Chapter 64 : True Crushing Defeat (4)

“Ah Geol has been defeated.”

“His life?”

“Seori Hyeonggae had no intention of stopping his hand, but just then, the Third Lord arrived. The Third Lord took Ah Geol and left.”

“You said Ah Geol was defeated, what is his condition?”

“…”

The Eighth Elder shut his mouth.

He was so severely injured that he could not answer. It was probably a situation where even his life could not be guaranteed.

“Hook…!”

Mongseol let out a rough breath, her chest feeling tight.

A hot energy welled up from the bottom of her chest. Her heart swelled up as if it would burst. She even felt like vomiting, as if her body were being tossed about by a fierce storm.

The Drunken Flower Garden master had disbanded the Drunken Flower Garden. As a result, nearly four hundred Drunken Flower Garden assassins had died, shedding blood. The remaining people, including the garden master, had also been pushed to the brink of death.

The garden master’s decision to disband, looking only at the result, was a complete misjudgment.

But Mongseol did not think so. At that time, she could not think of any other way. Disbanding the Drunken Flower Garden was the only option for everyone to live.

Such a situation had also happened to Mongseol.

Ah Geol’s senior brother was chasing her. His subordinates were rushing in to attack. There was no way to escape. Even if she continued to run away, she would eventually be caught. If so, wouldn’t it be better to turn around and clash once?

There was no choice.

Ah Geol had said to run away. To go without clashing. If they chased quickly, to run away even faster.

But she had judged that she was behind in speed. They were chasing faster than they were running away. If she didn’t break their spirit at least once, the result was obvious.

She would catch only the subordinates before the Single-Instant Sect martial artist came.

She wouldn’t clash with the truly strong one, but would just take out the advance party, so wouldn’t it be okay?

This judgment, looking only at the result, was a very immature judgment.

Because of her wrong thinking, three elders had died. There were only four left, but she had caused three to die not long after the garden master had left.

The twelve assassins had been reduced to nine.

Nearly half of the sixteen, seven, had fallen.

This was the price of a misjudgment.

What about Ah Geol? A strong person like Ah Geol had been defeated helplessly. He was being transported in a half-dead state.

The decision she had made had brought about such a shocking situation.

“We must pursue them quickly. If we let Ah Geol go like this, we will never be able to save him.”

The Eighth Elder said.

“If we pursue? Can we even face the Third Lord?”

The Eighth Elder shut his mouth.

The martial world called the Ten Lesser Swords ‘Lords’. They called Heo Dogi’s first disciple, Jeon Gaseong, the First Lord, and the tenth disciple, Lee Dochang, the Tenth Lord.

The Ten Lesser Swords were, in name and reality, the main axis that led the Sacred Sword Sect.

When they had first appeared with Heo Dogi, they had been called the First Sword of the Lesser Abode, the Second Sword… but after time had passed and their positions had been clearly established, the word ‘Lord’ had been attached as a sign of respect. And now, the word ‘Lord’ had become a kind of title.

The Third Lord, Shin Dopa, had a very fast sword.

If the Eighth Lord, Jo Chuhan, had been called number one in training, the Third Lord, Shin Dopa, was called number one in speed. It was said that his sword speed was the fastest among the Ten Lesser Swords.

The Drunken Flower Garden assassins could not face the Third Lord.

When he was on monthly duty, the many martial artists who had challenged the Sacred Sword Sect had been knocked down without even receiving a single move.

“But we can’t just watch him being transported…”

Mongseol did not answer.

Even after that, the Eighth Elder had mentioned a few more problems, but she had not responded to any of them.

She was thinking.

The Eighth Elder quietly retreated.

* * *

Shwiiit!

Although Mongseol’s breath was at her chin, she did not stop her running speed. She continued to run forward.

The Eighth Elder and the remaining nine assassins headed for Misan.

Misan was on the way to Sangryang Mountain. It was such a famous Taoist holy land that there was no one who did not know it.

There, in the Taiqing Palace, was a hiding place that Ah Geol had dug.

It was the place that Ah Geol had written down as a secret message.

The elder and the nine assassins had to train in martial arts there. They were thinking of raising the Dark Shadow Sword and the Fall of Life and Death to the highest level with all their might. As the Garden Master had said, they had to train with their lives on the line.

