Where Are They Right Now?

The Taeho Gang.

An unorthodox sect based at Lake Tai.¹

Its infamy had spread beyond Lake Tai all the way through Zhejiang Province.

Gyo-ha’s gaze turned to the hoofprints.

As if they had no intention of hiding them, the tracks left by the horses remained clear.

The trail ran along the side of the mountain they had descended.

A sense of foreboding rose within him.

Judging from the tracks, they had left at least half a day ago.

Several houses had already burned down to ash.

The only reason the siblings had survived was sheer luck.

There must have been an air hole in the space connected to the cellar.

“Did you happen to hear where they said they were going?”

“They said they were going to some temple. And… they said they would eat the lady monks too.”

It might have been a figure of speech.

But seeing the children trembling in fear, Gyo-ha could tell something.

The lady monks too.

His gaze shifted to the center of the village.

The place where the people had been burned.

They had not simply burned them.

Beside it lay shards of bone, as if they had been torn off on purpose.

He could guess what had happened there.

Kkadeuk!

A harsh grinding sound came from Gyo-ha’s mouth.

The lady monks. They were clearly heading for Mount Putuo.

“Go.”

At the sudden words, Gyo-ha turned his head and saw Hyeok Du-sim looking at him.

“I will take care of things here. The escorts and wagon hands will arrive soon, we can handle the aftermath.”

Just as he said, the carriages could be seen coming down from afar.

At most two to three hours and they would reach this place.

Gyo-ha nodded and sprang into motion.

There was no reason to hesitate.

Hyeok Du-sim clasped his fists toward Gyo-ha’s retreating back.

“Benefactor, may fortune be with you.”

His voice scattered away with the ash.

---

He ran without thinking, breath burning at the top of his throat.

Lack of oxygen made his vision blur.

It had been a long time since he had felt this.

But Gyo-ha did not stop. He did not even have the leisure to check if he was on the right path.

After running like that for a long while, he could finally see horses galloping in the distance.

‘I caught up.’

It was them. The path they had taken was thick with the stench of blood.

He had found the right way.

Relief rose together with rage.

Gyo-ha’s body pitched forward as if collapsing. He drove his fist straight into the ground.

Kwaang!

The earth split open and heaved upward.

Gyo-ha stepped onto the rising earth in midair.

Flying Dragon Chasing Lightning.

His body shot toward the horses.

Using Flying Dragon Chasing Lightning made it hard even for him to move his body. It was not a technique suited to attacking. But it didn’t matter.

‘It won’t kill me.’

Gyo-ha trusted in his own body.

And in the training he had endured.

Startled by the sudden blast, the warriors turned their heads, but all they saw was a single bolt of lightning.

Kwagagagang!

The horses struck by the lightning went down.

Some horses’ bodies burst apart, others were flung away by the impact.

In an instant, their formation collapsed.

“What is this!”

Those who had been riding in front and avoided the attack reined their horses in.

They stared in shock at the ground shrouded in dust.

Around the cloud of dust, they could see scattered horses and people.

Some had arms or legs broken, some even had their necks twisted.

It was a horrific sight.

It was as if a boulder had been hurled by a catapult.

At that moment, one of the riders at the front shouted urgently.

“Prepare for an attack. We have an enemy!”

Even before he finished, a shadow leapt out through the dust.

It closed the distance in a blink and swung a fist at the man in front.

But the warrior, who had already been on guard, swung his saber.

Chaeng!

Shards of the shattered blade spun through the air.

And the fist drove straight into the warrior’s head.

Kwajik!

The headless body slowly toppled from the saddle.

The one who emerged through the dust was Gyo-ha.

Gyo-ha was not unscathed either. Blood streamed from his torn head and shoulder.

It was only natural, since he had taken such an impact with his bare body.

Before the warrior’s body had even hit the ground, Gyo-ha was already moving toward his next target.

“Open the distance. Use the ropes!”

At the shout of the man who seemed to be the leader, the warriors moved in unison.

Some were wounded or unconscious and could not move, but no one cared.

If you grew weak, you were culled.

It was the law of the Kangho.

If anything, those left behind became bait.

Those who had lost their horses or mobility due to injuries swung their weapons simply to survive.

