There was no disrespect for the opponent.
Although Kong Mun-Yeong was a half-baked warrior, his attitude wasn't inferior to that of a truly strong martial artist. Those who walked the path of martial arts should never underestimate their foes. Even a tiger does its best to catch a rabbit.
Moreover, there was no way he could be more alert after seeing how Chung Myung dealt with the escort guards.
But…
Something felt strange.
Tak!
As he attempted to strike with his fist, before it could even extend past his chest, it was already blocked. What's more, it was blocked with a sword.
The robber kept blocking any movement, twisting and turning without attacking, as if playing with Kong Mun-Yeong.
"Kuak!"
He could clearly feel the flow of internal energy.
"Y-You bastard!"
He clearly attacked the masked man with a Swinging Leg attack, but the masked man had already vanished from that place.
"You're too slow."
"Huk!"
Kong Mun-Yeong, startled by the voice coming from behind, clenched his fist and fiercely swung backward.
But this time too.
Tak!
"Huk!"
Strength was circulated from the dantian and amplified through his waist and chest; his fists turned into raging weapons. But what happens when such weapons are blocked before releasing their momentum?
Pop!
The sound of something exploding inside Kong Mun-Yeong's body. At the same time, his shoulder blades swelled sharply.
It couldn't be seen with the eyes, but there was likely a rupture within his shoulder muscle.
"Eik!"
The same thing kept repeating over and over.
"Uuughh!"
Kong Mun-Yeong, seething in pain and fury, raised his energy to kill the man and swept with a powerful kick. However, the masked man didn't seem to try avoiding it. He lightly took a step back as if avoiding an obnoxious fly.
Kong Mun-Yeong felt his feet brush past the man's chest, the wind pressure made his clothes tremble, but the masked man was untouched.
'What the hell is he?'
He couldn't calm himself.
Was he fast?
No.
Strong?
No.
The masked man was neither fast nor strong. Judging from his appearance, Kong Mun-Yeong could surely deal with 10 more masked people.
But now, he couldn't even touch the hem of the man's clothes. It was as if a young disciple was dealing with his master, he tried all sorts of maneuvers, but none worked.
It was the same now.
His full-strength blow flew towards the man's face, but it just brushed by with no contact. If he could even graze the man, his flesh would be torn, and his bones would be crushed; but the masked man was completely avoiding his attacks with minimal movements. As if he was playing with a toddler.
How could that be possible?
He wasn't fast.
But he was fast.
It wasn't an overwhelming speed. He moved slowly but perfectly and in the right direction at the proper distance.
Effortlessly and without wasting energy.
A dream of any martial artist. However, Kong Mun-Yeong felt miserable now.
It was like seeing a goblin.
He was fighting a man, but then it felt like he was kicking the air. He couldn't touch the opponent, and he couldn't hurt the opponent no matter what he tried.
'This man is a monster.'
If the man was just avoiding it, he wouldn't be so nervous. However, it wasn't just that.
'He is reading my movements.'
Even before he attacked, he was able to decide where to move. He was able to lead the opponent's strength to move where he wanted. This was an excellent combination of posture and movement.
Kong Mun-Yeong couldn't even imagine just how strong this man could be.
'It was wrong from the beginning.'
Monsters were unpredictable from the start. Had he known such a monster existed in Mount Hua, he never would have done such a thing.
But…
"Kuak"
The masked man, who was sneakily dodging the attacks, grabbed his waist and bent over.
"Oh my. Damn this body. It hurts. It hurts."
"…"
The masked man patted his back.
… it was a bit clumsy.
A master who was so great was gasping and tired from this little movement?
Ridiculous.
But it was happening right in front of his eyes.
The masked man was breathing heavily. And the mask around his mouth was wet, the face exposed in the cloth mask was perspiring heavily. And his back was already soaked with sweat.
He seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
Yet, he kept dodging the attacks, which flowed unceasingly.
"Kuak."
The masked man straightened his back again.
"Tch. I wanted to play with you more, but I can't. I am too weak."
Kong Mun-Yeong's face tensed upon hearing what was said.
He did everything he could, yet he couldn't even catch a loose string of this feeble old man's clothing. Kong Mun-Yeong was confident that if he put his strength on full display, few would be able to defeat him. He even felt he could bring down Mount Hua if he tried.
But now, he was toyed with by an old man he'd never seen before, constantly being teased.
"Why was someone like you never on the front line?"
"You don't need to know."
Chung Myung turned and grabbed the sword.
"Those who think only of themselves live in a strange illusion. Why should I have to answer any of your questions?"
"…"
"I'm the one who will ask the questions. For a simple business owner, your martial arts are quite strong. Why is a man with such skills running a business in Hua-Um?"
"Is there a law which says the strong shouldn't run businesses?"
