Chapter 77: Those Destined to Meet Will Always Meet Again (2)

Dam Ho's eyes narrowed.

Passersby on the street had transformed into assassins.

A merchant, an old woman—they drew short daggers and attacked Hae So-wol. The peaceful scene of daily life had abruptly turned into a fight for survival.

Hae So-wol's response to this sudden crisis was nothing short of dazzling. The instant her sword was drawn, fragments of brilliant light scattered in all directions.

Swish!

Hae So-wol's sword fanned outward, sweeping through the surroundings. The old woman and merchant were repelled by her sword barrier, sent flying backward.

Blood spattered from their chests. Hae So-wol's sword had already grazed them.

Azure Sea Severing Wave Sword—a sea-based sword technique that only an exceedingly select few disciples of the Hainan Sect could learn.

The Azure Sea Severing Wave Sword was a technique of perfect offense-defense unity.

Defense was attack, and attack was the ultimate defense—this was the sword Hae So-wol pursued.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Her sword carved through the air with exquisite grace.

Hae So-wol's waist bent with fluid elegance. Her sword pierced the very grain of the air.

Though outwardly dazzling to behold, the lethality contained within was beyond words.

"Ah!"

Bang Jin-bo, unaware of the situation, gasped simply at the visual spectacle. To his eyes, it looked as though a celestial maiden had descended from heaven to perform a sword dance.

But Dam Ho pierced through to the savagery and killing intent contained within. Whoever had first created the sword technique that Hae So-wol wielded must have been possessed of fearsome killing intent.

The relentless targeting of vital points in every strike made this evident.

The sword itself was flawless.

The problem lay in the one wielding it.

'Insufficient killing intent.'

This was a sword technique created for killing humans. But its wielder lacked the will to kill. As a result, the technique could not draw upon its full potential.

Hae So-wol's sword carried respect and courtesy toward human life. Because of this, even when she had opportunities to kill in a single stroke, she tempered her strikes, taking everything but their lives.

Swish!

Her sword cleaved through the air once more.

Each time, assassins fell, spurting blood. Every one of them bore deep sword wounds. Yet not a single one had lost their life.

Severing Wave Play, Sword Tide Overflow—these and other techniques were deployed in succession.

When Hae So-wol's sword dance finally concluded, no one remained standing in the area.

In the wake of the sword's passage, she stood alone. The breeze from Dongting Lake gently swept through her hair.

Such was the majesty befitting the epithet "Flower Beneath the Sea."

People gasped at the sight of Hae So-wol.

"Wow! Incredible!"

"Just who is she?"

They were curious about Hae So-wol's identity.

They had been captivated by the overwhelming martial prowess that had dispatched twelve assassins in the blink of an eye, combined with her dazzling beauty.

"Ah, she is the Flower Beneath the Sea."

"The swordswoman from Hainan Island? Then one of the Nine Dragons?"

Some recognized Hae So-wol by her plain purple hemp dress and her beloved sword, Byeok-sang.

Those who realized her identity cheered even more fervently.

The martial world celebrates heroes. When the object of admiration is handsome or beautiful, the support becomes even more blind.

Hae So-wol possessed outstanding martial arts and was extraordinarily beautiful. She naturally deserved the fervent cheers of the people.

Though the people cheered, Hae So-wol showed not the slightest excitement. Her cultivation was deep and broad—she was not so easily shaken.

"Ugh!"

The assassins who had barely escaped death writhed on the ground, clutching their wounds. Those who had attacked from hiding in the lake were likewise gravely injured.

Clang!

"Who sent you?"

Hae So-wol sheathed her sword and approached them.

Her gaze was colder than ever. But the assassins clamped their mouths shut and refused to answer.

Their eyes, fixed on Hae So-wol, burned with venomous hatred. She seized one of them and prepared to extract information.

In that instant, one of the assassins silently drew a round object from his robes. The moment Hae So-wol saw the iron sphere, her pupils trembled.

'Thunder Shock Bomb?'

Though she had never seen one before, she recognized it instinctively.

A smile played on the assassin's lips.

'You're coming with us.'

His eyes spoke those words.

