The Appearance Of The Small-Hand Art (2)

“Hmm! Another maidservant has disappeared?”

Eon Cheong-gun asked as he examined the wound on his arm, which had now almost healed. This wound had been inflicted by the sword aura Cheong Yeon had unconsciously unleashed. By heavenly fortune, he had avoided the misfortune of having his arm cut off, but because the wounded area had necrotized, only now did it finally feel like his own arm again.

“Yes.”

Grit

Eon Cheong-gun looked at the wound and ground his teeth once, then looked straight ahead.

“Someone must be trying to learn the Small-Hand Art quickly. It is not a bad thing, so just cover it up. If someone grows stronger quickly even by doing that, then avenging dead Jo-seong will be that much faster. No, rather, it would be better to select a few and have them learn the Small-Hand Art quickly.”

Eon Cheong-gun reached that conclusion.

“But if that happens, the aftereffects will not be light.”

If one learned it quickly, one could not see the supreme realm. In other words, there was a limit. Also, in the distant future, as the price of learning a rapid demonic art, one would suffer the pain of energy dispersion. Energy dispersion meant that one’s internal energy scattered, which was the same as saying one would become a cripple when old.

“That is why I am saying we should teach it quickly to only a few. Find a few children we can discard once we catch Secret Shadow.”

“Understood.”

The person who answered unconsciously trembled at Eon Cheong-gun’s conduct, using even the children of his clan like tools because his eyes had rolled over in revenge. If Eon Cheong-gun had been born in the demonic path, he would probably have become a truly tremendous great demon.

In any case, because of Eon Cheong-gun’s decision, many young maidens began disappearing here and there throughout Hebei Province.

Hagok Plain near Seon-yeong, Cheonghae Province.

Ma-jil also noticed Cheong Yeon’s crisis. If things continued like this, Cheong Yeon was as good as dead. Though they had bickered with each other all this time, they already had the awareness that they were comrades.

Whether it was because of Neung Je-gang’s consideration, or whether it had just happened by chance, the two had spent an unusually large amount of time together. Even if they did not seem like it outwardly, inwardly they had grown quite attached to each other.

In particular, Ma-jil, who had not felt much affection as a fellow human before being imprisoned in the Forbidden Demon Prison, did not want to lose Cheong Yeon even more. Cheong Yeon was a problem, but he was also afraid of Neung Je-gang’s resentment if he lost him and fell into despair.

Ma-jil emitted the Wu Earth True Qi inside his body to the maximum. Since he could not use lightness skill, the fastest way for him to move was to kick off the ground with Wu Earth True Qi and fling his body forward.

Paak

His leg, which emitted Wu Earth True Qi, kicked off the ground and launched his body into the air. As Ma-jil flew like that, the screams of the two women faintly reached his ears.

“Keuk!”

Cheong Yeon received the attacks of the two Soul Hunters. It would have been nice if he could have taken even one of their lives, but there was no such luck. The instant their attacks were blocked, the Soul Hunters threw themselves backward. Then they quickly flew away and vanished. They had barely seized the chance to retreat.

Cheong Yeon waited. Now it was his turn to receive the enemy’s attack. He closed his eyes. Though he had trained so diligently, he consoled himself that this was the limit of his ability, and resolved to humbly accept death.

Pueok

“Aigu!”

But it was right at that moment. Instead of the Soul Hunter’s cold blade that should have dug into his body, a heavy impact covered Cheong Yeon’s body.

Cheong Yeon opened his eyes wide. In front of his eyes, he saw Ma-jil’s ugly and distorted face. And behind Ma-jil’s face, he also saw the black-masked man, who had revealed his body without even realizing it and was staring in shock. The masked man could not hide his surprise toward Ma-jil, who had taken his decisive strike with his body.

Sseuseuk

After coming to his senses, the Soul Hunter hurriedly hid himself. He could have attacked the fallen Ma-jil and Cheong Yeon again, but while he was still surprised, the two women approached right beside him and attempted to attack him, causing him to lose the chance.

Cheong Yeon pushed Ma-jil, who was covering his body, aside and got up. Ma-jil was pushed away limply, as if he had lost consciousness.

“Hey, Ma-jil!”

Cheong Yeon quickly examined Ma-jil’s condition. Blood was seeping from Ma-jil’s back. That wound should have been on Cheong Yeon, and that blood should have flowed from Cheong Yeon.

Riiip

When he tore away the cloth cut by the blade, Ma-jil’s wound became visible. It was a long cut.

