Chapter 74: Intertwined Branches (3)
A dark red spear lay before Chui’s eyes.
No, in fact, it had a shape that was a bit strange to call a spear.
The shaft divided into three segments and the black iron chains connecting them was reminiscent of a three-section staff or a multi-section whip.
At the end of the shaft at the very tip, the blade of the Plum Blossom Sword, which had transformed into the shape of a single-edged saber, was firmly attached.
Chui picked up the shaft divided into three segments and pushed the chains to the side.
After that, he tried to connect the divided shafts together.
…Clank!
As the small groove attached to the end of one shaft segment swallowed the latch at the end of the other shaft segment, the shaft was locked and fixed.
Once both segmented joints were connected, the three-section staff transformed into a single long spear.
Chui twisted the shaft again.
As he twisted both hands in opposite directions as if peeling willow bark,
…Clank!
The shaft was separated into three segments once again.
Clatter!
When he pulled the separated shafts to both ends, the long iron chain that had been swallowed inside the shaft revealed itself.
Click-
Chui twisted the shafts back to fit them together.
Next was the turn to inspect the spear blade.
The tip of the spear from which red energy flowed continuously.
The Plum Blossom Sword, which had held the subtle redness of a newly bloomed plum blossom, had now changed into the color of a deeply ripened blood plum blossom.
Chui plucked a single stiff hair and tried dropping it onto the spear blade.
Slice-
As soon as the hair fell onto the spear blade, it was cleanly cut vertically.
Chui nodded his head.
“At least it looks plausible on the surface.”
“What? On the surface? You wanna die!?”
Hae Baek-jeong raised the hammer, but it seemed she no longer had the strength to strike down.
Instead of rushing at Chui, she added in an annoyed tone.
“Since I gave birth to it, I can at least name it, right?”
“Do as you please.”
“Great. Since the staff of the Staff Ghost joined the sword of the Death Plum Blossom…… how about Plum Blossom Ghost?”
As long as the weapon had good killing power, what use was a name?
Chui roughly nodded his head.
However, since it held a fairly important meaning to the blacksmith who gave birth to the weapon, Hae Baek-jeong seemed relieved only after naming the spear.
“By the way…… you ordered a really unique weapon. How do you use such a deformed spear?”
Chui’s weapon was so strangely shaped that even Hae Baek-jeong was fascinated by it.
But Chui did not answer that.
He merely caressed the missed weight, missed length, missed touch, and missed shape quietly with his hand.
Plum Blossom Ghost Spear. This looked exactly like the weapon Chui used in his past life.
Usually he could use it like a spear, and when he wanted to hide it, he could fold it and put it inside his breast. If necessary, he could bend the shaft to perplex the opponent, divide it into three to use like a whip, or divide it into two to use like a flail.
Since it was also possible to separately bend only the topmost shaft to wield it like a sword, it could indeed be called the essence of deformed anomaly.
“I will try using it once.”
Chui headed to the bamboo forest in the backyard of the blacksmith shop with the spear.
As it happened, black bamboo grew densely there.
…Clank!
Chui assembled the spear in a straight line to make it a normal shape.
Soon, Chui’s spear drew a long circle.
Slash- slash- crack!
The distant bamboo was touched by the red spear blade and sliced into pieces.
In that state, Chui twisted and bent the spear.
…Clank!
In the blink of an eye, the lock was released and the spear bent into three segments.
It wriggled like a whip and cut down other bamboo in a completely unexpected trajectory.
Clatter-
Chui immediately retrieved the spear and held only the very last segment in his hand.
The other two segments were hung loosely at his waist using the chains, and holding only the long-stretched chain and the shaft at the end, it took the form of holding a single long sword in his hand.
Crack, crack!
Not only the bamboo at a distance but also the bamboo close by were all cut to pieces.
Chui immediately threw the blade in his hand and released all the chains and other shaft segments at the end.
At the very moment the spear stretched out the longest.
…Click!
The thrown spear blade disconnected from the last shaft segment.
That meant the fourth segment, where only the spear blade existed, was stretching out long while attached to the chain.
Thud-
The spear blade that shot out from the end of the shaft lodged deeply into a rock.
Clatter-
Chui pulled the chain attached to the spear blade and returned the spear back to its original shape.
“I have no memory of ordering such a function, though?”
Chui turned back to Hae Baek-jeong standing behind him.
At that, she spoke hesitantly.
“No…… while making it, I got too carried away by my mood…… and my hands moved on their own……”
“Are you saying you made a mistake?”
“It is not that! There, there is such a thing! When making something, that creation sometimes escapes the hands of the handler and gains its own life to run wild…… anyway. I made it as if possessed, and when I looked, it had become like that!”
“Hmm.”
Chui held his chin and pondered for a moment.
An unexpected fourth segment.
‘Well, it might not be bad.’
Chui nodded his head.
From what he had experienced so far, there were many times when he was troubled because the shaft segments were lacking, but there was never a time when he was troubled because there were too many segments.
Meanwhile, Hae Baek-jeong was half-opening her mouth as she looked at the bamboo cut down by Chui.
Completely devastated bamboo.
They were all seen cut at a uniform height.
Looking at the dark bamboo cut to the same length regardless of whether they were at a far distance or a short distance, Hae Baek-jeong somehow felt a chill down her spine.
‘Did I fight such a monster……’
Chui holding the deformed spear was terrifying to the point that it could not be compared to the time when he walked around holding a single staff.
Hae Baek-jeong inspected the cut bamboo.
