Kang Sogun

"Brother Kang. Think about it again. The atmosphere of the Heavenly Martial Faction is unusual. I think..."

No Ichil trailed off.

He thought that the Heavenly Martial Faction would release its masters. The fact that they were not moving even after mobilizing their military brigades seemed to suggest that.

The Heavenly Martial Faction had masters as numerous as the clouds. Among them, he had heard that there were masters of masters who were a match for a military brigade.

This meant that they were not inferior even when compared to Kang Sogun.

If three or four such masters attacked together, whoever the opponent was, they had to be considered to have one foot in the grave.

Fortunately, masters had pride and rarely attacked together. Still, if one met masters in succession, it was difficult to hope for a fluke.

Moreover, Kang Sogun was in a state where his internal injuries had not fully healed. Although it was strange that he showed such immense martial prowess, he was also human.

Kang Sogun was silent.

No Ichil, who knew that he could not break his will, let out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry. Brother Shangguan is originally a good person, but since he took on the important responsibility of the hall, he has become a bit harsh. Don't feel bad."

"There's nothing to feel bad about. I'm just going when I can."

Kang Sogun said.

'When he can?'

No Ichil realized that the Great Righteous Martial Hall had taken on Yeon Hwasim's party.

'If I keep Miss Yeon, I can see him again someday.'

No Ichil was relieved that a thread of connection remained.

He knew that Kang Sogun was particularly concerned about Yeon Hwasim's safety.

"Where are you going?"

Kang Sogun did not answer.

No Ichil was disappointed that Kang Sogun did not seem to trust him.

He himself felt a strange liking for Kang Sogun, which was strange even to himself. But the opponent kept his distance, not even telling him his route.

But he could not press him.

As No Ichil was about to get up from his seat, Kang Sogun suddenly said.

"I'm going to Nanjing."

No Ichil hastily sat down again and said.

"Nanjing? Then I'll prepare a boat for you."

Kang Sogun shook his head.

"I will go by land."

Kang Sogun also expected that the Heavenly Martial Faction would come out with the move of releasing its masters.

Because anyone with a little bit of a brain would know that sending a military brigade would only increase the sacrifices.

Kang Sogun was thinking of taking the eyes and ears of the Heavenly Martial Faction with him for the safety of Yeon Hwasim's party.

'As expected, he's a deep person, unlike his appearance.'

No Ichil was proud that his insight was not wrong.

Kang Sogun set out on the road at dawn the next day.

Yeon Hwasim and the Three Tigers of Shandong found out about it late.

Yeon Hwasim was dejected.

"He left?"

"I didn't know he would leave at dawn."

No Ichil said as if making an excuse.

For the master of the ten halls of the Great Righteous Martial Hall, who was said to have all kinds of information, to not even know that his guest had left and to make such a lame excuse.

Even he himself thought it was absurd.

Jang Mugang said a word.

"That person is really too much. Shouldn't he at least say he's coming or going?"

Although Jang Mugang had said a word to comfort Yeon Hwasim, it was not very effective.

Yeon Hwasim lowered her head.

'He doesn't care about someone like me.'

It was as if a flower were withering.

Seeing that, Sim Mabaek blurted out without realizing it.

"Hmph! What's the use of being a master? His character is not developed!"

"There must be a reason."

Wi Eunghwan took Kang Sogun's side.

Wi Eunghwan had saved his life thanks to Kang Sogun.

Only in a moment of crisis where life and death were at stake could one truly know someone's true heart.

Wi Eunghwan knew how much Kang Sogun had tried to protect Yeon Hwasim and himself.

Jungrang was different.

To Jungrang, Yeon Hwasim was a being who should be the happiest in the world. He could not stand to see her sad.

So it was rather a relief that Kang Sogun had left.

'We must end this ill-fated relationship!'

If you think about it, all this had happened because Yeon Hwasim had sought out Kang Sogun.

Jungrang silently stood up from his seat and left the room.

***

There was an open-air tavern below the pass. The small tavern, with its roof roughly made of wood, looked as if it would collapse at any moment.

Four tables were placed on the roadside, and a tent provided shade.

Although there was still a lot of daylight left, a person was sitting and drinking.

The man, who looked to be a little over thirty, had a handsome appearance and was dressed in a faint jade-colored martial arts uniform.

Judging by the jade pendant on his waist and the jade embedded in the hero's headband on his forehead, his identity did not seem to be ordinary.

As Kang Sogun slowly rode his horse down the pass, the man gestured.

"Why don't you wet your throat for a moment before you go?"

The horse stopped as if it had understood the man's words.

Kang Sogun looked at the man.

"There's no need to be so wary. I have no intention of picking a fight today."

The man looked at the road Kang Sogun was going.

"Two bastards will be waiting for you up ahead. They are the Black and White Twin Demons, and they are quite famous."

Kang Sogun followed the man's gaze and looked ahead.

A river village was visible in the distance. Quite a few boats with sails were anchored at the port.

"It seems those bastards want to establish their merit in front of many people. Seeing that they are waiting in the village."

"Are they from the Heavenly Martial Faction?"

Kang Sogun asked. Although the man spoke quite cheerfully, he was by no means friendly.

"You could say so. It's become a bit troublesome because you've been making a mess."

Kang Sogun silently observed the man. At a glance, he looked to be just over thirty, but on closer inspection, he looked to be in his mid-thirties.

There was a hint of maturity somewhere. The sword he had placed next to him, not only the hilt but also the scabbard, was as white as jade.

He was not a nameless, unknown martial artist. Although he was sitting at an angle with his posture relaxed, no openings were visible.

"Are the ones waiting up ahead your comrades?"

"You can't necessarily say so. Not everyone who works as a guest retainer in the Heavenly Martial Faction is a comrade."

