Sword God Reborn

Chapter 15 : The First to Die in the Martial World

The first to react to Cheon Mubaeck's words was Neung-heo.

With a hardened face, Neung-heo ran towards the Lotus Pavilion without a second thought.

"Is it the Blood Demon Sect bastards?"

"I suppose so."

Cheon Mubaeck said calmly and moved his feet.

'They came just one day after I killed the Master of the Lotus Pavilion?'

Of course, the news would spread quickly.

He had dealt with the medicinal herb merchant, and the government office had confirmed it. Even if they didn't know that the Master of the Lotus Pavilion was dead, it was natural for them to come to the Lotus Pavilion after finding out about the medicinal herb merchant.

But wasn't their action too fast? In just one day.

'It means they're nearby. Whether it's the Blood Demon Sect bastards or the black-way that the Blood Demon Sect uses.'

Cheon Mubaeck nodded his head.

It wasn't a bad situation.

Because he could approach the core of the Blood Demon Sect a little faster.

'I'll warm up a bit today and start researching Heaven-Shaking Soul Art from tomorrow.'

Now that he had a sword, he might have to use a lot of internal energy soon.

As Cheon Mubaeck and Heo Seong got closer to the Lotus Pavilion, the smell of blood grew stronger.

A few corpses were lying in front of the door.

From the looks of it, they were the black-way who had survived last night, and they had no connection to the Blood Demon Sect.

"There are three of them."

"Pardon?"

"One is a little stronger than the Master bastard I killed yesterday. The other two are nothing special. At most, they're at Neung-heo's level."

Heo Seong looked at Cheon Mubaeck with an incredulous look.

Let's say he could feel their presence from here.

No, in fact, even that was not easily understood from Heo Seong's perspective.

How many presences could be felt from the Lotus Pavilion?

It was full of all sorts of gisaengs and pimps, but to pick out the Blood Demon Sect from among them?

What was more surprising was the fact that he had grasped their level.

'Can he grasp their level with just his senses, without seeing or hearing?'

Is that possible?

Heo Seong's surprised gaze was fixed on Cheon Mubaeck.

"Don't just stare blankly. Be on your guard, Escort Warrior Heo."

"Pardon?"

"In any case, didn't we agree to say that everything that happened yesterday was done by Escort Warrior Heo?"

"...!"

* * *

Neung-heo instinctively knelt down.

'Two of them are similar to or weaker than me, but one of them is a bastard stronger than the previous Master!'

Even if he didn't have the ability to read internal energy and grasp their skills like Cheon Mubaeck, he had a wild instinct.

Even a mere beast feels a predator stronger than itself and avoids it, and Neung-heo, who had been rolling around in the black-way for 20 years, trusted his instincts.

The bastard who came before him.

He had tried to stand up to the two bastards who came from the Blood Demon Sect, but it was impossible.

So he was in this state now.

"Please save me! We've all been defeated!"

"Defeated? For someone who's been defeated, all the kids from our Blood Demon Sect are dead. And only the kids under you, Neung-heo, are alive!"

Three members of the Blood Demon Sect had rushed in.

One was a middle-aged man with sparse white hair, and the other two were young enough to be his sons. Neung-heo was so upset that a young bastard who was at least fifteen years younger than him was shouting at him.

It would be one thing if it were the middle-aged man. The young bastard was at a similar level to him.

But although the young bastard was shouting, Neung-heo, who knew that it was ultimately the middle-aged man's true intention, could only prostrate himself.

"The bastard already knew about the existence of the Blood Demon Sect, and he even knew that they were spreading the plague through the gisaeng house!"

"What?"

"Wait a minute."

At that moment, the middle-aged man who had been quiet stepped forward.

"Did you say plague?"

In an instant, a pressure that squeezed his chest made Neung-heo's breath catch.

He had felt that he was stronger than the previous Master, but this was on another level. The previous Master was also murderous, but he had thought that he could land a surprise attack and escape if necessary.

