Beiming Divine Art (北冥神功) - 1
Mookhyang first sent the Sagunja (Four Masters) to gather information and assess the overall situation. He then summoned Dongbang Raemu, also known as Indo, the Butcher of Men. Dongbang Raemu was the commander of the second Asura Demon Slaying Squad, one of the five elite forces of the Heavenly Demon Sect, and ranked eleventh among its elders.
The Asura Demon Slaying Squad had only been deployed outside the sect three times, but the reason little was known about them in the martial world was chilling—any potential witnesses had been sent to the afterlife. The squad had ruthlessly slaughtered every living being of their enemy sects, leaving no one, not even animals, alive to spread rumors of their deeds.
Dongbang Raemu, thin and gaunt, carried a sword nearly four feet long strapped to his back. He had earned the title of Indo after his first deployment as commander of the Asura Demon Slaying Squad, having killed so many people with such brutal efficiency that the nickname stuck. His height of approximately six feet only added to his intimidating presence, especially with his lean frame. His long, narrow eyes and high cheekbones reflected his cruel and merciless nature.
"You called for me?" Dongbang Raemu asked as he arrived.
"Yes, come in. I need your help to resolve the situation in Sichuan," Mookhyang replied.
"Understood."
"Lead the Asura Demon Slaying Squad to the secret branch and stand by. I'll summon you if necessary, but until I give the order, don't release your subordinates. Our goal is to settle this conflict through diplomacy, but if that fails, we'll resort to force. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Leave within three days."
"Understood!" Indo responded firmly.
Later that afternoon, Mookhyang set off. The weather was pleasant, and he found himself in a lighthearted mood. It had been a while since he'd traveled, and the prospect of seeing the world again brought him a sense of freedom. Moreover, he had dispatched his troublesome subordinates separately, which made him feel even more carefree. As he rode slowly along the road, he took his time, looking around at the sights, and whenever he encountered something new and interesting, he paused to enjoy it.
The Strange Kidnapper and the Hostage - 1
Mookhyang was on the road for five days. In the small village, there was only one large restaurant. Upon entering, he noticed about forty martial artists dining inside, with a few empty seats scattered about. To avoid the intimidating men, he chose a spot next to a table where four beautiful young women were eating. Two appeared to be ladies of high status, while the other two seemed to be their attendants. Strangely, as soon as he walked in, all their gazes turned towards him.
At that moment, a server hurried over, looking pale. "Sir, this place is fully booked. Please use another restaurant."
The server's expression was frantic, but Mookhyang replied with indifference. "I just want a quick meal, and there are plenty of empty seats. Why all the fuss? Just bring me a plate of dumplings and a bottle of strong liquor."
Suddenly, a large man, towering at about six feet, approached Mookhyang and confronted him. "Hey, didn't you hear me tell you to get out?"
"Why should I leave when there's a seat available? I'll be gone after I eat," Mookhyang responded calmly.
"This little punk thinks he's a martial artist because he carries a sword. If you don't want a few bones broken, you better scram now."
"And if I don't?"
"I'll grant your wish." With that, the man swung his fist at Mookhyang.
Mookhyang easily deflected the punch with his palm, then retaliated by delivering a blow to the man's lower abdomen. The attacker doubled over, clutching his stomach, before collapsing to the floor, foaming at the mouth and losing consciousness.
"My wish is this: let me eat my meal in peace," Mookhyang declared.
Just then, a woman with a veil covering her face spoke coldly, "Drag that man out!"
At her command, the surrounding warriors rose in unison, drawing their swords. In response, Mookhyang swiftly approached the veiled woman, pinpointing her vital points in an instant. He produced a dagger and pressed it against her throat, speaking softly, "Everyone, sit down. Or else…"
Realizing the quality of the dagger glinting darkly in his hand, the onlookers complied without hesitation. Mookhyang, shaking the dagger playfully, remarked, "This isn't half bad. I was going to use it for slicing venison, but it seems useful for intimidation as well."