Kwajik!

Gyo-ha crushed the head of the man swinging a saber beside him.

There was no hesitation.

These were not humans.

They were worse than beasts.

At that moment, ropes whipped toward Gyo-ha.

They coiled around his body in an instant.

They had clearly practiced this often, for his neck and arms were bound in a heartbeat.

Soon the ropes went taut.

“Ride!”

At the leader’s shout, the horses began to run.

However.

They could not run forward and only reared up on their front legs. Some warriors nearly fell from their saddles.

When they turned their heads, they saw an unbelievable sight.

“Insane…”

Someone muttered under their breath.

Kkigik, Kkigigik!

Two legs were driven into the ground.

They were being pushed back only a little at a time.

Eyes wide open, Gyo-ha was holding his ground with his body. Around where the ropes bound him, his flesh had turned bluish.

“Throw more ropes on him!”

If one horse’s strength was not enough, they only had to add more.

Hwirik, Hwirik!

Ropes arced through the air.

Gyo-ha did not simply stand there and watch.

He raised his hand and grabbed the taut ropes.

And then.

“Hup!”

He pulled.

The horses were dragged backward.

New ropes coiled around his body, but the owners of the ropes in his hand lost their balance.

Hiiiing!

With panicked cries, the horses toppled over.

Some warriors let go of the ropes and leapt away, but others, still gripping them, were dragged down.

Gyo-ha reached out with his other hand and seized the newly thrown ropes.

It was not to endure them.

It was to seize the ones holding them.

Then he whipped the ropes he already held like a lash.

One warrior was caught up in the ropes, but it didn’t matter.

He had enough monstrous strength to halt horses.

The weight of a single person was nothing.

Puk!

“Urgh!”

“Gah!”

Those struck by the ropes tumbled from their horses in a heap.

When the ropes in his other hand slackened, he gave them a sharp yank.

The remaining riders were dragged from their mounts as well.

Gyo-ha didn’t stop there and snapped the ropes in his hands through brute strength.

He trudged forward step by step.

It was a sight that would be enough to break the will of any ordinary martial artist.

However, the enemies immediately picked themselves up and leveled their sabers at him.

They swung their blades at Gyo-ha.

Gyo-ha did not avoid the sabers.

There was no way to evade every attack in the first place. Not one of them was below the second rate.

Each and every one of them was a proper martial artist.

Losing their horses did not make their skill disappear.

Puk, Pubuk.

Flesh tore and blood splattered.

That only brought the enemies’ faces right up to him.

“M-monster!”

Kwajik!

Gyo-ha’s fist crushed one man’s head, and his foot drove into the waist of another beside him.

Whirling Lotus Kick!

Kunlun’s signature technique.

“Guh!”

The falling man’s waist had bent in half.

He was still technically alive, but it was only a matter of time. No one could survive with their spine bent at that angle.

Gyo-ha moved on in search of his next prey.

He did not stop even when slashed or stabbed.

Only then did fear appear in the eyes of the enemies.

He cut them down one by one in turn.

In the end, only the man who looked to be the leader remained.

“…What are you?”

The leader asked in a weary tone. His legs had been broken by Gyo-ha’s attack, but he was not dead.

As befitted a leader, he had tried to deflect the blow. The result was that both his legs were broken.

Gyo-ha did not answer.

So the leader hurriedly opened his mouth.

“You will regret this. We belong to the Evil Heaven Alliance.”

Gyo-ha’s steps did not stop. When he finally came to a halt in front of the leader, he glared down with a vicious look.

“…Our captain and comrades will wipe out your clan and your sect.”

“You have comrades?”

Only then did Gyo-ha truly stop.

“…Where are they now?”

At his question, the leader’s face twisted.

He felt that something was off.

Then something came to mind and he gave a nasty grin.

“A big lug with a boyish face. You must be one of those sent by the Murim Alliance!”

He was not, but he did not bother to deny it.

“In that case, you are too late. The captain has already set out. He should be reaching the village right about now. Soon the Putuo Sect will be in flames!”

As the leader burst into laughter, two hands seized his head.

“What… Aagh!”

Power surged into those hands.

The leader writhed in pain.

