Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 184 - You Mustn't Do That

Chapter 184 – You Mustn’t Do That

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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Edited by Celestial Knight

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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The term “evenly matched” was actually quite ambiguous. True equals only existed between those who had learned the same martial arts.

Could a Taoist who had read the Book of Changes compare knowledge with a Buddhist who had read the Heart Sutra?

But if simply meaning “neck and neck” or “evenly contested”…

‘Evenly matched it is.’

Ju-seong murmured inwardly as he slowly shook out his hands.

This Left Envoy was his equal. His level of internal energy, his realm, and even his vicious and ruthless techniques were similar.

Ju-seong and the Left Envoy exchanged a few more probing moves.

The Left Envoy first shot out cross-shaped sword energy, then immediately slid across the ground to close the distance.

Ju-seong thrust out both palms to scatter the sword energy, then drew large circles with both hands to prepare to receive the sword strike.

The motion had something in common with Wudang Sect’s Red Lotus Palm… none other than a technique from the Red Lotus Palm.

-SCREEECH!

A strange friction sound emerged from his palm contacting the blade, and the sword’s trajectory was deflected.

But that deflection didn’t become an opening.

-BOOM!

Ju-seong swung a fist at the Left Envoy’s exposed flank, but the Left Envoy likewise extended a fist beneath his armpit to counter it.

“Didn’t I say we’re evenly matched?”

The Left Envoy smiled slightly.

“Not so sure.”

Ju-seong murmured quietly. Today’s Ju-seong didn’t jeer or run his mouth as usual. The Left Envoy assumed this assailant was rather taciturn.

As Ju-seong said… “not so sure.”

A tingling, numbing sensation in his fist after the direct strike.

The Left Envoy raised his sword in a large upward cut and opened distance.

‘His external body training is superior to mine.’

Even if their martial arts were evenly matched, differences could exist in other areas. The Left Envoy realized Ju-seong’s body was considerably hardened.

Ju-seong wanted to pound the Left Envoy into pulp as quickly as possible, and approached with poisonous eyes.

“Hup!”

The Left Envoy drew a deep breath, stomped powerfully, and unleashed five sword strikes.

His sword style was a heavy sword style. Not that he wielded an actually heavy sword… the principle contained in his swordsmanship was such.

Just as qinggong lightened the body and the thousand-catty drop technique made it heavy, the same could be applied to a sword.

However, performing such manipulation mid-combat was generally very difficult and consumed mental energy.

Thus it wasn’t a common technique in jianghu, but…

‘It resembles Chun-mong’s swordsmanship in principle.’

Namgung Chun-mong.

That young boy, despite his youth, swung his sword with a heaviness as if it contained all under heaven.

Each sword stroke discussed all under heaven… therefore it was an emperor’s sword.

‘Regardless of skill, his mindset itself falls short of that kid.’

Ju-seong thought.

Namgung Chun-mong was young, inexperienced, lacked martial skill, and hadn’t escaped his adoptive father’s shadow.

Yet the ambition and desire he held in his heart were considerable, overflowing with heroic qualities. That was why he could wield an emperor’s sword.

Since Ju-seong knew the emperor’s swordsmanship, how could he be intimidated by swordsmanship that was at best fit for a warlord or general?

Ju-seong calmly observed the five sword energies racing toward him.

He murmured quietly.

“Rather than dividing the weight into five…”

-THUMP, THWUMP!

The first two sword strikes were captured in the Scattering Red Lotus Palm (散赤蓮掌) he spread out.

Countless cotton-wad-like palm forces embroidered the air, and within them, the sword energy lost its way and its trajectory warped.

If mere cotton wadding could warp its path, how paltry was that weight?

“Putting all weight into a single reckless strike… that is the heavy sword.”

The heavy sword.

A martial principle of ancient battlefield generals, condensed into the weapon called a sword.

Naturally, it was incomplete.

Techniques originally performed with massive long sabers or spears… attack-oriented martial arts… performed with a short weapon like a sword?

When performed with long weapons, the reach itself served as a shield, but swords didn’t have that luxury.

Thus heavy swordsmen had to constantly confront fear. What if the strike I swing misses or is blocked?

How should I deal with the attack that comes at me while I’m defenseless?

In Ju-seong’s view, a true heavy swordsman shouldn’t worry about such things and should simply swing with abandon.

