Chapter 101 : Chapter 101

Chapter 101. Growth (1)

Tears formed in the eyes of Baek Hyang, who was fighting behind Nam Geon.

Dang Sopyeong also clenched his teeth.

It was because of the sight of Nam Geon’s back, fighting steadfastly to protect them while covered in blood.

Every time a blade struck Nam Geon’s body, a metallic clang echoed.

I understood that Nam Geon had achieved the Diamond Indestructible Body.

But just because he was not cut did not mean he did not feel pain.

Furthermore.

Clang!!

As the First Killing of Sichuan blatantly aimed for Nam Geon’s seven apertures, Nam Geon’s face began to swell up in various places.

Anyone could tell.

No matter if it was the Diamond Indestructible Body, Nam Geon’s life would be in danger if this continued.

Thus, Baek Hyang came up with a plan.

“Young Master Dang. Do you trust us?”

To Baek Hyang’s secretive whisper from the side, Dang Sopyeong replied.

“Is there anyone else for me to trust right now but you people?”

Apart from that Jin Yuseong bastard being a madman, he was at least a trustworthy fellow.

The others also did not seem like people who would lie or betray.

Right after Dang Sopyeong’s answer finished, Baek Hyang’s small whisper was heard again.

“Then don’t be surprised and stay still. If you move unnecessarily, I might stab a dangerous spot.”

‘Stab a dangerous spot? What does that mean?’

The moment Dang Sopyeong was about to ask Baek Hyang back.

Shing.

Baek Hyang suddenly thrust her sword, pointing it at his neck.

“If anyone takes even a single step, Young Master Dang will die!!”

A bizarre scene of threatening the enemy by taking an ally hostage.

Absurdly, all the men from the Sichuan Sword Clan flinched at the threat.

Even Jang Ik, who had been about to close in on Nam Geon.

But that was only for a moment.

Jang Ik snorted and shouted.

“Hmph. The young wench learned only bad things while being with the Ghost Sword Young Master. As if a wench who can’t even truly stab would dare!”

The moment the Sword Shadow Unit members were about to move again at Jang Ik’s shout.

Baek Hyang boldly swung her sword, and blood trickled down Dang Sopyeong’s nape.

Slice.

An inch.

No, if it had been just a little deeper, it was a precarious depth where it would not have been strange for him to die from excessive bleeding.

“Heek.”

As Dang Sopyeong let out a strange sound in utter surprise, Baek Hyang placed the sword back on his bleeding neck and spoke.

“Do you think there’s anything I wouldn’t do to survive?”

An tone that was as cold as could be.

Cold sweat trickled down the spines of those from the Sichuan Sword Clan.

For some reason, it seemed that young girl would truly stab the Young Master.

Seeing the Sword Shadow Unit members flinch, Baek Hyang inwardly let out a sigh of relief.

For her, this was also a gamble.

A gamble she thought of from hearing them say several times that they would capture Dang Sopyeong alive.

On top of that, the story she had heard from Dang Sopyeong last time came to mind.

The Sichuan Sword Clan was trying to capture him to aim for his alchemy skills.

If so, they had to take him away alive somehow.

It meant that although he was an ally, he could definitely be used as a hostage.

Amidst the strange silence and awkward standoff, Dang Sopyeong, who had managed to calm his startled heart, muttered softly as if performing ventriloquism.

So that only Baek Hyang, who was right next to him, could hear.

“The hostage part is fine, but did you really have to cut my neck for real?”

Dang Sopyeong had roughly grasped Baek Hyang’s intention.

But he did not expect her to actually cut his neck.

And to such a precarious depth at that.

To this, Baek Hyang also replied softly with ventriloquism.

“It can’t be helped if we want to deceive them.”

“You could have at least told me beforehand.”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

Only then did Dang Sopyeong realize.

‘Don’t be surprised and stay still. If you move unnecessarily, I might stab a dangerous spot.’

The meaning of the warning Baek Hyang had uttered.

