Chapter 292
The blow to the back of Yeon Tae-jin’s head plunged her into darkness for a moment.
Though it was brief, when she came to, her body was already tipping forward.
“No, no!”
Her senses snapped back instantly.
This was a battlefield—there was no time for weakness.
Even a moment’s distraction meant an enemy attack was imminent; in this place, it wouldn’t be surprising if one’s head was severed at any second.
“Yi-ik!”
Gritting her teeth, she forced her head up and looked ahead again.
Two bandits, wearing greedy grins, came into view.
They charged forward, wielding iron nets that were now just inches from her.
“!”
Yeon Tae-jin desperately tried to focus her energy into her hand to cut through the net.
But her hand wouldn’t obey.
Her energy faltered.
The shock was too great; her body refused to respond.
Helpless, she could only stare at the iron net rushing toward her with vacant eyes.
At that speed, it would tear her body apart without a doubt.
She muttered in despair.
“Damn it…”
Then—
Kwah-ji-ji-jjik!
A flash of red lightning struck down in front of Yeon Tae-jin, tearing the iron net apart.
Her dazed eyes caught sight of a broad back clad in crimson robes, radiating the power of a beast.
She couldn’t help but part her lips in surprise.
“Ah…”
He turned his head and looked at her.
In his gaze, fierce as a tiger yet soft and gentle, she saw something that made her heart tremble.
“I’m sorry I’m late, Yeon Sojeo.”
It was Seol Poong.
Yeon Tae-jin felt tears welling up for some reason.
But this was a battlefield.
The enemies didn’t ignore Seol Poong.
“What are you doing here?!”
The bandits hurled spears at Seol Poong, who was still looking at Yeon Tae-jin.
Whoosh!
Without even glancing their way, Seol Poong lightly waved his hand, swatting the spears aside.
Clang! Clang!
He even caught the last spear and threw it back at the one who tried to swing a mace.
Thud!
“Gahk!”
With one hand, Seol Poong threw a spear, then reached out with the other to gently touch the back of Yeon Tae-jin’s head.
Blood still trickled from the wound inflicted by the blunt weapon.
In Seol Poong’s eyes, a mix of sorrow and anger surged.
Yeon Tae-jin stared blankly into his gaze, filled with worry and fury.
It was electrifying.
Though the battlefield echoed with the bandits’ shouts and the neighing of horses, Yeon Tae-jin’s eyes and ears focused on only one person.
The phoenix blocking Jin So-eun’s path let out a cry and flapped its wings.
Piiiiii!
Flap!
At that moment, the spears aimed at Jin So-eun suddenly vanished upon striking the phoenix.
It was as if witnessing a divine beast’s miracle.
Startled, the bandits panicked and shouted.
“What… what is that?!”
“The spears… they disappeared!”
In truth, the spears evaporated instantly upon hitting the phoenix made of energy.
But the bandits, unaware of this, could only feel as if they had seen some magical beast’s trick.
Then, the violet phoenix flapped its wings again, crying out.
Piiiiii!
As the bandits swallowed nervously, the phoenix transformed into a beam of light and shot toward them.
The movement was so sudden and fast that the bandits, not yet fully prepared, couldn’t even react.
Whoosh!
“!”
“W-what?!”
The phoenix streaked through the bandits, and those who turned to follow it were suddenly split open, blood spraying everywhere.
Splat!
“Ahhh!”
“Ughhh!”
Thanks to the bandits’ focus on the phoenix, Jin So-eun managed to land safely on the ground.
She stared at the violet phoenix in a daze, then suddenly smiled without realizing it.
She didn’t need to confirm who had arrived—she just knew.
Slowly turning her head, Jin So-eun found Seon Woo-jin standing behind her, his eyes full of concern.
“Are you alright, Jin Sojeo?”
In truth, her body wasn’t fine.
She had taken a heavy blow from a great sword earlier, suffering internal injuries.
Blood still stained the corner of her mouth.
But she simply smiled brightly and nodded.
She was fine.
More than fine.
If all the hardships of the battle had been for this moment, she felt she could endure even more.
Then—
Seol Poong, carrying Yeon Tae-jin, soared like a shooting star toward Seon Woo-jin.
Where he passed, the bandits’ heads exploded into pieces.
Puff-puff-pat!
“Jin, we need to retreat for now!”
