Kang Sogun

A heavy snow.

The world was covered in snow. The roads, fields, and villages were all covered in snow.

It was difficult to travel because the snow was piled up to the horses' knees.

A shabby inn on the outskirts of Hefei.

"If we had hurried a little, we wouldn't have had to stay in such a backward inn."

Jo Unryong grumbled, looking at Hefei in the distance.

Kang Sogun, knowing that the enemy was chasing, had deliberately dawdled. It was as if he were intentionally leading the enemy.

'He could have just openly asked to go together.'

Jo Unryong looked around the inn with gloomy eyes.

The Huayang Inn in Xinyang was like a palace compared to this.

Even the flag that was hung was tattered by the winter wind, so it was impossible to tell what kind of inn it was.

"For an inn like this to be in business. They have no conscience."

It was a secluded inn on the roadside.

The collapsed roof tiles were roughly blocked with wood, and the cracked or holed walls were clumsily patched with mud.

In a word, it was a mess.

As if there were no waiters, the owner, who looked to be in his mid-forties, shouted from the counter.

"Tie your horses in the stable over there."

Jo Unryong, looking at the stable roof that seemed as if it would collapse at any moment under the thick snow, said to Kang Sogun.

"Let's just go a little further. If the roof collapses, the horses will be crushed to death."

His eyes were pleading to go to Hefei.

But Kang Sogun got off his horse and slowly went to the stable.

"Well, I'll be."

Jo Unryong also grumbled, tied his horse in the stable, and came back.

"It's five nyang for a room."

Jo Unryong scowled again.

"Looking at it, it doesn't seem like there are any proper guest rooms, but five nyang? Are you crazy?"

"Hmph! If you don't like it, then go."

The owner turned around as if he didn't want to talk anymore.

Since the road was cut off by the heavy snow, it seemed he was determined to make a good profit.

Jo Unryong's fists trembled.

-Clink!

Kang Sogun took out a money pouch from his bosom and placed five nyang on the counter.

The owner quickly grabbed the coins and opened the door leading inside.

"All the guest rooms are empty, so use whichever one you like."

Although Jo Unryong was dumbfounded, he knew it was useless to argue any further and entered the inner courtyard.

***

The eyes of the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth, who was looking at the nameless inn, were also full of gloom.

He had suffered a lot, chasing in the heavy snow.

Other than the roadside inn that Kang Sogun had entered, there were no private houses around.

"What is this? I told you we should just attack together."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King grumbled.

"That bastard, the Fire Dragon Saber, is with him. It won't be easy."

The Red Rakshasa said, tightening her leather wind-proof cloak.

"Where on earth is the sixth guest?"

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King blamed the sixth guest, the Demonic Sword of Qilian, who was acting alone.

Since the Fire Dragon Saber, Jo Unryong, was with Kang Sogun, the power of the sixth guest was absolutely necessary.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth, as if he had thought of something, headed for the inn.

"What are you doing? I told you it's difficult for just us to catch those two."

As the Red Rakshasa tried to stop him, the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth glanced at her and said.

"We just won't fight."

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth also tied his horse in the stable and entered the inn.

"That's right. We don't have to fight right now."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, who was desperate for a cup of warm wine, also followed the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth into the inn.

Although the Red Rakshasa was reluctant, she had no choice.

Darkness was already falling, and the wind was strong. Snowflakes were beginning to fall again.

It seemed it would be a night of a blizzard.

The space that the inn used as a restaurant was quite large, but there were only three tables.

At one of them, the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, and the Red Rakshasa sat around.

"Kuh! I feel alive."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King took the wine bottle and drank it down, then burped.

The owner came and placed a plate on the table.

It seemed he was also the chef.

The plate contained meat stir-fried in a bright red sauce.

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King took a piece and scowled.

"Why does it smell so gamey? Owner, what kind of meat is this?"

"It's roe deer meat."

The owner said bluntly.

"Roe deer meat? Did you bleed it properly? Is there anything else?"

"That's all for today. If you don't want to eat it, then don't."

Even at the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's fierce appearance, the owner was not intimidated.

"What? This disrespectful...?"

