Ch#11
Whoosh!
A palm came flying toward me once again at rapid speed.
Is slapping people this unnie’s hobby?
Pouting my lips, I bent my knees and leaned my upper body backward at the same time.
I wasn’t lying completely flat, nearly touching the ground like a peak master, but it was an acrobatic feat that would have drawn gasps of admiration from ordinary people.
“How long do you think you can keep dodging, you wench!”
Her hand, which had been shooting toward my face, instantly curved into a claw.
Since my body was bent backward, the only way to avoid the attack was to roll on the ground, but doing so would surely draw the pathetic ridicule of those eyesore maids.
Grandmother had told me not to reveal my martial arts if possible, but right now, this was practically a wartime situation for me.
Since things had already come to this, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to teach her another lesson.
Hoping this commotion wouldn’t reach Jeok I-geon’s ears, I extended my left foot while still leaning back and lightly nudged Senior Ji-ae’s hip joint as she rushed me.
The counter-force buckled her waist, and her fingernails grazed just past my chest by a hair’s breadth.
Taking advantage of that opening, I quickly pulled my upper body back up.
“This wench knows martial arts?”
Infuriated that her decisive blow had failed, Senior Ji-ae glared at me fiercely.
Though she was slightly surprised by my counter, her contemptuous attitude remained unchanged.
“Even so, you’re not even third-rate. You must have stolen and learned it from somewhere, but today I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!”
There was a decent amount of power in her steps as she shouted as she pleased and began executing her footwork again.
But how should I put it?
It felt a bit clumsy.
I didn’t know much, but it didn’t seem like those steps were meant to be taken that way.
Our Madam Sin-geum used to say that footwork wasn’t just about stepping blindly.
I had learned that one must carry their weight according to the designated steps, but release internal force while controlling the pace—sometimes strong, sometimes soft.
Yet here she was, rushing in blindly like an angry colt.
She had so many openings that I had to choose where to strike first.
Should I rile her up first?
Stepping half a pace to the side, I slyly extended my foot.
“Argh!”
With a loud shriek, Senior Ji-ae tumbled onto the ground.
“Y-You wench, where did you learn such wicked sorcery?!”
I had merely tripped her, and yet she called it sorcery.
Screaming at the top of her lungs with a face flushed red from embarrassment, she cast glances at her friend and her sister. It was a rather pitiful sight.
So why did you have to mess with me when I was just minding my own business?
My life motto is literally to just endure in silence.
“Eek, I’ll kill you!”
Despite her grand boasts, Senior Ji-ae failed to leave even a single scratch on my body after that.
The difference in our skills had been obvious long ago, but perhaps because of her damn pride, she kept rushing at me, shrieking with rage.
Watching her unnie, Senior Do-ae also seemed to realize that something was wrong, and her complexion turned pale.
Senior Ga-ye also looked visibly flustered, as if she had been betrayed by the very friend she trusted.
Then, should I wrap things up here and head back?
Surely Jeok I-geon hasn’t looked for me in the meantime, right?
“Haah!”
Once I made up my mind, I moved swiftly.
Digging into her chest in an instant, I thrust my palm upward against her chin.
Thud!
With a heavy impact, Senior Ji-ae’s body flew into the air before dropping onto the ground with a thud.
It was the same attack I had used earlier during the day, but the intensity was much stronger this time.
“U-Unnie!”
“Ji-ae!”
It would certainly hurt quite a bit, but it was just a simple faint that was entirely non-life-threatening.
Nevertheless, Senior Do-ae and Senior Ga-ye must have been deeply shocked, as their faces turned pale and they rushed over to her with screams.
Swish! Swish!
It was then that martial artists came pouring down from atop the walls.
Suddenly, dozens of warriors appeared and surrounded the seniors.
Every single one of them held a sharp weapon, and a thick, heavy bloodlust rolled off their bodies.
W-What is this?
Startled by the sudden turn of events, I gasped and took a step back.
It had been five years since I was possessed into a martial arts novel, but this was the first time I had faced such a situation.
Encountering a scene in reality that I had once merely thought of as tense in the novel, I was so terrified that my knees trembled.
But the one I truly needed to fear was someone else.
“Clear the way! Or I will kill this girl!”
Out of nowhere, I felt a cold sensation against my neck.
Even without looking, I could easily guess that it was a blade.
