novelraw Chapter 167 : The Wildcat of Mount Song
Chapter 167 : The Wildcat of Mount Song
Chapter 167: The Wildcat of Mount Song
"Why not? What's your reason?"
Wasn't this the same woman who used to pounce like a wild beast and swing her broadsword whenever she saw an opening?
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I asked why she broke her promise.
"Being apart for a while made me realize something. I still... need you."
What was with her now? Did everyone eat something weird today?
‘……’
And at Ja Misung’s strange remark, Salseong twisted its whole body in disgust.
The red one in front of me, coiling its fingers like twisted pretzels in protest.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"My body’s itching. You're the only one who can handle my full strength, Dan Mujin."
Ah, that’s the kind of "need" she meant.
Well, it’s true. Thanks to my advice, Ja Misung had advanced her level twice already.
With her uniquely robust physique and tireless body as an Evil Star, her storm-like, ruthless swordplay was overwhelming.
Only someone equally absurd and brimming with internal energy—like me—could take it head-on.
"Still, I told you to wait. There's an old man here who might flip out if he sees you."
Not just flip out—he’d throw a fit and probably scold me, too.
If he found out she wasn't just any Evil Star, but Ja Misung, he’d go after me like a rabid dog.
"That old man you're talking about—he’s your master, Hwang Noya, right?"
Jo Harang, having been told to stay away from the office several times, seemed to have figured it out.
"Yeah, he is."
"Ilhong gets to come and go freely, so why am I the only one being kept at arm’s length?"
That one hit hard.
To explain properly, I’d have to mention some secret divine art related to the Evil Stars, and that I was involved too.
"They say in the Central Plains that a master is like a parent. So why do you always hide me from your ‘parent’? Are you... embarrassed of me?"
"……"
Looks like kicking her out of the office for a while was coming back to bite me.
I felt this in my past life too—when a woman logically breaks it down step by step, a man runs out of things to say.
"My master throws a fit if he sees me skipping training and hanging around girls my age."
When in doubt, throw your master under the bus.
I tried to paint Hwang Geolgae as an ascetic and say I had no choice.
Ilhong’s technically my age too, but she’s cross-dressing, so she doesn’t count.
"Girls my age? I’m a wanderer, thank you. And Mujin, do we look like we’re playing around?"
She insisted all we ever did was sword fights, so my master's suspicions were unfair.
"But that guy won’t believe it."
"Why not?"
"Because you're too pretty for a wanderer. Being alone at night like this just begs for a misunderstanding."
I threw out the line and watched her reaction.
"Hmm, well... I guess that makes sense."
She wiped under her nose and nodded like she accepted it. She tried to act normal, but the twitching corners of her lips gave her away. She didn't seem to hate the comment.
I thought this kind of line wouldn’t work on her, but I guess it did. I should keep this trick in my pocket for emergencies.
"Anyway, if you get caught, I’m screwed—so don’t come sneaking around again."
Jo Harang's mood deflated quickly at the idea of hiding again.
"It’s fine. I won’t get caught. I’m the tiger of Mount Song—my movements are sharp and nimble."
She pounded her chest confidently.
"If you get caught, you’re not a tiger—you’re a wildcat of Mount Song."
I narrowed my eyes and warned her.
"Heh, I’ll move like a ghost, so don’t worry. More importantly… it’s about time."
Maybe it was the excitement of seeing me after so long, but she gripped the hilt of her broadsword with a thirsting look in her eyes.
"Draw your sword, Dan Mujin."
In the pitch-dark night, a cold blue blade flux wrapped around the broadsword, rising sharply.
The blade radiated a tyrannical energy, like it could cut down and destroy anything.
"What’s with you, wanting to fight the moment we meet?"
"My body’s just itching. I can’t help it."
"Why though? I mean, I get that you like training but still."
"I think... I may have found another clue to reaching the Blazing Flame realm."
"……"
What the hell. It's barely been a year since she hit Transcendence, and she already found a lead on Blazing Flame?
Is this what it means to be a blessed genius? I looked at Ja Misung in disbelief.
'Kill!'
And Salseong screamed, urging me to kill her before she grew any stronger.
Lately, it only spoke when dealing with Ja Misung or when someone mentioned the Demonic Cult.
