"So you came out this way, after all."
Behind the Mistress of Honghua Pavilion as she spoke, a crowd had gathered thick enough to fill the main road.
There were those who looked like ill-natured ruffians, a young shopkeeper, a middle-aged coachman with clear signs of exhaustion, and courtesans dressed in gaudy finery that seemed out of place in such a menacing gathering.
A motley crew, to say the least. But it was precisely such a gathering that made up Haomun.
"You scraped together every Haomun member in Yanzhou just to catch me?"
"There's been a misunderstanding. What I intend to catch is not you, young hero, but the courtesan who ran away. Even now, I can still overlook this if you hand her over."
"You're just dressing up the demand to hand her over in needless words."
"That was not my intention, but if it sounded that way, there is nothing I can do about it."
The Mistress of Honghua Pavilion still wore a smile disguised as goodwill. I snorted at that androgynous face.
"Stop with the nonsense. Do you really think I would hand over Seol Ri-hyang now?"
"That part I do not understand. I did not have time to look into it thoroughly, but I do know that you are the Tang Clan's live-in son-in-law. So why are you so fixated on a mere courtesan?"
"I could say the same to you. Why would someone of your standing, a branch head of Haomun, be so fixated on a mere courtesan?"
"I told you. I was merely trying to retrieve my disciple—"
"Disciple, my foot. Isn't it to cure the side effects of the Essence Absorption Art?"
"…I have no idea what you are talking about."
"The greatest characteristic of a Pure Yin Constitution lies not in the quantity of Yin Energy, but in its purity. And most of the side effects of the Essence Absorption Art stem from the Turbid Qi mixed into one's Yin or Yang energy."
If he absorbed Seol Ri-hyang's pure Yin Energy, the turbid Yin within his body would be neutralized to a certain extent as well.
In the end, it was a matter of concentration and ratio. The same principle as pouring clear water into muddy water and making it passably usable.
Meanwhile, Seol Ri-hyang picked up a stray stone lying around and frowned as she listened to my conversation with the Mistress of Honghua Pavilion.
"I don't understand a single word you're saying. So what exactly do you want from me?"
"To have you learn a Mental Cultivation Method that, despite all its side effects, builds internal energy at a remarkably fast pace…"
"Get to the point."
"…I'm saying I intend to defile you and kill you."
"You bastard?!"
Only then did Seol Ri-hyang realize her predicament. She let out a startled cry and hurled the stone she was holding.
Naturally, it never reached the Mistress of Honghua Pavilion. She might be restricted in her use of internal energy, but she was still a Peak Realm master.
Seol Ri-hyang's fury only grew as the Mistress casually snatched the stone out of the air.
"Wasn't Haomun supposed to be a sect where the weak help each other out?! Is this really how you're supposed to act?!"
"If that were the case, Haomun would be an Orthodox Sect, not an Unorthodox one. More importantly, you're not even a fellow Haomun member—you're an outsider, Seol Ri-hyang."
"What does that—"
Was this the first time she'd seen the true face of a martial artist? Seol Ri-hyang was at a loss for words, her lips moving soundlessly.
The most important thing in Haomun is oneself. Helping others is only ever for the sake of receiving help in return someday.
To put it differently, this meant that as long as it served one's own interests, one could be as cruel as one pleased toward outsiders.
The Mistress of Honghua Pavilion, who had been listening to our story, opened her mouth with the same feigned smile still on her lips.
"I will ask one last time. If you return my disciple to me now, I will hold no responsibility against you, young hero."
"I refuse. I have yet to repay the favor I owe her, and I cannot send her into a trap so plainly visible. Besides—"
He paused for a beat, then curled the corners of his mouth into a grin.
"I do not listen to the words of those weaker than myself."
"…"
The Mistress of Honghua Pavilion's expression hardened. Then she flicked her hand toward the subordinates lined up behind her.
"Beat him. Just don't kill him."
Without taking my eyes off the Haomun disciples charging at me in unison, I spoke.
"Seol Ri-hyang. Hide well behind me."
"W-what should I do? I still have plenty of stones."
"Never mind that, just don't leave my side. To be honest, you'd just get in the way."
"Ugh. Fine."
Only after confirming that Seol Ri-hyang had nodded and hidden herself behind me did I raise my sword.
