“….”
Instead of an answer the fog thickens instead.
I look around the fog in silence. By all accounts this fog will be the most dangerous whenever we launch an attack. I might accidentally cut Sword Demon or Yong-myeong and Sword Demon could stab his disciple or Yong-myeong on accident.
There must be a reason why the Sword Demon is sitting in a lotus position toward the north.
“Nice.”
Suppressing my anger I sit down and wait for the next attack patiently out of character.
“The bell sound is so clear and pure. I can’t believe there was a master who hit the bell so well. It’s none of my business what effort was made to make the bell ring so beautifully.”
“….”
The Sword Demon Pervert Demon and Yong-myeong are tight-lipped while waiting for the attack but I am different.
I am becoming more and more bored.
“Did they mix hypnosis with the sound of the bell? I’m sleepy.”
“….”
“Don’t even make rustling noises from now on assassins. I’ll run over there. I warned you.”
Daeng… Daeng… Daeng… Daeng… Daeng…
Suddenly as I look around I can no longer hear the Sword Demon Pervert Demon or Yong-myeong’s voice nor can I identify their location. It is now just a sea of white fog all around me.
The scenery is so wonderful that it makes me exclaim.
“Shithead can you hear me? You can’t hear me huh.”
What kind of martial arts is this?
Is it a combination of a Sound Technique and Magic?
It seems a specific pitch range is controlled and now only the sound of bells can be heard.
I have no idea how this is being done.
As I continue to think the sound of the wind hidden by the bells can be heard from my front and back. With a single gesture of my head I twist my body to avoid the rest and slowly turn around in place.
“….”
I completely lose my sense of direction.
I don’t even know where the north and south are anymore.
It seems that the assassins of Four Flow Valley did not spend their time fooling around.
Looking for a place to retreat I stare up at the sky. As soon as I feel the ominous energy I stretch my left palm to the sky and use the Waxing Moon Ice Technique.
With a chikkkk sound something half-frozen falls to the ground and shatters.
Someone must have sprayed Skull Poison as even when it freezes and shatters it melts and seeps into the ground.
“Skull Poison that’s cool.”
In the meantime steel needles fly past me again. I avoid it with minimal movement and only deflect with Black Hare’s Tooth in unavoidable circumstances.
I use my weapon fiercely and then halt. This time there is a possibility I might have cut off someone’s limbs.
“Oh… is this what it is?”
I sheath Black Hare’s Tooth and rub my hands. I wet my lips by swirling my tongue around.
Rub rub rub rub…
I rub here and there rub the back of my hand and rub my palms.
It doesn’t mean much.
I am feeling the texture by injecting Ice Technique in my left hand and the Fire Chicken in my right.
I constantly move around with the ringing bell by hitting the incoming weapons with my palm force. Meanwhile someone rushes past me. I can’t identify whether it is Pervert Demon passing by Yong-myeong or the assassins of the Four Flow Valley.
Perhaps like me their troops are refraining from launching attacks on a wide range.
This is why a large number of troops is often a challenge against skilled assassins. Whenever I have time I rub my palms to check the texture by combining extreme Yin and extreme Yang.
I practice combining the two energies following Elder Heo Gyeom’s theory.
While checking how the Ice Technique and Fire Chicken might react when they collide I experiment by combining them just once.
Clap!
Because it isn’t the feeling I wanted I inject both energies evenly into both hands and hit my palms strongly together.
Pak!
‘Much better.’
The fog scatters around my fiercely slapping palms. Like stone-throwing clapping has its own levels. Anyway it means that you have to hit it accurately. The palm must close together to create a small distance and then the palm has to collide consecutively with accurately injected Wood Chicken palm force.
Clap-clap-clap-clap-clap!
I carefully check how much fog is pushed away by the waves of applause.
It will now be a matter of distance and speed.
I squat down to listen to the bell for a moment and then stop breathing. I hide my presence in the fog like the assassins.
“….”
As I listen there is a slight clutter between the sound of the ringing bell. That is probably the real sound of troops fighting.
As soon as I hear the bell ringing again… Daeng…
I crush the ground with a stomp.
Booooooooooooooooom!
