Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 29 : Break (2)

Hyung Jo-geo, who stood up with a startled face and turned his body, had a hardened expression when he discovered the young man in plain clothes.

'When did he come?'

There was no presence of an approaching person.

But the young man in plain clothes was standing at a distance of two zhang as if he were a ghost.

Jjol-jjol-jjol!

The sound of the stream flowing echoed emptily.

The young man in plain clothes nodded when he saw Hyung Jo-geo's face.

"It's him."

Sreung!

The young man in plain clothes naturally drew his sword and held it in his hand. At that moment, Jang Sa drew his executioner's sword and approached the young man in plain clothes.

"What kind of bastard are you?"

Thwack!

Blood splattered from the back of Jang Sa's head. Immediately after, Jang Sa fell to the ground.

Hyung Jo-geo's eyes widened. Before he could even grasp what had happened, a faint, haze-like energy approached him.

He instinctively twisted his body.

Pfft!

His skin split from his left shoulder to his right shoulder, and blood sprayed out.

"Keuk!"

Hyung Jo-geo, who was staggering, quickly grabbed the hilt of his sword. But that was just his will; Hyung Jo-geo couldn't draw his sword.

Thump! Thwack!

Hyung Jo-geo's head separated from his body and fell to the ground. Jin Sa-wol, the young man in plain clothes, sheathed his sword and then put Hyung Jo-geo's head in the box he had prepared.

Jin Sa-wol, who had wrapped the box in a cloth, left the valley as if nothing had happened.

A short while later, the screams of people were heard from the valley.

Although the sound came like an echo, it was not his business to care.

* * *

Jingle!

As a large money pouch was placed on the table, Jin Sa-wol took the money pouch.

Jo Mal-sang, the steward of the Nanchang branch who was standing in front of him, said with a hardened expression, unlike usual.

"I wondered whose wanted poster you took, and it was Hyung Jo-geo."

"Yes."

"He's a disciple who was excommunicated from the Wudang Sect... It's going to be a bit of a headache."

Jin Sa-wol couldn't understand what Jo Mal-sang's words meant.

"I'll be going."

Jin Sa-wol said goodbye to Jo Mal-sang, then left the branch and headed home. Since he had a decent amount of money, he planned to train in martial arts at home for a while.

Jin Sa-wol, who had returned home, was spending ordinary days. Such a day with nothing special was repeated every day.

In the morning, the smell of beans would seep into the room. Then he would wake up and practice his sword.

About fifteen days after he had returned home, a stranger came to his house for the first time.

He opened the main gate and stood in the yard.

He was a handsome young man in his mid-twenties, wearing a white martial arts uniform and a white cloak.

He was holding a blue ancient sword in his hand, and he was a young man with his hair neatly tied up with a hero's headband and a hairpin.

He looked kind. That was Jin Sa-wol's impression of the young man.

The young man standing in the yard looked at Jin Sa-wol, who had come out of the house.

His skin was clean, and he looked like a cold person with emotionless eyes.

'A wooden doll that only breathes.'

It was the first thought that came to his mind.

The young man, who took a step forward, looked down when he saw that the ground under his feet was dug out.

In his eyes, he saw a bluestone that was dug out like a footprint. It was clearly the spot where the young man standing in front of him had been standing.

If he stood according to the shape of the foot, he would have to turn his body, so he didn't. A deep curiosity arose, but he held it in and opened his mouth to the young man standing in front of him.

"I am Hyun Jin of the Wudang Sect."

Even after hearing the words 'Wudang Sect', Jin Sa-wol's face showed no particular change. It was an expression that said, 'So what?'

"Are you Jin Sa-wol?"

When Hyun Jin asked, Jin Sa-wol nodded.

"That's right."

"Did you kill Hyung Jo-geo?"

"I killed him."

It was Jin Sa-wol, who answered obediently.

Jin Sa-wol thought of the sect called the Wudang Sect and observed Hyun Jin. He saw his hand grabbing the hilt of his sword.

"Hyung Jo-geo was a disciple of the Wudang Sect."

Whether he was saying that he had been a disciple of the Wudang Sect or that he was a disciple of the Wudang Sect, he couldn't tell from Hyun Jin's momentum.