A single strike, pouring all weight into a single strike to cleave the opponent down to the abyss… with that mindset…

‘But you couldn’t do that.’

Ju-seong drew out the Crimson Iron Flying Knife. Three continuing sword energies. Ju-seong swung the knife with full power as if possessed.

-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG…!

In an instant, dozens, hundreds of crimson trajectories were drawn in the air. The marks of a beast’s claws.

The sword energy sent by a fearful swordsman crumbled beneath the fearless beast’s claws.

Ju-seong burst through the showy energy flashes and waves where their forces collided.

Airborne, Ju-seong looked down at the wide-eyed Left Envoy.

His lips twisted as a single word escaped.

“Evenly matched?”

The Myriad Heavens Palm filled the Left Envoy’s sky, just as its name promised.

On the dark blue grassland, the sun briefly rose for an instant.

-CRACK-BOOOM!

The Left Envoy gritted his teeth and cut upward with his sword, but…

“AAAAARGH!”

How could a swordsman with an unripe heart produce a solid sword strike?

Ju-seong fell from the air, taking in the Left Envoy’s form. Now he was beginning to understand what sort of person this man was.

‘A man who had to worry about his own survival his entire life.’

He was the type who couldn’t set aside concern for his own safety when swinging his sword.

Probably the White Lotus Cult itself was that kind of organization. Based in the harsh Xinjiang region, the power struggle to become stronger had to be fierce.

That was why even having obtained a fine martial art, he couldn’t use it to its intended purpose.

That man would have been better off learning defensive swordsmanship, or swift swordsmanship that maintained distance while fighting.

Ju-seong dropped straight down toward the Left Envoy, using the thousand-catty drop to make his body heavy as he fell.

Without hesitation, without fear.

The Left Envoy had already failed to block the Myriad Heavens Palm… his entire body was scorched in a mess, and he’d lost his sword.

-CRACK-BOOOM!

Ju-seong dropped and crushed every one of the Left Envoy’s ribs.

Pinning down the blood-spitting Left Envoy, Ju-seong met his eyes directly and spoke.

“Who’s evenly matched with whom, you arrogant bastard.”

Having similar levels of internal energy and martial skill didn’t mean the difference in mindset could be overlooked.

The most cautious, precise, and ruthless man… that was the Left Envoy.

But when such a man wielded a general’s sword meant to charge through battlefields without hesitation, it was like giving a viper a greatsword.

Meanwhile, Ju-seong possessed martial arts like fire that matched his temperament perfectly.

Ju-seong asked coldly.

“What’s your name?”

“Cough, Yeon Sa-uk, KACK… Yeon Sa-uk.”

“I see. Die.”

“Wait, I am the White Lotus Cult’s Left Envoy of Light! I could be of considerable help to you…”

-CRAAAASH!

“I’m not in the mood for that today.”

Ju-seong muttered, looking at the crushed head of the Left Envoy.

“To think the White Lotus Cult’s Left Envoy of Light was only this much… how strange.”

Wasn’t the White Lotus Cult supposed to be quite notorious?

Perhaps internal faction fighting had consumed considerable fighting strength.

He dusted himself off and stood, then headed for the carriage.

-CLUNK!

Opening the carriage door, Mo Wol-hyang was tied up with rope, unconscious.

Ju-seong cut the ropes and struck pressure points to wake Wol-hyang.

Wol-hyang furrowed her elegant brows, then slowly opened her eyes. Then she stammered as if in disbelief.

“J-Ju-seong Young Hero.”

“It’s been a while, Lady.”

Ju-seong greeted her with an uncharacteristically humorless expression.

Wol-hyang slowly reached out to brush Ju-seong’s blood-covered cheek.

“How is it that your face is so full of worry?”

“Master has passed away.”

“…What?”

Wol-hyang blinked as if unable to believe it.

Come to think of it, yes. If she had been kidnapped, the one who should have come chasing was the Divine Physician, not Ju-seong. He was far stronger.

So why Ju-seong?

Because the Divine Physician was absent, of course.

And the reason for that absence, Ju-seong said, was the Divine Physician’s death.

“…The Cradle of the Demonic Path killed Master.”

Ju-seong spoke matter-of-factly, but…

‘His bowels must be cut with grief.’

From his completely different, expressionless face, and from his blood-smeared features, Wol-hyang could feel deep, deep sorrow.

Wol-hyang slowly rose and wrapped both arms around Ju-seong’s neck, which was a full head taller than hers.

