Chapter 142 – Fateful Encounter (7)

After the installation of the Jinbeop was complete, I asked Samamaeng, who seemed a little off, if she wanted to rest for a bit. She said she would rather go back to Pangga and rest properly.

Well, a top-notch master like her shouldn’t be tired from staying up for a day or two.

If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to arrive before dinner tomorrow. I really want to see Hong Yeon-hwa and Pang Soso.

But maybe it’s because we’ve been on this road before. I told Samamaeng, who was sitting next to me instead of behind me like before, about my thoughts, and her characteristic soft smile returned.

“Master Sohyup, it seems like Hong Yeon-hwa and Pang Soso are really precious to you. I can feel my heart racing just by listening to you.”

“What? Ahaha…I’m a little embarrassed. But, well, if I had to say, it’s because we’re still in our honeymoon phase.”

It’s only been a year and a few months since I met Hong Yeon-hwa and Pang Soso. Even if ten years pass, I don’t think there will be much difference from now, but anyway, it’s a good time for me.

However, Samamaeng’s smile became faint.

“Honeymoon, huh. I envy you….”

Her voice contained a strange bitterness, and even resignation could be felt in her dark expression.

Come to think of it, Samamaeng said that when she was young, her husband was killed by the Bloodthirsty Red Horse.

In other words, she became a widow during her honeymoon.

“Uh, well, that’s….”

While I was trying to choose my words, wondering if I had made a slip of the tongue, Samamaeng noticed my hesitation and chuckled, shaking her head.

“Don’t be like that, Sohyup. That was a long time ago. Besides, I was really envious of what you just said.”

“What do you mean?”

Samamaeng smiled as if she had made it up.

“I had an arranged marriage, you see. So my honeymoon was very different from yours.”

“I see….”

“That’s right. At that time, I wasn’t yet the successor to the Samasega, so I couldn’t avoid the arranged marriage.”

For Samamaeng, her honeymoon was more of an obligation than affection. More of a power struggle than obligation. And more of her own martial arts than power struggle.

In fact, it was almost like she was doing closed-door training under the guise of a honeymoon.

Unlike Pang Soso, who ran away because she hated arranged marriages, Samamaeng complied. I feel a little complicated about it.

Even though she probably couldn’t see my expression, she seemed to have read something from my silence. Samamaeng, on the other hand, smiled brightly and comforted me.

“Don’t be too embarrassed. My marriage wasn’t that happy, but meeting Yeoryeong was more than enough to make me happy. I have no regrets.”

“……”

Chapter 142 – Fateful Encounter (7)

As Samamaeng spoke, her face no longer contained any negative emotions, unlike before. Instead, a smile slowly spread across her lips, exuding an indescribable sense of fulfillment.

She had always been a gentle and warm person, but her smile now was more beautiful than ever before. It was so captivating that I found myself staring at her for a moment.

Perhaps it was maternal love.

I understood the love between a man and a woman, but what about the love between a parent and child? I had never experienced it properly, so I didn’t really know.

If I ever have a child with my women, I hope I can smile like that too.

That would be nice.

***

We had shared some personal stories, and I felt my tongue loosen up a bit.

Samamaeng was a great conversationalist, responding enthusiastically to my words and gestures.

“Have you heard of Jinju Eon-ga?”

“Of course. Up until my generation, we even sent spies to uncover their martial arts and tried to form a marriage alliance. But we gave up after realizing how strict the royal family’s surveillance was.”

“…Is that so? Well, what I wanted to ask was about their recent situation.”

“If you mean now…one of their direct descendants got into some trouble and was punished according to the royal decree, right?”

“That’s right. So, about what happened…”

We were enjoying a pleasant conversation while riding along a dark mountain path when suddenly, I felt a foreboding sensation, as if someone had stabbed a long needle into my carotid artery.

“Wait a minute!”

“S-Sohyup? What’s going on all of a sudden…?”

Samamaeng grabbed my arm tightly, blushing, but I didn’t have time to answer her.

It was a sense of unease that couldn’t be explained by any of the five senses or emotions. I had experienced it once before.

I picked up a suitable pebble rolling down the slope towards the place where I felt the strongest sense of danger.

Thud!

There was no special technique involved, but the pebble shattered into fragments like a shotgun blast. That was enough.

Thump.

It made a small noise when it hit the tree, but at the same time, a faint smell of blood wafted out.

“This is…!”

Samamaeng finally realized the situation and quickly adjusted her posture, but her expression was filled with deep confusion.

“How did Sohyup notice something that I didn’t…?”

“I have a good sense of intuition.”

I had opened the top-level gate during the trial of the movie. However, I was still lacking in enlightenment and cultivation, so I couldn’t fully utilize it.

But the fact that the top-level gate was open had its own meaning. Just like now.

“Still, it would have been better if we had noticed a little earlier,” Samamaeng said, her expression no longer negative but rather fulfilled.

“Really?”

“Yes. I think we’re already surrounded.”

As if they no longer felt the need to hide, suspicious-looking men began to emerge from the bushes one by one.

My entire body was covered in black, and the only visible part, my eyes, reflected light like minerals.

Samamaeng’s expression, which had been uncertain, twisted into anger. It was because the appearance and atmosphere of these black-clad men were the same as the assassins who had attacked Salgok before.

