Chapter 11 The Gathering (4)

Chapter 11 The Gathering (4)

* * *

The scene shifts back two hours earlier, to Xi’an, between Huashan and Zhongnan Mountain.

“…The Huashan faction participant?”

“They haven’t descended yet, I hear.”

“Hehe, shouldn’t we wait there in advance? Brothers?”

There, three warriors belonging to the Black Dragon Gang were waiting inside an abandoned building.

No, to be precise, there was one more.

“You, you lot… how dare you lay a hand on a disciple of the Great Zhongnan Sect!”

“Dare? What.”

Thud!

A hideously deformed hunchback’s kick sent the monk, Nam Il-han (嵐壹寒), sprawling.

“Kuhk!”

A hoarse groan escaped Nam Il-han’s lips as a trickle of blood flowed.

His entire body was bound, so he couldn’t assume a posture to absorb the impact.

All he could do was force down the blood rising in his throat.

A sneer escaped the hunchback’s lips.

“Do you really think that Jongnam bullshit will fly here?”

“Soon… my executioner will arrive!”

“Your executioner?”

Keh-heh-heh.

The hunchback, anticipating Nam Il-han’s scream, pulled back the curtain behind him.

Swoosh.

“…!”

They say when a person is too shocked, they can’t utter a word.

Nam Il-han muttered, his expression one of utter disbelief and despair.

“Th-this can’t be… My executioner, like that…”

At those words, the Hunchback showed a look of disappointment.

A twisted smile played on one side of his face, and Nam Il-han couldn’t shake the impression that it looked despicable.

“Don’t you have a more entertaining reaction?”

“……?”

“Like, at least try to lift your head, or tell me to stop messing around, or even sob a little.”

The Hunchback pointed with one hand beyond the drawn curtain.

Seeing that, Nam Il-han re-recognized reality.

‘He’s dead.’

The elder brother, who had said he’d watch from behind, had been captured by those three men and was now hanging like that on a hook.

His entire body had turned deathly pale, as if all his blood had drained away.

“Gwaaah!”

Nam Il-han thrashed about, oblivious even to the rope tearing his skin.

It was a struggle dripping with the hunchback’s favorite blend of hatred and sorrow.

Keeh, heh.

The hunchback, savoring Nam Il-han’s wails with satisfaction, approached the hanging corpse.

Then, the hunchback raised his hand.

“Stop!”

Nam Il-han shook his head and shouted. Tear tracks were stamped onto the filthy floor.

To which the hunchback replied.

“What do you think I’m going to do?”

“You’re trying to desecrate the executed man’s corpse, aren’t you!”

At those words, the hunchback’s eyes narrowed, curving like a crescent moon.

“Good idea, isn’t it?”

The hunchback’s claws slashed down the executioner’s torso.

Squeak!

Flesh overflowing from the claws fell, mixed with red blood.

Part of the executioner, whom he had thought would be his lifelong friend, was falling onto the floor of the dilapidated building, mingled with a foul stench.

Seeing Nam Il-han’s bloodshot eyes, the Hunchback laughed.

“That’s right, that’s how it should be. That’s how it gets interesting.”

“I’ll… kill you!”

The Hunchback covered his mouth with an exaggerated gesture. Then he tapped Nam Il-han’s cheek lightly with his hand.

The thick scent of blood pierced deep into Nam Il-han’s nostrils.

“How could you?”

…Squeeze.

The hunchback’s fingernail pierced Nam Il-han’s cheek.

At the same moment, Nam Il-han realized his senses were gradually fading.

“You coward! Poison?!”

“Young Taoist, strength knows no rules.”

The hunchback sneered.

“You should blame your own weakness. That’s how it works, right?”

At those words, Nam Il-han thrashed, trying to break free from the ropes.

But it was nothing more than an attempt.

The poison, specifically the neurotoxin, continuously injected since descending from Mount Jongnam, was gnawing away at Nam Il-han’s entire body.

“Ugh, ugh!”

“Damn, that scream was a masterpiece.”

Watching Nam Il-han, drenched in cold sweat, the hunchback’s face flushed crimson.

‘Just how long will that bastard last?’

Completing the job without incident was crucial.

But testing the poison he and his brothers had created was equally important.

It was even better if the test subject was a martial artist of some skill.

The Hunchback and his two brothers watched Nam Il-han’s reaction with interest.

“Just endure it, Il-da-gyeong.”

At least until now, he believed they could easily handle the late-stage poison of Huashan.

* * *

‘Ah, how much easier it is with no one around to see. No need to watch my mouth.’

