Chapter 388

Qing’s Moonlight Sword (Ten) is a ferocious weapon that can only be classified as a calamity, no matter who you ask.

With the blade leading the way, Qing ramps up the speed with a rough footwork that seems to pound the ground, akin to a steel chariot pulled by eight galloping steeds.

“Cough!”

The Moonlight Sword easily pierces the stomach.

The blade, measuring up to three feet, burrows into the abdomen of the Sapa Warrior in the blink of an eye.

The Sapa Warrior comes to a halt, stuck on the blade.

Bang! The poor guy’s forehead meets Qing’s perfect forehead as if crashing into a full moon.

“Save me—”

But Qing’s charge doesn’t stop.

Then comes a thud, and another thud.

After impaling three robust men, Qing’s reckless lunge noticeably slows down.

But no, just one more, I can do this.

“Yahaa!”

Qing yells, stretching out both hands.

Three people align in a row, their six legs soaring into the air, then they crash down!

“Kill! Kill him!”

“Young Lady!”

The sword is not supposed to come out the way it went in.

Yet, even for Qing, extracting a blade that has skewered four Sapa warriors in a line is no easy task.

Because, you see, when something digs into the stomach, it’s instinctive for a person to hold on tight, not wanting to let go.

One Sapa warrior swings an elbow toward the nobleman.

Qing instantly releases the hilt and bends their legs.

Pow! The head of the fourth Sapa Warrior splits in half as if chopping wood.

Collateral damage!

“Uh, ugh, cough!”

Suddenly, the warrior who accidentally killed an ally is caught off guard as a painful impact hits his solar plexus.

It’s because Qing’s crown slammed into the Sapa warrior’s solar plexus.

Qing pushes ahead like a wild bull, raising their arms in a triumphant gesture.

The Sapa warrior’s body lifts off the ground, getting tangled with his comrades and falling over in a heap.

Then, after three quick steps, the left foot stamps down on the earth, the right foot shoots up into the air.

The rotation from the ankle, knee, and hip amplifies, tripling the strength of the leg in a spectacular kick!

Qing’s foot strikes perfectly at the back of the downed Sapa warrior’s neck.

The head, disconnected from the spine, flies off like cannon fire, smashing into the face of another Sapa warrior.

“Wow, this defense is impressive!”

With a cackle, Qing raises their knee and slams it straight down.

Stamping right above the Sapa warrior’s elbow makes the forearm bounce back reflexively.

As the tendons pull tight, the fingers spread wide, sending the dagger gripped in the hand flying upwards.

Qing leans down, snatching the dagger in mid-air.

The dagger is a long, pointed weapon, akin to an extended chef’s knife.

While it can stab due to its sharp tip, it has a disadvantage of being less destructive since its weight is concentrated in the handle.

Of course, if one has enough strength, there’s no need to worry about its destructive capability.

“I’m back! Hell’s Demon Blade!”

If the dagger could respond, it’d be like, “Uh? Me?” But alas, a weapon has no consciousness.

In an instant, the cheap dagger transforms into the Hell’s Demon Blade, tearing into an enemy’s shoulder, then bursting out the other side.

The Sapa warrior, retreating in shock, stumbles back.

Retreat, huh? Well, then I’m coming forward.

Qing pushes off the ground with all their might.

The blue robe leaves a long afterimage as Qing’s foot kicks upward, lifting one poor guy’s chin.

It’s reminiscent of Na Yang-gyeol’s technique, as Qing admirably imitates it on the spot.

The Sapa warrior’s chin lifts off the ground.

With the toes hitting vertically, the neck buckles, nearly touching the back; it’s a death blow.

With the left and right feet aligned, and the upper foot soaring above the head, Qing’s form suddenly vanishes.

With a stomp that shakes the ground, Qing leaps into the air.

One arm raised high towards the skies.

As if a dolphin leaping in the air, the agile Qing flicks their left arm gracefully.

Boom—!

A majestic bell-like sound reverberates as mighty inner strength releases, suddenly causing a group of Sapa warriors to vanish without a trace.

Three broken bones and bits of flesh settle on the ground, matching the handprints of the Buddha.