-THUMP.

Ju-seong unconsciously let his legs give way and slumped down.

Wol-hyang cradled him deep, deep in her embrace, heedless of her fine lotus silk clothes being stained with blood.

“Close your eyes for a moment.”

She wished that his sorrow could seep into her, like ink spreading through paper.

She herself was feeling deep grief at the Divine Physician’s passing.

Her shoulders also trembled slightly with sorrow, but how could it compare to the grief of a disciple who had lost his master?

The one whose sorrow was lighter should comfort the one whose heart was torn apart.

Ju-seong held the hem of her clothes and remained still and silent.

He left whatever was flowing from his eyes to seep, again and again, into Wol-hyang’s robes.

After the brief embrace ended, Ju-seong forced himself to focus and shook his head.

“…For now, I know a lake we can go to. I need to wash up, and you’ll need a place to rest and recuperate for a while.”

With the Divine Physician gone, Ju-seong was now Wol-hyang’s only protector.

Ju-seong sat in the driver’s seat and whipped the horses. They balked because he wasn’t their original driver, but they became docile when he fiercely projected killing intent at them.

Wol-hyang sat right beside him.

Though Ju-seong had adamantly objected, she stubbornly insisted on sitting beside him, so he had no choice but to allow it.

In truth, aside from worrying about the cold wind, it was better not being lonely.

Only after being held in Wol-hyang’s arms did Ju-seong realize how utterly alone he’d been for the past several days.

Humans cannot live without other humans… yet hadn’t he been nothing but a beast?

While thinking such thoughts, Wol-hyang asked.

“By the way, what shall we do? With the Divine Physician passed, Young Hero must obtain the poison within me to achieve advancement in your realm.”

Her words were correct.

The Three Talents Five Elements Pill required three spiritual medicines and five poison cores. Of the five poison cores, four were in Ju-seong’s dantian, and the three medicines were in the wooden box Ju-seong had brought.

The remaining one poison.

That was Zhen poison.

It had probably settled in her body during an assassination attempt when the White Lotus Cult’s factional struggles began.

Originally, Ju-seong was supposed to take the incomplete pill containing the three medicines, then the Divine Physician would perform a special technique to transfer the poison from Wol-hyang’s body to Ju-seong’s.

For Ju-seong to break through his current realm and ascend, that was essential.

Wol-hyang’s face also darkened.

“Young Hero doesn’t know that technique, do you?”

Ju-seong scratched his head with a troubled expression.

“I know the principle, but it’s so complicated that only my master, who studied this method for years, could reproduce it. Even Senior Brother Seo-baek would find it difficult.”

Going to find Seo-baek was also a problem. He had currently gone all the way to Southern Zhili to support the Martial Alliance.

From this distant Qinghai land, cross the entire Central Plains?

Even if Ju-seong could endure it, Wol-hyang could not.

While pondering, they arrived at the lake they’d been seeking.

“There are many trees here.”

Ju-seong nodded.

“Perhaps because it’s a lakeside, a small forest has grown.”

It was a depression where water had collected. Ju-seong slowly drove the carriage to the gentlest slope and reached the lakeside.

He tied the horses to a tree trunk and lit a campfire.

After throwing a pot and various dried provisions into it to make a stew, Ju-seong gestured to Wol-hyang and left the campfire site.

He planned to bathe while the stew cooked. If he spotted any fish, he could catch some too.

Ju-seong took off his clothes and removed the items stored within. He meant to wash his martial attire while he was at it.

Then…

-THUMP.

“Hm?”

Ju-seong picked up a booklet that had fallen from the inner lining and examined it.

“This is…”

Ju-seong’s eyes flashed with sudden interest as he flipped through the pages.

This booklet… he had obtained it over a year ago at Lake Dongting. The one Song-un of Wudang had given him…

“Taoist bedchamber arts… hmm, principles of circulating energy… Maybe, just maybe.”

Regardless of Ju-seong’s will, his exceptional mind had conjured up a possible solution.

He glanced toward the distant campfire, then shook his head.

“No, no. That’s not right. I mustn’t do that.”

Ju-seong slapped his own cheek hard and immediately dove into the water.

Wol-hyang, sitting at the campfire, tilted her head at Ju-seong’s eccentric behavior but smiled with relief.

“That’s more like the Young Hero I know. At least he seems to have recovered his spirits.”