Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 163 - Night Raid

Chapter 163 – Night Raid

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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 163 – Night Raid

The march proceeded as planned. Ju-seong, Won-gong, Yi Pyo-eum, and Black Pig led a small group of martial artists straight toward the center.

Yang So-an circled the perimeter of Ju-seong’s group, detecting any potential dangers. They napped during the day and kept watch at night. From Yang So-an’s perspective as a blind man, day or night made no difference, so it wasn’t particularly difficult work.

Yi Pyo-eum went back and forth between Ju-seong’s main force and Eight-Hook Ghost, relaying news.

The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains weren’t as treacherous as expected; an enormous number of mountains rose and fell in bumps, but they could march through the gaps between them. A large-scale army could never pass safely through this place, but for a mere hundred or so martial artists, there was no problem at all.

The only hindrance was the dense shrubs and trees.

But even that was manageable… the Green Forest bandits had cultivated considerable farmland, so there was actually a fairly high proportion of flat ground.

“The entire Hundred Thousand Great Mountains was the Green Forest bandits’ domain.”

Won-gong looked around constantly, visibly impressed.

“Namo Amitabha. How did they even think to drift here and live? Being a disreputable band of thieves, they hide away, I suppose?” Ju-seong replied indifferently, “Monk, having always eaten warm meals in a temple, you really don’t know how other people live. The Green Forest bandits are descendants of those driven to the southern end of the realm by persecution, and they didn’t exactly choose to farm here. Not everyone who’s struggling becomes a thief, I know, but they have their circumstances too.”

Guizhou, Guangxi, and such places were lands of the displaced. Traveling through the south, Ju-seong felt a strange sense of coming home.

That is to say, rather than coming home, it felt like returning to his Blue Flower Acrobatic Troupe days.

Because the Blue Flower Acrobatic Troupe was also a haven for the abandoned.

The people looked slightly different from Han Chinese, but they were generally simple and cheerful. They lived among treacherous mountains and valleys, bizarre rock formations, yet never lost their smiles.

‘Of course, Guangxi’s common folk seem to have lost a lot of their smiles.’

The demonic scourge. They hadn’t appeared openly waving demonic banners.

They spread misery starting from the hovels of the poor, beginning stealthily and meanly.

‘They’re trying to rot jianghu from the toes up.’

Just as he was thinking this, Yi Pyo-eum, who served as liaison, appeared, quickly parting the grass with her single leg and cane.

Though she had only one leg, her lightness arts were quite swift. Her internal energy was considerable, and she clearly hadn’t neglected external training either.

“Second Elder Brother has defeated all the Battle Maniacs guarding the outer perimeter and key paths of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.”

The remaining Battle Maniacs calling themselves Supreme Sword Gallant or whatever had apparently been subdued by Eight-Hook Ghost and the elite Guizhou martial artists.

The moment this news arrived, Ju-seong halted the march.

He smiled and said.

“That means we’re ready to cast the spiderweb.”

Pyo-eum nodded in agreement.

“Yes. He said he’ll close in from there.”

From now on, there would only be waiting.

Yang So-an was a genius of concealment. He ordered his subordinates to dig pits, then climbed into one himself and covered it with a straw mat.

His subordinates all hid using the same method.

Ju-seong and the main force lit multiple campfires and openly went to sleep. Of course, they left sentries posted. If they appeared too careless, the enemy might suspect a trap.

Dawn, when everyone slept as if dead. The moon had long since hidden its face beyond the western mountains, and the firelight that had faintly illuminated the surroundings had considerably dwindled.

Shadows seeped in under cover of night. Forms slithering through shrubs and trees. The night visitors had arrived.

But even the shallowest footsteps and the most careful concealment couldn’t evade the blind swordsman’s sensitive ears.

An assassin’s foot carefully stepped past the pit where Yang So-an was hiding.

Leaves and dirt covered the straw mat, and Yang So-an and the ambushers were all skilled in concealment.

Even if not quite at the legendary Corpse Concealment level, slowing their breath and heartbeat to extreme slowness was possible.

One step, two steps.

‘Now.’

Yang So-an burst from the pit with terrifying leg strength, driving his blade at the back of the assassin who had passed him.

-Schwaa-ak!

The assassin wasn’t completely incompetent… he quickly spun around and drew a dagger, but it was already too late.

