Chapter 14

“Everyone has a plan. Until they get hit.”

A-Qing had a pretty decent plan too.

She drank some alcohol mixed with poison.

First off, due to some mysterious reason, she had blamed Jeomsoi for the poisoning by the culprits.

And next was the poor customer service and staff management at the tavern.

However, A-Qing didn’t blame the tavern.

Because she planned to do that tomorrow.

After staying a night and having a late breakfast before departure, she would order a whole spread of drinks and dishes.

Then she would enjoy a free banquet under the pretext of compensation and just leave.

There was a reason behind A-Qing’s wicked little scheme.

Firstly, she was frustrated with the shopkeeper who continued to apologize without ever offering anything for free.

Secondly, she didn’t want to demand something for free right away to avoid any mischievous surprises in tomorrow’s breakfast.

She didn’t want to eat dishes that were dripping with spit.

So, she went to sleep laughing at the thought of how she’d have messed up tomorrow’s food.

But lo and behold, what was happening on such a fine night?

She was jolted awake by the sound of clanging metal.

What the heck was with this noise from upstairs?

A-Qing closed her eyes again.

But if you notice something, it’s hard to ignore, and that’s the sad fate of humans.

Cha-ching, cha-ching, a delightful ruckus.

Thunk-thunk, bang-bang, everybody jumping around.

Whatever patience A-Qing had left was snapped.

Not even two hours after stepping into this mess, her patience had burst apart like overcooked noodles.

A-Qing drew her sword and charged out.

“Hey, you bastards! Can’t a person get some sleep? JUST SLEEP! You guys have terrible moms, for real!”

Even before her shout had fully finished, a rush of killing intent hit her.

A-Qing’s waist curved like a bow.

The sword grazed her chest.

A-Qing straightened her back. Using that momentum, she extended her left fist right into the armpit of her assailant.

Crack. That tingly feeling of breaking bones.

A gasp escaped, choking her throat. Her waist bent again.

At that moment, the Moonlight Sword fell vertically.

The blade sliced through her crown and lodged itself firmly between her eyebrows.

Big bro! A furious shout. A straight-line sword strike came at her. A-Qing yanked the corpse by its collar and pulled it closer. The blade peeked out from its solar plexus. A-Qing pushed through. The dead body crushed the living as it collapsed.

A-Qing drew the Moonlight Sword stuck in the wood like an axe. Something began to drip from the split head. The red was blood, and the white was brain matter. The two mixed into a lovely shade of pink.

The guy below screamed.

What an earful.

A-Qing stomped on the corpse’s waist and rammed the blade into its back.

Two bodies, double the thickness, double the satisfaction.

After a few hits, the screaming stopped.

What a spineless wretch.

A-Qing licked her lips and shook her sword.

“What on earth is happening here?”

The tavern laid out in an M-shape had rooms stacked on the outside, with corridors and railings inside. The middle was wide open, letting light in.

From the corridor, you could see everything from all three sides—up, down, everywhere.

And under the moonlight, chaos reigned all around.

It was a common struggle for all against all.

What a scene!

Was this some cultural secret of the Central Plains for a second-year newbie like her?

Suddenly, the fact that the tavern was filled with nothing but bad guys came to mind.

Was there a culture of bad guys gathering to kill each other?

Just then.

-Myeong-A!

A-Qing’s head snapped around at the urgent voice.

On the first floor, a person’s shape was holding a child, and A-Qing dashed down the corridor.

A-Qing landed in front of the kidnapper using two feet, a knee, and one hand. It was the style of a hero’s arrival.

With her right hand perfectly level, the Moonlight Sword fell right into her grip.

Under the moonlight, A-Qing slowly stood up.

“Hoo…”

A-Qing gritted her teeth at the pain in her knees and palms.

It seemed like the pain of heroes.

In truth, this was a disastrous landing method with no shock absorption at all.

That said, it wasn’t completely without effect.

Such stylish advancement that skipped centuries!

The kidnapper took a hesitant step back.

She had knocked the wind out of him!

Though she couldn’t gauge her opponent’s realm, her last move looked incredibly impressive.

“Let the child go and disappear. I’ll spare your life.”

A-Qing released her sword intent. The energy enveloped the blade, spiraling up like an angry swordmaster. It was a show of force.

Even A-Qing couldn’t just go slashing at a kidnapper holding a kid.

Seeing the opening, the kidnapper suddenly threw the child.

A-Qing, startled, leaped to catch them.

Fortunately, she managed to catch the kid.

Instead, her arm flared up with heat from the impact.

One dagger had stuck into her upper arm, the hilt jutting out.

“I did it!”

A shout rang out. A-Qing’s head whipped around.

She locked eyes with the snot-nosed brat who threw the dagger.

He turned his back.

Meanwhile, he was shouting.

“Kill her! She’s been poisoned with Seven Treasures Toxin, so she won’t last long!”

