"I do not know."
I shook my head with an indifferent face. The middle-aged man lifted the brim of his bamboo hat and stared at me intently. His rough face, like his voice, was clearly marked by the passage of time.
His tanned wrinkles, prominent cheekbones, and deeply sunken eyes exuded a familiar scent of blood. It was the aura of a formidable murderer. Staring straight into his sharp gaze, I prepared to draw my long blade at any moment.
I subtly circulated my inner energy, as thin as a single silk thread, and stealthily examined the area around his neck. He was wrapped in a thick fur coat, so I couldn't confirm if he had the Medicine Buddha tattoo. Was he with that demonic sect warrior?
Or was he chasing him? Either way, the fact that he spoke to us as soon as we left the inn meant he had been watching. Why, out of so many people, did he have to ask me?
Did he go around asking every martial artist he saw carrying a sword? That was possible, but it seemed more likely that he recognized us as people from the Western Shadow Sword Sect. This was my first time in Red Wave Village, but Sister Soso had lived here for seven years.
There must have been some residents who knew her face. My guess was not wrong. When I shook my head, the middle-aged man immediately showed the portrait to Sister Soso.
"What about you, madam? Perhaps you recognize this man?"
Sister Soso narrowed her eyes and stared intently at the rather detailed face of the black-robed figure.
"I don't know. I've never seen him before. Who is he? Is he a brother you lost as a child?"
The middle-aged man silently folded the portrait, tucked it into his robes, and turned away. As his long robe fluttered, the sword at his waist was revealed. I watched his back intently as he walked away with firm, unhesitating steps.
His stride was unnervingly uniform. His shoulders barely moved. Despite his control, a murderous aura emanated from him.
I didn't know where he came from, but he was no clumsy wandering swordsman. I thought everything here was settled with the closing of the Western Shadow Sword Sect, but where do these monsters keep popping up from? This has become a headache.
Tsking inwardly, I passed through the crowded main street and entered the inn. I went out the back door and led Sister Soso and Ju-gyeong to the detached houses.
"I'll be out for a bit.” “Where are you going?"
“I'm going to check the smithies to see if there are any decent daggers.”
I gave a vague excuse and left the inn. I blended in with the passersby, then stopped at a quiet, empty lot at the end of the street. After looking at the snow-covered distant mountains and the desolate landscape silently enduring the winter wind, I turned my head.
“It's cold, you can come out now.”
There was no presence at all. Was I overreacting…… As I tilted my head and carefully scanned the surroundings, the middle-aged man emerged from an alley next to a warehouse.
“Your senses are quite sharp.”
“Why were you following me?" "I'm looking for the man in the portrait.”
“I told you I don't know him."
“I heard that woman is part of the Western Shadow Sword Sect.”
“The sword school was shut down." The middle-aged man took off his bamboo hat. A hero's knot, tying back his graying hair which was bundled into a single knot, fluttered meaninglessly in the wind.
The hero's knot was so worn it looked like he might have used it since he was a martial arts novice, and the middle-aged man's face was deeply wrinkled.
“I know.
The sect leader is dead too. The young master left, and the Mount Hua Sect mediated, right? So what do you think happened to that man?"
The middle-aged man crossed his arms and stared at me intently.
"Did he die.. or did you kill him?"
“I don't know. I don't know who you're talking about, but why do you suspect he's connected to the Western Shadow Sword Sect?" “He said he was going to do business with the Western Shadow Sword Sect and never came back."
Is this man also a demonic sect warrior? As if guessing my thoughts from my wary gaze, the middle-aged man explained the situation.
“Many people suffered because of the item that man sold. I've been tracking him from Gansu all the way here, but he vanished near Red Wave Village.”
The black-robed figure had died in an abandoned shrine with his subordinates. I had left the body as it was. If the middle-aged man couldn't find it, Baek Cha-hyeon had probably disposed of it secretly.
“I don't know anything about it." As I kept shaking my head, a murderous intent mixed with irritation rose in the middle-aged man's eyes. True to a martial artist who lets his sword speak before his words, it seemed his hands were getting itchy and he was reaching the limit of his patience.
“You know, people often don't know themselves well. What they know, what they truly want, they only realize when they're about to die." "That's what they mean when they say one only weeps when they see the coffin......”
Paaang!
