[Chapter 90]
Yeon Hojeong and the beggar, Socheong, burst out of the beggar's den.
In the distance, down the mountain path, the two spotted three beggars approaching.
Socheong's eyes widened.
"Why are they suddenly…?"
In a flash, Yeon Hojeong's eyes sparkled with determination.
"Please keep it safe until I return to retrieve it."
Bang!
Yeon Hojeong threw his axe carelessly and immediately sprang into action.
Whoosh! Fwoosh!
He opened his lungs wide with the White Tiger's Breath and heated his heart with the Vermilion Bird's Flame. At the same time, he unleashed the Wall-Crushing Power from his legs.
Boom!
Yeon Hojeong surged forward with unprecedented speed, a serious look etched on his face.
'Murderous intent!'
Flash!
Behind the descending beggars on the mountain path, a sharp murderous intent flared up.
Yeon Hojeong's eyes wavered.
"Danger!"
Thud!
One of the beggars collapsed, spewing blood.
It wasn't the torso that was hit. It was the head. Something had struck the back of the skull, piercing through the forehead and sticking into the ground.
'An arrow?!'
"Aaaagh!"
The remaining two beggars sped up even more. Terrified out of their wits, they were no longer in their right minds.
Yeon Hojeong increased his speed even further.
Thump! Thump!
He was fast, yet at the same time, slow.
The distance was too great. He was faster than before, but he lacked the ability to close the gap in an instant.
'Damn it!'
Thud!
Another beggar tumbled down, head pierced once again.
Yeon Hojeong looked up.
Far away, atop the mountain peak, stood someone with a large bow, pulling the string taut, the image searing into his eyes.
'From there?'
Incredible.
The straight-line distance must be at least seventy paces. To cover that distance and strike the head with such precision.
Flash!
Another sharp murderous intent surged.
The distance closed rapidly. The gap between Yeon Hojeong and the beggar was now just over ten paces.
Suddenly, a red blaze flickered in Yeon Hojeong's eyes.
Fwoosh! Bang!
With the Three Steps of Blood Shadow Flight, he closed the distance in a breath.
Then, the bowstring was drawn.
Swoosh!
Terrifying speed.
The arrow, spinning as it flew, seemed to whirl the air around it. It was an incredibly fast, direct shot.
'Too fast. I'll miss.'
The arrow would pierce the beggar's head faster than Yeon Hojeong could reach out and pull him away.
In an instant, he made his decision. He filled his outstretched hand with the energy of the Black Tortoise.
Bang!
"Ugh!"
The beggar was flung to the opposite side, saved by the rebounding force of the Northern Heavenly Walls.
Swoosh! Thud!
The arrow grazed the beggar's forehead, brushed past Yeon Hojeong's arm, and stuck into the ground.
Yeon Hojeong quickly grabbed the arrow from the ground and dashed up the mountain path.
The beggar would live. Internal injuries were inevitable, but his life was spared.
Now, the important thing was the unknown archer. If he could capture that archer, it would be over.
Was the archer surprised that the arrow missed?
For a moment, the archer, who had been watching from a distance, strung another arrow on the large bow.
Creak!
The sound of the string being pulled seemed to reach all the way here. It must have been a bow that required tremendous strength.
'Could it be…'
A gleam of realization flashed in Yeon Hojeong's eyes.
'Mukbi?!'
Could it really be Mukbi? To meet Mukbi so quickly, and by chance?
Many thoughts crossed his mind, but now was the time to clear his head. The archer's target was none other than himself.
The archer released the string.
Twang!
Simultaneously, Yeon Hojeong's body moved diagonally to the left.
Thud!
The arrow pierced through a tree and stuck into the ground.
As he realized when Gae Bangdo died, the power was truly incredible. The arrow had pierced through a sturdy tree as if it were tofu, burying even the feathered end into the ground.
With such penetrating power, even Yeon Hojeong couldn't block it head-on. He had to either intercept it or dodge.