The Thunder Shock Bomb, also called the Heaven-Shaking Thunder, was a weapon of mass destruction. Once detonated, everything within a thirty-zhang radius would be engulfed. Not only Hae So-wol, but hundreds of nearby lives would be obliterated in an instant.

"Madman!"

Hae So-wol drew her beloved sword, Byeok-sang, once more and charged at the assassin.

She realized her mistake.

'I was careless.'

Before she had left for the martial world, her master had warned her again and again that carelessness was fatal. But she had been intoxicated by her own superior martial skills and forgotten.

The price was devastating.

Even as she drew Byeok-sang and swung, Hae So-wol squeezed her eyes shut.

Boom!

In that instant, a thunderous explosion rang out and Hae So-wol's body shuddered slightly. But the impact was far less intense than she had expected.

Hae So-wol opened her eyes slightly. Before her, a dark shadow flickered.

Beyond the shadow, the assassin was seen hurtling toward Dongting Lake.

Roar!

In that moment, the true explosion occurred, and the shockwave engulfed her and everyone in the vicinity.

"Aagh!"

"Ugh!"

Many people were swept off their feet and sent tumbling across the ground. But not a single one had lost their life to the blast.

Hae So-wol pushed back her disheveled hair and straightened her back. Her face was filled with undisguised bewilderment.

She quickly looked around. Ripples and smoke rose from the lake. The Thunder Shock Bomb had exploded in the water.

Thanks to that, while some had been injured, not a single person had died from the explosion.

"Just who was it?"

She had closed her eyes for but an instant.

In that brief moment, the assassin holding the Thunder Shock Bomb had vanished, and the explosion had occurred in the lake. Someone had clearly thrown or struck the assassin into the water.

Hae So-wol hurried to the other assassins. Their faces had already turned black. They had bitten the poison capsules hidden in their mouths just before the explosion.

Hae So-wol suddenly thought of someone and looked around. But he had already vanished.

'That man.'

The man in the black robe who had been with the portly boy.

She recalled Dam Ho.

Dam Ho was leaving the area with Bang Jin-bo, away from the explosion.

"Brother!"

Bang Jin-bo called to Dam Ho. But Dam Ho did not respond.

It was Dam Ho who had sent the assassin clutching the Thunder Shock Bomb hurtling into the lake.

A Charging Step followed by a single Fortress Breaking Fist strike had launched the assassin into the water. Even in his dying moments, the assassin had not realized how he had died. No one nearby had even noticed.

Dam Ho had killed the assassin because Bang Jin-bo was present. Killing the assassin was far more efficient than trying to lead Bang Jin-bo away.

"Thank you, brother. It's because of me that you…"

Bang Jin-bo looked up at Dam Ho.

No one else might know, but Bang Jin-bo understood perfectly well how little Dam Ho cared about others' affairs.

He had moved solely for Bang Jin-bo's sake.

Dam Ho silently tousled Bang Jin-bo's hair with his large hand. Bang Jin-bo broke into a broad smile.

"That way."

"Hurry."

A group of martial artists was seen rushing over. They were warriors of the Yueyang Sword Gate. They rushed past Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo toward the site of the explosion.

It was not only the Yueyang Sword Gate. Every sect based in Eakyang was running toward the explosion. The entire city was in an uproar.

"Brother, over there."

How long had they walked? Suddenly, Bang Jin-bo pointed toward something.

A night market was in full swing where he pointed.

Countless vendors had lit their lanterns and were selling food. Though an explosion had occurred on Dongting Lake, nearly claiming many lives, here the revelry continued unabated.

Dam Ho was led by Bang Jin-bo into the night market.

The streets were overflowing with food. Street vendors had laid out their homemade dishes on wooden stalls, tempting the crowd.

Bang Jin-bo could not resist the vendors' enticements and ran off.

"Wow!"

An exclamation burst from his mouth. He quickly looked back at Dam Ho.

"Brother, may I try some of these?"

When Dam Ho nodded, Bang Jin-bo grew even more excited and bustled about. His hands were soon full of snacks from the stalls—steamed buns, savory pancakes, and more.

Dam Ho followed in silence.

