To See What Is Right And Fail To Act Is To Lack Courage

The group nodded at Tang Ho’s explanation.
The Tang Clan was preparing to act in earnest.

“And the Beggars’ Union branch gathered the nearby martial artists and set out as well. They should be crossing Deng Ai Valley by now.”

The Beggars’ Union was not acting alone.
They had received support from the surrounding small and mid-sized sects.
In that case, their numbers wouldn’t be small.
Deng Ai Valley was unfamiliar to outsiders, but it was a well-known place to those from the surrounding area.
It was half a day away by horse.

“You all heard that, right?! A terrifying Tang Clan unit and a whole group of Orthodox martial artists are coming to help us!”

There was a reason they were having this conversation in the middle of battle.
It certainly was not because they had time to spare.
It was the same reason Tang Ho had revealed the Black Snake Guard, something that could be considered a Tang Clan secret.

“Fuck. This is the first time I’ve ever looked forward to seeing those Orthodox bastards.”

A martial artist of the Evil Heaven Alliance cursed.
A few people let out dry laughs upon hearing him.
But thanks to that, the look in their eyes changed.
Reinforcements were coming.
That fact alone gave them the strength to endure.
It was none other than a special unit of the Tang Clan.
That was important on a battlefield because it was directly tied to the soldiers’ morale.
Martial artists unfamiliar with large-scale battles might not understand, but it was obvious to the Shin siblings, who had studied military strategy from childhood.

The battle grew fiercer as time passed.
Time was certainly not on their side.
The black tide before them continued to swell.

“Shin Yul! The left side is open!”
“I know!”

Shin Yul reacted immediately to Shin Gi-yang’s shout.
The survivors had also changed their methods in order to stay alive.
They had begun forming small groups and cooperating.
That was how fierce the enemy’s offensive had become.

“I’m sick of these bastards! There’s no end to them!”

An Unorthodox martial artist screamed.
Even then, one of his companions was dragged into the black tide.
Soon, only a shriveled corpse was left lying on the ground.
It was a horrifying sight.
They did not know when they might end up the same way.

“Hey, Tang, can’t you use poison again?”

Tang Ho, who was wielding throwing knives in both hands, shook his head at Shin Yul’s question.

“It would cause more harm to our allies.”

He was just as frustrated as the others.

‘At this rate, it’ll all be over before the reinforcements arrive.’

Shin Gi-yang assessed the situation coldly.
How much time had passed?
He couldn’t tell.
He had carefully rationed his internal energy, but it had now run dry.

‘Please hurry. Hurry.’

Shin Gi-yang prayed desperately.
He was not the only one. Everyone felt the same.

The Orthodox martial artists everyone had been awaiting had actually already arrived.

“…What in the world are those things?”

The creatures filled the lake in a sea of black.
They did not belong in the human world.

“I told you! They’re yokai!”

The bound Bong Seok made a commotion. He hadn’t been tied up from the beginning.
As they approached their destination, he had casually revealed the truth.
That was how he had ended up like this.
It was only natural. He had deceived the group and dragged them all the way here.
Moreover, he had done it because of yokai.
Had he not been from the Beggars’ Union, they would have beaten him senseless.

“How long are you going to stand there watching?”

The Two-Knot Beggar, who had led the group here, could not answer Bong Seok’s question.
The situation had gone beyond anything he could decide on his own.
Moreover, he didn’t have the authority to give orders to the other martial artists.
Bong Seok clicked his tongue at the sight.

“Damn it! Then at least untie me! I was telling the truth.”

When one of the Beggars’ Union disciples looked at the Two-Knot Beggar, he nodded.
Freed from the ropes, Bong Seok stood and glared at those around him.

“Can’t you see that even those Unorthodox bastards are fighting? What do you think will happen if those things escape?”

As soon as Bong Seok finished speaking, several mosquitoes could be seen flying up the mountain.
They were not coming after the group.
They were heading in the opposite direction.
Fortunately, they weren’t the large creatures that appeared to be yokai.
They were the smaller ones.
Of course, even the smaller ones were larger than a human head.

“Do whatever you want. But if you leave now, never spout that nonsense about protecting the common people again.”

Bong Seok gritted his teeth and ran.
He did not head toward the center.
He headed toward the mosquitoes attempting to escape the mountain.
The Beggars’ Union disciples marveled at his light movements as he glided across the water.
It was the Ten-Thousand-Li Chasing Wind Movement Art, which only branch masters were permitted to learn.
In addition, his mastery of it was exceptionally high.
The Beggars’ Union disciples who saw him all turned their gazes toward one person.
The Two-Knot Beggar
Thanks to that, the Two-Knot Beggar made his decision and turned toward the assembled martial artists.

