Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 150 - So It's a Hunt

Chapter 150 – So It’s a Hunt

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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Edited by Celestial Knight

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Chapter 150 – So It’s a Hunt

The way he wielded dual weapons, and the fluid combat method… the man possessed qualities similar to the Taowu disciple Ju-seong had met before.

Only, his somewhat flighty manner of speaking was distinctive.

“What are two beggar monks doing barging in and causing a ruckus?!”

The twin axes drew violent arcs through space, gnawing away at it.

When an axe struck the floor or wooden wall, he’d use the handle as leverage to pull his body forward. A technique that turned a weapon stuck somewhere… normally a movement restriction… into a means of locomotion.

Martial artists as a species generally couldn’t easily break free from the rigid formalities of their martial arts.

If a form were suited for blocking high attacks, they thought they would be in trouble if they didn’t use that specific form to block. Ju-seong had broken free of such patterns shortly after learning martial arts, but many martial artists lived their whole lives trapped in such habits. But the axe-wielder before him was decidedly different.

Did he even have set forms to begin with?

-Whoosh!

Ju-seong narrowed his eyes and stepped back slightly. The menacing axe blade passed right in front of his nose.

“Die!”

Thunderclap Axe Ghost’s verbal tic wasn’t exactly refined. Especially his habit of shouting a word before a finishing blow was a fatal habit.

The following downward chop of the left axe.

In that instant, he loosened his grip slightly, adjusted his hold lower, and extended his reach.

A single move to pierce the gap of an opponent who precisely measured distance.

But Ju-seong had already predicted he’d use such tricks.

His hidden rear thumb flicked something forcefully.

-BOOM!

A thunderous boom rang out, and the left hand that was swinging down was jerked backward.

“Grrk, what the… ?”

A pained grunt and a look of surprise crossed the man’s face.

A metal ball had precisely struck and deflected the axe blade. Being Myriad-Year Cold Iron, the axe blade was shattered.

The man abandoned the axe without hesitation, drawing a chain flail from his belt.

‘Hmm.’

Ju-seong calmly worked his hands, savoring the man’s technique. He was by no means an opponent he couldn’t beat. Roughly speaking, a bit below Cho Yu-gyeong.

Having observed enough of his combat method and made his judgment, Ju-seong moved in a flicker of flame.

How did fire burn?

Fire was hot and fierce with an ascending quality, but that didn’t mean it just shot straight up indiscriminately.

It would flicker out suddenly then blaze up, and flutter sideways and backward following the wind.

Endless transformation.

Though Thunderclap Axe Ghost’s combat method was certainly flexible, he didn’t possess Ju-seong’s level of infinite variation.

Ju-seong’s form, which had momentarily dipped low, suddenly contracted space and shot up before the man’s eyes.

One hand rippled like drifting sparks to wrap around the chain flail in a grapple.

The other hand spat out palm technique fierce as karmic fire.

-BOOM!

The palm technique struck true in the chest, but the man didn’t fly backward. His left hand holding the chain flail was caught in Ju-seong’s grapple.

Using his caught left hand as an axis, the man’s body spun in a full circle.

Ju-seong took his feet off the ground and spun with him. Like dancing together at a Lantern Festival.

Then, using the rotational momentum directly, he slammed the man’s body into the dirt floor.

-KRAAAASH!

The ground shook and cracked like a drought-parched rice paddy.

Ju-seong had risen slightly higher from the force of slamming the man down, and in mid-air he knelt.

Then he used Thousand-Pound Weight to make his body heavy as waterlogged cotton.

When using Thousand-Pound Weight to drop from height, one absolutely had to protect the spine, hip joints, knees, and ankles.

According to the Divine Physician, failing to do so could result in one’s body snapping apart and dying.

Ju-seong kept this in mind as he descended vertically.

Thunderclap Axe Ghost, splayed on the ground, saw the sight and shrieked.

“No!”

Ju-seong answered cheerfully.

“Yes!”

-KABOOOOOM…!

* * *

Ju-seong stared intently at Thunderclap Axe Ghost, bound and groaning with one knee completely shattered.

Behind him, Won-gong had subdued and bound all the fortress bandits in a line. Remarkably, Won-gong hadn’t taken a single life. Despite all the personnel being at least third-rate martial artists.

