Chapter 7
I can say with certainty.
Among the existing martial arts in the world, there are few who understand their branches, history, and characteristics as well as I do.
Why?
Because I was the one closest to martial arts theory in the Demonic Cult.
The world believes that the Demonic Cult only focuses on demonic arts, but that’s a misconception.
Actually, the Demonic Cult researches, analyzes, and even practices all kinds of martial arts.
Especially assassins like me, since our targets are mostly experts from the righteous factions, we also study the martial arts of the Nine Great Sects. As a martial arts fanatic, I practically lived in the martial arts library during the few years I wasn’t on missions.
Therefore, I was certain.
That young master in white who bought the ‘Hundred-Year Lotus Seed’ from me,
‘Uses Mount Hua Sect martial arts.’
There was no doubt that he had learned Mount Hua Sect martial arts.
Chaeeeeeeng!
The young master in white’s sword path was both cautious and sharp.
Generally, swords are precise but lack the powerful force of sabers. Nowadays, the trend is to use aggressive sword paths to maximize strengths and compensate for weaknesses.
But Mount Hua’s sword is different.
Mount Hua’s sword is consistently sharp and flamboyant, pursuing a sword style that emphasizes accuracy over power. The characteristics of Mount Hua’s sword were prominently displayed in the young master in white’s movements.
‘He said he’s from the Seokga Estate. How can he wield the basic swordsmanship of the Mount Hua Sect so well?’
Although the young master in white’s movements didn’t contain the true power of Mount Hua’s sword, they were based on solid fundamentals.
Fundamentals are important in any martial art, and they cannot be easily imitated.
In other words, it means that even if the young master in white isn’t a direct disciple from Mount Hua, it’s highly likely that the Seokga Estate has a special secular family relationship with Mount Hua, or that the young master in white is an external disciple of an elder-level figure from Mount Hua.
However,
‘He’s good, but…… he lacks power.’
The young master in white’s swordsmanship had a fatal flaw.
Mount Hua swordsmanship is based on the principles of fast swords rather than heavy swords. To enhance its lethality, it requires a certain level of ‘power’ to be maintained.
But the young master in white’s sword lacked ‘power’.
He seemed to have an understanding and insight into the sword, but the lack of physical strength and training was evident.
Chaeeeeeeng!
Suddenly, five weapons ━ spear, sword, saber, wheel, and gauntlets ━ clashed with a metallic sound, blocking the young master in white’s sword.
The five masked assailants who were pushing the young master in white also surpassed the third-rate level, so the young master in white who was facing them alone must be having a hard time.
“You…… guys!”
As expected, cold sweat dripped from the young master in white’s forehead, and his legs were trembling like aspen leaves.
Thanks to his solid fundamentals and the fact that Mount Hua Sect martial arts are suitable for dealing with multiple opponents, he’s holding on for 30 exchanges, but at this rate, he’ll soon hit his physical limit and kneel.
“Cluck, cluck. You fledgling from the Seokga Estate. Did you really think you could interfere with the Black Society’s expansion into Chang’an and get away with it? You’ve got guts. Coming all the way here from Dongcheon alone.”
“Shut up. I won’t be defeated by a bunch of incompetent fools like you.”
Is he taking a moment to catch his breath?
The young master in white and the masked men, who had been fiercely exchanging blows, suddenly stopped fighting and started talking.
I’ve seen this kind of scene a few times.
Strangely, martial artists sometimes stop fighting and exchange insults.
As someone who immediately goes for the kill once I’ve set my target, I don’t understand it at all, but I needed to learn their way of fighting as well.
I have to forget my past as an assassin of the Demonic Cult and live in the Jianghu, so I need to adapt to the basic principles of the martial world.
“Hehehe. You’re holding onto your pride even when you’re about to die. It’s useless. You and the Seokga Estate will face ruin. By now, the elite forces of our organization must have arrived at the Seokga Estate!”
“Wh, what?!”
“Today, the Seokga Estate will be annihilated!”
“Can’t you shut up!”
Chaeeeeeeng!
The young master in white and the masked men clashed again.
By now, the guests on the second floor of the inn who were watching the fight, the people who were enjoying the night view of Chang’an Bridge, and the passersby had all disappeared like scattering cockroaches.
This is the public sentiment of the Jianghu.
The majority oppresses the minority, and even if villains commit evil deeds, no one intervenes unless it’s their own business.
Of course, I had no intention of doing so either.
I didn’t want to cause a commotion on my first day out in the secular world, and it’s nosy to interfere in other people’s affairs.
That’s why I was about to close the window, admire So-yun’s face, and go to sleep, but……
Suddenly, I made eye contact with the young master in white.
“……”
A brief flash of emotion flickered in the young master in white’s eyes as he met my gaze.
It roughly translated to, ‘It’s dangerous, so close the window quickly and pretend you didn’t see anything!’ Seeing that look in his eyes made me feel inexplicably heavy-hearted.
‘Sigh……’
The young master in white from the Seokga Estate.
He was my customer.
Thanks to him, I was able to stop my embarrassing sales pitch and sell the elixir for 430 silver taels, which allowed me to clothe, feed, and shelter So-yun.
Moreover, I’m planning to buy a house in Chang’an with the remaining money, so in the end, the young master in white is our benefactor.
‘I should save him.’
Yes.
This can also be considered a form of hospitality towards a customer.
◈ ◈ ◈
Instead of jumping out the window, I went down to the first floor, opened the main door of the inn, and approached the young master in white and the masked men.
I even tore off a piece of the black robe I bought earlier and made a mask, so as not to reveal my face.
