Absolute Darkness And The Silence Of Despair (3)

In the distance, the outskirts of Seon-yeong could be seen.

Seon-yeong was not a small city. Befitting the provincial capital of Cheonghae Province, it was a large city. Most of its population consisted of Han Chinese from the Central Plains, but that was only what the authorities had investigated; among the lower classes, most were foreign peoples.

When the Kunlun Sect and the Necromancer Cult raised a rebellion and the nearby area became a battlefield, the people living in Seon-yeong trembled in fear.

But when the war entered a lull, Seon-yeong became chaotic. After it became known that what Kunlun and the Necromancer Cult sought was the birth of a new empire made up only of foreign peoples, Seon-yeong became a lawless land where plunder and violence ran rampant.

Those who mainly suffered were the Han Chinese who had crossed over from the Central Plains. They were robbed of what they had and lost their lives at the hands of the Mongols and Tibetans they had once employed.

Yet the Necromancer Cult did not stop such incidents at all. Kunlun also pretended not to know. Rather, they were encouraging such incidents. They hoped the foreign peoples would unite through their resentment toward the Han Chinese. That united power would become their power.

“Huff, huff, huff!”

Jo Su-won ran urgently. His breath grew short. He thought that if he had known this would happen, he should have learned martial arts in advance. Until now, he had been too busy earning money to think about things like health. He had never known he would regret that so much like this.

“Huff, huff, huff!”

To save the child in his arms, he had to run quickly through the narrow alley. As he ran like that, tears of blood flowed from both his eyes. Without doing anything wrong, he had been robbed of everything and had lost his family. The only thing left was the one son in his arms.

“He’s here.”

He had been discovered. Well, he had already known he would not be able to run for long. Seon-yeong had already become a land of foreign peoples. Even so, he was making one last struggle because he wanted at least his child to live. If he ran just a little farther now, he could escape Seon-yeong.

Thud.

Jo Su-won, who had hurriedly turned a corner, crashed into someone and was forced to stop running.

“Ah……!”

He despaired. His stopped legs showed no intention of moving again. He collapsed onto the spot.

Every person in Seon-yeong was someone trying to catch and kill him. Now both he and the child had ended up standing before death. He hugged the child tightly and closed his eyes. Once again, tears streamed down.

“Are you all right? I am sorry. Was I in your way?”

He had thought a blade would fall, but he heard gentle words. Jo Su-won raised his head. There stood an incomparably handsome man, holding out his hand toward him.

“Huk! Huhuk! Please save me. I do not care what happens to me, so please, at least save my child.”

Jo Su-won begged the handsome man. Right now, the only people in Seon-yeong walking around with swords were those of the Kunlun Sect. Naturally, Jo Su-won thought the handsome man was someone from the Kunlun Sect.

The handsome man was, of course, Neung Je-gang. He had just entered Seon-yeong. The city gate of Seon-yeong, where even the government troops had disappeared, was wide open and did not block him from entering.

“Um…… I do not know what is going on, but I have no intention of harming you, so please stand up now.”

“Hueuk! Pardon?”

“It seems you are probably being threatened with death by those people.”

The “those people” Neung Je-gang spoke of were the dozens of people blocking the front and back of the alley. Those people were gathering with murderous intent, holding clubs, iron rakes, and other things that could harm people.

However, because of Neung Je-gang’s appearance and the sword fastened at his waist, they merely could not approach rashly.

“I do not know what is happening, but come with me. Then you will be safe.”

Neung Je-gang spoke gently to Jo Su-won. But it was at that moment.

“Hu-eong!”

Instead, Jo Su-won burst into loud sobs. It was partly because he had seen life from the edge of death, but it was also because he thought of his wife, who had been killed first.

“Hu-eong! If only…… if only I had hurried just a little more…… Kkeok, kkeok, kkeok!”

Neung Je-gang suddenly found himself in trouble. To think he would start crying like this.

But when a fully grown adult, and a man at that, cried like this, there was always a reason worthy of it. So he stood guard there and protected Jo Su-won. Since he did not move, the people completely blocking the alley also looked troubled, not knowing what to do.

“Should we just attack?”

However, amid the loud sound of Jo Su-won’s sobbing, there was a conversation that entered Neung Je-gang’s ears and lodged there.

“What if he’s someone from the Kunlun Sect?”

