Chapter 465

The Gang Pae-cheon Warriors were in shock.

It was a huge blow.

Because So Cheon-ju was dead.

Honestly, even if Elder Il had died, everyone would have just pretended to be sad.

That old monster, who ruled the sect like a power player alongside the Young Master, would only get a nod of agreement from the other elders when he passed on.

The deaths of the Il Gye-Wi and the Yi Gye-Wi brothers weren’t particularly tragic either.

They were just scumbags who dared to ignore hierarchy with the Young Master as their backup and were future competitors.

But the Young Master couldn’t die.

Losing an heir was a frightening thought; what if that rage turned toward me? I was trembling with anxiety, caring only for my own skin.

If only the Young Master had died gently…

To the survivors of the village, the Young Master was their greatest enemy; they couldn’t even leave his corpse intact.

They smashed his head with stones, tore apart his bones and flesh, and scattered his innards everywhere.

The only things left intact were part of his neck and the lower jaw attached to it.

So the Gang Pae-cheon Warriors, even after counting the bodies, could only exchange nervous glances, wondering, “Could this be the Young Master, the remains of So Cheon-ju?”

With a desperate hope, they wished that the Blood Sect had kidnapped him and replaced him with another corpse. Please, please.

Their frantic minds had no time to spare for the fact that the Great Sword had completely vanished without a trace, as if it never existed.

It wasn’t unusual for the locusts to hoard the masterless weapons left behind.

But the missing items weren’t just the Great Sword.

Weapons in the Central Plain are usually adorned with ornamental cords.

These decorative cords are commonly referred to as “sushil.”

Why do they even attach ornamental cords to weapons?

Is it just a bizarre similarity to hanging dolls from a bag in Qing’s hometown?

Of course, that’s not all there is to it.

The flashy sushil indicates the weapon’s rank.

It’s an absolute must for style.

But that’s only a secondary aspect in the grand scheme of things.

Originally, the sushil was meant as a training tool.

When you swing a sword with adequate force, the sushil extends out in the opposite direction of the blade.

This way, one can carefully observe how their sushil moves and easily correct their stance.

Furthermore, it’s beneficial for sharing teachings as master and disciples can quickly spot any errors.

And there’s another point.

The sushil also signifies affiliation.

If you bear the sushil of a prestigious sect in the martial world, you could exert some serious influence over your opponent without even drawing your weapon.

—-

After breakfast, I tidied up my appearance and stepped outside, only to encounter a furious wind.

Even with my raincoat on, the rain shot up from below and splashed onto my face—what a remarkable marvel of nature!

Of course, that doesn’t mean the strong martial artists couldn’t continue their journey.

It’s just that, ah, if we go to the mountains, it would just be a muddy mess.

Besides, with rain falling, is camping really a possibility?

It was said that the area surrounding No Mountain had a crescent shape, making one think that the wind would be less intense now.

But that was far too high-level thinking for Qing to even consider.

Expecting too much from me can be pretty harsh!

Aside from the raindrops continually splashing on my face and the raincoat’s straps constantly pulling at my chin, this drizzly mountain stroll was surprisingly pleasant.

The pitter-patter of raindrops resonated beautifully, and my raincoat was still doing its job, as it didn’t let any water seep through.

Originally, rain that doesn’t hit me is the refreshing kind.

The group arrived at the western foothills of No Mountain.

In fact, it made it much easier to keep my balance.

The forest acted as a windbreak; the wind only shook the poor trees without attacking us.

The rain pouring down from above had to beat down on the leaves first, so it didn’t have the strength to bother us much.

So, keeping a lookout, we cautiously made our way toward the highest peak of No Mountain, the Geobong.

But, as expected, some ruffians were blocking our path.

Despite the gloomy weather, it was admirable that they were trying to seek out the Heart Consumption Technique.

Even if they found it, it wouldn’t bless them with good fortune; they were merely digging their own graves. What’s so appealing about it that makes them so passionate?

While the group quietly crouched in the bushes, Qing cautiously stepped forward.

“Hey, what’s that over there?”

“Eek! I-I’m just here to pick some Cornus fruit.”

“What? Are you a mountain dweller?”

“That voice sounds female? Can you take off that thing covering your face?”

“Y-Yes, yes.”

And then voilà.

The two men’s eyes went wide.

They exchanged lecherous glances.

As the two men approached, Qing shrank back.

“W-What are you doing?”

“What do you think we’re doing? What would a man and a woman meeting be about?”

“P-Please, my child is sick! It has a high fever!”

“Ah, so you are one of those mothers? Then I suppose you know what a man can offer. Don’t you know the saying: The more hasty you are, the more you should take your time? Just rest for a bit.”

“If I take a break, I’ll completely forget about my child’s plight! I could send it to paradise instead!”

“Paradise, my ass. I’ll send you to paradise with a stick from a tree.”

“What are you talking about? Did you see it?”

“Of course, I saw! I almost thought you had a leech stuck to you, ready to pull it off! But seeing how your leech might be yours, I held back. Then I noticed how you’re leaking urine, and that’s when it finally clicked!”

“Shit, man…”

Qing had made her judgment.

She came to find medicine for her sick child, but these guys were only throwing crude jokes and cackling?

Such a death sentence.

In truth, this was a malicious trap.

On a rainy day, in a secluded forest.

A lowly woman with no repercussions for her actions.

But was her beauty a little too unusual?

For a decent person, this is exactly the kind of atmosphere where dark desires could thrive.

Let alone for those who aren’t decent.

Of course, Qing didn’t provoke a crime.

Yet even with makeup, her very face was tempting.

One could argue she guided the men to cross the line, or one could say otherwise.

“W-Wait, Great Hero. Please, not like this!”