In other words, I was currently being held hostage by someone I didn’t even know.
The martial artists surrounding me hadn’t come for me in the first place; they had leaped all the way here targeting the man who had taken me hostage.
But is this guy an idiot?
What does he expect to achieve by holding a maid like me hostage?
By definition, a hostage is useful only when you can hold their life as collateral to get what you want.
Naturally, to achieve his goal, the probability of success would only increase if he chose someone of noble status rather than a mere maid like me.
Who on earth would step forward to save me?
Ugh!
See? The martial artists gradually closed the distance, completely disregarding my safety.
Then, as if to prove his words were no empty threat, the bastard’s blade sliced into my skin.
For now, it was just a stinging sensation, but he looked ready to pierce my throat at any moment.
A faint scent of blood wafted to the tip of my nose.
Only then did I fully realize just how perilous of a situation I was in.
I thought about seizing an opportunity to run, but my captor was an expert whose presence I hadn’t even been able to sense.
Trying to escape clumsily might only hasten my death.
Grandmother, what do I do?!
My entire body trembled violently with fear.
Realizing there was absolutely nothing I could do on my own, I found myself desperately praying in my heart for a savior to appear.
Did my desperate wish reach the heavens?
Bang!
“Urgh!”
Suddenly, along with a small explosive sound, the hostage-taker let out a groan.
As his body staggered, the strength naturally drained from the arm that had been constricting my neck and shoulders.
Gasp!
Seizing the moment, I quickly broke free from his grasp.
And then, I saw him.
Jeok I-geon, soaring over the wall and flicking his fingers.
Bang! Bang!
It was just like bullets.
A bead-like, transparent energy gathered at the tips of Jeok I-geon’s fingers.
It shot toward the man like a bullet.
“Argh!”
One pierced the wrist that had been holding the dagger, and the other pierced his ankle, which had barely been supporting him.
Though I hadn’t seen it directly, Jeok I-geon’s first shot seemed to have targeted the man’s ear.
Crimson blood was pouring profusely from one of the ears of the man, who was now collapsed and gasping on the ground.
The same went for his hand and foot.
Ah!
The Jade-Shattering Bullet Technique.
I finally remembered it now.
A technique Jeok I-geon frequently used for amusement whenever he encountered an enemy.
A high-level martial art possible only for supreme masters, where one gathers internal qi and projects it outward to attack the opponent.
Since it was one of Jeok I-geon’s specialties, it wasn’t particularly surprising.
The only issue was the timing.
He was only nineteen years old right now.
If he was already capable of employing the Jade-Shattering Bullet Technique at this age, his other martial arts must be at a similar level.
I knew he was a monster the entire time I was reading the novel, but this far exceeded my expectations.
Perhaps Jeok I-geon was an even more terrifying bastard than I had imagined.
“Are you alright?”
While I stood dazed, utterly shocked by my sudden realization, Jeok I-geon approached me.
Wait, what did you just say?
I must have misheard, so could you please say that one more time?
For Jeok I-geon to ask after a mere maid’s well-being… My ears had definitely gone bad.
Having no way of knowing my thoughts, Jeok I-geon stared intently at me once before striding over to the man writhing on the ground.
As he raised one hand above his head, a fierce storm of qi erupted from his palm.
It was obvious that if the man took that hit directly, his body would be blown to pieces like shredded paper.
Was I going to witness Jeok I-geon commit murder on my very first day as his personal maid?
Just as I was about to turn my head away, unable to bear the sight, a solemn voice suddenly echoed all around us.
“Stop!”
The martial artists, who had remained surrounding the area despite Jeok I-geon’s arrival, lowered their weapons all at once.
As if by prior agreement, they all prostrated themselves, pressing their foreheads to the ground, and cried out:
“We greet the Heavenly Demon!”
“We greet the Heavenly Demon!”
I was just as shocked as when I had first met Jeok I-geon.
Why is the Heavenly Demon showing up here?
Of course, even in my bewilderment, my forehead was already hitting the ground of its own accord.
The absolute ruler of the Demonic Cult.
One of the Ten Venerables of the Murim, and the unrivaled master under heaven who was called the absolute greatest among them.
Meeting the Heavenly Demon—the very person my grandmother had always warned me to be careful of—made my heart begin to hammer wildly in my chest.