Right now, the Drunken Flower Garden assassins could not do anything. The more they did, the more sacrifices would increase.

This kind of thing happened when the opponent was so strong.

But even Mongseol could not go to Misan Taiqing Palace. Although Ah Geol had told her to leave immediately and go there, she could not. Wasn’t he being dragged into a tiger’s den?

Of course, even Mongseol could not face the Third Lord.

Unless she trained in the Blood Sword Sutra to a deeper level, there was nothing she could do.

And yet, she had decided to chase him recklessly.

If she followed him, she might be lucky enough to get a chance to get Ah Geol out. Or she had to create such a chance somehow.

Ah Geol was her fiancé.

Since she had told him to fulfill his responsibility as a fiancé, she also had to fulfill her responsibility as a fiancée.

Ah Geol’s life, she would definitely save it.

‘I can’t get too close. I have to follow at a distance where I can just see him… and I have to create a chance at night.’

* * *

Clatter! Clatter! Hee-hing!

The horse snorted loudly and walked.

The carriage wheels shook greatly as they went over the gravel road.

“Can’t you go a little slower? It’s shaking too much.”

“Yes! I understand!”

The coachman who was sitting in the driver’s seat and driving the carriage answered vigorously.

The Sacred Sword Sect provided horses and carriages to the disciples who were carrying out official duties. They had set up stables in various parts of the central plains, or had linked up with local stables so that they could be used anywhere.

The status of the Ten Lesser Swords was just below that of Duke Heo Dogi. Except for the Duke, they were the highest. The phrase ‘under one person, above ten thousand people’ was a phrase used for them.

They were not limited by the number of horses or the size of the carriage.

They could use a four-horse carriage, and they could also use an eight-horse carriage. They used everything from a small carriage that could carry about two people, to a large carriage with a bed prepared inside.

Shin Dopa had borrowed a four-horse large carriage.

He had put the Sacred Sword Sect’s flag on the carriage.

So, attacking the carriage was the same as attacking the Sacred Sword Sect. Picking a fight with a carriage with the Sacred Sword Sect’s flag on it was an insult to the Sacred Sword Sect.

A person of the Third Lord’s level did not need to borrow the prestige of the Sacred Sword Sect. He could fight happily against anyone who picked a fight with him. But he had put up the flag to prevent troublesome things from happening in advance.

There was one person who was on his mind.

The first senior brother, Jeon Gaseong, could play a trick to take Ah Geol away.

Although Jeon Gaseong was the first senior brother, his sword was not scary. Jeon Gaseong was said to be ‘number one in wonderful methods’. He was praised for a part that had nothing to do with martial arts. Secret schemes, stratagems, divine calculations… in a word, he was very smart and had many tricks.

The first senior brother could stealthily take away Ah Geol, whom he was taking.

He was worried about that. So he was thinking of not going out of the carriage until he reached the Sacred Sword Sect. He would eat in the carriage, sleep, and even relieve himself inside.

Then, no matter how much of a divine calculator the first senior brother was, he could not do anything.

As long as the Sacred Sword Sect’s flag was on the carriage, he could not even block the path in front of the carriage.

‘Huhu! He must be furious. But it’s something that has to be addressed once… it’s not bad to start like this.’

When he thought of Jeon Gaseong, who would be grinding his teeth and chasing him, a laugh automatically welled up.

The Ten Lesser Swords were fellow disciples. But after the Sacred Sword Sect had become the number one sect under heaven, they had become rivals. If Duke Heo Dogi died, the position of his master would eventually become the share of the Ten Lesser Swords.

One of the Ten Lesser Swords!

The fight over who would take that position had to be fought.

Among the Ten Lesser Swords, there was no one who would step back and say, ‘Eh, I’m fine. I’m comfortable as I am.’

Right now, it was a fight between the inner hall and the outer hall.

The main axis of the inner hall was the first senior brother, Jeon Gaseong, and he was the main axis of the outer hall.

First, he had to win this fight… and then it was a fight between the outer halls. The junior brothers who were currently on his side would immediately turn their backs after the inner hall collapsed.

This was the world.

The position of his master, the position of the number one person under heaven, could not be yielded to anyone.