“Ha! Great Hero, I like that. But I’m the one and only Great Hero, and you’re just a minor character.”

“Damn it, “you’re getting carried away!”

“I’m sorry. But I can’t call a small one a big one, so just kill me instead.”

“Shit, you bastard…”

“Whoa, whoa. But you’re first.”

“You little brat.”

“Of course, the small one should go in first.”

“Pfft.”

Lady, how can I hold back?

You have such a deadly talent for killing!

But your humor isn’t an inexperienced act; you must have done this more than once.

If you were a bard with that tongue, you would be famous all across the land, but you’re stuck living like a loser and waiting to get stabbed to death.

“What? You’re laughing? You little—AAACK!”

Zap. The Heavenly Demon Ray.

A dark line shot from Qing’s fingertip.

A thin, delicate beam struck the minor character’s ankle, causing a small explosion.

Buddha’s Physical Body, it won’t chime in here; the situation doesn’t warrant it.

For such a seemingly easy long-distance attack, this power is rather pathetic.

It seems that the minor character was at his peak.

At that point, the explosion of the Heavenly Demon Ray merely delivered physical force, making him hop on one leg with a yowl.

“Hey? Ugh.”

As the stunned major character’s face went pale, Qing’s sharp hand smacked down.

Blood burst from the major character’s nose.

Whoa, this really was a possibility!

While Qing marveled, the minor character hastily drew his sword.

“You girl! You were hiding your identity!”

To which Qing pointed behind him with her finger.

“Ah! Someone’s behind you! Be careful!”

“Hmph! Do you think I’d fall for such lowly tricks?”

“You clearly lack trust.”

“Dare to mess with the Dragon-Spirit Twin Kills, huh?”

Smack!

The minor character’s skull met a swift backfist, and he collapsed on the ground, his strength went limp.

As he wavered in and out of consciousness, the last thing he saw was a middle-aged man holding a thick club.

“Ugh, I was deceived, I thought it was a joke…”

And then he dropped.

Of course, fainting doesn’t mean an end to a life in the Martial World.

And even if a guy’s comical, it doesn’t mean he’ll let you go free.

If fainting or being a joke would mean a lenient Martial World, it would be much warmer compared to how it is now.

The troubles of the Dragon-Spirit Twin Kills had only just begun.

—-

No Mountain can be broadly divided into four regions.

From the canyon that cuts diagonally across No Mountain and the points dividing it north and south by the Baeksagang, the northern part is called Bukak, while the eastern section is Dongak.

Then there’s the waist region where the peaks known as Jeilbong, Jeibong, and Jesanbong are huddled together, and down below to the southeast, it’s known as Namak.

The area where Qing and her group were roaming was just to the west of Namak.

And it was also the site where ruthless martial artists, lured by the tiny hope of finding the infamous Demonic Arts, perished in pain.

Of course, not everyone lost their lives.

“I-I need to find some Cornus fruit…”

“Cough, cough, hey, lady. Do you know who I am? I’m Ban Salta of the legendary Thunder Spear! Do you know how many lives have been lost to this spear?”

“Ah, please, sir! My child is sick…”

“Ha, why are you so jumpy? Is someone going to eat you?”

“Then I’ll be—”

“Hey, where do you think you’re going? Not a chance!”

“But the child—”

“You little brat! If you’re a mother, you should be even more careful! If you die looking for herbs, both you and your kid are gone! Get lost! Or do you want to die here right now?”

What the heck? Is that an old hag?

This place is truly savage.

“Tada! Human pass!”

“Eh? What?”

“Look here. Sparkly, sparkling!”

Ban Salta’s expression twisted.

“What’s your scheme?”

“Well, is this not enough? If not, look over there. Sparkly, sparkling!”

At this, Cheon Yu-hak took a deep breath and raised a shining pearl.

Instead of the sparkling light of a star, it was the actual star of mankind, the kind emitted by Kang Hwan.

Only then did Ban Salta’s face lose all its color.

“Ugh, the Duke—”

“You see, ‘Duke’ is a touchy term. I get the feeling you’re a bad guy, but this isn’t working out. Why don’t you just scram before you poke your nose into demonic stuff? There are many people who use Qi like me around—it’s too dangerous for you!”

“I-I’ll leave, I’ll leave!”

“Live honestly now. I’m letting you go for that.”

“I will live honestly!”

Qing observed Ban Salta’s deeds.

This bastard got really lucky.

Perhaps he was reminded of a hard childhood related to his mother, or maybe he just remembered his beloved mother.

Either way, he managed to escape with his life thanks to that.

Next up was another survivor, who was quite peculiar.

He pleaded for a promise of marriage, claiming he could take good care of both the child and his wife.

Hmm? Isn’t that ambiguous?

Just a promise of marriage and he’d treat her child like his own?

A pure, adulterous man. Just barely passing as human.

Cheon Yu-hak tsked in disappointment.

“Well, my disciple, we need to work on your disguise.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Thinking about it, isn’t it a problem that your beauty is just too striking? Men are creatures drawn to their lower desires.”

So, after adding some more makeup, she turned her appearance downright unremarkable.

But the next ruffians she encountered were no better.

“Damn, what an eyesore! You’re ruining my mood!”

“Hey, do you know this area well?”

“I don’t really know, I’m looking for some Cornus fruit, lady. Seriously, what kind of idiots attack someone who’s talking? I can’t forgive this! Do you not have a mother? Unqualified! In the name of my mother!”

In any case, a lost cause will always find a way to self-destruct.

When something looks beautiful, the first instinct will always be to bring it down, and when it doesn’t, they’ll just as likely lash out in disdain—both displaying the villain’s hard-nosed character.

Unqualified as a human. Pass as a beast.

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