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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator:Bobt
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Jang Geon dismounted from Jojo’s back and lay down at the edge of the cliff. Down below, he saw Joo Yeo-Rang with a man standing in front of her, blocking her way. Seeing them arguing, Jang Geon quickly focused his inner energy to enhance his hearing.
“…So you’re saying you won’t cooperate?”
“No, why should I be responsible for that at all!”
The tall man stood upright with his back straight, looking down at Joo Yeo-Rang.
“The heir of the family hung himself without leaving a proper will, just because of some wandering woman. Fortunately, we managed to resuscitate him, but he still hasn’t regained consciousness. It’s only natural for the elders to want to know what happened.”
“Why should I take responsibility for Ae-song hanging himself!”
Despite Joo Yeo-Rang’s outburst, the man shook his head slowly.
“There is testimony from Lady Shim Ji-young. She said you and the young master were too close. Even if her words aren’t entirely true, it’s clear you were somehow involved. And if you truly have nothing to hide, just come to the family and prove your innocence.”
“Are you crazy? Get involved in the young master’s attempted suicide case by going to your family? Do you think I can get out of there alive?”
The man took a step towards Joo Yeo-Rang.
“If you’re truly innocent, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
Joo Yeo-Rang gritted her teeth, lowering her stance and gripping the hilt of the sword strapped to her back.
“…Is that how you treat someone you’re asking for help?”
The man loosened his bundle as he replied.
“That wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t tried to run away.”
As the man loosened his bundle, the hilt of a sword protruding from his right shoulder became visible. Surprisingly, it had been there all along, but Jang Geon hadn’t noticed it until the man revealed his hand.
Watching from above, Jang Geon realized the man was a true master of an ancient family’s orthodox martial arts, one that had even left its mark on the Imperial Army’s martial techniques. Although the families that crossed over to the New Continent were said to have been driven out of the Central Plains, it was no easy feat for wandering vagabonds in the wilderness to surpass their martial prowess.
Joo Yeo-Rang’s skills displayed at the inn were decent, but it seemed unlikely she could defeat this man in a fight.
As Jang Geon watched their standoff from above, he rolled over and gazed up at the sky. The white clouds drifting in the azure sky were glowing reddish under the sun’s rays.
“…Well, isn’t this peaceful, with people wondering who will live or die. I should have been reborn as a cloud instead of a human.”
As he muttered those nonsensical words, Jojo approached him. The horse looked back and forth between Jang Geon and the scene below, as if asking if he would just stay like that, nudging Jang Geon’s head with its snout. Jang Geon brushed it away, seeming annoyed.
“Alright, alright.”
Jang Geon rose, dusted off his clothes, gazed up at the sky once more, and let out a light sigh. Then he leaped down from the cliff.
He landed right between Joo Yeo-Rang and the man, who had been glaring at each other as if a fight could erupt at any moment. Despite the considerable height, the sound of his landing was remarkably soft.
Startled by his sudden appearance, Joo Yeo-Rang and the man could only stare wide-eyed at Jang Geon crouching on the ground. The man finally spoke after watching Jang Geon slowly stand up.
“…Who are you?”
“Jang Geon.”
The man pondered the meaning of the name for a moment, then realized it was the name of the person who had just dropped in front of him. Taken aback that someone would simply state their name when asked their identity, the man closed his mouth in bewilderment.
“You’re the one who was at the inn last night, right?”
Joo Yeo-Rang recognized Jang Geon as the last remaining guest at the inn. The man frowned at her words and glanced between Jang Geon and the cliff he had leaped from.
“…So, Jang Geon. That’s quite an impressive feat, jumping down from such a height. But why did you have to land between me and this woman?”
“It was flat here.”
The man had to admit that Jang Geon was right about that. Still, he deepened his frown and said:
“This is no time for jokes. You’re currently obstructing a family matter of the Je Family. If you don’t step aside, I’ll have to remove you by force.”
Jang Geon straightened his crooked bamboo hat and asked:
“A family matter? What kind of matter?”
“Why are you curious about that?”
Jang Geon shrugged his shoulders in response to the man’s question.
“I’ll step aside if you tell me.”
The man glared at Jang Geon with sharp eyes. However, Jang Geon’s eyes beneath the bamboo hat remained as calm as a still pond.
“…It’s the transport of a criminal.”
