“Ugh!”
I twisted my body and barely slipped out of the sword’s range.
Screech!
My shoulder got caught on the sword’s tip, tearing my clothes and leaving a scratch. Not only was it a faster and more precise attack than before, but he also read my evasion with that stab.
I quickly widened the distance and yelled. My voice resonated with all my internal power.
“Ahhh! A Jeomchang Faction disciple is killing someone!!”
“It’s useless. There’s an array formation set up here.”
Following Chang-min’s gaze, I spotted a stone tower that I hadn’t noticed before. While keeping my eyes on Chang-min, I scanned the area and noticed several stone towers.
Could it be a higher-level array formation beyond my Qi sense’s detection?
Despite climbing the mountain for an hour using lightness technique, a master of Hyeong-gyeong could probably hear my voice amplified with internal power from this distance. Actually, I wasn’t even sure if a real Hyeong-gyeong master could hear sounds from this distance.
Or perhaps someone nearby might hear my voice and come to exploit the opening.
I yelled to shake Chang-min up, but seeing him not budging at all made me think there was a strong possibility that this place truly had an array formation set up.
Should I exclude external help? While I contemplated that, Chang-min shifted his weight on his toes.
“Are you done flailing?”
Just when I sensed his center of gravity lowering, I quickly reached into my pocket and threw a throwing knife.
Swish!
“Useless—”
The throwing knife aimed at Chang-min’s upper and lower body, but he closed the distance without paying any mind.
Bong!!
Before the throwing knife could split into upper and lower parts, it was shot down by a single stroke. Expecting to knock away the throwing knife in two sword strikes, I hurriedly switched my swordplay from offense to defense.
“—A mere distraction.”
Clang!
The Jeomchang Faction’s sword wasn’t just fast. The thrusts that came in swiftly and deeply were both rapid and heavy. The experience transmitted through the sword numbed my arm and shook my body.
Feeling my hastily spread defense falter, I quickly laid back down. The attack barely passed over my laid-out upper body. Just before I fell, I managed to touch the ground and pull my body back to recover my center.
If I had done this before joining the Jeomchang Faction, I would’ve been rolling helplessly on the ground. Recovering my severely shifted center with a single action of touching the ground must be a sign of my training’s results.
If I had rolled on the ground, I would’ve been skewered by Chang-min’s sword coming at me again.
I deployed the basic form of Il-hwi-sam-gyeom.
Clang!
Chang-min’s sword pierced the air above my shoulder. The properly executed basic form struck the side of Chang-min’s blade, breaking his sword trajectory.
I tried to counter with the second form of Il-hwi-sam-gyeom through the advantage of timing, but Chang-min’s next attack was faster than my sluggish internal power. His empty left hand reached out like a spear toward my heart.
The Jeomchang’s Four-Finger Saber Technique embodied an extreme aggressiveness where the body is used like an arrow, so he had ample martial arts to handle a situation like this close combat.
I urgently raised my left arm to block Chang-min’s attack path.
Boom!!
The heavy attack sent my entire left upper body reeling back. I staggered, trying to shake off the lingering experience that had invaded me. Even though I defended with my arm, I felt a jarring impact to my chest, leading to a fit of coughing.
This isn’t good. The level difference is clear.
I fired the throwing knives back when I was sharpening my skills under Tang Do-gyeong and Tang Do-yeon at the governor’s residence. Considering I can’t keep many throwing knives in my pocket, it could be deemed a deadly technique.
I couldn’t win in a direct confrontation. Should I focus on escape? As I pondered Chang-min’s next move, he glanced at me and frowned slightly.
“Clearly, you are not the one.”
“What do you mean?”
“You aren’t the vessel to bring realization to Miss Yeo Il-ye or Master Un-gyeong.”
Chang-min’s gaze made my heart pang slightly, but it was advantageous for me to converse at the moment. I certainly needed time to recover from the internal damage.
“Why are you so sure? Did you find grounds for me not to bring realization?”
“You are not a martial artist.”
Chang-min asserted that flatly. The conviction in his eyes made me pause.
“I didn’t think you were the one to bring realization to the Master and Teacher, but there was still a lingering doubt. You diligently trained while we exercised together for a few days. I was left wondering if I had misjudged you.”