From the beginning, Baek Hyang had intended to stab his neck to threaten them.

Whether it was because of the blood flowing from his neck or Baek Hyang’s words, Dang Sopyeong’s face turned deathly pale.

That appearance was so genuinely hostage-like that the swordsmen of the Sichuan Sword Clan could not move easily.

Jang Ik shouted with a face full of irritation.

“Form a circular formation!”

As the swordsmen of the Sichuan Sword Clan were unable to do either this or that, Jang Ik shouted again.

“That wench can’t kill the Young Master anyway! If the Young Master dies, their lives are all forfeit!! I said just form a circular formation so they can’t escape!”

Only then did those who understood Jang Ik’s intention try to form a circular formation instead of rushing in.

Baek Hyang warned them with a cold expression.

“Back off. If you do not leave Heavenly Peak Ridge like this, Young Master Dang will die.”

“Hmph. If the Young Master dies, your life is also forfeit. Do you dare swing your sword?”

Seeing Jang Ik act bold and threaten her, Dang Sopyeong prayed inwardly.

‘P-Please. N-No, she wouldn’t, right?’

But his prayers were not answered.

Slice.

“Kuaaaak.”

This time, Baek Hyang cut Dang Sopyeong’s forearm and then pointed the sword at his neck again.

“I will inflict a wound every time you don’t back off. If you keep dragging this out, Young Master Dang will die from excessive blood loss. One, two.”

As Baek Hyang counted with a cold face, the Sword Shadow Unit members took steps back one by one.

Jang Ik also took a step back, his face crimson with fury.

His enraged mind spun anxiously.

‘I must not fail the mission.’

What if things go wrong and the Young Master dies?

If that happened, there would be no meaning even if he killed the Ghost Sword Young Master and the other two.

Regaining the clan head’s trust would become a distant dream forever.

That fact was terrifying, but he could not retreat completely either.

If he did, he would have no choice but to let them go.

Both outcomes were the worst-case scenario for Jang Ik.

Jang Ik, caught in a dilemma, spat out a curse.

“You scorpion-like wench. The moment the Young Master dies, you will also die by my hand.”

Dang Sopyeong almost nodded his head without realizing it.

At the chilling feeling of the blade on his neck, he barely stopped his head and carefully performed ventriloquism.

“D-Did you really have to cut me for real like this?”

“That’s why I avoided the vital spots. You’re a physician, so you can fix it as long as you get out alive, right?”

Dang Sopyeong squeezed his eyes shut without realizing it.

‘Now I see she was a young lady just like that Jin Clan fellow!’

He had been deceived by her seemingly normal appearance all this time.

Come to think of it, it was the same during the Human-faced Spider incident last time.

Hadn’t the usually gentle girl ordered him around with a fierce face back then?

They say one’s true nature comes out in a crisis, and it seemed her personality was one to see nothing when the situation became urgent.

A thought suddenly occurred to Dang Sopyeong.

Perhaps the most dangerous one when their eyes went crazy was not the Jin Clan fellow, but Baek Hyang.

It was truly an excellent insight.

If Jin Yuseong had not discovered her beforehand, she, with her eyes gone crazy, would have grown to become one of the Three Disasters of Murim.

***

A quarter of an hour and a bit ago.

Right after blocking the Restoring Name Sword, the Sword Shadow Unit Leader frowned.

Clang!

Something was going wrong.

He had never heard that Dongin had achieved the Diamond Indestructible Body.

He had not even expected that his unit members, with whom he had shared numerous missions for years, would all die so futilely.

But there was a bigger problem.

Clang!!

The fellow swinging his sword right before his eyes with blood-red pupils.

The Ghost Sword Young Master was the biggest problem.

He had felt something was off even when he was launching a pincer attack with the First Killing of Sichuan.

According to what he had heard, the Ghost Sword Young Master should have been at a similar level to the First Killing of Sichuan.

Of course, Jang Ik had claimed it was just a mistake that he was defeated by him.

