Chapter 85. The Meaning of a Knight (2)

“Huff, huff... Elder, could you please slow down a bit...”

“Huh. Why are you so weak, young man? Did you eat something bad?”

It’s not that I ate something bad, it’s that I didn’t eat anything at all.

I had been fasting for half a day, and I clenched my aching stomach, trying to muster strength in my legs. It seemed that Fuchanbai, being old, had no appetite.

‘I really made the wrong choice.’

Traveling with Fuchanbai turned out to be much harder than I expected. Even though I was supposed to be the guide, he insisted on leading the way, claiming he knew the path well.

If this was going to happen, I don’t understand why he even called me.

I couldn’t say anything and just followed behind, but his speed was so fast that I was almost out of breath. I was using lightness kung fu, but Fuchanbai’s walking speed was similar to my maximum speed.

“Hey, come on, faster!”

While saying this, Fuchanbai cleared his throat and spat out phlegm. Seeing this, I shuddered.

‘I can’t travel with someone so disgusting, really.’

As I thought this, Fuchanbai grumbled and complained.

“Why did they give me such a flawed companion? Tsk, whatever.”

Hearing this, I felt my heart sink, and I pounded my chest.

‘No, the problem is that you’re leading when I’m the guide!’

I couldn’t say it to his face, and it was frustrating. After a while, Fuchanbai clicked his tongue and slowed down. He then looked at my feet and said,

“Your speed is slow because of the way you step.”

“Huh?”

“When climbing uphill, you need to push off the ground with a quick, forceful step to gain speed. If you use lightness kung fu like you’re walking, you’ll just waste your inner energy without gaining speed.”

He then demonstrated the proper footwork. It was similar to mine but slightly different. Following Fuchanbai’s advice, I tried to mimic his steps when climbing uphill and indeed felt a significant increase in speed.

‘Indeed, a master is a master.’

I performed a bow in gratitude. Even for a small lesson, it was proper to show respect in the martial world.

“I deeply thank you for your guidance, Sir Fuchanbai.”

“Don’t waste time on formalities. Let’s hurry up.”

I won’t do that again.

Following Fuchanbai, we managed to cover a two-day journey in just one day. We arrived at a large village called Wugong Village. As soon as we arrived, my legs gave out, and I collapsed.

‘I’m going to die.’

It was as tiring, if not more, than a long march. Carrying the luggage made it feel like I was about to die. Fortunately, I had built up some inner energy, which helped me endure.

Upon arriving at Wugong Village, Fuchanbai said excitedly,

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here. Hmm. I used to visit often during the Hubei Ten Great Masters era.”

“Is that so?”

“Indeed. The stewed pork here is really delicious.”

I don’t care about the stewed pork; I just want to quickly boil a cup of instant noodles, wash my feet, and go to sleep. Just.

But we couldn’t just eat and sleep, so we headed to a nearby inn. We needed to eat something quickly and then rest.

‘Why is the atmosphere in this village so bad?’

Despite being the largest village in the area, Wugong Village was eerily quiet and had a foreboding atmosphere.

Even though it was still early enough for people to be out, the village felt deserted, as if something bad had happened.

‘Is there an epidemic? It doesn’t seem like it.’

If there was an epidemic, the atmosphere would be more chaotic. It felt like something sinister had happened in the village.

As we walked, the villagers glanced at us and quickly closed their doors and went inside.

‘Do they dislike outsiders?’

Some places do, so I just thought it was nothing and headed to the inn.

Fortunately, the inn was open. As we entered, the innkeeper looked at us suspiciously.

“Who are you...?”

“We’re customers. What else?”

Do other things come to inns besides customers?

The innkeeper, who was looking at us with a fearful gaze, asked,

“Are you from out of town?”

Are you from outer space?

Since I was so tired, I replied with a slightly irritated tone,

“Yes, so stop your census and prepare our meal quickly. If you have a room, prepare one for us.”

“Y-Yes, please come this way.”

We sat at a table and placed our order. Soon, the food arrived, including noodle soup, dumplings, and stewed pork.

Just as I was about to take a deep breath and start eating, a sound that made my ears hurt came from Fuchanbai.

“Slurp slurp, gulp, slurp, hmm, hot.”

“...”

It was Fuchanbai.

‘...He really is a diverse character.’

