Chapter 21 - Why There Is No Sword Qi (1)
Chapter 21
Why There Is No Sword Qi (1)
『 Translator – Divinity 』
Hefei, Henan Province.
It was the largest and most prosperous city in the Central Plains, located closest to the heart of the region.
As befitting the largest city, Hefei’s streets were bustling with people, and countless merchants were loudly hawking their goods.
In the center of Hefei stood a magnificent fortress.
It was the base of the largest martial arts faction, tasked with suppressing and controlling the orthodox sects in the heart of the Central Plains murim by the Emperor’s order.
The people called this fortress Paecheon Fortress.
Deep underground within Paecheon Fortress.
A group of people were swiftly walking deeper into the underground.
Leading the group was a middle-aged man in a luxurious robe.
His well-groomed beard and dignified face gave him the appearance of a noble gentleman at first glance, but his sharp eyes and the cunning glint within them betrayed that impression.
This man was none other than the Ghostly Blade, who had succeeded the previous Fortress Lord, Ju Cheon-mu, and taken the position of Paecheon Fortress Lord. No, he was the Ghostly Venerable, Ju Do-han.
“Where are the bodies?”
“They have been placed in the empty underground storage.”
Do-han immediately headed towards the underground storage after hearing the report from his subordinate following right behind him.
Crash!
The storage door was flung open violently.
Inside the storage, which should have been empty, were seventeen coffins.
“……”
Do-han stood before the largest coffin placed in the center of the numerous coffins and kicked the lid off.
A giant’s corpse, emitting a foul stench, sprung out from within.
It was the corpse of Shin Se-gon, the Heavenly Mace, one of Do-han’s Four Guardians.
“…It really is the Heavenly Mace.”
The guardian he had sent on a simple mission had returned as a corpse.
And so were all the others who were supposed to explain how this could have happened.
“Huh, hahaha…”
After laughing hollowly in disbelief for a moment, Do-han quickly erased his smile and called out to those at the back of the group.
They were the autopsy specialists working in Paecheon Fortress.
“Examine them.”
“Yes, yes, sir!”
The autopsy specialists, trembling at the orders of their esteemed Fortress Lord, approached Se-gon’s corpse.
Do-han twitched his nose at the unpleasant odor emanating from their bodies and took a few steps back.
How much time had passed?
The autopsy specialists, who had been examining Se-gon’s body, stood up.
“What is the cause of death?”
“Yes, sir. There are no other significant injuries besides the one on his neck. It seems he was killed with a single strike to the neck…”
Do-han’s lips twisted at the autopsy specialist’s report.
“So, you’re saying Shin Se-gon, the Heavenly Mace, was killed in a single strike?”
“I-if that’s not the case, then the state of the body c-cannot be explained…”
The autopsy specialist trembled, instinctively sensing the Fortress Lord’s rapidly deteriorating mood.
“Tsk, get out.”
“Yes, sir!”
After glaring at them for a moment, Do-han clicked his tongue and dismissed the autopsy specialists. Only Do-han and his close aides remained in the storage.
“Does this make any sense to you? That the Heavenly Mace was killed in a single strike?”
“…”
His aides also remained silent with confused expressions at his question.
“Where was the body found?”
“Sir, it was in a field near Hwangcheon County. Judging from the condition of the other bodies, there was a report that it was likely the work of the Gwangsanchae bandits based nearby.”
“…So, you’re saying the Heavenly Mace was killed by mere bandits? Do you expect me to believe that?”
Shin Se-gon, the Heavenly Mace.
He was one of the Four Guardians who protected the previous Fortress Lord, Ju Cheon-mu, and a master acknowledged by everyone in Paecheon Fortress.
Even now, the story of how he single-handedly killed over fifty martial artists in his younger days was occasionally told among the fortress’s warriors.
That Se-gon was killed by bandits?
It was a claim so ridiculous that even a passing dog would laugh.
Do-han couldn’t help but question the incompetence of the investigation unit.
“The incompetence of those Investigation Unit bastards is crossing the line. Do I need to make an example out of a few of them to knock some sense into them?”
A gloomy aura began to emanate from Do-han, as if echoing his anger.
Jin Mu-gun, the head of the General Affairs Division, who was shivering from the chilling aura, desperately offered his advice.
“Th-the Investigation Unit’s conjecture is not entirely implausible.”
“…What do you mean?”
Do-han gradually calmed his energy at Mu-gun’s words.
Mu-gun, letting out a small sigh of relief, calmly began his explanation.
“Actually, we have been keeping an eye on those Gwangsanchae bandits for some time. Four of the Fortress’s warriors have already been killed by them…”
“Warriors of Paecheon Fortress were defeated by mere bandits?”
As Do-han’s face contorted again, Mu-gun hurriedly continued his report.
“Th-the martial arts and strength of that bastard Im Chun-il, the leader of Gwangsanchae, are said to be monstrous. That’s why even the magistrate of Hwangcheon County couldn’t handle it and requested support from us…”
And the four warriors who were sent as support also returned as corpses.