Along the journey, Bang Jin-bo had been steadily growing. He loved food more than anyone and wished to make others happy with the food he created.

His heart was purer than anyone's, and he possessed a passion that Dam Ho could never possess, even if he spent his entire life trying.

Everyone yearns for what they do not have.

Perhaps that was the greatest reason Dam Ho continued to travel with Bang Jin-bo.

At that moment—

A man walking toward them caught Dam Ho's eye.

He was of average build, dressed plainly. But his appearance was not ordinary.

Most striking was his sculpted face—as though carved from marble, handsome and noble, with deep melancholy in his dark eyes.

He carried a large wooden box on his back, from which five sword handles protruded. The sight was reminiscent of a peacock spreading its tail feathers.

Many passersby focused their attention on the man's unusual appearance. Though many eyes were upon him, the man simply smiled and walked with ease.

The man passed by Dam Ho.

Dam Ho wrinkled his nose. He had detected an intensely pungent scent from the man.

'Blood scent.'

A metallic smell of blood that stimulated the senses.

Dam Ho turned to look. But the man had vanished into the crowd in an instant.

Following Hae So-wol, another unusual man bearing a strange wooden box had arrived. Experts were streaming into Eakyang one after another.

Whether it was coincidence or some force at work, the fact that they had all arrived at precisely the time he entered Eakyang was troubling.

He recalled something Sage Hyeon-so had once told him.

—There is no word more deceptive in this world than "coincidence." When the threads of countless causes are woven together to form the net of effect, what appears as coincidence is in fact inevitability. When such events occur, you must observe your surroundings carefully. For they are always accompanied by omens.

A wind was blowing from Dongting Lake.

It was the wind that had been blowing since the moment he entered Eakyang. Dam Ho hoped that wind would not affect him.

Most people wouldn’t endure this long. Who would want to remain at the scene of their own massacre?

Moreover, if one sensed killing intent directed at them, the desire to flee would be even more desperate.

Yet Jin Ja-gang had endured for nearly two hours.

That alone was remarkable. Normally, one would have forcibly fled by now.

But Jin Ja-gang showed no signs of moving.

Mang Ryo admired Jin Ja-gang’s patience.

Truly befitting of someone who had broken through an underground tunnel for eight years to return.

But then again, Mang Ryo had also waited for eight years.

A sense of stubbornness welled up inside him.

‘Are you challenging me?’

Mang Ryo scoffed.

Though this was an unexpected situation, Mang Ryo had no intention of backing down first.

The distance between Jin Ja-gang and Mang Ryo was about one hundred zhang.

With this distance between them, Jin Ja-gang and Mang Ryo were both hiding, waiting for the other to move first.

This hundred-zhang distance was extremely awkward for Mang Ryo, who was hiding on a rooftop.

If Mang Ryo moved, Jin Ja-gang would certainly sense his presence. He might not see Mang Ryo’s face, but he would definitely know someone had been watching him.

So Mang Ryo couldn’t move until Jin Ja-gang moved first. The best outcome would be for Jin Ja-gang to think he had sensed wrong and leave.

But Jin Ja-gang didn’t do that, which put Mang Ryo in a predicament.

The fire had now spread to the house whose roof Mang Ryo was on.

Crackle, crackle.

The straw roof caught fire easily.

It was an especially dry autumn. In an instant, the fire ignited and smoke rose.

As time passed, the smoke became so thick that it obscured vision and made breathing difficult.

Yet Mang Ryo didn’t move.

He endured without using his internal energy, fearing Jin Ja-gang might notice.

Before long, the flames spread to his immediate vicinity. Sparks flew, burning holes in his clothes.

As the flames grew fiercer, sweat poured down his body, and the heat made him feel scorching hot… but even then, Mang Ryo didn’t budge.

It was purely out of stubbornness.

Would Jin Ja-gang move first, or would Mang Ryo?

Though somewhat one-sided, being the first to move in such a standoff was quite a blow to one’s pride.

Whoosh!

By now, the rooftop was almost completely engulfed in flames.

The sound of burning was right next to his ears.

The flames rising so close singed his beard, causing it to curl. His burned skin melted, peeled off, and blistered.