“If he’s from the Kunlun Sect, he might hand that guy over. That guy is a Central Plains bastard.”

“Then should we try talking? Since we’re catching a Central Plains bastard, ask him to just step aside?”

“Hey…… this is just in case…… but what if he isn’t someone from the Kunlun Sect?”

“What?”

“Look! He isn’t a Taoist. The way he looks, he seems completely like a Central Plains bastard too.”

“Really? I’ll go out front and check.”

Then someone among the people blocking one side of the alley suddenly popped forward. He rolled his eyes as he examined Neung Je-gang’s appearance, then reached a conclusion.

“That’s right. He isn’t a Kunlun man…… and he’s a Central Plains bastard.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Attack.”

“But he has a sword. What if he has learned martial arts?”

“We have plenty of guys who’ve learned martial arts too, don’t we?”

There were occasionally people who had learned martial arts, but they were only at the level of having learned third-rate martial arts while loafing around the neighborhood. It was embarrassing even to call having learned martial arts.

However, in the eyes of people who had not learned martial arts, either way, it all looked like having learned martial arts. So, from their perspective, they had no reason to shrink back.

“Still, just in case, go tell the Kunlun Sect or the Taepyeong Sect people.”

“What should I say?”

“Hmm……! Ah, tell them there is a spy from the Martial Alliance here. Then they will come running right away.”

Whoever it was, he knew how to use petty tricks properly. Though that petty trick was a petty trick leading to misfortune.

Time passed, and Jo Su-won’s crying also stopped. He rose from his seat and bowed deeply to Neung Je-gang. It was a sign of gratitude for silently waiting until then.

“Have you finished crying now? Then shall I hear why something like this is happening?”

Neung Je-gang asked Jo Su-won as if he felt no danger at all.

“The truth is…….”

Even then, Jo Su-won still seemed choked up, and he stammered as he spoke, as if venting his grief, about the cruel events that had happened in Seon-yeong until now. He did so prepared to die if the other person happened to be someone from the Necromancer Cult or Kunlun.

The story was just that. Compared to others, there was nothing especially unique about it. But when Neung Je-gang heard that they had killed his wife and even tried to kill his child in order to steal the wealth he had hidden, fire flashed in his eyes.

“My wife was a Mongol like them. And yet, because of greed, they…….”

Jo Su-won could not finish speaking. When he thought of his dead wife, sorrow surged up again.

It was not that they had tried to kill him blindly out of hatred simply because he was a Central Plains person. If that had been the reason, then even if they killed Jo Su-won, they should have spared his wife. Only then could the cause they shouted, of overthrowing Central Plains people, be acknowledged.

But that was not the case. They were merely filled with the thought of stealing what belonged to others by using the uprising of Kunlun and the Necromancer Cult as an opportunity. They only thought of forcibly extorting what they had once envied.

“Stand up. What good will it do to sit and cry blindly? You must gather your strength, for the child’s sake if nothing else.”

Jo Su-won took Neung Je-gang’s hand and stood up.

“What happened to the child?”

The child was strange. He hung limp, as if he was sick somewhere.

Neung Je-gang checked the child’s pulse. The pulse was weak and thin, as if it might stop at any moment.

“It is all right. It must be because I covered his mouth and ran because I was afraid we would be found if he cried. He will be all right soon.”

Jo Su-won tried not to trouble Neung Je-gang. But Neung Je-gang held the child’s wrist and did not let go.

“The child is in danger. If he is not treated immediately, he may die.”

Neung Je-gang had learned medicine under a divine physician. Even if his depth was not perfect, he was far beyond the level of a quack.

Through the child’s wrist, he poured true energy into him. For now, this would serve as emergency treatment, but they had to find a proper physician as quickly as possible and have medicine prepared for him. Because they had been running around in flight, the child had not been fed properly, and because he had been unable to breathe freely, even an illness that had not existed had appeared.

But Neung Je-gang’s expression strangely changed as he poured true energy into him. It was an indescribable expression, as if he were crying and laughing at the same time. Because he wanted to laugh but could not, such an expression could not help appearing.

‘I struck gold!’

Neung Je-gang began thoroughly examining the child’s body in earnest.

‘Damn it! That old Black Cloud Demon geezer is about to have his wish fulfilled.’

