Chapter 37 : One on One (2)

“Report.”

A stranger blocked his path and said.

Dongbak frowned.

There was no one in the world who would report to him. Although he would go out to find clues himself, there was no one who would come to him, bow politely, and report.

But he was reporting. While bowing politely.

‘Ha… this is annoying.’

His brow furrowed deeply.

He could guess what the situation was.

The Duke Heo’s residence had made a move. They had disguised the assassin of the Wind Path Valley as a secret agent of the Duke Heo’s residence and had him report.

There was no reason to refuse since a person with information was offering to help without any compensation. But if you looked at this plan carefully, it also included the intention of monitoring how the assassin moved.

This had happened often, so at any other time, he would not have cared at all. He didn’t care whether the Duke Heo’s residence was monitoring him or not. He had never been conscious of them.

But this time was different. It was not a matter of the Duke Heo’s residence, nor of the Living Sword Sect. It was a matter of the Single-Instant Sect… a matter of his master’s gate. It was a matter of killing a junior brother who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

The existence of the junior brother had to be kept a secret.

The fact that there was another disciple of the Single-Instant Sect in another place besides the three in the Wind Path Valley could bring about a very big storm. He didn’t know yet whether this would be a blessing or a curse, but it was certain that it would be a problem.

The existence of the junior brother had to be revealed after consulting with his senior brothers.

‘There’s no need to report… Ah! That’s right. These guys must have lost Ah Geol… and yet, the fact that they came to report means that they want me to report instead?’

Dongbak smirked.

If he was a guy who would be tailed by the Living Sword Sect disciples, there was no reason for him to step forward. He was not qualified to be called a person of the Single-Instant Sect.

If he was such a guy… the one who had died at his hands… it was even more unjust for Ah Sam to have given his life. Did it make sense to throw away his life to ask for revenge on such a guy?

The Living Sword Sect had not found anything. He had not heard them say it, but he was sure that they had lost Ah Geol.

Dongbak nodded his head as if to say, tell me.

“If you go about ten li from here, you will come to a village called Pyeongsan.”

“So?”

“We pursued him that far… but we lost him.”

“Hmph!”

Dongbak smirked.

He had expected it. It was possible to chase him to the place called Pyeongsan because Ah Geol had shown himself. If he had intended to hide, they would not have been able to chase him even that far.

“Did you come just to say that?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Alright.”

Dongbak said without hesitation.

A stranger, a strange martial artist, a martial artist he had never met before, a person who had nothing to do with him… he spoke down to such a person without hesitation.

The Living Sword Sect disciple quickly bowed and disappeared.

It seemed that he was the one who had been there when he had cut down Ah Sam. Since he had seen his blade, he was running away in fear.

‘Pyeongsan. Ten li. It’s close.’

Dongbak slowly moved his feet.

Pyeongsan was a small village. A very small village.

Why had Ah Geol disappeared here? There was no need to say more. He wanted to avoid the pursuit.

He was avoiding the pursuit of the Living Sword Sect disciples.

Dongbak tilted his head.

Ah Sam had lured him… but Ah Geol was avoiding him? Something didn’t add up.

“Where did he go…”

Dongbak muttered to himself, looking at the village.

Although Ah Geol had disappeared, there was a limit to how a person could move. No matter how outstanding his hiding skills and lightness skills were, there were parts where he could move and parts where he could not.

“He said people were out on the street. Then…”

The places where people were standing, the places where the lights were on… all of them were places he could not move.

“Here, here, not here…”

Dongbak raised his hand and covered the places where the lights would have been on.

The places where Ah Geol could have moved were found at once. There were too many places where he could move without entering the village. Among them, he found the place where he could go most comfortably.

“If it were me, I would go this way.”

Dongbak jumped down into the stream next to the village.

It was common to think that if you moved in a stream, you would make a splashing sound.

That was not necessarily the case. Unless it was the rainy season, most of the ditches were dry.

The place where the stream was dug was a good place to hide. You could walk comfortably and with peace of mind. You didn’t have to worry about being watched. The bank of the stream would cover your body.

Ah Geol would have moved very comfortably this way.

“Let’s see…”

He opened his eyes wide and examined the stream.

The water was trickling. Weeds were growing lushly. He could see earthworms, and he could see snails.

“Yes. Yes. That’s right. Kikik!”

Dongbak laughed.

He had found Ah Geol’s footprints.

It was a trace that even the martial artists of the Fifth Hall, who were skilled in pursuit, had lost, but he had found it easily.

The martial artists of the Single-Instant Sect were very good at finding hidden pictures.

They would lay out a hundred needles, and among them, they would find the one needle whose eye was blocked.

Anyone could find it if they looked slowly, but a martial artist of the Single-Instant Sect had to find it in the instant their master flicked his finger. It was impossible unless your eyesight was as fast as a viper’s. You had to be able to see even the fine hairs on a child’s face.

In the martial world, such an eye was called the Heavenly Eye. Or it was also called the Wide Eyed Divine Eye. There were also sects that called it the Heavenly Vision and Earthly Hearing Art, along with opening the ears.

It didn’t matter what the name was.

A disciple of the Single-Instant Sect had to have eyes brighter than an owl’s as a basic physical structure.

The grass was flattened.

The flower stalk was broken.

It was a very light footprint. No, it seemed that he hadn’t even stepped on it. That was why the Living Sword Sect disciples had not found it. But a disciple of the Single-Instant Sect was different. It was a human footprint, so how could he miss it?

“Kikik!”

He laughed and followed the footprints.