Chang-min’s killing intent swelled to the point I could barely breathe. Until now, his aura was extraordinary, but if any chance of doubt lingered, it was utterly shattered by his determination now.
“A true martial artist should focus to land at least one blow at the end. Yet, you’re still scheming ways to escape even in this final moment.”
So now he felt he could kill me without hesitation.
With that mutter, Chang-min changed his posture. Leaning his upper body back, his center of gravity lowered. This was the technique of the Jeomchang Faction known as “Gung-sin-tan-yeong” as well as a reference to the realm of new martial movement.
Even more rapidly than before, the unbeatable sword shot toward me.
* *
“Are you alright?”
Hyeok Gi-rin carelessly blurted out while watching the indifferent Black Cat in front of him. The Black Cat, humming a tune while shouldering a bag of rice treats larger than herself, replied.
“I’m fine! It’ll be gone in no time when I share it with the children. In fact, is this even enough?”
“Haha… that’s plenty of rice treats.”
Hyeok Gi-rin grimaced at the sight of the children munching on the rice treats.
“Hmm. Am I worrying about my senior?”
“Well… the Masters must have organized everything well.”
“I believe Master Un-jong is correct.”
“I think so too, but…”
Hyeok Gi-rin also recalled the conversation with Master Un-jong he had with the Black Cat last night.
“Still, since it’s such a dangerous operation, it’s a bit unsettling.”
The Black Cat was also reminded of her conversation with Master Un-jong yesterday.
[In my view, the outcast helper truly has never been at the crossroads of life and death.]
The Black Cat was stirred by that assertion from Master Un-jong. It was indeed an outrageous statement that someone who had lived their life as an outcast had never stood on the brink of death. No matter how extraordinary a martial artist from Hyeong-gyeong said it, it felt absurd.
After pondering this statement deeply, the Black Cat… agreed.
[It could happen. My senior—hmm, I can’t picture them in a predicament.]
The Black Cat assessed keenly. Even if to others it may seem like a life-and-death circumstance, could it be so for Ho Cheon-an? At least Ho Cheon-an’s adaptability was genuinely unparalleled. Stripping away trivial matters, they certainly had much to say.
Not only did they escape the clutches of Miss Yeo Il-ye, who was always eager to take down outcasts, but they also became the benefactor of the rabid dog, Tang Do-gyeong, and returned from summer breaks with unexpected hits. In just a week, they crushed the enemies of Yeo-ga Mountain Villa, who had been lurking in the shadows for fifteen years.
What a remarkable performance for a human!
The Black Cat, who had accompanied throughout most of that journey, understood that Ho Cheon-an’s plans often formulated on the spot or conclusions derived without long consideration.
Would such a person, with all means stripped bare and relying on a single sword, find themselves in dire straits where they had to risk their life to defeat or overpower their opponent to escape?
Perhaps they had faced such circumstances before, finding a way out in an instant.
‘No way. And there won’t be any chances like that in the future either.’
Worrying as Hyeok Gi-rin was, this mission would indeed prove dangerous. If given a chance, Ho Cheon-an would dig in and create an escape route. A mere amateur performance wouldn’t deceive Ho Cheon-an, and even the slightest mishap could lead to a deadly situation.
“It’s going to be dangerous. But there’s no choice. A true martial artist has to overcome walls.”
“…That’s true.”
Hyeok Gi-rin nodded silently. Even the kind-hearted Black Cat, who harbored goodwill towards Ho Cheon-an, and Hyeok Gi-rin himself, were still martial artists.
A martial fanatic. The term “martial fanatic” is regarded as a compliment to martial artists. Those who obsess over martial arts and are blinded by it can leap to a higher realm.
Ho Cheon-an needed to become one.
And to become a fanatic, there was nothing more significant than displaying martial arts on the brink of life and death.
“Clear your mind and immerse yourself in martial arts, senior.”
The Black Cat muttered while thinking of Ho Cheon-an.
* *
“Haa, haa…”
I’m dying.
This is really going to kill me.
Thud.
A hole appeared in my right thigh. When the first Gung-sin-tan-yeong technique struck, I was so startled by the speed that I dodged it too straightforwardly, and Chang-min lightly altered his sword’s trajectory to pierce through my thigh.
After that, without even a moment to staunch the bleeding, I swung my sword recklessly, feeling the insides of my shoes filling with blood.
Breathing became a laborious task.
