The Qing Shui Dojang stood there with a blank expression as mories from over ten years ago, which had been sealed away, rushed in like a storm.
So of the enemies, who were being overwheld by the Muja Quartet, started to approach to deal with Qing Shui Dojang first.
“What are you doing!!!”
“Move!!!”
In that urgent mont, Mu-gung and Mu-gyeong shouted without honorifics as they realized the situation late.
A sword from Qing Shui Dojang suddenly pierced the abdon of the man who had been charging ahead.
It was the sa thod he had used ten years ago on that day when he stabbed a bandit’s belly.
However, the difference between then and now was.
Swish!
He now possessed the strength and swordsmanship to naturally withdraw the sword he had embedded.
Qing Shui Dojang looked at the enemies charging towards him, while also looking back at his past.
Swish!
It was no longer the child from his mories, but Qing Shui Dojang’s sword moving skillfully, drawing countless circles.
These circles, which should have been beautiful and embodied nature, instead,
Swish!!
With a chilling sound of flesh tearing, they created a bloodstorm.
Within an instant, Qing Shui Dojang slaughtered five people and wore a dissatisfied expression.
‘The movents are not suitable for killing these people.’
This was a denial of the Taegeuk Haegum, the ultimate technique of his sect, which he had been training for over ten years to perfect.
A living sword that continues without pause, deflects the opponent’s attacks, protects oneself, and subdues the opponent.
But was there a need to use such swordsmanship to deal with these kinds of people?
As soon as this question arose, Qing Shui Dojang’s movents changed.
The circular movents transford into straight lines.
Puk!
Puk!
Abandoning the subtleties of flexibility, his sword moved with incredible speed, aiming precisely at vital points and major acupuncture points.
The death sword, whose sole purpose was to kill the opponent, emitted a strong scent of blood.
Swish!
Before long, dozens of corpses turned into chunks of at lay around Qing Shui Dojang.
In less than a quarter of an hour after the battle started, the number of enemies lying on the ground exceeded a hundred.
Now, the remaining twenty or so warriors of the Black Market were too frightened to attack and rely surrounded the area.
The shadow rchants and custors who had co to the black market had long fled to avoid the chaos, causing significant losses to the Gyerim Black Market.
If their safety could not be guaranteed, who would co to such a black market?
However, Mu-jin had not co here just to disrupt a market.
Fortunately, a middle-aged man appeared, parting the formation that surrounded Mu-jin and his group.
“Have you forgotten the agreent? You maggots of bandits.”
“Are you the owner of this dump?”
“Dump?”
“What else would you call a place where hundreds of pieces of trash gather?”
“Hehehehe. Who are you calling trash? A bandit shouldn’t be talking like that.”
The middle-aged man tilted his head and added.
“No, now that I see it, you might just be dressed as bandits.”
The middle-aged man, who seed to be the manager, aid his spear at Mu-jin with a sinister smile.
“I’ll find out who you really are after cutting off your limbs. Attack!”
At his shout, five warriors who were standing by to assist the middle-aged man charged at Mu-jin’s group.
Mu-jin had planned to leave the small fry to his group and deal with the apparent head of the Black Market himself.
“I’ll handle him.”
Qing Shui Dojang rushed at the man first.
‘Damn it.’
Mu-jin swallowed a curse at the sudden developnt and focused on the warriors attacking him.
If he also went after the boss, his group of three would have to face the remaining enemies alone.
Mu-gung and Mu-yul, deal with the ones around us first. Gyeong will handle two, and I’ll take care of three!
Thus, Mu-jin quickly organized the situation.
The five who stepped forward were clearly a cut above the third-rate black path warriors they had faced so far.
Just from their aura, stride, and posture, they were on par with the escorts from the Bukpoong Escort Agency.
‘I need to finish this quickly and help Qing Shui Dojang.’
Given the circumstances, it was highly likely that the middle-aged man was the head of the Gyerim Black Market branch and a future vice-leader of Amcheonhoe.
In the novel, that man also wielded a spear as his main weapon.
Thus, his skills would be comparable to the head of the Bukpoong Escort Agency, making him too strong for Qing Shui Dojang to handle alone.
Mu-jin rushed at the foremost warrior among the five approaching him.
The warrior swung his sword at Mu-jin, but Mu-jin didn’t dodge by leaping sideways or even move his upper body; he just advanced straight.
“Die!!”
The warrior shouted as he swung his sword at Mu-jin, who seed to recklessly thrust his neck forward. But Mu-jin moved his left hand towards his neck.
Naturally, the warrior’s sword aid at Mu-jin’s neck t Mu-jin’s palm.
Clang!
The strange friction sound was not what one would expect from the collision of a blade and bare skin.
“!?”
The warrior, who couldn’t understand the situation, had a shocked expression.
Thunk!!!
By then, Mu-jin’s right fist had already connected with the warrior’s face.
“He’s achieved blade-proof! Be careful!”
The others finally guessed Mu-jin’s level and shouted to surround him.
At that mont, according to Mu-jin’s instructions, Mu-gyeong broke into the encirclent to scatter their formation.
The battle naturally evolved into two warriors facing off against one.
However, unfortunately for them, two warriors weren’t enough to handle Mu-jin.
He’s achieved blade-proof. We need to attack him with dium to long-range techniques or sword energy.
Who doesn’t know that! But he’s deflecting all attacks with his qi!
The two warriors fighting Mu-jin discussed their strategy through transmission, but their conversation wasn’t particularly useful.
Mu-jin ignored minor attacks, blocking only the strikes aid at his vital points with his qi, and focused on the warrior using fist techniques.
The swordsman behind him, instead of assisting the fist fighter, aid at Mu-jin’s back.
