Chapter 3

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 26, 2025

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Even though the youngest of the Qiangha Association dropped out, it ultimately turned into the Qiangha Triad, which was still a fight of three against one.

Originally, it was conventional wisdom that having three against one was favorable, and that principle held true even now.

This was due to the differing attitudes of the two sides.

Anseongil, overwhelmed by numbers, was thinking of retreating, while the Qiangha Triad pressed forward with the goal of a quick victory.

One could tell how crucial momentum was in a fight; Anseongil, continuously stepping back to deflect the attacks, and the Qiangha Triad launching relentless assaults were clear indicators.

This went on for about twenty exchanges.

For reference, in the Martial World, an “exchange” is analogous to a turn in modern turn-based games.

Anseongil pondered.

‘Huh. This isn’t as bad as I thought, is it?’

Jogaksan of the Qiangha Triad thought:

‘Damn, was the gap in strength this severe!’

In fact, the ultimate objective of success wasn’t just three against one, but four against one.

Since a person has directions in front, back, left, and right, to fully execute teamwork, one must attack from all sides to perfect the associated techniques.

The effectiveness of all sides had long been proven.

In Buddhism, there are four heavenly kings, and in Daoism, there are the four directional gods—hence the reason for dividing directions into four since ancient times.

Therefore, three was incomplete.

Especially since the opponent had superior mastery.

In the realm of first-class late-stage versus early-stage peak, every single step in mastery was more daunting than anticipated.

After another ten exchanges passed.

Jogaksan shared a glance with his brothers.

It was a conversation carried by deep brotherly love.

‘This isn’t going to work. Let’s bail. We need to take care of the youngest too.’

‘Good thinking, Brother.’

‘I’ve been waiting for that, Brother.’

Despite being a bit deflating, considering the reputation of the Qiangha Triad, it made sense.

In the Martial World, titles are based on pretty simple principles.

If one reaches the first-class status, they become a noteworthy martial artist, but in the current Martial World, there are far too many first-class warriors.

For a first-class martial artist to earn a fabulous title, they had to demonstrate feats that anyone could recognize and admire.

But with so many people, and so few achievements, it was typically just a combination of operating base, characteristics, and tendencies.

Disgraced (operating in) Tofu (a bad guy)

Qiangha (operating in) Gallant Wind (a good person)

This is why Jogaksan, with the title Qiangha Gallant Wind, had speed akin to the gallant wind itself.

Especially, if he found himself at a disadvantage in battle, he retreated as deftly as a gale—a brilliant strategy admired by many.

‘But since the youngest isn’t climbing up, I wonder if he’s broken something.’

‘If the young one is out, the third brother will pick him up.’

‘Wait, are we really quitting? Can’t the second brother take care of this this time?’

‘Hey, the third brother… backtalk?!’

Sadly, the youngest was already dead.

However, since news of the youngest’s demise hadn’t reached them, the deceased couldn’t speak up.

Had the youngest said, ‘Hey, I’m dead here, brothers,’ the brothers would have been furious over his death and would surely have taken no prisoners against the baddies.

They could’ve been riddled with holes in their bodies and then taken down the enemies and avenged the youngest.

But for now, they were only thinking of retreating.

As Jogaksan narrowly dodged Anseongil’s incoming strike, he suddenly shouted.

“Now! Gallant Retreat!”

Anseongil, who had been pressing the assault, quickly took a step back.

He didn’t know what ‘Gallant Retreat’ meant.

But he felt it might be a dangerous maneuver, so he retreated.

However, Jogaksan’s shout, ‘Gallant Retreat,’ held no real meaning.

He had merely blurted something out to scare off his opponent for a speedy exit, successfully forcing the peak martial artist away with an empty phrase as if defeating a fallen hero.

What a sneaky tactic it was!

And then the Qiangha Triad’s reputation shone through.

Three people swiftly fleeing like the wind!

Anseongil blinked in disbelief.

—-

When A-Qing reached the upper floor, she spotted the three rushing past like the wind.

She briefly glanced at their numbers above their heads: seventeen, nine, one.

While the numbers were small, they were certainly righteous.

Since they were good folks, they didn’t seem to be the disgrace from before.

A-Qing lost interest, but the three passing by became uneasy.

How could they not be startled by a blood-soaked, grinning female swordsman?

Moreover, she exuded a kind of pressure that felt like it was squeezing their hearts, coloring her wild gaze with an ominous hue.

Yet, A-Qing did not meet the eyes of the Qiangha Triad.

This was a non-verbal expression among martial artists.

No need for formalities, let’s just go our own ways.

Once the three brushed past, A-Qing quickly spotted the villain in the tavern’s upper floor.

One among them had remarkable numbers over their head.

The villain had amassed a staggering 376 points of malice, a truly imposing amount.

In other words, he was a target for execution.

He was the kind of garbage one might be better off dead to benefit the world.

A-Qing’s eyes locked onto Anseongil.

Anseongil rolled his eyes and turned away.

It was a non-verbal message again between martial ones: let’s just part ways.

Anseongil wanted to avoid entanglement with A-Qing.

