The Legend of the Northern Blade

The young man gave Ha Jin-Wol a confused look, but Ha Jin-Wol ignored him and waved him over.

A little upset, the escort said, “What’s the matter, can’t you see that I’m busy?”

“It’s not like you’re doing anything important.”

“Neither are you.”

“Go get rid of the spies watching us from the shadows.”

“Why me?”

“Because you’re from the Black Moon.”

The young escort grimaced, and Ha Jin-Wol grinned.

“Mu-Won told me about you before he left.”

“That person seriously…”

“If I were Heaven’s Summit, I would definitely spy on either us or Jo Cheon-Woo. I’m not sure exactly where they’re hiding, but please finish them off. It’s very important.”

“And why should I do that?”

“Because it will benefit the Black Moon.”

“What…?”

“The Black Moon’s greatest weapon is their monopoly on information. There’s no need to share it with Heaven’s Summit, is there?” Ha Jin-Wol smiled triumphantly, confident that the cat was in the bag.

Cheong-In stiffened. Ha Jin-Wol had totally read his mind. The Triune Scholar Ha Jin-Wol. The Black Moon doesn’t have much information on him, but that’s only because we’ve never considered him worthy of attention. According to the Black Moon’s rules, when our own lives are threatened, we are to abandon our mission and escape immediately, but…there’s something about this scholar named Ha Jin-Wol that’s keeping me here…

The Iron Brigade and White Dragon escorts were completely overwhelmed. At this rate, their annihilation was only a matter of time, and yet, there was no fear on Ha Jin-Wol’s face. Rather, he was smiling faintly, as if he was enjoying himself.

Cheong-In hesitated. He felt the need to see the source of Ha Jin-Wol’s confidence with his own eyes.

“Ahh damn it! The boss will nag me like crazy after this.”

“I guarantee you won’t regret it.”

“Hmm, where would I hide if I were a spy? Fuck!”

The young escort seemed to fade away and then vanish from sight, grumbling all the while. Most normal people would find his stealth technique frightening, but Ha Jin-Wol wasn’t the least bit flustered.

“Moon-Jung.”

“Yes!” Kwak Moon-Jung came running at Ha Jin-Wol’s summon. They had only spent one night together, but he instinctively sensed that Ha Jin-Wol was no ordinary person.

“I need you to do something for me.”

“Just say the word.”

Ha Jin-Wol pulled out a dozen palm-sized flags from his chest pocket, handed them to Kwak Moon-Jung, and said, “Stick these flags in the ground where I tell you. There’s a line on each flag that tells you how deep to plant it.”

True to his word, there were lines carved into the flagpoles with a knife, each at a different position. Ha Jin-Wol leaned in close to Kwak Moon-Jung and told him where to put the flags.

“Do you remember everything?”

“Yes, just leave it to me!” Kwak Moon-Jung replied energetically, then ran off to do as he was instructed. He had no idea what was going on in Ha Jin-Wol’s head, but the scholar was the only person he could trust in this situation.

Tang Gi-Mun, who was sitting next to Ha Jin-Wol, asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Why would there not be? Your help is highly welcome.” Ha Jin-Wol smiled.

His eyes were clear, deep, and so intense that they seemed to penetrate into places that Tang Gi-Mun couldn’t see. They were clearly in the middle of a crisis, but somehow, Tang Gi-Mun found the scholar’s presence strangely reassuring.

Despite his eccentric personality and sharp tongue, Ha Jin-Wol was a trustworthy man. For a moment, he wondered what the combination of Jin Mu-Won and Ha Jin-Wol could accomplish. …Perhaps I should just wait and see how far these two go?

Meanwhile, slightly ahead of the ox cart group, Yoon Seo-In left the carriage to protect Yoon Ja-Myeong, holding her Bamboo Blade.¹ The situation was too urgent to rely solely on the escorts.

Again and again, she unleashed the Kongtong Sect’s ultimate techniques. Unfortunately, although she could use sword chi, her opponents were elites and could also do the same. To make things worse, they were far more experienced in combat, and did not hesitate to draw blood. That fact alone spelled the difference between victory and defeat.

POW!

“AAAH!” Yoon Seo-In screamed as a fist slammed into her outer thigh. The excruciating pain made her take several steps back.

“Even if you’re a woman…” her opponent growled, his eyes bursting with killing intent.

The other members of the Tyrant Fist Sect were just as manic. Having lost so many of their comrades in the Yuxi disaster, their hearts were filled with nothing but rage. Right now, they couldn’t bring themselves to see Yoon Seo-In as a beautiful woman; she was just another target to be eliminated.

Yoon Seo-In looked around grimly. The escorts who had been with her for months were dying one after the other. She wanted to close her ears to their groans, to close her eyes to their deaths, but she couldn’t do it.

She had once thought that the gangho was a romantic place, but not anymore. This was a dangerous world where one walked a tightrope between life and death. It wasn’t a place for a weak-minded person like her.

“Seo-In…” Yoon Ja-Myeong looked at Yoon Seo-In with pained eyes. His sister was in danger, but there was nothing he could do to help her.

