Chapter 58 The Five Brothers and Sisters of Doksu – 4

Chapter 58: The Five Brothers and Sisters of Doksu – 4

Cheon Ju-eun knew full well she was the weakest member of her team.

She also knew that all the other members of her group were incomparably more skilled than she was.

She wasn’t even referring to Seol Pung, Hae Cheong-yeon, or Na Seo-yu, who had been top-tier martial artists from the moment they met.

When he first arrived at the front lines, he was just another second-rate warrior like her. Yet unlike her, it wasn’t talent but something akin to a different species that propelled his terrifying advancement, until he finally became a peak master—Master Seonwoojin.

Though not quite at Master Seonwoojin’s level, Master Biseoyeong also grew at an astonishing pace, becoming a formidable first-rate martial artist before long. In fact, when it came to divine techniques alone, even Captain Seolpung had to concede he was a step behind.

In terms of martial prowess alone, she could be considered her equal. But unlike herself, who couldn’t handle even a single Gan-gwi, there was Bae Jong-gwan, who could swat away a swarm of dozens like they were toys.

Every single one of them was someone she could never hope to catch up to.

She alone was ordinary; everyone around her was a genius.

‘No, ordinary? That’s generous. I’m barely average.’

That’s why it had been so incredibly hard for her.

Because in the Seven Jo, where everyone was supposed to be comrades, she alone was the one who needed protecting.

I’d often thought that if only I didn’t exist, everyone would be much more comfortable.

But even so, I never stopped trying.

I always gritted my teeth and struggled to move forward, even if only a little bit at a time.

Even if I couldn’t work several times harder than Seolpung Jo or Seonwoojin Gongja, I refused to be someone who worked less than them.

And all the team members cheered her on.

On the day she cried for the first time, overcome by the pain of feeling useless, people came to see her one after another, as if by some unspoken promise.

The first person to come looking for me was Sergeant Seolpung.

He couldn’t even meet my gaze properly as he said this.

‘Young Lady Cheon, in my opinion, your family’s martial art, the Heavenly Sword Technique, seems a bit unsuitable for a woman. If it’s alright with you, might I refine it for you?’

For Seolpung Jo-jang, the thirteenth generation’s strongest peak master, to offer to refine her own technique—it was an offer she couldn’t possibly refuse.

Her father, Cheon Ga-sang, had died young as a blood sacrifice for the Emperor’s Tomb, failing to properly pass down the family martial arts. Furthermore, even for a woman, she was small in stature with short limbs, making it difficult for her to wield martial arts effectively.

It was truly like rain in a drought.

The second person to visit was Sun Woo-jin.

“Ah, Miss Cheon. I happened to find this internal cultivation technique on the road. It’s a technique for women, so I can’t learn it anyway. So, if you don’t mind, would you like to try learning it? It’s called the Shangyin Technique.”

It was precisely what she needed, having been unable to properly learn the internal cultivation techniques due to her father’s early death.

The third person to arrive was Bi Sa-yeong.

Hmm, hmm. I don’t know if Miss Tian is aware, but our Feather Sect’s Heavenly Wind Divine Technique is truly the pinnacle of the martial world. It feels a bit awkward for me to say this myself, but even that bastard Zhao Zhang and Jin acknowledged it as the absolute best divine technique. Now then, while it’s absolutely forbidden to pass it on to outsiders, since I’m practically the head of the Flying Sword Sect, I suppose I could make an exception. If Lady Tian truly desires to learn it, I might be able to teach you… well, you know. Hmm hmm. Do you understand what I mean?”

Beyond them, all the team members never hesitated to offer advice, always embracing and encouraging me as if I were their beloved youngest sibling.

That’s why Cheon Ju-eun could say with confidence:

She herself was the collective achievement of all seven team members.

And today was the day she would show her first achievement in front of the members who had nurtured her.

She absolutely could not afford to disappoint them.

Cheon Ju-eun’s eyes, more focused than ever, were fixed sharply on her opponent.

Meanwhile, Ji Sang-im, the third daughter of the Ji family, inwardly sneered at Cheon Ju-eun, who stood crouched in a sword-drawing stance.

In that stance, she could only perform a sword strike with all her strength, couldn’t she?

‘To openly reveal her next move like that. What a fool.’

She seemed like an inexperienced rookie after all.

Compared to sword techniques, fist techniques were characterized by packing immense power into each strike.

Among them, sword techniques were especially methods requiring immense power for a single, decisive strike.

But that also meant that once you missed your mark, your weaknesses would be laid bare.

Well aware of this fact, Ji Sang-im decided to use Heo Cho to sow confusion among her opponents.

After all, her signature technique, the Jijimsanjang’s Noisy Sword Method, was renowned throughout Sichuan Province as a dazzling sword art. It was more than sufficient to shake up a mere novice like that.

