#76: Day And Night (1) — The Patriarch of Sichuan

The older of the Black Cat Twin Swords, Lee Ho, felt like he would go mad.

Jjeo-eong!

Just exchanging one blow left his wrist throbbing.

The power was bearable. Of course it should be. The opponent was only a ‘late-generation prodigy of Sichuan.’ Even if he hadn’t earned the kind of reputation everyone in a region would know, it made no sense for someone like him, who had been through every kind of battle, to be pushed back by some little girl.

The issue was the Qi.

Saak!

From her swinging blade poured a chilling cold.

It felt as if the splashing river droplets would freeze on the spot. It was that cold and sharp.

‘Ice arts!’

Many mistake Yin Arts and Ice Arts as similar. Yet though alike, the two were entirely different.

To govern Yin energy requires Yang to supplement it. Ice Arts, true to their name, take only Yin and govern a chill like ice.

Unlike Yang, holding only Yin in the body places an extreme burden on it. In severe cases the blood channels can freeze and death follows.

That is why even top-tier Ice Arts are hard to master unless one is born with the right body. Unless one is a superhuman who has mastered all martial ways and reached the divine realm, no genius dares touch ice arts.

In other words, Yin Arts do not work on those who perfectly govern Ice Arts. You can stab or strike them dead, but in internal energy the Ice Arts practitioner holds a clear edge.

‘How can this be!’

The second of the twins, Lee Pyo, roared and swung for Seol So-ha’s back.

An urgent light rose in Seol So-ha’s eyes.

‘Willow-Snow!’

Flash!

A white radiance flashed.

Her long sword bent softly like drifting snowflakes and aimed at Lee Pyo’s chest. Naturally her stance changed, and his attack failed.

Lee Pyo’s face grew urgent.

This could not be avoided. He had to block no matter what.

Chiring!

Blocking her blade, he at once felt sensation vanish from the hand that held his sword.

The Cold Ice Qi that rode the impact burrowed into his meridians at once. Clutching his wrist, he had to retreat.

The quantity was small, yet the savagery of the Cold Ice Qi was too strong. If he did not dissipate each impact, the accumulated cold would ruin his channels.

Then Lee Ho aimed for Seol So-ha’s middle.

Pishuk!

The short sword cut a small wound on her arm.

Lee Ho’s eyes shook.

‘Damn IT!’

She had already turned to his flank. Her footwork was astounding. Half a beat faster and she would have countered at once.

Her sword moved with solemn weight. The sword path which seemed to pierce while cutting was so strange it looked uncanny.

Lee Ho twisted as if his knees and waist would break. If he blocked, the cold would penetrate his body again.

Saak!

He avoided a fatal wound, but a small cut opened on his side.

Having only grazed his skin, it was barely a wound. Yet he could not ignore it, for he had to protect his channels from the invading cold.

Pabababak!

The Lee brothers fell back toward the riverbank and lowered their stances.

“Hoo.”

Seol So-ha quickly evened her breath.

‘It’s difficult.’

She had experienced real combat, but it was one-on-one and the foe was clearly below her.

Now she fought foes higher in skill. On top of that, there were two of them.

Lee Yong-dan had ordered her capture, but variables in real combat are endless. She could be mortally wounded and die at any time.

Even her breathing threatened to fall apart under the tension. She strove for composure, never losing focus on the Black Cat Twin Swords.

But they were as tense as she was.

‘Damn it, how is some country-backwater clan girl using Ice Arts!’

The Autumn Shadow Heart Method they cultivated was a first-rate Yin Art.

That made it worse. The fierce sword winds they emitted were easily disassembled by her sword force.

No, they even seemed to bolster her momentum. Worse, each clash and each wound let the cold invade and made their Autumn Shadow internal energy shrink, preventing follow-ups.

Lee Pyo muttered like a groan.

“…Just what martial art is this?”

The heart method aside, the sword and footwork she used were remarkable.

She might not have perfected them, yet the level of the arts themselves was another dimension. Subtlety, harmony of form and force, speed and power, none were lacking.

At this level one could believe they were supreme techniques of the Nine Great Sects.

“What are you doing!”

Lee Yong-dan barked.

“You played guest experts of the House with skill that cannot seize a single woman?! Hurry up and pin her down!”

Lee Ho gnashed his teeth.

He wanted to shout that if he was so confident he should step in. And the House. They could be polite to Oh Jeong-hae who had married out, but bow to the brats carrying the Mighty Tiger’s blood? Never.

Truly, had the Patriarch not ordered it, he would never have heeded Lee Yong-dan.

“There is no helping it.”

Loosening his stance, Lee Ho slowly rolled his wrist.

“It’ll be hard to go at her with Qi arts. We’ll need to finish it with pure combat arts. If even that fails we can only press straight in.”

Lee Pyo nodded silently and loosened his body like his brother.

Tension rose on Seol So-ha’s face.

Lee Yong-dan shouted again.

“Move faster god damn it!”

Paaaak!

Lee Ho charged first.