As the circular shockwave spreads around me my view clears instantly. Three assassins dressed in white are visible in front. Perhaps they’ve done something to their eyes but their irises are white. I know it is a simple setup to camouflage within the fog but somehow this is funny.
I jump out and execute the Draw Sword Style.
And slice off one arm in one stroke.
Pzarkk!
While retrieving my sword I slash the neck of the assassin clad in white and pull a fleeing assassin’s back with the Great Absorption Technique before smashing his head with the Black Hare’s Tooth sword handle.
They all pass on without as much as letting out a gasp.
I stick Black Hare’s Tooth up to a body’s shoulder.
When I pull it out Black Hare’s Tooth is smeared with bright red blood.
I block a few more incoming hidden weapons with the body.
Weapons strike the body without letting out a sound. I immediately cut off a limb and held it in my left hand.
Blood is dripping from the severed arm in the middle of this grave silence. As I look at the floor I can’t hear the sound of blood dripping.
I think my ears are broken.
I giggle and look around. I plan to splatter blood from the severed arm.
Booooooooooooom!
As soon as I stomp on the ground again the flowing fog dispersers and as soon as I see the white eyes I charge in by tearing the bodies of the assassins with Black Hare’s Tooth. In the meantime the incoming hidden weapons flying from the side strike the arm and I stick Black Hare’s Tooth into a white-eye assassin that appears in front of me.
Plorkk!
Avoiding the sword aiming for my neck on the right I sever one of the assassin’s arms.
As I spread the Fiery Fragrance through Black Hare’s Tooth the Plum Blossom Fragrance flutters in all directions.
Fwhoosh!
Red petals have spread to the pale white world.
As soon as I hear a chikkk sound I throw the dismembered arm.
This time the flying arm is cut into two pieces and I make eye contact with the Sword Demon for a moment in the fog scattered by the Sword Wind.
“….”
As soon as I lock eyes with the Sword Demon it begins to fog up again.
It lasts for only a second but Sword Demon and I confirm each other’s position.
I stomp and soar high into the air this time. While piercing through the white fog I twirl my body downwards and shoot Blade Wind through the air.
Banggggggggggg!
As soon as my Blade Wind blows the fog off the ground for an instant….
I can hear the Sword Demon’s low laughter.
“Hahaha…”
Subsequently the sword energy shot from the Light Ray Sword continues to extend in a semicircular shape and lines of blood splatter from all over the place.
The Sword Demon slaughters about a dozen assassins as soon as he spots them.
In the meantime I see the shithead’s rapid movement.
The white-clothed assassins on the path that are making various movements are stopped altogether.
It seemed that the shithead dealt with them by jabbing their pressure points while saving up his energy.
Despite this I don’t see Elder Heo Gyeom’s disciple.
I hear the Pervert Demon’s voice from somewhere.
“The bell is not ringing anymore. Master can you hear me?”
The Sword Demon replies.
“I can hear you.”
“The guy who was ringing the bell seems to be dead.”
“We haven’t checked be careful.”
“Yes Master.”
I finally land on the ground and look at the iron ring I am wearing on my left hand. It’s the ring I got from the Gamble King’s place. It was originally black but it now emits a faint light like a luminous pearl.
I open my mouth as soon as I see the mysterious phenomenon.
“Careful the fog is fused with poison.”
I only speak briefly then stop breathing and sheathe Black Hare’s Tooth. Moving forward again I clap my hands.
Boom!
Somehow the fog is dispersing faster than before.
As soon as I notice this I tell the people around me.
“They are retreating by using the poison.”
After hearing a few Palm Wind bursts around me the fog quickly dissipates. The fog is poisoned so I wave my hands to fan off the fog. Only then did the Sword Demon and the Pervert Demon reveal themselves nearby.
The Sword Demon shakes off the blood from the sword.
The Pervert Demon looks around with a frown and says.
“Where is Yong-myeong?”
Yong-myeong’s voice is heard from somewhere.
“I’m here.”
When I turn my head toward his voice Yong-myeong is wearing the assassin’s white clothes and standing up.
“….”
I ask.
“When did you get changed?”