Ji Sang-im immediately unleashed her sword technique.

“Haah!”

Shhhhh!

Her sword split into three streaks of light, flashing around Cheon Ju-eun.

Her plan was to lure Cheon Ju-eun into drawing her sword by using not just two, but all three of the illusory blades—the Huo Chao—and then strike at the opening the moment she did.

But contrary to Jisang-im’s expectations, Cheon Ju-eun didn’t even draw her sword.

She merely crouched low, moving swiftly and nimbly to dodge the sword strike.

‘Huh?’

Ji Sang-im was flustered.

Dodging the sword by moving her body?

It sounded easy, but it wasn’t something just anyone could do.

Even the most skilled practitioners of footwork couldn’t move their bodies as fast as a sword’s speed.

Moreover, even if one could move that way, it was an action impossible to execute without eyes sharp enough to accurately pierce through the opponent’s sword’s trajectory.

But that stunted little brat didn’t even step back—he dodged left and right to evade his own sword strike.

Ji Sang-im’s pride was deeply wounded.

“How dare you!”

Forgetting even the thought of lightly touching him to lure out a weakness, Ji Sang-im gritted his teeth and began to unleash his sword strike.

“Haah!”

Pabababap!

Ji Sang-im’s sword now flashed with five sword lights, sweeping around Cheon Ju-eun.

The dazzling, flamboyant sword dance drew gasps from the warriors of both sides watching the duel.

“Ooooooh!”

“Such a dazzling sword!”

“Truly the flamboyant sword technique of the Earth Sword Mountain Lodge!”

But unlike the warriors who marveled at it, Cheon Ju-eun’s eyes held no emotion whatsoever.

Her gaze was cold and piercing, fixed solely on the flashing sword light.

‘What the hell is he doing?’

That was Cheon Ju-eun’s honest thought at that moment.

Why not just attack properly? Why is he just swinging his sword at thin air like that?

Could he possibly be performing a sword dance?

At first, he had thought it was merely a way to probe him.

But now, no matter how she looked at it, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Doesn’t it seem like he’s really swinging with all his might?

Watching the duel while moving in concealment, Bi Sa-yeong suddenly sent a telepathic message to Seon Woo-jin.

– Having sparred with your Seonwoo Thirteen Swords all this time, such a flamboyant sword technique wouldn’t catch your eye. The outcome seems already decided, doesn’t it?

Seonwoo Jin, also watching Cheonju-eun’s duel, smiled faintly.

It seemed there was no need for concern after all.

The warriors of the Zhengxie Sect were still shouting in unison.

“Wooooo! Young Master Ji!”

“What a splendid sword technique!”

“Just end it already… Whoa?!”

But the warriors of the Jeonghyeopbang who had been cheering for Jisang-im were frozen solid in that instant.

Amidst the flashing sword lights, Cheon Ju-eun, who had been moving her body nimbly to evade the blades, finally shifted into an aggressive stance.

Pabaat!

Cheon Ju-eun’s small body instantly plunged through the gap between five sword lights.

It was a charge so swift and sudden that Jisang-im, though he saw it with his own eyes, could not react in time.

Then, brushing past Ji Sang-im’s body like the wind, Cheon Ju-eun’s sword became a cold white light, revealing its white blade for the first time.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

But the ordinary warriors on both sides could not even properly see the spectacle of that sword draw.

All they could see was Cheon Ju-eun, who had already swept past the ground and stood behind her, slowly sheathing her sword once more.

Click!

The moment Cheon Ju-eun’s sword vanished completely into its scabbard with a click, blood spurted from Jisang-im’s abdomen, who had been standing there in a daze.

Puff!

“Aaah!”

As Jisang-im screamed and collapsed, the Sanjeomun warriors who had been watching in a daze erupted into cheers in an instant.

“Wooooo!”

“We really won!”

“To bend a single road! That’s incredible!”

“Lady Cheon Ju-eun! You’re the best!”

Cheon Ju-eun flashed another bright smile, clasped her hands together, and shouted toward the medical tent with all her might.

– I didn’t cut him to death! Hurry and take him away for treatment!

The martial artists who rushed over carried Ji Sang-eum away. Following them, Ji Sang-yeon, the second of the Ji Clan’s Three Sisters, burst out, her eyes fierce as she shouted at Cheon Ju-eun.

“How dare you do this to my sister! I’ll avenge her!”

But she couldn’t reach Cheon Ju-eun.

Her eldest sister, Ji Sang-hwa, stood in her way.

“Sis?! Why…?”

Ji Sang-hwa cut off Ji Sang-yeon’s words.

“He’s no match for you. I’ll go.”