Gu Yangjie chuckled deeply and opened his mouth.

“I asked what kind of bastard you are.”

At those words, the Hunchback, the youngest of the Three Evils of Shaanxi, Head-Severing Madman, shouted.

“You, you’re… that bastard from Huashan, right?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking?”

Gu Yangji chuckled softly, pointing to his Taoist robe.

“A robe embroidered with plum blossoms, and such dignified bearing. Doesn’t it look exactly like a disciple of Huashan?”

“Don’t lie!”

Tou Zhekuang simply couldn’t believe it.

What Gu Yangji had done was beyond what a greenhorn who’d just descended the mountain would attempt.

No, even if he’d known the Three Evils of Shaanxi were coming, he couldn’t have been that calm.

Born crippled at the waist, having lived his life through his wits, Duzhueguang knew exactly what Gu Yangji had done.

‘That bastard… isn’t some kind of Taoist!’

That sinister grin Gu Yangji wore.

That wasn’t feigned composure or a manufactured sense of ease.

To the eyes of the Two-Fingered Madman, Gu Yangji was a hunting dog.

Not a martial artist raised on prescribed herbs and such, but a hunting dog that had lived out in the wild.

The Three Evils of Shaanxi, including the Two-Fingered Madman, had built their notoriety precisely by avoiding such hunting dogs at all costs.

If they came close enough to bare their teeth, it meant the end.

Even if one escaped the hounds, freedom would never be regained.

‘Who’d have thought I’d get tense seeing a kid…!’

What would his two elder brothers say if they saw him like this?

Duzhueguang chuckled, yet couldn’t relax his tension.

Facing Gu Yangjie, he couldn’t hide his defeat.

“…You bastard, how long have you known?”

“How long?”

Gu Yangjie stretched out Duzhueguang’s words, mocking him to his heart’s content.

This wasn’t Huashan, where a Taoist’s dignity must be upheld.

Bihai Mountain, also known as Green Sea Mountain.

The trees were so densely packed that if you tried burning fields, the whole mountain would catch fire. It was a place lacking much for the Green Forest Sect to nest.

But burying one person wouldn’t make a dent.

Gu Yangjie curled one lip up in a sneer.

“Should I say I saw right through you from your mother’s womb?”

“Hmph, pointless bluster!”

“You crippled waist.”

Gu Yangjeok, who had just started dissecting Dujeolgwang’s appearance, patted his own waist.

“Can you even live? Day or night, it seems like it’d be hellishly hard?”

“……”

“Even if you train in martial arts, everyone around you will just look at you with pity. You didn’t join the Black Dragon Sect for that, did you?”

At those words, Duzhueguang was startled and stammered.

“W-well, that’s not…”

“You fool. The Black Dragon Sect’s emblem is attached to the hem of your robe.”

Gu Yangjie shook his head in disbelief.

“Looks like your head’s just for decoration.”

“You… you little brat!”

As Duzhueguang’s face flushed crimson with shame, Gu Yangjie immediately drew his sword.

Even then, he didn’t forget to sneer.

“I wonder if biting into you would make persimmon juice come out?”

“I’ll kill you for sure! You, Duzhueguang, I’ll chop your head off without fail!”

Duzhueguang?

Gu Yangjie muttered the name once, then couldn’t resist his curiosity and asked.

“Boasting about such a ridiculous nickname? Is ‘Head-Chopper’ your martial name?”

“Kill!”

“Well, well.”

Gu Yangjie watched the Head-Chopper, who had completely lost his composure, and lightly scratched his cheek.

Then he reversed his sword grip, twisting the hilt like he was wielding a hand axe.

“If I smash your head with my sword, does that make me a Head-Butting Dog?”

I’ve been a bloodhound once; a head-butting dog is nothing.

Gu Yangji’s pupils seemed to sink for an instant before he fixed his gaze squarely on Du Zheguang, who had begun charging.

“You, I’ll tear your limbs into dozens of pieces and send you to the volcano!”

“That’ll be hard.”

Gu Yangji’s short reply passed.

Clang!

Gu Yangji and Duzhueguang crossed paths, passing each other.

* * *

“…Damn it.”

Touguang, the eldest of the Three Evils of Shaanxi, looked down at the coachman whose skull was shattered, his limbs twitching violently.

“It wasn’t him.”

Touguang glanced toward where his brothers had scattered.

Though it was safer to subdue him with a three-man coordinated attack, he didn’t think he’d lose even alone.