But the middle-aged man was not like that at all.

'Shit! Blood Demon Sect or whatever, I'm really tangled up in something bad! Oh, Neung-heo! Why did you come all the way here to hasten your death, when you could have just lived a normal life as a black-way, what kind of wealth and glory were you trying to enjoy!'

Neung-heo suppressed his miserable feelings and bowed his head to the middle-aged man.

"That's right. The bastard seemed to know a lot about the Blood Demon Sect."

"Then why did he spare you?"

In an instant, Neung-heo was at a loss for words. He quickly racked his brain, but his mind went blank. They had rushed in before he could prepare anything, so no words came to mind.

Fortunately, at that moment, Cheon Mubaeck and Heo Seong entered the gisaeng house.

Neung-heo felt a sense of relief for a moment.

Seeing Cheon Mubaeck's shameless face usually made him angry, but not today.

'No. Can that kid beat this monstrous old man?'

Honestly, he didn't know. But he had a gut feeling that it would be better to side with that side rather than the Blood Demon Sect. Spreading a plague by putting poison in alcohol was something that even the black-way wouldn't do. To side with such crazy bastards?

Neung-heo made eye contact with Cheon Mubaeck and nodded as if he had read Cheon Mubaeck's intention.

"It's that bastard!"

The person Neung-heo pointed at was not Cheon Mubaeck, but Heo Seong.

At that sight, Cheon Mubaeck laughed inwardly.

'His wit is ridiculously fast.'

To point at Neung-heo instead of himself in that situation.

Cheon Mubaeck, who had intended to keep Neung-heo as the Master of the Lotus Pavilion and create a connection with the Blood Demon Sect, was pleased with Neung-heo's action.

"It's that son of a bitch! That trashy son of a bitch made a mess of the gisaeng house last night!"

"That bastard?"

"That's right!"

"He looks quite capable, but you're saying he lost his wrist and even the Master was killed?"

"That's right! Unlike how he looks, he's extremely vicious! He has dozens of cunning snakes writhing inside him, and his actions are no different from a human scumbag! He's a complete trash! Trash! He's a trashy bastard who came in without a word and beat people to death!"

"..."

Although the words were clearly directed at Heo Seong, Cheon Mubaeck felt increasingly strange.

"Escort Warrior Heo. Is that bastard cursing at you or me right now?"

"...It's probably me."

"Right? But why do I feel bad?"

Cheon Mubaeck corrected the thought he had had before.

'He's a bastard who has no sense.'

Anyway, at Neung-heo's words, the middle-aged man glared at Heo Seong and took a step closer.

"Who are you, and how do you know about the Blood Demon Sect?"

Heo Seong did not answer.

He had no answer because he knew nothing, but the middle-aged man took it differently.

"Silence is golden. Well, in the martial world, the sword answers for you. Cheok-ah."

"Yes, Elder."

"Go to the main headquarters first and report. The bastard who made things difficult in Henan is a guy named Heo Seong, and I'll cut off his limbs and bring him with his breath still attached."

"I understand."

The middle-aged man, who had spouted terrifying words, immediately drew his sword.

In front of him, Heo Seong took a sharp breath.

Just by drawing his sword, he instinctively knew.

'He's not my opponent!'

Heo Seong quickly rolled his eyes.

One of the three bastards had gone to deliver the news, so there were two left.

The young bastard who was watching with a grin as if the situation was amusing seemed manageable, but the middle-aged man in front of him was not.

'At least Chief Instructor Jang would be a match for him!'

His breath caught in his throat.

It was then.

[Take two steps back.]

Cheon Mubaeck's voice rang in his head.

'Telepathy?'

Before Heo Seong could even figure out what was going on, Cheon Mubaeck's telepathy was once again embedded in his head.

[Hurry!]

At the intense shout, Heo Seong's body reacted reflexively.

The moment Heo Seong's feet hurriedly stepped back, a chill ran down his spine. The middle-aged man's sword had already cut through the spot where Heo Seong had been in an instant.

