Chapter 109 : Chapter 109

Chapter 109. Hoyeon Clan (4)

As I stepped forward, Yun Geunpyeong snorted.

“Hah. For a mere kid, it seems you have no fear.”

Unlike his dismissive words, the bastard’s gaze was fixed on me.

And the moment I took another step towards him, he suddenly thrust his spear from his spot in a surprise attack.

The distance between us was still about one zhang.

A distance a bit too short for the spear to reach.

But I could see it.

The thread of qi that started from his dantian, traveled through his hands, and headed for the spear.

As soon as I twisted my upper body, the spear qi he had shot grazed past my nape.

As I dodged the first blow, the bastard’s eyebrow twitched.

“Try dodging this too!”

As he continuously thrust his spear into the air, spear qi flew in succession.

I threw my body through the bundle of spear qi that was filling my vision.

A few times, I moved my feet, chasing after him.

Unfortunately, the distance between us did not shorten much.

His spearmanship was one thing, but he also had some skill in footwork.

But it was not as if I had no way.

I swung the Restoring Name Sword, coated with sword qi, to meet and deflect the spear qi.

Soon, the number one person in Chongqing, who was about to retreat, hastily twisted his body.

It was because of the sword qi I had secretly shot using the Azure Heaven’s Hidden Smile technique.

The bastard clicked his tongue lightly as if he didn’t like it.

“Tsk. A cowardly technique, as expected from someone from the underworld.”

Well, whatever. Thanks to him flinching for a moment, I was able to shorten the distance by half a step.

After that, I deflected the spear qi he shot and secretly unfolded Azure Heaven’s Hidden Smile a few times.

At a certain point, the frequency of him shooting spear qi into the air decreased significantly.

Thanks to that, the distance was shortened in an instant.

But his strength was not depleted.

I could see a massive amount of energy soaring from his dantian.

The moment his spear finally reached a distance where it could directly touch my body, the energy at its peak gathered towards the tip of his spear.

It was similar to the sight I had seen when Qingliang Xueshang swung his Judge’s Pen.

During the fight with Qingliang Xueshang in Lianzhou.

Every time I clashed with the Judge’s Pen he swung, my whole body ached and my internal injuries flared up.

But not anymore.

As soon as a massive amount of energy soared from his dantian, I also drew energy from my dantian.

That energy split into six streams and rushed through my meridians.

The six streams of energy exited through various acupoints in my palm and enveloped the Restoring Name Sword.

Sun Moon Infinite Sword, Third Stance. One Sun, Ten Thousand Lights.

The Restoring Name Sword, enveloped in sword silk, clashed with his spear.

Clang!!

The spear and sword, which had reached a stalemate with a violent noise.

Yun Geunpyeong’s forehead twitched.

“For a mere kid from the underworld!”

The emotion of annoyance was heavily etched on the bastard’s face.

“You madman. Aren’t you the ones who colluded with the underworld?”

“How dare you try to frame the main clan!!”

Even while we were exchanging words, trajectories were continuously embroidered in the air.

“Cut the crap and just tell me where Hyeok Ilso is.”

“What nonsense are you spouting!”

There were times when I dodged the spear by stepping on my footwork, and times when I deflected it with the Restoring Name Sword.

Clang!

“Ah. You probably don’t know his real name. Do you understand if I say Silver Wolf Unit Leader?”

At my question, the bastard flinched for a moment.

Aiming for that moment, I unfolded my movement art with all my might.

The distance closed in an instant.

As I thrust the Restoring Name Sword towards his various paralysis points, Yun Geunpyeong violently rotated his spear.

The spear, imbued with spear qi, rotated at an incredible speed, creating a barrier of qi that blocked his front.

While the Restoring Name Sword I thrust was blocked by the barrier of qi.

He violently took a step back and widened the distance.

Since I couldn’t just let him be, I unfolded my movement art again.

He swung his spear roughly as if to push me away.

I swung the Restoring Name Sword to meet the trajectory visible in the air.

Clang!

“You leech-like bastard! What nonsense are you spouting!”

It was a funny situation.

He had shown an obviously flustered reaction, and now he was acting like this.

After that, I chased and was chased by him, exchanging blows a few times.

From the rear, screams, shouts, curses, and metallic sounds raged continuously.

I wasn’t paying attention to the back.

As long as I could stop this bastard from interfering, there would be no big problem.

But it seemed this bastard was different.

“You damn mongrels!!”

Every time a scream was heard from the rear, the bastard’s face crumpled.

Before I knew it, he was making a face like a ferocious demon.

“How dare you!! How dare you!!”

The movement of the bastard, who let out a furious shout, changed.

His movements, which had been rather concise, became rough.