What a bastard. Didn’t he see her downing poison like it was nothing?

A-Qing’s gaze turned steely.

That brat’s going down. She was determined to make him pay.

But before that, there were some other jerks getting in her way.

Encouraged by the Seven Treasures Toxin, the moths charged in.

A-Qing tucked Jin Jangmyung into her side and threw her sword. One of them staggered as it deflected the blade, and A-Qing’s hand formed a Buddha’s hand shape.

Ding-! The sound of a bell rang. One nearby head exploded. Debris scattered everywhere. Pieces of hair, crushed bone fragments, brain matter, and two eyeballs with tails.

From the left, a killing intent surged. A little kid in that direction.

A-Qing lowered her body and spun twice. With accelerating momentum, she tripped her enemy’s ankle.

The enemy, now missing an ankle, flew upward as if propelled skyward. They were flying in a straight line due to their own momentum.

A-Qing stomped on their neck and bolted away.

A spear came flying into her thigh.

She snatched the spear’s handle. As she tried to pull, a swoosh, piercing the air. A giant weapon charged towards her.

A-Qing hugged the child and threw herself down.

The enemy’s sword came crashing down. A-Qing rolled aside. The sound of weapons hitting the ground echoed in her wake.

The dagger in her arm was tearing her wound apart.

It hurt so much that she couldn’t even scream.

The world was spinning, and her arm hurt. SO much. Pain. Agony.

One ankle got caught in her grip. She clenched her fist tight.

The pressure of her power shattered the ankle. The bones ground and cracked, tearing through flesh and bursting out, tickling her palm.

A warm sensation simmered near her dantian.

The pain slightly faded.

A-Qing shoved the owner of the crumbled ankle away.

The warrior who had struck the ground now crumpled with the flying caloric energy.

A-Qing snapped her waist, propelled by the rebound, and stood up as she extended her hand. The struggle intensified.

Ding-! The fierce intent of Buddha’s Physical Body shot forth.

A headless body came tumbling towards A-Qing.

A-Qing naturally took the sword from the neckless corpse while holding onto the child.

Welcome back, Moonlight Sword!

A-Qing gripped the Moonlight Sword (No. 7).

Then the heat from her dantian spread throughout her body.

In that moment, A-Qing lost herself.

She fell into a trance.

It was a bizarre experience.

Warm and relaxed, it felt as if her soul rested inside her moving body.

A-Qing soon found the perfect word. Automatic hunting!

A-Qing stepped out.

She twirled gracefully and moved forward, feeling as if she were frolicking like a charming lady.

A silver streak left an afterimage as she followed close behind.

At times, she would take a long detour to slice through an enemy’s wrist, their screams blossoming as she made them tremble.

Circling around, she’d pierce the heart and slice through the spleen, drawing a diagram of entrails.

With a gentle touch, she drew a line connecting one ear to the other, naturally opening the skull like a lid.

With each step, blood flowed.

The life faded, and the lady smiled.

At last, in the center of the tavern.

Under the flowing moonlight, the female swordsman cradling a child stood alone.

Only then did A-Qing regain her body.

Heavy fatigue pressed down on her.

She almost stumbled over.

What gives? Give me my body back! It was easier when I had it before!

“Myeong-A!”

Yangsowol dashed out, covered in blood.

She had been the solid ally who consistently tossed chopsticks at danger. She was far more help than any flimsy pass.

Yangsowol took the child into her arms and drew a sword to protect A-Qing.

And that was how the battle ended.

The tavern was a mess, its hands and feet lost in corpses.

Those who moaned, clutching their wounds.

Some crawled around, searching for missing limbs, while the weary survivors exchanged glances with A-Qing.

“The feast is over. Everyone go back.”

She smiled while speaking, but it was, in fact, a facade.

A-Qing’s good lines usually meant just that.

Now, she had no internal energy left.

In truth, it was a struggle to straighten her shaking legs.

Usually, the power of martial arts is proportional to the depletion of internal strength.

The Moonlight Sword was a heavenly technique.

What’s more, the two blasts of Buddha’s Physical Body were a factor too.

While Qi mastery was originally like this, the Buddha’s Physical Body was a skill suitable only for the peak martial artist.

The survivors were still glancing around cautiously.

A-Qing spoke again.

“Honestly, I’m not in great shape either. But I can take two out of the three of you with me. One-third. So, what do you say? Feasible odds? Think we should give it a shot?”

That was the decisive statement.

“We will withdraw then. May we collect the bodies?”

“Just leave the corpses and money bag.”

“…Thank you for your consideration.”

Some turned away despondently, some began gathering their fallen comrades, while others shared their grievances.

“I am the elite of Gangneung. You will pay blood for this betrayal someday.”

“If you say so.”

This guy talks too much. If it were up to me, I’d want to settle this with a brawl, but given the situation,

A-Qing had to stand guard until all of the enemies had fled.

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