"...!"

"He dodged?"

Although it was a perfect surprise attack, the middle-aged man's eyes widened when Heo Seong dodged it.

"Huh. He must have hidden a move. Well, that's why the Master bastard was defeated."

A look of interest spread across the middle-aged man's face. At the same time, a blade-like atmosphere poured out from him.

"Then I should introduce myself. I am Gu Jin-hae, an elder of the Blood Demon Sect."

After introducing himself, Gu Jin-hae aimed his sword tip again.

"Then shall we get started properly?"

Gu Jin-hae immediately extended his sword.

[Don't clash swords. Bend your waist and step on the Angry Tiger Exiting the Forest.]

Heo Seong moved as if possessed by a ghost.

"...Huh?"

When the attack missed again, Gu Jin-hae's face became strange.

He thought it was possible that he had dodged the first surprise attack.

But the second attack was different. It was a single sword strike that he had thrust with all his might, pouring in his internal energy.

It was a sword strike that could not be dodged even if he knew it was coming.

Gu Jin-hae tilted his head and tried to attack again.

Chae-chae-chae-chaeng!

Heo Seong gritted his teeth and dodged Gu Jin-hae's attacks. To anyone watching, it looked like Heo Seong was busy dodging Gu Jin-hae's overwhelming offensive, but the reality was different.

Gu Jin-hae felt increasingly strange.

'It's as if he's grasping all my movements!'

He was dodging as if he had predicted which path he would thrust his sword, and how he would move his body to place his opponent within his attack range.

'What the hell? What is this bastard?'

Gu Jin-hae's face contorted as he glared at Heo Seong.

But if Heo Seong had read his thoughts, he would have felt wronged. He also didn't know what was going on right now.

[Two steps to the left! Three steps back!]

'What on earth!'

[The Angry Tiger Exiting the Forest is a footwork that imitates the movement of an old tiger jumping out of a forest! Faster!]

'How does he know the Angry Tiger Exiting the Forest!'

It was a martial art he had learned as a secular disciple of Mount Hua Sect.

How did he know it, and how was he grasping all the forms and giving instructions?

Moreover, when he stepped on the Angry Tiger Exiting the Forest as Cheon Mubaeck instructed, all of the opponent's fierce attacks cut through empty space.

It gave him a tremendous thrill that made his body tremble.

A movement that toyed with an opponent stronger than himself!

And with just the Angry Tiger Exiting the Forest, which he hadn't thought was that useful.

The movements of the Angry Tiger Exiting the Forest that Cheon Mubaeck conveyed through telepathy were truly divine.

'This, can this be possible!'

Heo Seong shuddered. His body trembled on its own. His footwork became increasingly proficient, and he was soon drawing out all the potential of the Angry Tiger Exiting the Forest. Just by moving as Cheon Mubaeck's telepathy instructed. How could this be?

It was then. Cheon Mubaeck's telepathy struck again.

[Two steps to the right! Bend your sword from left to right and unfold the Yang-o Sword!]

"...!"

It was from then on.

Heo Seong's sword swayed as if it were dancing.

But the power contained within it was extremely strong. Gu Jin-hae's sword was repelled and a space was opened in an instant.

[Extend your internal energy as if you're pushing it out, and extend your sword as if you're piercing a single point!]

That was not the Yang-o Sword that Heo Seong knew.

In the current form, he had to show a feint by pretending to withdraw his sword, and then sprinkle a killing move by cutting down from top to bottom.

That was the Yang-o Sword he had learned.

Cheon Mubaeck's instruction was a direct betrayal of the form of the Yang-o Sword. But Heo Seong moved as Cheon Mubaeck's telepathy instructed. He rejected the habit he had learned over the years and forcibly extended his sword, pushing out his internal energy with all his might.

Puuk!

"...Plum blossom?"

The tip of the sword that was stuck half an inch in his chest.

And the scent of plum blossoms that bloomed.

Gu Jin-hae's face crumpled like a piece of paper.