I didn’t expect Salgok to show up here. It had been over a month since the last attack.

If the Blood-Red Horse had entrusted Salgok with another mission, it was about time for them to come. I didn’t expect them to come all the way to Habuk, though.

Well, it wasn’t that dangerous of a situation.

“How did you manage to deceive my senses? Did you really think you could handle us at this level?”

The voice that spoke was completely different from the one that laughed and chatted with me before. It was cold and chilling.

As Samamaeng had said, the level of the assassins who surrounded us wasn’t that high. There were many first-class warriors, but at most, there were only four or five top-level masters.

If I were alone, it might be different, but Samamaeng was with me. With that level of power, they couldn’t possibly face us.

Of course, they must have had their own plans.

Top-level masters. Among them, Samamaeng’s senses were very sensitive. Fooling her would have been their hidden card.

If the surprise attack had succeeded, it would have been quite dangerous.

…If they had succeeded, that is.

If they had caught me, it would have been better to run away and wait for the next opportunity. Why did they reveal themselves like this, believing in something?

The question didn’t last long. Instead of answering Samamaeng’s question, one of the assassins who hadn’t revealed himself yet shot a fire arrow towards the sky.

“Where?”

Samamaeng, who sensed something suspicious, quickly dodged the arrow with lightning-fast movements, but the problem was that they had sent a signal.

Instead of running away in this situation, they sent a signal? There was only one meaning behind this.

If they received support, they could fight and win against the two of us head-on.

Samamaeng also seemed to have noticed this, clenching her lips and drawing out her inner energy to the extreme.

With a crackling sound, Samamaeng’s hair stood on end. It was because of the static electricity she left behind after running so far.

“We’re going to break through like this! Sohyup, don’t you ever fall behind me!”

“Yes!”

As I answered, Samamaeng’s hair stood up even more.

Samamaeng’s lightning-fast movements in her full-powered martial arts were momentarily halted. I also drew my sword and fiercely pounded the ground.

“Haat!”

Samamaeng’s hand moved quickly and intricately with a flash of light, like a lightning bolt striking down.

With each twist of her movements, one assassin was killed. The overwhelming speed didn’t even allow her legs to stop.

But there were too many assassins. The rain of arrows aimed at Samamaeng’s back. We could avoid or block them, but if we did, we would be caught in the subsequent joint attacks.

So, I had to take charge here.

Thunk!

I blocked the incoming arrows with my back and cut down one of the surrounding assassins.

“Sohyup?!”

“It’s okay! This won’t even leave a scratch!”

Thanks to the rigorous training I had undergone, I had achieved the highest level of martial arts, Cheolwanghosimgyeol. Even if I were hit head-on, attacks that didn’t involve sword energy would just bounce off.

It was a happy thing to have achieved the level of swordsmanship that couldn’t be defeated, but I never thought I would have to use it in a real battle.

Samamaeng, who confirmed my safety, left the rear entirely to me and focused only on breaking through.

With Samamaeng’s relentless attacks and my frenzied sword swings, we were making progress. But as we moved further back, our breakthrough speed slowed down.

It was because the surrounding assassins began to gather together, aiming for Samamaeng’s back.

Even if we took down several assassins with our swords, if the opponent filled our field of vision, it would take a long time to take even one step forward.

Eventually, four top-level assassins launched a joint attack against Samamaeng, and we were forced to slow down.

Frustrated, I squeezed my inner energy and twisted my waist.

Whoosh!

The sword wind that contained the enlightenment of Hyeongsogeom, which I had regained with the help of Samamo, flew forward with a fierce sound.

Six assassins fell to the ground, completely defeated by the attack that contained the enlightenment of Hyeongsogeom.

But the empty spaces were quickly filled.

“These damn bastards…!”

They were really endless. Did they use all of Salgok’s power to come here?

The only good thing was that we were still stronger than them.

They couldn’t even stab me with a single knife, so it was just one-sided slaughter.

Even if four top-level assassins gathered together, they couldn’t defeat Samamaeng, so their numbers dwindled one by one until only two were left.

It took a little time, but it wasn’t too late. We increased our speed again and tried to break through completely.

“Kekhahaha!”

A booming voice that contrasted with the assassins who didn’t even scream as they died.

At first, it sounded like a boastful voice, but the ki and ominousness hidden behind it made me shudder involuntarily.

Fuck. Is it too late?

“No. Samamaeng is here. We can’t conclude that we’ve lost yet.” I gritted my teeth and swung my sword again.

“What the hell…?”

The Salgus, who had been rushing towards us like madmen, suddenly retreated.

A natural encirclement was formed, and in the midst of it, a huge figure began to walk towards us.

About six people with a similar build to me, but uncommon in this era. Their muscular bodies were covered in tiger skin, and their spiky beards looked thick and sharp like thorns.

But the most noticeable thing was the giant axe on their back.

It was so huge that it was hard to imagine a human being wielding it, and it was overwhelming for a moment.

A man with a savage appearance, more like a beast than a human, greeted us with a grin and waved his hand.

“Long time no see, Brain Witch!”

“…Nokrim Chongchaeju. What are you doing here?”

What? Nokrim Chongchaeju?

Why is this bastard here?