Energy swirled roughly in his dantian.

“Get out of my way now!!”

Every time he swung his spear, a massive amount of energy surged.

Instead of the concise techniques that had only aimed for my vital points, he began to unleash techniques that covered a large area.

His intention to push me away and help the clan’s warriors was obvious.

For some reason, a laugh escaped me.

“Hahahaha.”

Come to think of it, it was a very familiar situation.

During the fight with the hunting dogs of the Sichuan Sword Clan at Heavenly Peak Ridge.

The tactic they had used was like this.

“Is this what they call putting oneself in another’s shoes?”

When I was on the receiving end, it was a dog-like tactic that made my blood run cold, but when I tried to use it, it was a truly excellent tactic.

Yun Geunpyeong, who had once again swung his spear roughly, shouted.

“We are the number one clan in Chongqing!! I said, number one!!”

The way he was shouting, it looked like he would vomit blood at any moment.

No.

He was already vomiting blood.

A faint trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, as if an internal injury had flared up.

The flow of internal energy rushing through his entire body’s meridians became even rougher.

Beyond being rough, it was gradually starting to look like the initial symptoms of a mental demon or qi deviation.

“He didn’t become like Qingliang Xueshang, but like the Choi Manor Lord.”

I suddenly felt it was a pity.

The life-and-death battle with that bastard was of great help to my training.

He was a master of equal standing, after all.

But I soon shook off the pity.

Anyway, the target was not this bastard.

The purpose was to find Hyeok Ilso’s location through this bastard.

“Yes. If it’s a life-and-death battle, I can just have it with that Hyeok Ilso fellow.”

While I was steeling my resolve.

Energy swirled madly through Yun Geunpyeong’s eight extraordinary meridians.

“I am the number one person in Chongqing!!”

Along with a shout that vomited blood, he thrust his spear.

A huge amount of energy that had torn through his entire body’s meridians was emitted from his spear.

Should I express it as a spear net?

Dozens of strands of spear qi spread out in all directions like a net and flew in.

There was no need to drag out the fight any longer.

I gripped the Restoring Name Sword with both hands.

I divided the remaining internal energy in my dantian into ten streams and drew it up recklessly.

A faint trickle of blood flowed from the corner of my mouth.

As if this level of fine control was still overwhelming.

Whatever.

The massive amount of energy that had rushed through my entire body’s meridians split into five streams each and gathered towards my hands.

The ten streams of sword qi, emitted from different meridians, condensed into one.

I swung the Restoring Name Sword along the trajectory visible in the air.

Slice!!

With a refreshing cutting sound, the net of qi was torn apart.

Beyond the torn net, the sight of the number one person in Chongqing, whose eyes had turned crimson, violently vomiting blood, came into view.

“Cough……”

I unfolded my movement art and closed in on him, then struck his various paralysis points.

Yun Geunpyeong, whose whole body was paralyzed, collapsed to the floor.

“I had just barely gotten Chongqing in my hands……. Chongqing had become mine……”

Yun Geunpyeong muttered to himself like a madman.

I had to get information from this bastard, but it would be troublesome if he went mad.

So I slapped his cheek.

For a mad dog, a beating was the best medicine.

Slap!

“Get a grip!”

Slap!

“You can’t go mad yet!”

By the time his cheek was so swollen that a few teeth fell out of his mouth, the light returned to the eyes of the bastard who had been continuously muttering to himself.

“It’s a relief it’s not too late.”

Was this how the Dang Clan fellow felt when he was taking care of a patient?

My heart swelled with pride.

***

While I was subduing the self-proclaimed number one person in Chongqing and treating his madness, the battle at the rear had also been more or less sorted out.

Thanks to that, I was able to interrogate Yun Geunpyeong at ease and obtain the information I wanted.

“Yichang in Hubei……”

I found out where Hyeok Ilso had headed.

I thought of leaving right away, but a minimum of cleanup was necessary.

I turned my body and approached Hoyeon Myeong.

Hoyeon Myeong hastily clasped his hands in a greeting.

“Thank you so much for avenging my Hoyeon Clan’s enemies. I will repay this kindness even if it costs me my life.”

I had never thought that I had bestowed a kindness.

But I willingly nodded my head.

“Will you truly repay this kindness even if it costs you your life?”

“Yes.”

“Then protect this place.”

“Since this is my hometown, I was naturally planning to do so. I cannot say I have repaid the kindness with that.”

I shook my head and added.

“It’s not such a light matter. As you know, Chongqing is a rather bustling city. But now, the two clans that had reigned as the hegemons of this place are both gone.”

Only then did Hoyeon Myeong seem to grasp the situation and let out a faint groan.

