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chapter 48
Fight on Hyeongsan
After Geomryeong sent a short message to the Yuak Army, he spoke to Jeokhwamyeong.
“We don’t know who they are, but Brother, we should be careful!”
The Geomcheondae weren’t particularly terrifying on their own, but the five men with Hyeontaeseong were people Jeokhwamyeong needed to watch out for.
All five men were retainers of Cheonmyeong Mountain Villa who had followed to earn their keep. Each of them was so powerful that their abilities could compare evenly with Jeokhwamyeong’s.
“Catch him!”
When Hyeontaeseong gave the order, the Geomcheondae members moved. Fortunately, Geomryeong had chosen a less-traveled, secluded path to come up Hyeongsan, so his presence wouldn’t harm the people on the main route.
As the Geomcheondae moved, the Yuak Army melted back and disappeared from view.
“That bastard!”
When the Yuak Army vanished, one of Cheonmyeong Mountain Villa’s retainers, Bŏm Cheondo (Pan Cheondo) — Imanyeong — shot up into the air. He was moving to capture the Yuak Army.
“Back off.”
Geomryeong extended his left hand toward Imanyeong. A force shot out and restrained Imanyeong’s movement, and because of that interference, the Yuak Army’s figure was completely lost.
Such was the greatness of the Ghost Transformation Shadow Technique.
Imanyeong flipped through the air and returned to his original spot, then looked at Geomryeong and said, “Kid, you’ve got skill.”
“You’re probably about that level yourself, so don’t worry too much.”
“I wish your mouth and your skill matched.”
The pressure from the Geomcheondae members began.
“Focus on defense rather than stepping forward. Leave the rest to me.”
“We’ll do that.”
Geomryeong worried that Jeokhwamyeong might hold a grudge against Cheonmyeong Mountain Villa, but from the villa’s perspective, Jeokhwamyeong — knowing Hyunjinmyeong had learned magic — was someone who needed to be eliminated too.
For Jeokhwamyeong and Cheonmyeong Mountain Villa, it was as if they had crossed a river of no return.
When the Geomcheondae’s attack began, Geomryeong intercepted it a step ahead. Jeokhwamyeong was astonished again at seeing Geomryeong single-handedly block the Geomcheondae’s attacks.
When he eradicated jiangshi, he used an extremely slow blade; when killing assassins in the inn, he used a blade faster than sound. Now, facing the Geomcheondae, his swordplay had transformed into a highly changeable illusion-blade.
Cha-ae-aeng!
After Geomryeong blocked a strike from the Geomcheondae and countered, their members were thrown into confusion.
They had never experienced this kind of illusion-blade and didn’t know how to respond.
—Do you know the “Return to One” of the Ten Thousand Swords?
While fighting the Geomcheondae, Geomryeong sent a short message to Jeokhwamyeong. Jeokhwamyeong had been about to reply but held back, thinking it might disturb Geomryeong.
—Brother, today you have seen my swordsmanship up to the illusion-blade.
Whether Jeokhwamyeong answered or not, Geomryeong continued sending messages.
—Blunt blade, swift blade, illusion blade! These three have different natures, but ultimately they unite as one.
Listening to Geomryeong’s message, Jeokhwamyeong warily watched the men with Hyeontaeseong.
—Within slowness there is swiftness, within swiftness there is slowness; within swiftness there is change, and within change there is swiftness. Also, within slowness there is change, and within change there is slowness — the three are…
Heavy-with-swift, swift-with-heavy, swift-with-illusion, illusion-with-swift, heavy-with-illusion, illusion-with-heavy!
As Geomryeong said, blunt, swift, and illusion blades all share the quality that they must be fast.
Listening to Geomryeong’s message, Jeokhwamyeong found himself tensing without realizing it. In a way it was the teaching of a master; difficult, but it contained hints that could help him gain enlightenment and break through a wall.
“Ugh!”
One of the Geomcheondae members felt a scorching pain as his abdomen was slashed; blood sprayed and he collapsed forward.
—Watch carefully as I remember what I said and fight.
Geomryeong began killing Geomcheondae members one by one. As he dispatched them, the Yuak Army was also killing off the hidden members of the Assassin Unit.
“Ugh… how…?” one muttered.
“I’ve killed more assassins than you have. It’s obvious to my eyes.”
Saying that, the Yuak Army left to kill another.
His name being reused over generations had led people to mistaken assumptions. While his master may have been skilled in strategy and schemes, the current Yuak Army was not just good at plotting; he was even better as an assassin.
Geomryeong could sense the Yuak Army killing the Assassin Unit members without great difficulty.
“You bastard!”
Hwangryong-gun (Yellow Dragon Staff) Wang Isŏ charged at Geomryeong together with Nohseong and swung his unique weapon, the Yellow Dragon Staff.
Though only about three chi in length, the staff weighed four hundred nyang — its transmitted force was tremendous.
Cha-ae-aeng!
Rather than blocking the staff with sheer force, Geomryeong slightly twisted his blade and redirected the opponent’s power elsewhere. It was another variation of the “Transplanting Flower, Grafting Wood” technique.
