Single-Instant Blade

Chapter 80 : Escape (5)

Misan was a rocky mountain.

It was a low mountain that even a child could climb to the top in one two-hour period, and it was also called Baeksan (White Mountain) because there were more rocks than trees, so the whole mountain looked white.

If you dug a cave in a rocky mountain, it became a perfect stone cave for training.

It was cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and insects and pests did not swarm.

The entire Misan was perfect as a training ground for Taoists.

It was natural that the Taiqing Palace was built on the mountainside where you climbed the mountain. Since there were a whopping three hundred stone caves in Misan, it was only right that there should be a place for them to stay.

Even now, there were many Taoists training in Misan.

About two hundred of the three hundred stone caves had owners. From as long as twenty to thirty years ago, to as short as a Taoist who had just entered the day before yesterday, they would take a seat in a stone cave and train.

Naturally, pilgrims did not climb Misan.

Misan was a training space provided to Taoists.

‘Do I have to search all these many stone caves?’

Mongseol looked at the white rocky mountain with a difficult expression.

There was not even a shadow of a person in Misan. Everyone was cooped up in their stone caves and did not go outside. So even if there were people, it seemed as if there were none.

The Drunken Flower Garden assassins were mixed in here.

Ah Geol knew where the Drunken Flower Garden assassins were hiding. Since he had written down the location of the secret room, there was no way he wouldn’t know.

At that time, he had said that he had dug a secret room under the Taiqing Palace.

When she had heard those words, she had really thought that he had made a secret room under the Taiqing Palace.

Now that she was here, she knew what Ah Geol had meant.

There was a secret room under the Taiqing Palace. To procure food without being seen by people, you had to dig an underground passage. And the passage led to the Misan stone caves.

First, you find the secret room. And you follow the underground passage. Then you would reach the stone cave where the Drunken Flower Garden assassins were hiding.

Although there was such an easy way, Ah Geol had brought her to Misan.

‘How do I find it?’

She sat on a rock and looked at the rocky mountain carefully.

At first, she hadn’t seen them, but when she looked intently, she saw small caves.

They had dug stone caves using the cracks in the rocks. They had also used the overlapping parts of the rocks, the slightly indented parts. They had not just chiseled away, but had made them in places that could become caves.

‘Why did he bring me here?’

She searched the caves one by one with her eyes.

Naturally, she also raised her true energy. To examine the stone caves that were far away, she needed a sharp eye art. But,

“Ah!”

Mongseol let out a cry of astonishment without realizing it.

A whitish air current was flowing between the stone caves.

A hazy fog would rise and then disappear. A black smoke like soot would also rise. Of course, the smoke would disappear quickly without even giving her a chance to observe it in detail.

“L-Life and Death Fall!”

Mongseol knew why Ah Geol had brought her to a wide rock where she could see the stone caves.

It meant to see the Life and Death Fall of the Drunken Flower Garden assassins.

Then when had Ah Geol seen the Life and Death Fall of the Drunken Flower Garden assassins? How had he known that the Life and Death Fall had reached that level? Had he received a report on how they were training?

There was no way. If he had reported, he would have reported to the Garden Master.

The moment Ah Geol had set foot on Misan, he had already seen the Life and Death Fall. When she had been looking at the Taiqing Palace, he had seen the smoke flowing on the rocky mountain. It was visible because he had deliberately tried to see it.

Ah Geol did not want the Drunken Flower Garden assassins to die.

Suddenly, Mongseol felt grateful to Ah Geol.

Although she had received his help not just once or twice, this time she felt especially grateful.

She gathered her true energy in her upper palace, and raised the Mud Pill One Sword.

Now she walked. She had the Mud Pill One Sword guard her surroundings, and she slowly took a step.

Swish! Swish!

The Drunken Flower Garden’s ultimate technique, the Ghost Shadow Step, was executed.