The child’s bones and muscles were not ordinary. No, they had to be called outstanding. If he learned martial arts, he had bones and muscles that might far surpass Neung Je-gang’s own achievements.

In particular, there was no place where the flow of his acupoints was blocked. That was why a child who should already have died three or four times was still alive until now.

Of course, there was no guarantee this child would become the Black Cloud Demon’s successor. The process of being chosen by Pungroe still remained.

But if Pungroe was a normal fellow, there was no reason it would let go of a talent of this level. And if, by chance, Pungroe did not choose him, then Neung Je-gang could simply take him as his own disciple.

“May I carry the child?”

Neung Je-gang asked Jo Su-won. To protect the child, Neung Je-gang’s embrace was the safest place.

Jo Su-won became frightened. He worried that if he entrusted the child to him, something bad might happen. Because he had seen his expression change strangely, as if crying and laughing, he became even more suspicious.

“B-but…….”

He tried to refuse. But Neung Je-gang’s following words reassured him.

“The child has extremely outstanding qualities. Later, when he recovers his health, I am thinking of taking him as my disciple and teaching him martial arts.”

“Ah……!”

Jo Su-won had spent these past days amid violence and fear. Each time, how much had he blamed and regretted that he had not learned martial arts? He had even made up his mind that, even if he died, he would have his child learn martial arts. Yet when he had reached the brink of death, someone had appeared saying he would take the child as a disciple.

“I will entrust him to you. Please, be sure to take him as your disciple.”

Jo Su-won held the child out to Neung Je-gang. He decided to believe. In the current situation, what else could he do but believe? He also thought that surely someone who said he would take the child as a disciple would not simply abandon him afterward.

He did not know how strong the martial art Neung Je-gang would teach him would be. Perhaps it might be weaker than he thought. At a glance, he did not give the impression of being that strong. However, he was the first person to recognize the child. If the child had to learn weak martial arts, then that too could be called the child’s inborn fortune.

“This boy’s name is Jo Ja-myeong.”

“Understood. Jo Ja-myeong is now my, Neung Je-gang’s, disciple.”

“Thank you. Thank you!”

Jo Su-won bowed repeatedly.

“Then let us go. Lead the way.”

“B-but…….”

Jo Su-won looked at the alley blocked by people and made a tearful face.

“Do not be afraid. As long as I am here, they cannot do anything. Walk proudly.”

Neung Je-gang encouraged Jo Su-won’s courage with a tone full of certainty.

Jo Su-won took one deep breath and moved his steps. He had mustered courage, but as he grew closer to the people, his legs trembled badly.

“You fucking—! Catch them!”

Someone shouted. They had been unable to move because they were not certain about Neung Je-gang. But now there was nothing to hesitate over. Neung Je-gang’s hands were not free because he was holding the child in his arms.

Pubeobeobeok.

The people at the very front rushed in and were all sent flying at once. There were no screams and no groans.

“Uheok! Th-they’re dead.”

Only then did those standing behind the fallen people see the red blood flowing from their throats. They had not even seen him use a sword, yet all of their throats had been half cut.

“Uaaak! It’s a sword ghost!”

He could only be called a ghost. Cutting people’s throats without the slightest hesitation was not something just anyone could do.

Chaos broke out in front. Those who saw the corpses ran down the alley to flee first, just as they had swarmed in. The fear that, if they were late, their throats might be cut like the dead people’s and they might die surrounded them.

However, behind them as well, the road was packed full of people who had swarmed in out of greed for Jo Su-won’s wealth, just like them.

“Move! I said move, you bastards!”

They shoved one another, and finally swung the weapons they were holding wildly.

Those who had been trying to strike Neung Je-gang from behind on the opposite side of the alley also saw that sight. Their footsteps stopped. They confirmed it. Neung Je-gang was a martial artist, and moreover, a master whose skill they could not measure.

At least they were lucky. They had not blocked Neung Je-gang’s front.

Jo Su-won looked back at Neung Je-gang with startled eyes. Seeing the sword, he had known he was a martial artist. Since he said he would take the child as his disciple, Jo Su-won had thought that was so.

But this was on a different level from what he had been thinking. He had thought martial arts meant something like holding swords and striking each other; he had never imagined it could create a scene like this.

“Let us go.”

Only after Neung Je-gang spoke once again could Jo Su-won move his steps again. Only then did strength enter his legs.

