Dokgo Seol.
And right behind her came Pyeong-u.
The two of them hid behind a large tree about seven jang away from the burning house.
Something about what was happening ahead didn't feel right. But Dokgo Seol thought there was no harm in taking a moment to assess the situation before acting.
Pyeong-u whispered low.
"Sister Seol, shouldn't we stop that fight? Looks like someone's getting gang-beaten."
"Shh! Wait a second. I think this really is Young Master Cheon's hometown. Surely they're not cultists from the Demonic Sect?"
Pyeong-u knew exactly what she was worried about and shook his head at once.
"No. There's none of that unique aura or atmosphere demonic cultivators give off. And none of them look like real experts, either. If the Demonic Sect had sent assassins to kill Brother Cheon Ryuyeong, they would never have sent such low-grade people."
Dokgo Seol was momentarily taken aback by his certainty.
There was still a seven-jang distance between them and the group, and none of them seemed to be circulating energy at the moment.
Yet even from that rough a glance, he could gauge their cultivation level? It was so unbelievable she was left not just surprised but disoriented.
Questions about Pyeong-u welled up in her mind. But for now, she was more curious about the situation unfolding ahead.
"Hm. Is that so? Then who are those men in black? They don't seem like common thugs."
Through the gaps in the men in black blocking her view, she caught a glimpse of the fight—a man was beating another as mercilessly as one might butcher a dog on a midsummer day.
Normally, she would have stepped in immediately as Pyeong-u suggested, but she was cautious now. Securing Cheon Ryuyeong's safety—somewhere in this village—seemed the higher priority.
It never even crossed Dokgo Seol's mind that the man being brutalized was Cheon Ryuyeong.
Her view was blocked by the men in black, and the man taking the beating had disheveled hair, was drenched in blood, and his face was so swollen and blood-caked that she assumed he was just some local man.
"I think we should search the surrounding houses first and find Young Master Cheon."
But the moment she finished speaking, she frowned. Only then did she realize that none of the nearby houses had any lights on. She had been too focused on the burning house and the bizarre scene in the yard to notice.
A sudden, ominous feeling clawed at her heart.
Then Pyeong-u narrowed his eyes and muttered under his breath.
"Mm… No, it can't be…"
Sensing something unusual in his tone, Dokgo Seol asked,
"What can't be?"
"Could it be that Brother Cheon Ryuyeong is the one fighting right now…"
Dokgo Seol let out a small laugh and shook her head, as though to brush away the bad feeling.
"What nonsense. Why would Young Master Cheon be in a fight like that? He doesn't know how to fight at all—"
But she couldn't finish her sentence.
Several of the laughing men in black suddenly dropped to the ground, and the two combatants came clearly into view.
Dokgo Seol froze on the spot.
It was him. Cheon Ryuyeong!
She couldn't possibly reconcile this with the Cheon Ryuyeong she had parted with earlier, but her instincts knew—it could be no one else.
Pyeong-u, too, stared with stunned eyes and murmured vacantly,
"Brother Cheon Ryuyeong…"
The sight of him staggering toward the porch and collapsing burned itself into their eyes and hearts.
When shock and rage go beyond their peak, they become strangely calm.
That was the state of both of them now.
Without realizing it, they clenched their fists tightly and stepped forward.
They had to confirm it up close—whether the protagonist of this tragedy was truly Cheon Ryuyeong.
Suppressing the qi that threatened to burst from their bodies, they quietly approached, overhearing the conversation between the siblings.
The words were so heartfelt that their chests ached. Their clenched fists trembled. Their hearts hurt as if they would burst.
Then he—Cheon Ryuyeong—turned his head.
His eyes met Dokgo Seol's. And he beamed, even as he shed tears of blood. Seeing that, Dokgo Seol felt as if her mind were plunging into an abyss.
It was Cheon Ryuyeong, yet it wasn't.
