Chapter 93
Chapter 93
Kee-geegik! Kee-geegee-gik!
The sound of metal grinding rang out, and sparks flew in all directions. The immense pressure made me clench my teeth involuntarily.
It felt as if the subtle anger in Jin-sung's gray eyes was pouring directly onto me.
I struggled to shake off Jin-sung and hastily retreated.
The hand that had held the Flying Dagger throbbed with a tingling pain. I shook my hand and clicked my tongue.
Wow, if the Flying Dagger hadn't been made of Woon Iron, it would have been sliced through. How can he be so strong?
Unlike me, who felt my Qi drain away in a single exchange, Jin-sung seemed unaffected.
With a calm expression, he adjusted his stance and pointed his sword at me.
"This is my last offer, Miss. Come with me."
"I don't think I can do that."
It's not just me who would die.
I swallowed hard and drew upon my Inner Energy. Jin-sung quickly closed the distance, as if to prevent my movements.
"Ugh! Elder, just a moment...!"
He's too fast!
I frantically unleashed Hidden Weapons, but Jin-sung approached without faltering and swung his sword.
I desperately lowered my body and thrust the Flying Dagger I held in reverse grip, but Jin-sung lightly dodged it as if dismissing a child's gesture.
Thwack!
The hair tie that had been holding my hair up snapped against the blade, and my hair scattered in all directions.
At the same time, the Songmun Ancient Sword curved and plunged towards my chest.
Clang!
I crossed two Flying Daggers and barely managed to block his sword, but the impact was even stronger than before, and my wrist throbbed with pain.
Only then did I realize. This brute force wasn't just Jin-sung's own. He was returning my power back to me through the sword.
I was aghast and stumbled backward.
It was my first time facing a Sword Master one-on-one, but I could tell for sure that Jin-sung was no ordinary opponent.
He reflects attacks as they are. That's cheating.
Is this how Wudang swordsmanship is originally? I wouldn't stand a chance in a head-on fight.
Jin-sung slowly sheathed his sword and looked down at me without a word.
His cold eyes seemed to be watching how much I would resist. His upright figure cast a threatening shadow.
Should I use the San Gong Poison? But I should save it in case the Martial Arts World Force arrives.
If I use the Poison carelessly, it will only provoke Jin-sung.
Jin-sung, who had been observing my anxious expression, said bluntly.
"I have taken an Antidote pill. Poison will not work, so give up any thoughts of escaping, Miss."
"How can you be so sure that poison won't work when you don't even know what kind of Poison I might use?"
I retorted as if it were impossible, but I was unconsciously gnawing on my lip.
The situation was not good. I had expected it, but it only took two exchanges to realize that I was no match for him.
No, giving a Sword Master any distance was already a losing move.
If Jin-sung had attacked me as mercilessly as the Wanderer or Assassin who had been chasing me, that sword with the elegant pattern would have already pierced my heart.
It was fortunate that Jin-sung had no intention of killing me.
I didn't feel any killing intent from Jin-sung's sword that was aimed at me. He seemed to be trying to subdue me without hurting me.
What great confidence. It's offensive.
I bared my fangs and smiled bitterly.
"It's an honor to witness the famous Wudang swordsmanship. But aren't you being too lenient?"
"You requested that you not be intimidated."
"Huh?"
"As you said, it is not certain that you are the culprit, so I am complying with your request."
I blinked at the unexpected answer.
...He seemed like a blockhead, but he's surprisingly flexible. Though this isn't something you should say while pointing a sword at someone.
But my situation wasn't good enough to say, "Oh, thank you."
"You're intimidating me plenty enough for someone who's not supposed to be!"
I shouted loudly and turned the Jade bracelet on my wrist. The moment Jin-sung dodged the Poison Needles that flew towards him, I detonated the Poison powder pouch and did a backflip.
Blue Poison powder scattered in all directions, creating a thick Poison mist.
"This... Miss!"
Ignoring the sound of his grinding teeth, I ran towards Yeon-ryang.
Two of the Three Great Disciples were rolling on the ground, and one was somehow standing, but his legs were trembling as if he had lost strength.
Seeing that Yeon-ryang, who hadn't drawn upon even a single grain of Inner Energy, had overwhelmed the three of them, it seemed that the Three Great Disciples were fortunately not as skilled as Jin-sung.
I threw Poison bombs at the Three Great Disciples and snatched Yeon-ryang. His forehead was soaked with sweat as he obediently followed me.
"Are you hurt?"
"This is nothing."
After a quick glance, it seemed that he only had scratches on his arm and no major injuries.
"Let's go."
Just as I was relieved and about to run away, Jin-sung, who had broken through the Poison mist, swung his sword.
The man with an ice-cold face had a black bead in his mouth. It was a Poison-Suppressing Pill.
He's well-prepared. Damn it, I just wasted precious Poison.
Clang!
It was Yeon-ryang who blocked the sword that cut through the air. However, the old sword that didn't carry any Inner Force couldn't withstand the strength of the Songmun Ancient Sword.
The rotten blade snapped in two and fell to the ground. Then, the sword quickly changed its trajectory and flew towards Yeon-ryang's neck.
I desperately blocked Yeon-ryang's path and drew the sword from my waist, parrying his sword.
"Ugh!"
A scream burst out involuntarily at the weight that mercilessly pressed down on me. Killing intent swirled in Jin-sung's eyes as he met my gaze.
"Miss. There will be no more leniency."
