Chapter 111
Chapter 111. Black Path Night March
THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD.
Seong Mo-ran struck the dirt floor.
Each time her hand swung down, clumps of earth scattered, and blood streamed from her hand, but neither Namgung Seon-hwa nor Cho Mu-bin could step forward.
“Damn it.”
Everyone knew that the only way she had to vent the rage burning inside her as if it would burst was to wound her own hands, so they all waited in silence.
“Haaah......”
Everyone who had heard Yong So-ah’s story felt much the same as Seong Mo-ran.
Being treated as a useless disposable tool could only leave a deep wound on anyone.
“Haa......”
After leaving both her hands covered in wounds, Seong Mo-ran sat blankly for a moment before catching her breath.
“Young Master Jin.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll stay here.”
“......”
Seong Mo-ran took a small pouch from her robes, the contents rattling inside.
“I knew you have been overexerting yourself all this time, Young Master Jin. So even if you leave me behind, please do not feel guilty.”
After saying that, Seong Mo-ran buried her head between her knees.
No one could point a finger at Seong Mo-ran and call her irresponsible.
When Geum-pyo met Eun-ho and Dong-ryong’s gazes, he nodded and stepped forward.
“Senior Brother, I think it is already enough that we made it this far.”
Geum-pyo placed the Entry Tokens they had received at Jin So-un’s feet and turned away.
“......”
Namgung Seon-hwa gazed steadily at Jin So-un.
“I don’t want to end it like this.”
The words Dang Seo-hui had spoken so indifferently lingered in her ears.
-It would not be strange if he died at any moment.
More than the helplessness of being unable to do anything for a good person, the guilt of having held him back until now weighed down on her heart.
“Young Master Jin.”
“......”
Jin So-un’s expression remained unreadable.
“Young Master Jin, you could reach the Murim Academy alone, could you not?”
That mysterious Movement Art of his. That extraordinary Movement Art, one even the Namgung Clan had never seen before, might be able to take him there. She allowed herself to hope.
“Could you please go alone, without borrowing the strength of the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly?”
She could not bring herself to finish the sentence that even she knew was unreasonable, and instead placed her own Entry Token at Jin So-un’s feet.
“......”
A silence colder than ice settled over them.
Everyone had been waiting only for the exam to end.
Once the exam ended, they had promised one another they would sleep for seven days and nights, eat for seven days and nights, and stay drunk for seven days and nights.
But even knowing that the exam had ended, not one of them showed any sign of joy.
Because no one could have wanted an ending like this.
Namgung Seon-hwa turned, intending to go sit beside Seong Mo-ran.
“Why is everyone giving up so easily?”
“......!”
Before she realized it, her head snapped around.
Jin So-un lightly kicked the Entry Tokens lying at his feet.
“Did all of you run all the way here to see a result like this?”
“......”
“I will not go with Yong So-ah.”
“......”
“And I will not go alone, either.”
“......”
Namgung Seon-hwa felt her heart beating faster.
His words settled deep inside her chest.
The things she would have thought it only natural to choose, he rejected as if they were nothing.
Those actions, selfishly enough, gave her an overwhelming sense of relief.
They gave her warmth.
Even in a situation where she felt she might collapse and die at any moment, they gave her strength.
“......Stop being so stubborn.”
Seong Mo-ran lifted her head, both eyes swollen.
“You know very well that this isn’t a death line we can cross through willpower or effort.”
Namgung Seon-hwa nodded in agreement with that opinion.
The feelings welling up in her chest were one matter, and reason was another. Reason had to say what needed to be said.
“More than anything, they said your physical condition is not good, Young Master Jin. If Senior Seo-hui said that, then we should assume it is even more serious.”
After listening, Jin So-un looked around and spoke.
“......So, do you want to give up?”
“......”
“I am asking whether you simply want to stop here and end it.”
At his indifferent words, Seong Mo-ran burst out in anger.