The face that had lately begun to look rather handsome was gone without a trace, replaced only by a ruinous visage.
She could feel, without a single word, just how hard his life had been until now—enough to shred her heart to pieces. As his sister had said, how much had he suffered? How much agony had he endured?
One of the men in black, a bodyguard, narrowed his eyes and spoke.
"Huh? Who are they?"
At his shout, everyone turned to look—and they were shocked for two reasons.
First, that they had not noticed this unfamiliar man and woman approaching so close; and second, that the woman was an unprecedented beauty.
Dokgo Seol had abandoned her male disguise and even powdered her face—an unconscious act born of wanting to look pretty for Cheon Ryuyeong's family.
Fwoosh. Thud! Thud-thud!
Part of the burning roof finally collapsed into the room and porch. Thankfully, the wind was blowing toward the back of the house, so the flames didn't spread into the yard.
Bathed in the flickering firelight, Dokgo Seol's beauty was overwhelming.
The already beast-like bodyguards, especially Jin Dam-hwi, had lust gleaming in their eyes. They were so enthralled by her beauty they forgot they hadn't even noticed her approach.
Without a word, Dokgo Seol strode straight to Cheon Ryuyeong. He raised his upper body to meet her.
Her lips trembled as she spoke.
"I'm sorry."
Her short words carried a deep sob, waves of indescribable pain.
"Thank you. I didn't expect you so soon… You must have set out before you even saw the fire, out of worry for me…"
At his reply, a single tear traced down her cheek.
"I shouldn't have let you go like that… I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
Cheon Ryuyeong gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"There's nothing for you to blame yourself for, miss. I refused, didn't I? It's my fault. And I've realized something again—"
"…?"
"That in the end, one can only protect oneself."
Dokgo Seol looked at him, feeling her tears about to overflow again, and tilted her head back to hold them in.
Meanwhile, Jin Dam-hwi tore his gaze from her beauty and frowned.
These two knew each other.
That meant they couldn't be allowed to live. Then again, even if they were strangers, he hadn't planned to spare them anyway.
He was about to give the kill order, but changed his mind. Such a breathtaking beauty shouldn't just be killed.
He glanced toward the young man at the front gate.
He carried a sword but was clearly a greenhorn.
Jin Dam-hwi couldn't tell exactly who they were, but he could guess: the woman was likely the young lady of a respectable family, the youth her escort.
How they knew Cheon Ryuyeong didn't matter.
To cover up the massacre committed in this village, they had to be dealt with.
A cruel smile tugged at his lips. With a gesture and a jerk of his chin, he ordered his men—he would take the woman, they were to deal with the young escort.
A vicious smile spread across the faces of the bodyguards. They set down the clubs they had been holding and gripped their swords instead.
When Dokgo Seol was too choked up to speak, Cheon Ryuyeong's eyes shone as he said,
"I will become stronger. I will."
Like earlier that afternoon, she could neither dismiss nor mock his words. Her heart only ached. Dokgo Seol nodded sadly.
Looking at her, Cheon Ryuyeong continued,
"As long as I can block a few exchanges, that will be enough. I will no longer set limits on myself like this. I've realized just how pathetic that kind of thinking is. I… will become ruthless."
Dokgo Seol nodded again.
At that moment, Cheon Su-yeon—who had been holding her breath while watching Jin Dam-hwi and the bodyguards—suddenly shouted,
"Be careful! They're terrible people who killed everyone in this village!"
Before she even finished speaking, Jin Dam-hwi moved. He took a few quick steps toward Dokgo Seol and swung his club at her waist.
Swaaaash—
In that instant, Dokgo Seol's foot lightly tapped the ground.
Flutter—!
Her clothes rippled in the wind as her figure rose into the air above the club.
As Jin Dam-hwi's strike cut through empty space, Dokgo Seol's body spun.
His eyes widened as her small foot came whirling toward his face.
Too fast!
Crack!