If there was an emperor in the country, there was a Sacred Sword Sect Master in the martial world.

Becoming the king of the martial world was not a distant thing. Although it was a dream-like thing for other guys, for the Ten Lesser Swords, it was a matter of who would pick up the gold coin that had fallen at their feet first.

The fact that his master had ordered him and the first senior brother to bring Ah Geol meant that he wanted to see their abilities. His master also knew about the power struggle between the outer hall and the inner hall.

This mission was not limited to just bringing Ah Geol. Although bringing Ah Geol was important, there had to be one central content more than that.

What kind of power had the outer hall built in the martial world? Show that power.

What kind of influence could the inner hall exert on the martial world? Could it surpass the outer hall?

At a glance, since it was a matter concerning the martial world, it seemed that the outer hall would be better than the inner hall, but it was not necessarily so.

The inner hall managed all the household affairs necessary to maintain the Sacred Sword Sect.

It held the purse strings of the Sacred Sword Sect.

The inner hall had to show that power. And he had to use the power spread throughout the martial world.

Shin Dopa opened the window and looked at the rural scenery.

Smoke was rising from each house as they were cooking dinner. The smell of burning firewood and straw spread savory.

For now, he had seized the initiative in the fight.

Ah Geol was lying as if he were dead. He had been fatally injured by Seori Hyeonggae, so his life was in danger. His side, chest, back, stomach… the wounds were all so large that blood had flowed like a stream.

It was a miracle that he was even alive.

Although he had given him first aid while putting him on the carriage, he had no intention of nursing him carefully.

It was fine if Ah Geol died.

There was no word that he had to be brought back alive. Even if there had been such an order, the one who had used the blade was Seori Hyeonggae, so Ah Geol’s death was not his responsibility.

Ah Geol’s life or death did not matter at all.

What was really important was not to lose Ah Geol, who was no different from a corpse, to Jeon Gaseong.

“Hey, we have to eat too, right?”

When he smelled the smell of cooking, he suddenly felt hungry.

“Shall I prepare a meal?”

“Do that. If possible, prepare some meat. I don’t have any strength because I’ve only been eating vegetables.”

“You’ll eat in the carriage, right?”

“Yes. Prepare a bottle of liquor too. I’m thinking of drinking happily and sleeping soundly today. Let’s rest for a while and then go.”

“Yes! I’ll prepare it right away.”

The coachman immediately stopped the carriage.

It didn’t matter whether the carriage was moving or stopped. Since the Sacred Sword Sect’s flag was on it, no one could approach.

Jeon Gaseong could come himself. But he could not use force. He could not take Ah Geol away by force. He could not play any tricks either. He could not burn or destroy the carriage. All attacks on the carriage would be an attack on Heo Dogi.

So there was no need to raise his guard in particular.

As Shin Dopa had said, even if he got drunk and passed out, he could not take Ah Geol away.

Wouldn’t it be okay if he took him away secretly?

Absolutely not. He had gotten drunk and had fallen asleep, and Ah Geol had disappeared. But the disappeared Ah Geol was in Jeon Gaseong’s hands. If things turned out like this, Jeon Gaseong would have to explain the reason why he had attacked the carriage. Even if he had not attacked himself.

* * *

The carriage stopped.

The Third Lord was drinking. But she still could not approach. The coachman driving the carriage was also a considerable master.

Mongseol crouched in the darkness and chewed on a piece of jerky.

Was Ah Geol safe?

The moment she had seen the moving carriage and the Sacred Sword Sect’s flag, she had been so relieved.

The fact that he was riding in a carriage meant that Ah Geol was also moving comfortably. And she thought that the Third Lord had probably given him first aid.

Ah Geol, his life would be spared.

‘I’ll definitely save you.’

“…Because you saved me.”

The words that had slipped out of her mouth were words she had said to herself.

Her thoughts were completely different. ‘I’ll definitely save you. Because you’re my fiancé.’ This was her original thought. But when she thought like that, it felt awkward, as if a thorn had gotten stuck in her throat. So she had deliberately said something else.

“Yes, because you saved me from the hands of the Living Sword Sect.”

She swallowed the jerky that had been in her mouth. Her eyes were still fixed on the carriage.

(End of Chapter)