As if to show me what he meant, the middle-aged man kicked off the ground, brushing aside the hem of his robe. Without any warning, he drew his sword and charged.
Since I had anticipated the surprise attack, I also drew my long blade like lightning and slashed horizontally from left to right with a secret art of the Heavenly Steel Saber Technique.
Clang!!
It was a saber strike infused with inner energy as thin as a single silk thread, but the middle-aged man didn't budge at all. Using the repulsive force of our clashing blades, I spun the long blade over my head and slashed down from upper left to lower right.
I put my body weight into it with both hands and even infused it with inner energy. It was a swift and powerful secret art that would have crushed most martial artists, causing them to collapse or be sliced apart along with their blades.
Clang!!!
This time too, the middle-aged man accurately parried the blade. His movements were agile, and he didn't fall behind in the slightest, so it was clear he was also using a minuscule amount of inner energy like me. After blocking a few more forms, the middle-aged man's sword suddenly flew at my face.
I leaned my upper body back to evade it and kicked at the middle-aged man's lower abdomen with my right foot. As soon as I felt my toes hit nothing, I kicked off the ground with my left foot and thrust my long blade forward.
Shaaaaa!
The long blade, accelerated by inner energy, left an afterimage as it erased the middle-aged man's face. But this time too, the tip of my blade missed. The middle-aged man ducked to avoid it by a hand's breadth.
The sword of a swordsman who has reached a high realm moves like a venomous snake. Won Seo-gang was like that, and so was that demonic sect warrior who impersonated Pyo Hol-deuk. Before the afterimage even vanished, the middle-aged man's sharp sword strike shot out from under my long blade, flashing its venomous fangs at me.
I hastily retreated using the Eight Directions Step. After barely regaining my balance and stabilizing my lower body, I swept away the sword form with my long blade. Clang clang clang!
Before the metallic sound faded from my ears, sword forms poured out as if exploding. They were eerie secret arts, squirming as if alive, creating the illusion of dozens of vipers hidden in the grass lunging all at once. Clang clang clang clang clang clang clang!!
Even as I retreated, parrying the head of the sword strikes and cutting their bodies, they relentlessly pierced through any opening. It was a sword technique that went beyond practical to homicidal. With every form, a blood-like killing intent, aimed at flesh, dripped down.
This was not the sword technique of the demonic sect warrior who impersonated Pyo Hol-deuk. The forms, variations, application, and principles were all completely different. As I drew up more inner energy and prepared for a continuous slash, something flew over my head.
I hastily moved aside, and a sideways glance revealed it wasn't aimed at me. The middle-aged man, who had seized the momentum and was charging, hurriedly threw himself aside and swung his sword.
Clang!!
The middle-aged man, who had struck a stone, lost his balance and was pushed back. The force was so strong that he retreated nearly three zhang before he could stop and recover his sword. “Who goes there!"
The middle-aged man shouted fiercely and whipped his head around. Where his gaze landed, a familiar face, who had arrived not too late, was staring this way with a proud expression. It seemed to be a familiar face to the middle-aged man as well.
He tilted his head to one side and blinked his surprised eyes with a puzzled expression. “What is this? What is a rogue monk who turned his back on his school doing here?
How dare you interfere with my business? Do you wish to enter nirvana here?" Gwang-hyo replied with a cold expression.
“You should worry about your own school. Don't you know the Murim Alliance has sent martial summons to the Nine Great Sects? Once the subjugation of the Heavenly Mountains is decided, Gansu province, being the border region, will be the first to descend into pandemonium.”
“Hmph.
Has there ever been a time when Gansu was free of demonic sect warriors? Offering advice from the rear a hundred times won't change a thing."
“Stand down."
“Do you know this man? His saber technique is quite good, but he doesn't seem like a disciple of Shaolin. Where is he from?"
Still seemingly unable to grasp the situation, the middle-aged man kept asking about my identity. Gwang-hyo placed his hand on the Buddhist saber at his waist and gave a stern warning.
“I said, stand down. If I break the killing precept today, I will not stop until I see blood.”
“A Shaolin monk vowing to not stop until he sees blood? The martial world is truly doomed.”
The middle-aged man scoffed and readjusted his grip on his sword. The surrounding air grew taut and sharp from the fighting spirit and killing intent emanating from the two masters. The midwinter gale pierced through my collar even more fiercely.
