NOVPUBHong Suchun stepped forward, blocking Kwak Yeon's path.
"Daoist Kwak, step back. This is a personal matter between me and the Cheonrang Sochae," he said.
"Hong Daehyup?"
"Heh, didn't I teach you the most important rule in Jianghu? Never interfere in other people's personal affairs," Hong Suchun said with a shaky voice. Kwak Yeon could hear the tremor in his tone — a clear sign that he was feeling threatened.
Hong Suchun turned to face the bandits.
"Chief, as promised, ensure the safety of Daoist Kwak and the merchants. If you do that, I won't have any regrets."
"Tsk, still putting on airs even at the end, huh? Fine. We'll keep our word by taking your life," the bandit leader sneered.
At the leader's signal, four bandits spread out, surrounding Hong Suchun.
But despite the tense atmosphere, Kwak Yeon remained exactly where he was, standing firm.
"Daoist Kwak, get back now!" Hong Suchun urged.
Kwak Yeon shook his head.
"No, thank you. This isn't someone else's matter," he said.
"What are you saying...?"
"If I run away when a fellow disciple is in danger, how could I ever hold my head up again?"
"But it's dangerous. Blades have no eyes, and you haven't even learned martial arts!"
"It hurts to hear you say that, considering you were the one who taught me swordsmanship," Kwak Yeon said with a faint smile.
"But it’s only been five days!"
"Even so, I'm helping."
Kwak Yeon said firmly, drawing his sword.
By then, the bandits had already encircled them.
The Cheonrang Sochae leader frowned as he saw Kwak Yeon holding a sword that was clearly meant for self-defense.
"Reclusive Cave Daoist, you brought this upon yourself. Don't cry about it if you get hurt," the leader sneered.
"That's what I wanted to say to you," Kwak Yeon shot back, unperturbed.
The Cheonrang Sochae leader raised his voice. no𝚟𝚙u𝚋.c𝚘m
"Kill Hong Suchun without fail. As for the Cave Daoist, leave him alive if possible."
It was, in truth, a hollow command.
The leader knew that neither he nor his men were skilled enough to guarantee they wouldn't accidentally kill the Cave Daoist while fighting. It was just a formality — an excuse to placate the merchants who would surely spread word of today's events.
As the bandits lunged, Hong Suchun moved in front of Kwak Yeon, shouting, "Stay behind me! Don’t move a muscle!"
If he got struck down, the bandits would likely stop their attack. Hong Suchun was determined to shield Kwak Yeon with his body, no matter what.
Hong Suchun was no slouch — the moniker Azure Dragon Swordsman wasn’t given to him for nothing. He managed to fend off the first few attacks with relative ease.
But there were five bandits in total, and the leader's martial arts were roughly on par with his own. It wasn’t long before he started to lose ground.
―Ssst!
―Swish!
His sleeve and the front hem of his robe were slashed open, and his remaining composure began to crumble.
‘I won’t last much longer like this. If that’s the case...’
Hong Suchun made a grim decision. If he wanted to at least save the Cave Daoist behind him, he’d have to just take a blow and collapse.
Just as he ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) was about to give in, he heard the Cave Daoist’s voice.
"Hong Daehyup, if you die, who will look after your family?"
"...!"
Instinctively, Hong Suchun’s sword shot forward.
It wasn’t out of martial pride or even a desperate will to survive. It was because, as long as there was even a sliver of hope, he had to hang on.
He had a reason to endure.
A fierce gust of wind roared from his sword.
―Slash!
―Clang!
A bandit’s blade was sent flying, and his arm was severed.
"Aaargh!"
The bandit’s scream echoed, but Hong Suchun was just as shocked.
‘How could my strike be so fast? Was it because I’d been adjusting my stance over the past few days?’
It was the only explanation he could think of.
‘In that case...’
Hong Suchun, emboldened, pressed forward.
Fortunately, Daoist Kwak remained glued to his back, moving precisely in step with him.
"Aaagh!"
Another bandit was slashed across the side, rolling to the ground in agony.