The Ji sisters were originally siblings with a significant age gap.

The youngest, Ji Sang-im, was in her late twenties, but the second, Ji Sang-yeon, was in her early thirties, and the eldest, Ji Sang-hwa, was in her late thirties.

So for Ji Sang-hwa, in her late thirties, to face Cheon Ju-eun, who still looked like she was in her early twenties, was nothing short of humiliating.

Ji Sang-yeon frowned and shouted.

“Sister! This is no opponent for you to take on…!”

But Jisanghwa cut her off again and scolded her firmly.

“This is an opponent I must face myself! How dare you step forward without even knowing the enemy’s strength?!”

But Jisanghwa, who had scolded her younger sister and stood before Cheon Ju-eun, ultimately couldn’t face her in battle.

Another person had stepped in front of Cheon Ju-eun.

She curtsied and greeted them.

“I am Seo Yu, the third of the Doksu Five Siblings.”

It was Seo Yu who stepped forward in place of Cheon Ju-eun.

Seeing her emerge, Seon Woo-jin and Bi Sa-yeong looked at each other and let out a small chuckle.

Unlike the time with Cheon Ju-eun, no anxiety arose.

The two, having exchanged a simple bow, soon began their duel.

Ji Sang-hwa’s sword split into a dozen streaks of light, dazzlingly embroidering the air. Na Seo-yu’s sword flowed smoothly like water, gracefully weaving through the gaps as if performing a sword dance.

It was a breathtakingly beautiful duel.

The warriors watching couldn’t help but be enthralled by this unprecedentedly high-level duel.

“Wooooo!”

Ji Sang-hwa’s swordplay, as the eldest of the Ji Sword Sisters, was distinctly different from that of the youngest, Ji Sang-im.

She was a consummate top-tier warrior, and her swordplay was so sharp it was impossible to distinguish between real and feigned strikes.

Unfortunately, however, Naseoyu was a top-tier elite warrior.

Moreover, he was an experienced fighter who had honed his adaptability to whirling blades through dozens of duels with Sunwoojin.

Watching Jisanghwa’s illusory sword, Na Seoyu thought.

‘With Master Seonwoo’s swordplay, it wasn’t that real and fake strikes were indistinguishable—everything visible was a real strike.’

The fluid, flowing swordplay of the Wudang Sect’s Taiji Sword seemed almost too perfect, making one wonder if this was what true mastery of steel could achieve. Facing Naseoyu’s swordplay, which demonstrated the essence of steel to its absolute limit, Jisanghwa could only lower his sword and sigh.

She stared blankly at Na Seo-yu’s sword, now pointed at her own throat.

“Wooooo! I won again!”

“Lady Seo is the best!”

“You’re like a fairy!”

As the Mountain Sword Sect claimed victory in two consecutive matches, Hwang Jang-gon of the Zhengxie Sect wore a face like he’d swallowed a fly, while Mountain Sword Sect Master Heo Kyung now burst into laughter.

“Kwahahahahaha! Excellent! Excellent!”

Heo Kyung’s assumption that a fight between women wouldn’t mean much was wrong.

The beautiful young ladies’ consecutive victories had the warriors of the Mountain Sword Sect roaring incessantly, their morale sky-high as if it had never been low.

In contrast, the warriors of the Zhengxie Sect stood silently, their faces twisted, merely watching the combatants.

But moments later, the San Geom Mun warriors who had been shouting were forced to freeze in place.

The warriors of the Zhengxie Sect were no different.

In fact, they slowly relaxed their grim expressions, gaping blankly as they stared in one direction.

It all happened because she was walking toward us.

The woman who seemed to have descended from heaven itself, Hae Cheong-yeon, had finally revealed herself.

Upon arriving at the rear of the Zhengxie Hall and searching for the peak master, Bi Siying chuckled softly and sent a telepathic message.

– Men are hopeless creatures, aren’t they? Just one glimpse of a beauty and they lose their minds. Tsk tsk.

At those words, Seon Woo-jin chuckled softly too.

He decided not to mention that he had been exactly the same.

He merely glanced at Hae Cheong-yeon’s beautiful form and urged Biseoyoung onward.

– Hurry up and find it. We have to finish while Lady Cheongyeon distracts them.

– Ugh, got it. Huh? Could those be the authors?

While the Seonwoojin searched for the peak masters in the rear of the Jeonghyeopbang, Hae Cheongyeon deliberately walked slowly over to where Yeoju and Cheonjuin were, then turned toward the Jeonghyeopbang side and introduced herself.

– I’m Yeonhae, the fourth of the Five Poisonous Snakes siblings.

Only upon hearing her voice did many snap back to their senses.

It felt like they had been dreaming.

It even felt as if time itself had frozen while she walked out slowly.

