Chapter 7 – The Martial World Without Demons (7)

I met the gaze of the man with one eye covered.

This isn’t a remote mountain village, but it’s not a place where someone would accidentally pass by either. It’s suspicious to be here at this time, and with one eye covered, the chances of a righteous person coming here are slim.

And what are the chances that Cheokan Geumgwi, who was chasing after Pyeongyu Sangdan, would find his way here?

My brain finished calculating and came up with an answer.

Fuck you.

The only fortunate thing is that Cheokan Geumgwi probably didn’t see Hong Yeon-hwa’s face properly from the top of the hill.

It was possible because Hong Yeon-hwa’s physique was so small.

I stood with my shoulders straight, whispering softly to cover Hong Yeon-hwa.

“Go inside and hide.”

“….”

Although I didn’t know exactly what was going on, I could sense the atmosphere. Hong Yeon-hwa silently tiptoed into the room and disappeared.

After confirming that she had completely hidden behind the wall, I slowly moved my body, pretending to be a host who had received an unexpected guest.

I checked the sword hanging from my waist and estimated the difference between Cheokan Geumgwi and me.

He was a master who had reached his peak. Although there was only one step difference between me, a first-class person, and him, the wall between us was not easily overcome.

The difference between a third-class and a first-class person is smaller than the difference between a first-class and a peak. Unless a first-class warrior is exhausted and collapses, he cannot defeat a peak-level warrior, no matter how many first-class warriors come at him.

There is a reason why someone who has surpassed the human category is called a master. It means that they have slightly exceeded the human category.

So I have to deceive him somehow.

Since there was no chance of winning in a fight, there was only one way from the beginning.

If I had to fight… I would surrender quickly and persuade Hong Yeon-hwa to hand over all the hidden treasures and everything else, and beg for my life.

I asked Cheokan Geumgwi, who had arrived in front of the house without realizing it, with an appropriate level of caution and surprise.

“Who are you?”

“….”

“Did you lose your way? Then if you go down below, you’ll find a road. The lower village is close, so you can find it with your eyes.”

“….”

“Excuse me?”

The appearance of Cheokan Geumgwi, seen up close, was extremely strange. A silk robe embroidered with dragons and phoenixes. Rings on every finger. Necklaces stacked two or three times. And even a dough-like makeup.

He looked like a clown, beyond the appearance of a beggar, to the point of looking like a clown.

That strange man was just staring at me without saying a word. If I thought that this strange man could easily kill me, I would go crazy.

“Say something….”

“You bastard.”

Chapter 7 – The Martial World Without Demons (7)

I was in the middle of acting when suddenly Cheokan Geumgwi interrupted me.

“You’re trying to deceive me.”

“What? Deceive you?”

“The reason you’re going to die today is because you dared to be greedy for my money.”

Fuck.

There was no way to fool him. He didn’t buy it.

For a moment, I was impressed by his audacity in claiming the Pyeongyu Sangdan’s inheritance as his own and threatening to kill me for it. But that feeling was short-lived.

In an instant, I reflexively drew my sword, feeling the chill of danger creeping up on me. The clear metallic sound of two swords clashing echoed through the air. Wait, two swords?

Clang!

The only reason I was able to block Cheokan Geumgwi’s sudden attack was pure luck. He was probably aiming to slash diagonally from below, but our sword trajectories overlapped, creating a phenomenon where our sword movements overlapped.

“Ugh!”

The moment our swords clashed, I realized something I already knew in my head. I could never win against him. The power in his sword was different. Cheokan Geumgwi hadn’t even drawn his sword aura, which was the pinnacle of martial arts.

But with just one clash, my hand was torn apart, and my wrist was broken. The bones in my hand were ringing like an alarm, warning me of the danger.

As I was about to surrender according to my plan, I met his cold gaze. He was not a negotiable opponent. He was the type of person who believed that it was more efficient to spill the truth with a sword than to bother using his brain.

Should I have surrendered right away instead of trying to deceive him when I first saw him?

I didn’t even have time to regret in my head. He had already corrected his posture and was about to launch his second attack.

“Kuuh!”

I twisted my body forcefully. Thanks to my training, my body was able to execute somewhat unnatural movements. I tilted the sword that had bounced up from the previous attack and leaned my body to the side, pushing my shoulder forward.

In the end, I was in a position where the sword face covered the area where my head was, and my shoulder supported the sword.

And then, a vertical strike that fell on me.

Clang!

It was not a sound of two swords clashing, but rather a violent roar. Perhaps the blue smoke that enveloped his sword was due to his sword aura.

