Chapter 183
Chapter 183
＃1
8
3. <Rewriting the Sichuan Blood Massacre (3)>
The people from the Martial Academy whom Gu Jeongryong had absorbed were constantly bursting with complaints throughout the march.
For them, a schedule where they could officially skip classes and enjoy a trip had suddenly turned into a one-sided forced march, so in a way, it was only natural.
On top of that, children and adults were all the same, and no matter how grave the situation was said to be, Elder Suheo and Elder Sangwon’s complaints burst out about seven times a day. As he watched their extreme denial of reality, saying things like, ‘To think they are elders of the Martial Alliance.’ ‘It is probably false information.’ ‘What do you mean, the Evil Path in this day and age?’ ‘Jin Soun must be playing some trick,’ Gu Jeongryong could not stop cursing inwardly.
“Th, this cannot be…….” (Elder Suheo)
However, their complaints vanished completely when they met the academy students from Qingcheng and Emei. The members of the Righteous Path Association, led as if being escorted by the people of Twelve Peak Fortress, were truly defeated soldiers themselves.
There were few among them who could walk properly, and some were even being carried on stretchers.
After assigning some of his people to protect them, Gu Jeongryong increased their speed even more.
Suheo and Sangwon, who normally would have burst out in complaints about why they were going so urgently, kept their mouths firmly shut and matched the speed of Gu Jeongryong and Seungho Hall.
Before long, when they met the groups from Mount Hua and Kongtong, they could not help being aghast.
“Wh, what in the world happened?” (Elder Suheo)
“Elder So? You bastards! Where did Elder So go……?” (Elder Sangwon)
They must have fled in such a frenzy that there were countless academy students who had lost their swords, which were no different from a martial artist’s life.
The scale of the damage was twice as large as that of the academy students from Qingcheng and Emei, who were the Third (三)
Line.
“According to what we were clearly told by messenger. Clearly…… the damage was not this severe.” (Gu Jeongryong)
Damage far greater than expected.
Kongtong in particular had most of the academy students from its secular branch sects become crippled or lose their minds, and only some disciples of the Kongtong Sect were barely clinging to life.
“……
A, after we e, evacuated, we were a, a, a, attacked……, a, attacked……
again, sir.” (Academy student)
At the state of the academy student, who could not properly meet their eyes and kept stuttering, none of Gu Jeongryong, Suheo, or Sangwon, who were listening to the report, could relax their stiff expressions.
“If the Second (二)
Line is like this……. The damage to the First (一)
Line must be even greater.” (Gu Jeongryong)
“…….” (Elder Suheo)
Looking at the elders, who could not give any answer, Gu Jeongryong clicked his tongue.
“We will move first.” (Gu Jeongryong)
“Right now?” (Elder Suheo)
“We should move as quickly as possible. If we delay, who knows what might happen?” (Gu Jeongryong)
At Gu Jeongryong’s words, Suheo rolled his eyes around.
“If it is as you say and this place is like this, then ahead……” (Elder Suheo)
Suheo could not properly continue speaking.
At that sight, Gu Jeongryong’s face crumpled as much as it could.
“What is it you wish to say?” (Gu Jeongryong)
“……
Ahem!” (Elder Suheo)
“Could you please say it clearly?” (Gu Jeongryong)
“……
No, nothing.” (Elder Suheo)
Gu Jeongryong selected some people from Seungho Hall and the academy students and ordered them to move with the academy students belonging to Mount Hua and Kongtong to where the Qingcheng Sect members were.
Then he once again turned the lead and ran toward the place where the First (一)
Line was.
At that moment.
Ziiing──A strange voice pierced into Gu Jeongryong’s head as he ran with his senses maximized.
“Stop!” (Gu Jeongryong)
Seeing Gu Jeongryong urgently halt the march and step back, Gam Cheonak approached.
“Is, is that evil sorcery?” (Gam Cheonak)
“Can you feel it?” (Gu Jeongryong)
“My heart is pounding a little.” (Gam Cheonak)
“Can you break through that?” (Gu Jeongryong)
Gam Cheonak looked at Gu Jeongryong with delinquent eyes.