“No!” Tears blurred his vision as he watched a Tyrant Fist Sect martial artist swinging a fist the size of a pot lid at Yoon Seo-In’s slender body.

FOOM!

Suddenly, a stranger intervened in their fight. It was Gongson Chang of the Iron Brigade. With one swift strike, he slashed open the Tyrant Fist warrior’s throat, killing him. However, they weren’t out of the woods yet.

There are too many of them! Gongson Chang stepped in front of Yoon Seo-In and wiped the sweat from his brow. Individually, the martial artists of the Iron Brigade were stronger, but there was too much of a difference in numbers. All of them were drenched in blood, and although most of the blood belonged to their enemies, at this rate, it would only be a matter of time before they collapsed.

He looked around for Yong Mu-Sung, only to see his commander sent flying backward.

BAM!

“Keuak!” Yong Mu-Sung groaned as a trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. One punch from Jo Cheon-Woo had resulted in him sustaining internal injuries.

Jo Cheon-Woo was terrifyingly strong. His fists were harder than iron and powerful enough to crush a boulder the size of a house.

Jo Cheon-Woo looked down his nose at Yong Mu-Sung as if he were an unworthy piece of trash.

Yong Mu-Sung tensed. The outcome of this battle was all too obvious. The first to be wiped out would be the escorts, and then the Iron Brigade. Jongri Mu-Hwan was scrambling around trying to reorganize the warriors, but it was too late for him to turn the tides.

Why the fuck did this have to happen just when that punk isn’t around?

For the first time, he resented Jin Mu-Won’s absence.

[Hey, buy me fifteen minutes.]

Suddenly, someone contacted him using voice transmission. Yong Mu-Sung glanced behind him and was shocked to discover that it was Ha Jin-Wol. In the midst of the fierce battle, he hadn’t paid the scholar any attention, but for some reason, no one had noticed his presence all this time.

I just need to hold out against Jo Cheon-Woo for fifteen minutes, right?

Strangely enough, Yong Mu-Sung didn’t question why Ha Jin-Wol wanted him to stall for time. He instinctively felt that Ha Jin-Wol would be able to do something about their current situation if he had fifteen minutes.

He tightened his grip on his Dragon Scale Dao, and Jo Cheon-Woo smiled wryly at the sight.

“Looks like you still have a trump card. Go ahead and show it to me. You won’t get a second chance.”

“Hmph! Don’t look down on me, you old monster.” Yong Mu-Sung bit his lip in indignation.

In response to Yong Mu-Sung’s defiance, Jo Cheon-Woo taunted him with a beckoning gesture.

Yong Mu-Sung focused his energy on the Dragon Scale Dao, causing it to glow red in preparation for his most powerful martial art: The Demonic Dragon Scale Blade Art (龍鱗魔形刀).

SCHRIPPP!

The Dragon Scale Dao ripped through the air like an unstoppable force, and for the first time in this battle, Jo Cheon-Woo’s face lit up with interest.

The intimidating pressure that made his skin crawl and the sharpness that made his nerves tingle were truly impressive. Although his anger had caused him to temporarily lose his rationality, ultimately, he was a martial artist. He couldn’t help but be fascinated by a martial art he had never seen before.

He laughed, “Good, let’s enjoy this to our heart’s content!”

“That arrogance of yours will be your end,” Yong Mu-Sung growled fiercely.

Sensing Yong Mu-Sung’s killing intent, Jo Cheon-Woo nodded gleefully. “I like that look, but you can’t kill with your eyes alone. Come, show me that your blade is as sharp as your eyes.”

“I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.”

Yong Mu-Sung took a step towards Jo Cheon-Woo.

ROAR! ROAR!

The Dragon Scale Dao cried like a wild beast as Yong Mu-Sung injected more and more chi into it.

At the same time, Yong Mu-Sung’s steps became faster and faster, and in an instant, he had shortened the distance between him and Jo Cheon-Woo.

“YAAAAH!”

BOOM!

Red chi blades exploded out of the Dragon Scale Dao like the claws of a beast. Using his left foot as a pivot, Jo Cheon-Woo dodged the attack, knocked the blades aside and closed in on Yong Mu-Sung.

Yong Mu-Sung immediately spun the Dragon Scale Dao around and held it in a reverse grip. He slashed out at Jo Cheon-Woo, but only nicked the giant man’s clothes.

Unabated, he went on a full-scale offensive, unleashing the Demonic Soul Crushing Blade (魔劘鬼魂斬) and the Explosive Dragon Fang (龍牙爆裂魂), the two most powerful techniques of the Demonic Dragon Scale Blade Art, in rapid succession.

Lightning flashed and the wind swirled like a storm. The earth shook and rocks cracked.

Jo Cheon-Woo’s composure evaporated. Yong Mu-Sung’s martial arts were created for a singular purpose, to take the enemy’s life at any cost. Every single technique that Yong Mu-Sung had used was meant to kill him in one strike.

The creator of this martial art must be either a bloodthirsty maniac or someone with a deep-seated grudge.

Finally realizing that Yong Mu-Sung posed a threat to him, Jo Cheon-Woo spread his arms wide and said, “It seems that you are worthy of receiving my fists.”

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