At that moment, Yeon-ryang roughly kicked Jin-sung in the stomach.
Thud!
Jin-sung, who hadn't been prepared, rolled across the ground and was pushed far away. His Daoist robes were stained with dirt and in a mess.
However, Jin-sung didn't even let out a small groan and jumped up, rushing towards us. I threw the sword to Yeon-ryang.
"Brother, catch!"
"Our sister is getting shorter with her words."
Yeon-ryang chuckled and caught the sword, taking a stance. I slipped Flying Daggers between my fingers and whispered.
"Remember what I said earlier? I'll create an opening for you now, so go. Brother has to leave before the reinforcements arrive. Don't dawdle."
Then, I took a deep breath to throw the Flying Dagger.
I just need to send Yeon-ryang away. If I send Yeon-ryang away and surrender, we can both be safe.
Judging from Jin-sung's character, if I surrender quietly, he would only strike my pressure points and not harm me any further.
If I give up all my weapons, he wouldn't treat me harshly.
As I thought that and channeled Inner Energy into the Flying Dagger, I felt an immense Qi approaching from behind.
Without even having time to think, the shadow of a huge Dao fell heavily to the ground.
The hairs on my body stood on end as if screaming.
My mind went blank, and my heart beat so fast it felt like it would jump out.
"Yeon-ryang!"
Along with the sound of air being torn apart, blood spurted in all directions. The surroundings were dyed red, and hot drops of blood splattered on my face.
"Hoo... Damn, ugh, that hurts."
Yeon-ryang, clutching his shoulder, knelt down and collapsed.
Red blood poured endlessly from his back, which had been torn open by the Dao.
I looked at the Martial Artist standing behind Yeon-ryang with a pale face.
The woman, carrying a large Dao on her shoulder, looked at me with indifferent eyes before turning her gaze to Jin-sung.
"Elder Jin-sung. It's been a while."
The Martial Arts World Force has arrived.
\ \ *
I trembled and embraced the collapsed Yeon-ryang. The smell of blood that stung my nose blurred my vision. I rubbed my eyes with my sleeve, trying to calm down.
What should I do first? Stop the bleeding? Disinfect? No, I should reduce the pain first. Do I have any pain relievers?
My breathing became rapid, and I felt nauseous. As I held onto Yeon-ryang and panted, Jin-sung carefully spoke to me.
"Miss..."
But he seemed unable to think of anything to say and closed his mouth again.
When I glared at Jin-sung with bloodshot eyes, he swallowed hard. It seemed that Jin-sung hadn't wanted this situation either.
"Oh, did I make a mistake? I thought you were chasing a Wanderer who escaped from the prison because your Three Great Disciples were in a hurry."
"We were only requesting cooperation with the investigation, but things became a bit violent. It is my fault for not explaining it to Paengrak, so please do not worry about it."
Jin-sung replied, took something out of his pocket, carefully placed it in front of me, and stepped back.
It was Wound Remedy.
I was speechless with absurdity.
You put a person in this state and think it's okay to just throw a bottle of medicine at them? These crazy bastards, really...!
"So-hye."
Yeon-ryang called me softly as my lips trembled.
"So-hye. Brother is fine, so calm down. I wasn't caught."
Yeon-ryang patted the back of my hand and winked as if to tell me not to worry.
This guy's back is tattered and you can see his bones, but he says he's fine? He listens too well for no reason...!
I was frustrated, but I calmed down at the sight of the fool pretending to be calm.
I snatched the Wound Remedy that Jin-sung had placed down and put it in my pocket.
There was no time to waste. I had to take Yeon-ryang out of here immediately and treat him.
But how?
Unlike Jin-sung, who was watching my every move, the Martial Arts World Martial Artists were surrounding us with menacing expressions, pointing their swords at us.
"I see. Anyway, you're a subject of investigation, right? It's related to Demonic Transformation, isn't it? Judging from the Poison powder flying everywhere, that Tang Clan girl seems to have resisted quite a bit, so let's take her to the Alliance first since she's suspicious."
The Martial Artist called Paengrak said with a displeased face.
His eyes, scanning me and Yeon-ryang, shone yellow like a tiger.
...Paengrak? Tiger? He's from the Paeng Clan.
In an instant, my mind lit up as if a fire had been lit. I grabbed Yeon-ryang's pants and urged Ju-ryeong, who was whimpering.
"Ju-ryeong. Where is it?"
"Kyoo?"
"That. Your pillow."
Then Ju-ryeong fluttered away and hid behind a tree.
I heard the sound of something being scratched for a while, and soon the creature came out with its fur messed up, holding a Beneficence Jade in its mouth.
"Good job, Ju-ryeong."
"Kiee."
"Is that weasel also from the Tang Clan? Where did it take that out from?"
At someone's muttering, Ju-ryeong straightened its body and made a proud face.
I held the Beneficence Jade in my hand and looked up at Paengrak. If he was a Martial Artist from the Paeng Clan, he would help me. No, he had to help me.
"Elder Paengrak."
At my call, Paengrak looked at me with a what-do-you-want face. He looked like he didn't want to talk to me.
I took a deep breath and held up the Beneficence Jade with the tiger engraved on it. Paengrak's eyes narrowed as he checked the Beneficence Jade.
I looked him straight in the eye and said.
"This is a Beneficence Jade I received from Elder Paengrak, the Fierce Tiger. I ask that you let me and my party go without asking any questions."
Then, I threw the Beneficence Jade towards him.