“I apologize that a disciple of our Union brought all of you here under false pretenses. We will certainly compensate you for this. And…”

The Two-Knot Beggar took a deep breath before continuing.

“Please decide for yourselves what you will do from this point onward.”

After saying that, the Two-Knot Beggar turned around.
He swallowed dryly at the horrifying scene.
Then he spoke as though making a vow.

“…To see what is right and fail to act is to lack courage.”

It was a passage from the Analects.
To see a righteous deed and do nothing was to lack courage.
Speaking the words gave him courage.

“Brothers of our Union! Uphold the righteousness of the Beggars’ Union!”

With those words, the Two-Knot Beggar launched himself toward the lake.
The other Beggars’ Union disciples leaped in without hesitation.
The hearts of those watching grew heavy at the sight.
The words the Two-Knot Beggar had spoken to himself.
They applied to everyone else as well.

“…Our sect will withdraw.”

The first group to leave stepped forward. It was the Tiger Mountain Gate, which was well known in the surrounding area.
Taking the first step was difficult, but those that followed came easily.
The sects that had been watching one another began preparing to leave one by one.
Then.

“Those without brothers or children, withdraw.”

The Deputy Gate Master of the Clear Cloud Sword Gate spoke.
The Clear Cloud Sword Gate was a sect with a long history in Geumcheon.
He was telling those who had no one to continue their family line to leave.
The lake was a place of certain death. He had spoken after already resolving himself to die.

“Deputy Gate Master!”
“Young Gate Master, you should withdraw as well.”

The Young Gate Master shook his head.

“…There is still Jeok. He should be able to lead our sect well.”

The Deputy Gate Master nodded at the young man’s words.
Though not as capable as the Young Gate Master, the second son was also intelligent.
The Deputy Gate Master then drew his sword.

“The Clear Cloud Sword Gate shall establish righteousness in this land.”
“Waaaaah!”

A roar erupted as they drew their swords in unison and charged.
They were practically marching to their deaths, yet they were proud.
Seeing them, those who had been preparing to leave hesitated.

“…Ah, to hell with it. I’ll fight. Expel me or punish me however you like. At the very least, I want to be a martial artist my son won’t be ashamed of.”

He was one of those who had intended to leave.
He turned back. He was not the only one.

“Even those Unorthodox bastards are fighting. We, as Orthodox martial artists, cannot withdraw.”

A hot-blooded young martial artist stepped forward.
The young men who were usually close to him followed.
The leaders of their sects tried to stop them, but they refused to listen.
As the situation unfolded, those who remained looked at one another.
They raised their respective weapons.

“Sons of Hundred Flower! Follow me!”

The Hundred Flower Gate.

“Let’s drive those sinister creatures out of our homeland!”

The Qingsong Sect.
Once the renowned sects stepped forward, the others followed them.
They rushed down the mountain in an instant.
At that moment, a group of people swept past them.
Black shadows.
The eyes of those who read the hanja embroidered on the backs of their black garments widened.

“Tang?! It’s the Tang Clan!”

The Sichuan Tang Clan.
The hegemon of Sichuan.
Though they had arrived late, they were heading toward the lake faster than anyone else.
They did not encourage the martial artists or try to stop those who were leaving.
They merely advanced in silence.
Nor were they merely running.
Every time their hands moved, black shadows flickered.
They were hidden weapons painted black.
The hidden weapons flew without sound or glinting light and pierced through the cloud of mosquitoes.
When the Orthodox martial artists joined the battle, the battlefield changed rapidly.

The arrival of the Orthodox martial artists.
It was enough to rekindle the dying embers.

“Fuck! We’ve been waiting for you! What took you so long?!”

An Unorthodox martial artist swung his saber as he vented his anger.
The Orthodox martial artist was taken aback but soon understood the situation.
People lay fallen among the corpses of mosquitoes.
They wore the same clothing as the man who had shouted.

“…I’m sorry.”

He apologized without protest. He regretted the time they had wasted hesitating above.
Had they arrived even a little sooner, they might have saved them.
Instead, he swung his sword.
The mosquitoes were quickly suppressed.
The Tang Clan’s Black Snake Guard also joined Tang Ho.

“Young Master, we have come to escort you.”
“…I apologize for deceiving you.”