Honestly, it might be unnecessary to worry about security in a fight against such rabble.
But I’m no longer alone, I’m So-yun’s father, so I need to develop a habit of completely eliminating even the slightest risk.
“What? Who are you?”
“Wh, who are you?”
One of the masked men and the young master in white asked simultaneously as I approached.
The young master in white already knows who I am, so there’s no need for further explanation. So I only answered the masked man.
“A masked man.”
The scene of masked men asking a masked man who he is and the masked man replying to the masked men that he’s a ‘masked man’……
It was so funny that I couldn’t help but chuckle. The masked men flew into a rage and shouted.
“Are you a bastard from the Seokga Estate? Is that why you’ve come out to die?”
Come out to die, they say……
I’ve already died and come back to life once, so why would I want to die again?
I’m going to live a very long life this time, and I need to raise So-yun safely.
Of course, once So-yun is old enough to take care of herself, I plan to visit the Demonic Cult and chop off the Cult Leader’s head, but it’s not the time yet.
“I don’t know if it’s the Seokga Estate or whatever…… Just go.”
I said to the masked men in a dry tone.
Anyone who heard it would think it was arrogant, but in fact, it was the greatest leniency I could offer.
Originally, I prefer to cut off the enemy’s head cleanly without exchanging more than two words.
“Sir…… This is a matter between martial artists. So please go back. I appreciate your concern……”
Suddenly, the young master in white grabbed my shoulder and spoke in a dissuasive tone.
This guy is also quite clueless.
Usually, when someone intervenes in someone else’s business, it’s because they have the confidence to do so, right?
‘This is a matter between martial artists, so please go back!’ he says.
This was also absurd, so I chuckled again.
Then, the young master in white and the masked men stared at me with bewildered expressions.
“Judging by your appearance, you don’t seem to be from the Seokga Estate. Do you know who we are? We are members of the Black Society.”
At that moment, one of the masked men suddenly emphasized their affiliation and threatened me.
The Black Society, huh.
These days, I see all sorts of unheard-of rabble boasting about their affiliations and trying to exert their influence.
I didn’t want to waste any more words, so I took a step with the Fast Whale Steps and closed the distance to the guy’s torso.
“……!”
The guy’s eyes widened in shock, unable to react.
It’s only natural.
My internal energy is negligible right now, but I can compensate for it through the Nature Meridian’s breathing, and the Fast Whale Steps is a transcendental martial art that they’ve probably never seen before in their lives. So why wouldn’t they be surprised?
But being surprised is one thing, the real deal is something else.
Kwang!
I approached the masked man and then, with a twist of my shoulder, I struck his jaw upwards.
A loud bang, the sound of a jawbone breaking, and a scream of pain erupted simultaneously. The guy crashed to the ground and started rolling around.
“……!”
But the rest of them were still silent.
Of course, this silence was different from the previous one.
When I approached with my movement technique, they were silent in bewilderment, wondering ‘What’s going on?’ But this time, they were instinctively terrified and couldn’t speak.
It’s like the psychology of a herbivore facing a predator.
Humans are also animals.
Therefore, when they encounter an overwhelmingly stronger opponent, they become paralyzed with fear and unable to resist.
Of course, martial artists who live by the sword develop a ‘nature’ that surpasses ‘instinct’ through training, but these guys are unlikely to have attained such a high level of mastery. To me, they were nothing more than puppets.
Kwang, Pow!
I delivered a suitable ‘blow’ to each of the remaining masked men who were still stunned.
I struck the skinny guy who looked tough in the stomach with a destructive punch, and I headbutted the face of the bulky guy who seemed to have good endurance, utilizing the Iron Head Technique.
“Kyaaaaa!”
Also, I used some high-level techniques on the two mediocre guys to gain some practical experience. I used the ‘Heavenly Strike Thunderclap’, which involves kneeing the opponent, and on the other guy, I used the ‘Mount Tai Uprising’, a standing grappling technique, to plant his head into the dirt floor.
‘I think I’ve roughly recovered the basics of the Ten Invincible Hand Techniques.’
I smirked as I planted the last guy’s head into the ground.
While staying at Master Yi Si-jin’s mountain villa, I diligently practiced the Ten Invincible Hand Techniques, which formed the foundation of my external martial arts in my past life.
However, the ‘Ten Invincible Hand Techniques’ is a practical hand-to-hand combat technique, so it was quite difficult to train alone.
I was glad that my hard work hadn’t been in vain after using it in actual combat.
“Ugh……”
The masked men, each having taken a hit, groaned and bled from their mouths.
I controlled my strength, so they wouldn’t die or become crippled from that one blow.
But the ‘Ten Invincible Hand Techniques’ is a practical hand-to-hand combat technique.
Therefore, it’s a highly advanced fighting technique.
The pain they feel is probably worse than being stabbed with a sword, so it’s natural that they can’t come to their senses.
But,
“Get up and disappear from my sight within ten seconds. Otherwise, I’ll shatter your hip joints and make you cripples for life.”
I had no intention of giving the masked men time to dwell on their pain.
I had left So-yun asleep, so I needed to wrap things up quickly and go back.
“H, hic!”
“Uh…… ugh!”
“P, please spare me! I’ll go!!”
At my words, the masked men who were rolling around as if they were about to die, jumped up and dragged themselves out of the area.
The young master in white stared at me as if he had been struck by lightning and said in a trembling voice.
“Y, you! Who are you?”
Hmm.
It was a difficult question.
What should I answer?
‘I’m the merchant who sold you the elixir.’
I couldn’t say that.
And it was awkward to explain the whole situation, so I just let my instincts take over.
“I’m So-yun’s dad.”