But even then, Jin Ja-gang still hadn’t moved at all.

‘This b*st*rd…’

Mang Ryo swallowed his curse.

He tried to endure by gradually drawing out his internal energy, but the pain of his flesh cooking felt like knives stabbing his entire body.

They say being burned alive is the most painful way to die.

Mang Ryo was vividly experiencing that pain.

But even if he continued to endure, there wasn’t much to gain. He would just end up roasted.

Mang Ryo gritted his teeth with a chilling expression.

He had tried to endure, but now it was impossible.

Even for someone like Mang Ryo, there was a limit to how long he could bear his flesh cooking.

‘Fine. You win this time, you b*st*rd.’

If he didn’t want to burn to death, he had no choice but to retreat.

With the smoke and flames obscuring visibility, there was a chance he could leave without Jin Ja-gang noticing.

Mang Ryo carefully tried to pull his body back, thinking he would repay this humiliation and wounded pride a hundredfold later.

But then…

Suddenly, Jin Ja-gang moved first?

Mang Ryo froze in surprise.

Jin Ja-gang wasn’t fleeing. Instead, he fully revealed himself and walked toward where Mang Ryo was hiding!

‘That, that b*st*rd?’

Mang Ryo hadn’t expected Jin Ja-gang to do this at all. He was so shocked that he lowered his body even further.

‘Wh-what?!’

What kind of person was this?

Jin Ja-gang’s attitude suggested he wouldn’t leave without confirming the source of the uneasy feeling.

Without hesitation, he revealed himself and came right up to the burning house. He was openly watching the burning scene. In his hand, he held a needle ready to throw at any moment.

This made Mang Ryo suddenly excited.

‘Feel more uneasy! Feel as uncomfortable as if a thorn were stuck under your fingernail! Without ever knowing who I am until the very end!’

But he had no intention of burning to death here.

Mang Ryo endured even as his flesh turned bright red from cooking, and when the fire had sufficiently spread across the roof, he secretly released his internal energy.

The skillfully directed energy struck the main beam.

Crack.

As the beam twisted, the roof, already weakened by fire, collapsed instantly.

Crash!

Boom!

Mang Ryo was swept along with it, falling face down. But he didn’t panic and used the Thousand-Weight Technique to add weight to his feet. As he fell straight down, he rolled the moment he touched the ground.

Above him, the beam and roof fell as a mass of flames.

Mang Ryo rolled as far as possible into a corner.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The beams and burning straw bundles continued to fall. The collapse of the house’s ceiling happened in the blink of an eye.

Even Jin Ja-gang had to step back to avoid being harmed.

Whoosh!

With the ceiling completely collapsed and the entire house engulfed in flames, Jin Ja-gang still didn’t leave.

He just stood there, staring at the collapsed house. Contrary to Mang Ryo’s expectations, he wasn’t leaving easily.

But Jin Ja-gang couldn’t stay for long either.

Villagers from nearby had gathered, drawn by the rising flames.

“Fire!”

“Quickly, look for people!”

Hearing the voices of villagers approaching from a distance, Jin Ja-gang could no longer remain.

He had confirmed as much as he could. If someone had been there, they would have emerged by now.

The number of gathering villagers increased. The sound of murmuring came from all directions.

Jin Ja-gang looked at the burning house one more time before finally walking away.

After Jin Ja-gang disappeared with quick steps, the villagers entered the village and searched for people.

“Where did everyone go?”

“Hey, Wang! Wang! Come out!”

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

Mang Ryo was holding up a burning beam with his right arm raised diagonally.

The falling debris had caught on the beam, preventing it from falling further. But the pillars caught on the beam continued to burn like firewood.

Sizzle, sizzle.

Even with internal energy surrounding him, his flesh was cooking, and his face and hands were red with blisters.

Mang Ryo endured in this position until Jin Ja-gang disappeared.

Only when he was sure Jin Ja-gang was truly gone did he move.

He exerted force with his hand and pushed the beam away with all his might.

Boom! Rumble.

The beam, taller than a person, flew outside, breaking through the house wall along with the burning debris.

Mang Ryo strode out of the burning house.