The problem was that this situation itself was unfavorable for the Three Evils of Shaanxi.

‘The higher-ups wanted us to handle this as inconspicuously as possible.’

Touguang’s face darkened noticeably.

This wasn’t the scenario the Three Evils of Shaanxi and the Black Dragon Sect had hoped for.

‘He acted as if he knew from the very beginning…’

Gu Yangjie, was it?

Rumors abounded outside that he was notoriously ill-behaved and frivolous, having received numerous punishments.

A war orphan pushed into Huashan, a disciple who had half-heartedly mastered martial arts due to his environment.

That was the information obtained when first identifying Gu Yangjie.

It was incomprehensible why a prestigious sect like Huashan would send such a person to the Nine Dragons Tournament, but regardless, they considered it a good thing for themselves.

An easier opponent than Nam Il-han of the Zhongnan Sect, they thought; they just needed to handle it quietly.

But their expectations were spectacularly off the mark.

Not long after Gu Yangji entered the Golden Ring Pavilion, three carriages raced out of the city.

This was undoubtedly Gu Yangji’s plan to divide and conquer.

Tugang watched the direction the other carriages vanished in and murmured softly.

“Hope nothing goes wrong…”

Unfortunately, the wicked man’s wish was never meant to be granted.

* * *

“Guh, ugh.”

Having coughed up a mouthful of blood, Duzhueguang looked up at Gu Yangji with a disgusted expression.

“How could a scum like you…”

…survive in the Hwasa Mountains?

Even with such skill, you can’t utter a single word?

The curiosity Duzhueguang harbored couldn’t be voiced aloud, festering only within him.

Though they had only faced each other for a mere moment, Duzhueguang knew.

He knew how a warrior like Gu Yangji approached his foes.

‘He pretends to be oblivious, but he’s watching every word I say, every gesture, every expression. Damn it, how can that be a late-stage cultivator!’

Watching his actions, it felt like facing a seasoned veteran.

Especially his swordsmanship.

Gu Yangjie wielded not the celestial swords taught in Taoist schools, but lethal blades mastered for killing enemies.

And it wasn’t superficial skill; it seemed to embody its own essence.

“I can hear the sound of his mind working from here.”

Anyone watching might have thought the villain and the sage had switched places.

Crouching down beside Du Zheguang, who lay sprawled, blood gushing from his wounds, Gu Yangji asked.

“You… you went after someone else besides me, didn’t you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Huh, looks like you still can’t grasp the situation.”

Swoosh!

Gu Yangji’s precise slash severed half a finger of Duzhueguang’s hand.

“Guh… Ugh!”

Duzhueguang swallowed his groan, feigning grievance.

“I… I truly don’t know anything!”

“Me? Still not enough, I see.”

Splash.

Gu Yangji shook the blood from his sword onto the ground, then grabbed all of Duzhueguang’s left fingers and demanded.

“Either confess truthfully and find enlightenment, or become crippled to the fingers. I’ll count to three.”

“……”

“One, two…”

Duzhueguang’s eyes snapped shut.

“Wait, just a moment! Give me time to think!”

“……Three, and a half.”

Squeak…….

The blade dug deep into the bone, as if Duzheguang’s four left fingers were about to be severed at any moment.

Gu Yangji’s face still held a cheerful smile.

Duzheguang knew well this was a torture method meant to engrave fear.

But his composure was different.

Seeing Gu Yangjeok’s expression, as if he genuinely wanted to sever the fingers, Dujeolgwang screamed.

“Aaah, AAAAH!”

“Three and a half. Now, the last one?”

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

“Good. You’re a good hunchback.”

Gu Yangjeok pulled the knife from Dujeolgwang’s finger and sat cross-legged on the rock.

“Now, spill it.”

“Yes! We are the Shaanxi Trio…”

Thus, Duzhueguang’s story was somewhat curtailed by Gu Yangji’s coercion.

The Shaanxi Trio were martial artists from the Black Dragon Sect, given a secret mission to assassinate the late-stage cultivator participating in the Nine Dragons Tournament.

Beyond that, he seemed to know nothing else.

‘That eldest brother probably knows something. Should I have taken them all on at once?’

Gu Yangjie stroked his chin once.

Compared to his prime, his beard hadn’t grown in properly; it felt like nothing but soft, fluffy down.

No matter how profound his martial arts cultivation or how deep his inner focus, if his body couldn’t keep up, he couldn’t fight properly.

He reconsidered his approach.

‘After all, taking them down one by one was the right move.’

His still-immature body trembled slightly.