“Ah……”

“Trash-like underworld and heretical sects who want to plunder the wealth of the common people here will flock. If you want to protect this place, you will literally have to risk your life.”

Hoyeon Myeong, who seemed to be pondering for a moment, soon spoke with a determined expression.

“It is what our Hoyeon Clan has done for generations. Even if it is overwhelming, it is something I must naturally do.”

His tone and gaze were deeply imbued with pride for the Hoyeon Clan.

Unlike the middle-aged Hoyeon Myeong who had made a face full of regret when he recalled the corrupt Hoyeon Clan.

There was no need to tell this man that the Hoyeon Clan was also a hypocrite like the Yun Clan.

It might be a cruel story, but I also thought that perhaps it was for the better.

The Hoyeon Clan that remained in this young man’s memory would be a clan full of chivalry until the very end.

Shaking off the idle thoughts, I opened my mouth.

“Young Warrior Hoyeon’s spirit is good, but it’s not something that can be done with just heart alone. So use the things that are here.”

“You mean the things of the Yun Clan?”

“That’s right. I’m sure if you search this place, you’ll find the Yun Clan’s martial arts manuals. Of course, their martial arts are based on spearmanship, but it will be of great help if you melt it into Young Warrior Hoyeon’s blade art.”

“……Like how the Clan Head created a new sword art?”

“That’s right.”

Speaking of the Hoyeon Clan’s sword art, something came to mind, so I added.

“Come to think of it, that sword art was left. If I happen to obtain that martial arts manual in the process of catching Hyeok Ilso, I will return it to you, Young Warrior Hoyeon.”

When we had discussed that sword art, Hoyeon Myeong had said that it belonged to the Hoyeon Clan anyway.

But for some reason, Hoyeon Myeong shook his head.

“It’s fine. Young Warrior Jin has avenged my clan’s enemies. You can take that much anytime.”

“What if that sword art is a divine ultimate art?”

At my point, Hoyeon Myeong laughed bitterly.

“The Clan Head thought he was despised because of the clan’s blade art that had been passed down from his ancestors, but I do not think so.”

He drew the crude-looking broadsword from the scabbard he was wearing at his side and said.

“In the end, if we help the common people and punish the villains with this blade art, won’t everyone acknowledge our clan someday?”

“Then are you not going to research the Yun Clan’s martial arts either?”

“I am planning to research it. However, the main thing is our Hoyeon Clan’s blade art. I am thinking of adding the Yun Clan’s martial arts to that.”

He said with an expression full of pride for his clan.

Looking at him, I also became rather curious.

Decades later, what would the Hoyeon Clan led by Hoyeon Myeong look like?

In many ways, it seemed it would be different from the Hoyeon Clan of my past life.

In that sense, there was one last thing I had to say to Hoyeon Myeong.

“The Sichuan Sword Clan might come looking for this place. To chase us.”

“If it’s the Sichuan Sword Clan, do you mean the Jang Clan of Seongdo in Sichuan?”

“That’s right.”

“Why are those people chasing you?”

“There’s a small grudge.”

“Ah! If they come chasing you, I will block them even if it costs me my life.”

Hoyeon Myeong said confidently, as if a way to repay the kindness had finally appeared.

It was nothing short of a crazy statement.

“If they come looking for us, just tell them the truth that we went to Yichang in Hubei.”

If Hoyeon Myeong were to face the Sichuan Sword Clan alone, there would be no way the Hoyeon Clan would remain decades later.

That very day would be his death anniversary.

“How can I sell out my benefactor!”

I answered Hoyeon Myeong, who was startled.

“That’s the way to help us. I said there was a grudge, right? For now, chasing Hyeok Ilso is the priority, so I’m just leaving it be. They’re coming to their own deaths, so why would I stop them?”

Hoyeon Myeong made a somewhat complicated expression and then turned his head to look to the side.

The Dang Clan fellow was standing there.

“See? I told you. He’s a guy who’s dying to kill people.”

It was absurd.

It was just something I had said appropriately to prevent Hoyeon Myeong from dying a dog’s death.

“I understand your heart, chivalrous warrior. Then I will do so.”

I didn’t know why Hoyeon Myeong was also nodding his head with a look of understanding.

But since explaining it would also be bothersome, I decided to let it go.

“We should clean this place up first.”

We cleaned up the corpses scattered in the Yun Clan manor and went back and forth, collecting martial arts manuals and wealth.

After more or less cleaning up the manor, we said a simple farewell to Hoyeon Myeong.

“Take care.”

“If you ever pass through Chongqing, please be sure to stop by.”

Around the time dawn broke, we left Chongqing and set out on our journey.

Naturally, the destination was Yichang.

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