In the middle of the breathtaking clash of auras where neither would back down an inch, Tang Hye-seo, who had just arrived, stealthily intervened.
“You should back down now." The middle-aged man frowned as if finding it absurd. “And who are you?”
“I am a daughter of the Sichuan Tang Clan. This Great Hero is a guest of the Tang Clan, so if you point your sword at him, I will have no choice but to use poison. Would you like to taste the poison of the Tang Clan right here?”
The middle-aged man flared up at the blatant threat. “Have you ever seen such a wretched woman? Do you know who I am to dare threaten me?”
Gwang-hyo extended his arm and pushed Tang Hye-seo back.
“Get lost.
If the Mount Hua Sect finds out you're running wild in Shaanxi, they will come for you with fire in their eyes. Is that what you wish for?”
"Hmph.
Do you think I'd bat an eye if hundreds of those fools came at me?" “Are you saying it's fine for your sect leader to be interrogated about this matter at the Murim Alliance meeting?” At the mention of the sect leader, the middle-aged man's mouth finally closed.
He glared at Gwang-hyo for a long time with a displeased look, then sheathed his sword as if swallowing his resentment. He picked up the bamboo hat that had fallen on the ground, glanced at me, and disappeared into the alley. Tang Hye-seo approached with a sigh of relief.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine.
Who is that monster?" "I don't know.”
“You were going to poison him without even knowing who he was?"
“The Tang Clan only distinguishes between favors and grudges, not who their opponent is.”
Gwang-hyo knew who that mysterious master was.
“That is Heo Geuk, a hall master of the Kongtong Sect.”
“Kongtong Sect?"
Tang Hye-seo and I looked at Gwang-hyo with surprised eyes. “Could that monster be Master Jeok's ill-fated connection?" Jeok Chu-yeong had been struck by the Hidden Force of a Kongtong Sect absolute master.
I had no grudge against the Kongtong Sect, but it would be different for Gwang-hyo, who had almost lost his disciple. Gwang-hyo shook his head, his eyes still fixed on the direction Heo Geuk had disappeared.
“That man Heo Geuk's martial ability falls short of his. If it had been him, he would not have retreated so meekly. Why did you get into a fight with him?”
“Let's talk at the inn. Where is the carriage?"
“This way.”
Gwang-hyo led the way, and Tang Hye-seo and I followed behind, walking shoulder to shoulder. "Did things go well at the Zhongnan Sect?" "Hooo, don't even ask."
Tang Hye-seo sighed as if utterly sick of it. The carriage was parked on one side of the northern main road leading into the village. It seemed that Gwang-hyo and Tang Hye-seo had seen me fighting from a distance on their way here, gotten out of the carriage, and rushed over.
Jeon-sang, the coachman from the Black Night Gang sitting in the driver's seat, saw me and waved cheerfully. “Have you been well?" “I'm just doing what I always do.
What could happen while escorting such renowned masters back and forth? Great Hero Jeong, you're looking much healthier.” "That's what happens when you have the good fortune to eat and play…………
Who are those people?” My eyes fell on a young man and woman, both martial artists, standing next to the carriage. Both wore navy blue martial arts uniforms with swords at their waists, and their appearance and aura were both proper.
Tang Hye-seo quickly came to my side, told me who they were, and had them introduce themselves. "They came with us from the Zhongnan Sect. This is Great Hero Dong Hae-il, the Invincible Flowing Cloud, and this is Heroine Mok Un-jeong, the Jade Sword of Zhongnan.”
The handsome Dong Hae-il and the beautiful, intelligent-looking Mok Un-jeong cupped their fists at the same time. I also clasped my hands and bowed my head. “I am Jeong Dae-cheon, from the Western Village."
Noticing a missing piece in my introduction, Dong Hae-il gently asked.
“Which school are you from?" “I don't really have a school. I'm under the care of the Underworld Information Clan.” "The Underworld Information Clan......”
Dong Hae-il, as if not quite understanding, exchanged glances with Mok Un-jeong, then nodded his head without asking further. We all got into the carriage and headed for the inn. There were plenty of spare rooms in the detached houses, enough for the unexpected guests to stay comfortably.
After greeting Sister Soso, everyone unpacked their belongings in their respective rooms. I arranged for bathwater at the inn, washed up, and rested until the sun went down before we all gathered for dinner.