"The reason you caught me?"

"I was curious. Because of one person, five of the Ten Guests of Heavenly Martial had to come out. I couldn't stand being curious about who it was."

'The Ten Guests of Heavenly Martial?'

There were many who worked as guest retainers in the Heavenly Martial Faction. Among them, the ten who received the most honored guest treatment were called the Ten Guests of Heavenly Martial.

"My pride was also a bit hurt. But seeing you today, I don't think there's any reason for me to use my hands."

The man seemed to have noticed that Kang Sogun was injured.

"I hope so."

Kang Sogun shook the reins. The horse moved forward again.

"Because I don't particularly want to kill you."

The words that Kang Sogun had muttered as if to himself entered the man's ears.

"Haha. This is really interesting."

The man, as if he were so excited, laughed loudly, filled the empty cup in front of him with wine, and then slapped the table.

As the wine cup floated up, he lightly pushed it with his palm.

"Didn't you hear me say to wet your throat before you go?"

The wine cup flew towards Kang Sogun, but the wine did not spill.

Kang Sogun extended his right hand and received the flying wine cup.

The force contained in the wine cup was heavy. The man was a master.

Kang Sogun took the wine cup, drank it down, and then threw it behind him.

-Clang!

The wine cup that fell on the ground split in half.

As if surprised by the sound, the horse that Kang Sogun was riding ran lightly.

The man watched Kang Sogun's back as he went for a long time.

A moment later, two people came out of the tavern.

A woman in her mid-thirties wearing a red skirt and a man in his forties with a huge build.

"He's a peculiar man. To not be wary at all even though he knows we are here."

The woman in the red skirt said, looking at Kang Sogun's back as he moved away.

"I don't know about his skills, but he's arrogant."

The man with the white jade sword, the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth, muttered, looking at the broken wine cup.

"Bastards like that tend to leave the world early."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, who was a head taller than others, spat out bluntly.

"Is the information that he is injured correct?"

The woman in the red skirt, the Red Rakshasa, asked the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth.

"Probably."

"Then I don't think there's any need for us to step up."

The Red Rakshasa said, looking towards the village in the distance.

"The twin sabers of the Black and White Twin Demons are quite sharp."

"I don't trust their skills."

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth shook his head. The Black and White Twin Demons had most recently risen to the position of the Ten Guests.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth looked at Kang Sogun's back and continued.

"That man is not normal, but I don't think he will die at the hands of the Black and White Twin Demons."

The Red Rakshasa frowned.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth was an internal energy master and had a peculiar ability to sense the opponent's internal energy.

If the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's words were correct, it meant that he was a skilled person who could dispose of the Black and White Twin Demons with an injured body.

"If the Black and White Twin Demons fail, who will step up next?"

The Red Rakshasa said, looking at the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. It meant, "You step up."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, despite his huge build, was shrewd. He had no intention of shouldering the burden alone.

"Is there a reason to go one by one and make it troublesome? It's better for the three of us to go and finish it quickly and have a drink."

"That's not a bad idea."

The three were counted as masters in the martial world, but they were people who valued practical benefits more than face. Although they could not be said to be close friends, they had enough of a relationship to collude in such matters.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth stood up from his seat.

"Then shall we follow slowly?"

Two people were standing at the entrance to the village.

One was wearing a black long robe, and the other was wearing a white long robe.

Both were holding long sabers, which were long like the sabers of the Wa country.

Since the two were standing on the road, the people coming and going went around them from a distance.

"Who on earth are they waiting for?"

"They've been like that for over an hour, haven't they?"

Those who liked to watch fights were watching the two from a distance.

"He's moving!"

Someone who was crouching and watching in an alley whispered in a low voice.

The energy flowing through the entire bodies of the Black and White Twin Demons changed. A killing intent rose as if a well-sharpened sword were embedded.

"As expected, they were masters."

"Where did they come from?"

People, just in case, stepped back and whispered to each other.

Clop, clop.

A horse was running lightly on the main road leading into the village.

"It seems they were waiting for that person."

People realized who the Black and White Twin Demons were waiting for.

On the horse was Kang Sogun, dressed in a neat blue robe.

As the horse gradually got closer, the killing intent of the Black and White Twin Demons also thickened.

People held their breath and just swallowed their saliva.

"Hiyah!"

When he was about ten feet away, Kang Sogun pulled the reins.

The horse, which had been running lightly, galloped.

"Ooh!"

People exclaimed as Kang Sogun jumped from the running horse.

He was flying with a red spear, which he had drawn at some point, in front, and he was as fast as a hawk diving for its prey.

The Black and White Twin Demons were momentarily flustered. They had not expected the opponent to attack immediately without even an exchange of names.

The two looked at each other and then shouted at the same time.

"Hah!"

The two's figures shot out.

-Clang!

-Stab!

-Thwack!

"!"

Kang Sogun deflected the black demon's saber with the tip of his spear and, riding that momentum, stabbed his neck. Then he rotated his body and struck the back of the white demon's head with his spear shaft.

The Black and White Twin Demons, who had been waiting at the village entrance for over an hour, had their necks pierced and their heads burst in the blink of an eye, and they rolled on the ground, spewing blood and brains.

People were speechless, surprised by the elegant, yet resolute and ruthless killing move.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's party, who had been following from a distance, was also the same.

The three stood tall on the main road and became stone statues.

Although the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth had ignored them, the Black and White Twin Demons were not men who should have died like that.

They were men who had once been famous as killing demons in Zhejiang. More than one or two had died at the hands of their combined attack.

But as Kang Sogun swung his spear once, they became wandering ghosts on the road.

Kang Sogun kicked the ground and got on his horse again.

Kang Sogun's gaze briefly swept over the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth and the others who were standing far away.

It meant, "Come if you want."

(End of Chapter)