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Chapter 101. It's My Lack of Virtue
As Jin Gahee transformed into a black creature, Yeon Jeokha was surprised but not afraid. He had seen the same process in a guy named Dae Ryeok Gwi.
However, when Jin Gahee disappeared from his sight, his heart skipped a beat.
Dae Ryeok Gwi had moved slowly, almost awkwardly, at first, then sped up after a while.
He assumed Jin Gahee would follow a similar process.
But defying that assumption, Jin Gahee moved like lightning from the start.
A scorching heat was felt above his head.
Yeon Jeokha instinctively looked up and gasped.
“Ugh!”
A fireball the size of an embrace was coming directly at him.
Beyond the fireball, he could see Jin Gahee with her arms outstretched.
Though the situation was incomprehensible, his body reacted first.
Bam!
Yeon Jeokha, propelled by the ground, shot forward.
Boom!
A pillar of fire rose where Yeon Jeokha had been standing moments before.
The hellish red flames even melted the ground.
Yeon Jeokha raised his sword over his head and flew towards Jin Gahee like a bolt of lightning.
Thud!
The tip of his sword struck Jin Gahee's black body, pushing her a meter upward.
“Die!”
Before she could hit the ground, Yeon Jeokha threw his sword with all his strength, filled with sword energy.
Shuu! Thud!
Black smoke billowed in massive amounts from her body.
But that was all.
Jin Gahee didn’t die and, after spinning several times in the air, landed on a wall.
Though she didn’t move for a while, she seemed significantly affected.
Then her movements became strange.
Her eyes, completely black with no white visible, looked around.
Yeon Jeokha, who was using his Sword Control technique to retrieve his sword, scratched his head.
'Is she really thinking about running away?'
He had never considered that such a creature might try to escape.
But seeing her movements, it seemed possible.
Letting an enemy of the Fairy Cult escape?
Though she could barely be called human, Yeon Jeokha didn’t want to let her go.
As soon as his sword returned to his hand, he flew towards Jin Gahee, brandishing his sword.
Shuu!
Jin Gahee, still unable to move, waved her hands in place.
Surprisingly, a column of fire shot from her hands.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Yeon Jeokha, using the Nine Heavens Swordsmanship, executed the Dragon and Tiger Windstorm technique.
The storm generated by the sword quickly transformed into an Azure Dragon that shredded the column of fire.
Boom! Thud!
Yeon Jeokha’s sword pierced Jin Gahee's chest.
Sensing danger, Jin Gahee struck the sword with her hand.
Boom!
Black smoke and ashes burst from her hand.
The sword, deflected by the impact, drew a smooth semicircle.
It was the Beam of Fragmented Swords technique of the Nine Heavens Swordsmanship.
Jin Gahee struck the blade with her hand again.
But this time, it didn’t work.
Yeon Jeokha’s sword passed smoothly over her hand, like a butterfly.
Thud!
The tip of the sword pierced Jin Gahee's skin.
Unlike the previous technique, this time the sword emitted a strong Nine Heavens Energy.
“Graah!”
Jin Gahee screamed as her torso convulsed.
The Nine Heavens Energy penetrated her chest and advanced three meters further.
Boom!
Suddenly, Yeon Jeokha’s internal energy pathways burned, and a black abyss appeared before his eyes.
Just like with Dae Ryeok Gwi, a giant black creature, similar to Jin Gahee, writhed in agony.
‘What are you?’
This time he tried to observe more closely, but suddenly everything disappeared in a flash.
Yeon Jeokha quickly retreated, sheathing his sword.
“Grrr…”
Jin Gahee’s groan gradually faded.
It was clear that her life force was draining away.
In the next moment, her body turned to ashes, just like Dae Ryeok Gwi.
Again, a dozen small blue lights flew into the evening sky.
Yeon Jeokha walked heavily across the courtyard.
Leader Lee Hwasu, not daring to look him in the eyes, glanced around in all directions.
But Yeon Jeokha wasn’t someone to let that pass.
“Old man.”
“Yes, yes.”
“What have you done?”
“Well, it’s just… the Bangju…”
Startled, Lee Hwasu mentioned the Bangju without realizing it.
In reality, everything had been ordered by Sang Jaeyong, so he wasn’t blaming him.
“What did that old man say?”
“He ordered to invite the Demon Warriors of the Fairy Cult for revenge.”
“Revenge for what?”
Yeon Jeokha didn’t understand.
The real victims were Brother Pung and Brother Tak, so why was that old man talking about revenge?
"The people of Waryong Manor insulted the Bangju..."
Suddenly, a curse escaped Tak Gomyung’s mouth.
“What? Insult? That wretch! I forgave him, and he doesn’t even appreciate his place.”
“...”
Lee Hwasu couldn’t say anything.
After seeing the fight between Jin Gahee and Yeon Jeokha, he didn’t dare to defend the Bangju.
"It's definitely the Bangju's fault."
A merchant should not antagonize such formidable warriors. No Chamber of Commerce has thrived by confronting supreme masters.
