Light Novel: Volume 18 Episode 2
Manhwa: N/A
Life at the Spirit Sword Manor was monotonous.
Apart from practicing martial arts and training, there was little else to do. Even with the expansion of the manor, thanks to his father, Seo Gun-hwi couldn’t escape the place’s unique and serene atmosphere.
Furthermore, there wasn’t much interaction with the outside world, so Seo Gun-hwi’s life in the Spirit Sword Manor was bound to be dull. That’s why he had secretly harbored many expectations when he decided to go out to Jianghu.
He dreamed of meeting young martial artists of his age, joining forces with them, and experiencing the adventures of Jianghu. But the reality was different.
Daily life with the Great Pearl Merchant Group was just as monotonous as life at the Spirit Sword Manor, and Pyo-wol, who appeared to be of the same age, never engaged in any kind of interaction as if he had built a wall.
This deepened his dissatisfaction.
In such a situation, bandits were running towards them.
A smile unconsciously appeared on Seo Gun-hwi’s lips.
“I did not dare make a wish, but I still hope it will be granted.1 The heavens are truly helping me.”
At a glance, it was evident that the momentum of the approaching bandits was extraordinary.
It was uncertain whether the members of the Great Pearl Merchant Group would be able to stop them.
At that moment, Ji Muhyeong shouted,
“All escorts come forward! Temporary escorts, guard the merchants!”
“Yes!”
The escorts responded and stepped forward.
Tension flickered on Ji Muhyeong’s face.
‘When did bandits become active here?’
According to the information he had gotten, there were no bandits operating in this area. But even then, he decided to hire temporary escorts just in case.
He wasn’t at all pleased that his precautions seemed to have been accurate. The best outcome would be to pass through without any conflict.
‘But with the martial artists of the Spirit Sword Manor and the escorts of the Great Pearl Merchant Group, the worst-case scenario shouldn’t happen.’
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Seo Gun-hwi and his companions.
Each one of them was an exceptional master.
Just the thought of traveling with them together made him feel more confident and secure.
Thud, thud, thud!
Just then, the sound of hoofbeats grew louder.
The bandits were getting closer.
Ji Muhyeong’s gaze fixed on the person at the front.
‘A woman?’
The person leading the bandits was definitely a woman.
A beautiful woman in her early to mid-thirties.
Her black hair was fluttering in the wind as she led and commanded the bandits.
With a wave of her hand, the bandits split up to the left and right.
“Fire!”
With her shout, some of the bandits drew their bows and pointed them at the Great Pearl Merchant Group.
“What?”
“They’re shooting arrows?”
Ji Muhyeong and the escorts of the Great Pearl Merchant Group could not help but be stunned.
Shooting arrows while on horseback was no easy feat, even for skilled martial artists.
It required expertise in archery as well as horsemanship.
But, archery is greatly looked down upon in Jianghu.
There was a strong aversion to those who used long-range weapons like bows and crossbows to launch cowardly surprise attacks from a distance.
As a result, there weren’t many martial artists who practiced archery in Jianghu. Moreover, mastering equestrian skills along with archery was even more challenging.
However, a mere band of bandits were skillfully displaying both horsemanship and archery right in front of them.
Fufufufufuf!
Arrows flew in unison.
“AH!”
“Keuk!”
The escorts, who had stood at the front without cover, fell after getting hit by the arrows.
“Damn it! Everyone, find cover!”
Ji Muhyeong shouted.
At that moment, the bandits shot their arrows again.
Thud!
The arrows hit the escorts accurately.
It was a chillingly precise archery skill.
The fact that they could hit their targets so accurately from horseback was evidence of their outstanding archery skills.
In an instant, more than half of the escorts were incapacitated by the arrows.
“Damn it!”
Ji Muhyeong couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The bandits swarmed around the Great Pearl Merchant Group, shooting arrows left and right whenever there was an opening.
“Geuh!”
“Everyone, hide behind the wagons!”
The able-bodied escorts took the wounded and hid behind the wagons.
No matter how good the bandits’ horsemanship and archery skills were, if they waited and dodged arrows like this, they would eventually run out of arrows and switch to close combat.
Their guess was correct.
“Attack!”
At the call of the beautiful leader, the bandits abandoned their bows and dismounted from their horses.
