Chapter 66 : Rebirth (1)

The coachman snatched the horse’s reins.

“What is it?”

Shin Dopa asked indifferently.

“The main road has been destroyed.”

“…Destroyed?”

Shin Dopa tilted his head.

The road wasn’t blocked, nor was it wrong, but it was destroyed?

Shin Dopa opened the window and stuck his head out.

Indeed, the word ‘destroyed’ was correct.

Someone had used explosives on the main road. They had scooped out the earth with a shovel, and had detonated the explosives inside.

The main road was destroyed to the point where a carriage could not pass.

“Ha!”

Shin Dopa was dumbfounded.

Who would do such a thing? It was clearly aimed at him.

It wasn’t Jeon Gaseong. Not only direct harm, but also indirect harm should not be inflicted on a carriage with the Sacred Sword Sect’s flag on it. Even if a third party was hired to block the road, the one who had ordered it would be held responsible. So it was definitely not Jeon Gaseong.

Who? Did Ah Geol have a friend who would do such a thing?

When the Eighth Lord, Jo Chuhan, had died at the hands of the Single-Instant Blade, the Ten Lesser Swords had all investigated the person named Ah Geol.

It was hard to think that the previous Single-Instant Sect Master had accepted a disciple.

At the time of the Single-Instant Sect Master’s death, there were only three disciples. Those three also did not know Ah Geol at all.

He was not a disciple taken in by the previous Single-Instant Sect Master.

If so, where had Ah Geol trained in the Single-Instant Blade?

The Ten Lesser Swords had thought in another direction. Could it be that Seori Gaheon or Seori Hyeonggae had taken in a disciple? But this thought was also unreasonable. Even if the two of them had stepped forward themselves, it was impossible for a disciple they had taken in to kill a master like the Eighth Lord.

So, it was implicitly defined that Ah Geol was a disciple secretly taken in by the previous Single-Instant Sect Master. Who Ah Geol was, and from whom he had been passed on the Single-Instant Blade, was a homework that had to be slowly unraveled over time.

For now, they defined Ah Geol as a disciple of the previous Single-Instant Sect Master… and they had confirmed his past where he had lived in hiding.

If it was related to Ah Geol, they had searched even the straw in the stable, but nothing had come out.

Ah Sam and Ah Geol had revealed their existence from the Dongseung stable. There was no record of where they had been and what they had done before that. There was no one who knew them either.

In a word, Ah Geol and Ah Sam were a complete blank slate.

No one in this world knew about them. So they could not say anything.

Blocking the road with a tree and stopping a carriage with the Sacred Sword Sect’s flag on it?

Was this done by an organization? Or was it done by an individual? Was it someone who knew Ah Geol? Or was it someone who needed Ah Geol? Destroying the road meant to abandon the carriage, so what were they trying to do?

Shin Dopa said, “Repair the road. We have plenty of time, so let’s go slowly.”

He absolutely did not get out of the carriage.

‘They’re not afraid of the Sacred Sword Sect? With this much guts, they could do anything. It’s going to be annoying.’

* * *

Tuk!

The horse walking on the main road kicked something.

A rope got caught on the horse’s hoof. In that instant, flying needles poured out like hail from the trees on the left and right of the main road.

Shwaaaek! Papapapat!

The flying needles turned the carriage into a hedgehog. But they could not pierce through the carriage.

They were not a threat to Shin Dopa.

The moment the flying needles flew, the coachman jumped up and dodged.

The direction from which the flying needles flew was constant. Even if you were not a master like the coachman, you could dodge relatively easily.

It was a rudimentary trap that made flying needles shoot out when you touched a rope.

But this flying needle attack had caused a disaster.

The horses! The horses had collapsed.

Hee-hee-hing! Hee-hing!

The four horses could not even run away from the shower of flying needles and collapsed.

There was poison on the flying needles. If not, the horses would be galloping like crazy by now. Because if you were hit by dozens of flying needles, you had no choice but to run wildly.

“This!”

The coachman’s face turned pale and he looked around.

There was no one. It was clearly a one-time ambush. The ambusher had just set up the trap and had disappeared.

Clatter!

The carriage door opened and Shin Dopa came out.

He was holding Ah Geol, whose hands and feet were tied, under his arm.

“Huhu! They’re telling me to walk, so I guess I have to walk. Shall I see the face of the person who is so bold?”

Shin Dopa swept his gaze around.

There was no way there was an ambusher.

“I will serve you.”

The coachman stepped forward.

“No. If you’re here too, will those guys dare to come out? I have to give them a chance. They want to see my sword. Huhu!”

Shin Dopa smirked.

* * *

Shwak!

An arrow flew.

Shin Dopa jumped back and dodged the arrow. And he looked at the place where the arrow had flown from.

It was on top of a low hill.

The person who had shot the arrow was also visible.

He could not distinguish whether it was a man or a woman. He could not even tell how tall they were.

The distance was about a hundred zhang, and it was not a strong bow, but he had aimed accurately with a normal arrow.

“What kind of trick is this?”

Shin Dopa muttered, looking at the person far away.

Chasing was meaningless. If the distance was about a hundred zhang, it was difficult to chase even if the difference in martial arts was severe. Moreover, the opponent was on a mountain. The chaser had to climb a steep slope, and the opponent could leisurely escape after checking the direction of the pursuit.

He could pretend to chase, but he could not catch him.

The opponent also knew that. That was why he had boldly shown himself.

What was he really trying to do?

The arrow did not contain any killing intent. Since it had been shot from so far away, it was worthy of applause that the arrow had even reached. The arrow was just a way to get on his nerves.

“Huhu! Is that it? If that’s the case, I’m quite confident too, but it seems you’ve chosen the wrong method.”

Shin Dopa laughed.