At Seol Poong’s shout, Seon Woo-jin glanced at Yeon Tae-jin cradled in his arms.
Blood dripped from her head wound.
Though her expression was blissful despite the blood, almost suspiciously so, he couldn’t risk testing if it was a trick.
Besides, Jin So-eun’s condition didn’t look stable either.
Seon Woo-jin called out loudly to Jeung Chil.
“Brother Jeung! Let’s fall back!”
Jeung Chil, who had been staring blankly, snapped to attention and replied.
“Y-yeah?! Right!”
He immediately leapt and landed beside Seon Woo-jin.
The bandits, momentarily stunned by the phoenix, regained their senses.
The leader of the Bloodwind bandits, Bloodwind Daedo, shouted.
“They’re trying to escape! Don’t let them get away!”
The bandits spurred their horses toward Seon Woo-jin’s group again.
But they had already lost momentum after their earlier pause.
And Seon Woo-jin’s group moved first.
“Let’s go!”
Seon Woo-jin swiftly scooped up Jin So-eun and took off.
“Se-Seon Woo Gongja!”
Jin So-eun cried out in surprise, but Seon Woo-jin paid no mind.
“Recover your strength! Heal your internal injuries!”
“But—!”
Embarrassed and unsure what to do, Jin So-eun suddenly heard a voice in her ear.
—Just stay still, you fool. We’ll strike when the time is right!
It was Yeon Tae-jin’s voice.
Jin So-eun glanced toward Yeon Tae-jin.
There she was, nestled in Seol Poong’s arms, winking happily.
Jin So-eun stared at her in disbelief, then reluctantly let herself be carried by Seon Woo-jin.
Seol Poong holding Yeon Tae-jin and Seon Woo-jin carrying Jin So-eun dashed away like the wind.
Jeung Chil followed silently behind.
But strangely, Jeung Chil, who would normally grumble, was unusually quiet.
His expression was downcast.
Seon Woo-jin noticed and glanced at him.
Then Seol Poong spoke to Seon Woo-jin.
“They’re still following us. What do you plan to do?”
He meant the bandits.
Though the distance between the three masters of the new martial arts and the bandits was growing, the bandits showed no sign of giving up.
Seon Woo-jin glanced at them and replied.
“Let’s lead them to the riverbank.”
His reasoning was that if they made a stand there, the bandits would hesitate to charge on horseback.
If luck was on their side, they might even be able to fight after evacuating the two injured and Jeung Chil.
But when they reached the riverbank, what Seon Woo-jin saw was completely unexpected.
“What is that?!”
A large ship was waiting on the river—not at a port, just moored near the shore.
Despite the bandits charging behind them, the ship showed no sign of fleeing.
Seon Woo-jin’s group approached the ship.
A woman in crimson robes aboard called out urgently.
“Seol Poong, you’re Seol Gongja, right?!”
When the stranger called Seol Poong’s name, Seon Woo-jin and Seol Poong exchanged glances.
Seol Poong answered immediately.
“I am Seol Poong, indeed.”
The woman smiled in relief.
“Luckily, the time and place matched! I’ll bring the ship closer to shore—please board quickly! I am Dong So-woon of the Yangju Dongga!”
“Yangju Dongga? Why is someone from Yangju Dongga here?”
Even Seon Woo-jin couldn’t make sense of the situation.
But there was no time to ponder.
Even if it was a trap, fighting the bandits on the ship with fewer enemies was better than on land.
Seon Woo-jin shouted to Dong So-woon, who was maneuvering the ship.
“No need to bring the ship any closer! Leave it as is!”
Dong So-woon looked puzzled.
“Eh?! But—!”
The distance from the shore to the ship was about ten jang—too far to jump, even for a master.
Thinking they might not trust her yet and were hesitant to cross, Dong So-woon was stunned the next moment by Seon Woo-jin’s display.
The Seolrang Sword Technique—one second.
The Northern Wind Sword Style.
Whoosh!
Vrrrriiiik!
Seon Woo-jin drew his sword and lightly swung it, freezing the river water solid.
The group ran across the ice bridge and quickly reached the ship.
“W-what is this…?”
While Dong So-woon stood there, unable to close her mouth in awe at the incredible swordsmanship she was witnessing for the first time, Seon Woo-jin’s gaze shifted toward the group of Blood Wind Clan bandits arriving at the riverbank.
A red-masked figure, seemingly their leader, stared intently at the river, which looked like a frozen bridge.