In terms of True Qi they were below her on the food chain, but in simple skill the two were above. Charging fast, Lee Ho switched angles in an instant and aimed for her left ankle, his blade as sly as a snake.

Startled, Seol So-ha retreated three steps.

Paang!

Lee Pyo had already come up behind and swung at her calf.

In that instant she realized they meant to bind her feet first.

Teo-eong!

Stamping the ground, she leapt into the air.

The brothers’ eyes flashed. To lift herself into the air after only two attacks was astounding handling.

But her choice favored them.

Saak!

They thrust at the air at once. With movement constrained midair, she looked as if she would be pierced at once.

Startled, Lee Yong-dan shouted without knowing.

“Do not kill her!”

Then her long sword split into a dozen.

Huuung!

Fiercely released Only-White True Qi led her blade into the Moonlit Snow Shadow Sword, Falling-Snow Shaded Brook.

The brothers’ eyes went round.

Jjeojeojeojeong!

She struck their swords four or five times each and used the rebound to withdraw.

“Tch!”

It was lightning-fast yet smooth swordplay. The brothers felt thwarted. The impact was not great again, yet the Cold Ice Qi that dug through their Yin Qi brought sharp pain to their hands.

Lee Yong-dan let out a sigh of relief.

Landing, Seol So-ha’s eyes flashed.

An intuition dropped like lightning.

‘Attack!’

Huk!

The Tianshan Sword Sect’s finest footwork, Moon-Blade Divine Steps, unfolded.

Instinct led her not to receive but to strike first. It was not an easy choice, but there was no time to ponder.

In an instant she slipped to Lee Pyo’s side and unfolded the Seven Purities Sword.

Shwik! Shwiik! Jjeo-eong!

He evaded two strikes but had to block one. His face twisted slightly.

Her assault continued.

With the Seven Purities Sword’s simpler, faster moves she pressed him mercilessly. Her sword principle as unfolded was somewhat removed from real battle, yet the Seven Purities Sword carrying the power of the Ten-Thousand-Year Only-White Art was not something he could ignore.

Paak!

From behind him, Lee Ho sprang and thrust for the crown of her head.

It was do-or-die now. To capture without killing they would have to take heavy losses. For pride if nothing else, Lee Ho did not want that.

‘Heuk!’

Startled, she fell back and set her blade on a slant.

Jjeo-eo-eong!

At his rage-filled blow, she too was shocked back five steps.

Lee Ho’s face turned fierce like a ghost.

“Uraap!”

He roughly pushed the creeping Cold Ice Qi from his fingers with Autumn Shadow Qi and stamped forward at once. Lee Pyo ignored his aching wrist and ran after his older brother.

Shwi-shwi-shwi-shwik! Jjeojeong! Pishuk!

Her sense in slipping past the twin short swords earned praise.

But the foes were strong and the twin blades were fast like a gale. Shallow cuts began to show all over her body.

Stomping his feet, Lee Yong-dan raged.

“I said do not kill her. Have you gone mad?”

The brothers ignored him completely.

Jjeojeong! Paak!

They pressed as if possessed, yet even so their responses lagged a beat under her blade.

Thankfully, if one failed to follow up, the other made up for it.

Seol So-ha’s face grew paler.

She held up well even against the two masters who were a level above her. Even with advantage in art compatibility, it is not easy to fight this well without real experience.

But if they ignored the invading Cold Ice Qi and kept coming, she too had to choose. Flee, or fight to the death.

‘…’

In that moment her father, the clan’s warriors, and Jin-hyeon rose in order before her eyes.

Only the resolve was hard, the choice was easy.

‘There’s no retreat!’

Flash!

At a courage that set aside life and death, near recklessness, the Ten-Thousand-Year Only-White Art burst fiercely.

True Qi moves by the power of intent. The stronger the will, the stronger and purer its quality.

The top-tier arts called the Absolute of the Kangho all draw stronger power by the master’s will. The Ten-Thousand-Year Only-White Art was the same, and her resolute choice increased the very force of her swordplay.

Huk!

Faster sword speed, overflowing sword power.

The sword technique like a blizzard roared. At the sudden change of Seol So-ha’s martial art, the brothers were greatly shocked and shifted to defense.

Jjeojeojeong!

The merciless Snow-Shadow Sword emitted powerful Cold Ice Qi.

They felt a fear that froze their whole bodies.

Her martial arts, pouring out everything with death prepared, were extremely offensive.

Normally one should be grateful when a foe comes out like this. Excited, their martial arts grow stronger yet leave many gaps. Yet though they saw several of her openings, they could not counter.

Hwaaaak!

The surging Cold Ice Qi turned to hundreds of spikes, barring approach.

Just forcing through it would shrink their internal energy. Clash with that potent blade in that state and they would take internal injury.

Accept internal injuries and kill, or wait for the opponent’s strength to fade.

The choice was easy.

Pabababak!

They stepped back, step by step.

Their eyes were coldly calm. She only pressed them harder.

Pishuk!

At her blade wind, faint cuts opened here and there on their bodies too.

But they withdrew coolly, defending only the minimum against the invading cold and waiting for her strength to drain.

And like that, after some time.