Was there not an age-old saying in the Martial World?

Beware of children, women, and the elderly.

Of course, this saying didn’t mean to be extra cautious about children, women, and the elderly.

If you subtracted children, women, and the elderly from the people in the world, what remained were adult males.

And everyone became wary and cautious of adult males.

The saying was a deep lesson to remain alert and not let down one’s guard around anyone one met in the Martial World.

Anseongil wanted to avoid confrontation through such wisdom, but A-Qing had business with him.

“Hey, you! Old man! Are you that disgrace called Tofu?”

This was an unexpected outburst.

Anseongil wore a dumbfounded expression again.

Such harsh insults made him wonder if he misheard.

“Yeah, you, old man. Playing dumb? It’s clearly written on your face that you’re the only one here who looks like a dog!”

Anseongil’s face turned crimson.

It was only natural he’d be embarrassed to be insulted by a young lass barely past her teenage years.

“What? You green kid dare to call me that…!”

“What? What did you call me? You just insulted me, didn’t you? That’s so offensive, I can’t stand for it.”

He couldn’t hold his rage, yet he smiled broadly while drawing his sword—

“Just what kind of crazy girl…! Huh.”

Anseongil quickly shut his mouth.

It was because A-Qing’s sword emitted a flickering aura like threads unfurling, which indicated power.

This was a phenomenon where sword energy would flow outward even after the technique had been executed, referred to as the ‘sword thread.’

It was a method used by peak-level warriors.

Anseongil broke into a cold sweat.

The girl before him was on a completely different level compared to him.

He was facing imminent life-threatening danger.

There was an overwhelming difference in skill!

“Crazy? You’re swearing again? Wow, that’s so insulting. Ugh, I’m furious—so, so furious.”

“No, that’s not what I meant….”

“If only you’d offended my family or parents, I could have overlooked it. But there’s no way I can stand being insulted directly. Enough chit-chat! Die, my Moonlight Sword thirsts for the blood of villains!”

With absurd theatrics, before she even took a breath, the woman’s sword flared, forming three distinct shapes.

Three streams of sword energy rushed at him.

Anseongil’s mind was racing.

Which one was real, and which one was a fake?

To survive or die? There was no time to think.

As if facing a deadly dilemma, his body tingled with alertness!

‘They’re all real attacks!’

In that instant, Anseongil realized all three were genuine sword strikes.

This was the kind of acute awareness a person gains when their life is at stake, which in the terms of great master Muhak’s teaching, is called the ‘central field prowess.’

He deflected the attack targeting his heart and twisted his body with great effort. A jolt shot through his shoulder and waist, followed by a surge of intense pain.

He merely received one strike.

Yet he already had two wounds.

The skill gap was utterly despairing.

Even though there was a difference between early-stage and late-stage peaks, the very essence of the woman’s swordplay was a level above.

Moreover, if a young lady merely past her teenage years possessed skill like this, her background must be from some extraordinary sect.

In other words, no matter whether he lost or won, he’d end up dead later on anyway.

So there was only one answer.

He shouldn’t fight. It was a battle they couldn’t win at all.

“Wait! Great Hero! It’s a misunderstanding! It’s a misunderstanding!”

“What misunderstanding? I heard you loud and clear. You stigmatized me. You shall pay for this humiliation with your life!”

“No, it’s not that! It’s not! Great Hero, just a moment, please!”

“Great Hero? You think I look that old? You dare summon my age!”

“Um, uh, Small Hero, just one second!”

“Small Hero? You just became a mere peak, and you dare to call me like that? How dare you…!”

“Lady Hero! Please, just listen to me for a moment!”

“Lady Hero? Are there distinctions like Male Hero and Lady Hero among heroes? This gender discrimination messes up the world, so I’ll cut the shackles right here!”

The woman’s sword came flying at him repeatedly.

Sometimes three blades, sometimes four, and by the fifth, he had entirely lost any will to fight back.

He found himself desperately attempting to keep his mouth shut.

More than twenty exchanges passed.

Just holding on was a miracle.

Suddenly, as if in a fairy tale, the assault halted.

“Since you keep saying ‘misunderstanding’, let me clarify.”

“Yes, Great Hero, I mean Small, or whatever….”

“I was just about to enjoy a costly feast I prepared, you know. It was a very special occasion for me. My most pleasant moment since stepping into the Martial World.”

“Uh, I, um, I’m sorry for the ruckus….”

“No, do you think I’m some kind of killer who would slaughter people just because I feel noisy? It’s just that something fell from the sky, probably the ceiling, since we’re indoors?”

A-Qing turned her head.

Anseongil followed suit.

A hole gaped in the floor.

Anseongil began to sweat profusely.

That’s why she was covered in blood after all.

“Alright. Now, do you get why you’re about to die?”

“P-Please, spare me!”

“Hmm. What should I do?”

A-Qing pretended to think before speaking.

“For starters, fork over the cash. I wasted food and ruined my clothes.”

“I-I’ll give it to you!”

“Oh, how could I possibly endure this? This is too much.”