‘Well, with his absurdly thick skin…’

When comparing overall durability, Ju-seong’s body, having undergone Samadhi Body Refinement, was sturdier. But against minor scratches and cuts from weapons, Won-gong would fare better.

Only after dealing with the thugs could Ju-seong finally pry open a storehouse in one corner of the fortress.

“Mm.”

Ju-seong nodded as if he’d expected as much. Young women were held in one section, while another section’s cage was packed with children. Records of chronic abuse covered the young women’s exposed bodies… it was a familiar sight. This was just how jianghu was, as black-haired beasts truly did exhibit such base behaviors.

Ju-seong smashed the cage door and let them out.

“Everyone, come out.”

Ju-seong and Won-gong raided the fortress’s food stores and distributed them, then sent everyone down the mountain.

“Thank you, thank you!”

The children and women bowed repeatedly, expressing thanks. Ju-seong felt his mood not improving despite the good deed and waved expressionlessly.

And when he turned, a cold anticipation lingered in Ju-seong’s eyes.

“Mister Thunderclap Axe Ghost, let’s have a chat.”

* * *

Ju-seong left Won-gong behind, picked out a thatched hut, grabbed Thunderclap Axe Ghost by the hair, and dragged him in.

“Benefactor, please don’t use excessive force.”

At Won-gong’s words, Ju-seong paused momentarily, looked back, and said.

“I won’t kill him painfully.”

Won-gong sighed and nodded. Thunderclap Axe Ghost laughed convulsively as he was dragged.

“Heh… What’s a man creepily dragging me into a dark room for? Hm?”

Ju-seong dragged him without a word.

With internal energy sealed and limbs bound, Thunderclap Axe Ghost couldn’t resist.

Soon the hut door closed.

Only faint sunlight through a small window illuminated the shabby hut, lighting up the floating dust.

Only Ju-seong’s red gaze glowed in the darkness.

“From now on, I’ll ask you questions.”

“Then from now on, I’ll keep my mouth shut like a clam.”

Thunderclap Axe Ghost smirked obnoxiously to the end. Seemingly hoping to provoke Ju-seong into using excessive force.

His intent to end his life quickly was evident.

Ju-seong pulled out a long needle from his sleeve after a long while.

“I’m playing monk right now, but I’m not Buddhist. Technically I’m orthodox, but I’ll be different from any orthodox bastards you know.”

“Heh… When I get out, I’ll hunt down your family and fillet them into salted fish, beggar monk! However devout you are, you can’t be indifferent to old connections.”

Thunderclap Axe Ghost tried hard to provoke Ju-seong, but it didn’t work at all.

Ju-seong forcibly pried open Thunderclap Axe Ghost’s mouth and pressed a pressure point.

“Let me first put you in the mood to answer questions.”

Ju-seong knew the human body well. Which parts caused pain without threatening life?

“Learn from me what pain is.”

The needle tip poked into Thunderclap Axe Ghost’s molar socket, then, powered by Ju-seong’s wrist, crushed through the tooth and pushed in.

And then, it ‘touched’ somewhere deep inside. The source of the sensation called pain. Neither Ju-seong nor the Divine Physician knew exactly what it was, but they knew this.

Direct contact brought agony beyond imagination.

“Guh-guh, GYAAAAAH!”

His limbs convulsed, white foam flowed, and his eyes rolled back. Yet he couldn’t lose consciousness. Ju-seong was channeling a very faint trickle of internal energy through the needle.

“GUUUHRK HUUUUGH…!”

In an instant his limbs locked straight as cracking sounds came from all over his body. His muscles contracting wildly from the extreme pain.

Ju-seong released the pressure point and pressed another that blocked pain just before the man’s breath would have stopped.

Having mastered all Three Heavenly Perceptions, even a human body was as transparent as clear water to him. Naturally, his pressure point technique had also approached divine skill.

“Feel like answering?”

“I’ll tell you everything! Please! I beg you!”

Ju-seong waited for some sanity to return, then spoke.

“Are you a Taowu disciple?”

Thunderclap Axe Ghost flinched and looked at Ju-seong, then the instant their eyes met, opened his mouth.

“N-no! We’re not disciples of the Venerable… we serve his lineage!”

“Servants of the lineage…”

Ju-seong stroked his chin.

So beneath the Four Venerables of the Cradle of the Demonic Path were their disciples. A single-succession lineage, but then there were groups that followed those lineages?

“We are Protectors. We’ve served the Venerable’s lineages for generations.”

