Chapter 96

Chapter 95. Changed Situation (3)

A room where intricate dragon patterns were engraved on the ceiling.

Geum Man-jung was organizing gold ingots after opening a safe installed inside a large drawer.

Only after filling the safe neatly did he speak.

"Please come in."

Creak.

As his permission was given, a man opened the door and strode in.

It was Sang Cheon-jang, who had been guarding him on the front line under the pretext of protection.

"How did it go?"

"I just came back from the discussion. We provisionally agreed to hand over five business premises."

"Ah, is that so."

Geum Man-jung's expression hardened.

This was because he had agreed to hand over the rent of a few shops, including a silk shop in the market.

Moreover, he knew all too well that this wouldn't be the last time.

Hadn't they demanded an entire district just a month ago?

"Don't be too disheartened. Now is not the time to fight. They won't last long anyway."

"I know, but... when will help arrive? It's been quite some time since we contacted the main school."

It had already been half a year since they requested help from within the Yin Ying Dan, yet no news had come.

In contrast, the Changle Gate had grown significantly in recent times.

The influence of the Changle Gate extended beyond the area, reaching even the business premises they managed.

Moreover, they were now even questioning the protection fees in the red-light district.

"Just wait. If Yin Ying Dan members are dispatched, everything will be easily resolved."

"Yes, I hope so."

Geum Man-jung let out a short sigh.

He also believed in the strength of the Yin Ying Dan experts.

After a moment, as if thinking about something, he raised his gaze and continued.

"By the way, did you find out about that person from yesterday?"

Sang Cheon-jang, understanding the meaning of Geum Man-jung's question, nodded his head.

"He doesn't seem to be affiliated with the Changle Gate."

"Then he really is a Huashan Sect warrior? You said traces of Huashan Sword Technique were found at the scene."

"That's also a possibility. However, upon investigation, it turned out he wasn't from the Central Plains."

"Then he came from the New World?"

"Perhaps. Still, it's hard to understand why an unknown warrior would cause such a ruckus just to save a woman."

"Hmm."

Geum Man-jung sighed.

Due to the Changle Gate, the situation had become complicated, and now an unexpected person had suddenly appeared.

Beyond disrupting his business, over ten people had been injured or killed.

It was a very uncomfortable situation for him.

"Don't worry. I knew this would happen, so I had my men track him down and found his location."

"Ah..."

Geum Man-jung's face brightened, and Sang Cheon-jang nodded as if it were nothing.

"By now, my men should be on their way to take his head."

* * *

Chunshouwei (天守位).

An organization consisting of 11 warriors from the Hongmayuan, led by the robust team leader, Jeol Sahou (鐵獅候).

"Have you arrived? They are over there."

As he stood at the entrance, a waiter came out to greet him.

Jeol Sahou slightly lifted his bamboo hat to scan the surroundings, then nodded and moved forward.

Nine bodyguards followed him.

Swoosh.

A man and a woman were seated in the center of the tavern.

No one else was there.

The waiter had already made preparations, anticipating their arrival.

Swoosh.

As he raised his hand, the subordinates who had been following him stopped.

He glanced back once, then approached the man and woman confidently.

"Name."

"..."

The woman did not answer.

She just sat there, looking straight ahead in silence.

"Hmm."

Jeol Sahou then took out a piece of parchment from his pocket.

After carefully examining the portrait on it and comparing it with the faces of the man and woman, he revealed his white teeth.

"Both of you are correct."

Swoosh.

As if waiting for the moment, one of the men drew his sword from its scabbard.

The cold, silver blade clashed with the dim lanterns, emitting a strange aura.

"Don't kill the man. We were ordered to capture him alive."

"Yes, sir."

Jeol Sahou, putting the parchment back in his pocket, turned around naturally and widened the distance between them.

"Did Sang Cheon-jang send you?"

"......!"

At that moment, the man who had been sitting opposite the woman spoke.

Jeol Sahou's gaze slowly turned to him.

A figure sitting with his legs crossed, staring at the empty floor.

Then the woman spoke.

"Can we win?"

Her voice was filled with fear.

In contrast, the man's tone was arrogantly confident.

"They're just a handful. Their combat strength is much lower than I expected..."

Jeol Sahou felt a chill.

For a moment, the aura he sensed from the man seemed to envelop his entire body.

Despite this, he maintained his composure without a single sign of disturbance.

Jeol Sahou, sensing danger intuitively, called out urgently.

"Take care of him quickly!"

Plop.

As if waiting for the order, four members of the Chunshouwei rushed at the man like a swarm of bees.

However, that was as far as they got.

A sudden gust of wind struck Jeol Sahou's ears, and in an instant, all four of them collapsed on the ground.

"......!"

Jeol Sahou's eyes widened.

This was no less than a powerful Jingpai (勁派).

The manifestation of inner strength was so intense that the four martial artists were killed without even a chance to resist.

Thud.

At that moment, the man stood up.

He then slowly walked towards Jeol Sahou and spoke.

"Are you from the Hongmayuan?"

"......What?!"

"What's so surprising? The Chunshouwei (天守位) unit within the Hongmayuan. Didn't you act on the orders of the Taihuang Pavilion and move with Sang Cheon-jang?"

Jeol Sahou's eyes widened.

