Daggers are a weapon that martial artists tend to shun.
They’re shorter than swords, weaker than swords, and not as elegant as swords.
Their only advantage is that they can move quickly with the hand, but even that becomes meaningless once one reaches the level of body-sword unity.
Most martial artists are arrogant. They have immense pride in the martial arts they’ve spent their lives honing.
They sometimes can’t discern the difference between humility and humiliation, seeing their sect’s martial arts as the best in the world. They often argue over whether swords or dao are supreme and openly disdain poison techniques or dark arts.
Even if someone uses such skills to barely survive, others will criticize them, saying they would’ve been better off dead. While sects that practice darker arts may have more liberal views, this criticism still exists, even if in varying degrees.
However, there was a martial artist who saw the utility of the dagger and began practicing with it early on.
That person was Namgung So So, the Flying Flower.
She was well-known for being unforgiving. During the Decade-Long Scarlet War, while following Namgung Cheolbin, who traveled extensively across the land, So So practiced all kinds of miscellaneous skills.
Naturally, among them was dagger technique.
Daggers can be thrown, swung, thrust, and even hidden.
Why shouldn’t someone train with them? Even if rumors spread and one earned criticism from the righteous path practitioners, as long as it remained a secret, there was no issue.
Swoosh!
In this very moment, So So’s dagger cut through the air like an arrow, speeding toward the enemy.
Startled, Iron Tiger Wanderer immediately channeled his powers and reached for his sheath, but he wasn’t as fast as Namgung So So, who was among the fastest at the apex of the martial world.
Swish!
In the end, Iron Tiger Wanderer had to twist his waist as much as possible. Because the movement was improvised, it was impossible for him to completely evade the dagger.
Slash!
“Ugh!”
The sharp blade cut through Iron Tiger Wanderer’s side. The searing pain from the deep wound made him grit his teeth.
But there was no time to catch a breath. Namgung So So was a master among masters in battle.
“Hya!”
So So’s dagger moved in a diagonal slash. The sharp blade split into three streaks, targeting the Iron Tiger Wanderer.
‘This… this isn’t Lord of the Alliance!’
Swiftly assessing the situation, Iron Tiger Wanderer focused all of his energy into his feet and pushed off the ground. Three streaks of sword energy pierced through his clothing, leaving shallow wounds, but he concentrated on escaping.
Boom!
“You bastard!”
“Guh…! You wench!”
Blood streamed from his wounds, and torn clothes fell, but the wanderer managed to put some distance between them. Without hesitation, he drew his sword.
Seeing this, Namgung So So couldn’t help but shrink back.
‘Why isn’t he falling…? Even the lord bowed to my poison…’
Her dagger was coated with potent poison. Four attacks were more than enough to penetrate, and yet…
Why didn’t the giant man fall?
He didn’t feel like a master beyond the Sword Lord. His presence and previous movements confirmed it.
“Could it be…?”
A ripple ran through Namgung So So’s eyes as the now-focussed Iron Tiger Wanderer stood in a combat stance and spoke.
“There was anti-toxin cultivation. Such underhanded methods.”
“…”
“If I hadn’t achieved Invulnerability to a Hundred Poisons, I nearly fell to you.”
Iron Tiger Wanderer was the right-hand man of Bin Namgung.
Unlike the Sword Lord, who stayed behind desks, this wanderer had extensive practical combat experience.
He’d survived and thrived by getting his hands dirty in all sorts of distasteful tasks under Bin Namgung’s command.
The Invulnerability to a Hundred Poisons ability was created by Namgung for Wanderer’s protection.
To Namgung So So, this was a major setback.
“Have you had enough yet!”
Regaining his composure, Iron Tiger Wanderer charged at Namgung So So. Multiple sword qi beams erupted from his sword.
Sword Threads.
A realm where such a swordsman could manipulate hundreds of nearly invisible sword qi strands at once—a level admired even by peak martial artists.
A realm that the peak-level Namgung So So dared not even dream about.
“How can I win?”
The battle-experienced Namgung So So shook off her panic and thought coldly. But no matter how she calculated, she couldn’t find a solution.
Her opponent was different from the Lord of the Alliance. Due to countless battles, she realized this man was unbeatable.
An unbeatable man who had far more combat experience than even the Lord of the Alliance. The scars on his chest, revealed as his robes were torn, told the obvious truth.
Her poison wasn’t affecting him, and she was outmatched both in martial arts skills and experience.
“Run.”
Namgung So So wasn’t a fool.
She immediately displayed her light body art, and her figure shot like an arrow, piercing through the wall.
BOOM!
