Chapter 18 – Mureumchochul (6)
A faint sense of discomfort mixed in the air. Something acrid was carried by the wind, irritating my nose.
The smell of fresh blood, which I had experienced recently, was back.
“We should prepare in advance.”
“Agreed.”
We might have to fight right away. Using Muryeongshingong requires some preparation time, so it’s better to start it in advance.
I focused on the touch of Hong Yeon-hwa on my back. The will that gathered around it became heat and gradually awakened the sensation of my whole body.
“Whew….”
A world that feels a little clearer.
I ran along the winding mountain path, maintaining tension so that I could fight at any time. Then, I could soon find out what caused the blood smell.
Decapitated bodies scattered on the side of the road.
Have they not been dead for long? Blood was still oozing out of the cut.
It’s quite a gruesome sight… but I didn’t feel any sympathy.
That’s because all the bodies here are bandit cubs.
“What is this….”
Why are they dead?
I looked at the bodies more closely, just in case.
A pleading look. Well-maintained weapons in contrast to that. A bulky physique that looks like it takes some effort. Finally, a rough impression that seems to have seen some people… They all look like bandits.
What is this?
I was confused by the unexpected situation, and Hong Yeon-hwa’s small hand tapped my forehead.
“Snap out of it and look at that.”
I turned my gaze in the direction of Hong Yeon-hwa’s finger. I saw a trail of blood leading into the mountains.
“It seems like they let them go intentionally.”
“I agree.”
All the bandits died with their throats cut. There were no wounds in other parts.
That means there was a big gap between them and their opponents. But why is there such an obvious trace of escape?
It’s probably because they intentionally let them go. Maybe their purpose was not to find the location of the mountain cottage.
“Were they people who came to subdue the bandits like us? After all, the rumors have already spread widely.”
“What did you say? Didn’t you say we should leave right away? If you didn’t waste time mocking my breasts, we could have arrived first.”
“Why is that my fault? It’s your fault for having such a sexy chest that I can’t resist until evening.”
“Sexy…?!”
Hong Yeon-hwa started pulling my hair out of frustration.
But does Hong Yeon-hwa know? That even at this moment, her breasts are pressing against my back….
I patted her butt lightly and scolded Hong Yeon-hwa.
Chapter 18 – Mureumchochul (6)
A faint sense of discomfort mixed in the air. Something acrid was carried by the wind, irritating my nose.
The smell of fresh blood, which I had experienced recently, was back.
“We should prepare in advance.”
“Agreed.”
We might have to fight right away. Using Muryeongshingong requires some preparation time, so it’s better to start it in advance.
I focused on the touch of Hong Yeon-hwa on my back. The will that gathered around it became heat and gradually awakened the sensation of my whole body.
“Whew….”
A world that feels a little clearer.
I ran along the winding mountain path, maintaining tension so that I could fight at any time. Then, I could soon find out what caused the blood smell.
Decapitated bodies scattered on the side of the road.
Have they not been dead for long? Blood was still oozing out of the cut.
It’s quite a gruesome sight… but I didn’t feel any sympathy.
That’s because all the bodies here are bandit cubs.
“What is this….”
Why are they dead?
I looked at the bodies more closely, just in case.
A pleading look. Well-maintained weapons in contrast to that. A bulky physique that looks like it takes some effort. Finally, a rough impression that seems to have seen some people… They all look like bandits.
What is this?
I was confused by the unexpected situation, and Hong Yeon-hwa’s small hand tapped my forehead.
“Snap out of it and look at that.”
I turned my gaze in the direction of Hong Yeon-hwa’s finger. I saw a trail of blood leading into the mountains.
“It seems like they let them go intentionally.”
“I agree.”
All the bandits died with their throats cut. There were no wounds in other parts.
That means there was a big gap between them and their opponents. But why is there such an obvious trace of escape?
It’s probably because they intentionally let them go. Maybe their purpose was not to find the location of the mountain cottage.
“Were they people who came to subdue the bandits like us? After all, the rumors have already spread widely.”
“What did you say? Didn’t you say we should leave right away? If you didn’t waste time mocking my breasts, we could have arrived first.”
“Why is that my fault? It’s your fault for having such a sexy chest that I can’t resist until evening.”
“Sexy…?!”
Hong Yeon-hwa started pulling my hair out of frustration.
But does Hong Yeon-hwa know? That even at this moment, her breasts are pressing against my back….
I patted her butt lightly and scolded Hong Yeon-hwa.
“Don’t be like that. It’s not over yet. Let’s follow that trail.”
“Umm… I guess you’re right….”
Hong Yeon-hwa and I left the road and climbed up the mountain together.
It wasn’t that difficult to follow the trail of the fleeing person who didn’t know how to erase their tracks at regular intervals.
The problem was what came next.
***
After climbing the mountain path for a while, we found a half-collapsed mountain cottage.