Although I had recovered somewhat while conversing with the Mistress of Honghua Pavilion, my body was still weary.
And if I had to fight while protecting someone, the way I usually fought—throwing myself into danger—was no longer possible.
But that was fine.
No matter how many of them there were, in the end, Haomun was just a gathering of rabble.
If I fell, it would only be because I had collapsed from exhaustion. I would never fall at another's hands.
Two men rushed at me first. Unwilling to enter the range of my sword, they thrust at me from a distance with long spears.
But one of them seemed unaccustomed to his weapon, his movements clumsy beyond compare. His thrusts were slow as well.
The spearheads flew toward my shoulder and thigh respectively. I swung my sword at the shaft that arrived first.
With the feeling of concentrating my internal energy in an instant and pushing out with force.
Clang!
The clash of blades. For a brief moment, sparks flashed, and the spear's trajectory was bent.
"Huh?"
The spear, bent before he even realized it, tangled with his comrade's spear. Seizing the moment when both their stances crumbled, I stomped hard on the spear shaft.
Crack!
The one who had been holding his spear clumsily lost his grip, and the one who was at least somewhat skilled managed to hold on for a moment before the shaft snapped.
Either way, both were neutralized. I charged in at once, dropping low and spinning my body in a wide arc.
"Ahhhhh!"
"My leg…!"
The two whose thighs had been deeply slashed collapsed side by side. It looked as if they were kneeling before me.
In that state, I looked around and let my killing intent flare in all directions.
I swung my sword in a wide arc at the ones who had stopped mid-charge, flinging off the blood clinging to the blade.
"Who's next?"
"…"
"…"
"…"
The Haomun disciples exchanged glances, none daring to step forward rashly. The Mistress of Honghua Pavilion watched them and shouted in frustration.
"You idiots! Look at his arms. He's trembling from exhaustion! If you don't have the confidence to take him down yourself, then just hold on by any means necessary! Given time, he'll collapse from his own fatigue!"
"Tch."
I had tried to hide my condition by striking with maximum force, but it seemed impossible to deceive the eyes of a Peak Realm martial artist.
At the Mistress of Honghua Pavilion's words, the Haomun disciples' Aura, which had been dampened, returned. They exchanged glances with one another, then charged at me all at once.
The ensuing battle was a melee straight out of a painting.
Without rest, I deflected swords, dodged descending axes, and severed whips that sought to bind my arms.
Even so, I kicked away those who tried to circle around me and target Seol Ri-hyang, endured the Erotic Arts of the courtesans flaunting their charms from afar with a sharply honed mind, and whenever an opportunity presented itself, I swung my sword and severed one arm after another.
This in itself wasn't all that difficult. After all, these were fellows whose bodies grew sluggish from the killing intent I was emitting even at this very moment, some of them even freezing up entirely.
However, there was no helping the fact that I was tiring quickly.
My breathing came in gasps so ragged they were loud to my own ears. My body felt as heavy as if it weighed a thousand pounds. My muscles twitched, and the tip of my sword—which should never have wavered—began to tremble. With my internal energy running low, I started losing the sudden contests of strength.
With every Exchange, I began to crumble a little more. Then, at some point.
Thud!
"Kugh!"
"…What?"
I took a blow to the shoulder from a staff I should have been able to dodge. My exhausted legs simply hadn't moved in time.
I swung my sword toward the elbow of the bastard, whose eyes went wide—he clearly hadn't expected to take a hit either.
Squelch.
"Kyaaah!"
He jumped back with the sword still lodged in his elbow. The impact yanked the blade free, but that wasn't exactly good news.
It meant I no longer had the strength to sever an arm in a single stroke.
I had incapacitated a fair number of opponents, but for every one I'd taken down, a Haomun disciple was still standing, eyes gleaming.
I switched my sword to one hand, letting my other arm hang limp. Even so, the arm trembled, barely able to bear the weight of the blade.
Gritting my teeth, I did my best to steady my scattered sword stance. The Mistress of Honghua Pavilion pushed through the swaggering Haomun disciples and stepped forward.
"Well, well. Changed your mind now?"
"Hard to say. Even in this state, I don't feel any weaker than you."