The assassin’s arm was severed, and Yang So-an flashed his white prosthetic eyes while swinging his blade again.

-Schwick!

The throat was sliced open and blood spurted out.

“Glrk, urgh…”

The assassin couldn’t even manage a proper groan, flailing helplessly before collapsing. Yang So-an was splattered with blood as he shouted with all his internal energy.

“We’re under attack… !”

* * *

The Man-Carving Artisan was a man with deep insecurities about his appearance. Such a trait was rare among martial artists who’d reached a high level.

Because powerful martial artists possessed a distinctive temperament that overshadowed any beauty or ugliness.

But The Man-Carving Artisan was different. He was obsessed with external beauty.

“I’ll flay off the flesh and carve the bones into decorations.”

Since his martial arts had reached such heights, anyone who mocked his appearance met terrible ends.

That insolent young punk would be no exception.

He, along with two other Night Guests, led an elite assassination squad from Sarma to raid the Guizhou martial artists’ camp.

The timing was perfect… the enemy’s discipline had grown lax after a weary march.

Though they weren’t soldiers, moreover the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains was vast and treacherous.

After days passing without any real battles, they must have grown bored.

Thus, in the moonless dawn, he attempted the night raid.

“We’re under attack… !”

Someone’s long, drawn-out shout. The Man-Carving Artisan wrinkled his brow fiercely. They’d been discovered. Should he press the attack, or withdraw like this?

He was hesitating when a pitch-black form suddenly shot up from a suspicious mound of dirt right before him.

Truthfully, it was unusual for an expert of that level not to notice an ambush at this distance.

But the shout just now had disrupted his concentration.

The Man-Carving Artisan glared and swiftly floated a spike into the air and struck it with his hammer.

-Clang!

A spike laden with terrifying force punched straight through the attacker’s chest and embedded itself deep in a tree beyond.

The Man-Carving Artisan clicked his tongue as he pulled the spike from the tree.

“Tch, I should have just bashed his head with the hammer.”

He’d needlessly struck and launched the spike in his familiar way, making loud noise.

His attack method had already been exposed to the enemy. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before they converged on his position.

He twisted his face and blew a signal whistle.

-Wheee-eep! Wheep! Whip!

Sharp signal tones echoed through the nighttime forest.

A retreat signal to the other two Night Guests. Meanwhile, for the elite assassins below the Night Guests, it was an order for all-out attack.

In other words, while the Night Guests pulled back, the elite assassins would buy time with their lives.

Soon, the sounds of weapons clashing erupted from behind.

The Man-Carving Artisan narrowed his eyes and confirmed the two forms approaching from yonder. His fellow Night Guests.

“The Man-Carving Artisan, has the plan gone awry?”

The Man-Carving Artisan nodded to the giant asking him.

“It was their trap. We retreat like this.”

At The Man-Carving Artisan’s words, another man nodded.

“Alright. Let’s retreat. Run like our tails are on fire.”

He was about to nod reflexively when The Man-Carving Artisan realized the man’s voice was unfamiliar.

Shrouded in darkness, he hadn’t noticed, but now he saw the silhouette was subtly different.

“You… !”

The Man-Carving Artisan roared, and the giant flinched in surprise, reflexively striking the unidentified figure beside him.

-Crash!

Ju-seong cackled as he blocked the giant’s punch.

“The Night Guest with the sword is already dead by my hand. I took his sword and hung it at my waist then came over, and you fell for it immediately. Stupid bastards.”

The Night Guest Ju-seong had killed had been wearing a conspicuously bright red scabbard.

Now that he looked, it was a Mount Hua Sect swordsman’s plum blossom sword.

‘I heard the demonic folk were rampaging in Gansu, causing the Mount Hua Sect trouble… so these were the culprits.’

Ju-seong drew the sword and shouted.

“You cowardly creatures, how dare you defile an orthodox sect’s weapon!”

As he swung the sword with momentum, the giant reflexively stepped back in surprise.

Then tilted his head in confusion. Ju-seong’s swordstrike was remarkably poor.

Naturally so. Ju-seong had never held a sword in his life.

But while the giant was creating distance, Ju-seong gained time to target The Man-Carving Artisan. He immediately dropped the Mount Hua sect’s precious sword on the ground and kicked off.

“If I catch you, you’re carving a thousand Buddha statues as penance!”