Of course, it wasn't a speed that could be easily caught.
Boom! Boom!
Yeon Hojeong approached rapidly.
'What?'
The archer didn't run away. Instead, he took three arrows from his waist and strung one on the bow again.
A clear threat. As the distance closed, the sharp murderous intent made his forehead tingle.
'That man…'
Even in this urgent situation, Yeon Hojeong couldn't hide his surprise.
'The physique is different.'
The archer was bigger than Mukbi.
In other words, this person was not Mukbi. He was taller and had longer arms and legs.
Crucially, Mukbi didn't use a large bow but a horn bow. Rapid-fire shooting with a specially made horn bow was Mukbi's specialty.
Yeon Hojeong's gaze turned icy.
He knew the opponent wasn't Mukbi. There was no need to hold back.
A red energy burst from his heart and spread throughout his body in an instant.
Boom!
The Swift Blood Shadow Leap Surpasses Three Boulders
With the swiftness of the Blood Shadow Leap, Yeon Hojeong vaulted over three boulders in a single bound.
The sudden acceleration was startling. The archer, seemingly flustered, released the remaining two arrows.
Thud! Thud!
They missed.
The battle with the archer was a matter of distance. The Blood Shadow Leap was a movement technique that consumed a lot of internal energy, making it burdensome to use in succession, but there was no choice at the moment.
Creak!
The bowstring was pulled once again.
Whoosh!
Releasing the Vermilion Bird's Flame, Yeon Hojeong let go of the Blood Shadow Leap. The Wall-Crushing Technique, though slower than the Blood Shadow Leap, was smoother and more free-flowing.
'Twenty paces!'
At this distance, even if he ran, he could still catch the tail end.
Yeon Hojeong, who had been focusing on the archer until the end, suddenly widened his eyes.
Whoosh!
It was just one arrow. And it wasn't a specially crafted iron arrow but a common wooden one.
Yet, what was this overwhelming pressure?
'The Spiral Force?'
The energy concentrated at the tip of the arrow was creating a tremendous vortex. It was a high-level Spiral Force, strong enough to suck in the surrounding air.
The problem was that Yeon Hojeong knew what this arrow, or rather, this martial art, was.
Yeon Hojeong's mouth fell open.
'Dragon's Tooth Cannon!!'
The archer released the string.
Boom!
It felt as if the atmosphere itself was burning up.
The moment he recognized it as the Dragon's Tooth Cannon, Yeon Hojeong gave up on intercepting the attack. He swiftly leaped behind a tree.
The swirling arrow exploded upon the tree.
Boom!
The thick tree was completely shredded by the arrow, which then crushed a boulder and burst the ground open.
Rumble.
The tree fell, and the shattered boulder scattered in all directions.
Crack! Crackle! Rumble!
Boulders collided, and the ones that were flung destroyed several more trees before pushing another boulder away.
A single arrow with terrifying power caused a small landslide. It seemed the mountainside was already weak; as trees fell and boulders rolled, it turned into an uncontrollable disaster.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The entire area within fifteen paces of the archer was devastated.
Rumble.
Finally, the tremors stopped. Thick dust rose from all around.
The archer slightly lifted his bamboo hat.
A flash of sharpness flickered in his eyes.
"…Caught you."
At a distance of fifteen paces, one could usually sense any movement. But there was no sign of life.
He was certain of his death.
'Should I catch more?'
One beggar had escaped. Among the three, there was one who had seen his face. For safety, he should catch them all.
That's when it happened.
Tat-tat-tat.
From afar, he felt many people rushing towards him. Among them were martial artists.
'No choice then.'
After all, at this point, even if they had seen him, it didn't matter. He had only intended to catch and kill them all just in case, but the wheels were already in motion.
However, what concerned him was the young man who had charged at him until the end.
'A formidable opponent.'
He hadn't expected to have to resort to the Dragon's Tooth Cannon. If it hadn't been for that, he might have been caught.