The Mud Pill One Sword and the Ghost Shadow Step cooperated with each other. The touch of the Mud Pill One Sword was also contained in the Ghost Shadow Step. So even if she stepped on the ground, no trace was left, and even if she stepped on the grass, no sound was made.

‘Left!’

The Mud Pill One Sword pointed its blade to the left. It meant that there was an enemy on the left.

Paaat!

Mongseol launched her body without hesitation.

At the same time, with the unity of the body and the sword, her body and sword became one and struck the smoke on the left.

Kaang!

The sword and the sword clashed, and sparks flew.

In that instant, Mongseol’s sword dropped down. And it struck the abdomen of the smoke on the left.

It was the technique Ah Geol had used when he had cut the Third Lord.

Ah Geol had not taught her the Single-Instant Blade. But the Mud Pill One Sword had learned it with its senses. Ah! You can also use a blade like that! She had trained constantly while coming on the road.

It was a very effective blade art against an attack that came striking, no matter what the weapon was.

First, since the weapon and the weapon had to clash, you could not be pushed back in a fight of internal energy. And the moment the weapons collided, you had to create an immediate change. You had to tie up the opponent’s weapon, and just turn your sword slightly.

It was quite difficult to train. If it had been the her of before, she would not have been able to train it even if she had been told the form in detail.

Now her upper palace was open. No matter what martial art it was, if she just saw it, it would be engraved in her head. If she looked at the engraved martial art over and over again, she could see the flow of the forms, and she could also train.

Peok!

“Kuk!”

A dull sound and a short scream rang out at the same time.

“Garden Master!”

The Eighth Elder, who had been struck in the stomach with the back of a sword, rather smiled brightly and welcomed Mongseol.

“You’ve trained in the Life and Death Fall?”

Mongseol also felt a surge of pleasure and grabbed the Eighth Elder’s arm.

“I thought I could beat the Garden Master by training in the Life and Death Fall, but as expected, I can’t. The Blood Sword is scary. Hoho!”

The Eighth Elder laughed cheerfully, as if he were very pleased.

All those many people of the Drunken Flower Garden had died. Only the Eighth Elder was left among the elders. The assassins who had been gathered with difficulty… only nine of Mongseol’s peers were left.

“How is everyone?”

Mongseol was curious about the progress of her fellow assassins’ martial arts.

“About five to six stars?”

“That much? That’s good.”

“Good? We’re still far from it. If we go out into the martial world with that level of martial arts, we’ll all die.”

The Eighth Elder shook his head.

That’s right. Now the enemy of the Drunken Flower Garden was not ordinary martial artists. The strongest sect in the martial world, the Sacred Sword Sect, was the enemy. The Single-Instant Sect disciples, who were said to have the strongest blade in the martial world, were the enemy. So if they went out now, they would all die.

“Let’s go. I want to see everyone.”

Mongseol pulled the Eighth Elder’s arm.

* * *

A sword stand was visible.

There was the Sacred Sword Sect Master’s sword stand, and next to it was the Ten Lesser Swords’ sword stand.

Only eleven swords could be placed on the upper sword stand. No other sword could be placed.

Currently, two swords were placed on the sword stand.

They were the swords of Shin Dopa and Jo Chuhan.

Only the dead, or those who had retired, or those who had been expelled, or those who were alive but could not use a sword, could release their swords on the sword stand.

So a living person could not climb up to the upper sword stand. The sect master could not climb up, and the Ten Lesser Swords could not climb up.

This was the promise of the eleven.

-Do not raise your sword if possible.

Jeon Gaseong released his sword.

“I will place the sword.”

A Sacred Sword Sect martial artist said, bowing his waist.

Jeon Gaseong silently held out his sword.

The martial artist received his sword with both hands. And he climbed up to the sword stand and placed the sword on the very top of the Ten Lesser Swords’ sword stand.

And that was the end.

Now Jeon Gaseong would not be given a sword. Only the sect master knew when the day he would hold a sword again would be.

