Chapter 36: Iron Blood Sect 2

Baek Moo-jin, walking behind Jin So-hye, suddenly turned his gaze toward the sky.

‘Is there a fire?’

Jin Sohye noticed the burning building later than Baek Mujin and stopped in her tracks. Just as Baek Mujin was about to say something, Jin Sohye suddenly dashed forward. She moved so fast it was hard to believe she still had that much strength left.

Realizing why Jin Sohye was running, Baek Mujin followed after her.

‘Could it be the Jin Family Trading Company?’

On the way, masked figures shouted something and blocked their path. Without a word, Jin Sohye swung her whip, sending one flying, then with a simple flick of her sword hilt, shattered someone’s jaw. A series of thuds followed, and the black-clad men blocking Jin Sohye began flying left and right.

Then Jin Sohye stopped, as if she had spotted something. She stood frozen, staring blankly around her. Countless bodies of Sunghwa Palace warriors lay scattered everywhere, too many to count.

Baek Moo-jin’s expression also grew increasingly stiff.

‘Who on earth… did this?’

At that moment, one of the black-clad figures dragging corpses shouted loudly.

“Master Ga! There’s a woman here with a man!”

At the warning, all eyes turned to Jin Sohye and Baek Moo-jin. Someone scanned Baek Moo-jin’s entire body and shouted with certainty.

“It’s Baek Moo-jin! Baek Moo-jin is here!”

With a roar, the crowd rushed forward and surrounded the two.

Then, from a short distance away, Yu Ja-eon of the Iron Blood Sect spoke in a calm voice.

“Clear the way. They’re no match for you anyway. Send them this way.”

As Baek Moo-jin and Jin So-hye began walking, the black-clad figures moved, keeping them surrounded from behind.

Black-clad figures were still busily clearing corpses around the Jin Family Trading House. To its left, a lone stranger sat by a table set for drinking, watching the spectacle.

As Baek Moo-jin and Jin So-hye approached, he grinned widely with a mouth so large it seemed grotesque.

“Nice to see you. Sorry to interrupt what must have been a pleasant time.”

Neither Baek Moo-jin nor Jin So-hye responded.

Only Jin Sohye passed by Yoo Ja-eon and stared down at the fallen left-hand man, Lee Gon.

Yu Ja-eon burst out laughing as he said,

“Well, I guess I’m in luck today. Come on over here and have a drink with us…”

Yu Ja-eon frowned and addressed his subordinates.

“You lot, step back. You’re blocking the light. It’s dark enough as it is…”

Baek Moo-jin crossed his arms and stared blankly at the pitifully dead body of Left General Yi Gon. His mood was complicated.

‘He wasn’t the type to die like this…’

That thought came first.

On the other hand, he thought that because the man had attacked him, he hadn’t been able to fend off even this small force.

The Left General had been utterly unlucky.

Looking at the dead Left General, Baek Moo-jin was struck anew by how cruel the fate of martial artists truly was.

‘The fate of martial artists is truly unpredictable, even an inch ahead.’

As the two men looked down at the dead man with complex expressions, Yoo Ja-eon narrowed his eyes, smiled, and downed his drink.

But what Yoo Ja-eon muttered was truly something else.

“Staring at a dead man like that won’t bring him back to life. Sit down here and have a drink. Baek Moo-jin and Young Lady So…”

At those words, Jin Sohye asked Yoo Ja-eon without taking her eyes off the left attendant, Lee Gon.

“Who are you?”

“Yoo Ja-eon, the Sound Master. Ever heard of me?”

Jin Sohye gave no reply, and Baek Moo-jin shook his head and asked.

“The Iron Blood Sect?”

Even if Jin Sohye was the young princess, Baek Moo-jin was still a greenhorn. When he didn’t use honorifics either, Yoo Ja-eon shook his head in disbelief.

“Anyway, these young whippersnappers these days… sigh… Fine. I am the Iron Blood Sect Leader.”

Jin Sohye barely controlled her surging emotions, then knelt down and finally closed the eyes of Lee Gon, who still hadn’t closed his own.

Baek Moo-jin left Jin So-hye alone, sat down opposite Yoo Ja-eon, grabbed the wine bottle, and poured himself a cup, drinking it alone.