They intended to settle the battle in close combat.
“Hyah!”
“Hah!”
The bandits leaped over the carts with terrifying momentum and charged at the escorts.
“These rascals!”
“Block them!”
The escorts who had taken cover and avoided the arrows drew their weapons and confronted the bandits.
Clang, clang!
The sound of weapons clashing echoed throughout the area, accompanied by roars.
Ji Muhyeong also drew his sword and rushed towards the beautiful leader.
‘I’ll cut down their leader in one fell swoop.’
Even though they were a formidable gang of bandits, it was clear that they would scatter like ants once their leader fell.
Ji Muhyeong’s sword gleamed brightly, he had imbued qi to his sword.
He truly had the skills to become the chief escort of the Great Pearl Merchant Group.
“Cha-hat, die!”
Ji Muhyeong swung his sword fiercely at the woman, who was still on her horse.
Swish!
For a moment, a look of annoyance flashed on the woman’s face.
“I must have looked too easy.”
She extended her white palm toward Ji Muhyeong, and a powerful energy erupted.
Boom!
Her energy and Ji Muhyeong’s sword collided.
“Keugh!”
It was Ji Muhyeong who suffered from the collision.
With a frustrated groan, he was thrown backward.
At that moment, the woman swung her hand again.
A red energy surge struck Ji Muhyeong’s chest.
Kwaaang!
“Keuargh!”
Ji Muhyeong cried out as he collapsed to the ground.
The moment he was struck by the red energy, he raised his sword to his chest to disperse the impact. Thanks to this, he was able to save his life, but he couldn’t move due to the crushing shock throughout his body.
Even after incapacitating Ji Muhyeong in an instant, the woman’s expression remained indifferent.
Ji Muhyeong was no match for her in the first place.
Even though she’s now barely scraping by as a mere bandit, she was once revered by many.
Though a calamity caused her to lose everything and be reduced to a mere bandit, her martial arts were still formidable.
She was not someone whom an ordinary merchant group’s escort could handle.
The woman attempted to send another arrow toward Ji Muhyeong to completely cut off his breathing. However, her attempt was in vain.
Quang!
Someone intervened in the middle.
“That’s enough.”
The one who intervened was none other than Seo Gun-hwi, the young leader of the Spirit Sword Manor.
The woman’s eyes sharpened at his appearance.
Her palms tingled.
That was how much power was contained in Seo Gun-hwi’s attack.
The woman dismounted from her horse and asked,
“Who are you?”
“I am Seo Gun-hwi of the Spirit Sword Manor.”
“Spirit… Sword Manor?”
The woman frowned slightly.
There was no way she wouldn’t know about the Spirit Sword Manor, which was one of the three manors.
‘Things just got complicated.’
It wasn’t that she found Seo Gun-hwi terrifying.
It was his background of being a member of the Spirit Sword Manor that was troublesome.
The power and influence of the Spirit Sword Manor was not something she could afford to ignore. Although their areas of activity were different, it wouldn’t be too difficult for the influence of the Spirit Sword Manor to extend to the province of Sichuan.
‘My banditry in Sichuan will end today.’
Regardless of the outcome, it would be dangerous for them to operate here anymore.
She had planned to lay low for a while after this operation, but now that the situation has come to this, she needs to make sure she would come to a proper closure.
That meant dealing with Seo Gun-hwi of the Spirit Sword Manor.
Seo Gun-hwi approached the woman and said,
“I can hear the gears turning in your head. But it’s too late. With my involvement, there’s nowhere left for you to run.”
“Hehe! Quite confident, aren’t you, Young Master?”
“What?”
“I’m not thinking about the best way to escape. I was just thinking about how to deal with you properly, Young Master.”
“You’re delusional. How could you dream of such impossible things when you’re just a mere bandit.”
Seo Gun-hwi snorted.
The woman’s words had struck his pride.
He believed he must subdue the woman and show her his might.
He didn’t know who she was, but once he defeated her, he believed his reputation would surely rise.
Seo Gun-hwi stomped the ground.
Using his qinggong, he quickly closed the distance between him and the woman.
Without hesitation, Seo Gun-hwi aimed his sword at the woman’s pale neck.
Swish!
