Chapter 20

When people get too flustered, they tend to freeze up.

Not a soul expected the story to take a turn and suddenly feature a crazy woman, leaving everyone utterly baffled by the situation.

However, Yang Chaemu was already prepared for such a scenario.

Of course, no one could have anticipated that someone would just swoop in and kidnap the child while shouting, “The kid’s mine!”

He merely thought that perhaps someone would pity the child and step in to help.

From behind Yang Chaemu, a shadow slipped out from the shade of a tree.

It was someone dressed in black nightwear.

There was only one type of folk who could move silently and with their faces hidden.

Assassins.

“Shall we begin, esteemed client?”

“Go do your work.”

“What should we do about the woman?”

“Honestly, it doesn’t matter. As long as the child is unharmed.”

“Yes, understood. Not a problem.”

The Black Robed Man blew a shrill whistle and dashed into the forest.

The answering whistle echoed from both near and far.

Before long, a small flame flickered up somewhere to the west.

“To the descendants of Shin Chang, if you don’t find this dishonorable, feel free to leave this place. But for those who wish to stand their ground and fight for a spear, step forth.”

Yang Chaemu shot a glance at Master Seung-soo.

And then strode forward, declaring, “……Follow me. Let’s go.”

Yet, none of the warriors from Yang’s clan responded.

They simply followed their small leader in silence.

For a century, they had faced the Japanese invaders of the East Sea.

None among them had escaped the grace of the Yang family, and the honor they felt served to instill pride among them.

“Master.”

“Let’s tread our own path. Even if their aim is foiled, we must forge a way to assist the honorable clan that has devoted itself to the world.”

And with that, even the Daoists of Wudang left the scene.

—-

A-Qing was feeling pleased.

She decided to stop overthinking things.

Doing whatever I want feels way too comfortable, after all.

Not like I have any more choices…

We’ll surely meet again someday, right?

While Jang Myung was crying and struggling to get free, he had become listless at some point, perhaps resigned to his fate.

What’s he going to do if nothing happens? Just a kid, anyway.

Out of the blue, a question popped up.

“……Am I really going to be eaten?”

A-Qing was flabbergasted.

“Oh, come on! Who are you gonna send to that? No dirty words! Jang Myung is a little darling. He should only use nice words.”

“What a weirdo.”

“Well, if you say so, I guess that’s true.”

“You’re ugly.”

“Yes, I heard your precious opinion loud and clear. Anything to add?”

“Tch.”

Jang Myung clicked his tongue.

And he asked again.

“So, am I really going to be eaten?”

“No.”

A-Qing confidently revealed her plan.

“We’re headed to the Wudang Sect!”

“Not the Wudang Sect, it’s the Wudang School… hmm? No, wait…”

“Whether it’s the Wudang Sect or the Wudang School, we’re going!”

It was a lamentation of the Divine Maiden Sect.

“But why? You went out of your way to use bad words and kidnap me?”

“Oh, kidnapping? Let’s just call it a temporarily enforced collaboration due to coercive circumstances.”

“……? Isn’t that kidnapping?”

“If we kidnap you, you won’t know we’re off to the Wudang Sect. Our dear Jang Myung is not very good at using his brains, huh?”

“What a weirdo.”

“But we do have a major problem.”

“……?”

“I don’t know the way. Where’s the Wudang Sect?”

“……?”

“I said I don’t know the way. Is it not obvious?”

“Roughly. To the northwest.”

“Alright, turn to the north-northwest!”

A-Qing carelessly switched directions and asked again.

“But where exactly is northwest?”

“The sun sets in the west.”

A-Qing looked up at the sky.

It was filled with dark clouds, suggesting it might rain.

“What a shame. So close yet so far. Kid, you could work a bit harder, cough.”

A-Qing found something tight around her neck.

Even though her neck was caught, her body kept moving forward.

With one foot leading, A-Qing flew forward about ten steps and crashed straight to the ground.

Dry leaves went flying everywhere like an explosion.

A-Qing immediately checked on the Jang Myung she was holding.

“Hey, you alright?”

“My neck, there’s blood.”

“Damn, that hurts.”

A-Qing frowned as she massaged her neck.

Fortunately, it was just a minor abrasion.

Instead, it stung like hell.

“What kind of crazy person ties a rope in the forest? This is attempted murder, attempted murder.”

“Such a pity. Just an attempt.”

A strange voice intervened.

A-Qing jumped like a cat.

She raised her sword to point at the enemy and was surprised again.

Someone in black clothes hiding their face.

There could only be one conclusion.

“Ninja? Is there even a ninja in a martial arts story?”

Ah! A hidden blade came flying from nearby.

It was the same hidden blade that the Rat-faced Man had meticulously gathered from the corpse.