The martial artist who had placed the sword on the sword stand approached him and said, “I have cleaned a room with a draft. I am sorry to have you in a small place.”

Jeon Gaseong nodded his head as a sign of understanding.

Was there a room with a draft in the second basement level prison? Since he had cleaned it cleanly, it probably wouldn’t smell of mold.

“I’ll be able to rest for the first time in a long time. It’s really been a long time.”

Jeon Gaseong smirked.

* * *

He could not find Ah Geol.

He had searched with the Secret Pavilion and with his eyes wide open. The Preservation Hall had sent a carrier pigeon every other day.

Sixty-eight sects of the Hebei martial world had responded to the carrier pigeon.

The number of martial artists mobilized for the search was twenty thousand. Including the Sacred Sword Sect, and the people related to the Hebei martial world, nearly three hundred thousand people had chased the two.

But they had disappeared without a trace.

The four of the Ten Lesser Swords had spent their days just grinding their swords on a whetstone all day.

Although they had searched the area around the place where the Third Lord had been hit, nothing had come out.

Before that, the First Lord had also returned empty-handed.

Although the First Lord had pursued with all his might, he had not been able to find him and had returned in vain.

A person could not just evaporate like this.

‘…The only place left is the Wind Path Valley.’

The Second Lord, Cho Gapyeong, clenched his teeth.

Although he had not wanted to receive the help of the Wind Path Valley’s killing ghosts… he had no choice but to go.

The Wind Path Valley was also not what it used to be.

The place where they had welcomed the Sacred Sword Sect martial artists had become desolate because there were no people.

There was no one to welcome him.

The Fourth Lord went deep into the Wind Path Valley.

It was the first time he had walked the forbidden area of the Wind Path Valley without being guided by a Single-Instant Sect disciple.

He walked and walked.

But there was no one to block him. The entire Wind Path Valley was as quiet as if it were empty.

There was no way the Wind Path Valley was empty.

The Single-Instant Sect disciples could not leave the Wind Path Valley. They could only go out when there was an order from the sect master.

A thatched cottage that looked as if it would collapse at any moment was visible. The walls made of earth had holes in them, and the roof was a pale gray because it had not been replaced for too long.

It was the residence of the current Single-Instant Sect Master, Seori Gaheon.

“Flashing Thunder, Cho Ga…”

“Come in.”

As soon as Cho Gapyeong started to speak, a cold voice cut him off.

‘An unpleasant guy!’

Cho Gapyeong entered the thatched cottage.

“Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahahaha!”

Seori Gaheon laughed for a long time.

He was laughing so hard, holding his stomach, that Cho Gapyeong was rather embarrassed.

‘Did I say something that funny?’

Cho Gapyeong’s complexion distorted.

Seori Gaheon ignored everyone except the sect master. But it was not pleasant to be ignored to his face. Moreover, this time he was giving an order in the name of the sect master… and he was laughing?

“I can’t.”

Seori Gaheon said briefly, but firmly.

“…You can’t?”

“That guy, he knows the All-Encompassing Stealth. It means that he escaped without a trace, beyond imagination. What I mean is, even if I go and investigate, nothing will come out.”

“What is the All-Encompassing Stealth?”

“There’s such a thing. A bad habit that only the Single-Instant Sect Master knows. Hahaha! Hahahaha!”

Seori Gaheon burst out laughing again. And he said in a tone that had not yet faded from laughter, “Even if I want to kill him, I have to find him to kill him. How can I kill him when I can’t find him?”

“Then is there no way?”

“You have to find a way to make him crawl out on his own. Before that, it’s no use. No one can find him. Even if you release a million troops from the imperial palace, you can’t find him. Hahahaha!”

Seori Gaheon laughed.

But only one place, his eyes, did not laugh.

The louder his laughter became, the colder his eyes became. Like when he had faced his master in the old days.

(End of Chapter)