Chapter 318 Infiltration-4

Chapter 318: Infiltration-4

It was then.

Jeong Mi-hee’s eyes, as she was being held in Master Jia Gong’s arms, suddenly flashed.

Then, pulling down the top she’d been wearing earlier, she plunged the dagger she’d hidden in its sleeve deep into his stomach.

Thud!

“Gah!”

Zajong Jinren, who had just pulled Jeong Mihui tightly into his arms, couldn’t help but scream in pain from the sudden agony in his stomach.

In that instant, Jeong Mihui shoved Master Jia Gongjin away with all her might and began to deploy her lightness skill with every ounce of strength.

Her destination was the main gate of the Hyeongsan Sect down the mountain.

Thud!

The young martial artists, unable to react to the sudden turn of events, let out startled cries.

“Wh-what?!”

“Wh-what is this?!”

Meanwhile, Jung Mi-hee was running down the mountain with all her might.

She regretted not being able to stab his heart due to her excessive nervousness, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

She could only hope that the injured Master Gongjin wouldn’t be able to pursue her…

That was when it happened.

Master Jia Gong Jin roared as he roughly pulled the dagger embedded in his stomach.

“What are you doing?! Bring that bitch here immediately!”

“Huh? Ah, yes!”

“Understood, Master!”

The young warriors finally began chasing after Jeong Mihui.

It was a chase down the mountainside.

“You bitch! Stop right there!”

“Stop right there!”

They shouted like that, but Jung Mi-hee wasn’t about to stop.

Instead, she began running with all her might.

“Yik!”

Jung Mi-hee was a top-tier intermediate martial artist.

So, naturally, the young martial artists, who were only first-rate themselves, found it difficult to catch up to her.

Jung Mi-hee glanced back, saw the young warriors struggling to close the gap, and smiled with pure delight.

Honestly, she hadn’t been entirely confident, but her plan was unfolding too perfectly.

It was fortunate.

‘It’s done!’

Just as she thought that,

Suddenly, the figure of Master Jia Gong descended before her.

Whoosh!

It couldn’t have been anything but sudden.

Jeong Mi-hee screamed in shock.

“Aaah!”

Trying desperately to stop herself, she slipped and collapsed to the ground.

There, right before her eyes, stood the deadly-eyed Master Jia Gong.

Despite his injuries, he had already caught up to her.

She couldn’t believe it.

“Wh-how?!”

Jeong Mihui’s eyes suddenly darted toward Master Jia Gong’s abdomen.

There he was, still clutching his stomach with his left hand, the pain apparently lingering.

But that was all; the blood had already stopped flowing, as if the pressure point had been sealed.

Moreover, his right hand still held the sword firmly.

Jeong Mi-hee had no choice but to admit it.

The surprise attack she had pinned her last hope on had ultimately failed…

Her eyes were now filled with the light of despair.

At that moment, Master Jia Gong raised his sword toward her with a gaze brimming with killing intent and shouted.

“How dare you, you bitch!”

Sensing her end was near, Jeong Mi-hee screamed, her eyes tightly shut.

“Kyaaaah!”

Suddenly, she felt the letter in her bosom.

The fact that I would die without being able to tell him that made me so angry I cried.

That was when it happened.

Just as she anticipated the cold touch of the blade, a voice suddenly reached her ears.

“Brother Jiaogong! No!”

Just as Master Zigong was about to strike down with his sword, his hand froze at the sound. He looked toward where the voice came from.

Then, in the distance, he saw four people running down toward them.

Master Zigong narrowed his eyes and watched them.

He couldn’t place the three behind, but the one in front looked strangely familiar.

He kept shouting as he charged toward Master Zigong.

“Brother Zigong! It’s me! Modongzhou! Stop your sword!”

At those words, Master Zigong frowned and muttered.

“Mo Dong-ju, Mo the disciple? Why him?”

Zagong Jinren’s mind instantly became complicated.

Not only had he been caught in the act of trying to kill Jeong Mi-hee, but he was also in the middle of robbing Bi-go, so encountering him was hardly welcome.

Moreover, wasn’t Mo Dong-ju’s skill beyond compare, surpassing even his own?

Jia Gong Jinren bit his lip as he pondered.

‘Why the hell is that bastard here… when he should be out in the open?’

But that wasn’t the important part.

‘What should I do? Should I pretend to be glad to see him and then ambush and kill him?’