Only then did Baek Moo-jin and Yoo Ja-eon meet each other’s gaze.

Yu Ja-eon tilted his head askance and looked at Baek Moo-jin with a pitying gaze. Yu Ja-eon gestured and nodded his head.

“Tsk tsk tsk… Have another drink.”

Baek Moo-jin nodded and poured himself another cup. Yoo Ja-eon continued.

“You killed Mak Sogwang and Ban Goyoung in that room, didn’t you?”

Although Seo Mun-geuk had killed Mak Sogwang, Baek Moo-jin felt no inclination to deny it here. He acknowledged Yu Ja-eon’s words in a flat tone.

“Yes.”

“Good. I never expected to meet you so easily. And to bring the young master who killed Lim Gasao? Today’s turning out rather well. Were you acquainted with the young master beforehand?”

Baek Moo-jin replied flatly.

“Not long.”

At that moment, Jin Sohye sat beside Baek Moo-jin and said.

“Pour me a drink too, Lord Baek…”

At her words, Baek Moo-jin glanced at Jin So-hye and said.

“Aren’t you unable to drink?”

Jin Sohye looked at Baek Mujin with bloodshot eyes and retorted.

“The Left Minister loved wine. I… must have a drink.”

Only then could Yoo Ja-eon look Jin So-hye straight in the face. Yoo Ja-eon blinked, his expression so startled his wide mouth instantly formed a perfect circle.

“The young princess truly was a beauty. Please, have a drink.”

How could these three people be sitting idly, drinking wine first?

Yu Ja-eon didn’t care much whether they drank or not, since they were the ones who had walked into the tiger’s den.

Meanwhile, Baek Moo-jin and Jin So-hye had confirmed each other’s strength. They, too, paid no heed to whatever Yu Ja-eon might be babbling about. Having witnessed the horror, they simply needed a moment before acting.

2.

Baek Moo-jin poured liquor into an empty cup and handed it to Jin So-hye. The moment she took the cup, she downed it in one gulp, as if mimicking someone’s action.

That manner was how Jusa drank habitually, and Jin Sohye, who had watched him since childhood, had imitated it once.

Jin Sohye held out the cup again and said.

“One more.”

Baek Moo-jin silently poured the wine, and as Jin So-hye took another swig, Yu Ja-eon laughed at a piercingly high pitch.

“Drink it down. That’s right, that’s right. By the way, that fellow was the Left Officer of the Seonghwa Palace. No wonder his skills were decent. I was quite curious who he was, seeing the masters struggle like that.”

As he spoke, Yu Ja-eon spread his arms wide, as if to show the blood on his clothes.

“He was a brutal man. First, he cut off both legs, and then…”

Just as Yoo Ja-eon was about to say something, Baek Moo-jin’s right hand shot out swiftly.

A sudden ambush…

As Baek Moo-jin abruptly tried to grab Yoo Ja-eon, their hands clashed repeatedly in midair. Yoo Ja-eon, utterly bewildered, felt a chill run down his spine and deftly deflected Baek Moo-jin’s hand.

Then, Yu Ja-eon’s hand and Baek Moo-jin’s hand collided in midair, crossed paths, changed their grips, and locked in combat for over ten seconds in an instant. The clashing of the grabbing motion and the evading motion produced a series of sharp, cracking sounds.

At one point, Yu Ja-eon’s arm swung wide, attacking to press down on Baek Moo-jin’s knuckles. Instantly flipping his palm, Baek Moo-jin used the Cold Moon Finger Technique, flicking his thumb and middle finger to deflect Yu Ja-eon’s descending hand.

It was merely a flick of the fingers… yet a truly bizarre sound reverberated.

Thud! Crack!

In an instant, Yoo Ja-eon’s hand had turned stark white. Yet, Yoo Ja-eon channeled his energy to shatter the cold air, immediately launching a palm strike.

Baek Mujin responded with an equally ordinary palm strike.

Thud!

Yu Zayan’s body flew backward rapidly. Three sect leaders rushed forward, grabbing his back and shoulders to halt him.

