Weeping While Executing Ma Su

Arriving at the scene, Go In-gyeong charged straight toward Jeok-woo without hesitation.

Win or lose, it didn’t matter.

If it was for the revenge of his sect, he would gladly give his life without regret.

‘I’ll have your head, no matter what!’

But as he drew within a few meters, he first saw Yeong-jun locked in a desperate fight, surrounded by three or four masked cultists.

Lacking real combat experience, though more skilled individually, he struggled because he didn’t know how to handle multiple enemies at once.

“Yeong-jun!”

With one breath, In-gyeong leapt from his horse and drew his sword.

As the Waning Moon Sword slid from its sheath, it rang with its distinctive clear tone.

In just a single move, he cut down two enemies rushing at him.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes.”

With his sect leader’s help, Yeong-jun regained strength and finally drove off the enemies around him.

Including Yeong-jun, four disciples of the Eminent Mountain Sect were entangled in the fight, so In-gyeong decided to join forces with his brothers first.

“Sect Leader!”

When In-gyeong appeared, the Eminent Mountain disciples finally found the courage to fight.

They had thought the Taiyi Divine Sect raid was just a rumor, but now that it happened, fear weighed heavily on them.

Led by In-gyeong, they fought desperately, surrounding the wagons at the center of the procession.

Arriving late, Bang Inbeom first swept his eyes around to assess the situation.

At a glance, even counting escorts and guards, their numbers were overwhelming.

Yet the mere twenty enemies fought on unbroken, thanks to the overwhelming skills of Jeok-woo and Ma Jingun.

In fact, it seemed they were even holding their strength back to fit the plan.

“Not a single one caught by my blade will live!”

Jeok-woo shouted loudly again and again as he swung Virtuous Conduct.

He thought he was acting with all his might, but as feared, it looked painfully awkward.

‘That oaf will ruin everything.’

Clicking his tongue, Inbeom drove his horse into the middle of the fight.

It was time to move on to the next step before more stupidity happened.

He quickly dismounted and headed toward Ma Jingun, who was fending off ten escorts with just a spear.

“How dare a Demonic Cultist show himself here?”

Inbeom thundered as he drew his signature technique blade, the Immortal Crane Saber.

Knowing his outstanding skill, the escorts sighed with relief and stepped back, giving him room.

Thanks to that, Inbeom closed in for a duel at close quarters with Ma Jingun.

“The two middle wagons!”

After trading a few light moves, when their weapons clashed hard, Inbeom whispered softly in his opponent’s ear.

Ma Jingun gave the slightest nod, then caught Inbeom’s blade with the middle of his spear, twisting it aside as his other hand released a burst of force.

“Ugh!”

Deliberately yielding strength to disguise it, Inbeom was pushed back dozens of steps without looking unnatural.

At the same time, Jingun struck away several charging escorts and sprinted toward the front wagons.

“Protect the wagons! He’s heading forward!”

At the escorts’ cries, guards at the rear surged forward at once.

Even the two Escort Chiefs fighting Jeok-woo abandoned him to chase Jingun and put out the more urgent fire.

In an instant, the space before Jeok-woo was empty.

“Come at me!”

Jeok-woo, unwilling to actually kill the hesitant escorts, only swung Virtuous Conduct to keep them at bay.

Causing a commotion was enough—his role nearly complete, he planned to retreat at the right moment.

Meanwhile, watching him constantly, In-gyeong realized his chance had come.

If not now, who knew when he would next face the elusive Taiyi Divine Sect?

“You all guard the wagons and protect the tribute. I’ll face Jeok-woo.”

“But—!”

Yeong-jun realized his intent and quickly grabbed his sleeve.

He too wanted revenge, having seen their martial brothers slaughtered before his eyes.

But fighting Jeok-woo now was sheer recklessness.

“If anything happens to me, I entrust the rest to you.”

In-gyeong’s blazing eyes carried a will to die fighting.

Only after meeting his gaze did Yeong-jun slowly release his grip.

He realized nothing he said could stop him.