Namgung So So didn’t know who this man was, but he had seen through her disguise as Lord of the Alliance and had already engaged in hand-to-hand combat with her.
She couldn’t be captured under any circumstances.
“What’s happening!”
“That… Is it Lord of the Alliance!”
The martial artists of the Wulin Alliance, awake despite the late hour, cried out upon seeing Namgung So So disguised as the Lord of the Alliance.
For a brief moment, Namgung So So considered asking for help but quickly dismissed the thought.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
“You wench! Where do you think you’re running!”
Because this man knew she wasn’t the true Lord of the Alliance.
Clang, clang, clang.
The alliance bells were rung, the clear and resounding sound echoing across the alliance.
“An attack! Everyone, grab your weapons!”
“Everyone, wake up! Lord of the Alliance is under attack!”
Though it was merely a title, they were the Alliance Guards, gathering with weapons in hand.
With fierce determination, they looked up at Namgung So So and Iron Tiger Wanderer flying across the night sky and leaped up several feet.
‘The heavens are saving me!’
Seeing this, Namgung So So put more effort into her legs. She was the Flying Flower, known for her remarkable light body art, second only to Jade Flower among the Seven Flowers.
Like a bird of prey, she flew like the wind, unhindered.
Of course, even her prowess couldn’t match the superlative Iron Tiger Wanderer, who had already displayed similar skills.
“That’s the culprit attacking Lord of the Alliance!”
“Activate the Supreme Immortal Formation!”
“You pack of dogs!”
But Wanderer couldn’t keep pursuing them. Not only was it difficult to kill everyone, but more importantly, being captured here could expose his master, Bin Namgung.
Rumble.
The guards of the Wulin Alliance were no pushovers. They hadn’t yet fully assessed the situation, but they clearly identified friend from foe.
Iron Tiger Wanderer was their enemy.
“Don’t retreat! The more we bunch up, the stronger we are!”
Among them were several peak-level experts, not just second-tier or first-tier martial artists. Even if Wanderer was a superlative expert, the numbers were overwhelming, especially with his wounds not yet fully healed.
“Aaaah! Let go of me!”
“Be careful! This is no ordinary opponent!”
“Lord of the Alliance! Where are you going? Lord of the Alliance!”
However, the man could not be simply let go. He had seen the documents on his master, Bin Namgung.
The mysterious warrior with the Lord of the Alliance’s mask, someone capable of using venomous techniques in such a short time, couldn’t be let off easily.
Clash! Boom! Thud!
The current situation leaves no choice but to let him go.
Dozens of hands grabbing his legs from all sides, and sharp blades aimed at him made it impossible to continue.
“Damn it…!”
Finally, Iron Tiger Wanderer swung his sword, thinking it was either succeed or fail.
WHOOSH!
Dozens of hands that held onto his legs were cleanly severed. Blood spurted everywhere, temporarily blinding some guards.
“Raaaah!”
Using the opportunity, Wanderer threw his sword. It was both to stop the mysterious warrior from escaping and to lighten his load.
WHOOSH!
The sword flew fiercely, leaving a sonic boom in its wake.
Without looking back, Iron Tiger Wanderer began fleeing in the opposite direction of Namgung So So. Survival was now his primary concern.
BOOM!
“Damn it…!”
Inadvertently looking back, Namgung So So let out a groan. Her vision was filled with a massive hunk of metal.
The next moment.
Wanderer’s thrown sword pierced Namgung So So’s chest.
*
Clump, clump.
Desperate footsteps wandered through the silent night, their owner trailing blood.
“I… I need a place to rest… cough!”
Namgung So So, her pale face, coughed up blood. The sword that had pierced her chest had been removed, but she lacked proper treatment.
Even if there was, it would be uncertain if she could be healed.
“Haa, haa…”,
“How am I still alive…?”
Namgung So So lowered her head to examine the wound on her chest. A pink internal energy was filling the gap.
“I owe this benefactor a great deal.”
The life force she had received from the pink-haired expert in a bamboo hat maintained her life, which should’ve ended long ago.
But it wasn’t going to last much longer.
Her already depleting vitality was surely to deplete within a few hours.
Dying in a deserted area meant death.
‘Guh…! My legs are so heavy…!’
Why did her usually agile legs feel so heavy today?
Experiencing excruciating pain throughout her body, Namgung So So took a step forward.
Thump, thump…
She didn’t know if she would reach her destination, but she clenched her lips and continued walking. The sound of her stumbling footsteps echoed in the early morning.
Since escaping the Wulin Alliance, she had one goal. She had been running straight toward it all this time.
The only place in the world she could rely on, the safest place in Hunan.
‘There… There, I can trust…’
Toward Shaolin, the protector of Hunan.