Yu Ja-eon’s face was filled with utter bewilderment. A bead of sweat instantly formed on his back as he thought he should have attacked Baek Moo-jin only after his subordinates were all dead.

Baek Moo-jin did not launch an additional attack, merely staring blankly at the scene.

The entire incident had unfolded in an instant. The black-clad men nearby unconsciously swallowed hard, silently witnessing the unfolding situation.

Yu Ja-eon’s face suddenly contorted hideously. Gritting his teeth, he snapped the bones in his right wrist with a loud crack using his left hand, then bellowed.

“Strike!”

Baek Moo-jin raised his hand quietly, taking control of the situation.

“Just a moment…”

Baek Moo-jin’s single word caused the atmosphere to freeze strangely. Perhaps because those who had been about to charge were all frozen in terror, his words naturally carried weight.

Baek Moo-jin suddenly looked at Jin So-hye and said.

“Earlier, I said we should fight each other moderately. What do you say?”

Jin So-hye replied.

“Exactly. Anyway, Lord Baek, I’ll kill Yoo Ja-eon.”

“So be it.”

Baek Moo-jin had only injured Yoo Ja-eon from the start, intending to hand him over to Jin So-hye.

Yoo Ja-eon burst out laughing at their relaxed conversation. Baek Moo-jin was formidable, but Yoo Ja-eon still believed he held the advantage, relying on the numerous subordinates he commanded.

“What a bunch of crazy bastards.”

Baek Moo-jin stood up and addressed Yoo Ja-eon informally.

“Why have you been laughing so much since earlier? Especially since quite a few of your men seem to have died…”

Just as Yoo Ja-eon was about to respond, Baek Moo-jin deliberately unleashed a sword strike infused with immense force, silencing all surrounding noise with its piercing clang.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Those with weaker cultivation covered their ears at the eerie, ear-piercing sound of the sword draw. Who on earth could drown out human speech with the sound of a sword being drawn?

Jin Sohye also gripped her sword and rose silently.

But at that moment, a thought suddenly surged in Jin Sohye’s heart—Baek Moo-jin’s words before the duel.

[I do not wield my sword at any time.]

Jin Sohye suddenly turned to look at Baek Moo-jin.

Baek Moo-jin, caught by Jin So-hye’s gaze, let a very faint smile touch one corner of his mouth. That smile held only the meaning of ‘comfort’.

As Baek Moo-jin walked ahead, he said to Jin So-hye.

“Be careful.”

Jin Sohye quietly followed behind and replied.

“I’ve recovered quite a bit, so please don’t worry too much.”

It was a truly leisurely conversation.

Despite the Iron Blood Sect having such overwhelming numbers…

As Baek Moo-jin approached, several black-clad figures instinctively took a step back.

“Those who flee will die by my hand first.”

Only upon hearing Yoo Ja-eon’s words, laced with fury, did the three men lurking behind Baek Moo-jin simultaneously charge forward.

At this moment, Baek Moo-jin…

wanted to see how Jin Sohye would respond.

Her sword technique, her quick thinking, and the combination of her martial arts…

Baek Moo-jin shifted his stance, parrying the weapons thrusting in from three directions with his White Lotus Sword as if pressing them down, then seized them with his inner strength.

Then, Jin Sohye quietly passed by Baek Moo-jin’s side. The moment she drew her sword, she unleashed a straight-line sword energy.

Tsssst!

A crimson sword energy streaked past the necks of the three men, who were straining to break free from the weapons Baek Moo-jin held.

Blood spurted forth in an instant…

Taking that as their signal, the black-clad figures surrounding the two charged forward en masse.

Jin Sohye, who hadn’t stopped moving, soared high toward Yoo Jaeun. In a way, it could be called a reckless charge, given the many masters surrounding Yoo Jaeun.

Watching this, Baek Moo-jin seized the moment Jin So-hye was airborne and unleashed a horizontal blast of external energy sword energy toward Yoo Ja-eon.

A white sword light, chilled with cold, advanced, tracing the shape of a crescent moon…

Simultaneously, Jin Sohye, who had soared into the air, released a vertical blade of red energy imbued with the power of fire.

The two cross-shaped sword energies, differing in color, crossed exquisitely and flew toward the black-clad group.