“There must be some misunderstanding. I can bring the Bangju to apologize...”
“What? Misunderstanding? Don’t make me laugh! Who brought the warriors of the Yoomyung Cult? Do you think you can overlook this? Do you see us as fools? Eh?”
With those words, Tak Gomyung advanced towards Lee Hwasu.
Finally, Lee Hwasu, with a pale face, bowed repeatedly.
“Please forgive me. It’s true I brought the people from the Yoomyung Cult, but I was just following orders. Please forgive me this once.”
“You tried to kill us! Do you understand? If Brother Yeon had been weaker, we’d all be dead! You...!”
Tak Gomyung raised his hand, trembling with anger, as if he was going to hit Lee Hwasu.
However, he couldn’t land the blow.
He knew that if he hit that old man, he might kill him.
Pung Yeoncho, who had followed Tak Gomyung, patted him on the shoulder to console him.
Then, suddenly, he turned and slapped Lee Hwasu.
Slap!
Lee Hwasu’s head whipped violently with the blow.
Despite receiving a hit to the face from a warrior, Lee Hwasu didn’t fall. Probably because Pung Yeoncho hadn’t fully recovered yet.
However, that single blow made Pung Yeoncho’s breathing heavier.
“Listen well, old man! Bring Sang Jaeyong tomorrow morning. Understood?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Leave.”
Lee Hwasu, with the face of someone who had narrowly escaped death, bowed repeatedly and left.
The three men left sat down on the veranda one by one.
Pung Yeoncho murmured as if to himself.
“I couldn’t help but hit him because I thought you’d kill him if you did it.”
“You did well, Brother. I hesitated a lot about whether to hit him or not. If I had, I would have killed him.”
“It looked like you would. The one who gave the order is the real villain. That guy is just a messenger.”
“Yes, that’s true. So, what do we do about Sang Jaeyong?”
Tak Gomyung looked at Pung Yeoncho.
Hitting Sang Jaeyong could make him hold a grudge. But killing him would only create more problems. It was a difficult issue to resolve.
“Let’s see how he acts tomorrow...”
Pung Yeoncho frowned in frustration.
A Bangju of any Chamber of Commerce couldn’t be treated lightly. The fact that he had brought warriors from the Yoomyung Cult could be considered trivial.
So, they decided to leave the matter of Sang Jaeyong for the next day.
Tak Gomyung, looking up at the night sky, suddenly remembered something and spoke.
“Brother Yeon, that black thing from before. What was it? A human? A ghost?”
“I don’t know. But, considering the sword worked, I don’t think it was a ghost...”
Yeon Jeokha replied, unsure.
“At first, even after being hit by the sword, it was fine. How did you defeat it?”
“With the Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship. I encountered something similar in Namyang before. But, strangely, they couldn’t resist the Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship. This time was the same.”
“Ah, the Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship!”
Tak Gomyung exclaimed in admiration.
He knew that Yeon Jeokha’s Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship was special. It was a mystical swordsmanship technique that could only be mastered if one fully understood the Nine Heavens Swordsmanship.
Pung Yeoncho nodded, as if he understood.
“It must be an ability of the Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship that we don’t know. Brother Yeon's martial arts are marvelous.”
“Wow, Brother, I thought the same. But if it’s not a ghost, what was it?”
“It must be something evil created by the Yoomyung Cult.”
“Ugh! I almost wet myself when I saw the woman double in size.”
“Are you sure you didn’t wet yourself?”
“It’s just a figure of speech. I’m not a child to wet myself.”
“I thought you wet yourself...”
“Brother, let’s stop talking nonsense and discuss what to do from now on.”
Tak Gomyung quickly changed the subject.
Fortunately, Pung Yeoncho, though laughing, didn’t mention it further.
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The next day.
Around noon, Lee Hwasu and Sang Jaeyong arrived.
Lee Hwasu couldn’t lift his head for not meeting the agreed time.
They had spent the morning thinking about what to do with Sang Jaeyong.
Sang Jaeyong, feeling guilty, didn’t dare speak first and just observed.
Pung Yeoncho, the eldest brother, spoke while seated in the center of the veranda.
“Sang Jaeyong, you must have heard what happened yesterday, right?”
Pung Yeoncho was direct from the start.
The enemy had brought warriors from the Yoomyung Cult to kill them, so they were no different from enemies. Pung Yeoncho wasn’t someone to speak politely with enemies.
Though Sang Jaeyong grimaced, he spoke calmly.
“Hah! It’s all my lack of virtue. I have no excuse. If the Great Hero Pung forgives me, I won’t do anything like this again.”
“...”
Pung Yeoncho looked at his brothers.
Tak Gomyung’s face was filled with irritation, and Yeon Jeokha, inexperienced, scratched his head.
Pung Yeoncho looked back at Sang Jaeyong.
‘Should we kill him or let him live?’
Just as Pung Yeoncho was about to make a decision, someone fell from the sky holding a man by the neck.
“Hehehe! Look at this son of a b*tch I found! Can you keep saying those disgusting words after seeing this?”