C 512
Gomujin was a young martial artist in his mid-twenties.
As grand as he looked, he had a remarkable temperament that never failed to attract followers.
The martial arts school he belonged to, the Seven Gates Sect, was not particularly powerful or renowned. But that's not to say that their martial arts were not worth noting.
Their martial skills were in fact quite profound; it was just that the less skilled successors could not master them properly.
With the full support of his master, Gomujin managed to learn the secret techniques of the Seven gates Sect.
As a result, he became a greater master than his teacher.
As soon as he achieved a certain level of accomplishment, Gomujin immediately set out for Kangho.
His destination was Poyang Lake, where the Great Kangho War was taking place.
At Poyang Lake, he saw hell.
The first thing he witnessed was martial artists being massacred by members of the Golden Heavenly Hall.
In retaliation, he joined the Silver Lotus Hall.
Once in the Silver Lotus Hall, he began to unite the moderate members and young martial artists.
That was the beginning of the Hundred-Man Association.
Since it was a group formed to support the Silver Lotus Hall, it had to operate very discreetly.
Therefore, he conducted the gathering not at Poyang Lake, but at Dongting Lake.
Not all hundred members were present.
Only five leaders secretly gathered to discuss how to lead the Hundred-Man Association in the future.
The problem was that their secret meeting was discovered, and they were ambushed by the patrol.
In response to the sudden raid by the patrol, Gomujin and the leaders chose to flee.
The power of the patrol was overwhelming, and the infamous reputation of their leader, Lee Chu-su, was too well-known.
It was not Lee Chu-su that they feared.
The problem was that he had a ledger containing the secrets of the Hundred-Man Association.
If by any chance the ledger fell into Lee Chu-su's hands, a bloodbath was inevitable.
'I must not be caught!'
It wasn't for himself.
It was to protect the Hundred-Man Association.
Gomujin unleashed his Qigong with all his might.
That's when it happened.
Shriek!
Suddenly, a sharp piercing sound echoed around.
Gomujin pulled out his sword and swung it towards the front.
Clang!
Something bounced off his sword in an instant.
It was a hairpin, the kind used by women.
The hairpin didn't cause any injury to Gomujin. But it was enough to momentarily halt his steps.
"Stop right there!"
The owner of the hairpin appeared.
A beautiful woman with a cold aura, she was Bing Ha-ran, one of the Ice-Flame twins.
Bing Ha-ran rushed towards Gomujin with an intense momentum.
At the moment when Gomujin's eyes narrowed, Bing Ha-ran launched another hairpin that she had in her hair.
Shriek!
The hairpin flew with a speed that would put a lightning bolt to shame.
"Dodge!"
Gomujin yelled, swinging his sword again.
Cling!
With a metallic sound, the hairpin was deflected. But he couldn't let his guard down. Bing Ha-ran was already charging at him.
"Do you have the ledger? Hand it over."
"Ice witch! What nonsense are you spouting?"
Bing Ha-ran didn't miss the trembling in Gomujin's eyes.
She confirmed her suspicion.
In reality, she didn't know which of the five members of the Hundred Man Society carried the ledger. She was merely poking around, and her opponent unconsciously responded.
"As I thought, it is you who has the ledger."
With a cold smile, Bing Ha-ran pulled something out from her sleeve.
The long cylindrical object was a signal firework.
"No!"
Gomujin reached out to snatch the firework, but Bing Ha-ran leaped back and set it off.
Boom!
A red flower bloomed in the night sky.
'Damn!'
Gomujin bit his lip.
The patrol team would be swarming here any moment.
He had no choice but to quickly defeat Bing Ha-ran and escape.
"Haah!"
Gomujin launched the Seven Fury Waves Blade, a technique from the Seven Gates Sect, at Bing Ha-ran.
"In your dreams."
Bing Ha-ran scoffed and employed her Heavenly Ice Hand.
Bang, Bang, Boom!
The clash between the sword and bare hands created a series of explosive sounds.
The shock made both their bodies tremble.
Bing Ha-ran was at a slight disadvantage.
Even if the Heavenly Ice Hand was a supreme martial art, she was bound to take damage when clashing bare-handed against a sword imbued with powerful qi.
A normal martial artist would have felt discouraged at being pushed back. But Bing Ha-ran was no ordinary martial artist.
Her face showed no shame, no emotion.
This wasn't a fight for victory.
Her aim was to buy as much time as possible, to hinder Gomujin.
She just needed to stall for time; there was no need to worry about winning.
As time passed, it was Gomujin who was becoming increasingly anxious. All she had to do was buy time until the patrol team arrived.
"Haah!"
Gomujin continuously unleashed the deadly strikes of the Seven Fury Waves Blade, forcing Bing Ha-ran back. However, he couldn't hurt or shake her off.
Bing Ha-ran was like a leech.
She stuck relentlessly, refusing to fall off.
"Get out of my way, you witch."
"Hmph!"
The two exchanged over fifty moves in an instant.
'This will never end if it continues like this.'
A resolute light emerged in Gomujin's eyes.
He charged at Bing Ha-ran like a rampaging bull. Bing Ha-ran just scoffed.
"I said it's useless."
As she had done before, she held out her Heavenly Ice Hand to counter Gomujin. However, his reaction was different this time.
He ignored defense entirely and went all out on the attack.
Wham!
Heavenly Ice Hand heavily struck Gomujin's body.
His head rang, blood flowed from his nose. His internal organs shook, making it difficult to breathe. But Gomujin gritted his teeth, enduring the pain.