"Punishing Hyung Jo-geo is something our sect should do. It's even less something a hunter should be involved in."

Sreung!

As he drew his sword and held it in his hand, Jin Sa-wol grabbed the hilt of his sword. If the opponent had drawn his sword, it meant he intended to kill him.

What was strange was that Hyun Jin had no killing intent. It was strange that he had drawn his sword to kill an opponent but had no killing intent.

Hyun Jin aimed the tip of his sword at Jin Sa-wol and asked.

"Why did you kill him?"

Jin Sa-wol frowned.

It was an expression that said, 'What kind of crazy bullshit is this?'

Jin Sa-wol readjusted his frown and then answered with a calm face.

"Because he was a criminal with a bounty on his head."

"Hyung Jo-geo was not a bad person. The crime was also a false accusation, and it was something that would have been resolved over time."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"It means you killed an innocent person."

"How amusing."

Jin Sa-wol couldn't understand Hyun Jin's story at all. He had no interest in his past or false accusations. It was something that had nothing to do with him.

Hyung Jo-geo was a criminal with a bounty on his head, and he was just a human who could be killed, nothing more and nothing less.

Hyun Jin showed a cold killing intent.

"Since you've interfered in the affairs of Wudang, you have to take responsibility! I'll take your right arm."

Whoosh!

With his words, Hyun Jin drew a small circle with his sword and pierced Jin Sa-wol's chest.

Jin Sa-wol just watched Hyun Jin's movements and didn't even flinch.

Just then, in Hyun Jin's eyes, he saw something small and transparent cutting through the space and flying towards him.

Hyun Jin's eyes widened. It was something that looked like a stream of water.

Thwack!

A hole was pierced in Hyun Jin's left shoulder, and blood splattered.

As a drop of blood brushed past Hyun Jin's eyes, another something was flying towards his glabella.

"Heup!"

Hyun Jin, who had held his breath, flew back faster than he ever had in his life and landed on the wall.

Jureureuk!

Cold sweat flowed down his forehead.

"Hoo-wook! Hoo-wook!"

Hyun Jin, who was breathing heavily without realizing it, looked at Jin Sa-wol, who was standing like a stone statue, with wide eyes.

He was standing with his sword in his hand, just as he had been at the beginning.

'What happened?'

He recalled the situation just a moment ago to confirm what had happened.

But all he could see was a transparent stream of water.

If his reaction had been even a little late, a hole would have been pierced in his forehead. Because of the fear of death, he couldn't even feel the pain in his left shoulder.

'Fast sword? Is it really a fast sword?'

Hyun Jin had never seen a master who used a fast sword as fast as Jin Sa-wol in his life.

'Sorcery?'

That was also a possibility.

The faint energy flowing from Jin Sa-wol's entire body felt strange, like the martial arts of an unorthodox sect, not the martial arts of the orthodox.

It was dark, gloomy, and sticky. It gave off an unpleasant feeling like changing clothes with a sweaty body.

Hyun Jin gauged the distance to Jin Sa-wol.

'Five zhang.'

It was quite a distance. To attack Jin Sa-wol, he had to approach. He had to get within at least two zhang, but the attack just now had caught his feet.

Gulp!

Hyun Jin swallowed his dry saliva, organized his countless thoughts, and fell onto the yard.

Although it was an act that could lead to death, Hyun Jin had no intention of avoiding Jin Sa-wol.

The distance to Jin Sa-wol was only about two zhang. It was the distance where Jin Sa-wol's sword had pierced through his left shoulder.

In that instant, Jin Sa-wol's feet slid forward.

Three steps.

Whoosh!

"Wait! It's the Wudang Sect."

As Hyun Jin shouted, Jin Sa-wol's sword stopped in front of his neck.

Hyun Jin looked at Jin Sa-wol with wide eyes.

In that short moment, Jin Sa-wol was standing with his sword extended forward.

Hyun Jin showed both his hands to the indifferently standing Jin Sa-wol and spoke again.

"If you kill me, you'll be turning the Wudang Sect into an enemy."

Originally, a dog that was very scared would bark loudly. Hyun Jin's appearance, threatening him by mentioning the Wudang Sect, looked like a dog.

Woof! Woof!

Just then, the sound of a dog barking was heard from nearby.