The woman, her anger barely contained, replied in a restrained voice, "You've underestimated the significance of this situation. Your technique is impressive; both your blood techniques and your agility. Are you from the Shaolin Sect? Do you think you can treat me so rudely and get away with it?"
"Who started this trouble? Why blame me?" Mookhyang retorted, taunting her further while searching through her belongings.
The woman trembled with boiling rage but felt helpless. Mookhyang examined the items he found. Among them were several intriguing talismans, a small dagger, and a meticulously carved jade pendant depicting a phoenix, marked with the character "武" (war). He also discovered a pair of jade vials, one exuding a potent poison and the other an antidote.
Mookhyang pocketed them, then rummaged further to find a wallet containing seven silver ingots worth five taels each and five worth ten taels, along with approximately twenty taels in loose change.
"Hehehe, today is my lucky day…" Mookhyang stuffed everything into his pocket. He switched the dagger to his left hand, pressing it against her neck, while using his right hand to pick up chopsticks and began eating the food on the table. "Mmm, this is pretty good. What do you call this dish?"
"Oh, if I don't crush your bones and make you drink them, I'll be forced to grind my own bones instead."
"Mmm… that might be a bit tough. There have been quite a few who said that, and none have succeeded. Mmm, this is also delicious. Once I leave, don't bother trying to break the blood seal; just wait until morning when it'll be released, and then come after me... mmm."
"Hmph, did you really think you'd be alive until tomorrow morning?"
"Mmm, I think I will. Once I'm gone, there are many underlings, and some will stay behind to guard you while the rest will be sent to kill me."
"You seem to know a lot."
"But things in this world don't always go as easily as you think."
Mookhyang rummaged through his belongings and pulled out a small white bottle. He took a red pill from it and pretended to be entranced by its fragrance, taking a deep sniff. "Do you know what this is?"
"What does that matter to me?"
"This is the Joyous Heavenly Bliss Pill. It has outstanding effects; once you take this fragrant pill, you'll feel a cooling sensation in your stomach, but in about half a moment, a fiery heat will rise within. There's hardly any antidote available, and even if there is, it's quite painful, so just shut your eyes and enjoy the pleasures around you; you'll be relieved of everything. While you're indulging in pleasure, I'll be making my escape…"
As Mookhyang mocked her leisurely, the woman trembled with rage. He continued to eat, saying, "You might think that the world is always comfortable and pleasant, but…"
With that, he pinched her nose shut. She struggled to keep her mouth closed, desperately holding her breath, but with her blood circulation blocked, she couldn't hold it for long. Sticking to the unchanging truth that a person must breathe to live, she eventually had to open her mouth. At that moment, Mookhyang seized the opportunity to pop the pill into her mouth, using his inner energy to push it deep inside.
He then smacked her forehead lightly, and despite her will, the pill was forced into her stomach. Shocked, the woman was nearly on the verge of fainting.
"Mmm… there is one way to detoxify this pill." Mookhyang pulled out a brush and paper from his pocket and began to write something down. "You need to take this, chew it well, and swallow it before the pill takes effect. If you also take bear bile with it, that would be even better. The key thing to remember is that the dosage must be precise; even a slight deviation will ruin it. If you chew it properly, you'll be able to detoxify about 80%. For complete detoxification, you'll need to take it two more times a day."
"If you plan on running around in this remote area trying to find those things, you should forget about chasing after me altogether… Oh, right! I forgot that the blood seal will hinder your enjoyment. I should've mentioned that."
"Mookhyang chuckled, "Hehe, today is my lucky day…" He stuffed everything into his bosom, then switched the dagger to his left hand, pressing it against the woman's neck while picking up some chopsticks with his right hand and starting to eat from the food on the table. "Mmm, this tastes quite good. What do you call this dish?"
"Oh, if I don't grind your bones and drink them, I'll grind my own palace."