Seeing this, my appetite dropped, and I put down my chopsticks and sipped the broth.

‘I need to eat quickly and go to sleep.’

Eating and walking are the basics of a courier. As I tried to ignore Fuchanbai’s slurping and reach for a dumpling, the inn door suddenly opened, and several men rushed in, each holding farming tools like sticks and hoes.

‘Do they come to the inn for a late-night snack after farming?’

As I thought this, an old man stepped forward and said,

“Please stop eating for a moment. I have a question.”

Fuchanbai, who was enjoying the noodle soup, slammed his chopsticks down and shouted,

“No one bothers a man while he’s eating! What is this?!”

He looked very upset at the interruption. Fuchanbai growled, and the old man, sensing the danger, hesitated and asked,

“Are you a martial artist?”

“Do I need to say my name for you to recognize me?”

As he said this, Fuchanbai raised his fist slightly. The black iron gauntlet on his fist gleamed in the light. One of the farmers, trembling, pointed at the gauntlet and shouted,

“That black gauntlet...!”

“Fuchanbai?!”

Indeed, Fuchanbai’s reputation was not exaggerated. As soon as his name was mentioned, the others were shocked.

“Hubei Ten Great Masters!”

“Iron Lion Fuchanbai!”

Fuchanbai, pleased to be recognized, smiled and said,

“Yes, I am the Iron Lion Fuchanbai.”

“Oh, Elder! I apologize for not recognizing you. We are just simple villagers...”

Everyone immediately prostrated themselves on the floor of the inn. Seeing this, Fuchanbai seemed satisfied and spoke in a slightly softer tone,

“What is the matter that you’ve come in a group to disturb our meal?”

The old man, still prostrate, hesitated and said,

“Actually... there’s a serial killer in the area.”

“What?! A serial killer?”

Fuchanbai’s mood seemed to sour, and he shouted in an angry voice. The people began to tremble like leaves. Fuchanbai asked,

“Such a despicable person exists? Tell me more.”

“He targets women. For several days, he has been indiscriminately killing women in the area...”

Hearing this, I involuntarily frowned. A serial killer targeting defenseless women was a wicked act that even low-level villains wouldn’t commit.

The old man continued,

“Several people have already died. There was another victim yesterday. As the village chief, I’ve gathered the villagers to patrol the area. But when we heard that an outsider with a sword had come to the inn...”

That’s why there was a misunderstanding.

I glanced at the sword on my waist and nodded.

“Hmm...”

Fuchanbai growled like a lion that had found its prey and said to the village chief,

“Can I see the bodies?”

I tried to stop him, thinking it would be troublesome to get involved in this matter when we still had a long journey ahead.

“Fuchanbai, just a moment...”

“Hmm? What is it?”

But seeing the fierce look in Fuchanbai’s eyes, I realized he was already driven by a strong impulse and stopped my attempt to stop him.

‘Now I understand why Beigong Lin said I lack martial fortune.’

Fuchanbai couldn’t just ignore such a troublesome matter. I thought arguing would be a waste of time and just shook my head.

“No, it’s nothing.”

“What a... what a waste of time.”

Fuchanbai grumbled and shot a fierce look at the village chief again. The village chief nodded and said,

“I... will guide you.”

The meal is over.

Fuchanbai stood up abruptly, and I followed suit.

***

We followed the old man to the victim’s house. As we approached, we could hear loud wailing from a distance, making it easy to identify the house.

“Wah...”

Hearing the man’s wailing, I felt a sense of melancholy. It reminded me of my aunt, who passed away in an accident when I was in college.

‘My uncle cried like this back then...’

It was a sudden accident. I never imagined she would pass away that year during the Mid-Autumn Festival. She had joked with me, saying I would have to give her pocket money from next year since I was now in college.

The cause of the accident was infuriatingly drunk driving by some newly adult individuals who recklessly drove a rental car.

‘Why does this bring back old memories?’

I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

Inside the house, we saw children who had cried themselves to exhaustion, lying on the floor with tear-streaked faces. Through the open door, we saw a man hugging a white blanket, wailing.

“What am I supposed to do without you, leaving the children behind... Wah...”

When a person suffers a loss, they often collapse in such heart-wrenching sobs.

Listening to the grieving husband’s cries from outside the door, I felt a pang of sadness, reminiscent of the past.

