Chapter 75

Crack!

The main gate of Pungsanchae shattered into pieces.

Jeok Leegeon and Jeong Charyeon stepped inside. Men with swollen, disfigured faces followed them in, limping and heads bowed.

The man who had cursed earlier was in the worst shape.

The unexpected visit threw Pungsanchae into chaos.

Ding-ding-ding! Peeeeeep!

Whistles and urgent bells signaled an emergency throughout the area.

Men began pouring out of the surrounding buildings. When their numbers reached dozens, Charyeon felt a twinge of nervousness. It wasn't the kind of tension that came from facing a powerful Martial arts opponent, but rather from never having been the focus of so many gazes at once.

And if they attacked her all at once? How should she respond?

Knowing Leegeon's personality, he would probably sit back and nag while she did all the work.

More than fifty men emerged from the wooden structures.

As Charyeon nervously glared at the men, Leegeon said, "The first thing you need to do when facing a large number of enemies is to identify their leader."

Charyeon scanned the men.

At first glance, the burly man in the center of the group that was lagging slightly behind seemed like the leader.

But Charyeon's gaze soon focused on a lean man walking a few steps to his left.

"That one."

Leegeon clapped his hands in mock admiration.

"Excellent. How did you know?"

"I just had a feeling."

It really was just a feeling.

Leegeon smiled at Charyeon.

"That feeling is important. Don't forget it."

"What do we do now?"

"Well, you have two choices. Take out the leader first, or save him for last. Each has its pros and cons depending on the situation. Right now... just do whatever you feel like."

The leader of Pungsanchae was indeed the man they had identified.

His name was Yang Gu-cheon.

The burly man acting as the leader was the second-in-command, Jin Bong-pal.

"What? They're just kids?"

Jin Bong-pal's first words upon seeing Leegeon and Charyeon.

"And you got beaten by a girl?"

Charyeon's eyes narrowed at the second remark. All the men's attention was focused on Charyeon. They were already captivated by her beauty. Lewd comments erupted from here and there.

Leegeon whispered, "To say such things knowing you're a member of the Jianghu?"

He's trying to provoke me, right?

"Either he's trying to provoke you, or he's a complete idiot. In this case, it's fifty-fifty."

"Fifty-fifty?"

"That guy is ignorant, but the real leader seems quite clever."

Charyeon nodded in understanding.

Leegeon grinned and whispered in her ear, "One way to survive long in the Jianghu: listen carefully to what your opponent says. Everything is contained within their words. Don't forget that."

Got it!

Charyeon took a deep breath.

"Even if there are a thousand of them, the number that can attack at once is limited. There's no need to be afraid."

I know that much.

Charyeon was grateful for Leegeon's presence. His nagging was a sign of how much he cared about her. Thanks to Leegeon, Charyeon was growing stronger every day.

"What kind of bastards are you?"

Charyeon smiled and said, "You, go inside. And you, come out here!"

Charyeon pointed directly at Yang Gu-cheon. A stir went through the surrounding gang members.

Yang Gu-cheon slowly stepped forward.

"Impressive. Where do you come from?"

Yang Gu-cheon acted relaxed, but he was inwardly tense.

The fact that they had identified him as the leader so quickly meant that they had remarkable perception. They were likely experts.

"As of today, this mountain stronghold is finished."

Ah, this line is so cool, even though I'm the one saying it!

Charyeon felt a strange thrill. This was the first time in her life that she had spoken so boldly to someone. Is this what it feels like to be strong?

Then Jin Bong-pal's screech shattered her fantasy.

"You goddamn bitch! Do you think this is a marketplace? You think we'll just close up shop because you tell us to?"

In that instant,

Charyeon's figure flashed through the air.

Thwack!

Jin Bong-pal's jaw was shattered by Charyeon's kick. His massive body flew through the air and collapsed in a heap.

At the same time, Yang Gu-cheon shouted, "Kill them!"

Men rushed forward from all directions. They were well-trained for a band of brigands.

Whoosh--

Charyeon drew her sword with a flourish, creating distance between herself and the men charging at her.

Crack!

At the same time, she struck the wrist of a man lunging from the left with the flat of her blade.

The man screamed as his wrist bones shattered.

Charyeon spun around quickly.

Thwack! Whack!

Two men attacking from behind simultaneously clutched their wrists and screamed.