Puk!

His struggling head burst apart.

Shaking off the blood, Gyo-ha looked ahead.

The leader had not been lying.

Gyo-ha’s instincts whispered that his words were true.

Gyo-ha bit down hard on his lip. There was no time to think.

He hurled himself toward Cheonghae Village.

Praying he would not be too late.

---

Hwareureuk!

Flames roared up on all sides.

Red fire demons and smoke tangled together.

“Hiyat! Hiyat!”

With every thunder of hooves, screams rang out.

People were being dragged about, tied by ropes. Some were hauled all the way outside the village.

Wild Gale Blade watched the scene and raised his wine bottle.

“The liquor does taste better here.”

Soheng Aged Liquor.

It was a famous spirit of Soheng, also called Soheng Liquor.

Wild Gale Blade drained the last drop from the bottle, then wiped his mouth with a bloodstained hand.

The metallic taste of blood rose on his lips, but he did not mind.

He was long accustomed to blood.

The vice-leader approached to stand at Wild Gale Blade’s side.

“It seems the nun left two days ago. From what I hear, she was quite the beauty.”

There was a note of regret in the vice-leader’s voice.

He did not share Wild Gale Blade’s particular fondness for nuns, but it was different when it came to a beauty.

“What you get easily leaves no lingering taste.”

At his words, the vice-leader eyes widened.

“You truly are our unit leader.”

“Hng.”

Wild Gale Blade snorted and looked over at the subordinates pillaging the village.

“Enough!”

The subordinates stopped and turned to him.

The horses that had been running also halted and faced him.

In an instant, the village fell silent.

It showed just how absolute his command was. The men here placed Wild Gale Blade’s orders above even those of their gang chief.

“The boat, are you lot going to steer it?”

At his question, the men blinked.

“Come on, Unit Leader. We have ridden horses our whole lives, how are we supposed to handle a boat?”

“That is exactly why, you idiot. You need to leave someone to steer the boat.”

“Ah.”

The subordinates pulled awkward faces. They clearly had not thought that far.

“Honestly, a bunch of fools.”

Wild Gale Blade clicked his tongue.

“And leave some of the women alive.”

“Huh? Why the women?”

Wild Gale Blade frowned at his bewildered men.

“If you kill them all and the one steering decides to kill himself, what then? Do you want to drown together?”

“…”

“And it will be boring on the way. You cannot just sit there sucking your fingers.”

Not only the subordinates but even the vice-leader let out a sound of admiration.

“As expected of our unit leader.”

“As expected my ass. You lot are just thick.”

His men burst into laughter at that.

“Then what about the rest of them?”

“Do what you want with them. Just leave two hostages each.”

“Yes, sir!”

The subordinates resumed their pillaging.

Watching them, Wild Gale Blade turned his head to the vice-leader.

“Once we are done here, get ready to leave at once.”

“Yes. More than that, with this much smoke, those women might notice as well.”

There was mist over the sea, but the smoke rose above the mist.

It was not a normal mist.

At the vice-leader’s words, Wild Gale Blade chuckled.

“They are tastier when they have some bite. If they are bland, where is the fun.”

“True enough.”

The vice-leader nodded, then glanced at Wild Gale Blade.

“What is it?”

“…Then, may I join in over there as well?”

Where he pointed, subordinates had gathered around a bonfire.

A person had been tied alive atop the pile of wood and set ablaze.

Some were slicing off the well-roasted flesh.

They lifted it to their mouths along with their drink.

They no longer looked human.

The hungry ghosts of the Hungry Ghost Realm must look like that.

This place was already hell.

“Tsk. Some vice-leader you are. Go on.”

“Yes, sir!”

Once Wild Gale Blade gave his permission, the vice-leader climbed onto his horse.

He dashed off like an arrow.

He had clearly been holding himself back.

Watching him, Wild Gale Blade turned his head.

Mist hovered over the sea.

Even to Wild Gale Blade’s eye, it was no ordinary mist.

But what did that matter?

Wild Gale Blade’s interest lay only in what lay beyond it.

“The Sword Queen, hm. I hope she turns out to be entertaining.”

His eyes, fixed on the sea, were stained with greed and lust.