However, fortunately, it was not a deep wound. That was because he had operated Gyeonggeum True Qi the moment the blade struck.

But one could not relax just because the wound visible on the outside was small. When one was struck by an attack using qi, the shock remained intact inside the body.

Eastern Depot agents had to know how to perform emergency treatment on themselves. Naturally, Cheong Yeon had also learned and mastered such things.

He checked Ma-jil’s pulse. Fortunately, his pulse was beating strongly. His life was not in danger. If they treated only his loss of consciousness and the wound on his back, he would become fine again.

“How is he?”

Go So-jeong asked with a worried expression.

“I think he will be all right once he regains consciousness.”

“Ah, that is a relief.”

Go So-jeong let out a sigh of relief. In truth, she had been terribly shocked because she thought Cheong Yeon was going to die.

Cheong Yeon stepped back, and Je So-yeon approached Ma-jil. When it came to medicine, it was indeed Je So-yeon. Je So-yeon personally checked Ma-jil’s pulse, took Golden Wound Medicine from her robes, and carefully applied it to the wound on his back.

The Golden Wound Medicine she carried was a special medicine made by her grandfather. It was practically a treasure that could not be bought with money.

“This is a serious problem.”

Cheong Yeon suddenly said as he watched that scene.

“What is?”

“The enemies returned alive, so now even more enemies will surely swarm in to block us.”

“That is true. Then what should we do? Should we return now?”

“We still have not burned everything we aimed for……. But it seems we should return after all. If we get greedy for no reason, there is a risk we will fall into danger.”

With Ma-jil, who had been in charge of fire, unconscious, continuing the work was also unreasonable.

“Then let us do that.”

To the current Go So-jeong, everything Cheong Yeon said was faith and truth. It was because of her unique personality, which made her fully like everything about the person she fancied.

Cheong Yeon hoisted Ma-jil, whose treatment was finished after the medicine had been applied, onto his back. Then he quickly flew toward the path they had come from. Now they had to run as quickly as possible and hide themselves inside the earth tunnel Ma-jil had made. They all knew very well that only then could they survive.

Neung Je-gang left Kunlun under Sohee’s guidance. He could know what Sohee was going to do without asking.

Sohee had been a disciple of Kunlun, but now she had resolved to deny Kunlun. Because of Deung Myeong’s foolish greed, Deung Gak had produced the result of leaving the most dangerous enemy inside Kunlun unattended.

Neung Je-gang quickened his steps and flew east. From Kunlun to Seon-yeong was far, far too long a road. He had heard from Sohee that the Necromancer Cult and the Martial Alliance were in a standoff near Seon-yeong. And there was Deung Myeong, who could be called the starting point of all these events.

Hwarrrrk

Black smoke billowed up into the sky over Kunlun, which Neung Je-gang had left. Kunlun, the Taoist holy land with a thousand years of tradition, was collapsing under the invasion of flames. It was proof that Sohee’s revenge had begun.

At present, there was no one in Kunlun who could stop the frenzied Sohee. And Sohee, too, would most likely throw the rest of her life into that fire.

Neung Je-gang stopped walking and looked at that black smoke for a moment, then turned around. Now Kunlun no longer existed. What remained were the three root culprits, Deung Gak, Deung Hyeon, and Deung Myeong, Deung Gak’s disciples, and the Necromancer Cult being used by them.

After running for a long while, Neung Je-gang arrived at U-gak Hobong again. There, he discovered a large number of people moving south. They were not martial artists. They seemed to be believers of the Necromancer Cult, and what they were carrying with them in bundles were supplies such as food and clothing.

“Did she say the Black Alliance was attacking from Sichuan? The damage to the Necromancer Cult believers must be great.”

The Black Alliance might kill all the Necromancer Cult believers who blocked their path. Unlike the Martial Alliance, the Black Alliance did not cherish other people’s lives.

Was that why? Sohee had said that unlike the Martial Alliance, which had formed a standoff near Seon-yeong, at the place where they were blocking the Black Alliance, back-and-forth attacks and defenses were constantly repeating. That meant the damage to the Necromancer Cult believers was that great, and in addition, the Black Alliance had also suffered heavy losses.

Neung Je-gang turned his steps toward the Black Alliance. There was Byeon Bong, who had reduced his family to ruins. In any case, as long as the Martial Alliance side was in a standoff, it would not matter much if he was a little late.

The Black Alliance command tent.

Black Cloud Demon, who had already been the former Alliance Lord of the entire Black Alliance, had gone into seclusion. Only the Demon-Steed Branch Master knew where he had gone.

