Chapter 208 : A Friend and the Blood Road (1)

Chapter 208: A Friend and the Blood Channel (1)

"I'll set fire to the reed field and hold them off. Please go on ahead."

The words ‘No, you can’t.’ rose all the way up Namgung Yoo’s throat but were swallowed back down. Along with her bitter frustration.

Namgung Yoo, her two escorts, and the East Evil Division Leader looked utterly haggard, as if they had been chased for three days and nights.

Their appearance was enough for even a beggar to invite them into his shack out of pity.

One look was enough to tell just how tenacious Ma Jeung’s pursuit had been.

Because of it, they lost Namgung Yeong's escort at dawn. There wasn’t even time to grieve, being in constant flight. And now, yet another escort was offering himself up—Namgung Yoo felt as though her heart were being torn apart.

"Uncle Woo..."

Namgung Woo smiled faintly when Namgung Yoo addressed him as ‘Uncle’ rather than a guard.

So he responded not with formality, but as an elder would to his niece.

"If I set fire to this reed field, it should delay their pursuit for a while. Go! And tell my children how I died!"

"Your children will resent me."

Namgung Woo, a collateral of the Namgung Clan, had risen to become part of its elite through the sword alone.

"My children will fully understand why their father had to die. They won’t resent you—they’ll be proud of me. That’s what it means to be a child of the Namgung Clan."

"Uncle Woo..."

Namgung Yoo hated this reality—where Namgung Woo had to die because of her.

"Don’t grow weak. A person of the Namgung Clan must stand tall even in the face of death. Even if you are a woman."

"I’ll keep that in mind."

"Escort Yang, I’m entrusting the young mistress to you."

"I’ll protect her with my life. And don’t worry about your family. If I survive, I’ll take responsibility for them until my dying breath."

"Thank you, my friend."

Namgung Yang exchanged a burning gaze with Namgung Woo.

There was no time now to share in a long farewell.

"Hurry and go."

Namgung Woo ran into the reed field.

Soon, flames burst up from within the reeds.

Namgung Yoo ran with tears streaming down her face.

But the time that Namgung Woo had earned them wasn’t much.

About one sikgyeong later, the pursuers caught up to them once more.

Namgung Yoo had no Hidden Weapon Cylinder left in hand, nor any poison.

Until now, they had broken through the encirclement using the Cheolposam, but that too had reached its limit.

Without jin-gi, her Cheolposam was useless.

The Cheolposam Namgung Yoo had learned was not true outer arts, but a side-path technique that created outer arts through the use of jin-gi.

And now, with no reed fields left, there was no way to set a fire to slow them down.

Only a wide spread of gravel terrain awaited them.

"Please go. I’ll stay behind, Young Mistress."

Namgung Yang stood and spoke.

"Uncle Yang. There’s no point in stalling for time anymore. They’ll chase us to the end. In that case, it’s better to go down fighting with satisfaction."

The East Evil Division Leader let out a hearty laugh at those words.

"Uhahaha, I thought the same! Though Lady Namgung is a woman, you have the mettle of a man. I like that very much."

Namgung Yang echoed the East Evil Division Leader’s words.

"You possess a greater mettle than most men."

"Hahaha, you’re right, Escort Yang."

When it seemed Namgung Yoo was giving up on fleeing, Namgung Yang tried to offer hope and spoke up after thinking hard.

"The reason we’ve bought time up to now is because we believe Young Master Yong will come for us. Just hold on a bit longer. Young Master Yong will surely come."

Though Namgung Yang said this as a last resort, he truly believed that if it were Yong Hwarin, he would know their situation and come rushing to their aid.

He couldn’t shake the sense that it was unrealistic, but he brought up Yong Hwarin’s name to stop Namgung Yoo from giving up.

"Do you really think Hwarin will come?"

Seeing Namgung Yoo’s uncertainty, Namgung Yang smiled. His face was caked in dried blood, whether his own or someone else’s was unclear, but when he smiled, it cracked and crumbled away.

"He’s a man who acknowledged the Young Mistress as a friend. Wouldn’t such a man come running to save a friend?"

"Alright. I’ll believe in him too. So one Uncle Woo is enough to delay them. I don’t want to lose Uncle Yang too. If we die, we die together. If we live, we live together."

Namgung Yang let out a sigh and nodded.

"Understood. Let’s go."

They advanced another hundred jang and came to a halt.

The subordinates of Ma Jeung were rushing in from ahead as well.

"Damn it, if we’d just gone a bit farther, we’d have reached the Sky Ocean Merchant Union."

It was agonizing to be surrounded when they were so close.

But the fact they had even escaped this far while wounded was nothing short of a miracle.

It was only because Namgung Yoo and the East Evil Division Leader had bodies like forged steel that they’d made it this far.