At the word “criminal,” Joo Yeo-Rang burst out:
“This bastard! A criminal? You said I only needed to be innocent! Then why did you tell me not to run away, if you were just going to label me a criminal from the start!”
“If you truly have done nothing wrong, you only need to make that clear in front of the family elders.”
Despite Joo Yeo-Rang’s cursing, the man turned his eyes to Jang Geon and said:
“Now step aside. If you interfere further, your name may end up in the Je Family’s register of the slain.”
However, Jang Geon did not budge. He simply took a step forward and calmly looked back at the man. After a moment of glaring at Jang Geon, the man let out a dry laugh.
“…A wandering Martial Artist, stepping in defiantly to help the oppressed in a remote forest path… I never expected to encounter such a cliché here. How foolish.”
With those words, the man suddenly adopted a stance similar to Jang Geon’s. He stepped back with his right foot, bringing his left foot forward, and lowered his hand from his right shoulder, becoming as calm and still as Jang Geon.
Joo Yeo-Rang looked bewildered by their sudden confrontation and turned to Jang Geon with a puzzled gaze. Although she wanted to interject, an imposing aura had arisen between the two martial artists, making it difficult to intrude.
The man facing Jang Geon gripped the hilt of the sword on his shoulder in a relaxed manner. Suddenly, however, the circulation of his inner energy amplified his senses in an explosive whirlwind. Amid the storm of heightened perception, only Jang Geon’s figure remained. And at the peak of his senses, he seemed to glimpse the immediate future.
Two sword blades being drawn. Two streaks of light aimed at each other’s necks. Then, at some point, the man’s sword blade split into two indistinct afterimages, rushing in like scissors. He could block one, but not the other.
“Huh!”
The man inhaled sharply and took a step back. A bead of cold sweat rolled down his face. He blinked, distinguishing the vision he had just seen from the reality before him. Jang Geon remained as composed as ever.
Instead, it was the retreating man who asked in a dumbfounded tone:
“…What are you doing?”
The man unconsciously licked his lips.
“…You have remarkable skills. Which family are you from?”
Jang Geon frowned at his strange question.
“Of course, I’m from the Jang Family. Didn’t you hear my name just now?”
“The Jang Family? Are you from one of the great families? Or perhaps the Imperial Army? No, that can’t be right. You’re too rough for the Imperial Army.”
The man spoke as he slowly retreated.
“Very well, Jang Geon. If one steps forward without the skills to back it up, it’s mere foolish bravado. But if you’re confident you can handle it, you can truly be called a wandering Martial Artist. My name is Jae Eun-sung. Today, I’ll withdraw. But that doesn’t mean the Je Family has given up. We’ll see if you can really withstand our full power.”
The man named Jae Eun-sung retreated backwards, disappearing between the trees of the forest. After he vanished, Jang Geon let out a light sigh and muttered:
“…The martial arts of the ancient families are indeed formidable.”
Jang Geon could guess what vision had caused Jae Eun-sung to flee. While Jae Eun-sung’s conscious mind did not sense any danger, the martial arts he had cultivated for decades, along with his sharpened subconscious, had pieced together scattered information to foresee one move ahead.
In a one-on-one situation where swords were drawn, at least one person would die – such was the way of the martial world. The ability to detect such imminent peril, coupled with the humility to retreat without clinging to pride, was something the ancient families possessed that set them apart from other martial artists.
Jang Geon had also sensed his own realm had advanced after defeating the Three Drunken Masters. Without that, he might not have been able to drive off a martial artist from one of the ancient families through sheer skill alone.
Still, he felt a tinge of regret for missing the opportunity to witness the martial arts of the ancient families firsthand. But he had no desire to force a fight by pursuing someone who had chosen to retreat. As he turned around with these thoughts, Joo Yeo-Rang was studying him with a peculiar gaze.
She suddenly spoke up.
“You should have killed him.”
“…Pardon?”
“To buy us some time, you should have killed him. Now he’ll use the power of his family to capture both of us.”
Jang Geon let out a dry laugh.
“And if I had killed him? Would that have stopped them from pursuing us?”
“As I said, it would have bought us time. At the very least, we could have gained a day while the Je Family assessed the situation. Isn’t that better than nothing?”