The hidden blade embedded itself in the Black Robed Man’s neck.

“Oh?”

A-Qing exclaimed in shock.

Suddenly a ninja appeared, leaving everyone on edge.

After all, if a ninja barges in, everyone’s doomed.

But, wait a minute.

Ninja? Not a big deal, is it?

—-

……that was what I thought at one point.

It wasn’t just a sudden ninja appearance.

Suddenly, heaps of ninjas appeared.

And their tactics were way more annoying than expected.

They set up all sorts of traps along the way, making swift movement impossible.

Plus, they couldn’t employ the cutting-edge nighttime tactics, so I had to get my Moonlight Sword (6th) at the ready right in front of me.

But I was lacking in defenses for my lower body.

“Oops.”

A-Qing’s ankle was snatched by a wire, causing her to tumble forward.

As she flew through the air like a human cannonball, she spotted a large old tree ahead.

Grabbing Jang Myung beside her, she hugged him tightly and tried to twist her body.

Then, boom.

A shockwave hit her back, stealing her breath away.

Desperately inhaling to fill her frozen lungs, she checked on her precious cargo.

“Ugh……, little darling, are your eyes, nose, and mouth all intact?”

“Yep.”

“Are your arms and legs okay?”

“Yep.”

“Then let’s go. You cowardly bastards, fighting dishonorably.”

A-Qing rose and squeezed Jang Myung under her arm. Then she set him back down.

“I can’t do this with only one arm.”

A-Qing yanked off her tunic.

“Hop on.”

“……Why are you taking that off?”

“Ah, this is called a baby carrier. A proud invention of the Republic of Korea, right? Anyway.”

A-Qing wrapped up Jang Myung snugly with the fabric.

Now I’m no longer in a one-armed pickle! Damn those ninja brats.

A-Qing whispered coldly.

……But this time, there was a pit.

To establish footwork requires at least a minimal amount of trust.

Trust that the ground won’t betray me, considering the earth has always supported humanity since we learned to walk on two legs.

But the moment I stepped down energetically, the ground crumbled and sank, shattering my fundamental belief.

The saving grace was that A-Qing was carrying a precious cargo that absolutely must not die during transport.

Without that, I would’ve been a cold corpse crushed beneath a pile of javelins and poison-tipped blades long ago.

Instead, what greeted A-Qing was a thick, squishy red mud.

What’s this, mud? A service of yellow clay pack?

Or did they make this just to dirty my spirits?

The pit was about one and a half spans deep, not a big deal for a peak martial artist to overcome.

Just need to hop out easily.

While I was away on a trivial matter, A-Qing noticed her body felt way heavier than before.

Damn, so this is why it’s mud.

Wooot-!

That whistle again echoed in her ears.

A-Qing turned her head.

On the gloomy, cloud-covered day, especially dark shadows in the woods revealed the figure of the Black Robed Man stealthily retreating.

This is gonna keep happening.

They set traps and then waited for the whistle to give away their position.

Damn it, where are you going?

Bang-! The head of the Black Robed Man burst in a whirlwind. The remaining body crumpled and fell to its knees, head pressed to the ground.

—-

Things were getting worse and worse.

These black guys are not ninjas.

They were nothing like the bastard folks I’ve met so far.

If we had to categorize them, they were hunters, yes, hunters.

And they are highly skilled professionals at that.

Every part of my body ached.

When I wake up tomorrow, my body will be a patchwork of colorful bruises.

My scratches, newly forming on the thinning branches of spring, were stinging as the mud got in.

I lost my Moonlight Sword (6th).

I slipped from the muddy grip and lost it without a chance to recover as the net flew in.

As I blasted through those charging with Buddha’s Physical Body, I managed to burst forth, only to get snagged by traps and barely escape.

It was a magnificent sword I bought for a gold half-won.

Farewell, my Moonlight Sword.

A-Qing silently wept in her heart at the thought of parting.

A hole formed in my thigh.

Then I stumbled again, catching my ankle on a sharp branch poking out just there.

It hurt terribly. It continues to hurt.

My left pinky and ring finger were hanging awkwardly. I must have landed wrong when I fell into that pit.

Why does a rock have to be right there?

With a deep sigh, I bolted out and came face to face with a Black Robed Man.

I grabbed his throat, just like in Nay Yang, and made him bleed a little.

And then a drop of moisture fell onto my cheek.

The rain in the forest announced its arrival.

Pat-pat-pat…

As the sound of raindrops beating against leaves gradually strengthened, the sizzling sound of oil erupting filled the air around.

“Oh, it’s even going to rain. Just my luck…”

A-Qing exhaled heavily.

Then, out of nowhere, a thought crossed her mind.

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