"But it's a different story when the warrior is clearly greedy for money to the point of tricking a sect. With your level of martial arts, there are plenty of better ways to earn a fortune. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Chung Myung's lips inside the mask curled up.
"What are you trying—"
"Ah, that's enough."
Chung Myung stopped him from speaking.
"I get it, I get it, you aren't going to tell me anyway. There is no conspiracy going around, so don't misunderstand. I have not been commissioned by anyone, and I am not affiliated with anyone. This is all because of my personal matter. Is what you are going to say, right?"
"….r–right."
"Hm. I thought so."
Chung Myung nodded his head.
"That's how it usually goes. Unfortunately, those who say such things never confess easily in the beginning. Truthfully, even though your sins are great, I don't feel the need to grind you for information. Once I separate your flesh from bone, the words should spill out naturally, but if I do that, there are bound to be additional problems."
Chung Mung nodded to himself.
"Right, so there is the problem. Do you know what I do when I find myself in this situation?
"… how would I know?"
"We'll make a deal."
Kong Mun-Yeong's eyes widened.
"Huh?"
"I said that we'll make a deal."
"…"
Chung Myung shook his head and walked towards the man.
"You've already said that you won't speak; even if your insides explode, your mouth will remain sealed. So, we'll make a deal. You promise to keep your mouth shut, and I promise to beat you until it opens."
"…"
"If you change your mind in the middle and you want to talk, just raise your hand. But it would be better to think quickly. You can't get a refund for a blow which has already struck you."
"What nonsense!"
"Right. That is my specialty! Here I come!"
Chung Myung rushed in, closing the gap between them in an instant. Kong Mun-Yeong unknowingly backed away.
The masked man wasn't giving out any overpowering energy. It wasn't like the sword in his hand was scary. Even the way he ran made it feel like he would trip and fall any moment, yet Kong Mun-Yeong retreated.
But the speed he was retreating at wasn't faster than the speed Chung Myung was running.
Chung Myung's sword, still in its sheath, swiftly targeted Kong Mun-Yeong's left knee. Realizing that it was impossible to avoid, Kong Mun-Yeong attempted to block his knee with his arms.
Paak!
And soon, the sword slammed into the shoulder.
"Ack!"
An unseen attack.
'Shoulder?'
Obviously, it was aimed at the leg, so why did his shoulder get hit?
But there wasn't much time to think about it. The sword which struck the shoulder now aimed for the head.
This time, he could clearly determine the correct angle; he crossed his arms over his head.
Tuk!
His eyes blurred over momentarily.
The world turned black for a second before color was regained. At the same time, he felt short of breath, like his neck was tearing.
"Kuak!"
Chung Myung's sword had stabbed him in the throat. The blade was still in its sheath, so it didn't cut his throat. Still, it was a firm lump of metal that had stabbed his throat. How painful would it be?
Tears welled up in his eyes as his body trembled.
Argh!
Meanwhile, Chung Myung's sword came crashing down.
Shoulder, head, and waist.
Now, he was swinging the sword like he was hitting a stray dog.
What made it remarkable was that the fat man could never avoid it despite how clumsy the swordsmanship appeared. If he twisted his shoulders, his back was struck; if he tried to move his back, his head got hit.
Kong Mun-Yeong, who quickly became a mess, retreated in terror and backed away.
"M–might die…."
The fear of death began to dominate his mind. Both looked into each other's eyes.
At that moment, Kong Mun-Yeong could tell.
Eyes.
When he saw Chung Myung's cold and emotionless eyes, Kong Mun-Yeong understood.
He had seen those eyes many times in his life. All those who had such eyes had one thing in common.
Killers.
He didn't know what it was, but it was definite that this man had killed countless people. Beating Kong Mun-Yeong to death would be no different than catching a fly.
As soon as he chooses to unsheathe his sword, Kong Mun-Yeong's head would surely fly off without resistance.
'N-No!'
He didn't want to die. At least not here.
Then, Chung Myung began to pull his sword from the sheath. Soon after, he struck at Kong Mun-Yeong's head with a swiftness unseen before.
"Aaaaahhhhhh!!"
Kong Mun-Yeong's hands shone in a dazzling blue light. A massive blast erupted from his palms at Chung Myung as he wielded his sword.
"…"
Kong Mun-Yeong remained in that position with his arm outstretched in a daze.
There was nothing there.
Chung Myung wasn't where he was supposed to be. Kong Mun-Yeong, who came to his senses, hurriedly looked at Chung Myung, who had already come closer as he was sheathing his sword.
Chung Myung opened his mouth.
"Taiyi Divine Palm technique?"
"…"
"You bastard?"
Kong Mun-Yeong's face went pale the moment he realized his mistake.
"Are you from the Southern Edge Sect?"
His face soon became horribly distorted.