"Were you from Mount Hua Sect?"

A sound that came out like a beast crying.

But Heo Seong could not answer.

As a secular member of Mount Hua Sect, he had swung his sword countless times and learned the martial arts of Mount Hua Sect.

'But this was the first time that the scent of plum blossoms had bloomed from my hand.'

A shiver ran through his entire body.

He unknowingly looked back at Cheon Mubaeck. A strong sense of awe appeared in his eyes.

But Cheon Mubaeck was sighing inwardly.

'Damn it. I don't know who taught him, but he taught him like crap. If it was a properly learned Yang-o Sword, it should have pierced his heart.'

Meanwhile, the young bastard who was watching the fight, Gu Jin-hae's young disciple, Gyo-ryang, had a seizure when the scent of plum blossoms hit his nose.

'A Mount Hua Sect bastard is in Henan!'

What was the reason why they still hadn't completely taken control of Shaanxi Province, where they had put in the most effort?

Wasn't it the Mount Hua Sect?

Gyo-ryang trembled as he recalled the Mount Hua Sect martial artists he had clashed with countless times.

They were truly cold-blooded and ruthless bastards. They were all terrifying bastards.

And now the Heo Seong in front of him had stuck a sword in his master Gu Jin-hae's chest!

Although the fight was not over yet, if the opponent was really a martial artist of the Mount Hua Sect who had been hiding his strength, this might be the place where he would die.

When his thoughts reached that point, his gaze followed Heo Seong's gaze.

'It's that bastard!'

Unknowingly, Heo Seong was moving as if to protect that young brat.

Then he must be an important person!

He glanced over and saw that he was wearing a gorgeous sword at his waist. But looking at the shape of the sword, it was just gorgeous, so he must be a young master from some rich family. There was no internal energy felt from him.

'I'll take that bastard hostage!'

Gyo-ryang moved without hesitation and took Cheon Mubaeck's back in an instant.

As he had expected, Cheon Mubaeck was caught in Gyo-ryang's grasp without any resistance.

"Y-Young Master!"

Seeing Heo Seong's bewildered expression, Gyo-ryang cheered inwardly.

"You! If you don't want to see this brat die, drop your sword right now!"

"Gyo-ryang!"

"Master! The bastard smelled of plum blossoms! A fair fight with a Mount Hua Sect bastard!"

"Ugh!"

Gu Jin-hae also had a certain pride as a martial artist, but as he belonged to the Blood Demon Sect, he had a vile personality.

Gyo-ryang held a knife to Cheon Mubaeck's neck and shouted.

"He's a pretty-looking bastard, so if you drop your sword obediently, I won't kill you! I know an old man who enjoys men, so if I offer him to him, he'll be very well-loved!"

"Ha."

It was then.

A sigh came out of Cheon Mubaeck's mouth.

"Hey. Do you know who the first person to die in the martial world is?"

"...What?"

"Is it a weak bastard?"

"Shut up! If you don't want to die!"

"Or a vile bastard who takes hostages and threatens like this?"

"You bastard...!"

Gyo-ryang intended to scare Cheon Mubaeck and held the knife closer to his throat.

A gruesome edge, so blood would flow. Then this young brat would be scared and unable to say anything.

'Huh?'

But Gyo-ryang couldn't do anything.

His whole body was as stiff as a stone and wouldn't move.

'What is this...?'

He didn't know.

It was as if his whole body had completely escaped his will.

In the midst of it, Cheon Mubaeck's voice spread quietly.

"Or idiots who put poison in alcohol?"

"..."

"No. No. The first person to really die in the martial world is."

At that moment, Gyo-ryang saw Cheon Mubaeck's smile.

'How?'

A question that came to his mind.

He was holding Cheon Mubaeck from behind, so how could he see his smile from the front?

But his question could not be resolved.

Seogeok!

Gyo-ryang's face, with a question on it, just rolled on the floor.

"An idiot who has no eye for people is the first to die."

(End of Chapter)