Carefully hiding behind a tree and looking inside, I saw a woman holding a thick dao sword surrounded by about twenty bandits.
She must be the one who cut off the bandits’ heads from below.
“What the hell did she believe in to come here alone?!”
“I came here believing in my skills, you despicable bastard!”
“Are you worried about the future of the four-year-old who will be captured by those despicable bastards now? There must be more than one person who came for the reward!”
“Do you think I’ll be caught easily?!”
“Hahaha! Whether it’s easy or difficult, you’ll eventually be caught. I never thought I’d taste the female of Pungga. Well, don’t worry too much. I have to get paid for my body later, so I won’t kill you!”
Wait, Pungga?
A person who wields a large dao in this Ha Bukseong and uses the name of Pung’s family. There’s only one Pungga outside of Ha Buk Pungga!
Looking at the faintly shimmering blade on the woman’s dao, I was once again convinced. She doesn’t look very old, but to achieve such a feat, she must be from a prominent family.
The only problem is that facing her is like facing a master at the peak, judging by the aura she exudes.
In addition, some of the bandits surrounding her held weapons in one hand and hostages in the other.
As I feared, it wasn’t a group of third-rate thugs.
The hostages with pale, lifeless faces were all women. Judging by their nakedness even in the late winter, they must have been captured for some purpose.
Human trafficking, smugglingChapter 18 – Mureumchochul (6)
A pungent smell filled the air, causing my nose to twitch. It was the smell of fresh blood, a scent I had become all too familiar with recently.
“We need to prepare ourselves,” I said.
“Agreed,” Hong Yeon-hwa replied.
We might have to fight at any moment, and using Muryeongshingong requires some preparation time. It was better to start it in advance.
I focused on the touch of Hong Yeon-hwa’s hand on my back. The will that gathered around it became heat and gradually awakened the sensation of my whole body.
“Whew….”
A world that felt a little clearer.
I ran along the winding mountain path, maintaining tension so that I could fight at any time. Soon, I discovered the source of the blood smell.
Decapitated bodies were scattered on the side of the road.
They couldn’t have been dead for long; blood was still oozing out of the cuts.
It was quite a gruesome sight, but I didn’t feel any sympathy.
That’s because all the bodies here were bandit cubs.
“What is this….”
Why were they dead?
I looked at the bodies more closely, just in case.
A pleading look. Well-maintained weapons in contrast to that. A bulky physique that looked like it took some effort. Finally, a rough impression that seemed to have seen some people… They all looked like bandits.
What was going on?
I was confused by the unexpected situation, and Hong Yeon-hwa’s small hand tapped my forehead.
“Snap out of it and look at that.”
I turned my gaze in the direction of Hong Yeon-hwa’s finger. I saw a trail of blood leading into the mountains.
“It seems like they let them go intentionally.”
“I agree.”
All the bandits died with their throats cut. There were no wounds in other parts.
That meant there was a big gap between them and their opponents. But why was there such an obvious trace of escape?
It was probably because they intentionally let them go. Maybe their purpose was not to find the location of the mountain cottage.
“Were they people who came to subdue the bandits like us? After all, the rumors have already spread widely.”
“What did you say? Didn’t you say we should leave right away? If you didn’t waste time mocking my breasts, we could have arrived first.”
“Why is that my fault? It’s your fault for having such a sexy chest that I can’t resist until evening.”
“Sexy…?!”
Hong Yeon-hwa started pulling my hair out of frustration.
But did Hong Yeon-hwa know? That even at this moment, her breasts were pressing against my back….
I lightly patted her butt and scolded Hong Yeon-hwa.
“Don’t be like that. It’s not over yet. Let’s follow that trail.”
“Umm… I guess you’re right….”
Hong Yeon-hwa and I left the road and climbed up the mountain together.
It wasn’t that difficult to follow the trail of the fleeing person who didn’t know how to erase their tracks at regular intervals.
The problem was what came next.
***
After climbing the mountain path for a while, we found a half-collapsed mountain cottage.
Carefully hiding behind a tree and looking inside, I saw a woman holding a thick dao sword surrounded by about twenty bandits.
She must be the one who cut off the bandits’ heads from below.
“What the hell did she believe in to come here alone?!”
“I came here believing in my skills, you despicable bastard!”
“Are you worried about the future of the four-year-old who will be captured by those despicable bastards now? There must be more than one person who came for the reward!”
“Do you think I’ll be caught easily?!”
“Hahaha! Whether it’s easy or difficult, you’ll eventually be caught. I never thought I’d taste the female of Pungga. Well, don’t worry too much. I have to get paid for my body later, so I won’t kill you!”
Wait, Pungga?
A person who wields a large dao in this Ha Bukseong and uses the name of Pung’s family. There’s only one Pungga outside of Ha Buk Pungga!
