Even the Sword God Needs Paternity Leave

Chapter 12: That Can't Be Helped

"I will let you live."

The confirmation was complete.

Zhu Hochong had been framed.

Of course, I wasn't judging solely based on his words.

The situation in Luoyang that I knew of afterward matched with what Zhu Hochong said.

The new magistrate had tried to wash away the corruption of the previous magistrate, but the process hadn't been smooth.

This was because several trading companies in Luoyang were uncooperative with the new magistrate's policies.

Trading companies generally try not to go against the government's wishes, so being uncooperative with the magistrate was strange.

However, if the magistrate replacement itself was caused by the conflict between Golden Cloud Trading and other trading companies, it became easy to understand.

Adding to this background, when I connected Swift Wind's character and Mud Beggar Zhu Hochong's duck meat and other things, it became more certain.

And lastly.

"Oh? What welcome people."

Seeing the faces of the villains, I could perfectly understand the entire flow.

"Hiiik? Jin Yeomyeong?!"

A shrill scream burst out.

Three martial artists wearing black masks.

Masks covering their entire heads with only their eyes exposed.

A narrow space where the three blocked each other's bodies with the terrain.

It would be normal for me not to recognize them, but the story is different if I had been observing my opponents from the start.

"Tsk."

The Absolute Sword Hand clicked his tongue and pulled the Young Gang Leader behind him.

It seemed the Young Gang Leader had been the one who threw the short spear into the warehouse.

"So you're the Ink Sword Hero whose reputation echoes throughout Luoyang. Though we Black Dragon Assassins are meeting you for the first time."

I laughed inwardly.

I even said they were welcome, yet they're making excuses.

Had they prepared this beforehand? Or made it up hastily?

"Black Dragon Assassins, that's a splendid name."

"That's right. A splendid name..."

"Since the Dragon Sword Gang walks the Black Path, Black Dragon fits."

"..."

The Absolute Sword Hand clicked his tongue again.

"What? Did you know in advance?"

He seemed to suspect information had leaked.

"No. I just observed carefully."

"Observed? What?"

Jin Yeomyeong pointed past the Absolute Sword Hand's shoulder at the two behind him.

"I met the Dragon Sword Gang Leader and Young Gang Leader this morning. That's when things seemed strange."

"?"

"I asked you both if you had just come from being investigated about the Demonic Cult, right?"

The Gang Leader and Young Gang Leader still kept their mouths shut.

"You both said yes. But that alley was quite far from the Murim Alliance branch."

"..."

"An alley without a single shop, an alley where beggars sleep—why would you go to such a place, even bringing subordinates along? That's why it stuck in my memory."

The Absolute Sword Hand kept clicking his tongue. He seemed to think his cousin and nephew were foolish.

"Senior Absolute Sword Hand. You're worse."

"What."

He ended up answering my surprise attack.

This time I heard the Gang Leader clicking his tongue.

What close relatives they were.

"You shouldn't have stepped forward. Your unusually large hands caught my eye."

"Ah."

When I had stormed into the Dragon Sword Gang, the Absolute Sword Hand had demanded a duel.

He had thought to save face by defeating me.

To create the atmosphere for a duel, he had clenched and unclenched his hands. Those large hands were clearly related to the martial arts he practiced, so I remembered them.

And lastly.

"Moreover, the Young Gang Leader screamed and even let me hear his voice, so it would be strange not to recognize you."

Earlier, the Young Gang Leader had been at the very front while throwing the short spear.

He had screamed unexpectedly upon seeing me.

"Come behind me."

Even the Gang Leader pulled the Young Gang Leader behind himself.

Now they stood before me in the order of Absolute Sword Hand, Gang Leader, and Young Gang Leader.

Meanwhile, the Absolute Sword Hand opened his mouth.

"I see. Your observation skills are truly excellent. But you know."

His eyes examined the space where we stood.

This place was narrow.

About half a zhang (1.5m).

Not a suitable place to swing a sword.

"I want to see your martial arts, not your observation skills."

So this was it after all.

Martial artists speak through martial arts.

"Won't you remove your masks?"

"You can't be helped, but we need to prepare for possible witnesses."

"Since you plan to kill me and eliminate all traces anyway?"

"Hehehehe."

The Absolute Sword Hand had readily suggested a duel even at the Dragon Sword Gang.

Meaning he was confident in his martial arts skills.

"Well, I prefer it that way too."

"Why do you prefer it?"

"Because it's more convenient to say I killed them without knowing they were the Dragon Sword Gang."

"!"

"Did you think you could do an assassin's work and get away clean?"

It was a sect that had built its name on the White Path.

I knew it was gradually becoming murkier, but to think they participated in such work behind the scenes.

There was no possibility they would return to their proper place.

"The Dragon Sword Gang will become a Black Path faction. For the safety of Luoyang, I'll clean things up here."

Wait.

Don't I not need to use honorifics anymore?

"No, I'll do it. Now you're no different from Black Path, so no more honorifics. You assassin bastards."