"Mmm, that might be tough. There have been a few who said such things, but none succeeded. Mmm, this is also quite tasty. Don't bother trying to relieve your blood energy after I leave; just wait until tomorrow morning, and it'll be released then… Mmm."
"Hmph, did you really think you'd survive until tomorrow morning?"
"Mmm, I think I will. Once I leave, I'll have many subordinates, and some will be sent to protect you while the others will be sent to kill me."
"You know well."
"But the world doesn't work so easily." Mookhyang rummaged through his clothes and pulled out a small white bottle. He took out a red pill and pretended to be ecstatic, sniffing it as if enchanted by the aroma. "Do you know what this is?"
"Why would I care?"
"This is called the Joyful Heaven Pill. It's incredibly effective. When you eat this fragrant medicine, your stomach will feel cool, but after about half a stick of incense, a fiery heat will rise from your belly. There's hardly any antidote available… and even if there is, it'll be too painful, so just enjoy the pleasure while you have many handsome men nearby; close your eyes and indulge, and everything will be resolved. While you're enjoying pleasure, I'll escape far away…"
As Mookhyang mockingly spoke, the woman trembled slightly, her anger boiling over. He casually continued to eat. "You might think that, but the world is never as easy or pleasant as it seems…" Saying this, Mookhyang pinched her nose. The woman struggled to keep her mouth closed, holding her breath, but as her blood energy was blocked, she couldn't hold her breath for long. Following the unchanging truth that a person must breathe to live, she eventually opened her mouth. Mookhyang seized the moment, stuffing the medicine into her mouth and using his inner energy to push it deep inside her throat. With a light tap on her forehead, the medicine went into her belly against her will. The woman was so shocked that she nearly fainted.
"Mmm… there is a way to detoxify this medicine." Mookhyang took out a brush and paper from his bosom and began to write something. "You just have to chew this well and swallow it before the medicine takes effect, and it's even better if you take bear bile with it. The important thing to note is that the dosage cannot be off by even a little bit. If you chew it well, it will be 80% detoxified, and to completely detoxify, you'll have to take it once or twice more a day. If you run around this rural area trying to get those things, you should forget about chasing me… Oh! I almost forgot; blocking your blood energy will hinder your enjoyment of pleasure."
Mookhyang struck a few of the woman's blood points. "By the time the medicine takes effect, your blood energy will be released, so make sure to enjoy yourself. And since you're so cold, you won't be able to keep me company…" At the same time, he grabbed the woman sitting next to her and quickly suppressed her blood energy. Everyone was amazed at the speed and accuracy of his technique. "Since this girl seems decent, I'll take her as a hostage. Just don't annoy me by chasing after me while I'm on the run. I'll send her back later, so don't worry. If you do chase me, I'll ruin this girl's martial arts and sell her into a brothel, so you can do as you wish."
Mookhyang held the girl with his left hand, aiming the dagger at her neck with his right hand, standing up and leaving the restaurant. "Thanks for the meal. It was delicious. See you next time, haha." He mounted his horse and fled like the wind.
After running desperately for about 30 li, Mookhyang began to soothe the tired horse, going at a more leisurely pace. He released the blood energy of the woman he had thrown down in front and allowed her to speak, humming a tune as they traveled. Once her blood energy was released, she spoke up. "You're really bold. Do you know who we are?"
"Who else? Just a bunch of knife-wielders robbing passersby. Honestly, you're no different from bandits… By the way, what's your name?"
"…"
"If you don't tell me your name, I'll give you that medicine."
In a hurry, she replied, "I'm Ok Ryeong-in."
"Ryeong-in, what an interesting name. You must have been born on a drizzly day?"
"Yes, that's why they gave me the character '零 (Ryeong).'"
After traveling for about 3 li, Ok Ryeong-in could no longer contain her curiosity and asked, "Is my sister okay?"