“……”
Do-han remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.
“…Everyone, except Head Jin, leave.”
Then, he suddenly ordered everyone except Mu-gun to leave the storage.
Only the two of them remained in the storage.
After briefly checking the door with vigilance, Do-han approached Mu-gun and asked,
“…You said the secret manual wasn’t found?”
“…Yes, sir. Considering that Master Shin’s Dragon-Breaking Mace wasn’t found either, it seems likely that those bandits stole them.”
At Mu-gun’s words, Do-han gritted his teeth.
The Blood Explosion Technique manual he mentioned was something that shouldn’t be leaked out carelessly.
It was something he had obtained through collaborators who supported his ‘noble cause’ and should be used for the sake of peace in the murim.
Not something that should be in the hands of mere bandits!
“…Huu…”
Do-han, enraged by the situation that had become terribly complicated because of some bandits, took a deep breath and calmed himself.
Then, he gave Mu-gun an order.
“Dispatch the Blood Frenzy Squad to exterminate Gwangsanchae. Those guys will kill and burn everything in that bandit hideout.”
“…Yes, sir!”
The Blood Frenzy Squad.
One of the fifteen combat units belonging to Paecheon Fortress, they were a squad of notorious Slaughter Demons known for their excessive brutality and cruelty.
Sending the Blood Frenzy Squad meant that he intended to completely annihilate the Gwangsanchae bandits.
“And just in case, send the Investigation Unit to check the hideout again after the extermination.”
“Understood.”
Do-han nodded at Mu-gun’s reply and looked down at Se-gon’s corpse once more.
“…To think I would lose him so meaninglessly. It’s a shame, considering all the effort I put into him.”
His cold voice held no hint of sorrow for losing one of his guardians.
As he looked down at Se-gon with an equally cold expression, Do-han suddenly became curious about the face of the man who had killed him in one strike.
‘I’d like to see that guy’s face.’
***
“Hmm~ Hmm hmm~”
I hummed a tune as I drove the carriage along the road.
Master, sitting next to me, looked at me with disapproval.
“Are you that happy?”
“Of course. The start of an adventure is always exciting. Besides, our first destination is the Namgung family, right? Just thinking about seeing the Sky Piercing Sword Technique and the Emperor’s Sword Formation in person…!”
The Namgung family.
It was a family that appeared so frequently in martial arts novels that it was rare to find one without them.
Simply put, they were the most well-known family, you could say.
They were often portrayed as the leaders of the Five Great Clans, but well, that wasn’t important.
What was important was that the Namgung family was a renowned sword family, famous for their swordsmanship.
And their most representative techniques were the Sky-Piercing Sword Technique and the Emperor’s Sword Formation.
I also remembered something like the Lightning Thirteen Sword Thunder or the Great Derivation Sword Technique, but those two sword techniques were still the most famous.
The Emperor’s Sword Formation was often described as:
—With a single sword strike, it thundered like the wrath of heaven, falling upon the wicked.
—The raised sword resonated with the heavens, and a suffocating aura pressed down on everyone around.
And the Sky-Piercing Sword Technique was described as:
—Like an eagle soaring towards the blue sky and snatching its prey, it aimed for the opponent’s vital points.
—A free and unconstrained sword, resembling the vast and distant sky, that was the Sky-Piercing Sword Technique.
“Kuuu…”
The Emperor’s Sword, suppressing everyone with a single strike!
The free and unconstrained sword technique that resembled the sky!
Just thinking about it made my heart race.
To think I would be able to see those techniques in person in just a few days…!
“…What nonsense are you talking about? Sky-Piercing? Emperor’s Sword Formation? I’ve never heard of such techniques existing in the Namgung family.”
“…What?”
What was he talking about?
I couldn’t hide my confusion and looked at Master.
Was he trying to tease me because he was annoyed that I was so excited?
I looked at Master with that suspicion, but all I saw was his bewildered face.
…He really seemed to have never heard of them.
“C-Come on~ Master must not know. You’re not from the Namgung family, how would you know all their techniques?”
I tried to deny it, but the answer that came back was unexpectedly serious.
“Do you know why we’re heading to the Namgung family first?”
“Uh, isn’t it because they’re the closest?”
Indeed, Gun-gang County was located near the border of Henan and Anhui provinces.
Hefei was closer than Kaifeng or Luoyang within Henan Province.
“Of course, that’s also a reason, but there’s someone in the Namgung family I’m sworn brothers with. We’re close enough to know each other’s martial arts. So, I know the names of all the Namgung family’s techniques. And the ones you mentioned aren’t among them.”
Thud!
It felt like a giant boulder had dropped on my chest.
The Emperor’s Sword Formation didn’t exist in the Namgung family?
“Besides, the Emperor’s Sword Formation? Even if it’s just the name of a martial art, do you think the Imperial Family would let it slide, someone daring to call their sword the Emperor’s Sword?”
“……”
I was speechless for a while, in shock.