She could see the men's movements clearly.

I can see them! I can win!

If Charyeon hadn't met Leegeon, she would never have been able to win this fight. The Crimson Snake Sword Art Seventh round might be enough to deal with a group of brigands, but it wasn't a divine art that could allow a young girl with no practical experience to defeat fifty men.

A dozen men writhed on the ground, clutching their wrists and knees.

Pungsanchae's subsequent response was surprisingly organized.

"Fall back!"

At the signal from the men lined up in the rear, the men who had been charging forward stepped aside.

A dozen men simultaneously aimed their bows.

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!

A dozen arrows flew toward them.

"Don't panic!"

Leegeon's words rang out at the same time.

Easier said than done!

But it was easy. She didn't feel panicked, and she could see the arrows clearly.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!

Charyeon's sword embroidered the air.

A dozen arrows scattered in all directions. Everyone stared in stunned silence at the feat. Even the archers stood there blankly. They all felt it: they couldn't handle the young woman before them.

"Feels good, doesn't it?"

Charyeon nodded at Leegeon's question.

"This feeling is what allows you to become stronger."

I think I understand.

"But it's also the emotion you need to be most wary of."

"Why?"

"Right now, you're being quite careless."

Ah!

She understood what he meant. She was definitely being careless.

Charyeon was intoxicated by the feeling of having deflected the arrows. It was as if her thoughts had stopped, and she was numbed by a strange sense of exhilaration.

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!

A second volley of arrows rained down.

After deflecting all the arrows again, Charyeon launched herself forward.

Thwack! Thwack, thwack! Thwack, thwack, thwack!

The men fell like autumn leaves. In truth, she didn't even need to draw her sword. She aimed for the men's joints with the flat of her blade, as if she were practicing her cuts.

Leegeon had retreated a few steps. In the meantime, several men had charged at Leegeon, but they fell without even knowing what had hit them. After that, the men targeted only Charyeon.

Thud! Thwack!

If there were levels to fighting, she felt like she had skipped several levels today. Because she had so little practical experience, each fight was becoming blood and flesh for her.

At some point, when almost all the men were writhing on the ground,

Yang Gu-cheon charged in for a surprise attack. Just as Charyeon instinctively moved to strike Yang Gu-cheon's wrist, Yang Gu-cheon twisted his body to evade her. Charyeon was taken aback. Yang Gu-cheon's movements were unexpectedly fast.

Whoosh!

Yang Gu-cheon threw something.

Thinking it was a Hidden weapon, Charyeon deflected the projectile.

Thud!

Something burst, and Charyeon was covered in a white powder.

Poison!

Charyeon stopped breathing for a moment, but she had already inhaled several mouthfuls.

Leegeon, who had been silently watching the scene, shouted, "What are you doing? Are you just going to hold your breath?"

Ah, that's right!

Charyeon held her breath and launched herself forward.

Bang! Pow, pow, pow!

Yang Gu-cheon swung his palms. It was a very quick attack, but it was also an attack that was easy to see through.

You cowardly bastard!

Charyeon struck mercilessly.

Crack!

Yang Gu-cheon was sent flying into the air when Charyeon's knee struck his chest.

Yang Gu-cheon, who had been rolling on the ground, struggled to his feet. He stopped Charyeon, who was about to charge at him again, with his hand and said quickly, "That was poison mixed with Spring Medicine! Only I have the antidote!"

Charyeon, who was about to attack again, stopped abruptly. Charyeon's heart sank at the mention of Spring Medicine.

"You fiend!"

Charyeon's cheeks twitched.

Charyeon pointed her sword at him.

"If you don't hand over the antidote right now, I'll kill you!"

A sinister smile spread across Yang Gu-cheon's face. Although he was no match for Charyeon in Martial arts, he had already realized that Charyeon was a novice in the Jianghu. What bothered Yang Gu-cheon was Leegeon, who was watching the whole situation as if it were a fire across the river.

"Go ahead. If you kill me, you'll never be able to get the antidote. Instead, your body will become feverish and you'll soon be embracing any man. If you don't engage in intercourse with a man, you'll die, spitting blood from all seven orifices!"

It was a terrifying thought.

Charyeon looked back at Leegeon.

"There's a man here, so don't worry too much."

Is this the time for jokes!