Suddenly, all gazes are drawn to the thunderous bell ringing on the battlefield.

“Cheonhwa-geom! It’s Cheonhwa-geom!”

Soaring through the air, Qing is lifted by the reaction of the Buddha’s physical body, descending elegantly with the Moon Lady’s Step.

Right in the middle of the enemy encampment.

Sect Leader Kang Su-yang snaps back to reality.

He had said he would lead the unknown masters affiliated with the royal faction to hit the rear, but diving straight into the enemy camp wasn’t part of the plan.

So why?

The more uproar in the rear, the more chaos in the front lines.

There was no need for such a grand display to attract attention, but by capturing attention with the Buddha’s physical body, it meant Qing had willingly put their life on the line.

A hot sensation surged up somewhere in Kang Su-yang’s chest.

“There’s the Cheonhwa-geom! The orthodox martial artist, the late postmaster, is surrounded by enemies! Are our elders just going to stand by and do nothing?”

At Kang Su-yang’s shout, the disciples from Gyeongju and Jangsan respond with a roar, charging forward.

This also signifies that the leading Yeonbang warriors and the Black Tiger disciples are starting to retreat.

Qing is just having a blast all alone.

And thus, Qing realizes, oh no.

With the flow of battle ahead, it’s all enemies surrounding him.

No matter how supreme one might be, no one can wreak havoc alone without being overwhelmed in a fierce conflict.

But the enemies, caught off guard by someone suddenly dropping from the sky, are still reeling.

Qing unleashes the chilly aura of Ice White.

With a dragon’s head suddenly emerging from the shoulder, it produces a sound like ice clattering and wraps around Qing’s left arm.

And as the translucent ice dragon reaches its destination, Qing’s palm arrives right at the chest of the Sapa warrior.

In an instant, all ribs crack, and the heart bursts, leading to an astonishing collision of chest and back.

This is the fierce might of the Ice White Divine Skill!

Who knows where such violent destruction could even lay claim to the realm of ice?

Frost blankets the corpse in an instant, as if the Ice White Divine Skill quickly cools it.

A gap!

Well, I’m just going to slip out.

The Sapa warriors lack the mental capacity to even consider throwing pink distractions, allowing Qing to exploit the opening and stomp the ground.

On the first step, an enemy’s shoulder, the second step, an enemy’s head, and with the third step, the most vicious technique of the Heavenly Demon seizes the opportunity!

The head of the Sapa warrior bursts in all directions, leaving Qing to dart through the air like an arrow.

Meanwhile, Old Dog lets out a heartbreaking scream.

“Young Lady! No!”

Before action could even take place, Qing plunged into the enemy ranks, disappearing high into the air amidst the foes.

“Damn it, Courtesan! Gakdawi!”

“I know!”

The two expertly synchronize and crouch down on one knee.

Old Dog, surprisingly agile for his age, springs up like a swallow, climbing onto the palm resting on the knee of one of the two supreme beings.

The two supreme masters raise their bodies up, hurling the old man as a human cannonball.

Like a human catapult, one might say.

Old Dog is launched with a fierce angle.

“Yooooung Ladiiiiiie!”

With a shout filled with longing searching for a granddaughter, soaring through the air, Old Dog finds the Young Lady he had been desperately seeking.

In that moment, Qing and she lock eyes amid an emergency escape, soaring backward from the enemy lines.

As their gazes meet, time seems to freeze as the old and young share a silent conversation through their looks.

‘Young Lady? What are you doing here? Where are you going?’

‘Huh? Old Dog? Where are you going? That’s the enemy camp!’

“Yooooung Ladiiiiiie!”

The words may be the same, but the emotions behind them are different as Old Dog’s voice quickly fades into the distance.

Bang, upon returning to the rear, Qing sees Courtesan Chang and Gakdawi looking at him with an incredulous expression.

What’s going on? Did Old Dog throw the Young Lady back here? What kind of arrangement is this?

Qing snorts in confusion.

“No, Old Dog, even if you’re a master of the transformation realm, what are you thinking, charging in recklessly? How could you be this excited to just soar off? Come on, we need to hurry to save her.”