Upon hearing about his affiliation and the specific organizational structure, he realized that the man was likely from the main school.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm from the Huashan Sect."

"Am I supposed to believe that?!"

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

Swoosh.

Seol Hui glanced around and continued.

"Anyway, you won't be leaving here alive."

* * *

When Seol Hui decided to fight seriously, numerous openings appeared before his eyes.

His choice for all those openings was only to attack.

There was a reason for this.

The advantage of being able to return to three seconds ago.

He intended to use this advantage to display the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

There would be sword marks left on the corpses.

After dealing with all of them, if Sang Cheon-jang arrived,

the Plum Blossom Sword Technique would certainly confuse him.

To direct suspicion towards I Gyeong-myeong.

Swish! Swish!

Blood fountains spurted.

The warriors in the tavern lost their heads and arms without even a single resistance.

Some were stabbed dozens of times by Seol Hui's attacks before collapsing.

The most noticeable was the one who died in an explosion.

An attack that was difficult to gauge whether it was the Plum Blossom Sword Technique or a martial art.

Seol Hui stood at the center of it all.

Drip, drip.

Looking at the blood dripping from his sword, he asked again.

"Even if you're going to die, shouldn't you at least put up some resistance?"

"......"

Jeol Sahou lifted his head.

His eyes were a mix of various emotions, but one thing was clear.

He had the will to fight.

[State Summary, Brief Status Summary]

Jeol Sahou [Team Leader of the Hongmayuan Chunshouwei]

Health 310,000/310,000

Inner Strength 410,000/410,000

Combat Power 450,000 (+Spirit Sword: Guijian)

'That's it, then?'

Seol Hui's eyes turned to the sword Jeol Sahou had drawn.

A sword that seemed peculiar at first glance.

He had mentioned that the sword would make a sound during battle, and it was indeed the sound coming from this sword.

Jeol Sahou's Guijian.

A spirit sword known to emit a whistling sound when it saw blood.

It was said that when the sword was swung, it would become several times stronger and more destructive.

Jeol Sahou had immense pride in his sword.

He believed that with this sword, he could go out into the world and never lose to anyone.

"Come on. Let's see how great you are."

Seol Hui slightly lowered his sword to provoke him, and Jeol Sahou's brows furrowed.

He also had a 'what if' thought from the opponent's attitude.

He judged that if he could exploit the moment of Seol Hui's complacency, he might win.

Swoosh.

Jeol Sahou used the Guijian to cut his wrist and arm, then tasted the blood with his tongue.

Rumble.

The sword began to hum again.

The sound of the Guijian was as clear as the wind brushing against the building's exterior at night, reaching Seol Hui's ears distinctly.

"I'll make you regret it."

A distance of just two steps.

Due to the short distance, the Guijian aimed at Seol Hui's throat in the blink of an eye.

Then it turned to the right, aiming for Seol Hui's neck as he slightly turned his head to avoid it.

Swish!

As he turned his body and retreated, Jeol Sahou continued to press him.

His reckless, aggressive attacks seemed to leave no room for even the slightest gap.

The way he moved made Seol Hui feel that it was the will of the sword, not Jeol Sahou's.

'Should I take a hit?'

Seol Hui, who had been moving backward while twisting his body, suddenly lowered his stance and charged at a certain point.

Jeol Sahou, as expected, swung the Guijian vertically, aiming to split Seol Hui's body.

Seol Hui quickly turned sideways, dodged the first strike, and clashed swords with him.

Clang!

'Ah!'

To his surprise, Seol Hui was pushed back.

Although Yeohu Jian (예오후검) did not fall behind, the opponent's sword was also a spirit sword.

The power of the sword, which vibrated, contained a force entirely different from that of a regular sword.

The moment Seol Hui was surprised, his opponent did not miss the chance.

Clang!

Surprisingly, sword qi shot out in three directions.

At such a close distance, it was impossible to dodge.

Moreover, the three sword qi moved like vibrations.

Yet, no openings appeared before Seol Hui's eyes.

The skill gap was too wide.

Swish!

Seol Hui's sword rose diagonally. Before his movement could change, something fell to the ground.

It was Jeol Sahou's arm.

"The Plum Blossom Sword Technique is good for this."

Seol Hui spoke calmly.

At the moment the opponent manifested his inner strength, the Plum Blossom Sword Technique was also unleashed.

The speed.

It was several times faster than the opponent's, making it possible.

"Ugh."

Jeol Sahou, having lost one arm, hesitated for a moment before kneeling on the ground.

"One more question."

"I'm sorry, but..."

Seol Hui's words were refused.

Jeol Sahou knew.

This was his end.

"Please, let me die with honor."

Seol Hui stopped, about to say something.

If he had come this far, it would be impolite to continue speaking.

Swish!

Thus, his head was severed, and he met his fate on his knees.

"...... Who are you?"

The woman, covering her mouth in shock, asked.

The man who had so easily subdued the warriors with astonishing martial arts.

Seol Hui answered in a dry, emotionless voice.

"You're free now. But it's best if you leave this place. Their leader will be here soon."

"Will you... have a place to hide?"

"To hide? You're misunderstanding something."

Seol Hui wiped the blood off his sword and sheathed it.

Then he raised his gaze and spoke to her.

"The hunt is just beginning."