Chhhk—
A brilliant white sword flux spiraled up the blade I’d borrowed from the training ground.
Now that my level had risen, there were few who could match me in full-on sparring with both sword flux and blade flux.
"Mujin, why do you want to become stronger?"
Jo Harang had said before that her goal was to punish all evil and spread righteousness across the world.
But my goal was simpler—more modest.
"To beat up a certain old man."
And on top of that, to carve out my own fate.
To put it crudely, I just wanted to live however I damn pleased, without heaven interfering.
"You mean, you want to surpass Hwang Noya in martial arts. Got it."
No, not something noble like that—I really just wanted to beat the crap out of him.
Still, she put it nicely, so I just nodded along.
"Alright, let’s begin then."
With a heavy sound, her broadsword planted itself in front of me. She was offering me the first strike.
‘Kill her… now…’
Salseong muttered weakly.
No can do. With our levels this different, if I fought her seriously, I’d be the one to die.
I had just reached Transcendence, while she had already mastered it.
Though, in terms of internal energy, I probably still had the edge.
‘Blazing Flame, huh? That, I won’t give up."
I was late to Transcendence, but that realm—I wanted to reach it first.
Was this what people meant by rivalry? Maybe Ja Misung and I had formed a healthy cycle of pushing each other to grow.
"Face my sword, fated nemesis."
"...What are you on about now?"
"Take this—Overhead Slash Roar!"
With that, I launched the second technique of the Dog-Slaying Sword Technique straight at her.
***
"Haa, haa."
It was the hour when dawn had crept in, and the edge of the sky had just begun to tinge with pale red.
Dan Mujin had disappeared from the training yard, saying he needed to open the office for customers.
Thus, left alone, Shinpungdo Jo Harang sat down and caught her breath in exhaustion.
"Why the hell does that guy have so much internal energy..."
She sheathed her broadsword again and spoke with disbelief.
Though she had an edge in martial skill, Dan Mujin’s relentless inner power and that unique ability of his to read the trajectory of her sword made him a rough opponent.
Thanks to that late-night spar, the earthen training ground had been left in utter ruins.
"He acts like he's hiding his past, but I’d bet he’s from a prestigious clan. Maybe that’s how he’s had access to spiritual elixirs?"
That thought had occurred to her back in Liaoning Province.
Dan Mujin had reacted emotionally every time they encountered members of the Murong Clan.
He acted like he was hiding it, but to someone watching from the side, it was obvious.
Even his looks gave off the aura of a noble young master.
Although it was a shame he made no effort to present himself properly despite having that face.
"If he just tied his hair properly instead of that lazy mess, he’d actually look pretty cool..."
A man who claimed to work for money, yet was full of virtue on the inside.
Good-looking and upright in conduct—he was the ideal chivalrous hero she'd always dreamed of.
She wondered what it would feel like to walk the path of a chivalrous hero with a man like that, shoulder to shoulder for a lifetime.
"Ugh, what the heck am I even thinking..."
She shook her head firmly.
Lately, whenever blades clashed, improper thoughts would sometimes well up inside her.
She had goals to achieve as Ja Misung—she had to stay composed.
"Phew! Still, that sword fight felt great. Now I just need to find a quiet place and take a long nap."
Whenever she crossed swords with him, she felt a sense of deep fulfillment in her chest.
Leaving the busy Dan Mujin behind, she was just about to head out of the Eunseong Trading Company and begin her morning routine—
"Huh? What’s with you?"
—when she suddenly came face to face with an old man shaking a bottle of liquor.
His face, red from a heavy drinking session, and his shabby appearance made him look like a drunkard.
But he bore an uncanny resemblance to the Hwang Noya that Dan Mujin had strictly warned her never to meet.
"...I'm just a wandering swordswoman passing through. I’ll be on my way."
The shocking part was—she hadn’t sensed his presence at all, despite being at the level of Transcendence.
It felt like he had just popped up out of nowhere.
"A wandering swordswoman? You?"
"Yes, sir..."
Jo Harang, who failed to live up to the title ‘Wildcat of Mount Song.’
Uncharacteristically, she lowered her voice to that of a refined lady and tried to slip away quickly.
But as if he sensed something, the old man’s drunken expression sobered up, and he stared at her keenly.