Even when I deployed my defensive posture, I couldn’t control it properly, so the experience from Chang-min’s sword built up damage in my body. Breathing was agonizing, and I felt like I might vomit at any moment, but I somehow held back the urge.
A vivid image of death floated in my mind.
If I had sacrificed my arm, I should have kept my leg safe to get a chance to run. No, that’s irrelevant now. The fact was Chang-min, who had to kill me here, would probably have already shattered my leg.
Instead… should I have faced him in hopes of taking anything away?
Chang-min’s sword came at me in a relentless series of thrusts. It seemed he wouldn’t give me any chance to escape.
My legs wouldn’t cooperate, and my arms weakened. My wrist twisted awkwardly, letting Chang-min’s sword brush past my neck.
Move, please.
Hold on just a little longer.
Only one thought filled my brain. I want to live.
I saw Chang-min’s sword, slowly targeting my heart. Yet, my body moved slower than the sword. My arms, which had exchanged numerous blows with Chang-min, had hit their limit. Even if I desperately commanded them, it was clear my sword wouldn’t hold back Chang-min’s sword any longer.
So I concentrated. I ignored Chang-min’s deadly gaze, my body begging to vomit, and the persistent pain in my leg.
To block Chang-min’s blade just in time, there was only one method left; I would completely forget everything.
I focused solely on moving my Qi.
Amidst the rapidly flowing currents of Qi, I felt resistance. The masses that ordinarily roamed my veins turned into obstacles the moment the flow of Qi accelerated. Qi needed to navigate the meridians freely.
Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Qi had to change its speed and path flexibly without any resistance; yet, the moment it stopped, it faced constant interference from those blocks.
Please. Just. Go away.
Ignoring the masses, I poured my Qi out. My body screamed at the rough torrent of Qi being unleashed. It might have injured my meridians and burst my blood vessels, but with death imminent, I couldn’t afford to consider the trivial.
Clang!!
I barely deflected Chang-min’s sword. It scraped past my shoulder. Blood sprayed from the deep cut, but instinct whispered it wasn’t a wound that would prevent me from swinging my sword right away.
I couldn’t even spare room to feel the pain. My legs felt as heavy as lead, and I couldn’t escape Chang-min’s range of attack.
To recover the sword that had ejected from my hand due to the force of experience, I had to move even faster. Holding myself up became increasingly difficult due to my immovable legs, making my posture more unstable. I had to swing my sword faster and harder to fend off Chang-min’s thrusts from this increasingly unstable stance.
In this slowing world, I desperately maneuvered my Qi. I needed to swing my sword faster and harder, but the masses in my blood vessels kept holding my feet down. As I pushed my internal power harder, my insides began to bleed.
My body couldn’t withstand the shock while moving the Qi roughly.
Suddenly, I found myself laughing bitterly.
Damn those masses. I should’ve prepared countermeasures long ago; what have I been doing up until now? Spiritual medicine? Soju Hwa Loon Method? Those weren’t my solutions. Those were merely things that Poison Doctor provided!
If I truly harbored the desire to advance as a martial artist, I should’ve sought out ways to overcome those masses myself.
Relying on the Soju Hwa Loon Method provided by the Poison Doctor. Expecting that Hyeok Gi-rin would yield this solution during my training in Sacheon City and then leaning on the masters in Hwa-gyeong after coming to the Jeomchang Faction.
Now that I was recalling this and transitioning to learning from the masters in Hwa-gyeong, did I feel unsettled?
In the end, I knew the truth.
I hadn’t attempted to overcome my problems myself. Though I merely uttered to aim for the peak, what was the reality?
Despite knowing the peak of martial arts is the stage of realization, how had I acted?
I had merely relegated the issue of my own mixed blood to the manipulations of that pesky Rebirth Truck and awaited a solution from others.
I didn’t look properly at myself. I felt wronged that I needed to put in time and effort to resolve the issues stemming from my constitution. So I turned my back on it and just kept practicing as others did.
I loathed that disgusting mixed blood. I was unwilling to suffer from it and didn’t want to waste any more time and trouble on it. I thought that once I took the spiritual medicine, that annoying thing would finally be done with. And with that conclusion, I had averted my gaze from the issue.
And this was the result.
At the crossroads between life and death, I was paying the price for ignoring and not overcoming myself.