‘The length of a general spear is up to there…… the range of the Plum Blossom Ghost also seems to be around that at a glance. But in fact, the distance the blade of the Plum Blossom Ghost reaches is three times, no, more than four times that.’
It would likely be a bolt from the blue for the enemy facing Chui.
Since they would think they had surely escaped to a safe distance, only for their vision to suddenly turn red for a brief moment, and then that would be the end.
‘Although the snake-belly sword style of Dongying operates in that manner…… to think there is a madman trying to apply that principle to a spear.’
And at the thought that she had created a splendid result according to that madman’s order, Hae Baek-jeong felt complex and subtle emotions.
Perhaps, perhaps she was participating in the birth of some terrifying existence that would remain as a legend for generations.
But regardless of that, Chui was continuing to test the spear.
Click-
Returning the spear to a normal appearance by assembling it into one, Chui continued to display orthodox spear techniques after that.
‘If you rely on the deformed characteristics of the weapon, your skill will deteriorate. Start with the basics. Step by step.’
Chui grabbed the Plum Blossom Ghost and infused his internal force.
This deformed and wild spear, in which neither the energy of Death Plum Blossom Oh Ja-woon nor the energy of Staff Ghost Gu Gang-ryong could be felt anymore, was resisting Chui’s dominance and running wild like a wild horse.
Chui finely adjusted the internal force he infused to control this fresh, lively new weapon.
Inside Circle Spear, Outside Circle Spear, Low Inside Circle Spear, Low Outside Circle Spear, High Inside Circle Spear, High Outside Circle Spear, Absorbing Spear, Swirling Spear.
The eight movements of the Eight Mother Movements unfolded naturally like flowing water.
Emperor Qin Grinds the Flag, Phoenix Nods Head, White Snake Toys with the Wind, Iron Broom, Parting Grass to Find the Snake, and finally the connection of the First Strike, Second Advance, Third Obstruct, Fourth Entangle, Fifth Seize, and Sixth Straight.
A movement spanning six bouts, including variation and connection forms, followed.
Click-
The spear was sufficiently powerful even without transforming into a deformed shape.
It was flexible and springy enough to easily counterattack the opponent’s strike with the Seize technique, and tough and firm enough to properly receive the power of the footwork when thrusting with force.
It was a weapon with basic techniques solid enough to pierce through the gap and surely take the opponent’s life in that brief moment when the opponent flinched in surprise at the spear’s appearance.
“It is usable.”
Chui nodded his head.
Of course it was not as good as the one he used in his past life, but it seemed he could use it for a considerable period of time.
Hae Baek-jeong’s skill was indeed beyond expectations.
Hae Baek-jeong, who had approached him at some point, grumbled.
“It should not be ‘It is usable’ but ‘This is the first time in my life I have seen such a famous spear.'”
“It is not to that extent.”
“Bullshit. Look at the mess you made.”
Perhaps because she had overexerted her body, her tone was very rough.
Chui turned his head toward the place Hae Baek-jeong pointed.
The mountainside, which had been a bamboo forest, had turned into a bald mountain before he knew it.
“The people here will not have to worry about vessels and firewood for the time being.”
Hae Baek-jeong spoke, kicking the pile of cut bamboo down the mountainside.
Soon.
Click! Click! Clank!
Chui folded the spear into four pieces and wrapped it around his body.
If he wore baggy clothes over this, no one would know from the outside whether Chui possessed a spear or not.
Soon, Chui tried to leave.
“Hey! Are you just leaving?”
However, Hae Baek-jeong continued to follow behind Chui.
“What is it?”
“What do you mean?”
When Chui asked, Hae Baek-jeong smiled with a pale face.
“I said I would help. With the revenge.”
“…….”
Chui recalled the last words Hae Baek-jeong had said before losing consciousness on the riverbank.
‘Help me.’
He had thought it simply meant to save her life, but it seemed she wanted a bit more.
“I will strike the Yangtze River Water Bandit Union. Help me.”
“…….”
“Anyway, didn’t you have business with Tiger Butcher, that bastard, too? It did not look like you were going to visit him with good intentions.”
In its own way, she was right.
Chui stood in his place with a furrowed brow.
And he pondered for a moment.
Meanwhile, Hae Baek-jeong coaxed Chui with subtle words.
“I made you a spear through all that hard work, surely you are not thinking of taking it and running away? Leaving your wife behind in this remote mountain valley?”
“Who is your wife?”
“Don’t you know the saying to cherish weapons like children? Since that spear is your child, you are the father. And the mother who gave birth to that spear is me. Therefore, while you use that spear, I am your wife.”
Hae Baek-jeong smiled and leaned against a rock.
“And I am too exhausted from making that spear to exact revenge on my own. You must help me.”
“…….”
“And also. Are you going to barge into the Yangtze River Water Bandit Union bare-handed? I know many paths to enter the mountain fortress without shedding a single drop of blood.”
At this point, there was no reason not to join hands with Hae Baek-jeong.
Chui made a decision.
“Only until I meet the Tiger Butcher.”
“Sure. I have no intention of following you around for long either.”
“If you do anything foolish, I will kill you immediately.”
“What a waste. I wanted to say that first.”
Eventually, Chui and Hae Baek-jeong stood facing each other.
“…….”
“?”
Chui grimaced at Hae Baek-jeong, who was staring blankly at his face.
Regardless of that, Hae Baek-jeong exclaimed.
“I thought of it!”
“What.”
“A method to infiltrate the Yangtze River Water Bandit Union without shedding a single drop of blood.”
She reached out, grabbed both of Chui’s cheeks, and squeezed them tightly.
“……It is precisely using this face.”
Unrivaled Spear Ghost