The Absolute Sword Hand laughed incredulously.

"Arrogant as ever. Too different from the rumors."

"I've been different since a few days ago, but anyway, it's got nothing to do with you three."

I lifted Mukheun.

When I infused the Eight Trigram Unity Technique, it hummed lowly—wuuung.

The Absolute Sword Hand also raised both hands with an even rougher aura and spread them wide.

"Right, let's settle the match we couldn't have at the Dragon Sword Gang here."

Starting from his palms, his entire hands turned bright red like heated iron.

The heat could be felt even without detecting it with the Eight Sensations.

If the Eight Trigram Unity Technique hadn't reached four stars, he would have been about half a step above me.

"A match. Good."

But right now, I was superior.

Contrary to his rough words, the Absolute Sword Hand took a defensive stance with his elbows bent and his hands positioned in front of his face and abdomen respectively.

Swish, swish.

Behind the Absolute Sword Hand, the Gang Leader's legs moved restlessly.

If I could read the opponent's footwork, I could anticipate the next move.

The Gang Leader seemed to plan to leap up and strike once I was locked in combat with the Absolute Sword Hand.

The Absolute Sword Hand's defensive stance meant he intended to catch Mukheun.

This half-zhang width was too narrow for a slashing attack. If I thrust, he planned to catch it.

'Then it'll be a slash.'

It didn't matter whether I attacked or the Absolute Sword Hand attacked.

I had to avoid getting locked in combat.

I operated the Xun Trigram Technique and leaped toward the Absolute Sword Hand.

Wagagagak.

I swung Mukheun sideways and cut through the wall as well.

Mukheun, infused with the Eight Trigram Unity Technique, sharply sliced through the stone wall.

And it was still fast.

"Gasp!"

The Absolute Sword Hand, even in his panic, turned his body and received Mukheun.

"Oh."

Seeing him receive Mukheun's sharp energy, the martial arts he had learned were no ordinary matter.

However, Mukheun had a thick blade. In other words, sharp energy and a blunt weapon.

Mukheun swung with inner power was no different from a club.

Kwaaaang.

I slammed the Absolute Sword Hand into the wall on the alley side.

Waruk.

Part of the wall crumbled as the Absolute Sword Hand was embedded in it.

"Hyung-nim! Damn it!"

Seeing his cousin the Absolute Sword Hand pushed back, the Gang Leader charged at me.

He probably hadn't expected the Absolute Sword Hand to be thrown back like this.

The Gang Leader hurriedly launched a sword strike to save the Absolute Sword Hand.

However, the sword strike launched with an already shaken mind was blocked by Mukheun.

"..."

"...Jin Yeomyeong."

Our gazes crossed.

Could the Gang Leader hold me off and buy time for the Absolute Sword Hand?

No.

If you had remained on the White Path, I would have held back.

"Gang Leader, die."

Mukheun thrust in.

The Gang Leader's sword struggled desperately to deflect it.

"Keuruk."

I was the victor.

And I didn't stop there.

"Young Gang Leader!"

I drew up my inner power and pushed the Gang Leader backward while Mukheun was still thrust through him.

"Uuk! Jin Yeomyeong!"

In the end, I pierced through the Young Gang Leader as well.

The Young Gang Leader, whose martial arts level was weaker than the Gang Leader's, died instantly.

In that moment, I kicked the Gang Leader's body, pulled out Mukheun, and turned around.

While pushing the Gang Leader and Young Gang Leader, I had passed the Absolute Sword Hand who was embedded in the wall.

"Ink Sword Hero, you bastard!"

Meanwhile, the Absolute Sword Hand, having extracted himself, burst out and extended both palms.

His two hands, heated to the extreme, looked fierce just from sight.

However.

Four stars of the Eight Trigram Unity Technique.

There was a method of utilizing wind's natural energy that I could display at this point in time.

"Mm?!"

The Absolute Sword Hand's hands deflected without even touching Mukheun.

"What is this? Wind?"

I created a small wind of a few inches around the sword or body to deflect the enemy's attacks.

This was the current application of the Xun Trigram Technique I could display.

"Take this."

One deflection was enough.

The Absolute Sword Hand's hands went in directions he hadn't expected.

The follow-up strike he had anticipated also went subtly awry.

Through that gap, Mukheun thrust in.

"Keurk!"

This time he concentrated his inner power and caught Mukheun.

However, he had no leeway to do anything with the sword.

We went straight into an inner power clash.

True to his alias of Absolute Sword Hand, his inner power was quite formidable.

Hot like molten iron overflowing from a furnace.

Fire energy.

"Can you withstand it?"

A fierce smile hung on his lips.

Indeed, Mukheun was heating up intensely.

"?"

Soon doubt appeared in the Absolute Sword Hand's eyes.

The Eight Trigram Unity Technique was fundamentally based on the natural energies of the eight trigrams.

Even without mastering each trigram technique, it possessed resistance.

Fire energy was the energy corresponding to the Li Trigram.