“What kind of dogshit are you talking about?” (Gam Cheonak)
“Did you just say ‘dogshit’?” (Gu Jeongryong)
“When did I?” (Gam Cheonak)
“……
So can you do it or not?” (Gu Jeongryong)
Gam Cheonak let out a long sigh.
“I will speak honestly. Even if we break through here and go in, will there be anyone alive ahead?” (Gam Cheonak)
If the state of the Third Group and Second Group was like this, the First Group would have suffered even greater damage.
Even if they were Shaolin and Diancang of all the world, with only academy students who had not yet received proper training, they would not have been able to endure that pandemonium.
Gu Jeongryong nodded, yet did not bend his will.
“I know that too. But Jin Soun went, did he not?” (Gu Jeongryong)
“…….” (Gam Cheonak)
“If he passed through that road, then we should at least show that we tried to go as well.” (Gu Jeongryong)
Gam Cheonak spoke as if muttering to himself.
“Hoo…… That damned bastard. Since all he has to do is give orders, he comes up with all kinds of strange excuses.” (Gam Cheonak)
“What, you punk?” (Gu Jeongryong)
Gam Cheonak shrugged his shoulders with a brazen expression.
“I did not say anything.” (Gam Cheonak)
“…….” (Gu Jeongryong)
Gam Cheonak looked at the red current wavering before his eyes and said,
“Doesn’t the trap formation look somewhat unstable?” (Gam Cheonak)
“It seems it cannot properly block the upper side.” (Gu Jeongryong)
“That is fortunate, at least.” (Gam Cheonak)
“Can you do it?” (Gu Jeongryong)
Gam Cheonak’s dry gaze turned to Gu Jeongryong’s face.
“You told me to crack it. Then I have to crack it.” (Gam Cheonak)
Gam Cheonak looked back.
“Hey! About four of you come out!” (Gam Cheonak)
No sooner had Gam Cheonak finished speaking than four Seungho Hall members stepped forward.
“We have to pass through here. You guys are fine with that, right?” (Gam Cheonak)
“……
You want us to pass through this ominous thing?” (Seungho Hall member)
The expressions of the Seungho Hall members were not much different from Gam Cheonak’s.
As though he had expected this, Gam Cheonak nodded and pointed at Gu Jeongryong.
“Yeah. That damned…… no, the Hall Leader wants us to pass through here.” (Gam Cheonak)
“He’s a completely crazy bastard…….” (Seungho Hall member)
“Isn’t he a total nutcase?” (Seungho Hall member)
Gu Jeongryong, who had been listening to the conversation from the side, lowered his voice.
“I am standing right next to you, you bastards.” (Gu Jeongryong)
“……
Good grief, why is he eavesdropping on his subordinates?” (Seungho Hall member)
Amid the murmuring Seungho Hall members, Gam Cheonak clapped his hands and focused their attention.
“In any case, we have to pass through here. Know that.” (Gam Cheonak)
“What do we get if we pass through?” (Seungho Hall member)
Gam Cheonak glanced at Gu Jeongryong, scratched his cheek, and said,
“If we pass through here and save Jin Soun, that guy will buy you a Sichuan specialty called ‘Pasa Jeryeong.’” (Gam Cheonak)
“Ohhh!!” (Seungho Hall members)
The atmosphere reversed in an instant.
“Pasa Jeryeong!! Just hearing the name makes it sound delicious!” (Seungho Hall member)
“I’ve never heard of a dish called Pasa Jeryeong before! As expected, you have to be friends with rich people!” (Seungho Hall member)
Looking at the delighted Seungho Hall members, Gam Cheonak also smiled brightly.
“Seriously, what idiots…….” (Gam Cheonak)
While even Gu Jeongryong agreed with Gam Cheonak’s words and looked pathetically at the excited Seungho Hall members,
Gam Cheonak tapped the acupoints of the four people.
“From now on, I’m going to paralyze your sight and sense of touch. You’ll probably hear hallucinations. Ignore those as much as possible and move only according to telepathy.” (Gam Cheonak)
“Understood!” (Seungho Hall members)
Gam Cheonak looked at Gu Jeongryong.