“...Let’s go in.”

Fuchanbai said this in a somewhat solemn tone. The village chief explained the situation to the grieving husband and received permission to view the body.

The victim was a middle-aged woman, and her body, not yet prepared for burial, showed numerous gruesome wounds.

Fuchanbai, examining the wounds, muttered,

“Hmm... The Nine Blood Sword Technique. I didn’t think anyone still practiced this.”

“The Nine Blood Sword Technique?”

It was a new name to me. I asked what it was, and Fuchanbai clenched his teeth and said,

“A highly malicious sword technique of the demonic path, which requires the practitioner to drink the blood of nine innocent people to reach the first level. I last saw it ten years ago, but I didn’t think such scum still existed.”

Fuchanbai’s expression showed deep disgust. After all, despite his somewhat eccentric nature, he was still a member of the righteous path. He would instinctively feel repulsion towards such demonic practitioners.

“Is it a technique of the Devil Sect, then?”

“No, it’s from the Blood Sect. But they’re all scum, really.”

“Can it really be true that killing people helps one advance in the technique?”

Fuchanbai shook his head.

“Some believe it, but from my experience, those who believe it are usually madmen. What credibility do madmen have?”

“I see...”

I nodded. Fuchanbai, clicking his tongue, asked the village chief, who was bowing solemnly,

“How many have died so far?”

“Eight in total.”

“Hmm. Have you heard similar stories in the area before?”

The village chief shook his head.

“No, there have been no similar incidents recently.”

“Hmm. It seems different from before. It might be a novice... We need to catch him.”

Fuchanbai casually mentioned it was different from before. I was momentarily puzzled.

‘Did he encounter a practitioner of the Nine Blood Sword Technique before?’

As I thought this, Fuchanbai, who had been deep in thought, turned to me with a fierce look and asked,

“Hey, young man. Have you ever acted as a knight before?”

“No, it’s my first time.”

Fuchanbai then asked,

“Do you know what a knight is?”

“A knight is a martial artist who upholds justice.”

“Do you know why we knights uphold justice?”

“I... don’t know.”

Fuchanbai pointed at the grieving family and said,

“What do you think when you see them?”

When people see clear evil that goes against social norms, they naturally feel a surge of righteous anger.

Seeing the grieving family, I felt a similar, indescribable anger welling up inside me.

“...Something is boiling inside me.”

If I had to describe it... it’s a feeling of wanting to eliminate evil.

Fuchanbai asked,

“Do you understand now?”

I quietly nodded and looked at Fuchanbai.

“I... don’t fully understand, but I think I do.”

Even though I’m not a particularly remarkable person, I can’t forgive such a wicked individual. Fuchanbai, pleased with my answer, smiled and said,

“That’s a good attitude. That’s how you become a knight.”

“Is that so?”

I don’t plan to become a knight, but I do want to eliminate the culprit behind this incident. Fuchanbai said,

“It’s quite addictive. Once you try it, you’ll be hooked.”

I don’t think I will, but catching a mad serial killer who practices sword techniques by killing women is definitely not a bad thing.

We paid our respects to the deceased and left the house. As we walked away, I asked Fuchanbai,

“How do you plan to catch him?”

“Hmm... There are eight victims, and from the wounds, it seems he hasn’t fully mastered the Nine Blood Sword Technique. He’s probably at the second level. The wounds aren’t precise enough.”

Fuchanbai frowned as he said this. I asked about the killer’s level, and Fuchanbai replied dismissively,

“It’s a matter of finding him. He’s not even a master yet, just a novice. He might be formidable if he fully masters the Nine Blood Sword Technique, but he’s not that strong now.”

“I see.”

That means he’s a first-class martial artist. He’s stronger than me, but not as strong as Fuchanbai.

‘Fuchanbai will catch him anyway.’

If I had to catch a first-class martial artist alone, it would be difficult, but since Fuchanbai will handle it, it’s not a problem. I just need to help catch him.

“Then, how do we find him? Do you have any good ideas?”

Thinking we might need to investigate bloodstains and other clues scientifically, I asked. Fuchanbai smiled and said,

“It’s like fishing. We need the right bait. We need a woman.”

“A woman? We need a collaborator.”

“There’s no need to look far.”

Fuchanbai then looked at me.

“What do you mean?”

What the hell.