Chapter 30
The scenery flowed leisurely past the carriage window.
Nine days since departing on the Martial Arts Study Journey.
Though only a few days had passed, the spring fragrance was now wafting richly through the air.
Mae Seol-lan closed the window and smiled brightly.
“We should arrive at Angang by this evening.”
“That sounds right.”
Sa Bigang also smiled back as he filled Mae Seol-lan’s cup with liquor.
“Oh my, if you keep giving me liquor like this, I’ll get drunk.”
“Hehe. What’s wrong with getting a little drunk? We’re riding in a carriage anyway, so you can rest comfortably.”
“That’s true. Having you in the same space with me is so reassuring, Instructor.”
“That’s right. Just trust me. Only me.”
Sa Bigang nodded his head greatly as he lifted his wine cup.
Mae Seol-lan smiled softly as she drained her cup.
Just then.
Clatter.
The carriage shook, causing Mae Seol-lan to lose her balance and topple toward Sa Bigang.
“Oh my, are you alright?”
Sa Bigang quickly supported her body.
A soft sensation.
How long had it been since he’d felt this!
Mae Seol-lan made a languid expression as she leaned slightly against Sa Bigang’s shoulder.
“Oh dear, I’m sorry. I think I’m a bit drunk. I feel dizzy.”
“Hehe. Isn’t that the whole point of drinking? What would be the fun in living if martial artists expelled the alcohol from their bodies every time?”
“Thank you for understanding. Actually, sometimes I want to let myself go a little, you know?”
“Of course! Absolutely. Just trust me and let yourself go completely.”
“You’re really something, Instructor.”
Mae Seol-lan let out a laugh as she twisted her body.
In the process, through the slightly parted collar of her clothes, her soft and full cleavage was clearly visible.
As she crossed her legs, her jade-white skin was exposed all the way up to the inside of her thighs.
Sa Bigang’s desire stirred.
‘Indeed, her reputation is well-deserved.’
In the past, he had heard stories about Mae Seol-lan until his ears were sore.
A beauty called ‘an unparalleled beauty for all ages.’
But he had never seen her directly.
She had died not long after the Demon Realm’s invasion began.
Her Soul-Bewitching Absorption Art didn’t work on the Demon Realm bastards at all.
In the end, she had fallen to become their plaything before meeting a miserable death.
‘She was a woman I wanted to meet at least once.’
But that Mae Seol-lan was now leaning her body against him.
Life really was unpredictable.
“Miss Mae…”
Sa Bigang gazed at her deeply.
But soon Mae Seol-lan subtly pulled her body away and straightened her posture.
“I’m sorry. I showed you an unseemly side for a moment…”
“Unseemly? Not at all.”
“Thank you for thinking that way.”
Mae Seol-lan winked with one eye as she smiled.
However, she was inwardly sneering.
‘Hoho. He’s almost completely fallen for it.’
Seeming to give yet holding back.
A method of melting someone’s heart and wearing them down.
‘Just wait a little longer. Tonight I’ll suck out all your internal energy without reserve.’
She licked her lips with her tongue.
Strength gathered in Sa Bigang’s lower body.
The fruit was ripening.
But he mustn’t be impatient.
Unripe fruit tastes bitter.
He had to wait until it ripened just a little more.
‘Tonight’s the night. I’ll just wait until then. I’ll pluck and devour the ripe fruit for you.’
It was easier than expected.
Most of all, the most convenient thing was that Sa Bigang didn’t keep his distance from women.
Results after ten days.
She felt it was a bit bland.
Mae Seol-lan smiled bewitchingly as she asked.
“Where will you go when we arrive at Angang? I’d like to give the students who’ve been traveling non-stop some rest too.”
“I’m thinking of visiting the Angang Baek Family. I hear their manor is spacious, so if possible, I’d like to stay there together with the students.”
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.
There was a separate reason he absolutely had to stop by the Angang Baek Family.
‘Precisely to obtain some quite important items including the Akan Potion.’
Mae Seol-lan’s face flushed slightly as she lowered her gaze.
“I see. If there aren’t enough rooms, I… would be fine staying together with you, Instructor.”
Sa Bigang grasped her hand firmly.
“As expected, Miss Mae’s heart in caring for the students is truly beautiful. I’ll make sure to have the finest room for us arranged as soon as we arrive at the Angang Baek Family.”
He grinned.
‘This bitch is getting heated up!’
‘This bastard has lofty dreams!’
The two people harboring similar yet different thoughts smiled at each other.
***
“Kwaaang!“
“Oh my, what a shock!”
“Hehe, this person. What are you so surprised about? Anyway, there was suddenly that explosive sound and then an entire building flew away.”
People drinking day liquor in the tavern gestured with their hands and feet as they chattered.
It wasn’t just them.
Everyone gathered in small groups was talking about the same topic.
“After that, screams followed. Desperate and cruel screams.”
“Well, who would have known? That the Angang Baek Family would meet such complete annihilation overnight.”
“But how did such a big explosion happen?”
“That’s the unsolved mystery. Surely someone must have caused it, right?”
“Even so, still. Who could cause such a big explosion? That wasn’t explosive power that could be created artificially.”
“Well, you never know. Maybe demonic faction members used some wicked sorcery.”
“That’s true, lately there have been rumors that demonic martial artists are starting to move.”
“Sigh, what a tragic affair. For the virtuous An Family to meet such a fate.”
Bang!
A man suddenly slammed the table.
The people who had been chattering flinched and looked back at him.
The man stood up abruptly with a rigidly hardened face and pulled his bamboo hat low over his head.
Then he shouldered the large bow that had been standing beside the table and slung heavy luggage over his shoulder.
Only then did people recognize him and lower their voices.
“Shh. Watch your words. That’s Blood Hand Bow Dan Gu-gi.”