He predicted how Ah Geol would move. He knew how a disciple of the Single-Instant Sect moved, didn’t he? So it was easier to follow. Although people from other sects would never be able to follow.

“Look at this?”

Dongbak smirked.

He knew the reason why Ah Geol had left a trace. It wasn’t that he had left a footprint because he was careless. He had done his best, but he had not been able to erase the last bit of a trace.

But… the footprints continued.

He had followed the stream for a long way, but the footprints were clearly imprinted without a break.

The further he went into a place where there were no people, the clearer they became.

Was Ah Geol careless? Did he think that no one was following him?

No way! Ah Geol was by no means careless.

No matter where he was, no matter what place he was in, his nerves were alive. Even when he was drunk, when he was sleeping, when he was eating, when he was doing his business in the bathroom, he was ready to fight.

Such a person would leave footprints like this? He would be careless? It didn’t make sense.

“This is interesting.”

Dongbak let out a sneer.

Ah Geol was challenging him head on.

Ah Geol had not accidentally left his footprints. He had deliberately imprinted them with effort.

He had left a trace that only a disciple of the Single-Instant Sect could find.

He was telling him to follow! It was a lure!

Dongbak thought of the dead Ah Sam.

“Haha! I understand now.”

He knew the reason why Ah Sam had stubbornly crawled into a place of death.

He had wanted to show him his blade.

He had thrown away his own life and left his blade.

Since he had left the blade mark so clearly… if Ah Geol was truly a disciple of the Single-Instant Sect, and if he had seen Ah Sam’s body with the eyes of a disciple of the Single-Instant Sect, he would have immediately grasped what kind of blade was engraved on his body.

With this, his chances of winning had increased by about five percent.

One person had thrown away his life to increase his chances of winning by just five percent. Not even ten percent, but five percent. It was a dog’s death. Why such a death? He was desperate enough to do such a thing.

Ah Sam and Ah Geol knew that they were lacking.

So that was why his heart had been so unsettled even after cutting down Ah Sam.

“Where… do as you please. Kukuk!”

He followed the footprints.

He did not hurry. He followed slowly. As long as the guy was luring him… a blade would be waiting instead of a footprint somewhere.

“A good place to fight… there is no such place. The so called ‘terrain of certain victory’ is only in the art of war. A martial artist has nothing to believe in. Except for myself.”

Dongbak walked.

Since Ah Geol was luring him… his footsteps continued.

* * *

Ah Geol walked. He continued to walk.

Was he looking for a place he liked? There was no such place.

In the art of war, it was clearly stated to grasp the heavenly energy and take the geographical advantage.

It was also said not to attack rashly if the opponent had taken a geographical advantage.

Geography was that important.

In the fights of martial artists, geography also acted as a very important factor.

There was no better way to increase your chances of winning than to fight in a place you knew well.

But to a disciple of the Single-Instant Sect, all places were the same.

Whether you fought on a cliff, in a swamp, or in a jungle… any place was the same.

What if you fought in a narrow space where it was difficult to move your body? If you specially trained in close combat for fighting in such a place. Wouldn’t that be a little better?

It was fine to say it several times. It was all the same. If I was a fighting demon, my senior brother was also a fighting demon.

A disciple of the Single-Instant Sect was always preparing for a fight. No matter when or where they fought, they were always ready to do their best. They could exert their abilities to the maximum.

There could be no such thing as a good place to fight.

So he did not move to find a place to fight.

Kuk!

He imprinted a footprint on the ground.

He faced the blowing wind. It was cool.

His senior brother would surely have found the footprint he had imprinted, and would be in the middle of chasing him.

He did not hurry. He followed slowly.

His senior brother would have already guessed that he was luring him. He would just follow until he turned around, with the feeling of, do as you please.

The confidence of a disciple of the Single-Instant Sect could be read from his senior brother’s leisurely actions.

If it were Grandpa, he would have said right now, ‘Where are you going to fight? Stop moving and get ready to fight.’

Where was he going?

He could answer. There was a sufficient reason for moving while leaving footprints to tell him to follow.

But there was no destination.

He knew that there was no good place to fight, so he was not looking for such a place.

To be honest, Ah Geol himself did not know where he was going. He just walked, looking straight ahead. He did not even know in which direction he was moving now.

He was walking without a purpose.

But he was preparing while walking.

He would walk until he felt that his body was in the best condition. He would walk until he felt a taut tension from head to toe, until he could clearly feel the presence of his senior brother.

The moment he met his senior brother, his body had to be in the best condition.

He would walk until he gained confidence.

He would walk until he felt that he could win against his senior brother’s Single-Instant Blade. He would not clash until then.

When did confidence arise? What kind of mind did you have to have for it to arise?

It was not something that arose by obtaining something. Rather, it arose when you lost everything without regret.

His senior brother’s blade was in his head.

If he just closed his eyes, Grandpa would come to mind. The blade that had cut down Grandpa was clearly remembered.

He had to forget that thought.

The fact that he remembered his senior brother’s blade meant that he had fear in his heart. He could say a hundred times, a thousand times with his mouth that he had no fear. But his body was afraid.

If he really did not feel fear, things like blades would be completely forgotten.

Let’s say a newborn baby was holding a blade. Would you be tense with fear? No. Rather, you would be afraid that the baby would get hurt. While taking the blade from the baby’s hand, you would not worry about yourself. You would only worry about the baby.

His senior brother’s blade… he should not remember it.

He had to think, as if looking at a newborn baby, that his senior brother should not use that blade.

He would walk until then.

He was thinking of continuing to walk. While leaving a trace.

(End of Chapter)