The Man-Carving Artisan instantly pulled a spike from his sleeve and threw it hard. While Ju-seong slightly changed direction, slowing his steps, the giant followed and tried to grab him.

“Fat chance!”

Ju-seong was instantly entangled with the giant, who seemed trained in grappling techniques.

The giant was a master of fist-and-kick martial arts.

But against Ju-seong, who had trained palm techniques, grappling arts, finger techniques, Finger Flicking Technique, sand-throwing, spitting, cursing, and mockery all to the extreme… there was no winning in bare-handed combat.

-Whoosh! Crack!

In just one exchange, the giant realized all his left fingers had been shattered. The damage was greater than expected, but so far, this was what the giant had intended.

“Pathetic fool… trade bone for flesh!”

Give up the bone and take the flesh. While Ju-seong was restraining the giant’s left hand, his right hand was already raised in the air with its edge sharp.

The right hand dropped like an executioner’s blade.

But Ju-seong had a body that transcended human limits through Samadhi Body Refinement.

He casually raised his shoulder, puffing out his trapezius muscle while concentrating internal energy.

-Thwack!

The giant, having brought a knife-hand chop down on Ju-seong’s neck, was aghast.

‘How is his body this hard?!’

Ju-seong grinned and said to the giant.

“My turn.”

-Thwam!

When Ju-seong punched the giant’s flank, the giant felt a pain like his eyeballs were about to pop out.

A chain of continuous strikes followed.

-Thwa-wha-wha-whack!

In the blink of an eye, over a dozen punches pounded into the giant’s abdomen at extreme speed.

The giant’s waist was forcibly doubled over against his will as he desperately searched for his colleague.

“Where’s The Man-Carving Artisan…?”

In his vision, he saw The Man-Carving Artisan’s retreating back, fleeing into the distance.

“Ah, your friend ran away?”

Ju-seong jeered. Blood dripping from his teeth, the giant retorted.

“Ridiculous. He’s just establishing distance. Now it’s my job. Let’s see if you can fight me while swatting away the iron spikes flying at you.”

Ju-seong replied with a bored expression.

“Hm? I don’t think so. That wasn’t the footwork of someone planning to stop. He was using some seriously fast lightness arts.”

“Ridiculous.”

“You said that already.”

“…”

Ju-seong and the giant stood silently waiting. For the clang of hammer striking spike, for that black iron spike to come flying.

After some time passed, Ju-seong asked the giant, who now looked quite hurt.

“He’s gone for good, isn’t he?”

The giant heaved a sigh.

“Son of a bitch.”

“Indeed.”

Ju-seong nodded, then kicked the giant’s temple with a near-divine rising kick.

-Crack!

With a sound of something dislocating, the giant collapsed, blood tears streaming from his eyes.

“This guy reeks disgustingly of human blood. Revolting bastard.”

Ju-seong muttered as he dusted off his clothes. At some point, taking lives had become emotionally numb to him. The sword energy of Li Bai that had lodged in his head at Dongting Lake was suppressing his killing intent, so he had less worry about his urges flaring up… as long as he could endure a slight headache. Normally, taking lives without even asking names was rare for him, but he realized checking in with his inner self before killing had also become less frequent. He scratched his head, then shook off the thoughts. “For now, focus on what needs to be done.”

* * *

The Man-Carving Artisan calmly parted through shrubs and trees, running like the wind.

In any case, he’d already put enough distance between them… if he kept running, escaped, then circled back and returned, that would be that.

He intended to keep harassing their main force like an annoying wasp.

“I’ll show you who you’ve made your enemy.”

He was grinding his teeth and muttering when he sensed something and stopped in surprise.

Torches were moving about thirty zhang apart.

“Keep narrowing in and search! According to the main force’s message, those bastards are definitely attempting a night raid tonight!”

“…Damn it.”

The Man-Carving Artisan bit his lip and cursed.

The forces that had been patrolling the outskirts of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains and holding key positions had entered the interior and spread a dragnet.

Just two hundred men, but the positioning and direction of their closing-in was exquisite.

A formation calculated to close in on Ju-seong’s main force.

At this rate, he’d be caught between Ju-seong’s main force lurking behind and Eight-Hook Ghost’s men advancing with torches ahead.

The Man-Carving Artisan drew out his hammer and spike, muttering quietly.

“They must not realize who they’re dealing with. Let’s see how many of them die today.”