—-

If you hop on a galloping horse, you can’t just jump off.

Prince Suswi has already sent his son along with a large army, so it’s destiny to ride it to the end.

Thus, he decided to heed his brother’s advice.

Maybe he could use the martial world figures a bit.

In fact, even without the need for advice, Prince Suswi had learned a valuable lesson from seeing Duke Deokhyeon leading the skilled warriors into the fray.

Distant armies won’t protect the martial artists in close proximity.

But they are orthodox after all.

Since they’re just bandits wielding swords, is it necessary to distinguish between orthodox and heterodox?

Thus, Prince Suswi called in the officials to inquire about the martial world factions in Guangxi Province.

One might think that even a lowly baggage carrier knows about the ecology of the martial world.

However, in reality, the high officials, martial artists, and common people know little about each other.

For instance, those outside the martial world think orthodox Taoists are always meditating calmly under a waterfall, practicing some mystical and extraordinary cultivation daily.

But in reality, even disciples from the orthodox sect often huddle together and play childish tricks, and when someone tells an off-color joke, they blushingly perk up their ears.

Those born into the martial world or from wealthy scholarly families are completely oblivious to the lives of common people.

They wouldn’t understand why someone would wander around wrapped in a dirty, greasy cloth, or why they might not have clothes or why they don’t wash them?

Why are they consuming thick, lumped grains instead of normal meals in the streets? Why can’t they just eat meat if there are no grains?

They don’t even know where the gold and silver come from to live, so they must be fending for themselves like the beasts of the mountains and fields.

And those not in government believe that officials do nothing at all.

They think they simply sit in their posts, take bribes, and occasionally indulge in luxurious hospitality while groping the breasts of courtesans.

Of course, this is all true.

Thus, the officials’ evaluations are like this.

“Those orthodox types are brazen beasts, too stiff-necked to bow their heads, even in front of the officials handling state affairs.”

“They even interfere with the work of the government.”

“Can you imagine those lowly commoners dare to judge the laws of a nation and execute their own sentences? They are utterly shameless!”

“They, too, dare to extort taxes from the country!”

The opinions on the orthodox factions are rather miserable.

In comparison?

“Well, though they belong to the heterodox sect, they’re at least ones who know what loyalty is.”

“Despite being martial artists, when they see officials, they run barefoot to pay their respects, cooperating with the nation’s affairs.”

“They even help collect taxes on behalf of the officials, making the job a whole lot easier for them.”

Surprisingly, the evaluations of the heterodox factions are positive.

So Prince Suswi thinks.

If that’s the case, then wouldn’t it be better to utilize the Sapa crowd?

They listen well and have a sense of loyalty.

If they have history working with the officials, couldn’t they be used as experienced assistants?

Surprisingly, the person who pulled Prince Suswi out of this swamp was none other than the prefectural governor of Guangxi Province.

“Use the Orthodox Warriors.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because the Sapa folks are bribing the officials, so it’s only natural their evaluations are poor, right? However, isn’t there always a cost for worldly affairs? They’re attempting to hide their filthy aspects as much as they’re giving money, so there’s no need for you to take the stained sword.”

It was the prefectural governor’s sincere advice after he had comfortably lived off the prince’s power, of course, that comfortable life come at a cost, having ultimately turned him into a traitor, so his words carried a heavy sense of sincerity.

“Right. You’re correct. The sages say that good medicine is often bitter, and loyal subjects tend to be as uncomfortable as prickly thorns in the mouth. Luckily, I do have a loyal advisor by my side.”

“I am greatly honored, Your Highness.”

The prefectural governor bows deeply.

Of course, the prefectural governor didn’t say this out of pure loyalty, since he had already become a traitor, he had captured a decisive moment in order to remain a loyal minister of the prince’s court even if he got dismissed.

“By the way, I’ve heard that Nanming city is quite noisy these days? I’ve learned it’s a food fight among the martial artists, and I hadn’t paid any attention, but wouldn’t this be a good time to owe them a favor and perhaps earn their loyalty in return?”

“I will summon the provincial inspector and the regional commander.”

---