“Sect Leader…”

In-gyeong used his footwork to dash straight in front of Jeok-woo.

Jeok-woo, who had only been spinning Virtuous Conduct in defense, felt a fierce killing intent and instinctively stepped back three paces.

The nearby escorts, busy scheming how to flee, wondered who this youth charging with such murderous intent could be.

“Take my sword!”

With the sharp cry of a young man, a heavy blue sword light poured toward Jeok-woo.

The fierce vibration as sword met blade made his upper body tilt back.

It wasn’t terribly threatening, but it was fast and honest.

“Huh? You—?”

The opponent’s face rushed in close enough to feel his breath.

Only then did he recognize him.

A youth still with soft down on his face—Go In-gyeong, who once charged at him seeking revenge with laughable skill. Jeok-woo remembered instantly.

Over a year might have passed, but how could he forget that brazen face?

“I’ve waited for this day.”

In-gyeong unleashed the forms of the Waxing Moon Sword Technique, which he had studied endlessly.

He had already lost once to this same sword style, but its power was far different from half a year ago.

Hundreds of times his hands had torn and blistered.

Time endured, and endured again, only for revenge.

“You idiot! Why are you butting in here?”

Jeok-woo, meanwhile, was awkwardly fending off the strikes, unable to fully commit one way or the other.

If he wanted, defeating this shrimp of a boy would be nothing.

But once someone had struck his fancy, Jeok-woo was endlessly lenient.

He couldn’t bring himself to harm him, trying instead to withdraw.

But In-gyeong’s desperation made him hard to shake off.

“Waxing Moon Rain Shower!”

When In-gyeong unleashed his ultimate technique, Jeok-woo finally dropped his purely defensive stance.

No matter if his opponent was a novice, he couldn’t keep warding off the formidable Full Moon Sword forever.

It was that intricate and varied a form.

“You’ve grown… but not enough.”

Jeok-woo let out a deep sigh, twisted his body sharply to the right, and sank down.

As In-gyeong staggered in surprise, he struck his left side with the flat of his blade.

Losing his balance, In-gyeong’s ankle twisted, and he fell hard, catching himself with his left arm.

“Ugh!”

He tried to rise at once, but his body collapsed as soon as he put weight on his left foot.

His ankle had twisted badly.

Unable to withstand even a dozen exchanges, In-gyeong burned with shame at his pathetic skill.

If not for his responsibility as sect leader, he wished he could just die on the spot.

“Hey, you alright?”

Seeing him so dejected, Jeok-woo hesitated, tempted to help somehow.

He wasn’t talentless, but even with ten more years, he could never match him.

Better to kill him now than let him waste his whole life on revenge.

“Step aside.”

At that moment, a strong gust tore between the two.

In-gyeong raised his arms to shield his face, but the wind from the blade cut off a handful of his bangs.

Inbeom had suddenly intervened, swinging his Immortal Crane Saber wide to knock away Jeok-woo’s Virtuous Conduct, which had closed in near In-gyeong’s chest.

The force was so great that even Jeok-woo, who yielded to no one in strength, felt his hands tingle from the shock.

“Chief Bang?”

“I’ll handle this now. Go protect your brothers.”

With Inbeom blocking the way, the path to Jeok-woo was completely sealed.

As In-gyeong hesitated in confusion, a booming roar shook his ears.

“Get a hold of yourself!”

KWANG!

Inbeom’s shout echoed through the forest with a deafening crash.

Ma Jingun’s spear had struck twice at the wagon wheels, bringing down the third and fourth wagons on the spot.

“Sect Leader Go! Go to your brothers, quickly!”

“Damn it!”

At last, In-gyeong came to his senses.

It was his brothers guarding the central wagons.

While he was blinded by revenge and acting foolishly, their lives hung by a thread.

He sprinted madly toward the front.

Every step made his ankle throb, but in the moment, he felt no pain.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Inbeom pushed Jeok-woo to the fringes, widening space from the surrounding escorts.

Another swing of the Immortal Crane Saber drove him into a corner hidden from the others’ sight.