“Oh, it really is. Hero Dan must be deeply grieved since he had deep ties with the Baek Family.”
“It’s not just the Baek Family. He was close enough to call all the sect leaders of Angang’s Four Great Sects brothers.”
“Come now, let’s not mention the Baek Family anymore and disturb Hero Dan’s mood.”
But they didn’t know.
The conversation they were having as carefully as possible was already entering Dan Gu-gi’s ears completely.
Dan Gu-gi clenched his fists tightly and trembled, then turned around abruptly and walked out.
After leaving the inn, he headed toward the Angang Baek Family manor.
Whiiiiing!
Wind blew, carrying the smell of burnt ash past his nose.
The place where the Angang Baek Family had once stood firmly.
But now, not a single pillar remained standing.
It was full of nothing but black ash.
Truly a place of death.
The flames had consumed everything so completely that not even a single corpse could be found.
Dan Gu-gi quietly stared at one corner of the ash-covered site.
He had often shared drinks there with Family Head Baek and the sect leaders of Angang’s Four Great Sects.
“The people of Angang miss you.”
A faint voice flowed from Dan Gu-gi’s mouth.
“They say you were highly virtuous.”
Dan Gu-gi clenched his fists tightly.
After a moment, the strength seemed to leave his hands and his shoulders trembled faintly.
Was he crying?
But the expression under his bamboo hat was…
“Keu keu keu.“
He was smiling, splitting his lips like a ghost.
“They say you were highly virtuous, you know. Keu keu keu.“
After quietly letting out laughter, he soon became serious and continued with a bleak expression.
“Wait. I’ll send the rest of those bastards to your side soon.”
Dan Gu-gi began walking.
Dan Gu-gi found a deserted forest.
He climbed the mountain and entered a cave whose entrance was hidden by bushes and such.
Then he unpacked his luggage and took something out.
A small, transparent bottle.
It contained a jade-colored liquid.
He took a deep breath and drank it all at once.
“Keurp!“
A burning sensation sparked sharply near his heart.
His chest ached dully.
He quickly sat cross-legged and circulated his energy using the demonic cultivation method Reverse River True Energy.
Only after a long while did Dan Gu-gi open his eyes.
A blue energy formed in his pupils before disappearing.
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
“Huuuuu.“
As he exhaled long, his body became comfortable and his entire body felt light.
He took a transparent stone from his luggage again.
It was about the size of a thumb.
Inside it, a brilliant red energy swirled ceaselessly.
When he first discovered these things, he had no idea what they were used for.
Especially this stone containing red energy.
But he learned quite by accident.
He thought it would be quite pretty to attach this brilliant stone to an arrow and shoot it at night.
So he climbed to a mountain peak and shot it toward the sky.
With the hope that it might reach heaven.
But…
Unbelievably, a tremendous explosion occurred where the arrow fell.
The ground shook as if an earthquake had occurred.
An area of about thirty jang was devastated.
That’s when he thought:
‘With this… I can eliminate those bastards!’
Dan Gu-gi split his lips in a smile again.
“Keu keu keu keu! As expected, this was an incredible item. With this, I can bring divine punishment to those bastards! Every single one without leaving any seed! If it belongs to your family, I won’t leave even a single puppy alive! Keu ha ha ha!“
***
The sun hung over the western mountains.
Dan Gu-gi descended the mountain and was slowly walking along the main road when he saw two carriages approaching from the distance.
Young people dressed in martial uniforms were walking silently around them.
From their appearance and expressions, it seemed they had walked quite a long way.
Dan Gu-gi confirmed the flags attached to the carriages and soon guessed who they were.
‘A Martial Arts Study Journey from Yongcheon Hall?’
But what was strange was that there were few people.
Moreover, those fancy carriages…
Dan Gu-gi sneered coldly.
‘Rotten, rotten. I’d heard a lot, but they’re really thoroughly rotten. Well, is there still any righteousness left in this land?’
He walked ahead with a cold expression when a four-wheeled carriage came rushing up and stopped right behind him.
Dan Gu-gi lifted his bamboo hat slightly and looked back.
A young man sitting on the driver’s seat scratched the back of his head and asked.
“Um, senior, excuse me, but may I ask for directions? We are students from Yongcheon Hall, currently on a Martial Arts Study Journey under our instructor’s guidance. Do you happen to know the way to the Angang Baek Family manor?”
At the mention of ‘Angang Baek Family,’ Dan Gu-gi flinched and looked at the young man.
But it was such a brief moment that the young man sitting on the driver’s seat, Dan Li-jeong, didn’t notice that reaction.
“Pass through the village entrance and turn right. When you pass the large oak tree, you’ll see a tall building. That’s the Angang Baek Family manor.”
“Thank you for your valuable words.”
Dan Li-jeong cupped his hands and bowed respectfully.
‘But you won’t see any tall building. There’s nothing left there but death. Huhu.’
Dan Gu-gi swallowed his inner thoughts and returned the courtesy.
“Think nothing of it.”
***
The students, and even Mae Seol-lan, opened their eyes wide as they stared at the black ash pile.
Yeom Ja-ryang muttered in a daze.
“This is… really the Angang Baek Family?”
“There’s nothing but ash? What happened?”
“I heard some people from here talking earlier. They said it happened just yesterday.”
“You mean they suffered complete annihilation?”
“My goodness. I can’t believe it.”
The students stirred restlessly.
Mae Seol-lan also showed clear signs of bewilderment.
She never could have imagined that the place they were to stay tonight would look like this.
However, among the group, there was one person who wasn’t flustered.
Sa Bigang.
Though his expression was rigidly hardened, he was far from bewildered.
‘Damn it. I’m one step too late. Explosive Bow has already been here!’
