Chapter 4
"In truth, on this street..."
But just as the courtesan Hyang-I was about to open her mouth,
"Kyaaah!"
A sudden, sharp scream rang out from the alley across the way.
When Jaseong turned his head in that direction, he saw men with savage expressions threatening the courtesans.
"If you're told to follow, you follow! How dare a mere courtesan defy our big brother's orders!"
"Looks like there are still some girls who need more lessons. Hehehe."
Twelve men surrounded three courtesans in a loose circle.
They were armed with swords, sabers, axes, and other weapons at their waists.
The unusual thing was, their appearance was much like that of a bandit gang.
"Jaseong! Come over here and hide! You mustn't be seen by those men!"
"Who are those guys?"
"They're bandits!"
"... Bandits?"
Jaseong found this utterly perplexing.
Aren't bandits supposed to be bandits because they're in the mountains?
So why had these mountain bandits descended all the way to the Red Light District?
"The Red Light District used to be run by the Dark Path thugs of the Black Crow Hall, you know? But three months ago, when the martial artists of the Murim Alliance invaded, all those Dark Path thugs were either killed or crippled."
"......!"
"At first, the Red Light District merchants were secretly glad that those Black Crow Hall guys who always extorted money were gone... But hardly had the rumor spread about Black Crow Hall's disappearance, when the bandits of Iron Ring Fortress came down from the mountaintop. Turns out, collecting protection money in the Red Light District is far more lucrative than plundering up in the mountains."
... Iron Ring Fortress.
Having wandered the Central Plains for years as a junior guard, Jaseong knew well what sort of people were from Iron Ring Fortress.
There are two kinds of bandits.
One type fears repercussions and only robs for money, sparing lives.
The other kind are fiends who kill without hesitation and are even involved in human trafficking.
Iron Ring Fortress belonged to the latter.
And their martial arts skills far surpassed those of normal bandits.
That's why even skilled escort warriors avoided going deep into Iron Ring Mountain.
"Did you report it to the authorities?"
"When have the government soldiers ever bothered to care about a run-down Red Light District like this?"
"......."
"The Red Light District merchants did report it, and a few officers came, but all they did was take a quick look around and leave. Maybe they were scared stiff by those Iron Ring Fortress bandits, or maybe they were bribed..."
Just as even weeds have their uses, in hindsight, even the Black Path thugs who used to extort protection money from the Red Light District brothels weren't completely useless.
Maybe it was precisely because those Dark Path thugs were around that these even more vicious Iron Ring Fortress bandits couldn't come down before.
"Anyway, Jaseong, just follow me for now. I'll show you a hiding place."
"?"
"You mustn't be seen by those men! They slaughter boys of your age without hesitation!"
Hyang-I grabbed Jaseong by the sleeve and hurriedly pulled him along.
She brought Jaseong into Moon Castle Pavilion, then shoved him inside a closet.
"Just hide here for now."
"For how long?"
"Until those bandits leave quietly."
"And if they don't leave quietly?"
"Don't worry. If we wait a little, the sword unit from the Hao Sect will come."
"...the Hao Sect's sword unit?"
Jaseong was curious, but couldn't ask any further.
Unfortunately,
BANG!
The bandits strutting down the street just happened to barge right into the same Moon Castle Pavilion where Jaseong and Hyang-I were hiding.
"Hey! Do you know what time it is and you haven't even lit the lanterns yet?!"
"Bring us the wine, right now!"
Peeking through a crack in the closet door, Jaseong could see the scene outside.
A dozen bandits were pouring into Moon Castle Pavilion.
The giant, who seemed to be their leader, was dragging in the head of one of the courtesans he'd been threatening in the street.
Witnessing this, Hyang-I trembled visibly.
"What are you waiting for? When a guest arrives, you should bring wine and snacks, shouldn't you?"
"Ah, we're still getting ready for business, great hero. The madam and the junior girls haven't come in yet..."
"Don't you know who I am?"
SLAM!!
The giant bandit smashed the wooden table to pieces with overwhelming internal energy.
The sight was so brutal, Hyang-I trembled like a leaf in the wind.
"I'll warn you just once. Bring out the courtesans immediately. And you, sit at my left."
"Huh...?"
"I said, are you deaf? Why do you keep making me repeat myself?!"
Hearing the giant's words, Hyang-I recalled what her big sis had said.
What kind of horrors befell those who tended the drinks of Iron Ring Fortress bandits...
'The Hao Sect said they'd send their top experts today... When are they getting here...?'
With a desperate face, Hyang-I kept glancing at the entrance of Moon Castle Pavilion.
But there was no sign of anyone arriving.
Just then—
* * *
BANG!
Suddenly, the closet door flew open.
At the same moment, the giant's expression twisted in confusion.
"... Who are you, brat?"
Seeing Jaseong suddenly pop out of the closet, the giant asked.
His subordinates followed with sneers.