“Come on, try crossing,” Seon Woo-jin thought, hoping they would choose to cross the ice.
Killing them on the ice would be as easy as pie.
“If only I could show them the true power of the Seolrang Sword Technique—whether the 초 천장빙벽 or the 사 초 절대빙검—it would be a sight to behold.”
But the bandit leader appeared wiser than expected.
After staring at the river for a long while, they turned their horses around.
Dong So-woon let out a relieved sigh.
“Phew, that’s a relief.”
Seon Woo-jin looked at her directly and asked bluntly, “You said your name is Dong So-jo, right? What exactly is going on here?”
Dong So-woon glanced around cautiously before turning to Seol Poong and the others to begin her explanation.
“The truth is…”
Dong So-woon’s story wasn’t very long.
When she finished, Seon Woo-jin took a moment to piece everything together.
“So, you’re saying that these Blood Wind Clan bandits were raised by the head of the Yangju Dong family, Dong Jung-seo, to eliminate factions opposing him? And that you came here under the orders of the Elder Noma, who found out about this, to save us?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Seon Woo-jin frowned.
He couldn’t be sure of this Elder Noma’s true intentions, but at least it seemed certain that Dong So-woon was telling the truth.
Thanks to Muk-rang’s help, they could verify her story.
Still, knowing the truth didn’t make it any less disappointing.
“A family feud, huh? Sounds like the Yangju Dong family is in serious turmoil.”
Dong So-woon nodded, her expression tinged with shame.
“I’m embarrassed to admit it, but yes.”
Seon Woo-jin was troubled.
Their reason for heading to the Yangju Dong family was to gain a power base for Seol Poong.
But judging by the current situation, it seemed unlikely the Yangju Dong family could provide that support.
A family torn apart by internal strife, a head of the family who had turned rogue and allied with bandits, and since the family head wouldn’t try to kill them without cause, it was likely he was already in contact with Gwe Jeong-gi.
If that was the case, was there really any point in going there?
They might not gain allies but only make more enemies.
Still, after considering all this, Seon Woo-jin decided to ask Seol Poong for his opinion.
After all, the decision regarding matters related to the Four Kings’ Lotus was his to make.
“What do you want to do, hyungnim?”
Seon Woo-jin’s question made Seol Poong pause in thought.
Then he turned to Dong So-woon.
“Are you sure these Blood Wind Clan bandits are secretly working for the head of the Dong family?”
Dong So-woon’s face grew heavy as she answered.
“Strangely, they’ve only attacked and killed Noma’s subordinates so far. And the family head has kept postponing their suppression, making excuse after excuse. Most tellingly, this time they got information and targeted you, Seol Gongja. We’re almost certain it’s true.”
Seol Poong frowned slightly, lost in thought again.
But Seon Woo-jin had a feeling he already knew what decision Seol Poong would make.
He saw the fire blazing in his eyes.
Finally, Seol Poong spoke.
“Putting everything else aside, my grandfather was a proud warrior. For his family to be consorting with bandits like these—that I will never tolerate.”
Seol Poong looked at Seon Woo-jin as he said this.
Seon Woo-jin smirked in response.
“If you won’t tolerate it, then their fate is sealed.”
The two exchanged knowing smiles.
No further words were needed.
After their silent exchange, Seol Poong turned to Yeon Tae-jin.
Yeon Tae-jin grinned like a man and said, “Leave the revenge to me, Poong.”
Jin So-eun smiled demurely and said to Seon Woo-jin, “Be careful out there.”
Then Seol Poong and Seon Woo-jin spoke to Jeung Chil.
“Take a rest for now, hyungnim.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
Normally, Jeung Chil would have protested loudly about not being allowed to come along, but this time he simply nodded silently.
At that moment, Dong So-woon spoke urgently.
“Seol Gongja, what are you planning to do?!”
Without hesitation, Seol Poong and Seon Woo-jin sprang into action.
Whoosh!
“Seol Gongja!”
Dong So-woon shouted in alarm.
But she watched in amazement as the two struck the Yangtze River’s surface twice with their incredible internal energy and swiftly leapt back onto solid ground.
Swish! Swish! Crackle!
Standing on the earth, Seol Poong channeled his internal energy and shouted toward the retreating bandits.
“Blood Wind Clan!”
His voice, charged with immense power, roared like a fierce tiger.