Hyun Jin smiled, and Jin Sa-wol sheathed his sword.

Although it was the sound of a dog barking, there were times when that sound worked.

Jin Sa-wol sheathed his sword, stepped back, and then turned his body.

"If your business is over, go back."

"If I had intended to do that, I would have already run away."

Swish!

Hyun Jin grabbed his left shoulder, went into the room, then collapsed into a chair and took out a golden wound medicine.

He was like a thief who had invaded a room without the owner's permission.

Jin Sa-wol stood still and watched Hyun Jin treating his shoulder.

Hyun Jin applied the golden wound medicine, then looked around to stop the bleeding and tore a piece of plain cloth hanging on the wall.

Jin Sa-wol watched Hyun Jin, who was tearing his own clothes, intently. Hyun Jin, as if it were no big deal, wrapped the plain cloth around his shoulder and then turned his head.

"There are many rooms, right? Let me stay here for a few days."

Hyun Jin drank tea as if he thought Jin Sa-wol would naturally allow it. Jin Sa-wol briefly contemplated how to deal with this crazy bastard.

He was a type of human he had never seen before among the many people he had known.

"Why are you in my house? You're an enemy, aren't you?"

"Enemy? Who's an enemy?"

"Isn't it me?"

Jin Sa-wol grabbed the hilt of his sword again. He gave a silent pressure that he might kill him if he didn't leave.

Hyun Jin drank the hot tea again and leaned back deeply in his chair.

"I just said that I would be indebted to the guy who made my shoulder like this until my shoulder is all better."

"......"

"I'm a disciple of the Wudang Sect. If I go back with a hole in my shoulder, would the higher-ups like it? They would naturally ask for the reason, and I would report what happened here, right? Then the old men of the Wudang Sect would come here, talking about pride and honor. My senior uncles and senior brothers would flock here to discuss martial arts. Would that be okay?"

In Jin Sa-wol's mind, the image of Hyun Jin's neck being twisted was drawn.

"I'm starting to dislike the Wudang Sect."

"I don't like it either. If I wear these clothes, I can't even go to a brothel. If the fact that I went to a brothel is discovered, I have to do wall-gazing training in a small stone room for a few months."

"Revenge for Hyung Jo-geo?"

When Jin Sa-wol asked, Hyun Jin had a hardened expression for a moment and then opened his mouth.

"The reason I came down from Wudang Mountain was to kill Hyung Jo-geo. I was just angry that you killed the person I was supposed to kill. Amitabha."

As if he wished for Hyung Jo-geo to attain Buddhahood, Hyun Jin closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again.

"There's no need for you and me to see blood over this matter anymore, Younger Brother Jin."

'Younger brother?'

Jin Sa-wol thought about when he had become Hyun Jin's younger brother, but there was no such time.

"Why am I your younger brother?"

"I'm twenty-nine."

"Hmm..."

As if he had nothing to say about his age, Jin Sa-wol closed his mouth.

But as he looked at Hyun Jin sitting with a relaxed face, something hot rose up through his throat.

"What should I do with an uninvited guest?"

As he spoke out loud a problem he should have thought about in his mind, Hyun Jin grabbed his sore shoulder.

"Ayaya! It feels like my shoulder is going to break. If I become a cripple like this, my senior uncles and senior brothers will surely come running, right?"

As Hyun Jin looked at him, killing intent sat on Jin Sa-wol's face. Since it was the first time he had experienced such a thing, he had shown killing intent without realizing it.

To Hyun Jin, it looked like angry rage.

"Are you angry?"

At that question, Jin Sa-wol's eyes widened for a moment. But that was also for a fleeting moment, and he instantly returned to an indifferent face.

'I'm angry?'

Jin Sa-wol touched his chin, then shook his head, went into the bedroom, closed the door, and then said to Hyun Jin.

"Use any room."

Hyun Jin, who heard Jin Sa-wol's voice, asked in a loud voice.

"Younger Brother Jin! What about food?"

"There is none."

Hearing Jin Sa-wol's insincere answer, Hyun Jin looked around, and when he saw the tofu on the dining table, he quickly approached the table and ate the tofu.

"Oh, it's delicious!"

Hyun Jin's eyes widened, and he stared at the tofu.

(End of Chapter)