That was when Master Zhaogong was having such thoughts.

Meanwhile, three of the four had already closed in on him.

Their movement was astonishingly swift.

Zajong Jinren suddenly looked at the handsome young man beside Modongju among them.

Despite his extremely youthful appearance, he displayed an incredible level of skill far beyond his years.

At that age, he probably wasn’t a peerless master like Mo Dongzhu, but he was undoubtedly at least a formidable expert of the highest caliber.

Then Master Zigong could not help but become even more troubled.

Even if he ambushed and killed Mo Dong-ju, that young man and the old man beside him seemed formidable opponents.

It was then.

Mo Dong-ju, who had quietly approached nearby, cheerfully called out his name again.

“Brother Zigong, it’s been a long time!”

At those words, Master Zigong forced a smile and replied.

“Y-yeah. Brother, it’s… good to see you!”

That was when it happened.

Sunwoo Jin, who had been running up slightly behind Mo Dong-ju, left a single remark before darting off like a ray of light.

“Good work!”

Swoosh!

The next moment, Master Jia Gong could only stare at Mo Dongzhu with a dazed expression.

It was because I couldn’t understand what had just happened.

‘The young man beside Mo Dong-ju suddenly appeared before my eyes, and then a beam of light…’

That was all the Immortal Jia Gong could see.

But in the next instant, the young man’s form vanished like an afterimage, leaving only Mo Dong-ju and the old man visible to his eyes now.

Suddenly, Mo Dong-ju’s face came into Master Jia Gong’s view.

Mo Dong-ju now stood frozen in place, gazing at him with a strangely bitter expression.

It was then.

A sound suddenly came from behind Master Zhaogong.

Click!

A familiar sound.

It was the sound heard when sheathing a sword.

But why was that sound coming from behind him…?

Zajong Jinren suddenly turned his head, intending to look behind him.

But he couldn’t.

Because at that very moment, his chest split open with a crack, blood spurting out like a fountain.

Puh-wah-ahk!

“Gah!”

Zagong Jinren gazed one last time at his own blood scattering into the air before his consciousness faded.

This was the end of Master Zagon, who had dreamed of advancement through nothing but the skill of flattering the ruling faction.

***

Jeong Mi-hee stared blankly at Master Jia Gong, who was dying while spewing blood.

I couldn’t understand what was happening.

That was when it happened.

Another sound reached her ears.

“Die, you bastards of the Hyeongsanpa!”

Puhwaak!

“Aaargh!”

“Tch, intruder, kwaaah!”

She whirled her head around to look that way. The last person to arrive had leaped into the midst of the young Hyeongsanpa warriors, slaughtering them with a spear like a harpoon.

Jeong Mi-hee muttered with a dazed expression.

“The… Great Hero?”

He was undoubtedly Dong Jeong-su-gwi, her fellow half-clan member.

Suddenly, a voice sounded behind her again.

“Could you be Miss Jeong Mi-hee?”

Turning her head again, she saw a handsome young man in black robes staring back at her.

She swore he was the most handsome man she had ever seen.

Perhaps because he had rescued her in such a critical moment, Jeong Mi-hee felt as though a light seemed to emanate from his face.

Staring at him blankly, she asked.

“…Are you perhaps a god from heaven? Or a grim reaper? Have I died?”

“……”

Then, Jeong Chil, who was beside them, clicked his tongue and muttered.

“Tsk, tsk. It seems the shock was simply too much. Such a pity at such a young age…”

At that voice, Jung Mi-hee suddenly turned her head to look at Jeong Chil.

Then she realized she wasn’t dead yet.

It was because Jeong Chil’s appearance was so shabby and ugly that she knew he wasn’t a deity.

It seemed she was still alive after all.

***

After slaughtering all the young warriors who had followed Master Jia Gong, Dongzheng Shuigui, the Demon King, spoke with Jeong Mi-hee.

Thus, upon learning that Wu Nanshu was with the Wei Zheng Kingdom, he was finally able to receive the letter she had left behind.

Finally, Seonwoo Jin had obtained the information he desired about the Six Harmonies Sword Technique.

After handing the letter to Seon Woo-jin, Sa Urim paced back and forth for a long while, deep in thought.

Then suddenly, he cursed.

“Damn it!”

People looked at him with puzzled expressions.