"You bear a strange energy, young lady. Just what is this..."
Whether he had activated some art or not, a blue gleam flashed in his eyes, and she could feel the disturbance in his energy.
His eyes narrowed suspiciously the more time passed.
"Come here, lass. Let me take your pulse."
It seemed he had caught on that she was no ordinary master.
"I refuse, old man!"
The thought of disappointing Dan Mujin flashed through her mind, and the Wildcat of Mount Song instantly activated her movement technique, trying to flee the scene.
But as if anticipating this exact reaction, a figure blurred and appeared before her.
"Hoho, did you think that was a request?"
A strangely angled wrist shot toward her shoulder.
"Gah!"
Startled by the ghostly assault, Jo Harang instinctively threw a punch imbued with enhanced qi.
Boom!
But the old man met her with equal, no—greater energy, countering with a matching blow.
With that single clash, Jo Harang realized the old man before her was a master of a realm far beyond her own.
"This overwhelming rebound... and the aura of stars... and such martial strength at a young age... Are you bearing an Evil Star?"
"...!"
Just one strike—
That was all it took for the secret she was never to reveal in Mount Song to be exposed, and Jo Harang stood in silent shock.
Hearing the words Evil Star, the young woman quickly retreated two steps, startled.
"I-I have no idea what you’re talking about!"
A flustered Jo Harang stood before him, making a thoroughly unconvincing denial.
Seeing her obvious reaction, Hwang Geolgae let out a baffled snort.
"Come on, tell me. Which Evil Star do you bear?"
The Starfall Heart Cultivation Method that resided within him had been reacting wildly, sensing the aura of stars.
That alone was irrefutable proof that she held an unusual power.
"...Seriously, what are you even talking about? Bearing an Evil Star?"
Having lost the first exchange, Jo Harang now held her large broadsword defensively in front of her.
It was clear she was prepared to cut her way out of this if necessary.
"That broadsword... So you’re that Jo Harang who supposedly became Dan Mujin’s subordinate?"
Thanks to Dan Mujin’s frequent mentions, Hwang Geolgae had memorized most of the office staff.
"And you must be that master, Hwang Noya—the one who trains disciples by beating them senseless?"
What the hell had that brat been telling people about his own master?
He’d have to beat the daylights out of him next time just to make the rumor true.
"A bearer of an Evil Star seeks out my disciple in the middle of the night. What’s your intention, huh? Out with it."
"..."
But even after repeated questioning, Jo Harang remained silent.
She was said to have reached Transcendence at such a young age.
"Hmph!"
Sliding up like a ghost, Hwang Geolgae thrust a punch right at her nose.
Jo Harang swung her broadsword in panic. The fist wrapped in cloth and her blade covered in blade flux clashed, ringing with a metallic resonance.
Clang!
She was pushed back, blade first, by the immense shock of the impact.
Revealing the overwhelming gap in martial level, Hwang Geolgae dashed into her blind spot and firmly grabbed her wrist.
As he sent qi into her meridians, a sensation utterly different from when he probed Cheonsalsung overwhelmed his senses.
"This isn’t just any Evil Star... What is this tremendous virtuous energy filling your body...?"
It felt like touching the aura of a high monk who had accumulated good karma for decades.
Evil Stars didn’t carry this kind of energy. And it wasn’t like she had trained in the Starfall Heart Cultivation Method like them.
Then suddenly, he remembered—his hopeless disciple had once mentioned Ja Misung.
The moment the scattered clues snapped into a single conclusion—
"Don't tell me... You bear Ja Misung?"
Hwang Geolgae asked in disbelief.
"...!"
She couldn't speak, with her sub-acupoint being pressed, but the flicker in her eyes gave it away.
"Hah... To think he turned Ja Misung into an ally. What kind of lunatic is this kid?"
Rumor had it they even trained together, pushing each other’s martial levels higher.
There actually existed a Heaven-Slaying Star who was commanding Ja Misung like a subordinate—without even paying her.
"This kid's completely insane..."
Even for someone who defied fate, this was outrageous.
Could he have other Evil Stars entangled too?
"Hah..."
It seemed his disciple wasn’t just extraordinary—he was utterly beyond comprehension.