"You son of a b*tch!"
The Cheonrang Sochae leader’s eyes flared as he saw his men bleeding out. He shouted to the remaining two bandits.
"Just kill them both!"
The leader assumed that the reason his subordinates had been wounded was because they were holding back, trying not to harm the Cave Daoist.
"On three, attack together!"
The two remaining bandits knew exactly what he meant. It was a tactic they’d often used before.
"One!"
The Cheonrang Sochae leader lunged straight at Hong Suchun, his sword aimed for the heart. The other two bandits swung their blades from Hong Suchun’s left and right simultaneously.
Hong Suchun’s heart sank.
The attack had come just as he was about to catch his breath. Now, he was surrounded from three directions. Each of the three attacks was a full-powered strike, with no intention of holding back.
Even if he managed to block two of them, the third was unavoidable unless he dodged. But Kwak Yeon was right behind him.
‘I have no choice. Just pray they don’t hit a vital point.’
Hong Suchun thrust his sword forward, aiming straight for the leader’s frontal attack.
―Swoosh!
The tip of his sword shot forward like an arrow, grazing the surface of the leader’s blade.
―Thunk!
Hong Suchun’s blade pierced through the leader’s hand and forearm before he swung it toward the bandit to his right.
The leader’s right hand dangled, nearly severed.
Hong Suchun thought to himself, ‘He won’t be able to hold a sword, let alone a chopstick, with that hand. Well, soon enough, I’ll be in a worse state, but at least I took him down with me.’
But strangely, his sword’s speed didn’t decrease. If anything, it felt even faster.
―Shrrrip!
Time seemed to slow as Hong Suchun watched the bandit’s shoulder get sliced open. The bandit screamed, his eyes wide with terror.
‘What the...?’
The left bandit's blade still hadn't touched him.
As he slashed through the right bandit's shoulder, his sword seemed to rebound on its own, spinning back around.
―Clang!
Thanks to that momentum, he barely managed to block the left bandit's sword just before it could reach his neck.
The bandit's eyes widened in shock, and Hong Suchun seethed with fury.
It wasn't just a matter of hitting a vital point — he had almost lost his head.
Shoving the bandit's sword aside, Hong Suchun lashed out three consecutive times with his own blade.
He executed the Heaven-Earth-Human Sequence.
The final technique of the Three Calamities Sword Technique.
The bandit staggered back, blood gushing from his shoulder, side, and thigh before collapsing.
"Haaah!"
Hong Suchun exhaled a deep breath he'd been holding in, and a wave of dizziness threatened to overtake him.
His body felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton, but someone caught him, steadying his swaying form.
"Wow! That was incredible!"
Kwak Yeon's voice echoed with admiration.
Hong Suchun, struggling to regain his balance, managed to stay on his feet, supported by Kwak Yeon.
Meanwhile, the Cheonrang Sochae leader and the remaining bandits, clutching their wounds, hobbled away in retreat.
"Are you going to chase them?"
Kwak Yeon asked, but Hong Suchun shook his head.
"No need. There's no point in that."
"But they tried to kill you, Hong Daehyup. And didn't you say those kinds of ruffians never forget grudges?"
"They're not true martial outlaws," Hong Suchun said with a wry smile. "They're just fools who buttoned the wrong button to start with."
Before Kwak Yeon could ask what he meant, the merchant peddlers surrounded them, their voices rising in admiration.
"Hong Guard, that was amazing!"
"I thought you were bluffing, but clearly, I was wrong!"
"I always believed that Hong Guard was secretly trained in Wudang martial arts!"
"Yeah, right. You’re the same guy who was trying to haggle down his fee just yesterday, saying you didn't trust his skills."
"That was only because I was strapped for cash! Anyway, with Hong Guard's fame spreading, everyone will be clamoring to hire him. Who knows when it will be our turn again?"
"Don’t worry about that for now. Those mountain bandits all got wrecked today. There won’t be any more trouble for a while."
"Hah, you’re right. I didn’t even think of that!"