The Yellow Dragon Staff’s characteristic was to overwhelm and subdue the opponent by pure force; redirected this way, that advantage was lost.
“Hah!”
Wang Isŏ inhaled sharply and stepped back. Geomryeong’s sword had aimed at a vital point of his body.
Flam! (sound effect)
Wang Isŏ tried to retreat to avoid Geomryeong’s blade but couldn’t fully escape it.
His clothes were torn and blood began to soak through.
Embarrassed to have been struck down by a youngster, Wang Isŏ’s face flushed red. He glared at Geomryeong as if to kill, and then forcibly swung the Yellow Dragon Staff.
Bwoooom!
Although only three chi long, the staff’s weight made the sound of air slicing through it impressive.
Geomryeong pulled his sword back and met the staff. The staff’s pressing force was enormous, and Geomryeong let that force flow through his body.
Naturally, his body spun and he ended up behind Wang Isŏ.
“Master Wang!” the onlookers cried.
Hyeontaeseong, the other retainers, and the Geomcheondae members stared in shock.
A geyser of blood erupted from Wang Isŏ’s neck and he collapsed.
“You did this to Master Wang…!” someone shouted.
“Hmph! Are you allowed to kill others? Are others not allowed to kill you?” Geomryeong replied.
“You…!” someone spat.
“Knowing someone is aiming at another’s life means you must accept that your own life may be lost too.”
Swish!
This time Geomryeong moved first.
“Aaagh!”
A nearby Geomcheondae member fell to Geomryeong’s blade. He had stood dumbfounded watching Wang Isŏ get struck and had not moved a hand.
Geomryeong advanced relentlessly.
Seeing three squads — twenty or so Geomcheondae — fall to Geomryeong, the others moved in all at once.
Because Wang Isŏ had died so absurdly, they pressed Geomryeong with a joint attack.
Though they were not trained in synchronized attacks, all five were top masters who knew their roles well.
Their combined attack flowed as smoothly as water, as if they had fought together for a long time.
Sararara-rak!
Even with Hyeontaeseong and four others combining, Geomryeong’s cloak could not be held.
Amid their assault, Geomryeong’s light-footed movements made him like a butterfly drifting through the air.
“You bastard!”
They tried to press him with Nohseong (roaring energy), but the more they pushed, the more anxious they became.
Wang Isŏ had already fallen. Despite the shame, five top masters were combining but could not even scratch him; time just passed.
Watching Geomryeong, Jeokhwamyeong decided he would henceforth trust this youngster’s words fully.
Even while fighting five masters, Geomryeong showed no sign of bewilderment. Instead he varied the tempo, unnerving the five masters.
Jeokhwamyeong realized he could learn a great deal from Geomryeong’s style.
In truth, for Geomryeong — who had achieved the Primordial Spirit Sword — handling these men wasn’t so difficult.
Yet he stretched the fight intentionally because he wanted Jeokhwamyeong to observe and gain something from watching him fight.
Flam!
Geomryeong’s movement shifted. If before he was a drifting butterfly, now he became like a fast-moving bee.
“Ugh!”
When Geomryeong counterattacked, the five who had been combining became flustered.
A blade so fast it was barely visible sliced across one of them in an instant.
“You, damn—”
Seeing his chest deeply cut, Pan Cheondo Imanyeong cursed. He had followed along thinking he might take down a greenhorn and freeload a few more years of free meals, but he hadn’t expected such a pointless, humiliating death.
“You bastard!”
Hyeontaeseong, enraged at Imanyeong’s death, swung his sword.
Normally Geomryeong would have dodged that blow, but this time he met it head-on.
Screech!
Geomryeong’s blade sheared Hyeontaeseong’s sword in half and sliced the man’s throat. As the shattered blade fell, Geomryeong kicked, sending it toward another man.
Shweeeik!
“Ugh!”
To block the half-blade flying for his eyes, one man raised his sword.
That proved fatal.
Raising his sword to block the flying shard hid his vision. Though as a top master he could normally sense position by hearing, smell, or qi-sense, that only worked against lesser opponents. Against an equally skilled master, those tricks were useless.
“Ugh!”
He felt burning pain near his lungs.
The blade had pierced through and come out his back.
“How…?”
“After all you’ve experienced and you still didn’t know? At least that I’m a higher master than you?”
“Tha…t’s… un…believable…”
His legs gave out and he collapsed.
In the blink of an eye Geomryeong had felled three men and looked at the remaining two.
They exchanged glances.
With their eyes they discussed whether to fight or retreat.
“We will withdraw for now.”
They decided to pull back, but Geomryeong’s reaction was the exact opposite of what they expected.
“You talk about giving up now that it seems you can’t win? When were you ever going to kill me?”
“Uh….”
“An old ghost told me this: if anyone aims for my life, don’t spare them. Why?”
The two swallowed hard.
“He said if you spare them, they’ll come back with more people to try and kill me. I didn’t trust that so much before, but now I do. You’ll do the same. You’ll go to Cheonmyeong Mountain Villa and offer excuses to save yourselves.”
As soon as Geomryeong finished speaking, he moved.