Leegeon had no intention of helping.

Her mind went blank. Was it her imagination? It felt like her whole body was getting hot.

Taking advantage of Charyeon's dazed state, Yang Gu-cheon ran away.

Thwack!

Yang Gu-cheon was struck in the back of the head by a pebble thrown by Leegeon and fell to the ground. Yang Gu-cheon, who had a large bump on the back of his head, returned to his original position.

After hesitating, Charyeon slowly approached Yang Gu-cheon. And she held her sword close to his neck.

"Give me everything you have."

Yang Gu-cheon took out everything he had in his possession.

There were three medicine bottles and the poison pouch he had thrown at Charyeon earlier.

"Where's the antidote?"

Yang Gu-cheon wore an impossible expression.

"Only one of these three bottles is the antidote. The other two bottles will make the poison flare up several times more. You goddamn bitch! You're going to die with me!"

Charyeon gritted her teeth.

Then Leegeon said, "It's simple. Just spray that poison on him!"

What?

"Since he's weaker than you in Martial arts, he'll die first. Or he'll reveal what the antidote is in order to live. He said he wants to die together anyway, so just do it."

Yang Gu-cheon struggled.

"Don't you dare! I will never tell you what the antidote is!"

But Yang Gu-cheon was terrified. It was a poison that didn't discriminate between men and women.

Charyeon picked up the poison pouch.

Leegeon silently watched her.

Charyeon hesitated.

"Is there any reason to hesitate?"

Charyeon sighed at Leegeon's words.

"Do I have to go this far to survive?"

Charyeon's breathing was getting rough.

"This far? What's wrong with that?"

"......"

"Life and death are on the line. There's no time to worry about dignity."

"......"

"So you're just going to die? With that bastard? What about your family?"

Charyeon's heart wavered at the mention of her family. Tears quickly welled up in Charyeon's eyes.

Yes, I have to spray it!

Charyeon's hand trembled. It was something she hated doing even more than killing.

Then Leegeon grabbed Charyeon's hand. Leegeon took the pouch in her hand.

Leegeon smiled.

"My mother would like you if she saw you."

"Why?"

"Because you look just like my father."

The next moment, Leegeon pulled on Charyeon's cheeks.

"You're an idiot, aren't you? Yes! You're an idiot!"

"Ouch! That hurts!"

"It needs to hurt more!"

Why are you doing this! I'm poisoned!

"What did the Master say earlier? Do you even remember?"

Ah! That's right!

She remembered what Yang Hwa-young had told her about the Inner Force. The method of using Inner Force when poisoned was included in the operation method.

"You learned something that's one of a kind in the world, and you're going crazy about dying from this cheap poison? With that amazing body that's been through the Gate of Life and Death? Oh, you idiot."

Aaaah! I am an idiot! I admit it.

Charyeon began to gather the foreign medicinal effects she felt in her body into one place. The poison quickly gathered in one place. When she used Inner Force as Yang Hwa-young had instructed, the poison slowly melted away and began to disappear. It was happening in her own body, but it was hard to believe.

Charyeon said with emotion, "It's gone!"

Leegeon said seriously, "You did well not spraying the poison."

"Are you serious?"

"I like you because you can't spray it."

He's shaking my heart again.

Leegeon added even more seriously, "Instead... become stronger."

"Become stronger?"

Leegeon repeated what Yang Hwa-young had said.

"Yes. If you become stronger, you can protect your truly kind heart."

"......!"

"The Jianghu is a place where you have to be strong to protect the good. Because everyone will point fingers at you for being unable to spray poison. Because it's a world where being kind and righteous has become old-fashioned and frustrating. So become stronger."

"......!"

"Just become stronger."

Leegeon repeated those words several times. Charyeon truly wanted to become stronger.

Yang Gu-cheon, who had been looking for a way to survive while listening to their conversation, looked at Leegeon.

"Then what about me?"

Thwack!

A pebble under Leegeon's feet flew out and burst Yang Gu-cheon's forehead.

He screamed and rolled on the ground.

At that moment, Muyeong entered.

Charyeon asked Leegeon, "What are you going to do now?"

"You don't believe that those guys will suddenly become good just because you beat them up, do you?"

"I guess... not?"

Leegeon smiled and said, "But if Muyeong hits them, they might actually become good."