“Who wants to give up? After suffering this, after being treated like this, who would want to give up?! I want to go too! I want to shove those bastard examinees aside, push those plunderer bastards away, and smear mud across the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly’s face!”
In the end, Seong Mo-ran could not hide her tears and burst into sobs.
“......Hic.”
Seong Mo-ran tried to act as if nothing was wrong and roughly wiped away her tears.
And toward her, Jin So-un spoke indifferently.
“Then let us go.”
“......Haa. Seriously.”
Seong Mo-ran glared at Jin So-un with sharp eyes.
“I told you...... This is no longer something willpower or......”
“I am saying this because there is another way.”
“......”
“One way.”
Jin So-un raised his index finger.
“There is one method left. A way for all of us to reach the Murim Academy safely.”
“Trading with the people who have been chasing us all this time? Do you think they would accept that now? All of the Nine Sects and One Gang......”
“No. Of course I will not trade with them. Nor will I trade with the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly.”
“......”
“......”
“......”
Not only Seong Mo-ran, but everyone stared blankly at Jin So-un.
“......Of course, it is something none of you will be eager to do......”
As Jin So-un’s explanation continued, everyone slowly opened their mouths.
“......”
And in the end, they could not close their mouths, which had fallen open as wide as basins.
“......You crazy bastard......”
Namgung Seon-hwa was startled by the curse that came from Seong Mo-ran’s mouth.
Until now, she had often said things like ‘crazy’ and ‘out of his mind,’ but she had never singled him out as a ‘crazy bastard.’
“......”
But when Namgung Seon-hwa thought about what she had just heard, she felt that it was accurate.
“......Madman.”
And she agreed in a slightly softened form.
“It reeks.”
GRIND.
For some reason, So Je-ho, whose eye had swollen like a bruised chestnut, ground his teeth.
“Speak from farther away.”
Dang Seo-hui pinched her nose and waved him away with her hand.
So Je-ho was about to say, ‘You bitch, you are the one who made me like this!’ but he pressed his anger down.
If he caused another commotion here, he might really end up shitting blood throughout the entire journey with the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly.
“They set out again.”
At So Je-ho’s words, Yong So-ah tilted his head.
“Truly?”
“A bastard with nothing to his name has quite the pride, does he not? Hahahaha.”
So Je-ho smiled as he imagined the gloomy future that lay ahead of Jin So-un, but no one joined in.
No, with only Yong So-ah and Dang Seo-hui there in the first place, expecting anyone to join in was itself unreasonable.
“The direction?”
“Why does the direction matter? No matter where they go, an enemy will be blocking them anyway. In other words, it is Chu songs on all sides, with enemies surrounding them from every direction.”
“The stink is quoting idioms.”
Even when So Je-ho glared at Dang Seo-hui, who had suddenly cut in, she did not seem to care at all.
Yong So-ah asked again.
“The direction?”
“They turned southeast again. It was probably to avoid Wudang.”
“Southeast...... The Dabie Mountains?”
“They fled the tiger only to enter a lesser dragon’s maw.”
“I ask you to track them.”
“That is why they should have listened to us from the start...... Hm?”
“Track Jin So-un’s group.”
“The stink has gone deaf, too.”
“That damn...... Hoo. Is there any need to track them? They are finished anyway.”
“I am curious where the Entry Tokens they carry will go.”
“......Understood.”
At Yong So-ah’s words, So Je-ho let out a small sigh and turned around.
After So Je-ho disappeared, only Yong So-ah and Dang Seo-hui remained in the field.
Both of them were naturally taciturn, so when only the two of them were together, silence hanging between them was ordinary.
But for once, Dang Seo-hui spoke first.
“My grandfather acknowledged you.”
Even after hearing that he had been acknowledged by the Poison King Dang Hyeok-je, Yong So-ah’s expression did not change.
“That is why I have been moving together with your will.”
“......”
“But after seeing Jin So-un, my thoughts have changed. Is what you are trying to accomplish truly the method that saves the greatest number of people?”
