach, lifted him up as he was, and threw him down onto the ground.
Squish! Crash!
Bi Mu-geuk was dragged around with his clothes caught by the staff, unable to put up any significant resistance.
“Kugheok!?”
Bi Mu-geuk, who was plunged into the rainwater puddle, raised his face covered in blood.
In front of him, Chui’s staff fell down once again.
Crash!
The ground was dented, and waves of muddy water rose.
Bi Mu-geuk hastily rolled on the ground to escape from Chui’s range.
“Heave… gasp… pant…”
He checked Chui’s movements with a wary gaze.
However, Chui only blocked or countered Bi Mu-geuk’s attacks and did not push in separately.
He just stood in a relaxed manner, blocking all of Bi Mu-geuk’s escape routes.
Chui was teasing Bi Mu-geuk, like a cat playing with a mouse.
Bi Mu-geuk spoke as if spitting out.
“You… what are you plotting? Why are you only lingering around instead of coming in?”
“Because I am curious.”
“What?”
When Bi Mu-geuk asked, Chui answered briefly.
“In any case, the only ones alive here right now are you and I.”
“…”
At those words, Bi Mu-geuk glanced to the side.
Oh Ja-woon, who leaned against the old tree, was still not budging.
Seeing that not even the sound of breathing could be heard, he had probably died long ago.
Chui spoke.
“I mean, this place is the burial site of you and Oh Ja-woon anyway.”
“…”
“If you have hidden anything, confess it before you go. Anyway, from now on, you and Oh Ja-woon will have to be together until your bones turn to dust. There would be no problem even if you open your hearts to each other and express your feelings.”
At Chui’s words, Bi Mu-geuk let out a hollow laugh.
“What are you asking me to confess? What is your relationship with Oh Ja-woon?”
“Just a traveling companion. I heard the circumstances roughly on the way. I was curious too. Who the real culprit would be.”
The expression of Chui, who shook the blood off his staff, was still calm beyond measure.
It really looked like a light curiosity.
“What happened that night? Who killed the two women?”
“…”
It was a question asked on the premise that Oh Ja-woon was not the culprit in the first place.
Unlike other times, Bi Mu-geuk did not answer this question right away.
Whoosh—
The rain became heavier and heavier.
As if to erase everything and wash it away, it was pouring down crazily like that.
Eventually, Bi Mu-geuk’s mouth, which had kept silent, opened.
“…Yes. It does not matter since it is all over anyway.”
From his mouth, the truth of a long time ago flowed out.
“Let me tell you what a tragic life that guy has lived.”
Bi Mu-geuk spoke while glancing at the dead Oh Ja-woon.
Was it ridicule?
Or was it a sense of shame?
The corner of his mouth, soaked with blood and rainwater, was bizarrely twisted with only the right side remaining.
“The person who killed that guy’s wife was not Junior Sister. And the one who killed Junior Sister was not that guy either.”
“Oh, indeed. Then who is it?”
Chui’s reaction was light.
As if it were really a passing curiosity.
Bi Mu-geuk twitched his torn left cheek.
And then he answered as if exhaling a stale breath.
“It was me.”
It was precisely that answer that Oh Ja-woon had chased throughout his life.
Unrivaled Spear Ghost