Tang Ho bowed deeply, but the Unit Leader commanding the Black Snake Guard shook his head.

“Seeing the situation, it is clear that this was an emergency. The Clan Head will not reprimand you either.”

As expected of the leader of an intelligence unit, he understood the potential consequences at a glance.

“For now, let us bring the situation under control.”
“Unit Leader!”

At that moment, an urgent shout rang out.
When they turned, a member of the Black Snake Guard was pointing somewhere.
The unit leader followed his gaze and drew a sharp breath.
The center of the lake.
A massive cocoon could be seen.
It was different from the others. There had been other large cocoons, but this one was on an entirely different scale.
A larva was still writhing inside it.

“…Young Master.”

Tang Ho shook his head at the quiet call.

“I have never seen anything like it.”

The others listening to their conversation were equally unfamiliar with it.
They had thought the end was near after seeing the mosquitoes’ numbers decrease, but something unexpected had appeared.
Its body was so enormous that it seemed strange they had failed to notice it until now.
It was as large as a small house.
It had only been revealed after the mosquitoes emerged and left behind the empty shells of their pupae.

“Are we going to stand here and watch until it’s born?”

The quick-thinking Seo Jong-dae moved first.
Seo Jong-dae leaped into the lake.
He advanced by stepping across the mosquito corpses and discarded pupal shells.
Hwirik!
A fan left his hand and lodged itself in the pupal shell.
The pupa didn’t even twitch.

‘Too shallow.’

The shell was hard.
Seo Jong-dae clicked his tongue.
His actions snapped the others back to their senses.

“Black Snake Guard, change targets.”

At the unit leader’s command, the Black Snake Guard members fighting the mosquitoes pulled back.

“The Shin Clan Unit and the Evil Heaven Alliance will clear a path!”

It was Shin Gi-yang. He read the battlefield and quickly issued orders.
They needed to create a path so the Black Snake Guard could reach its target.
He then glanced at Bong Seok beside him.

“Murim Alliance! Stop the mosquitoes from escaping!”

Strictly speaking, they were not the Murim Alliance but a coalition of Orthodox sects from Sichuan. No one bothered to correct him.
They quickly formed a battle formation.
It was possible because the mosquitoes’ numbers had decreased.
The Black Snake Guard ran along the path that had been opened.
Throwing knives left their hands.
Puk, pubuk!
The throwing knives lodged in the pupal shell. They couldn’t reach the creature inside.
But that didn’t mean they had no effect.
There was a reason Shin Gi-yang had sent the Black Snake Guard.
It was not merely because their martial prowess was the greatest.
Chiik! Smoke rose from the places where several of the throwing knives had struck.
That was not all.
Something black began spreading from the throwing knives that had dug deeper into the shell.
It was all the more visible because the cocoon was translucent.

A moment later.
The creature inside writhed as though in pain.
It was because of the poison.

“Don’t stop! Use every poison you have.”

The Black Snake Guard members coated their throwing knives in poison and hurled them at the pupa.
Deadly poisons potent enough to kill anyone struck by them.
Their hands moved busily.
Then.
Wiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

“They’re swarming toward us!”
“Stop them!”

The mosquitoes from every direction moved to protect the pupa.
Shin Yul licked her lips at the sight.

“That thing has to be the boss.”

Otherwise, they would not have reacted so violently.
The mosquitoes charged, but they were caught between the Shin Clan Unit and the Unorthodox coalition on the inside and the Orthodox coalition closing in from behind.
Now the mosquitoes were the ones surrounded.

“Shin Yul.”

Shin Yul nodded at Shin Gi-yang’s quiet call.
Shin Yul immediately began running.
She intended to support the Black Snake Guard. She was not the only one who moved.
The surviving members of the Shin Clan Unit exchanged glances.
That brief exchange was enough. Several of them began running with her.
They were not merely following her. As they ran, they recovered the spears of their fallen comrades.

“Young Lady.”

One of the running Shin Clan Unit members threw her a spear.

“…Oh, thanks.”

A brief response.
After catching the spear, Shin Yul kicked off the surface of the lake.
The force sent the corpses floating nearby swirling beneath the water.
And then.
Her eyes shimmered purple.
Heretical Qi erupted from her.
The spear also turned violet.
It looked like a blazing flame.

“Heavenly Flame…”

Shin Yul twisted her body in midair.
The spear in her hand shot forward.

“…Single Spear!”

The blazing spear erupted forth and hurtled toward the pupa.