Words carrying an emotionless feeling reached a person with an emotionless expression.
Even with his sincerity being questioned, the impassive man showed no stir of emotion.
“It is.”
“Then why did Jin So-un try to go with everyone, while you tried to save only Jin So-un?”
“Because he dreams a vain dream, while I pursue practical gain.”
Dang Seo-hui’s brow furrowed.
With her short stature and already young-looking appearance, even that frown looked like a cute sulk.
But there was no one here whose emotions responded to this side of her.
“He may seem to be saving several dozen people right now, but he himself has let slip the chance to save tens of thousands, no, perhaps millions.”
Dang Seo-hui, who had been nodding while listening to Yong So-ah, muttered.
“That is quite the problem.”
“It is no great matter. What will happen will happen anyway.”
“No, that is not what I mean.”
Yong So-ah gazed steadily at Dang Seo-hui.
“If Jin So-un leads all his people and enters the Murim Academy, will that not become a problem for you?”
“......”
“In the end, it will prove that your words were wrong.”
Yong So-ah, who had never frowned in his life, seemed to have been furrowing his brow often lately.
“That cannot happen.”
“How are you so certain?”
“Because even if I entered that group right now, it would be impossible for me to lead all of those people to Wuhan.”
Dang Seo-hui drew out a small, pale hand hidden inside her sleeve, placed it on her chin, and nodded.
“Mm, hm, hmmm. Perhaps, hmmm...... Perhaps what they say in Jianghu is right.”
When Dang Seo-hui muttered to herself, Yong So-ah asked.
“What are you thinking?”
“If Jin So-un reaches the Murim Academy with those group members, it will prove that the Black Flame Dragon is far superior to Yong So-ah, just as Jianghu says.”
“......What is impossible for me......”
“Jin So-un already proved it once on the Demon Spirit Plateau.”
“......”
“Jin So-un has accomplished something Yong So-ah could not.”
“Run! Run! Don’t look at anything, just run!”
Kang Seo-pyo, Cho Mu-bin, and Baek Won-gak ran madly at the very front.
“Anyone who cannot keep up, just give up and return to your clan! We no longer need you bastards!”
“If they try to search your body for your Entry Token, let them do as they please! Do not get yourself killed putting on a pointless show!”
“This is not a war! So there is no need to risk your lives!”
The three Captains spoke in turn, but none of the warriors dropped out along the way.
They all chased after them as if their lives depended on it.
“Fuck, as if that is even a thing to say.”
“If something terrible happens to the young lady, who do they think will take responsibility?”
“It’d be better to die chasing after her.”
Of course, they did not forget to mutter quietly from behind.
The warriors were not the only ones who kept muttering.
Murong Jae-hwa also could not stop muttering.
“If I go back to the clan, I’m dead.”
Namgung Seon-hwa, who was running beside him, offered words of comfort.
“Still, your grandfather likes eccentric behavior, so there might be room for leniency. But I might really be cut from the family register.”
Murong Jae-hwa reacted fiercely to the words she had offered as comfort.
“Elder Sister, how can you say that? I was ready to be cut from the family register the moment I picked up this bow.”
“Who told you to pick up a bow? Exactly, you should have diligently learned your clan’s sword instead. Why did you do something so pointless?”
“Wow...... You were so pleased when you got to sleep for four whole hours thanks to me, and now...... I’m truly disappointed. Disappointed, Elder Sister!”
The Dabie Mountains slowly began to appear at the end of the road.
Once they crossed those Dabie Mountains, they would be in Hubei Province, but large groups of people began flickering into view along the road that ran through Hubei Province.
“If you two have that much energy, why don’t you go up front?”
“......”
“......”
At Seong Mo-ran’s sharp words, they clamped their mouths shut.
“I’m the one who is truly finished. Our clan line is going to end because of my idiot older brother and me.”
“......”
“I should have run away the moment we first started doing something insane.”
Regret was always late, no matter how soon it came.
Once one had climbed onto a tiger’s back, one could not jump off whenever one wished.