Amidst the torrent of praise, the sun had already risen above the mountain peaks.
****
"Please, eat without reservation. It's just a small gesture of thanks for helping me get a fair price for those herbs," Kwak Yeon said as they sat across from each other in a small inn in Sangseon-hyeon.
Two bowls of steaming food sat on the table between them.
"Hong Daehyup, you ordered so modestly that I feel embarrassed to call this a treat," Kwak Yeon said with a sheepish grin.
Upon arriving in Sangseon-hyeon, Hong Suchun had accompanied Kwak Yeon to the herbal medicine shop and helped negotiate a price. Thanks to his assistance, Kwak Yeon had sold the herbs for twice the expected amount.
"Not at all, Daoist Kwak," Hong Suchun said, hastily shaking his head. "I only did what was right. If anything, after all you did for me back there, I should be doing much more for you."
"Did for you? I was just a burden. What did I do to help you?"
"No, that’s not it... It’s just..."
Hong Suchun trailed off, unable to articulate what he was feeling.
‘Was it because he was behind me, so I didn’t have to worry about being attacked from that direction?’
But it wasn’t just that.
When he was performing the Three Calamities Sword Technique, he’d felt, just faintly, as if Kwak Yeon’s movements were somehow aligning with his own. It was strange. The sensation was unsettling, yet it made his swordplay even smoother and faster.
"...Anyway, thank you," Hong Suchun said, shaking off the eerie feeling.
Kwak Yeon, noticing his hesitation, thought to himself, ‘His sensory awareness is sharper than I expected.’
"Hong Daehyup, how about ordering a bottle of wine?"
"No. I quit drinking a long time ago. Besides, it’s my rule not to drink while I’m working."
"Ah, I see. You don’t seem like someone who ever enjoyed drinking to begin with," Kwak Yeon said lightly.
"Ha, what kind of guard doesn’t enjoy a drink?"
Kwak Yeon caught the subtle wistfulness in Hong Suchun’s eyes but chose not to press further.
"The food’s getting cold. Let’s eat while we talk," Kwak Yeon said, steering the conversation away.
"In that case, I’ll gratefully accept your treat," Hong Suchun said, finally picking up his chopsticks.
The food melted in his mouth — it had been a long time since he’d eaten anything so good.
After a few bites, Kwak Yeon spoke casually.
"Aren’t you worried about the bandits seeking revenge?"
"No."
"But they can’t keep living as bandits after what happened. They’ll hold a serious grudge."
"At first, yes," Hong Suchun said, nodding. "But after some time, they’ll probably just accept it. They’re in no condition to wield swords anymore. And ten, maybe fifteen years from now, they might even think of it as a blessing. Though it depends on the person."
Kwak Yeon gave him a puzzled look, and Hong Suchun continued, his expression darkening.
"They’re wretched scum, sure. But when you think about it, they’re also pitiful bastards."
"Pitiful? Those bandits?"
Especially coming from someone who had just been targeted by them.
"Being a mountain bandit isn’t easy. They sleep under the open sky, exposed to the elements. Travelers don’t pass by on a set schedule, so they can’t even eat regularly. They eat poorly, so their stomachs rot away. Every moment, they’re tense, afraid a martial artist or government patrol might come for them. And if they pick the wrong target, they get killed right on the spot."
"......"
"Most of them die from sickness. The rest? They die by the sword. Very few mountain bandits live past forty. If they somehow make it to fifty, they’re probably the chief. That’s why I said the Cheonrang Sochae guys will live a little longer now. They’re done being bandits."
"So, that’s why you said they might be grateful ten years from now," Kwak Yeon said, nodding in understanding.
"Well, that’s only if they’re smart enough to change their ways. Most of them won’t. Most of them will end up as petty thugs in some back alley, getting stabbed to death by some punk kid with a knife. That’s why I said they were just fools who buttoned the wrong button to start with."
There was a keen, almost piercing edge to Hong Suchun’s gaze as he spoke.
Kwak Yeon leaned forward slightly.
"What do you mean by ‘buttoned the wrong button’?"