"…Fine. Since you say you won't listen to those weaker than yourself, I'll show you the gap myself."
She'd been watching from the back the whole time, waiting until I was exhausted before she dared to step forward.
The Mistress of Honghua was different from the ones I'd faced so far. She might be a hollow shell now, but she was still a Martial Artist who'd reached the ranks of the masters.
If I were at full strength, it wouldn't matter, but in my current state, she was a dangerous opponent.
Even so, it was my choice, and a risk I'd accepted.
Better to cause a commotion than to lose Seol Ri-hyang here and end up with nothing at all.
"Hoo."
I drew in a deep breath and finally lowered the sword I'd been holding.
A stance so relaxed it could hardly even be called a low guard.
My body was nearing its limits, so close I could almost grasp them. But this wasn't the first time I'd faced such a situation, and it wouldn't be the last.
I emptied my mind. I forgot the favor the Tang Clan owed to Haomun, and erased even the fact that I was currently a member of the Tang Clan from my thoughts.
I cast away the complacent mindset of trying to end this without killing anyone.
What separates life and death is not powerful External Arts, nor profound internal energy, nor mysterious techniques.
What kills a man is always a blade of an inch that pierces a vital point. And this originates from a clear will to harm the opponent.
An Aura sharpened like a well-forged sword.
A thick killing intent, with no thought of hiding it, seeps out from my entire body.
A single line of cold sweat runs down the face of the Mistress of Honghua Pavilion, who is drenched in it from directly in front.
"…You've lost your mind. Just who the hell are you?"
"Cheon Hwi."
I stepped my left foot half a pace forward and leaned my body in. Ready to spring out at any moment, and thus, ready to pierce my opponent's neck at any time.
"A blade."
No fancy words were needed. The only thing that mattered was that a blade was still in my hand.
Had the meaning gotten through? The Mistress of Honghua Pavilion silently drew a thin, supple sword from her waist.
A sword that bent and swayed with the slightest movement. Whatever change occurred at that tip, I was resolved to cut — I put strength into the balls of my feet.
Tap.
A short leap using only my ankles. My body slid forward with no tell, closing the distance.
Still, perhaps because I had executed with my bare body what should have been a burst of internal energy, the speed was noticeably slower than I had expected.
Though it was enough to startle the current Mistress of Honghua Pavilion.
"What?!"
The Mistress of Honghua Pavilion, startled by the sword flying toward a neck she had never once aimed at.
She had been about to thrust at me, but instead twisted her wrist and bent the soft sword mid-strike.
Thwack!
The Mistress of Honghua Pavilion's soft sword lashed out from the side, striking my blade. But a soft sword is hardly the right weapon for meeting an opponent's weapon head-on.
A soft sword that could have branched out into dozens of sword paths merely bounced away.
It was neither a preparatory move for what came next, nor a feint to lure me in. Simply the worst possible choice, swung to ward off an immediate threat.
Whether the Mistress of Honghua Pavilion herself knew this, her Aura swelled abruptly.
Drip.
Bloodshot eyes in an instant, blood seeping from the corner of the mouth.
Even if she took an internal injury, she would be trying to force her stance back into place with internal energy she had forcibly drawn up.
I expected it. No matter the reason, those who hide something always reach for what they've hidden first when cornered, isn't that the way of things?
The flame sword surged with an Aura incomparable to moments before. I thrust my neck straight toward the Sword Qi that writhed and twisted like a serpent.
"…!"
Using a Killing Move would put the Mistress of Honghua Pavilion in a bind as well. Her wrist bent at an awkward angle, and the sword veered off in an unexpected direction.
That exposed her flank. I drove my sword into the fully open gap, where even the move she'd saved for emergencies had come to nothing.
Thunk.
The sensation of slipping between the ribs and piercing the heart traveled through the sword.
For a moment, the Mistress of Honghua Pavilion stiffened, but then she slumped, spitting a torrent of blood.
"Cough! You, you damned brat… Do you think you'll walk away unscathed after killing me? How will you handle what comes after…"
"You think too much."
Cutting her words short, I twisted the sword, completely crushing her heart.
The Mistress of Honghua Pavilion fell with her eyes wide open. I muttered toward the back of her head.
"Not very Unorthodox of you."
Though I wasn't much better myself.