"I’m sorry, Lady Namgung."

"What's that supposed to mean? If anything, I should be the one apologizing. If I hadn’t called you out, they wouldn’t have become your targets, would they?"

"Hahaha, they had a purpose. They would’ve come for us eventually. Now that it’s come to this, let’s take down as many of them as we can! Escort Yang, put me down."

Namgung Yang lowered the East Evil Division Leader from his shoulder.

Until now, he had been unable to circulate his jin-gi due to the Thousand-Poison Antidote Pill, but thanks to his efforts to circulate qi through the night, a slight amount had begun to gather.

The East Evil Division Leader was preparing to charge at the ones rushing toward them.

"If I die, the entire Heavenly Demon Cult will be mobilized to strike them down. I’ll have no regrets! My children will avenge me!"

The East Evil Division Leader clenched his blood-drenched fists.

Namgung Yoo raised her Poison Sword and spoke.

"If my grandfather gets involved, they’re nothing more than a handful. If I die, he’ll avenge me. I won’t be bitter about it."

Ma Jeung, having completed the encirclement, stepped forward and spoke, his voice imbued with jin-gi.

"You’ve had enough of this hide-and-seek by now. How about surrendering? If you surrender, I guarantee your lives."

"Before righteousness and chivalry, life is no more than a feather! I won’t surrender, even in death!"

Ma Jeung was moved by Namgung Yoo’s righteous spirit.

"What a waste. What a damn waste."

Without realizing it, he let out a sigh of admiration—too much of a shame to kill her.

"Capture them alive if possible! But if resistance is fierce, kill the Namgung people. However, the East Evil Division Leader must be captured alive!"

As Ma Jeung gave the order, Namgung Yoo and the East Evil Division Leader exchanged faint smiles.

"I don’t like being attacked first. Let’s strike first."

Just as Namgung Yoo stepped forward, Namgung Yang suddenly shouted.

"Wait! Wait! Someone’s coming!"

Someone was flying through the air like a bird—it was clearly a martial artist.

But they were too far away to make out who they were, so it was impossible to know if they were friend or foe.

Yet at the same moment, both shouted together.

"Hwarin!"

"Young Master Yong!"

Namgung Yang even raised both arms and cheered ecstatically.

The East Evil Division Leader gave a dumbfounded smile at their joy.

No matter how exceptional this Young Master Yong might be, there was no way he could handle all of Ma Jeung’s subordinates closing in from every direction.

At the very least, he would need to bring dozens of martial artists for it to be a meaningful force.

Alone, there was no way he could handle it all.

Namgung Yang turned back, tears falling.

"Woo, the time you bought saved the Young Mistress. I won’t forget it."

Thinking that if Namgung Woo hadn’t bought them such precious time, they would’ve all died before ever meeting Yong Hwarin, tears welled up as he missed Namgung Woo dearly.

Then he shouted at the warriors of the Heavenly Demon King Unit.

"You bastards, now we’ll show you the difference in power! From now on, the ones being chased won’t be us—it’ll be you!"

As Namgung Yang boasted loudly, Baek Cheonggye let out a laugh through his nose in disbelief.

If this Yong Hwarin had been one of the Ten Absolutes of the Martial World, then maybe. But not even listed among the Twelve Dragons, as just a prodigy, Namgung Yang was clearly overreacting.

With death looming, Namgung Yang must have been overwhelmed with emotion.

'Judging from his movement arts, his martial skills are decent enough.'

As Yong Hwarin flew toward Namgung Yoo, the Heavenly Demon King Unit prepared to strike.

But Ma Jeung stopped them.

"Let him come! A few more won’t change the result!"

Ma Jeung had long wanted to face the one who had humiliated First Young Master Yang Gwak, Second Young Master Lee Yung, and Third Young Master Eum Sajeok.

Famous even within his own ranks for seeking out strong opponents to duel, Ma Jeung couldn’t pass up a chance to fight someone like Yong Hwarin.

During this mission, he had even protested the order for Lee Yung to capture the East Evil Division Leader instead of confronting Yong Hwarin himself.

Ma Jeung had wanted to fight Yong Hwarin alongside Eum Sajeok.

But they told him his strength was needed to capture the East Evil Division Leader, even invoking the name of their master, so Ma Jeung reluctantly led the Heavenly Demon King Unit to go after Baek Cheonggye.

Yet now, with Yong Hwarin walking right into his hands, he even felt a strange sense of gratitude.

However, the fact that Yong Hwarin was here also meant that Second Young Master’s mission had failed, so Ma Jeung asked him,

"What happened to the Third Young Master?"

"That bastard became a hostage."

"Huh!"

Ma Jeung let out a groan at the unexpected answer.