They intended to use the fist fighter as bait to inflict a serious injury on Mu-jin.
Clang!!
As the sword energy-enveloped attack struck Mu-jin’s back, a peculiar tallic sound rang out.
It wasn’t that Mu-jin had covered his entire body with the Golden Turtle Technique. It was rely the effect of the Dragon Scale Thread.
Having taken the Dragon Scale Thread from the Bukpoong Escort Agency and wrapped it around himself, Mu-jin rely channeled his qi through it to block the sword energy.
Thunk!!
In the anti, Mu-jin’s fist had already pierced the fist fighter’s abdon, and he turned to charge at the swordsman.
Facing Mu-jin alone, who was already difficult to handle with two, was an impossible task for the swordsman.
Unable to properly counter Mu-jin’s reckless attacks, the swordsman fell after a short struggle.
After dealing with three opponents alone, Mu-jin surveyed the battlefield. Mu-gyeong was holding his ground against two opponents, while Mu-yul and Mu-gung were nearly done taking care of the small fry.
“Once you’re done, go help Mu-gyeong!”
Mu-jin sent a telepathic ssage to Mu-yul and Mu-gung before moving to assist Cheongsu Dojang.
‘What’s this?’
Watching the fight between Cheongsu Dojang and the branch chief, Mu-jin tilted his head in confusion. The swordsmanship of Cheongsu Dojang was strangely different from what he rembered.
Instead of the usual smooth, continuous circular motions, the movents were now fast, sharp, and linear.
It seed too intense to be rely a tactic to hide his true abilities.
‘The killing intent is too strong.’
It was as if he was watching Mu-gyeong when he lost his mind.
Moreover, apart from the killing intent, the skill with the killing sword was several levels above what Mu-jin knew of Cheongsu Dojang’s abilities.
“I’ll join you!”
For reasons unknown, Mu-jin shouted and joined the fight with Cheongsu Dojang, who seed almost out of his mind.
“You brats!!”
The branch chief, now facing a pincer attack, scread in frustration.
“Die!!”
The branch chief thrust his spear towards Cheongsu Dojang’s heart, but Cheongsu Dojang emotionlessly tilted his body and thrust his sword in response.
Although he couldn’t completely avoid the spear, resulting in a wound on his side, the branch chief also had to retreat, unable to continue his attack.
‘Damn it!’
This had been happening from the start. That guy seed to have only one purpose in life—to kill him.
“Why don’t you die!!”
In the midst of this, the newly joined Mu-jin approached from behind, swinging his fist.
The branch chief frantically swung his spear at Mu-jin, but Mu-jin countered by striking the spear with his sword and moving inside.
Their skills aside, both of them acted as if their own lives ant nothing, focusing only on the kill, which was maddening.
The branch chief, naturally driven into a corner, couldn’t hold out for long and eventually took a heavy blow from Mu-jin’s fist.
‘Hoo.’
Mu-jin was relieved that he had stopped him before he could commit suicide.
Flash!
Feeling a sudden sense of danger, Mu-jin quickly moved his energy and swung his arm.
Clang!
Mu-jin’s fist stopped precisely an inch before the branch chief’s neck, blocking an unexpected sword strike.
It was another fierce and fast strike from Cheongsu Dojang, devoid of any gentleness.
“What are you doing!?”
Mu-jin was startled, but Cheongsu Dojang frowned instead.
“Why are you stopping ? Didn’t you just say we should kill them all?”
Cheongsu Dojang’s completely emotionless eyes made Mu-jin swallow hard.
‘Crazy. He’s really lost it. But why?’
Mu-jin felt more uneasy not knowing the reason for this change.
However, he couldn’t afford to bicker with Cheongsu Dojang now. They needed to clear the area quickly to avoid being tracked.
“These guys might have more information. We need to interrogate him.”
Mu-jin quickly thought of an excuse and spoke.
Perhaps finding Mu-jin’s reasoning acceptable, Cheongsu Dojang nodded and leapt towards the still-fighting Muja Trio.
Or rather, it felt like he was just moving to slice the necks of the Black Path mbers.
“…Was he always like that?”
Since Cheongsu Dojang didn’t have a significant role in the novel, Mu-jin found the change surprising in many ways.
* * *
Shortly after taking down the branch chief, the battle concluded.
After all the enemies were defeated, Mu-jin surveyed the surroundings.
It was a literal sea of blood.
“Sniff.”
“Uwaaah.”
“Please, spare us…”
Amidst the carnage, the bound captives were trembling in fear.
They were slaves brought here to be sold.
Mu-jin approached them with pity, but…
“Eek!”
Seeing Mu-jin covered in blood, their eyes were filled with even more fear.
“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you.”
Mu-jin tried to reassure them, but they were too panicked to hear him.
Giving up on persuasion, Mu-jin approached them and broke their shackles and cuffs with his strength.
There were seven captives in total: two children around ten years old, four young won in their mid-teens to early twenties, and one young man who seed to be intended for hard labor.
‘What should I do…?’
Mu-jin’s original goal was simply to destroy the Gyerim Black Market.
It was a place that would later grow into a massive slave market, supporting human trafficking by Shinchun and becoming a backer for Hyeok Jin-gang.
Thus, he hadn’t planned for the slaves caught here.
‘Leaving them here would likely result in them being captured again…’
Their ragged clothes and the terrible security in this area made it extrely dangerous for them to travel alone.
‘Hoo. Well, traveling with them to the next destination shouldn’t be too bad.’
Mu-jin rationalized his decision to take them along.
“Take care of these people and that guy. Let’s get out of here.”
Knowing that staying too long could attract pursuers, Mu-jin’s group left the black market, taking the branch chief and the slaves with them.
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