She continued speaking.

– If another female warrior steps forward, I wish to face them this time. Is there no one else who will come forward?

But even after a little time passed, no one stepped forward before her.

Of course, besides the Three Sisters of the Ji Clan, other female warriors existed within the Zhengxie Pavilion.

Yet none of them wished to step forward to face Hae Cheong-yeon.

Partly because they had already witnessed the formidable skill of the women belonging to the Five Brothers of the Poisonous Eagle, but more than anything, it was because stepping forward to stand beside Hae Cheong-yeon felt like becoming a loser the moment they did.

‘I absolutely don’t want to stand next to that woman!’

That was the unanimous thought among the female warriors of the Zhengxie Pavilion at that very moment.

Hwang Jang-gon, a seasoned veteran, sensed that atmosphere faster than anyone.

Moreover, he knew that the women’s confrontation could only harm them now, offering no benefit whatsoever.

Huang Zhanggon stepped forward, bowing to Hae Cheongyeon and said.

– Unfortunately, it seems our Zhengxie Pavilion has no more female warriors left to compete. I apologize to Young Miss Yeon, but how about we proceed with the male warriors’ duel from now on!

Hearing this, Heo Gyeong burst into a hearty laugh and shouted.

– Ha ha ha ha! If you really have no female warrior to send, why not send a male warrior who looks like a woman, Hwang Jang-gon?! Ee ha ha ha ha!

Returning the earlier words in kind, Heo Gyeong felt a sense of exhilaration as if all the pent-up frustration he’d been holding in had been washed away at once.

It was the ultimate catharsis, as if his chest had been pierced clean through.

In contrast, Hwang Jang-gon gritted his teeth, swallowing his rage.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered sending out a male warrior. But observing the mood among the surrounding warriors, Hwang Jang-gon realized that no young warrior could genuinely fight Hae Cheong-yeon.

Didn’t every warrior around him already gaze at that young lady Yeonhae with eyes that seemed to worship her?

Hwang Jang-gon sighed.

‘Good heavens, for the sake of a mere woman’s beauty, such a situation has unfolded. How utterly ridiculous.’

Yet, he couldn’t help but marvel once more at Hae Cheong-yeon’s extraordinary beauty, which had created this very situation.

Hwang Jang-gon had no choice but to raise his voice and apologize to Heo Gyeong.

– If my jest earlier offended you, I apologize, Lord Heo! But how could I possibly urge men of honor to duel with women? So let us now get down to business and stage a proper duel between warriors!

Hwang Jang-gon skillfully emphasized that a duel between women was meaningless, even while apologizing.

Heo Gyeong sensed his intent but decided not to pursue the matter further.

I felt a sense of satisfaction that Hwang Jang-gon had apologized, and also because I too believed the main point was the duel between the male warriors.

“Then we’ll be heading inside now.”

As Hae Cheong-yeon spoke, Na Seo-yu and Cheon Ju-eun began walking slowly with her toward the San Geom Gate.

It was an action meant to buy time for their comrades infiltrating the Jeonghyeopbang, but at their slow retreat—or more precisely, at Hae Cheong-yeon’s retreat—the warriors of both the Sanjeomun and the Jeonghyeopbang focused their attention, each wearing an expression of regret and sighing.

“Ah…”

“Young Lady Yeon…”

“You must not go in, Young Lady….”

But no one knew.

While Hae Cheong-yeon stalled for time and everyone focused on her, Seon Woo-jin and his group finally located the peak masters whose identities had remained unknown.

Sak Muhyun sent a telepathic message to Seonwoojin.

– Are you ready?

– Yes, just give the signal.

– Then on one, two, three, we begin. One!

Two figures who appeared to be peak masters stood at the rear of the Zhengxie faction, observing the situation with arrogant postures.

It was impossible to confirm whether they were the Blood Sect’s Demon Heads or not.

At first glance, no demonic energy was detectable, but among the Blood Sect’s martial arts, there were countless techniques capable of concealing such energy.

– Two!

But it seemed clear enough that these men were not righteous faction heroes.

Even before Hae Cheong-yeon appeared, they had been fiddling with their own equipment while watching the women fight.

Moreover, after Hae Cheong-yeon appeared, they weren’t even hiding their greedy stares, drooling openly.

So even if they weren’t Blood Sect disciples, there was no need for further deliberation.

– Three!

From the shadows of the two peak masters, Seon Woo-jin and Sak Mu-heun’s figures slowly rose.

Puff!

“Hmph!”

“Gulp!”

The two men, whose entire focus was on Hae Cheong-yeon, never realized what had pierced the back of their necks until the very end.

As Hae Cheong-yeon exited through the mountain gate, no one could have noticed that two peak masters had been forced out of this world.