The successor Alliance Lord had not been decided. While such discussions were underway, Kunlun’s conspiracy was revealed, so the two formed a dual-power system and entered the war against the Necromancer Cult.

The Demon-Steed Branch Master, who had originally planned to retire together with Black Cloud Demon, remained in the Black Alliance to buffer the two forces. He decided to go to the place where Black Cloud Demon had gone into seclusion after the new Alliance Lord was chosen.

Only three people sat at the large table. Half of the martial world was ruled by these three people.

“This is serious. Because the number of lower-rank warriors has sharply decreased, we can no longer advance.”

Cheon Jang-myeong opened his mouth with a sigh.

Whether it was a war between nations or a war between martial forces like now, one could not carry out a war with only generals or first-rate masters. Most wars were centered on soldiers and lower-rank warriors.

But the Black Alliance, which had recklessly pushed against the Necromancer Cult, was now suffering from a shortage of personnel. The Necromancer Cult believers swarmed in endlessly no matter how many were killed, and the Black Alliance’s lower-rank warriors had decreased by half compared to the beginning.

“We were foolish. It seems we believed too much in the fact that the Necromancer Cult believers had not learned martial arts. We should have known well that the martial arts of lower-rank warriors are of little use against human-wave tactics.”

Jo Je-hun also sighed. When they were pushing upward, they had not even known fatigue, but once they started being pushed back, they could not regain their senses.

“Is there no good way to escape this situation?”

Cheon Jang-myeong and Jo Je-hun’s gazes turned toward the Demon-Steed Branch Master.

Since the war began, the Demon-Steed Branch Master had not put forward any particular opinion. He had only delivered information his subordinates had gathered, which clearly showed that he was gradually taking his hands off the Black Alliance.

“There are two methods.”

The Demon-Steed Branch Master opened his mouth.

“What are they?”

Cheon Jang-myeong and Jo Je-hun’s faces brightened.

“One is to eliminate the enemy command.”

If the command disappeared, the rest would become a disorderly mob. Because it was such an obvious statement, Cheon Jang-myeong and Jo Je-hun could not even say anything back to the Demon-Steed Branch Master.

“Are you saying that because we do not know that?”

“There is no method to do that.”

The two showed dissatisfaction at the Demon-Steed Branch Master’s words, but the Demon-Steed Branch Master ignored their words and continued saying what he wanted to say.

“The other method is to construct a defensive line and hold out.”

“Hold out? What does that mean? To win a war, we should drive forward and crush the enemies, not hold out.”

Jo Je-hun muttered, but again, the Demon-Steed Branch Master ignored his words as well.

“Soon autumn will come, and then winter. Fortunately, the granaries of Cheonghae Province are concentrated near Seon-yeong. If things go as I expect, the Martial Alliance will not leave that food alone. No matter how powerful an army is, without food, it becomes worse than a disorderly mob.”

“Do you have any guarantee that the Martial Alliance will eliminate the enemy’s food?”

“The Martial Alliance is not a group of fools.”

It was an exceedingly firm statement.

“…….”

At the Demon-Steed Branch Master’s words, Cheon Jang-myeong and Jo Je-hun forgot what to say for a moment.

“Th, then where do you mean to create the defensive line? In a situation where we are being pushed back every day like now, that will not be easy either.”

“The Hall of Ten Thousand Sounds has already constructed a defensive formation at Seokmyeong Mountain. We need only be pushed back as we are now until that place, and then create a standoff there.”

Seokmyeong Mountain was a small mountain located on the border between Cheonghae Province and Sichuan Province. Compared to other terrain, it was a mountain with an unusually gentle slope, so it was the place most frequently used when traveling between Sichuan and Cheonghae. When the Black Alliance pushed up into Cheonghae Province, they had also advanced through that very place.

“Then did the Lord of the Hall of Ten Thousand Sounds predict that we would be pushed back like this?”

Unless he had predicted that, there was no way he would have constructed a defensive formation there in advance.

“The number of Necromancer Cult believers who crossed from the Central Plains into Cheonghae Province is two million. Anyone could have predicted that they would not simply leave them idle.”

Cheon Jang-myeong and Jo Je-hun could not raise their heads. In fact, the two of them had been the ones who ignored the Demon-Steed Branch Master’s advice that they should refrain from reckless attacks and had pushed forward. The result of their insistence was now appearing as this continuous retreat.

The meeting that day concluded with a retreat to Seokmyeong Mountain. At present, there was no especially sharp measure except to wait for winter there.