"Hm. By the look of that Adam's apple, he's definitely male... but he's got a prettier face than many courtesans."
"I hear in the Southern Central Plains there are male courtesans, looks like there are nasty types like that even here."
"If we catch him and sell him to the old rich men in the male brothels, we'll make a tidy profit! They pay whatever is asked for a pretty boy, don't they? Heh heh."
And with that, filthy banter was exchanged among the bandits.
Even more repulsive were the greedy looks they cast on Jaseong.
It was clear they actually intended to sell him off to wealthy patrons in the male brothels.
But just as the bandits' jeers continued, Jaseong did something no one expected.
Schwing―
He drew the sword at his waist.
"Ja, Jaseong...!"
At that moment, it wasn't just Hyang-I—every courtesan and the madam hiding above in Moon Castle Pavilion opened their eyes wide.
Drawing a sword in front of twelve bandits.
Anyone could see it was madness.
How could Jaseong possibly face so many bandits alone?
What's more, Jaseong had never learned a single sword technique.
Even if he had forged a dantian of heavenly clay with the sword immortal's internal cultivation method, he hadn't yet learned any of the actual martial skills required for battle.
Nevertheless, with sword in hand, Jaseong showed not a flicker of fear, only a serene calm.
'If I cower before a bunch of bandit scum and do nothing... I'll never be able to take revenge on my real enemies, not in a lifetime.'
And the courtesans and staff of Moon Castle Pavilion, including Hyang-I, were like family to his late sister-in-law.
'... So I'll cut them all down. All this trash in front of me.'
Of course, seeing Jaseong draw his sword, the bandits could only laugh derisively.
"Give it a rest. With a stance that sloppy, you couldn't even cut a stray dog passing by."
"I was going to hand you over gently, but I guess I'll have to slice a few tendons before that."
The bandits grinned cruelly as they closed in on Jaseong, like wolves closing in on their prey.
Before them, Jaseong stood perfectly still, sword raised.
It almost seemed his body had frozen from sheer tension.
"Big brother. I—Donghu—will bring that brat over."
A wiry bald man stepped up, a long sword in each hand—clearly quick and dangerous.
In the next instant,
SHWAAK!
The bald bandit, Donghu, dashed at Jaseong with blinding speed, swinging his dual swords.
His attack was so fast that even a decent martial instructor would barely have fended it off.
'If Donghu stepped up, that kid's tendons are as good as gone.'
'Should've just come quietly when we offered. Heh heh.'
But just as the bandits were smirking—
KAAAANG!!!!
What happened next was completely unexpected.
Jaseong instinctively stepped back half a pace and knocked aside the flying dual swords.
But it didn't end there.
Shlk!
In a flash, Jaseong's blade pierced straight through the bald bandit's neck.
He had spun his body half a turn, counterattacking with minimum movement.
"Grrkkkk?!"
The bandit crumpled, disbelief written across his face.
"What... was that?"
"Donghu was taken out...? By that kid?!"
The other bandits watching from behind were equally stunned.
The boy's stance was a mess; he clearly had never learned any real martial arts.
And yet, he'd just cut down a skilled Iron Ring Fortress bandit.
With a single blow.
No wonder the bandits were in utter disbelief.
The secret to Jaseong's extraordinary feat was simple.
Sssss—
When he activated the Samadhi Eyes, time seemed to slow down.
At that instant, the twin swords that would have come at him blindingly fast looked as though they were crawling in slow motion.
As if they were frozen still.
That wasn't all.
Donghu's intention exploded out as a thread of red energy, which Jaseong saw flying toward him.
Thanks to that—
'... I can see it. At this level, I can manage.'
Within the Samadhi State, Jaseong could see the opponent's blade path perfectly.
He could unerringly spot the opening, and counterstrike with precision.
Moreover, Jaseong's strength and speed were far greater than those of the bandits.
Jaseong had mastered the Heavenly Clay cultivation.
The Sword Immortal, Lü Dongbin, worshipped as the greatest master of all ages.
Since it was an internal energy method he devised, even with a sliver of its power, it could unleash explosive energy and perfectly harness nature's external ki—yielding incredible, pure strength.
So, compared to the dantian forged by third-rate techniques, what the bandits wielded wasn't even in the same league.
"This brat just got lucky!"
"Pay for what you did to Donghu!"
Now, two bandits charged in at once.
With both sword and axe swinging, the danger multiplied.
SWISH— SWISH!
But thanks to the Samadhi Eyes slowing time, Jaseong found a ghostly escape route, easily evading both bandits' attacks.
Then—
SLASH! SLASH!!
He sliced both their throats in an instant.
It was jaw-dropping for everyone present.
"A-all together—get him!"
The giant bellowed, his voice breaking with panic.
With that, the remaining nine bandits all rushed in at once.
At that moment, Jaseong's gaze grew chilling and deep.
'Facing nine bandits at once when I don't even know a sword or footwork form... Not easy. So...'