21. There is no affection.
As I soaked in the hot tub while listening to the sound of rain, it felt like paradise.
While my eyes were closed, the heavy downpour gradually lessened.
After some time passed, the corridor became quieter than before, and soon the various noises from downstairs also faded away. "……."
My senses and experiences detected an unusual atmosphere in the unnatural 'silence.' 'Is it an ambush?' If it truly was an ambush, I would be welcoming visitors in a naked state without any weapons.
It was abnormal for Gi-Ru to be quiet in the first place.
However, I waited in the tub without calling anyone or ordering for weapons to be brought.
I wondered if anyone would come looking for me at the point where I had killed the three Jo brothers and the twin blades.
It couldn't be the Black Cat Gang.
The ones who collect debts were scared, so the chances of a master from the Black Cat Gang coming right now were slim.
Then it must be within Il-Yang-Hyun.
I thought of the second-in-commands from Ihwa Tower and Shihwa Tower, who were skilled with swords.
It wasn't because I was a prophet that I knew this so clearly.
It was simply a conclusion drawn from knowing the future and having a rough idea of who was in Il-Yang-Hyun.
Of course, this was just a prediction, so I was still half in doubt, but suddenly, I heard footsteps in the corridor without any warning, and the door to the bath opened.
I looked at the two people entering the bath and said, "Is it you?" Naturally, I recognized their faces as they were local guys.
Song Woo-geum from Ihwa Tower and Yoo Jun-gu from Shihwa Tower.
Adding Cha Seong-tae to this made them the spirits and managers of Gi-Ru, whom the lower folks collectively called 'Taegumgu.' Upon confirming that I was naked in the tub, Song Woo-geum and Yoo Jun-gu rushed in with their swords drawn without saying a word.
In that brief moment, I thought to myself that this was a natural occurrence in the world of killing and being killed.
I was naked and unarmed, but... there was the tub.
As I drew up the energy of the spirit realm with my hand, I grabbed two planks torn from the tub like wooden swords in both hands.
At the same time, I unleashed my energy, sending the water from the tub and the shattered remnants of the tub flying towards Song Woo-geum and Yoo Jun-gu.
The debris and water from the broken tub surged towards them.
Then, in my naked state, I swung the makeshift wooden swords I had taken from the tub.
Both of them were fighters, at least as skilled as Cha Seong-tae.
This meant they posed no real threat to me.
However, they had the advantage of weapons.
When my makeshift sword was cut by Song Woo-geum's blade, I kicked his abdomen with my left foot.
Thud! Then, I dodged Yoo Jun-gu's sword with a nod and struck his hand with the makeshift sword.
Song Woo-geum, having been hit in the stomach, charged at me again with a flushed face, while Yoo Jun-gu, having lost his sword, rushed at me with bare hands as if he intended to engage in hand-to-hand combat.
I maintained my distance.
To keep that distance, I retreated while infusing the makeshift sword with the energy of the spirit realm, slashing indiscriminately in the air.
With every sound of 'whoosh!' the makeshift sword made of planks swept past the faces of Song Woo-geum and Yoo Jun-gu.
It was hard to even call it a sword, being just a wooden plank, but I aimed to hit them multiple times as I slashed at the two standing there.
In an instant, I landed about six or seven strikes on their faces, upper bodies, and arms.
Each time, blood spurted out, splattering into the tub.
I hoped their corpses would serve as a warning to others.
I swung the plank until the two of them were dead, creating a scene of bloodshed, then tossed the tattered plank aside.
At the same time, the ones who had been cut by the plank collapsed to the floor.
Soon, bright red blood flowed from the tub, gathering in the drain along the slope.
Song Woo-geum and Yoo Jun-gu lay dead in the tub, submerged in their own blood.
I picked up a sword that had fallen to the floor, then left the tub naked and walked down the corridor.
"Seong-tae..."
I thought, 'Did these guys coordinate with Cha Seong-tae?' I felt it was unlikely.
The lack of response suggested either they were dead or that their subordinates were attacking Cha Seong-tae.
As I wandered around naked, I noticed a servant in the corridor scream and then cover their mouth in shock.
I spoke to the startled servant in a calm tone.
"Bring me some clothes. Anything will do."
"Yes."
As I passed several rooms, I asked, "Where is Lady Son? Lady Son..."
From behind, the servant came running with a pair of pants they had found.
"I only found pants. Here, take these first..."
I asked while putting on the pants the servant brought.
"Haven't you seen Lady Son?" "No." "Did she hide because she was quick-witted?" In truth, Lady Son had nothing particular to do.
There was no need for her to run away entirely.
Perhaps she had informed others that I was leisurely bathing, which was why I started looking for Lady Son first.
I smiled at the trembling servant.
"Lady Son has no affection, does she?" "Ah, yes. That's right."
I quickly put on the pants and grabbed a sword, then hurried down the stairs.
If Cha Seong-tae was dead, I intended to find and kill those who had killed him.
If he was still alive, I planned to go help him.
It seemed that Song Woo-geum and Yoo Jun-gu had chosen to ambush me.
