Chapter 20 – Ill Include You

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read more at Nineheavens.org

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Chapter 20 – I'll Include You

Shimen in Hunan Province.

A small city not far from the border with Hubei Province to the north.

As a hub for various intermediary commerce, situated along a tributary of the Yangtze River, a branch of the main road, and the waterways of Dongting Lake, this place had long been a battleground for minor factions.

There was no absolute power, nor absolute weakness.

Thus, competition among martial schools in a balance of power was fierce, and disputes over interests were frequent.

Recently, however, a martial school had begun to rapidly expand its influence.

It was none other than the unorthodox faction Mantis Martial Academy, which used the mantis emblem as its symbol.

Over the past year, Academy Master Mantis Twin Swords Jo Jung-eung had invested capital in various key commercial areas to establish a semi-monopolistic market, eventually pulling ahead in this battleground.

The expansion was so aggressive that most believed if time continued like this, the Mantis Martial Academy would become the supreme unorthodox faction in Shimen.

As long as no natural disaster occurred, that momentum would only grow, eventually looking to expand into neighboring cities.

Thus, the martial world's power structure within Shimen was slowly beginning to crack.

* * *

A night drenched in moonlight.

The Mantis Martial Academy, located on the western outskirts of Shimen, was brightly lit again today, flaunting its changed status.

Not far from there, in a narrow alley, a man in his twenties wearing dark blue light clothing quietly appeared.

He was a young man with handsome features and an impressive gleam of intelligence in his eyes.

Dressed in simple night-raid attire, there was nothing to identify him.

Only the single sword held in one hand indicated that he was a martial artist.

'Shall I confirm one last time?'

Having repeatedly verified that there was no one around the alley, the young man soon kicked off the stone pavement, leaped, and lightly stepped onto a nearby residence's wall.

The pitch-black shadow created by the bright moonlight perfectly concealed his form as.

Whoosh, whoo-whoosh-!

The young man deployed leopard-like agile lightness techniques in succession, climbing to the top of a large tree beside the wall, then crouched down and watched the area beyond intently.

What entered his field of vision was the interior view of the Mantis Martial Academy.

It was familiar.

Since arriving in Shimen ten days ago, he had disguised himself as a traveler during the day to gather information related to the Mantis Martial Academy, and spied on the internal activities of the facility at night.

His purpose was simple.

To wait for an opportune moment and secretly infiltrate the interior – more precisely, because there was something he absolutely had to get his hands on.

Currently, though the Mantis Martial Academy seemed to have quite a few perimeter guards centered around the main gate, there were complacent people among them, so it wasn't at the level of strict security.

Even renowned major orthodox sects with high martial rankings found it difficult to maintain completely perfect night watch, and lesser factions were no exception.

Through his steady observation, he had discovered a gap.

He had noticed that the team responsible for eastern perimeter duty was somewhat more lax in discipline than the other teams.

The teams in all four directions of the grounds had their shift changes occur sequentially around midnight – he just needed to sneak in during that time and retrieve what he wanted.

Of course, it wasn't as simple as it sounded.

The infiltration process itself was delicate, unexpected variables could arise, and he could face danger if his presence was detected.

Still, it had to be done.

This mission was extremely important to achieve the dream he held deep in his heart.

'Tonight, I must succeed!'

The young man steeled himself and caressed his sword hilt.

His knuckled, rough from much hard work.

They were proof of his bloody sword training and meant that his martial level might be beyond what his apparent age suggested.

'Somehow I'll complete this task and earn the recognition of my great-aunt and great-uncle to get what I want!'

Just as he bit his lip firmly, strengthening his resolve, and was about to descend from the tree.

Thud-thud-thud-thud… thud-thud-thud-thud…

He sensed a vibration-like presence continuously shaking the ground from far away.

'What's that?'

At that moment, the vibration rapidly approached, and a rider accompanied by a fierce wind suddenly appeared near the alley.