It was a strategy to get on his nerves.

It didn’t stop at once, but continued to scratch at his nerves. Then, at first, he would be tense, but later he would become immune. Even if he was attacked, his nerves would become dull.

At that time, the real attack would begin.

Shin Dopa was famous for being able to see through people’s minds well. Among the Ten Lesser Swords, he was on par with the first senior brother, Jeon Gaseong, in terms of intelligence. It wasn’t for nothing that he was leading the outer hall’s junior brothers.

“But anyway… he’s chosen a very good location.”

Shin Dopa frowned slightly.

The top of the hill that the opponent was occupying could be called a strategic point. From there, you could see through the main road. You could control a distance of about two hundred zhang.

From where he was standing, up to two hundred zhang ahead was the range of the arrow.

He would be attacked by arrows all the way while walking on the main road.

If you occupied the top of the hill, even if the target executed a movement technique and moved quickly, you could shoot three or four more arrows.

“Annoying.”

Shin Dopa moved his steps to the rice paddy path that was spread out next to the main road.

He walked on the ridge of the rice paddy. The more he walked, the farther he got from the summit. He had already passed a distance of three hundred zhang, so he could not shoot an arrow. He had only walked a few steps.

Now the situation was reversed. The opponent had to chase busily. To the ridge of the rice paddy where he was walking.

* * *

‘It’s done!’

Mongseol threw down the bow she was holding.

She had pushed Shin Dopa to the ridge of the rice paddy. Shin Dopa would think that he was walking on the ridge of the rice paddy of his own will, but in fact, he was forced to walk on the ridge of the rice paddy.

Mongseol had not taken her eyes off the carriage for the past two days.

She had not looked at the horses, the coachman, or the carriage. She had only looked at the Third Lord who was riding in the carriage.

Who was the Third Lord?

The better an assassin was, the more accurately they grasped their opponent. Personality, martial arts, reputation, position… everything was a factor that determined their actions. So, to know who the opponent was, you had to know everything he enjoyed, what he was born with, what he currently had.

In fact, it was difficult to grasp these things while chasing from behind.

It could only be grasped after sufficient prior investigation and repeated confirmation over time.

Grasping it instinctively while chasing from behind like Mongseol had a very high possibility of misjudgment.

But there was no time now.

The plan to drive Shin Dopa to the ridge of the rice paddy was also too hasty. Originally, she had to take a series of small attacks, like getting wet in a light rain. Only then would he be driven to the desired place without suspicion.

Now, she had driven him to the ridge of the rice paddy in just three attacks.

The possibility of success was only about ten percent, but Shin Dopa was walking on the rice paddy path.

Shin Dopa’s arrogance was greater than she had thought.

He thought that there were only a few who could beat him with a sword. He thought that everyone except the few he had in mind was not his match.

‘Wait a little longer. I’ll definitely save you.’

Mongseol slowly went down the mountain.

Even if you had cooked the rice, it would become porridge if you were excited. If you hurried, you would ruin it. The more urgent your heart was, the more you had to step back. The hungrier you were, the more slowly you had to eat.

* * *

Kung!

Ah Geol was thrown roughly.

Shin Dopa had thrown the injured Ah Geol roughly, as if he were a useless object. Not only that. He stepped on the chest of Ah Geol, who had fallen to the ground, and laughed grotesquely.

“Huhuhu!”

Ah Geol had been hit by a blade to the chest. Since the wound had not been treated at all, the blood was still there.

When Shin Dopa stepped on his chest, the blood gushed out with a squish!

“Aren’t you coming out? If you’ve started an ambush, you should have the will to see it through. If you don’t come out, this guy will only suffer. Ah! Does it not matter at all that this guy is suffering?”

Shin Dopa said, looking around.

There was no one around. No one was following him either. He had been walking on the ridge of the rice paddy alone, which was annoying.

Although he had stepped on and cursed Ah Geol, no one had come forward.

If someone had been following him, there was no way he would not have been detected. So it was natural that there was no one.

‘What are they trying to do? They made me walk, and when I walked the path they wanted, they should have come out now. Ha! This is… there are also cases where I can’t read the move. This guy… he succeeded in teasing me. I admit it.’

Shin Dopa sat down next to Ah Geol.

Of course, he did not let down his guard. It was basic to look around before sitting down. He only sat down after confirming that there was no presence around.

The night had deepened.

He had entered the ridge of the rice paddy around noon and had walked all afternoon. He had waited for the ambusher, wondering when he would come. He was also curious about who dared to challenge the Sacred Sword Sect.

‘He’ll appear today. For sure.’

He lay down next to Ah Geol, using his arm as a pillow.

Since he was sitting, he would lie down, and since he was lying down, he would sleep. No, he would pretend to sleep. His mind was in its clearest state, watching in all directions. He didn’t know what kind of guy was picking a fight, but he would definitely appear today.

Flap!

The hem of his clothes fluttered in the wind. Although he was trying hard to hide his presence, it was heard very clearly.

‘He’s here!’

As soon as Shin Dopa grasped the presence, he immediately shot his body forward.

Shwoooosh!

He saw his opponent while flying his body.

He was moving while hiding his body secretly. He was crawling on the ground.

He struck down the one who was crawling on the ground as if an eagle were snatching a chick. He had jumped into the air, and after straightening his two knees like an iron hammer, he had struck the opponent’s waist.

Peok! Uduk!

The opponent had fainted without even being able to resist the powerful blow.

“Huh?”

Shin Dopa’s mind cleared.

He was too weak! The one who had crawled on the ground was a martial artist, but he was not at a level where he could ambush him.

“Oops!”

He hurriedly returned to the place where Ah Geol had been lying.

As expected, Ah Geol was gone.

(End of Chapter)