Mookhyang looked at her face, which was contorted with worry, and couldn't hold back his laughter any longer. "Haha, detoxify? That medicine isn't like a spring medicine. It's just a medicine to heal my internal injuries. I thought it would be fun to give it to her, but it seems she took it seriously. As you know, her personality seems quite nasty, doesn't it?"
"No, she's not bad; she's just very skilled in swordsmanship, so she tends to look down on men."
"But that medicine is really for internal injuries?"
"Haha, it is for internal injuries… I've written down some famous medicinal ingredients to tease her a bit more, so if she chews on those, her spirit will fly away. By now, she's probably thinking it would be good to enjoy the pleasure while chewing on that extremely bitter herbal medicine, haha."
The thought of her normally calm and composed sister grimacing as she chewed the dreadful bitter medicine made a smile involuntarily appear on her face.
"That kind of prank isn't very nice. You're not very nice."
"Well, well… I'm not nice at all. Everyone who knows me says so."
"Even so, there's no need to play such sneaky tricks on women."
"I'm inherently sneaky, so don't worry about it. By the way, how old are you?"
"I'm twenty-five."
"There seems to be quite an age difference between you and your sister?"
"A skilled person can't be fooled. My sister is thirty-eight."
"Then she must be married, but where is your brother-in-law? Thanks to you, I had some fun… If he were around, you could have enjoyed together, and she wouldn't have to chew on that."
"My sister hasn't married yet. She has dedicated herself solely to the sword and told my father that she would only agree to marry whoever wins against her in martial arts."
"She doesn't seem that skilled in martial arts, though?"
"You're the first to treat her lightly. Over sixty people have proposed to her so far, and they all left on stretchers."
"That's because if the martial arts are similar, the other party would be thinking of marrying her, so they wouldn't use lethal techniques, whereas she must have fought desperately. It's only natural. What kind of person couldn't deal with one woman?"
"You have no right to say that. You used sneak attacks to seize the initiative."
"I'm inherently sneaky… But it doesn't feel good to hear that I'm sneaky."
"You're only hearing those things because of what you've done."
"No, if it's going to be like that, then call it lofty and insidious. Haha, sneaky or despicable… Those sound too lowly."
She gave a bitter smile. "You're truly incorrigible."
"Hmm, come to think of it, it's been a while since I've ridden with a woman. It feels really nice…" Saying this, Mookhyang shamelessly groped Ok Ryeong-in's chest.
"Stop it." Ok Ryeong-in kept pleading, but when Mookhyang didn't listen, she eventually burst into tears. Only then did Mookhyang remove his hand. "Don't cry. If you keep crying after I've removed my hand, I'll keep groping while listening to your cries."
At that, Ok Ryeong-in quickly stopped crying. "You're pretty obedient. Now let's change the subject and talk as we go. It seems like it's going to be a long journey. And if you promise not to run away, I'll release your blood energy too."
"I promise."
As soon as Mookhyang released her blood energy, Ok Ryeong-in gathered her strength and elbowed Mookhyang's solar plexus with all her might, trying to escape. But Mookhyang's solar plexus was as hard as a rock, and Ok Ryeong-in felt a pain as if her arm was breaking, letting out a scream. "Aah!"
"Right after I let you go, you're already thinking of escaping. Since this is your first attempt, I'll give you a simple punishment. I wonder if you've heard of it?"
"What is it?"
"It's called Bungeun-Chakgol (粉筋鑿骨)..."
As those words left Mookhyang's mouth, he struck several acupuncture points on the captive's body. A crackling sound echoed from within her body, and against her will, a scream burst forth. After a moment, Mookhyang released the Bungeun-Chakgol.
"Every time you attempt to escape, the time will double. Figure it out."
Mookhyang said with a grin, prompting the captive to scream in frustration.
"You despicable bastard!"
"Hahaha, that's a compliment for me! You see, that's just my nature.... You should praise me more!"
"..."