Looking at the faintly shimmering blade on the woman’s dao, I was once again convinced. She didn’t look very old, but to achieve such a feat, she must be from a prominent family.
The only problem was that facing her was like facing a master at the peak, judging by the aura she exuded.
In addition, some of the bandits surrounding her held weapons in one hand and hostages in the other.
As I feared, it wasn’t a group of third-rate thugs.
The hostages with pale, lifeless faces were all women. Judging by their nakedness even in the late winter, they must have
“Stay calm. Even though she’s a woman, she’s also in the throes of ecstasy. Why do you think she’s so helpless?”
“Ah.”
My head. And probably because of the hostage.
Hong Yeon-hwa whispered as she caressed my temple as if to comfort me.
“I only intended to help in times of crisis, but the situation isn’t good. Would you like to hear what the lady has in mind?”
Whispering.
We stopped whispering behind her for a moment. The fight resumed, and the sound echoed through the mountains.
Clang!
The sound of swords and fists colliding, and the sound of the impact reverberating.
The surrounding bandits tried to interfere in the fight of the masters, but they couldn’t get close enough to threaten the hostage without being noticed.
Every time they tried, she flinched, and the man who was probably the leader didn’t miss the opportunity.
“Stop them!”
“Kyaaah!”
A perfectly timed punch grazed the woman’s shoulder, avoiding vital points. It wasn’t a fatal blow, but the impact was significant due to the use of internal energy.
Her arm slowed down a bit, and now that I looked closer, her leg movements were also slightly awkward. Was that the part she injured before I arrived?
It was clear that the woman would be slowly hunted down if things continued like this.
Of course, I didn’t intend to let that happen.
It had been a while, but the power of the martial arts of the Lingwu School was now active. Feeling lighter and more powerful than usual, I opened my mouth.
“Let’s go. Hold on tight.”
“Don’t worry. The lady won’t let you go.”
Taking Hong Yeon-hwa’s ambiguous words as a signal, I kicked the ground and jumped out from behind the tree.
As the wind brushed my face, I drew my sword. The bandits, who were fully focused on the fight, felt something was wrong and turned around, but it was too late.
Swoosh.
“Aaaah!”
I slashed the shoulder of the nearest bandit. Then, I grabbed the hostage who was being held by him and pulled her back.
“Who the hell are you?”
“What are you doing here? Just kill him! Everyone except the guys holding the woman, rush in!”
“What about the Pang family?”
“It’s hard to capture them, but Lady Chae is stronger! And what else can we do here?”
The bandits rushed towards me, confused but quickly prioritizing their targets. They were probably around the second to first-rate level.
First, I grabbed the man who was writhing with his one remaining arm and cut his throat.
“Gak…kuk…”
Then, I kicked him towards the bandit running towards me from the left.
“Take that!”
Half-dead, but without any hesitation, the nokrimdo sliced through his comrade. That’s the difference between a regular bandit and a nokrimdo.
However, in this case, that choice was a clear mistake. I wasn’t aiming to obstruct his path, but to block his vision.
Like chopping firewood, the nokrimdo split his comrade in two. I quickly rushed in and followed the gap that was created by his movements, slashing my sword downwards.
“Aaaah!”
The guy who was smiling triumphantly received a diagonal cut and fell backward. As soon as I confirmed his fall, I took a step back and twisted my waist.
“Huep!”
I struck the waist of the guy who was rushing towards me with a horizontal sweep.
Thanks to the Muryeong Shin Gong, I was overflowing with power, so this kind of thing was possible too.
The nokrimdo who saw his comrade’s upper body fly into the air due to inertia stopped in their tracks.
“Damn it! Don’t rush in one by one! Rush in together! Aim for the weakness of the woman on his back! She must be a weakness since he’s holding her so tightly!”
There was someone who kept giving orders since earlier. Maybe he was the boss.
Hong Yeon-hwa seemed to have the same idea as she stretched her neck and looked around.
Was it because of the circular movement that surrounded us? Soon, Hong Yeon-hwa’s neck was fixed on one spot.
“Hey, did you hear that? The lady is the weakness.”
“Well, in a way, she is a weakness, right? If she’s weak enough, she’ll follow you anywhere.”
“Ugh… don’t say that during a fight. It’ll ruin your concentration.”
Hong Yeon-hwa put her chest on my head and adjusted her posture. Then, she flicked a stone that she had prepared in advance with her finger.
Splat!
The stone hit something hard at a fast speed and made a loud noise.
Wow! A stone bullet!
My silent admiration and the nokrimdo’s surprise happened at the same time. However, both reactions were too early.
Splat!
Splat!
The flying stones exploded in the distance, even hitting the heads of the nokrimdo holding the hostage.
In an instant, the reliable boss and the hostage were both lost, and they looked at us with wide eyes… well, what can you do?
If they’re really going to attack, they’ll run away.