It was a swift sword strike, faster than lightning.
Seo Gun-hwi had no doubt that he would behead the woman, but his confidence shattered at the next moment.
Clang!
With a loud sound, his sword was parried.
In the woman’s hand was a whip.
Swish!
The black whip flew towards Seo Gun-hwi’s chest like a venomous snake.
“Heuk!”
Startled, Seo Gun-hwi bent backward.
In an instant, the whip just grazed past his chest. However, Seo Gun-hwi didn’t let his guard down.
He knew that the whip was dangerous not just when it was being lashed out, but also when it was being retracted due to its immense power.
He was right.
The whip that had narrowly missed him earlier aimed at the back of Seo Gun-hwi’s head when it returned.
Seo Gun-hwi spun in mid-air like a top then executed the Shooting Sun Sword Technique.2
The Shooting Sun Sword Technique was a signature move of the old Diancang sect.
It might have now become a martial art of the Spirit Sword Manor, but its potency still remained lethal.
Swoosh!
His sword attacks filled the air.
The whip bounced back, unable to pierce the sword technique.
“Heh! You’re quite skilled.”
The woman sneered, swinging her whip back and forth.
Black Serpent Shadowless Whip Technique.3
That was the name of the technique she was using.
The black whip, like a venomous snake, aimed for Seo Gun-hwi’s vital points.
The whip’s surface was covered in tiny spikes, each one capable of breaking bones and tearing flesh to shreds.
Boom!
The air burst as the whip and sword collided.
“Heugh!”
Seo Gun-hwi’s face contorted.
The whip was far more powerful than he had expected.
He had never faced an opponent using a whip before, so despite having a formidable technique like the Shooting Sun Sword Technique, he was struggling.
“Take this!”
He desperately unleashed the peak of the Shooting Sun Sword Technique. But his attack didn’t have much impact on the woman.
She was skilled.
As Seo Gun-hwi’s attacks intensified, she shortened her whip to protect herself. By reducing the length of the whip, she had increased its force.
Had Seo Gun-hwi had more experience, he would have been able to penetrate the whip’s defense effortlessly. However, since this was his first time facing a whip, he struggled to find a counter.
The woman mocked him.
“Ho-ho! For all your big talk, you’re just average after all, Young Master.”
“How dare you!”
Fuming, Seo Gun-hwi increased the intensity of his attacks.
One after another, he unleashed the pinnacle of the Shooting Sun Sword Technique.
It was a sword technique legendary for its ability to bring down the sun,
Hence the name, Shooting Sun Sword Technique.
It was a sword technique embodying the essence cultivated for hundreds of years by the Diancang sect. However, since Seo Gun-hwi had executed the sword technique too hastily, he wasn’t able to bring out its full potential. The woman didn’t miss the openings Seo Gun-hwi exposed.
Wham!
The whip lashed out fiercely, pushing Seo Gun-hwi into a corner. But he wasn’t about to take it lying down.
He gritted his teeth, looking for an opportunity to counter.
After waiting and waiting, Seo Gun-hwi finally found his chance.
There was a slight break in the opponent’s rhythm, and the power of the whip waned for a moment.
Seo Gun-hwi immediately took advantage of the gap and thrust his sword.
Ting!
Suddenly, the bell tied to the woman’s wrist produced a clear sound.
The unexpected bell sound assaulted Seo Gun-hwi’s eardrums.
“AHH!”
Seo Gun-hwi screamed, collapsing to his knees.
It wasn’t just the sound of a bell. It was a sonic attack that struck his eardrums.
For a moment, all his senses were overwhelmed, and he couldn’t stand properly.
“Th- That underhanded… sonic attack…”
“Ho-ho! Young Master is indeed a noble martial artist. Who cares about the means? All that matters is winning.”
The woman mocked Seo Gun-hwi.
Her face was filled with the air and complacency of a winner.
Having captured her main concern, she believed subduing the Great Pearl Merchant Group would be a piece of cake. She assumed her subordinates would have subdued all the escorts of the Great Pearl Merchant Group by now since she had dealt with the man they were most wary of.
But, as she looked around, scanning her surroundings, the smirk on her face vanished almost immediately.
All her subordinates had been knocked down, except for her.
“What… What’s going on?”
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