Ju-seong nodded, then asked.

“What’s your group called?”

The answer that came back was a rather predictable name.

“Battle Maniacs.”

Those mad for battle. It revealed the nature of the Taowu lineage. The savage combat method was a shared trait of the Taowu lineage and the Battle Maniacs who served them.

Taowu was the lineage of struggle. After all, the Taowu of ancient legend was said to be extremely ferocious and loved to fight.

“Battle Maniacs, Battle Maniacs… Good. Then do you know the names of the other Cradle of the Demonic Path lineage follower groups?”

Wouldn’t the Hundun, Taotie, and Qiongqi lineages also raise their own lackeys?

When Ju-seong asked, the man shook his head.

“I don’t really know about the Venerables and their plans to begin with. I just became a Battle Maniac because I liked winning fights and taking everything from the losers.”

“Jianghu.”

Ju-seong smirked, and the man raised his head, showing bloodied teeth as he grinned back.

“Right. Jianghu is really the best. Isn’t it? You can tie someone you don’t like up and torture them like this.”

At his words, Ju-seong smiled wider.

“Indeed.”

He pressed the pressure point again, restored the pain sensation, then stabbed the needle in.

Half a tea-time later, the man had become docile again.

“Anything else pointless to say?”

At Ju-seong’s question, the man shook his head.

“Good. So why is a lackey of a demonic lineage doing Green Forest bandit work in this Guangxi backwater? Extorting law-abiding commoners and kidnapping women and children.”

“I don’t really know either! We Battle Maniacs were just told to clear out the Green Forest bastards around Guangxi and settle in. The children are for tribute.”

“Tribute?”

A spark flashed in Ju-seong’s eyes. Not simply to enslave or play with them. There was another purpose.

“Where does the tribute go?”

“The H-Hundred Thousand Great Mountains! The tribute goes to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains! Through the fortresses we’ve occupied.”

Ju-seong slowly processed the information in his head, then asked.

“The Green Forest King?”

Thunderclap Axe Ghost lowered his gaze slightly as he answered.

“…The top twenty Battle Maniacs and the Assassination Curtain’s Night Guests… And one of the Venerable’s disciples all joined forces to go capture the Green Forest King. Lower Battle Maniacs like me spread across Guangxi Province to occupy the fortresses…”

Ju-seong’s expression grew serious.

‘So it’s a hunt.’

Right now, Guangxi Province was a massive hunting ground to capture the Green Forest King, the ultimate prey.

The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains was a vast territory in itself.

Right now, the Green Forest bandits and Cradle of the Demonic Path lineage were probably fighting back and forth inside the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

The forces they’d committed were truly formidable.

Battle Maniacs, Night Guests, and even one of the Venerable’s disciples.

Whose disciple might that be? From what this one said, probably not the Taowu disciple. The Battle Maniacs served the Taowu lineage as their masters.

Naturally, he wouldn’t know whose disciple it was either.

Having finished organizing, Ju-seong rose from his seat.

“I-is that it? Huh? Please don’t. I’ll tell you more.”

“…”

Ju-seong silently stared at the pitiful sight. For a Cradle of the Demonic Path lineage follower, he was pathetically worthless.

Ju-seong’s hand holding the needle twitched. For an instant, his lips twisted into a very cruel smile.

“What if I do more? You disgusting vermin.”

Thunderclap Axe Ghost trembled looking at Ju-seong’s abyssal eyes. Until just now, blazing fury had been surging in those pupils. But now they were just endlessly black, like staring into a cave.

But the demon-like expression soon loosened helplessly, and a deep sigh escaped.

“What is your name?”

Ju-seong asked. A question he didn’t expect an answer to. Nine out of ten would say they didn’t remember, or add some demonic-path snark.

But unexpectedly, Thunderclap Axe Ghost answered.

“My childhood name was Achil. My surname… I don’t remember.”

Suddenly, a trace of warmth lingered on the demon’s face for an instant.

He must have had a childhood too. In one corner of his memories, there might still be the warmth of sunlight in the backyard on a spring day, or the touch of drizzling rain…

-Crack!

Ju-seong’s palm struck the man’s crown decisively. Blood spurted from his nose and eyes… a quick and painless death. “Namo Amitabha…” Thinking of the soul that would fall into the depths of a hell beyond measure, Ju-seong uselessly recited the Buddhist name.