He suffered substantial injuries, but in return, he was able to get closer to Bing Ha-ran.
A startled expression was evident on Bing Ha-ran's face.
"Haah!"
Gomujin unleashed a strike from the Seven Fury Waves Blade.
Slash!
"Aaargh!"
His blade cut a deep wound in Bing Ha-ran's side.
With a scream, Bing Ha-ran fell.
Gomujin would have liked to end her life right there, but he couldn't.
"Haran!"
"You bastard!"
Lee Chu-su and Jang Hwa-yong emerged from the bushes. Behind them, the patrol team rushed in like a pack of wolves. If he hesitated any longer, he would miss his last chance to escape.
Gritting his teeth, Gomujin escaped the scene.
"How dare you hurt Haran. I'll never let you get away with it."
Lee Chu-su gritted her teeth and pursued Gomujin.
Jang Hwa-yong examined Bing Ha-ran's wound.
Fortunately, it didn't look life-threatening, but it would leave a deep scar.
"Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not."
Bing Ha-ran shook her head and pushed herself up.
The intense pain made her skin crawl, but she forced herself to ignore it.
She applied a healing ointment to her waist to stop the bleeding, binding the wound tightly.
"I will tear him apart, no matter what it takes."
"That's the spirit, my little sister."
Jang Hwa-yong smiled, as if she were proud of Bing Ha-ran. However, a chill glimmered in her eyes.
Her heart ached at the sight of a scar on Bing Ha-ran's beautifully pale skin.
"I will follow sister Lee Chu-su, don't push yourself too hard and follow us when you can."
"Alright!"
Leaving Bing Ha-ran behind, Jang Hwa-yong sprang forward.
Boom!
At that moment, a signal firework exploded in the distance.
Jang Hwa-yong and her followers dashed towards the explosion with full speed.
They arrived at a reed field by the Dongting Lake.
Lee Chu-su and the reinforcement troops were there.
They had Gomujin surrounded.
"Huff! Huff!"
Gomujin was panting, clutching his shoulder.
A deep wound was on his shoulder.
It was an injury inflicted by Lee Chu-su.
If the wound had been a bit deeper, his shoulder might have been completely severed.
Gomujin tried to stop the bleeding by applying pressure with his sword, but the wound was too deep and the blood wouldn't stop.
Having lost a considerable amount of blood, his complexion was pale.
"Sister!"
Jang Hwa-yong stood next to Lee Chu-su.
Without turning her head, Lee Chu-su asked, "Where is Haran?"
"She'll be here soon."
"That's a relief."
"Yes!"
Nodding, Jang Hwa-yong charged towards Gomujin. She was determined to seize the ledger with her own hands.
Lee Chu-su watched Jang Hwa-yong's actions with crossed arms.
Jang Hwa-yong's expression now was one that only surfaced when she was at the peak of her anger.
As Jang Hwa-yong approached, Gomujin lifted his head to look at her.
Jang Hwa-yong hurled her fist towards Gomujin..
Smack!
"Ugh!"
Gomujin's face spun from the forceful punch.
"How dare you injure Haran?"
Thud! Thud!
The ruthless assault of Jang Hwa-yong began.
Gomujin, too weak to resist, had to withstand her brutality with his whole body.
His face was swollen and his ribs broken.
Jang Hwa-yong skillfully inflicted violence just enough to avoid killing Gumojin. She was set to vent her anger before seizing the ledger.
"Truly a fiery flower."
"Hoho! It's quite refreshing to watch."
The patrol team smiled as they watched Jang Hwa-yong.
No one sympathized with Gomujin.
They seemed to be enjoying this moment with a sense of relief.
Lee Chu-su did not reprimand or scold the patrol team.
Because she, too, was enjoying Jang Hwa-yong's venting.
She didn't care whether Gomujin lived or died.
Her only concern was the ledger that Gomujin must be possessing.
Everyone else had been checked and none had the ledger. Therefore, it must definitely be with
Gomujin.
"Ugh!"
A wretched scream erupted from Gomujin's mouth.
His body was soaked in blood, resembling a bloody rag.
Jang Hwa-yong was beating Gomujin from head to toe.
At this rate, even if he survived, he would be left crippled.
"Instant death would be too merciful for you."
There was a flicker of madness in Jang Hwa-yong's eyes.
Her target was Gomujin's dantian.
She intended to shatter his dantian and make it impossible for him to wield his martial arts ever again.
She raised her fist into the air.
A light of despair surfaced in Gomujin's eyes.
'Is this, the end?'
Just then.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a flame surged from the reed field where they were standing.
The reeds, being dry, spread the fire in an instant.
"What?"
"Sudden fire?"
"Quickly, get away!"
The patrol team scattered like locusts, trying to avoid the flames.
They had been so engrossed in watching Jang Hwa-yong brutalizing Gomujin, they hadn't noticed the fire creeping up on them.
Caught off guard, they were at a loss for how to react, hopping around trying to escape the flames.
The reed field became a scene of chaos due to the unexpected fire.
The first to regain composure was Lee Chu-su.
"Someone set a fire."
Only then did Jang Hwa-yong snap back to reality and look down.
"Gone?"
The Gomujin, who had been defenceless and at her mercy, had vanished.
Someone had started the fire, and while everyone's attention was distracted, they must have rescued Gomujin.
Jang Hwa-yong frantically surveyed her surroundings.
In her line of sight, she spotted a small boat retreating from the reed field.
"That's the boat. The scoundrels are escaping on the boat!"
Jang Hwa-yong cried out at the top of her lungs.