To burn me and win, his martial arts level had to be far higher than mine.

"..."

"..."

The inner power clash continued for a moment.

"Keurluk."

In the end, he coughed up blood.

"Kuhueok."

The blood-vomiting continued.

The Absolute Sword Hand fell to his knees.

"I couldn't... overwhelm you...?"

He looked up at me with an unbelieving face.

"Your martial arts were splendid."

"It's the Sun Heat Technique."

Sun Heat Technique. It hadn't reached the heat of the sun. He still had a long way to go as well.

Before turning away from him, I stopped because something weighed on my mind.

"Do you happen to know how Captain Zhu Hochong got his tail stepped on?"

I tossed one question over his slowly falling head.

***

After all the fighting had ended.

"Swift Wind's words weren't lies. Even someone like me who doesn't know martial arts can tell the Ink Sword Hero has learned divine arts."

Zhu Hochong walked out of the warehouse.

"You don't completely not know martial arts. Didn't you learn enough martial arts for self-defense?"

He flinched.

"How did you know?"

"It shows."

We had been together in the narrow warehouse.

While his mouth said to kill him, he hadn't given up resistance until the very end. Looking at his sitting posture and where he placed his arms, he had been preparing a single strike.

Zhu Hochong sighed.

"It would have been useless. I'm extremely fortunate you weren't an assassin."

"That seems to be correct."

"I want to express my gratitude immediately, but first we need to leave this place."

"Why is that?"

"If too much time passes, other assassins might come, don't you think?"

I extended my Eight Sensations beyond the wall.

The Eight Sensations allowed me to keenly sense natural energy.

Being able to keenly sense natural energy meant also becoming sensitive to all things belonging to nature.

There was no one approaching immediately.

"Don't you have even one escort?"

"When hiding like this, it's better alone. If you get scared and keep many escorts, you can't help but be noticed."

"You're bold."

"That too, but... I sent them all to be with my family."

He hadn't left Luoyang, and he had no escorts.

He was truly daring.

At that moment.

Tap, tap, tap.

The sound of forcefully kicking off the ground was heard.

Zhu Hochong's complexion changed.

"Ink Sword Hero. Someone's coming."

"I see."

However, I waited for the approaching person with a calm mind.

It was a footfall I had heard before.

Movement arts that wouldn't tire even traveling long distances.

"Ink Sword Hero?"

Swift Wind climbed up onto the alley wall, stood tall, and looked down inside.

"You came faster than expected. I caught the assassins."

Swift Wind came down and slowly looked at the Dragon Sword Gang members.

"Assassins came all the way here. My misjudgment..."

Then he spoke to Zhu Hochong.

"Captain Zhu, the magistrate has been arrested."

Right.

Because today was the day.

***

I entered through the inn's front door.

Boldly, as a customer.

Zhu Hochong planned to return to his trading company the moment the new magistrate's order came down.

However, before that, he said he would treat me during the short time until then.

We sat at a spacious table on the top floor.

"What dishes would you like to order?"

The waiter asked me.

To others' eyes, we would be one jianghu person and two beggars.

I pointed at Captain Zhu Hochong with my palm.

"Ask that person."

"Pardon?"

Zhu Hochong boldly ordered quite a large amount of food.

The waiter spoke to me as if he understood.

"It seems you're being treated, sir. I'll bring the dishes shortly."

I just smiled.

"Why did you save me?"

Before the food had arrived yet, Zhu Hochong asked.

I had a reason prepared.

"I also happened to know about the things you were doing, Captain Zhu."

Swift Wind tilted his head.

"You didn't show any sign of it in front of me though?"

"I'm sorry, but I deceived you."

"You did?"

Zhu Hochong laughed heartily.

"Swift Wind said the Ink Sword Hero was naive. But that friend got one over on you."

"My, I misjudged the Ink Sword Hero. I was completely had."

Now it was my turn to ask what I was curious about.

Zhu Hochong had lived with dirt smeared on his face.

A trading company leader had become a mere beggar living only by begging, so he hadn't caught people's attention.

I had asked the Absolute Sword Hand one last thing.

Whether he happened to know the reason Captain Zhu Hochong had been discovered.

According to his words, the dirt smeared on his face had washed off because he went outside on a rainy day.

"Why would someone so thorough do that?"

"...Carelessly?"

"You let your guard down?"

Zhu Hochong brought up an unexpected story.

"I built up my trading company and married late. I had a child late too. He's seven years old now."

"He must be adorable."

My mouth itched wanting to say I had just gained a son a few days ago.

"While doing beggar work here, there were quite a few young beggars, you see. I became close with them over half a year."

"And so?"

He gave a bitter smile.

"I became close enough to suddenly worry they might get caught in the rain on a rainy day, you see."

"Ah."

"I rushed out. I didn't even know I was doing it, but because of that, my tail got stepped on."

Even someone so bold and thorough that he hid inside Luoyang for half a year without any escorts.

"Because it reminded me of my own child."

Affection couldn't be helped.