They must have sent their subordinates to cooperate with Cha Seong-tae while only sending two of themselves to confront me.
I stepped outside and walked along the rain-soaked path, only then realizing I hadn’t even put on shoes.
In the meantime, my pants kept slipping down.
I briefly stuck the sword into the ground and adjusted my pants so they wouldn’t fall.
"Cha Seong-tae."
I called out, infusing my energy into the call, listening carefully.
I could faintly hear someone shouting from the direction of the Jahagakjwan, and judging by the tone, it sounded close to curses.
Holding a sword, I leaped towards Jahagakjwan.
Leaning against the wall of the alley, Cha Seong-tae was bleeding profusely from his face.
Meanwhile, he had a dagger pressed against the throat of one of his attackers with his left hand, while he extended the sword he held in his right hand towards those surrounding him.
Cha Seong-tae spoke as if he were chewing on something.
"Did Jun-gu send you? You idiots..."
There were still more than ten people surrounding Cha Seong-tae.
While being pushed towards the quiet Jahagakjwan like cattle, he had killed seven of them, meaning Cha Seong-tae was astonishingly fighting against a total of seventeen opponents.
Naturally, if he had his direct subordinates with him, he wouldn’t be in such a predicament.
He had been ambushed while moving with the riffraff from Ihwa Tower to deal with the corpses of the twin blades, so the riffraff from Ihwa Tower had turned against him and attacked.
Indeed, this town was in complete disarray.
It was a situation where he should have been more cautious, so this was a mistake on Cha Seong-tae's part.
He had always thought of himself as stronger than Song Woo-geum and Yoo Jun-gu.
His subordinates and his own skills were indeed as such.
However, Cha Seong-tae lacked experience in facing so many enemies alone.
After confirming that these guys had no intention of retreating, Cha Seong-tae plunged the dagger into the throat of the one holding it and swung his sword forward.
Since he was bleeding, it seemed he had no chance of survival unless he quickly killed ten of them.
Cha Seong-tae attacked without regard for the opponent's limbs or face.
Even as his own arms were cut, he stabbed his sword into the opponent's face, and while being pushed back by a kick, he rolled on the ground, stabbing the sword into every visible ankle.
Once again, screams echoed out.
Cha Seong-tae stood up, his face covered in rainwater, blood, and muddy water, and shouted for no reason.
"Come in, you bastards!" After all, in a fight among third-rate fighters, momentum was crucial.
These guys were not leaders like Song Woo-geum or Yoo Jun-gu, so this kind of momentum would effectively work on the riffraff.
At that moment, one of the heartless ones pushed an injured comrade towards Cha Seong-tae.
At the same time, he gave the command.
"Attack all at once."
When the pushed-in person was pierced through the chest by Cha Seong-tae's sword, the remaining ones rushed in simultaneously, holding their swords.
"Damn it."
Cha Seong-tae was no fool.
He had no choice but to step back.
He instinctively knew he had to fight when the psychological state flipped again.
At that moment, a 'thud!' sound was heard.
It was dark, so I couldn't see well, but another 'thud!' echoed, and one of them fell backward.
Then came a 'thwack!' sound, and a head soared into the air.
Only then did the voice of that damned Jomsoi reach Cha Seong-tae's ears.
"Is the Resurrection Gate Master alive? Wow, impressive!" Cha Seong-tae shouted in response.
"Save me!" Even in his relief, Cha Seong-tae was so excited that he felt his insides boiling.
He muttered in a small voice, "……You bastard."
I held no particular feelings for the subordinates of Song Woo-geum and Yoo Jun-gu.
However, since they had tried to kill the Resurrection Gate Master, I could not let them go.
With the intention of thinning them out, I cut or stabbed various parts of their bodies with my sword, killing them instantly.
When only three or four remained, Cha Seong-tae charged in like a madman, shouting.
As I sheathed my sword, Cha Seong-tae went wild like a crazed man, personally taking revenge.
Thud, thud, thud! The sounds of strikes and Cha Seong-tae's curses briefly harmonized...
The number of corpses around Jahagakjwan continued to rise.
After killing all the riffraff, Cha Seong-tae dropped his sword and collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.
"Huff... Huff... Huff... Hoo... Ha..."
Then, Cha Seong-tae looked me up and down.
I was holding my pants with my left hand to keep them from slipping down.
I had no shoes on, and my upper body was bare.
It was clear that I had rushed out after bathing.
Cha Seong-tae stared at me for a while before asking, "Did you just come from a bath?" I nodded and looked up at the sky.
The heavy rain had stopped, but a light drizzle was still falling.
"You've taken a bath several times today."
Only then did Cha Seong-tae's tension completely ease, and he laughed as if feeling relieved.
"Ha..."
I pointed the sword I was holding at Cha Seong-tae's chin and said, "Seong-tae."
"Yes."
I looked down at Cha Seong-tae and asked, "Do you still think I'm a joke? Just because I'm a Jomsoi?" Cha Seong-tae looked at me with surprised eyes, as he hadn't done anything wrong.
However, I felt the need to educate Cha Seong-tae a bit more.
So that what happened today would not occur again.