As the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King stood up and shouted, Kang Sogun suddenly entered the restaurant.

Kang Sogun's and the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's eyes met.

"Hmph!"

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King snorted, sat down, and then took the wine bottle again.

Kang Sogun said to the owner.

"A bottle of wine and a stir-fry of dried vegetables, please."

The owner brought a bottle of wine and went into the kitchen.

In the meantime, Jo Unryong also entered the restaurant.

Jo Unryong glanced at the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's party, sat down in front of Kang Sogun, and placed his saber on the table.

With his left hand holding the scabbard, he took the wine bottle with his right hand and poured it into a cup.

Jo Unryong drank the wine down and then said as if to himself.

"The dogs that were following us have even come into the house."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's complexion changed in a flash. As he was about to stand up, the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth extended his folding fan and stopped him.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth let out a hearty laugh and said to the Red Rakshasa.

"I didn't know the third young master of the Dragon Slaying Society had such a foul mouth."

"Hoho. The puppy who doesn't know the ways of the world is cute."

She was mocking him by calling him a puppy, alluding to his words calling them dogs.

Whirl!

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King picked up the bone with meat on it that he had been eating and threw it on the floor.

"Puppy? This old man gave you something delicious, you should come and lick it up."

Strength entered Jo Unryong's hand, which was holding the scabbard.

There was a reason why Jo Unryong was called the Fire Dragon Saber.

He had a quick temper.

When the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's party had appeared at the inn, he had come in, determined to settle the score.

There was no reason to refuse a fight.

"It seems that to the dogs of the Heavenly Martial Faction, even people look like dogs."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King also had a temper that flared up easily. He stood up and shouted.

"This bastard! I'll wring your neck."

In an instant, axes were in both of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's hands.

"I've heard that there's a madman in the Heavenly Martial Faction who goes around with an axe."

Jo Unryong also took his saber and stood up from his seat.

Just then, the inn owner came out of the kitchen with a plate of stir-fried vegetables.

The owner frowned at the murderous atmosphere of the restaurant.

"If you're going to fight, go outside."

At the owner's unexpected words, everyone looked at him.

Martial artists with swords and axes were confronting each other, but it was not something that would come out of the mouth of an ordinary inn owner.

"Hoho. It seems this place is full of only madmen."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, dumbfounded, struck the wine cup on the table with his axe.

-Thwack!

The wine cup broke, and the broken pieces were swept away by the axe and flew. At the end of it was the inn owner.

-Clatter!

Jo Unryong drew his saber and blocked the pieces of broken pottery flying towards the owner.

"Don't take your anger out on an innocent person, follow me out."

Jo Unryong strode over and opened the inn door, and a cold wind rushed in.

"That bastard is crazy to die!"

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King gritted his teeth and followed him out.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth looked at the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King going out and then his eyes met Kang Sogun's.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth raised his wine cup, gave a subtle smile, and drank it down.

Although the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth pretended to be calm, he was inwardly flustered.

Things were flowing strangely.

The Demonic Sword of Qilian, whom he had been waiting for, had not appeared, and he was about to face the Fire Dragon Saber and Kang Sogun in a secluded inn.

The fact that the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King had fallen for the Fire Dragon Saber's provocation was also unexpected.

'Damn it. It's going to be a night with more misfortune than fortune. Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, you pathetic bastard!'

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth was displeased with the quick-tempered Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

It was truly pathetic that he had fallen for it, even though he knew that the Fire Dragon Saber was deliberately provoking him.

But the water had already been spilled.

As the situation changed rapidly, the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth secretly unfolded his internal energy and probed Kang Sogun.

'Hmm.'

It seemed his internal injuries had recovered rather than when they had first met.

Since the Black and White Twin Demons were no match for him in the first place, there had been no loss of internal energy.

'Jo Gaeryang's words were right. No, perhaps...'

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth recalled the order of the Divine Strategist Jo Gaeryang.

The order had said for the sixth to the tenth guests to attack together. Since the Black and White Twin Demons were in the position of the tenth guest, it was a total of six people.

At that time, everyone had snorted. The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King had even gotten angry.

'Is that bastard the Flying God Sword? For the six of us to attack together!'