He became certain that his child had been chosen by an immortal of the martial world he had only heard about in words. The cruel fact that Neung Je-gang had cut off people’s throats was forgotten.

They were people who had killed his wife and tried to kill both his child and him. Even if their limbs were torn apart and they were killed, not just their throats, he would never call it cruel.

Neung Je-gang and Jo Su-won left the alley. However, the matter did not end there. As if patrolling the streets of Seon-yeong, Taoists of Kunlun and warriors of the Necromancer Cult, moving around in groups of two or three, had gathered on the main road. Thanks to the shouts and screams the rioters had let out as they escaped the alley, those nearby had swarmed over.

Jo Su-won’s legs trembled again. There was only one person on this side, while on the other side there were dozens of people holding swords. Since he did not know that a contest between those who had learned martial arts was decided not by numbers but by skill, it could not be helped.

“Do you know where the Martial Alliance or the imperial army is encamped?”

Neung Je-gang asked Jo Su-won. One of the reasons he had entered Seon-yeong was to find this out.

“T-to the east…….”

It was only natural. That was the direction leading to the Central Plains.

But it seemed Jo Su-won only knew that much and did not know the exact location.

“Then let us go to the eastern gate.”

“B-but…….”

“Do not worry about them. They will not be able to stop us.”

Jo Su-won blankly stared at Neung Je-gang. He wanted to know where that kind of bluff came from.

But there was not the slightest hint of tension on Neung Je-gang’s face as he looked at him. He could not tell whether that was confidence or arrogance.

“Will it really be all right?”

“There are no truly strong ones here. So you need not worry.”

“Th-then…….”

Jo Su-won decided to believe Neung Je-gang once again. He began walking east again. Each time he took a step, cold sweat flowed down his back.

But what was this? Every time he took a step, the people blocking the way staggered backward with their faces turned blue.

Jo Su-won unconsciously looked back. But there was nothing special. Behind him, there was only Neung Je-gang following after him.

Jo Su-won tilted his head and looked ahead again.

Grin.

At that moment, he did not know that Neung Je-gang behind him smiled lightly.

Neung Je-gang was emitting killing intent. Jo Su-won could not feel it, but everyone else had been infected by the killing intent he gave off.

Several people could be seen running somewhere. Perhaps, overwhelmed by the killing intent, they were going to call those who were called masters.

Neung Je-gang felt no need to drag out any more time here. If masters swarmed in, even for Neung Je-gang, it could not help being burdensome. If he were alone, it would not matter much, but if he had to keep Jo Su-won and Jo Ja-myeong from being hurt, mistakes might occur.

Moreover, right now, showing Jo Ja-myeong to a decent physician came first. He could not lose a usable talent over pointless bravado.

“Excuse me.”

Neung Je-gang approached Jo Su-won and said this.

“Yes? Uh, uh! Uaaak!”

As Jo Su-won tried to look back, he suddenly felt Neung Je-gang place a hand on his waist. The moment he wondered what was happening, he saw clouds looming large before his eyes.

When he rolled his eyes, the black ground that should have been beneath his feet was rapidly moving far away. A scream came out on its own. Regardless of his will, the scream rode the wind and spread far, far away.

“Uwaaaak!”

This time, they were dropping toward the roof of some building. It seemed they would soon crash there, so he screamed again.

“Aaaak!”

Without realizing it, Jo Su-won gripped Neung Je-gang’s clothes tightly. He, too, now realized it. Neung Je-gang had placed him on his shoulder and was flying through the sky.

Lightness art that he had only heard of in words. Experiencing it personally, rather than the joy of freely flying through the sky, the fear of his liver dropping at every moment felt even stronger.

Neung Je-gang held Jo Ja-myeong with his left hand and placed Jo Su-won on his right shoulder, then soared into the air. It was a little uncomfortable, but due to his increased internal energy, he did not feel burdened.

The people of Seon-yeong who saw him launch himself away and disappear stood with their mouths wide open.

The Taoists of Kunlun launched themselves after Neung Je-gang. Though they could not compare to Neung Je-gang, Kunlun’s name as peerless in lightness art was not empty.

As Neung Je-gang flew forward, he saw the people chasing after him. He ignored them. After all, they were small fry. The problem was those who would be blocking the road to the Martial Alliance. If they had already heard the news, truly strong people would be blocking his way.