Jang Geon shook his head slightly at her ruthless words. For someone who wasn’t even a bandit, her casual suggestion to kill someone was quite characteristic of a martial artist. He turned his gaze away from her and whistled towards the cliff. Jojo came trotting down the slope.
Joo Yeo-Rang watched Jang Geon for a moment, then placed her hands on her hips and asked:
“Hey, why did you help me?”
“Weren’t you about to be taken away?”
“…I would have been if you hadn’t intervened. I might have ended up getting a sword to the gut and dragged off against my will, who knows?”
“Then you should have something to say first.”
Joo Yeo-Rang fell silent for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words in response to Jang Geon’s nonchalant remark. After a brief contemplation, she smoothed out her clothes and slowly bowed with her hands together.
“I am Joo Yeo-Rang of Geumsan Province. Thank you for your aid. Thanks to you, I was able to avoid an unjust abduction. Whenever possible, and as soon as I can, I will repay this debt of gratitude. Thank you sincerely.”
Jang Geon, who had been watching her with a blank expression, scratched the base of his nose and asked:
“Is Geumsan your hometown?”
Joo Yeo-Rang straightened her back with a slight smile.
“Why? Did you think I was a court singer praising the Emperor? Geumsan may have prospered early thanks to the Imperial Army, unlike other regions of the New Continent, but that doesn’t mean everyone from there likes the Imperial Court. If I had been living well there, I wouldn’t be wandering around here now, would I?”
“I suppose that’s true.”
After giving a perfunctory response, Jang Geon grabbed the reins of the approaching Jojo. As he was about to mount the horse, Joo Yeo-Rang spoke up in a flustered tone:
“W-Wait a minute. You can’t just leave like that!”
“Why not? That Jae Eun-sung has retreated, so it would be better for you to leave as well.”
Joo Yeo-Rang hurriedly approached Jang Geon and said:
“Didn’t you hear what he said? He’s going to come after both of us!”
“Well, if we separate, I think they’ll go after you rather than me.”
“…You make a fair point. But then, why did you help me in the first place?”
“So you’d have me just stand by and watch someone get kidnapped right in front of me?”
Joo Yeo-Rang opened and closed her mouth, seeming at a loss for words in response to Jang Geon’s answer. It was as if she hadn’t encountered someone like him in a long time.
Jang Geon paid her no mind and mounted Jojo. He then grabbed the reins, ready to depart.
“Wait! Please help me!”
Jang Geon turned his head and looked down at Joo Yeo-Rang as he asked:
“…Are you asking me to fight against one of the ancient families all by myself?”
“No, no, I’m not asking for that much. There are people I can call for help. Acquaintances from Geumsan who know my situation – they’ll help me if I ask. Even the Je Family can’t just do as they please against them. With their aid, I can resolve this situation.”
She heaved a deep sigh before continuing.
“In fact, this whole predicament is ridiculous. I was just getting paid to play the bipa, but that Je young master took a liking to me and ended up hanging himself when I refused him. Damn it, is that really a reason to come after me like this?”
Jang Geon silently watched her rant to herself, then asked:
“And this witness you mentioned?”
“The witness? Shim Ji-young? Ah, she’s even more absurd. She was originally engaged to the Je young master, but as soon as he took a liking to me, she told me to back off. I was doing well singing in Sinsa Village, until that woman ruined everything for me. She must have spread all sorts of vicious rumors to make me out as a vile woman. Otherwise, there’s no way things would have turned out like this, that bitch!”
She punctuated her words by swinging her fists at the empty air, as if she would pummel their faces if they were present. Strangely, despite her beauty, her furious demeanor didn’t come across as comical.
After venting with a few more punches, Joo Yeo-Rang seemed to regain her composure, clearing her throat awkwardly before speaking:
“Anyway, I just need your help until I can rendezvous with those people. I can’t possibly deal with that Jae Eun-sung alone right now.”
Jang Geon leaned against the front of the saddle and looked down at her.
“Just with words?”
Joo Yeo-Rang gave a wry smile at his question.
“Of course, I’ll prepare financial compensation… Jang Geon, was it? You seem to have cultivated considerable martial skills. If you didn’t belong to a family or school, you must have struggled quite a bit until now.”
“It wasn’t that difficult, really. Why do you ask?”
Joo Yeo-Rang’s eyes sparkled.
“The people who will help me can teach you the Imperial Army’s martial arts, if you’re interested.”
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