Satisfied, Inbeom grabbed Jeok-woo by the collar.

“You fool! Didn’t I tell you the Eminent Mountain Sect leader must be kept alive?”

As Inbeom scolded him sharply, Jeok-woo stomped his feet in protest.

“On my honor, I didn’t lay a finger on him.”

“Hmph!”

He’d always been one to need looking after.

Though he barked at him, Inbeom’s eyes showed both affection and worry.

“Weren’t you just about to kill him?”

“No, that was…”

Jeok-woo flustered, close to tears.

He hadn’t even had time to greet his uncle after so long before being scolded harshly.

“Jingun smashed the central wagons—the mission’s done. Retreat this way immediately!”

“But Uncle…”

As Jeok-woo clung pitifully to his collar, Inbeom was about to add a few nagging words—

“You there, what are you doing?”

It was a familiar voice.

Inbeom turned and found Yong Jo staring at them with a suspicious look.

His eyes were already filled with irrevocable doubt.

Suddenly, Ma Cheong-ok’s words from two nights ago echoed in Yong Jo’s mind.

“There is a spy among us. You are the only escorts I trust—speak this to no one.”

Ma Jingun’s horn sounded the retreat, echoing through the forest.

At the signal, escorts began converging from the rear.

Yong Jo drew his Flexible Sword, resolute and ready to attack.

To him, Bang Inbeom was no longer an old comrade but a spy of the Taiyi Divine Sect.

Now, there were two options.

Fight their way out with Jeok-woo and rejoin the Taiyi Divine Sect.

But then, the entire plan so far would be ruined.

Even Yun-seon could be endangered.

Revealed would be the one who exposed the wagons’ weight, who broke the wheels to bring them down, and above all, who deliberately struck the very wagon carrying the Ryeo Nation envoy.

‘Only one option remains…’

Inbeom slowly looked at Jeok-woo.

The boy’s face was filled with murderous resolve to kill everyone in front of them.

Inbeom shook his head in resignation.

The two of them couldn’t possibly handle all the enemies closing in.

“Jeok-woo, watch closely.”

“Huh?”

With a sudden swing, the Immortal Crane Saber carved a deep wound into Jeok-woo’s left arm.

“Ahh!”

Instinctively, Jeok-woo raised Virtuous Conduct to barely fend off the blade.

But it was a feint.

Using the force of the clash, Inbeom spun once and came in low at Jeok-woo’s legs.

It was the very move he had repeated countless times while sparring with young Jeok-woo.

“Uwaah!”

Thick tears fell from Jeok-woo’s eyes.

Even he couldn’t fail to understand.

On the day before leaving as a spy, Inbeom had shown him the Exile of the Crane technique dozens of times.

“If I ever use the Exile of the Crane technique, it means something has gone wrong. You must kill me then.”

“Come on, Uncle, don’t say such scary things.”

When Jeok-woo chuckled nervously, Inbeom’s face hardened at once.

“A spy goes to die. If I die, we live.”

The Immortal Crane Saber, aimed for his legs, suddenly rose toward Jeok-woo’s chest.

Any hesitation, and it would pierce his heart.

“Die!”

Jeok-woo squeezed his eyes shut.

He could see it even without looking.

Inbeom had also drilled into him dozens, even hundreds of times, the fatal counter to Exile of the Crane¹.

He said that even the slightest mistake would arouse suspicion—so he repeated it until drenched in sweat.

“……”

No scream was heard.

Jeok-woo’s Virtuous Conduct cleaved cleanly through Inbeom’s body.

As painlessly as possible, but leaving wounds that seemed full of malice, Inbeom’s body lay torn in half at Jeok-woo’s feet.

“Chief Bang!”

Glancing once at Yong Jo, who came rushing in shock and drooling spit, Jeok-woo turned and vanished into the darkness.

He had severed with his own hands the last tie to his only support, his final family.

All because of the Ryeo Nation envoy.

읍참마속 (泣斬馬謖), Weeping While Executing Ma Su:

Sacrificing even someone you cherish for the sake of a greater purpose.