“Please begin.” (Gam Cheonak)
“……
Be careful.” (Gu Jeongryong)
“If you are that worried, Hall Leader, you should……” (Gam Cheonak)
“I trust you!” (Gu Jeongryong)
Gu Jeongryong quickly paralyzed Gam Cheonak’s sight and sense of touch.
Tak, tatak, tatatak.
With his acupoints tapped, Gam Cheonak brought his hand before his own eyes and waved it.
Then he gave Gu Jeongryong the middle finger.
“Hall Leader, what am I doing right now?” (Gam Cheonak)
“Clear insubordination.” (Gu Jeongryong)
“Oh! Is that so? I couldn’t see, so I didn’t know.” (Gam Cheonak)
Gam Cheonak, who had flipped off Gu Jeongryong, drew his sword.
Gu Jeongryong quickly climbed up a tree, looked at the trap formation, and gave instructions.
-Keep going! It just curved to the right. Turn left again and go forward! (Gu Jeongryong)
At Gu Jeongryong’s instructions, the Seungho Hall members began moving all at once.
Inside the trap formation, the blood-robed men from before appeared.
Gu Jeongryong shouted urgently.
-An enemy! (Gu Jeongryong)
Then telepathy came from Gam Cheonak.-Don’t just say ‘an enemy!’ Tell us the location! How are we supposed to operate together when this is so damn frustrating! (Gam Cheonak)
Gu Jeongryong thought, Oops, while cursing inwardly. ‘That bastard…….’ The Seungho Hall members unfolded their swords accurately according to Gu Jeongryong’s instructions.
Chaechaechaechaechaechang!
At this bizarre state of theirs, not only the academy students but even the elders stared blankly.
Keoeok!
Aaaak!
Keuk!
Fortunately, there were not many blood-robed men, and all of them were in poor condition.
They were in a situation where they were no match for avoiding Seungho Hall’s blades, which were like lightning.
After the final blood-robed man who had launched a surprise attack finally became a lonely soul at Gam Cheonak’s hands, no further attacks occurred.
The Seungho Hall members, who had passed through the trap formation according to Gu Jeongryong’s instructions, recovered their senses, starting with Gam Cheonak.
They began running at full speed toward the place where the sorcerers were.
After they even took down the blood-robed men who had been protecting the sorcerers at the end, they eliminated all the sorcerers.
And when they broke the tools the sorcerers had installed, the ominous trap formation that had been blocking the road vanished as if washed away.
Gam Cheonak, who returned to the unit, tilted his head and said,
“Somehow, those guys’ condition was a bit strange.” (Gam Cheonak)
“What was?” (Gu Jeongryong)
“It looked like they’d been beaten up somewhere, or like they hadn’t slept for several days. Leaving their qi aside, for bastards who have been carrying out slaughter until now, their killing intent was dull.” (Gam Cheonak)
Gu Jeongryong’s brow also furrowed before he knew it.
“Now that you mention it, there is also a big difference from the number of assailants the survivors mentioned.” (Gu Jeongryong)
“Could something have happened before we arrived?” (Gam Cheonak)
“……
We will find out if we go.” (Gu Jeongryong)
Seungho Hall and the academy students began picking up speed once again.
The sight they then encountered was a brutal battlefield.
“Heavens…….” (Academy student)
“What is this…….” (Academy student)
“Did a real war break out?” (Academy student)
There were so many corpses that even those Seungho Hall members were aghast.
On the ground, blood flowed like streams as though the monsoon rains had fallen, and corpses were strewn about as commonly as stones.
“No one lower your guard!” (Gam Cheonak)
At Gam Cheonak’s command, the Seungho Hall members spread out in all directions in a disciplined manner.
Gu Jeongryong also approached the site of the brutal battle. ‘Huh?’ But the states of the corpses were strange.
The blood-robed men were those who had attacked the academy students, so that was understandable, but the clothing of those who had died together with them was, no matter how generously he looked at it, difficult to see as belonging to the Righteous Path Association, the Martial Academy’s elite. ‘Bandits……?’ It was common for their clothes to be all different, and some bastards were covering their bodies with animal hides.