"Guh-uhh!"
With a scream of pain as his nose shattered, Jin Dam-hwi toppled backward.
When Jin Dam-hwi had swung his club, one of the bodyguards charged at Pyeong-u. In truth, Pyeong-u hadn't intended to kill them—but Cheon Su-yeon's cry changed everything.
There was one kind of martial artist Pyeong-u hated above all others: those who killed the powerless.
He was about to throw a punch when he changed course, seizing the sword from his back instead.
Chaaang—!
In a flash of lightning, the blade was drawn.
Shu-ga-ga-gaak—!
The sword split the air.
The red glow from the burning house was swallowed by the silver steel.
"Guhk!"
The leading bodyguard clutched his throat with a scream, staring at Pyeong-u in disbelief. He didn't understand what had happened—one moment the man had drawn his sword, and the next, a searing pain had flared in his neck. That was all. And it was the end.
Thud.
He collapsed without strength.
Pyeong-u's voice rang out in the air, edged with fury.
"I don't much like the martial arts I've learned. My dream is to live quietly if I can. Long and uneventfully."
The ten bodyguards still standing drew their swords in alarm. Pyeong-u went on,
"But sometimes, without even meaning to, my killing intent boils up—when I see garbage like you."
The bodyguards exchanged glances.
Unfortunately for them, they trusted in their number—ten men. They lacked the skill to grasp just how deadly Pyeong-u's earlier strike had been.
"Kill him!"
The oldest among them barked the order.
And all of them charged at Pyeong-u.
Dokgo Seol, having knocked Jin Dam-hwi flat, tried to join up with Pyeong-u—but she couldn't. Cheon Ryuyeong caught her arm and shook his head.
"Why?"
She was about to ask when her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open.
Swaaaash!
A cold blue line tore through the air—the energy from Pyeong-u's sword. It was lightning.
"Guhk!"
"Grahh!"
"Uhh!"
The screams of the first three bodyguards rang out almost at the same time.
Charging forward, they suddenly gaped, their heads dropping. A single line was carved across their chests.
Sword qi!
Their clothing tore, skin split, and blood welled forth.
Pyeong-u took a step.
It seemed like a single movement, but in that instant he was already past the foremost bodyguard.
Shu-ga-gaak!
"Aaaghh!"
Even before the scream ended, Pyeong-u's sword painted the red-tinged air.
Swaaaash!
Sword winds burst forth like a storm, countless streaks of sword qi pouring down.
"Aaaghh!"
"T-too fast…"
Two bodyguards were cut down and thrown back, crashing into the front gate.
"Kill him! I said kill him!"
The oldest bodyguard shouted again—more a desperate snarl than an order.
But before his cry was done, two more men fell, their throats and hearts pierced.
"A… a master!"
Fear finally dawned on the faces of the five remaining bodyguards. Everything had happened in the span of mere instants—and it wasn't over yet.
Papapap!
A dazzling flurry of thrusts pierced the hearts of the faltering men. They collapsed without resistance.
At last, only the eldest bodyguard remained, staring blankly. The overwhelming force robbed him of even the thought of resisting.
They had provoked a reaper, and realized it far too late.
Shuaak—! Srrk!
Like a lightning strike, the sword slashed through the air.
Thunk. Roll—
The last man's head was severed, his head rolling across the ground.
Jin Dam-hwi, who had managed to get back to his feet, trembled uncontrollably in terror.
Clack.
Pyeong-u slid his sword back into its scabbard.
Thump. Thump.
Two of the men in black who had been standing despite wounds to the heart swayed and toppled over.
Shock slammed into the surroundings, leaving a deep, heavy silence.
The survivors: Dokgo Seol, Cheon Su-yeon, and Jin Dam-hwi, the head of Jinshan Escort Agency.
The three of them stared at Pyeong-u in disbelief. Only Cheon Ryuyeong wore a bitter smile, as though he had half-expected it.