That he was superior in skill.

But the clan head, Jang Muryong, did not believe Jang Ik’s words.

The Sword Shadow Unit Leader did not believe them either.

Thus, he had accepted the First Killing of Sichuan’s earnest request.

To prepare for a contingency.

But why was it?

Right after the First Killing of Sichuan moved to help the rear.

Little by little, he was being pushed into a defensive position.

Clang!

“Keuk……”

It was a bizarre situation.

The Sword Shadow Unit Leader’s skill was not much different from the First Killing of Sichuan’s.

If the Ghost Sword Young Master’s skill was as he knew it, he should have at least been able to fight on equal terms, if not overwhelm him.

At that moment, a whitish sword qi flowed from the Ghost Sword Young Master’s sword that had just clashed with his.

Azure Heaven’s Hidden Smile, following Crimson Lotus Ascension.

Slice!

Blood flowed from the neck of the Sword Shadow Unit Leader, who had turned his head with a movement that was close to instinct.

If he had hesitated even a little, his throat would have been pierced.

But the Sword Shadow Unit Leader did not even have the leisure to let out a sigh of relief.

His balance, which had been slightly broken as he hastily turned his head.

The Ghost Sword Young Master’s sword that was against his twisted strangely, and the slightly broken balance crumbled even more.

Having succeeded in breaking his posture, Jin Yuseong thrust his sword at the Sword Shadow Unit Leader.

The Sword Shadow Unit Leader threw himself to the side instead of swinging his sword to block.

Slice!

His forearm was cut, and blood splattered.

Despite being the leader of a martial unit of the great Sichuan Sword Clan, the Sword Shadow Unit Leader, who had barely dodged by even performing the Lazy Donkey Rolls on the Ground, rolled on the floor once more and sprang to his feet.

Jin Yuseong rushed at him again, displaying a series of concise and fast sword techniques.

The throbbing sensation in both his legs rose again due to the intense movement, but he deliberately ignored it.

He already knew from exchanging blows several times.

This fellow was no easy opponent either.

The moment he flinched from the pain, he would lose the initiative.

It was as Jin Yuseong had expected.

Even while being pushed back, the Sword Shadow Unit Leader tenaciously blocked or dodged his chain attacks.

And when the fellow had somewhat adapted to the fast sword, Jin Yuseong once again unleashed a fast sword technique towards his thigh.

The moment the Sword Shadow Unit Leader swung his sword to block it, the trajectory of the fast sword in the air bent sharply and flew towards the Sword Shadow Unit Leader’s neck.

‘Flying Swallow Sword Art!?’

The Sword Shadow Unit Leader, who had experience witnessing the Danmok Clan’s Flying Swallow Sword Art as befitting a key figure of a prestigious clan, turned his upper body in surprise.

The Restoring Name Sword narrowly passed by, cutting only a few strands of his hair.

Slice.

But even though he had clearly dodged the Flying Swallow Sword Art, blood flowed from his side.

It was the result of secretly mixing in Azure Heaven’s Hidden Smile while sharply turning the sword path by unfolding the Flying Swallow Sword Art.

A month or so after the battle with the Human-faced Spider.

Though he was a half-cripple, it was not as if Jin Yuseong had been resting.

That was something that did not fit Jin Yuseong’s temperament at all.

He had focused only on meditation and internal energy training.

He had reflected on the numerous real battles he had fought, and he had taken the time to look back on the martial arts he had learned.

In a way, it could be seen as a blessing in disguise.

Because he had that time, he could think of ways to encompass the techniques he had learned.

The Sword Shadow Unit Leader, who had hastily stepped back, pressed the acupoint on his side to stop the bleeding and shouted at the same time.

“How do you know the Danmok Clan’s sword art? You, were you raised by the Danmok Clan?”

Instead of answering the opponent’s nonsense, Jin Yuseong closed in on him again.

That was right.

Although he had inflicted quite a few wounds on the fellow, there was no time to leisurely chat.

