episode_0003

Even though the youngest member of the Cheongha Three Alliance was eliminated, turning it into the Cheongha Three Alliance, the fight was three against one.

Originally, having three against one was considered advantageous, and it still held true.

This difference stemmed from their attitudes.

An Sung-il was pushed back by the numbers, contemplating a retreat, while the Cheongha Three Alliance aimed for a short-term decisive battle.

No matter how strong the momentum in a fight, it was clear that An Sung-il, busy parrying and attacking, was lacking, facing the relentless assault of the Cheongha Three Alliance.

And so, the rounds continued, about twenty in total.

By the way, in the martial world, a round corresponds to a turn in modern terms of turn-based games.

An Sung-il thought to himself.

“Oh. It’s more challenging than I thought.”

The Cheongha Three Alliance’s leader, Jo Gaksan, thought to himself.

“Darn it, the gap in skill is so wide!”

In reality, the ultimate test was not three against one but four against one.

Since people have four directions – front, back, left, and right – one must attack from all sides to master the art of combat.

The perfection of attacking from all sides had long been proven.

In the realm of fire, there were the Four Heavenly Kings, and in the realm of earth, there were the Four Cardinal Directions, which was why the ancient practice was to divide defense into four directions.

Therefore, three was incomplete.

Especially when the enemy’s skill was superior.

Between the late stages and the early stages, there was only one step, but the barrier was higher than expected.

Another ten rounds passed.

Jo Gaksan exchanged glances with his brothers.

It was a conversation through their long-established brotherly bond.

“It’s not working. Let’s retreat. We need to protect the youngest.”

“Good idea, brother.”

“We were waiting for your decision, brother.”

The content was more draining than expected.

However, considering Jo Gaksan’s title as the leader of the Cheongha Three Alliance, it was only natural.

In the martial world, titles were simpler than one might think.

Once you reached a certain level, you were considered a respectable martial artist, but there were too many respectable martial artists in the current martial world.

Therefore, to earn a title that was admired and acknowledged by everyone, one needed remarkable achievements.

However, with many people and few remarkable achievements, titles were usually based on the individual’s base, characteristics, and tendencies.

For example, “Cheongha” (active in Cheongha) “Jilpung” (swift) “Hyup” (kind person).

Thus, in the case of Jo Gaksan, the Cheongha Jilpunghyup, his specialty was in speed similar to the wind.

Especially, his unique tactic of retreating like the wind when at a disadvantage!

It was a title bestowed by those who admired him.

“But seeing the youngest not coming up, it seems like he’s up to something.”

“If the youngest isn’t coming up, the third brother will take care of it.”

“Wait, are you retreating again? Shouldn’t the second brother take care of it this time?”

“Oh, the third brother… talking back?!”

Unfortunately, the youngest was already dead.

But since news of his death had not reached them, the dead do not speak.

If the youngest had said, “I’m dead, brothers,” they would have been thrown into chaos, possibly making life or death decisions and seeking revenge against the enemy.

But now, they were only thinking of retreating.

As An Sung-il barely managed to evade Jo Gaksan’s split attack, he suddenly shouted.

“Now! Yeonhaeng Gwisal!”

An Sung-il seized the initiative and attacked, but quickly retreated.

I’m not sure what Yeonhaeng Gwisal means.

But he retreated, fearing the emergence of a dangerous technique.

However, Jo Gaksan’s shout of Yeonhaeng Gwisal held no meaning.

He simply spat out random words to intimidate his opponent for a swift exit, just like driving away a mountain lion to defeat a mountain god without any meaning behind the words, successfully driving out a top master with meaningless words.

Truly a mysterious strategy.

The fierce wind agreement’s aura shone brightly.

Three figures swiftly moved away like a gust of wind!

An Sung-il blinked in astonishment.

—-

When Ah Cheong ascended to the upper floor, she saw three figures rushing towards her like arrows.

Ah Cheong glanced at the numbers above the heads of the three figures.

Seventeen, nine, one.

Although low, it was a respectable level.

They seemed to be decent individuals, not seeking trouble.

Ah Cheong lost interest, but the three figures passing by couldn’t help but flinch.

Her aura was extraordinary.

Anyone would be surprised to see a female swordsman with bloodied lips and a sly smile.

Moreover, the oppressive pressure emanating from her, as if squeezing one’s heart, was due to a hint of ominous color in her eyes.

However, Ah Cheong did not make eye contact with the Green Three Swords.

It was a non-verbal expression of the martial world.

Let’s go our separate ways since there is no business between us.

After the three figures passed by, Ah Cheong quickly identified the villain in the inn’s upper floor.

There was a remarkable figure among them.

He had accumulated three hundred and seventy-six points of evil deeds, a person who had committed numerous heinous acts.

In other words, a person who deserved to die.

It was better for the world if he died, a beneficial waste.

Ah Cheong locked eyes with An Sung-il.

An Sung-il averted his gaze, using the same non-verbal expression of the martial world.

Let’s go our separate ways.

An Sung-il did not want to get involved with Ah Cheong.

Isn’t there an old saying in the martial world?

Beware of children, women, and the elderly.

Of course, this saying did not specifically mean to be cautious of children, women, and the elderly.

Excluding children, women, and the elderly from the people in the world, only adult men remain.

And when people see adult men, they become cautious and alert.

The warning to be cautious of women, children, and the elderly had a deeper meaning in the martial world, advising to be wary of all encounters and not let down one’s guard.

An Sung-il tried to avoid conflict with this wisdom, but Ah Cheong had a task for him.