Had he tried to face the Three Evil Swordsmen simultaneously, that tremor would have turned into a crack and shattered him.

He should be grateful this battle had made him more aware of his own condition.

Gu Yangji pressed his toe against Duzheguang’s pressure point, then cast his gaze into the grass.

At some point, someone had been hiding and watching them. What’s more, he had met this person once before.

“Hey, you, beggar.”

“……”

“You ate food from us last time, so shouldn’t you at least greet us when you come? Don’t they teach such manners in the Beggars’ Sect?”

At those words, a rustling sound came from the grass, and a disheveled beggar revealed himself.

Three knots hung from his waist.

He held a position responsible for an entire district, if not the district chief himself.

Gu Yangjie whistled lightly.

“You used to come out without even tying your knots properly, but today you’ve got your angles just right.”

“…Hmph.”

The beggar gave a light snort, but in truth, he was struggling to hide his astonishment.

To-point acupoint pressure at the toes?

That wasn’t just a matter of acupoint pressure technique; it was proof of an understanding of acupoints and the ability to freely wield internal energy.

To borrow the words of a loudmouthed connoisseur, it was the pinnacle of the first rank.

It transcended the concept of a martial artist; it was the realm of freely manipulating one’s qi.

Gu Yangji stared at the beggar blankly, then shoved Duzhueguang’s torso, sending him tumbling.

“Looks like you heard everything over there. Even when I… spoke a bit harshly.”

“I just arrived, so I’m not quite sure, young hero.”

Seeing the beggar squirm awkwardly, his eyes darting away, Gu Yangjeok let out a hollow laugh.

“Oh, come on. Drop the pretense. Let’s be honest.”

At those words, the beggar revealed the strange nature he had hidden.

“Yes, I heard!”

“I imagine you have a rough idea of what that hunchback did and what he’s after. A beggar like you should have a decent head on your shoulders.”

“……So?”

“I’m busy with the Nine Dragon War. Beggar, I’d like you to handle it.”

Hearing those words, anger gradually welled up inside the beggar.

“Did Huashan not teach you to show respect to elders!”

Amidst the barrage of demands and the casual tone, the beggar, who had initially looked embarrassed, suddenly shouted.

At those words, Gu Yangji paused briefly.

That’s right.

Unlike in his past life, he was no longer Huashan’s disciple.

Gu Yangji belatedly bowed his head slightly.

“I am Gu Yangji of Huashan, Old Beggar.”

“I’m not that old yet.”

“Ah, is that so? I assumed you were because you demanded such formal speech.”

Bubbling.

Gu Yangji maintained the outward courtesy, but his words were laced with sarcasm. The beggar seemed to be seething inside.

But Gu Yangjeok’s next words made his insides sink coldly.

It was too cruel and cold-hearted to be the words of a disciple of Hwasa.

“That temporary base the hunchback just mentioned… I… no, I don’t know exactly where it is, but if you find it, do the same to this bastard.”

“What are you talking about?”

“What you did to that man, Nam Il-han of Jongnam.”

A low murmur, almost a whisper.

Yet each word was pronounced with such precision it pierced the ears.

“Make sure you repay this hunchback, down to every single scratch.”

“…You.”

“I’ll hear the name of the old bastard later. Oh, and just so you know, this is a debt. Remember that.”

With those words, Gu Yangji vanished as if all business was concluded.

The beggar could only stare blankly at his retreating back.

Was it awe? Or perhaps defiance?

The beggar himself couldn’t define this emotion.

But there was one fact Gu Yangji had overlooked.

* * *

“That bastard is the very one…”

“He beheaded the leader of the Three Evils of Shaanxi the moment he descended from Huashan, right?”

“…Huh. Master, even for a villain, murder is best avoided.”

“Even if it’s revenge for a fellow Daoist, isn’t that too cruel?”

The Daoist who beheaded the Three Evils of Shaanxi, Gu Yangji.

His name had spread like wildfire even to the Nine Dragons Grand Assembly.

Each time, Gu Yangji protested.

“I didn’t kill him!”

He had merely severed a finger, yet Gu Yangjie had somehow become known as a merciless warrior who took the lives of evildoers without hesitation.

Even within the Nine Dragon Grand Tournament, his reputation remained undiminished.

‘Everyone’s just staring at me. Well, since it’s come to this, I suppose I’ll show them.’

Gu Yangji scanned the young upstarts, gauging their level.

“Winning should be easy.”

Gu Yangji’s quiet remark sent the heat of the Nine Dragons Tournament surging.