As the days passed, the kidnapper and the hostage gradually became familiar with each other, even sharing jokes as they traveled. Mookhyang stayed in the first village and bought her a horse, but the next morning, she tried to escape again and ended up in trouble, abandoning the idea entirely. Mookhyang wasn't treating her cruelly, and she wasn't the type to be overly timid either. As Mookhyang often joked and treated her casually, she gradually forgot her predicament and became naturally absorbed in the situation.
Within just a day, the captive realized that Mookhyang was a skilled practitioner, proficient in both riding and playing the flute, having reached an impressive level of martial arts. Initially, he had playfully touched her chest, but after that, he refrained from any disrespectful behavior. When they stayed at an inn, Mookhyang reserved a room for both of them, ensuring she couldn't escape by striking her acupuncture points, while he practiced his breathing techniques throughout the night. Surprisingly, to her eyes, this kidnapper seemed to have not slept a wink. During this time, she observed the energy emanating from above his head condensing into a single lotus shape, realizing he was an extraordinary master.
As they traveled together, laughing and discussing various topics, Mookhyang discovered that this captive named Okryeong was exceptionally intelligent and had read numerous books related to various subjects and martial arts techniques. Naturally, this left the less knowledgeable Mookhyang at a disadvantage in conversation.
On the seventh day of their journey, while talking about various things, Okryeong suddenly seemed to remember something and asked Mookhyang.
"Where are we headed?"
"To a friend's house."
"You mean you're taking me, who you kidnapped, to your friend's house?"
After a moment's thought, Mookhyang opened his mouth.
"I'm going there because of a rather troublesome matter. So, I'd like to ask for some advice from you… since you seem quite clever."
"What is it?"
"My friend is reasonably wealthy and has many servants. However, in the neighborhood where he lives, there's another rich family. These two families have never gotten along well, and eventually, a fight broke out. It all started when the servants from each house began to quarrel, and as the situation escalated, the masters ended up leading their servants, wielding picks, into a close-range brawl."
"Impressive. If someone as skilled as you goes there, the fight would end in an instant. But what do you want to ask?"
"It's not as simple as that. So while fighting, they realized they couldn't completely subdue each other with just their own strength, and they sought outside help."
"So, are you the one going?"
"No, there are people who went ahead. They mobilized people through landlords or martial arts schools they're familiar with, and they're fighting like crazy, so I'm going there to mediate."
"If you're taking one side, you could just use your martial arts to subdue the other side instantly."
"But the people who sent me wanted both sides to save face and end things amicably."
"If you solve it that way, it'll be quite difficult. So have you thought about what to do?"
"From what I hear, the opposing family has a precious granddaughter. If I kidnap her and use her as bait for negotiation…"
"That might actually worsen the situation."
"That's the problem… If so many servants have already been hurt, they should be willing to come to a truce, but it seems they have no intention of doing so."
"If you can't come up with a good method, what do you plan to do?"
"I was thinking of sneaking into the landlords and the supporters' houses and beheading them all. That should resolve the fight…"
"With your skills, it wouldn't be too hard, but killing them all seems a bit excessive, doesn't it? If suddenly everyone is murdered, their sons won't just sit back and watch. And if it gets reported to the authorities…"
"That's a problem too. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place."
"What if you went to them and negotiated? Show your skills while doing so. If they see your martial prowess, their perspective might change."
"There are many skilled people on their side too. If they join forces, I might end up losing my head there."
"Still, that's the only option, isn't it? A mediator has to step in. If you send a servant to the landlord you're supposed to help and have them say, 'Let's have a truce,' wouldn't your landlord feel his face is being lowered?"
Sigh, "It seems I have no choice but to go. Why don't you go instead? If a pretty girl mediates, they might all be happy…"
"That has nothing to do with me. I wouldn't have a reason to step in."
"Your name isn't needed. Since you're pretty eloquent, you can borrow my name to pacify them. I'll accompany you and protect you, so don't worry…"