“Hey, you. Old man. Are you the descendant of the Zengyeochugwi?”

It was an unexpected insult.

An Sung-il looked dumbfounded.

It was a severe curse that made him doubt his hearing.

“Yeah, you, old man. Where are you pretending not to know? Besides you, who else here has ‘son of a b****’ written all over their face?”

An Sung-il’s face turned pale with anger.

He had been insulted by a young man who was younger than his daughter and older than his granddaughter, so it was only natural.

“How dare a woman with no blood on her hands dare to…”

“What? What woman? Did you just curse at me? How dare you use such a harsh curse on me. It’s insulting, unbearable.”

Despite the expression of being unable to bear it, she smiled brightly and drew her sword.

“I saw this crazy woman…! Hah.”

An Sung-il quickly shut his mouth.

The energy that had unraveled from Ah Cheong’s sword, like wisps of silk, was flowing out, known as the Sword Silk.

It was a technique used by the elite warriors of the late stages.

An Sung-il broke out in a cold sweat.

The woman in front of him was clearly a superior master.

His life was in imminent danger.

Truly overwhelming skill difference!

“Crazy? Cursing again? Oh, it’s too insulting. Ah, I’m angry, very angry.”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“If you had insulted our family, our parents, I could have endured it. But insulting me is something I cannot tolerate. No more words! Die, my Moonlight Sword is hungry!”

Despite the playful gesture, before taking a breath, the woman’s sword split into three shapes.

Three branches of sword energy swirling and attacking.

An Sung-il’s mind blazed fiercely.

What is real and what is fake.

To live or to die. There is no time to hesitate.

In the moment when An Sung-il was about to gamble his life in front of the three choices of death.

The sensation of the whole body’s hairs standing on end!

‘They are all real!’

In an instant, he realized that all three were actual sword strikes.

The keen sense that a person has when their life is at stake, a concept known as the function of heightened senses in martial arts.

Dodging the sword strike aimed at his heart, An Sung-il twisted his body with all his might. His shoulders and waist trembled, and soon intense pain surged through him.

He had barely managed to deflect one strike.

Already, he had two wounds.

It was a desperate gap in skill.

Not only was there a difference between the early and late stages, but the woman’s swordsmanship itself was a martial art of ascension.

If a young woman with such skill as hers was present, then her background must be from a formidable faction.

In other words, whether he lost or won, he would end up being hunted down later.

So, there was only one answer.

He should not fight. It was a fight he would definitely lose.

“Wait! Dae-hyeop! You’re misunderstanding! It’s a misunderstanding! Please!”

“Misunderstanding? I heard you loud and clear. You insulted me. You will pay for this with your life!”

“No, that’s not it! Dae-hyeop, just a moment, please!”

“Dae-hyeop? Do I look that old? How dare you mention a woman’s age like that.”

“So-hyeop, just a moment!”

“So-hyeop? Has a lowly disciple like me already earned the title of master? How dare you…!”

“Yeo-hyeop! Please, Yeo-hyeop! Just listen to me for a moment!”

“Yeo-hyeop? Are there separate male and female disciples in martial arts? Gender discrimination is confusing the world, I will break free from those shackles here.”

The woman’s sword flew incessantly.

Sometimes in three branches, sometimes in four, sometimes reaching five branches, he had already lost the will to fight back.

He could only desperately defend himself.

Already over twenty exchanges.

It was a miracle that he was still holding on.

Suddenly, as if it were a lie, the assault stopped.

“You keep saying it’s a misunderstanding, so I’ll tell you.”

“Yes, Dae-hyeop, no, So, no, that…”

“I had just prepared an expensive dish and was about to enjoy it. For me, it was a very special occasion. It was the happiest moment since my debut in the martial world.”

“Uh, that… I’m sorry for causing a disturbance…”

“No, do you think I’m a noisy killer who goes around killing people? It’s not that, something fell from the sky. Maybe it’s the ceiling since we’re indoors?”

Acheong turned her head.

An Sung-il followed suit.

A hole was visible on the ground.

An Sung-il was sweating profusely.

No wonder he was feeling queasy.

“Alright. Now you know why you’re going to die, right?”

“P-please spare me!”

“Hmm. What should I do.”

Acheong pretended to think for a moment before speaking.

“First, give me the money. You wasted the food. You wasted the clothes.”

“I-I will give it to you!”

“Oh, how can I stand this. It’s too much.”

“Yes? Yes?”

“Again! Give me the money!”

“I will give it to you!”

“Not needed!”

An Sung-il was flustered.

What on earth did she want him to do?

Playing around with someone who was kneeling…

Ah.

An Sung-il’s gaze hardened.

The reason he was still alive and able to endure was that even though the sword energy flew at him, the fatal strike aimed at his vital points was always only one.

As long as he avoided the fatal strike, he could figure out how to block and counter the rest with his body.

In other words, the woman was toying with him.

With a face that looked pleased and foolish, like a cat playing with a bird.

“I… I’ve fallen into a trap…”

“Oh. Caught?”

Acheong’s smile deepened.

“So, I should have lived a good life. This is all karma. Karma. My Moonlight Sword only drinks the blood of villains.”

Acheong raised the sword.

The villain, sensing the end, let out a gasp.

“Do you think you can escape unscathed! Do you! I’m a bad guy! Do you think you’re innocent! I’ll wait for you in hell!”

“Hell? My sins are so high.”

An Sung-il’s world spun around.

His crumbling body came into view.

As he was dying, he thought.

But how could he be beheaded by a falling sword head-on?

What kind of mysterious swordsmanship is this…