Clatter-clatter-clatter-clatter-CLATTER-!

The rider and horse that soon stopped abruptly while deeply scraping the stone pavement were Cheol Ryu-heun and Divine Wind.

The young man buried his body deeper among the tree branches.

'When did he…!'

He was quite flustered.

The speed of the rider and horse that had approached in an instant from the moment their presence was detected was at an astonishing level.

The strong wind pressure had been enough to lightly sway even the large tree he was hiding in from side to side…

Even the legendary Red Hare of ancient times couldn't have been this fast.

While Divine Wind was steadying its breathing by exhaling pure white mist from its nose and mouth, Cheol Ryu-heun gazed silently at the Mantis Martial Academy beyond the alley.

A space enveloped in silence.

The young man held his breath and murmured inwardly.

'Seeing him ride such an exceptional steed, he must not be of ordinary status.'

But why had he suddenly stopped on his way?

And of all places, right in the alley below the tree where he was hiding.

Suddenly.

Cheol Ryu-heun's gaze turned up toward the large tree beside the wall.

"Do you have business there?"

The place his fingertip pointed to along with the clear voice was the Mantis Martial Academy beyond the alley.

Simultaneously, the young man's dark brown pupils rippled transparently.

'My presence was detected? He's someone whose energy sense has reached a considerable level!'

He had hidden himself to the point of suppressing even his breathing just in case, yet he never imagined he would be discovered so easily.

His thoughts became complicated.

Could he be a master hired from elsewhere by the Mantis Martial Academy? Or did he simply come with some other business?

In any case, since there was no one else around, it was clear that the opponent was pointing at precisely him and asking the question.

'If he's someone closely connected to the Mantis Martial Academy…'

Then he would have to take him down here before ruining his plans.

At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun's voice struck his ears again.

"Relax, there's nothing to be wary of. I haven't come to visit the Mantis Martial Academy on friendly terms either."

"…!"

"Whatever you do, I have no intention of interfering. But wait until my business is finished first."

For a moment, the young man was conflicted about whether to respond or not.

'Hmm, from the way he speaks, it doesn't seem like he has positive feelings toward the Mantis Martial Academy…'

Anyway, he couldn't wait any longer.

Compromise was not an option.

Though he couldn't guarantee success, having already made up his mind, he had to finish this tonight.

Slide.

The young man soon took out a mask from his clothes to cover his face, then deployed his lightness technique and dropped down below.

Fwhoosh-

Soon, crouching on the wall and buried in the dark shadows, he quietly asked.

"Are you an orthodox faction martial artist?"

"Judging by that question, you must be an orthodox faction martial artist too."

"…"

"If I had sensed you were a bad person, I wouldn't have spoken to you in the first place."

At that, the young man stared at him as if testing him, then nodded and spoke.

"That's right, I'm not an unorthodox faction. I'd rather not reveal my identity."

"As you wish."

"Getting to the point, I've waited many days for tonight. I don't know what your circumstances are, but would you consider accommodating me just once?"

"You want me to yield?"

"I'm sorry, but… there are special circumstances. So my business takes priority."

The young man answered firmly and lightly gripped his sword hilt.

It was an expression of will that if the other continued to insist, he would subdue him by force before proceeding with his task.

Yet Cheol Ryu-heun was perfectly composed.

"You seem quite desperate."

"Indeed. Even if I must be rude to you right now… I will have my way."

"Shall I guess? You're trying to sneak in and steal something."

"…!"

"Surprised?"

"How did you know?"

"I could tell at a glance. Your gaze isn't that of someone burning with vengeance and aiming for slaughter."

"Wait, then is your business also similar to mine…?"

"No."

Cutting him off, Cheol Ryu-heun stretched leisurely and said.

"I'm planning to cause havoc."

The young man took on a bewildered expression.

'What? Cause havoc?'

He didn't understand what that exactly meant.

Cheol Ryu-heun paid no mind and shrugged his shoulders.