It was hard not to believe it. That Third Young Master was so meticulous in preparation, even managing to put their lord at ease.

Yet here was Yong Hwarin, appearing openly and unscathed—how could he not be surprised?

"Can you tell me who attacked you?"

Ma Jeung wondered if perhaps Yong Hwarin had never made it to the manor at all.

Noticing Ma Jeung’s suspicion, Yong Hwarin began explaining in detail.

"Just like his name suggests, Eum Sajeok was a sly bastard. He had Iron Arrows laced with Poison Arrows, mobilized the warriors of the Sword Poison Sect, and nearly killed me. And at the end, even the subordinates hiding in ambush all struck at once."

Ma Jeung's smiling face gradually hardened.

He himself had once clicked his tongue in disbelief at that very level of preparation.

He had thought that even he wouldn’t be able to escape from such a trap if it had been set for him.

As the East Evil Division Leader stared fixedly at Yong Hwarin, Namgung Yoo placed a hand on Yong Hwarin’s shoulder.

"Hwarin, this person is the East Evil Division Leader."

"Ah, greetings. I didn’t expect our first meeting to be under these circumstances. I’m Yong Hwarin of the Heavenly Central Sect."

"Lady Namgung praised you so often, I became curious to see what kind of person you were."

Yong Hwarin smiled as he replied.

"This friend of mine has rather low standards. That’s how she ends up being friends with someone like me."

Baek Cheonggye appreciated Yong Hwarin’s composure, able to joke even in a situation like this.

"No, I’m someone who holds Lady Namgung in high regard."

Ma Jeung’s eyes sharpened with killing intent as the three, surrounded as they were, laughed and chatted like they were on a leisurely outing.

This was a blatant act of disregard toward him.

‘So they're trying to act bold, thinking they're going to die anyway?’

To Ma Jeung, Yong Hwarin's behavior seemed like mere posturing. He believed the calm demeanor was just a mask for hidden fear.

"Sorry to interrupt your reunion, but it’s time to start spilling blood now."

At Ma Jeung’s words, the three ceased their smiles.

At the same time, Yong Hwarin sent a message through telepathy.

—I’ll open a path now. Please follow behind me.

As Namgung Yoo and Baek Cheonggye nodded in response, Yong Hwarin surged forward without delay.

Pipipipipiping!

As he dashed ahead, Large Needles shot continuously from his fingertips.

The Heavenly Demon King Unit, rushing to block Yong Hwarin, were struck by the Large Needles and fell helplessly.

As the once formidable pursuers collapsed one after another, Baek Cheonggye felt his strength drain away.

For him to bring down just one of them, he had to take several blows to his own body.

Yet these same enemies fell as if put to sleep before they even reached him, and it left him with a hollow feeling.

‘To think he handles hidden weapons like that with the Flicking Finger Technique.’

Watching the enemies fall without even dodging, Baek Cheonggye thought that even his White Poison Corpse Art might be shattered by Yong Hwarin’s Large Needles.

Rather than heading toward the Sky Ocean Merchant Union, Yong Hwarin was clearing a path toward the forest by the riverbank.

A dense pine forest stretched along the river, and as they approached it, Namgung Yoo voiced her concern.

"Hwarin, the forest puts us at a disadvantage! That’s why I didn’t choose to flee there earlier."

When outnumbered, a forest was nothing short of a grave.

Once surrounded, escape would be difficult.

Though it might seem easier to hide within the trees, the restricted range of movement only turned the pursued into prey for the many.

Yong Hwarin smiled in response instead of answering.

Seeing that smile, Namgung Yoo chuckled, realizing she had said something foolish.

It was almost shameful to have just now realized that Yong Hwarin would never enter the forest without a plan.

"Why are we just following him? Even to me, that forest looks dangerous."

Baek Cheonggye was frowning, dissatisfied with heading into the woods.

He would rather die in a glorious fight than be picked off one by one in a trap.

"Now, you'll witness my friend's true worth."

"And what makes you trust him so?"

"I don’t trust my own eyes. The eyes I trust most are my grandfather’s. And my grandfather acknowledged him."

"Grandfather? Could you mean the Three Sword King Namgung Bi, senior?"

Namgung Yoo nodded.

Baek Cheonggye felt a surge of curiosity. A man acknowledged by Namgung Bi, one of the Five Supreme Warriors, no less.

"Not a superficial acknowledgment either. He said Yong Hwarin was someone who could surpass even himself."

"Hooh!"

Baek Cheonggye thought that if it were true, then he might be fighting alongside someone whose name would one day be inscribed in the Record of the Moon and Blade.

Just sharing life and death with such a man was more than enough reason to follow.

Baek Cheonggye murmured to himself.

"This should be fun."