“I changed earlier. I tried to approach the quarters but I failed.”
Only then did we check the floor.
Bodies with amputated or twisted limbs lay all over the floor. The number seems well over fifty.
I don’t know how they fought but the Sword Demon seems to have killed more than me.
When I look at the Sword Demon he retrieves his sword and says to me
“Wait a moment… Once your hearing returns check the surroundings and look out for poison. Don’t touch the bodies. They might explode.”
Come to think of it my ears are numb even if I can hear them talking.
Yong-myeong looking at the ground points in one direction after checking some bloodstains.
“They retreated this way. But there’s a high possibility that they’re luring us. They might be on standby. They are at a disadvantage because it is their main base.”
I look at the setting sun and say.
“These guys must be changing into black clothes. The night is coming soon.”
The Sword Demon asks me.
“Leader what should we do now?”
I look around Grey Ash Mountain and say.
“It is foolish to keep fighting when they are disadvantaged by the location. Let’s burn them all up for now.”
Yong-myeong replies in a rather surprised tone.
“We’re burning this place down?”
I nod.
“These guys have the Grey Ash Mountains under their control. This is a place no ordinary people can survive. Let’s burn it all down. All of it… I don’t intend to match the assassin’s pace.
The Pervert Demon looks at the Sword Demon.
“Since Leader and I have mastered Ice Technique I don’t mind if we set this place on fire.”
It means that we can arrange a retreat together.
The Sword Demon nods.
“Then let’s burn it all.”
Then the voice that first spoke to the Sword Demon and I spoke out once again.
“… Don’t go overboard…”
I yell back.
“Shut up you idiot! I couldn’t sleep well at night because of you guys. I’m killing you all for hindering my good night’s sleep. I’ll apologize to the mountain spirit later so you rats better stray into your corners and squeak like you used to. Idiots who don’t even know how to fight. I’m sure you’re applying poison somewhere. I thought you were great because you’re part of the Dark Shadow Squad…”
The Pervert Demon replies with a smile.
“Hey hillbilly. You have a great temper.”
Yong-myeong takes out a fire starter without saying much and lights the branches.
I smile and speak to the Four Flow Valley with an absurd look while the two start fires.
“All you can do is go into the dump and hold your breath. That’s what it is for assassins. Don’t you think Yong-myeong?”
Yong-myeong sighs.
“Patience is the virtue of assassins.”
“Yeah? It applies to the Four Flow Valley right?”
“Yes.”
“Wow when they decide ranks they go by who can hold their breath longest in the rat hole? Is that it? Do they become the king of assassins the longer they smell poop? But if you talk about poop you can’t beat Baekeungji’s Lord Mong. Speaking of this guy he’s had a history of shitting his pants….”
I am straying off-topic.
The Pervert Demon intervenes with a frown.
“Seriously but if you want to provoke the enemy then provoke the enemy. Why are you bringing me into this? Pick a struggle.”
“There are times when you go off-topic dumbass.”
“Every time he talks he’s always full of shit.”
“That’s me.”
Yong-myeong who is setting fire around the place then asks curiously.
“Did Lord Mong smear poop on his body?”
The Pervert Demon replies.
“Shut up.”
“I’m curious.”
Perhaps as he is bored he sets the Grey Ash Mountain on fire by throwing fire branches here and there.
I look at the spreading fire and then say.
“Dang I want to pee all of a sudden.”
This is how hard it is to get rid of the assassins.
But it’s okay.
You have to put up this much to beat those who hold out in the dumps.
I watch the burning flames and speak to the assassins of the Four Flow Valley in a serious tone.
“You will regret messing with the Low Down Sect Leader. It’s not until death’s door that you ah… you’re happy to wait in the dumps. I bet you will.”
It is an attack on the assassins and even the Sword Demon shakes his head at the ridiculous remark.
“Leader.”
“Yes?”
“I wouldn’t be able to stand it if I were them. You’re doing great. I’m hearing more nonsense today than in all the years I have stayed in Kangho. I’ve never had a fight like this.”
I nod approvingly at the Sword Demon’s civil words.
“I liked your honesty. Today there will be a feast of poop and pee. Let’s see who wins.”