Although Woo Nan-seol had followed the Wei Zheng-gu, and they had rescued Jeong Mi-hee and safely obtained the information, they couldn’t understand why he was so furious.

That was when it happened.

Sa Urim, his face deeply furrowed, began stomping toward Mo Dong-ju.

Then, at his actions, Seonwoojin and Jeungchil exchanged a quick glance and prepared to intervene.

This was to prepare for the possibility that Saurim might suddenly attack Modongju.

The reason was unknown, but his expression seemed incredibly angry.

Mo Dong-ju also stared at him with tense eyes.

He couldn’t fathom why he was suddenly angry at him again.

Then, Sawoo-rim stopped right in front of Mo Dong-ju and began glaring at him with a terrifying look.

Mo Dong-ju swallowed hard, overcome by tension.

That was when it happened.

Sawoo clenched his teeth, then barely managed to open his mouth and speak.

“No… thank you.”

“…Huh?”

Mo Dong-ju was momentarily flustered.

He genuinely couldn’t comprehend what the man had just said.

No, he understood that it meant “thank you,” but he couldn’t believe that he had said such a thing to him.

Then Sawoo-rim suddenly snapped and shouted.

“Thank you! I said thank you! Is that clear?!”

Then he whipped around and started walking away again.

Seeing this, Seonwoojin and Jeungchil exchanged glances and chuckled softly.

The fact that I was able to save Jeong Mi-hee just now was more than half thanks to Mo Dong-ju.

Not only did he stop the immortal who had intended to kill Jeong Mi-hee, but he was also the one who had suggested they enter the Hyeongsan Sect just in case, when they were debating whether to go straight to the Repentance Cave on the back mountain instead.

He had said he would guide her inside and suggested they look around quickly.

Therefore, without him, it was certain that neither Mi-hee could have been saved nor information about the Six Harmonies Sword Technique obtained.

Though eccentric, Saurim, whose nature was clearly vengeful, seemed to think he had to force himself to say thank you for that.

Now understanding the situation, Mo Dong-ju grinned slyly and called out to Sawoo-rim.

“Sir! My hearing’s been failing me lately—I didn’t catch that! What did you just say?! Did you say thank you?!”

At that, Sawoorim gritted his teeth and began walking faster without looking back.

But Mo Dong-ju, his mischievous streak kicking in, wasn’t giving up.

He followed behind Sa Urim, shouting after him.

“Master Sa! Did you just say thank you to me?! Did you really say thank you to me?! Are you really saying thank you?! Good heavens! For Master Sa to thank me—this is truly something to thank heaven for!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Saurim turned around and shouted angrily.

“Can’t you stop right now?! One more word and you’ll die by my hand!”

But yielding to such threats was not in Mo Dong-ju’s nature.

He paid no heed and continued shouting.

“No! What I meant was, Master Sa just said thank you…!”

Then Saurim let out a bloodcurdling scream and lunged at Modongju.

“Gaaah! You son of a bitch! Die!”

But he couldn’t stop Mo Dong-ju.

Because he kept shouting as he fled.

“Master Sa! Why are you doing this?! Could it be you’re embarrassed because I said thank you?! If so, don’t worry! I won’t tell anyone that Master Sa said thank you to me…!”

“Aaaaaah!”

The chase continued for some time.

For Sa Urim, a martial artist at his peak, it was simply impossible to catch Mo Dong-ju, who was at the pinnacle of his abilities.

At first, Seon Woo-jin considered stepping in, but after confirming through his inner vision that no one was nearby, he decided to let it be.

‘Well, kids learn to get along by fighting, after all.’

Of course, both were much older than Seon Woo-jin, but judging by their behavior, their mental ages seemed far from reaching their twenties.

After shaking his head briefly, Seon Woo-jin suddenly looked down the mountain.

Over there, below Hyeongsan Mountain, Wi Jeong-guk was probably setting up camp.

The snowstorm was slowly approaching this direction.

So while there was still a little leeway, it seemed he’d have to get moving again if he wanted to wrap things up before the fight started.

With that thought, Seon Woo-jin turned his head toward the two immature kids still playing chase.

“Master Sa! Why aren’t you saying anything?! Earlier, you clearly told me you were grateful…!”

“Shut up! You little bastard!”

He sighed and glanced at Jeong Chil, who was watching the two of them and clicking his tongue.

It was the first time Jeong Chil had ever seemed relatively mature.

It was surprising.