Rustle.
The archer turned around. His business was finished.
But he needed to be a bit more thorough.
Flash.
Suddenly, a shadow that had climbed up to the ridge was watching the place where the archer was running off to.
* * *
"So, have you caught them all?"
"Yes, I have."
"Well done. Here, take this and eat it."
"Thank you."
"Thankful? Both you and I are just clinging to life on the edge of a cliff. There is no need to be so grateful every time."
Baek Gungcheon, having taken the pill handed to him by the old man, suddenly bent over.
"Cough! Cough! Blegh!"
Spitting out a dry cough, Baek Gungcheon vomited blood.
The old man sighed.
"How long has it been?"
"…Three days."
"You should've told me if the seizure frequency had shortened."
"…"
"You're so frustrating."
The old man rummaged through some herbs and pulled out a dark pill.
"Take this one as well."
"Thank you."
After swallowing two pills, Baek Gungcheon sighed softly.
The effect of the medicine was much faster than expected. His body relaxed in an instant.
But Baek Gungcheon knew this wasn't a good sign. A fast-acting medicine meant it was potent, and needing such a strong drug implied his body was already failing.
"I have something to ask."
"What is it?"
"How much time do I have left?"
"…"
"My movements have become sluggish compared to before. Even the strength to draw the bowstring of the Kyoryong Daegung (Giant Dragon Bow) has diminished. It seems like my internal energy has been slightly dissipating."
"…Internal energy dissipation."
The old man sighed deeply.
"So it has reached that stage already."
"…Is it that bad?"
"As I said before, Chaksimhong (Poison of the Heart) is a poison, but not a poison. Once addicted, the poison gathers straight to the heart. If not detoxified immediately, that's the end. The poison lingering in the heart endlessly siphons off vitality."
"I know. You've told me before."
"Your will and study of internal energy are remarkable, allowing you to maintain life thus far. But Chaksimhong is vicious. Unable to easily extract your original essence, it's now meddling with your internal energy."
"…"
"Once it absorbs enough energy, that will be the end. The heart vessels will burst, and you won't be able to avoid instant death."
"That's why I'm asking. How much time do I have left?"
"Fifteen days."
"…"
"At most fifteen days. At the least, you might not last more than five."
Despite the shocking news, Baek Gungcheon's expression remained unchanged.
"The procedure with Galyeong (Eggplant Bell) is tomorrow, right?"
"That's correct. As I said before, it will take seven nights and days."
"Five days… Seven nights and days…"
Baek Gungcheon stood up.
"I'll start right away today."
The old man urgently spoke.
"That won't do. You've coughed up blood, so you need to rest for today."
"There's no time. Who knows when that guy will show up again. I need to be on standby from now on."
"What if you collapse!"
"Then give me a pill or a potent one to prevent that."
"Hoo."
Eventually, the old man sighed and pulled out a small box from under the table.
"I made this just in case. Take two pills morning and evening."
"Thank you for your hard work."
"The hard work has all been yours."
"And please continue to work hard in the future."
Baek Gungcheon took the box and walked towards the door.
That's when it happened.
"Since when did Chaksimhong become a deadly disease?"
Crack!
Baek Gungcheon quickly turned around and drew the bowstring. It was lightning-fast.
Baek Gungcheon's eyes flashed. He had caught a glimpse of a shadow leaping through the window.
Whoosh! Swoosh!
Surprise crossed Baek Gungcheon's face. He had missed.
Crash! Creak!
He drew the bowstring again, but it was too late. The shadow that had entered with incredible speed moved like a smooth wave and quickly subdued the old man.
"Argh!"
The old man's back straightened.
The young man who had twisted his arm from behind and choked his neck shone with bright eyes.
"Didn't we already greet each other?"
Baek Gungcheon's eyes wavered.
"You…?!"
"Your reaction speed is artistic. Your posture too, you're a spitting image of that guy."
Yeon Hojeong spoke coldly.
"Lower your bow."