“They’re coming!”
The people at the front announced that a clash was imminent.
Their opponents slowly reduced their speed and prepared for battle.
“Raise your speed!”
People were not horses, so there was no way urging them on should make them go faster, but strangely enough, everyone in Jin So-un’s group began to raise their speed little by little.
The moment the enormous unit and the small unit collided.
Dozens of sword fragments flew in all directions, and screams rang out from every side.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.
While the Taeul Sect party swung their swords desperately, the warriors of Mount Hua and Diancang had formed a Sword Formation and were not overexerting themselves at all.
They were elite warriors whose admission to the Murim Academy had been decided from the beginning.
On the other hand, the other side was no more than a wounded beast that had been chased for weeks without even sleeping properly.
“Change direction!!”
Jin So-un’s voice rang out thunderously.
The warriors who had been facing the Sword Formation immediately changed direction and headed toward Damang County.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.
Since the people blocking the road knew that Jin So-un’s group had to pass through the road occupied by Mount Hua and Diancang in order to reach Hubei Province, they flinched.
“Run!”
Moreover, since they knew that Damang County was a place where three Black Path sects were gathered, their hesitation grew even greater.
Jin So-un’s group used that brief opening and ran as if their lives depended on it.
WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH.
Elites were still elites.
Through that brief opening, they sent Flying Swords and managed to wound them.
“Urgh!”
“Hey, are you all right?!”
“I-I’m fine!”
“If you’re not fine, just fall behind!”
“No, you bastard!”
It was the final chance created by a brief opening.
Namgung Seon-hwa, Murong Jae-hwa, Seong Mo-ran, the Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers, and everyone else cast aside every worry they had carried until now and squeezed even the last bit of strength left in their souls as they ran toward their destination.
“Huh?”
“C-Catch them!”
“Pursue them!”
The elite warriors who reacted too late chased after them with lightning speed.
Compared to theirs, my feet felt terribly slow, but all I could do now was step forward desperately without looking back.
But running in a daze meant that one could truly trip over even a small stone right in front of one’s eyes.
TAP.
THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD.
Namgung Seon-hwa rolled across the ground, covering her entire body in dirt, but even the warriors of the Namgung Clan had already gone too far to stop for her.
“Go! Just go!”
The moment the Mount Hua warriors who had caught up to her were about to engulf Namgung Seon-hwa.
SHRRRRK.
Jin So-un threw himself backward and spread the Black Dragon Sword like the ribs of a fan.
Dozens of swords appeared in every direction, and the Mount Hua warriors bloomed hundreds of plum blossoms.
Every time a plum blossom touched an illusion sword, the illusion sword vanished helplessly.
The sword shadows that had appeared as if filling the air disappeared in an instant like that, and the hundreds of plum blossoms tried to engulf Namgung Seon-hwa as they were.
“Aaaah-!”
THWACK, THWACK, THWACK.
Along with the sound of blood and flesh bursting out, Namgung Seon-hwa felt her body float into the air.
Then she saw Jin So-un in front of her, bleeding as he held her in his arms.
At the sight of him, Namgung Seon-hwa’s chest swelled, and unable to choose what to say, she simply blurted out anything.
“I told you to just go.”
“......You may enter as you please, but you may not leave as you please.”
Jin So-un’s movement faltered several times.
His speed was not what it used to be, either.
Even so, it was not slow enough for the Mount Hua warriors to reach him.
“You crazy bastards! That way leads to Black Path sects, the sworn enemies of the Orthodox Path!”
“W-What? Have those bastards all gone insane?”
“Hey! You’ll all die if you go that way!”
The desperate shouts of the Mount Hua warriors came from behind them.
“Let us go.”
After catching up to the group, Jin So-un stood at the very front and smashed without hesitation through the main gate of Four Emperors Peak, known as one of the strongest sects of the Black Path.
CRASH.
The warriors of the Orthodox Path sects who watched Jin So-un’s group all gaped at the same time.
“Insane......”