My body, unable to withstand the power of the sword aura, was thrown back.

When I came to my senses, I was no longer in the courtyard but in a room. I saw Hong Yeon-hwa with wide eyes and a broken door.

Did I pass out and fly here?

I was lucky that the sword I inherited from my master was sturdy. If it had been an ordinary sword, my body would have been cut along with the sword.

Ugh.

“Kuk….”

I moved my body slightly, and a sharp pain shot through my shoulder. It was definitely broken from blocking his attack earlier.

As I regained consciousness, my body screamed in agony from head to toe. My bones were creaking, and my muscles were convulsing uncontrollably. I could feel something acrid rising up from inside, indicating that my internal organs were also severely damaged.

“What the…?”

Hong Yeon-hwa looked at me with a hopeless expression and rushed over to me.

“Ugh, ah, damn it…”

I wanted to tell her to run away, but the pain was too much, and I couldn’t speak properly. Even if I could, there was no way she could escape from him.

Cheokan Geumgwi kicked the debris of the broken door and entered the room. He looked at Hong Yeon-hwa with his one and only eye and then spoke.

“Hmm… I thought I killed all the Pyeongyu Sangdan’s heirs who were after the inheritance. Are you a bastard who lived outside the Sangdan?”

“What nonsense are you spouting? I am a noblewoman. Do you dare to question my lineage just because of my appearance, which happens to resemble a Gyeongguk actor?”

“Noblewoman…? Gyeongguk…?”

Cheokan Geumgwi rolled his one eye around, bewildered by Hong Yeon-hwa’s words. She didn’t pay attention to his reaction and pointed her small hand at him.

“If you claim to be a member of the Jungpa, then leave the ignorant one alone and face me.”

“What? Jungpa? Me?”

Cheokan Geumgwi’s face, covered in white powder, twisted grotesquely, but he soon nodded his head as if he understood.

“I see. You were raised by a crazy woman. Now it makes sense. But…”

He looked at Hong Yeon-hwa with a lascivious gaze and spoke.

“But your beauty is truly remarkable. If I sell you to the Giryu, I could get a good price. Alright, let’s do this. Hand over the last inheritance of the Pyeongyu Sangdan. Then, I’ll kill that guy without causing him too much pain and sell you to the most conscientious Giryu.”

What the hell?

If that was the case, there was no point in surrendering, was there? You son of a bitch!

“Ugh!”

As I tried to stand up, a sharp pain shot through my body, and I involuntarily screamed. Hong Yeon-hwa looked at me, and her eyes seemed to be filled with determination.

Could it be?

Before I could say anything, Hong Yeon-hwa turned her gaze away and took a step forward.

“Not bad.”

“Really? Then, let’s…”

“However, I don’t like it. So, I’ll give you a new option.”

Hong Yeon-hwa retrieved her fist and pressed it tightly against her waist.

“You can run away now, and I’ll spare your life.”

“Huh…?”

Cheokan Geumgwi was momentarily taken aback by her generous offer, but then he scowled.

No matter how crazy she was…to think she would offer him a drink and try to seduce him. Ugh. If her face was still intact, she wouldn’t need her limbs anyway.

“The drink you’re trying to have is the one you’ll drink in front of me, you bastard.”

Cheokan Geumgwi couldn’t take it anymore and rushed towards her, raising his sword high.

I tried to reach out with my foot to block him, but my battered body wouldn’t move as I wanted it to.

In just one step, my body collapsed and fell to the ground. In my diminishing vision, I saw Cheokan Geumgwi’s sword approaching Hong Yeon-hwa’s arm.

And…

And the next moment, Cheokan Geumgwi, who pretended to be hit by Hong Yeon-hwa’s sword, was thrown into the courtyard.

“What…?”

What just happened?

I saw it with my own eyes, but I still couldn’t understand.

Hong Yeon-hwa dodged Cheokan Geumgwi’s sword and punched him in the neck. Then, with a thud, Cheokan Geumgwi was thrown back.

How did she manage to dodge the attack of a master like him, who was trying to kill her?

And how did she manage to throw him like that with just one punch?

Hong Yeon-hwa’s internal energy was still weak. I wasn’t sure of her exact level, but she was definitely not strong enough to take down a person.

As I was lost in thought, Hong Yeon-hwa came over and lifted me up.

“How…are you hiding your strength?”

“Stop it. While I’m fighting, run away. His target is me, so he won’t pursue you.”

“….”

Instead of answering my question, Hong Yeon-hwa told me to leave her behind. Then she whispered with a bitter smile.

“It was quite enjoyable while it lasted.”