"Simply put, I'm going to raise hell. I have my methods."

In that moment, the young man's expression hardened stiffly.

'Hmph, raising hell… I can't just leave him be before he ruins things further! I'll have no choice but to be rude!'

He immediately drew his sword and kicked off the wall.

Whoosh-!

Agile movement, a simple sword stance.

He drove in exquisitely at the flank of Cheol Ryu-heun, who was mounted on the horse.

His plan was to attack the acupoints with sword wind and immobilize him.

In that instant.

Clang!

Along with a harsh metallic sound, the young man was instantly sent flying backward, slamming his back against the wall with a thump.

"Urgh!"

He had been struck by Cheol Ryu-heun, who had drawn his sword before anyone knew it.

Sitting down as if landing on his rear, the young man's eyes filled to the brim with disbelief.

'This can't be – I couldn't even see his sword-drawing motion!'

Their ages seemed similar, yet he never imagined the speed and power of their sword techniques would differ by this much.

The tingling pain wrapping around his entire arm spoke to the opponent's formidable martial prowess.

'He's an amazing master! One who even greatly exceeds my expectations…'

It seemed like his wristbone had cracked slightly.

From receiving just a single sword strike.

That made it all the more shocking.

In truth, he was no amateur.

Confident enough to consider himself an excellent talent, his sword skills had been exceptional since childhood.

He was at a level where he could make most later-generation prodigies of his age kneel within ten moves.

Yet how was this person such a monster that he had subdued him as if handling a child?

Cheol Ryu-heun expressionlessly sheathed his sword.

"Your swordsmanship seems quite good for your age."

'And that was just from a single exchange…'

The young man took no pleasure in the compliment.

"Anyway, I have no intention of yielding my turn. Instead, I'll include you in this chaos."

"What do you mean…?"

"I'll help you get what you want. I guarantee it won't take long."

"…!"

The young man blinked his eyes in surprise.

'What's with that confidence?'

Cheol Ryu-heun urged him on with an indifferent expression.

"I'm busy, so choose quickly. Will you try again another day with an injured hand, or will you take my help and leave?"

"Are you… s-serious… that you can?"

"Of course."

"May I ask what exactly your plan for 'raising hell' is?"

"You won't get hurt. Just know that."

The young man pondered for a moment, then lightly nodded.

"Hmm… Alright. Since it's come to this, I'll take a gamble too. Even if it fails, I won't blame you. After all, it'll be the price of following my intuition."

"Fail, my ass – get on behind me."

When Cheol Ryu-heun gestured with his chin, the young man quickly sheathed his sword with a click and mounted the horse.

"Hold on tight. Divine Wind is faster than a bird."

"Divine Wind – that's quite a nice name for a horse. Oh, but by the way… why do you keep speaking casually to someone you just met?"

"Because I deserve to."

"We should at least maintain basic mutual courtesy…"

"I'm far more ancient than even your great-great-grandfather."

"…"

The young man's eyes went blank as if dumbfounded.

He didn't seem like a madman though – could his seniority in the martial world be incredibly high?

At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun gripped the reins while gazing at the Mantis Martial Academy.

"We're breaking through head-on."

Suddenly, the young man's complexion turned pale.

"Gasp! W-Wait! Are you saying you're going to charge straight into the Mantis Martial Academy? No matter how much of a master you are, to handle all those numbers…"

"For mere mantises, trampling them with hooves will suffice."

"I-I think we should discuss this more!"

"Let's go!"

The moment Cheol Ryu-heun shouted, Divine Wind shattered the stone pavement and charged with terrifying momentum.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-!

As the tremendous wind pressure made the young man's eyelids flip and flutter, Divine Wind crashed into the center of the Mantis Martial Academy's main gate.

Crash!

The door gates shattered entirely as if struck by a massive cannonball.

CRACK-!

The walls on either side crumbled noisily like sandcastles, playing a clamorous symphony.

Rumble, rumble-rumble…