'I have somewhere else to go. If you guys can't do it properly, I'll take care of it then.'

The Demonic Sword of Qilian had sneered and had disappeared.

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth had also thought it was absurd at that time.

If five of the Ten Guests of Heavenly Martial attacked together, he had thought that although they might not be able to face the number one of the ten great masters, the Flying God Sword, they could have a match with the Heavenly Martial Faction Master, Gu Yeongang.

But after meeting Kang Sogun and recalling how he had easily killed the Black and White Twin Demons, his confidence gradually disappeared. In front of Kang Sogun, the Black and White Twin Demons were nothing more than third-rate warriors.

A single move without any wasted motion.

The trajectory of the spear, as natural as flowing water.

It was different from any master he had ever seen.

Just as there was a sky above the sky, there was a master of masters.

It was a level where he wondered if Kang Sogun might be the Flying God Sword.

'That can't be right.'

It had been over twenty years since the Flying God Sword had been talked about as the number one of the ten great masters and the number one in the world.

Considering Kang Sogun's age, it did not make sense.

'Where on earth did he come from?'

The Jade-Faced Handsome Youth's mind was complicated. In any case, he was not a foolish person who would cry only after seeing the coffin.

At least for tonight, he did not want to clash with Kang Sogun.

So he had abandoned the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

-Clang!

The sound of iron and iron clashing and scraping was loud.

A snowstorm rushed in through the open door, and the sound of the Fire Dragon Saber and the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's twin axes clashing was heard.

"Crazy bastards, do they want to do that in a blizzard?"

The inn owner grumbled as he closed the door.

The blizzard was strong.

The moment they fought one exchange, Jo Unryong felt a tingling shock in his palm.

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King had the strength of a giant. On top of that, although he did not know what kind of internal energy it was, it contained a very explosive presence.

The weapon he used was also larger and longer than a normal axe, but since he was such a giant, he handled it as if it were a toy.

'Hmm. As expected, he's worthy of occupying a seat among the Ten Guests of Heavenly Martial.'

Although the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King had a quick temper, he was not a stupid person.

On the outside, he had instigated to attack Kang Sogun right away, but his inner thoughts were different. He did not want to clash with Kang Sogun directly.

So he had deliberately drawn out the more manageable-looking Jo Unryong.

Since a fight had broken out, they would be confronting each other inside as well.

In a word, he had pushed Kang Sogun onto the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth and the Red Rakshasa.

'This bastard is not to be taken lightly either.'

But it was unexpected that Jo Unryong was also a master beyond what he had thought.

As the snowflakes touched the Fire Dragon Saber, which was emitting a red energy, they melted with a sizzle.

It could be seen that Jo Unryong's internal energy was based on fire.

'Let's just drag it out and judge after seeing the situation inside.'

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King was certain that a fight would break out inside the inn. He was thinking of fighting Jo Unryong and then fleeing if the situation became unfavorable.

That was his misjudgment.

As if the wind had gotten stronger, the roof occasionally rattled.

Kang Sogun drank his wine, listening to the clashing of metal mixed in the wind.

'Only three appeared? What does that mean?'

Kang Sogun felt that there were others chasing them besides the Jade-Faced Handsome Youth.

Although it was not certain, his instinct told him so.

Kang Sogun poured wine into Jo Unryong's cup.

From the sound of Jo Unryong's saber and the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's twin axes clashing, he knew that the match was already tilted.

For some reason, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King was not using his full strength.

In a fight between masters, a hair's breadth of difference determines life and death. In that sense, it was not an exaggeration to say that the match was already decided.

Jo Unryong noticed that the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King was trying to drag it out while defending.

Then Jo Unryong also responded appropriately and at one moment, he swung his saber greatly.

As the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King deflected the Fire Dragon Saber with his twin axes, Jo Unryong slipped on the snow and staggered.

'This changes the story.'

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King brought down his twin axes at the same time.

'As expected, the young pup lacks experience.'

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King was confident that he would cut off Jo Unryong's arm and split his head with this one move.

Since he was trying to deliver a fatal blow, his movements were large.

(End of Chapter)