In severe cases, some were not wearing anything on their upper bodies at all.
“They seem to be bastards from a nearby Green Forest Bandits keep.” (Gam Cheonak)
At Gam Cheonak’s words, Gu Jeongryong made a dumbfounded expression.
“Why would bandit bastards be here?” (Gu Jeongryong)
“……
How would I know?” (Gam Cheonak)
“What in the world is going on?” (Gu Jeongryong)
If the enemy was not limited to the unidentified blood-robed men, the situation was more serious.
“Will you continue going?” (Gam Cheonak)
If an enemy that used evil sorcery and even a Green Forest Bandits keep of overwhelming scale swarmed in together, there was no knowing what would happen.
No matter how valiant Seungho Hall was, there were things they could do and things they could not do.
Gam Cheonak’s cold voice rang out around them.
“If we keep going, we will be in danger as well.” (Gam Cheonak)
“…….” (Gu Jeongryong)
Looking at Gu Jeongryong, who gave no answer, he opened his mouth again.
“Unfortunately, Jin Soun too……” (Gam Cheonak)
At that moment, a Seungho Hall member standing guard shouted loudly.
“Unidentified personnel are approaching!” (Seungho Hall member)
Gu Jeongryong, who had been lost in thought, snapped his head up.
What if the blood-robed men who had dealt with the First Group were coming here?
Or what if the Green Forest bandits of unknown reason were coming?
“Everyone, prepare for battle!!!” (Gu Jeongryong)
At the same time as Gu Jeongryong’s shout, the Seungho Hall members gathered all at once and drew their swords.
Chaechaechaechaechaechaechang!
Though no one had told them to, all the Seungho Hall members formed the Blue Dragon Crescent Formation, and the academy students, overwhelmed by this momentum, each swallowed nervously and carefully drew their swords.
“Hoo…….” (Someone)
Amid the silence, where the sound of someone’s sigh rang loudly in their ears,
the unidentified personnel began appearing one by one before their eyes. ‘What kind of combination is that?’ The combination of those standing at the front was peculiar.
Someone held a bow, another had a massive build, and one person was a woman.
And the man standing in the middle held a bundle the size of a watermelon in his hand.
Gu Jeongryong, who had sharpened his eyesight to confirm the other party, let out an incredulous exclamation.
“Jin Soun?” (Gu Jeongryong)
Gam Cheonak poked his head out and looked ahead.
“Huh? It really is him. The kids behind him seem to belong to Shaolin and Diancang.” (Gam Cheonak)
“…….” (Gu Jeongryong)
Perhaps Jin Soun had discovered this side as well, for he leisurely waved his hand.
At that sight, even Gam Cheonak, who was famous for usually having no expression, let out a hollow laugh.
“He really is an incredible bastard. In this pandemonium……” (Gam Cheonak)
His gaze would not leave Jin Soun.
“He really did save them in the end.” (Gam Cheonak)
As Gam Cheonak let out an exclamation and put away his sword,
Gu Jeongryong spoke quietly.
“Hey, there was a bastard who said unidentified personnel just now, right?” (Gu Jeongryong)
“Yes.” (Gam Cheonak)
“Beat that bastard up a little.” (Gu Jeongryong)
“……
Understood.” (Gam Cheonak)
Gu Jeongryong, releasing the tension that had been pulled taut, let out a long sigh.
He looked at Jin Soun with newly amazed eyes.
The damage to the Second Line and Third Line was severe, yet the damage to the First Line did not actually seem that great.
Judging from the site of the battle, it seemed they had broken through even the blood-robed men and the Green Forest Bandits as they advanced.
That bastard, just as he had said.
Had saved his people and returned.
It was utterly unbelievable. ‘This is something a mere academy student did?’ Though the Black Flame Dragon was counted as one of the murim’s new stars, no matter what, this was not an achievement that a murim new star could accomplish. ‘What on earth is that bastard?’ Though he had decided to help Jin Soun at the request of Maeng Juwon, Gu Jeongryong found his curiosity about Jin Soun somehow growing even stronger.