“Hoo-ah!”

He exhaled the breath he had been holding and took a deep breath.

Some villagers wandering around the village were startled to see Mang Ryo walking out of the burning house.

“Huh? Huh?”

“A, a person from the fire…!”

The villagers were shocked and bewildered, but Mang Ryo paid them no mind.

He glared in the direction where Jin Ja-gang had disappeared, baring his fangs. His expression was strangely contorted, as if both smiling and angry.

Then he raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.

“Kuk kuk kuk, damn b*st*rd. You’ve made me look like this?”

He was truly infuriating. When Mang Ryo sensed that Jin Ja-gang hadn’t left even though the house was burning down, it gave him chills.

“Well, fine. This is how it should be for the wait to be worthwhile!”

Mang Ryo laughed heartily, even enjoying the dirty feeling.

The nearby villagers approached Mang Ryo with curious eyes.

“Ex-excuse me. Are you alright?”

Mang Ryo waved his hand as if annoyed.

Thwack!

A head flew off.

The headless corpse flailed its arms before falling forward.

“Ah, ahhh!”

“He, he killed someone!”

The villagers were so shocked they fell on their backsides.

Mang Ryo looked down at them coldly. Though indirect, he had just encountered Jin Ja-gang after eight years and wanted to savor the feeling a bit longer, but that mood was ruined in an instant.

“Tsk.”

Mang Ryo clicked his tongue and raised his hand.

That was the last thing the villagers ever saw in this world.

* * *

Jin Ja-gang came down around the back of the mountain.

As he was almost at the bottom, his steps kept slowing.

It was due to anxiety.

Though he had left his position because he no longer sensed anything, he never confirmed the source of that feeling.

‘Why did I feel that way?’

Could it have been a wild animal rather than a person?

If it had been a person, they would have surely emerged from the burning house.

If they had weak martial arts, they couldn’t have endured and would have died, and if they had strong martial arts, there would have been no reason to hide and endure.

Part of him wanted to wait until the house was reduced to ashes and then search for traces. But with villagers gathering, he couldn’t stay to confirm further.

Still, he felt uneasy.

Jin Ja-gang stopped walking.

‘Should I stay in the area for a few more days to observe the situation?’

He couldn’t shake his doubts.

But time was limited. He needed to deal with Iron Umbrella Sect before the Yunnan poison sects’ assembly.

There was barely two weeks left. Considering the time needed to travel to Iron Umbrella Sect and formulate a plan, even two weeks wasn’t enough.

In this situation, wasting several days because of an uncertain feeling…

Jin Ja-gang gave a bitter smile.

‘Maybe I’m being oversensitive…’

In truth, it didn’t matter if someone had survived.

Whether there were witnesses or not, his existence was already somewhat known, and he had succeeded in destroying the Shadow Bureau’s main base.

And after annihilating both Stone Forest Gang and Shadow Bureau, anyone could guess that his next target would be either Iron Umbrella Sect or Poison Valley.

Jin Ja-gang shook his head.

‘Enough. I might have sensed wrong, so I shouldn’t dwell on it. Finding a way to eliminate Iron Umbrella Sect is more important now.’

With that thought, Jin Ja-gang was about to quicken his pace.

But…

Hesitation.

Strangely, his feet wouldn’t move.

Though rationally he thought it was enough, he still felt uneasy somewhere inside.

Future trouble…!

The Extreme Poison Sect was destroyed because they left a small child named Jin Ja-gang unchecked. The same was true for Stone Forest Gang and Shadow Bureau.

That’s why leaving future trouble behind is so frightening.

Perhaps Jin Ja-gang would have many sleepless nights because of this unidentified feeling. If something went wrong, he might suspect it was because of this.

No, he might truly come to regret this one day.

“Sigh.”

Jin Ja-gang let out a long sigh.

Then he looked back up at the mountain.

“Let’s go back.”

No matter how uneasy he felt, he couldn’t spare days. Just confirming that the villagers had extinguished the fire and resolved the situation would make him feel much better.

He would find a suitable spot and hide for a day or two, just observing.

Jin Ja-gang turned around and began climbing back up the mountain he had just descended.