He had to deal with this fellow as quickly as possible before Nam Geon fell.

Clang!

Sparks flew in the air again.

“Keuk……”

The Sword Shadow Unit Leader’s expression crumpled, perhaps because of the pain in his side.

Did he realize that his skills were a notch or two below?

The Sword Shadow Unit Leader showed a blatantly defensive movement.

‘Keuk. I just need to hold out until the Elder deals with the rest of the riffraff.’

Jin Yuseong also easily grasped the fellow’s intention.

For a moment, such a thought crossed his mind.

‘Should I rather rejoin the rear?’

Since this fellow was focused only on holding out, it seemed better to help the others.

But he soon shook off the thought.

‘This fellow might follow me too.’

There was a risk of a chaotic battle erupting.

If Junior Sister Baek Hyang or the Dang Clan fellow were taken hostage in that chaotic battle, it would be troublesome in many ways.

‘Anyway, this fellow and the First Killing of Sichuan are the most dangerous. I’ll kill them and then go.’

Having made his decision, Jin Yuseong relentlessly pushed the Sword Shadow Unit Leader.

The Sword Shadow Unit Leader tried to hold on with a defensive sword art, but it became increasingly difficult.

The wound on his side, which he had not properly staunched, gradually opened, and his side became stained red.

Every time his posture wavered due to the pain.

Slice.

The number of wounds accumulating on his body increased little by little.

The funny thing was that only then did the fellow’s condition become worse than Jin Yuseong’s.

Thanks to the minor injuries he had sustained here and there while being hounded by the pincer attack, Jin Yuseong was also bleeding from various parts of his body.

Just then, Baek Hyang’s shout came from the rear.

“If anyone takes even a single step, Young Master Dang will die!!”

Jin Yuseong almost burst out laughing without realizing it.

He had been worried that his Junior Sister or the Dang Clan fellow might be used as a hostage, but his Junior Sister had instead thought of using the Dang Clan fellow as a hostage.

‘To think of something like that in a situation like this.’

Is this what a genius is?

While having such an impression, Jin Yuseong once again swung his sword at the Sword Shadow Unit Leader.

Was it because of the situation where the Dang Clan fellow was taken hostage?

The Sword Shadow Unit Leader’s movements, which were already wavering, became somewhat restless.

Every time Baek Hyang and Jang Ik shouted and argued from behind, the Sword Shadow Unit Leader’s eyes shook greatly.

Jin Yuseong was not one to miss such an opportunity.

He swung the Restoring Name Sword towards the opening he had finally found, and the Restoring Name Sword pierced the Sword Shadow Unit Leader’s wounded left thigh.

“Keuk……”

The Sword Shadow Unit Leader, who endured the pain by clenching his teeth, hastily launched a counterattack.

But Jin Yuseong, who had quickly retrieved the Restoring Name Sword, dodged with minimal movement and swung the Restoring Name Sword again.

The Sword Shadow Unit Leader’s movements, with his left leg now completely useless, were extremely sluggish.

Slice!

Finally, the Restoring Name Sword cut off the Sword Shadow Unit Leader’s neck.

As a fountain of blood erupted and the Sword Shadow Unit Leader’s head fell to the floor.

Jin Yuseong, having already lost interest in him, turned his back.

The situation at the rear properly came into his view.

“U-Unit Leader!?”

The gazes of the Sword Shadow Unit members, who were shouting like a scream with startled faces, were directed at him.

“Senior Brother!!”

Baek Hyang, who was holding the Dang Clan fellow hostage, was also looking at Jin Yuseong with a face full of joy.

Jin Yuseong urgently unfolded his movement art with all his might, ignoring the pain that was once again rising from both his legs.

It was not to clean up the remaining trash.

Only one person.

“Dodge!!!”

Only Jang Ik was looking not at Jin Yuseong but at Baek Hyang, throwing his body.

Aiming for that brief moment when Baek Hyang’s gaze was on Jin Yuseong.

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