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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Zhuul Village
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"Run away."
Ma Jeon-gae whispered lowly to Dang Mujin. Even in those few words, the tremor in his voice was unmistakable.
"What about you two?"
"We have to fight."
"Can you win?"
"...I don't know."
There was no confidence in Ma Jeon-gae's voice. It was as if he could already sense defeat.
"How about we all run together? The old man in the village right now is a martial artist known as the Strange Physician. He's pretty famous."
"That's fortunate. If we join forces with the villagers, we might be able to drive these guys off. Hurry to the village and inform the physician."
From his lukewarm reaction, it seemed he had never heard the title "Strange Physician" before.
It was only natural, since he had spent nearly his entire life in Zhuul Village, which had only him and his disciple Hong Geolgae as martial artists.
"He's not just some ordinary martial artist. They say he's an absolute peak expert. If we can just make it to the village, we can survive."
"Physician Dang."
As he called out to Dang Mujin, Ma Jeon-gae glanced ahead.
The Ja-yang Twin Killers were creeping closer, weapons in hand.
"I'll be blunt. With Brother Jusam's and my skills, shaking off the Ja-yang Twin Killers won't be easy. Protecting you while fleeing would be even harder."
"But—"
"Physician Dang."
As Dang Mujin tried to persuade him again, Hong Geolgae cut in instead of Ma Jeon-gae, interrupting the conversation.
"I've lived off this village my whole life, but I've never felt ashamed. I always knew something like this might happen someday."
"What do you mean?"
"Beggars' Sect disciples fight for the villagers in exchange for the food they eat. And that time is now."
Hong Jusam said that, then shoved Dang Mujin hard.
"Go!"
Dang Mujin stumbled back, half-losing his balance.
That action seemed to ignite the spark, as the Ja-yang Twin Killers charged at Hong Geolgae and Ma Jeon-gae.
"Run? Like hell!"
"Grab him and kill him!"
Hong Geolgae and Ma Jeon-gae gripped their oak clubs and faced off against the Ja-yang Twin Killers.
"You think you can just pass through whenever you want?"
The fight began. But Dang Mujin was still backing away step by step.
It was a kind of inertia, a desire for survival.
The odds of survival were overwhelmingly higher if he fled straight to the village rather than jumping into the fray to help those two.
Dang Mujin's backward steps soon turned toward Zhuul Village, and before long, he was sprinting full tilt.
His heart pounded like a drum. He hadn't run far, but his breath was already coming in gasps. Huff, huff—
Dang Mujin's legs moved relentlessly for survival. His mind was a whirlwind. Thoughts bubbled up and vanished in cycles.
'If I run now, those two are definitely dead, right? Should I help?'
'But even if I go back now, I won't be much help. I've never learned any martial arts moves. All I know is qi circulation and breathing. I'd just get in the way.'
'But the Ja-yang Twin Killers didn't seem like that big a deal.'
'No. Don't think about other things. Run to the village as fast as possible and bring back the old man. If we're lucky, they might survive.'
Deep down, Dang Mujin knew.
It would take at least one or two incense sticks of time to run to Zhuul Village and come back.
And that was more than enough time for two men with oak clubs to be torn to shreds by metal weapons.
But in this moment, the desire to survive outweighed any worry for those two.
'I'm not running because I'm a coward. Ma Jeon-gae told me to go to the village. No, it wasn't a request—it might have been his dying wish. His last words asking me to save Zhuul Village...'
When you have to do something, there's only one reason.
But when rationalizing, you can easily come up with ten or more.
And ten reasons easily crush one.
The worry for Ma Jeon-gae and Hong Geolgae, the guilt any fleeing person would feel.
All those emotions faded bit by bit through various rationalizations. Dang Mujin ran diligently.
A moment later, Dang Mujin's steps slowed to a halt.
Huff, huff. Dang Mujin bent at the waist, gasping for breath.
'I've run far enough that even if the Ja-yang Twin Killers follow, I can survive.'
The emotion he felt now was relief. Dang Mujin found the overwhelming relief filling his chest utterly repulsive.
'This isn't why I left home.'
Seeing the world and learning medicine from the Strange Physician was nice, but above all, he wanted to learn martial arts. How many men never dream of becoming a martial arts master?
He might not become a famed figure like the Wudang's Immortal Protector or Shaolin's divine monk, but he wanted to be someone who could stand against injustice.
If he ran now, could he live proudly from here on?
No. He couldn't. Once a person bends once, they can bend twice, three times.
If he followed the Strange Physician and learned martial arts, he could learn how to swing a sword.
But the core would never change. The attitude of pulling back when it's dangerous, bending at the waist when afraid.
Yes. Now was not the time to run.
'If all three of us fight, we might win. Numbers matter.'
Dang Mujin hesitated, then turned around and started running back upstream.
'Let's go back. I'll watch from afar first, and if the fight's over, sneak away carefully.'
*
The way back felt strangely short.
If only it had been a bit farther. If only by the time I arrived, the fight was already over so I wouldn't have to join in—such thoughts crept into his mind.
'I wonder if this is the right thing to do.'
But no matter what his inner thoughts were, Dang Mujin didn't stop walking. What always matters is not the heart, but the action.
A moment later, Dang Mujin returned to the scene of the fight.
'I hear sounds.'
Dang Mujin hid behind a tree and surveyed the area.
In the distance, he could see people still standing.
Five in total. The Ja-yang Twin Killers, two Beggars' Sect disciples, and Yeom Physician.
'No one's dead yet.'
However, Ma Jeon-gae and Hong Geolgae were in bad shape.
Their clothes were stained red in multiple places from repeated strikes.
Hong Geolgae at least still held a weapon, but Ma Jeon-gae was completely empty-handed. Two broken pieces of club lay on the ground.
The Ja-yang Twin Killers, seeming to think victory was assured, circled Ma Jeon-gae and Hong Geolgae leisurely.
The man with the hand axe spun his weapon and spoke.
"Your vision must be getting blurry by now. How about giving up?"
"Nonsense!"
"Give up or not, it's the same. You'll just die a bit more painfully!"
The man with the hand axe swung at Ma Jeon-gae. Ma Jeon-gae rolled on the ground, throwing his body sideways to dodge the attacks several times. The man spat.
"Old man, you're so damn persistent."
The man's attacks continued. He attacked, and Ma Jeon-gae twisted his body every which way to evade. It looked utterly one-sided, as if roles were divided. A fight with no room for reversal.
But at one point, Ma Jeon-gae seemed to lose his mind and dove into the arms of the hand axe wielder.
Ma Jeon-gae wrapped his arms around the man's back, pinning his upper body, and tangled his legs with the opponent's.
"What the hell? Have you gone mad?"
Ma Jeon-gae's action hindered movement but didn't fully stop it. The man could still move his arms somewhat.
So the obvious move for the hand axe man was to chop down on Ma Jeon-gae's back.
Thud!
The hand axe buried into Ma Jeon-gae's back. Blood sprayed with the sound of flesh tearing.
Ma Jeon-gae's action was the worst of bad moves. If it had been a one-on-one fight.
"Hong Jusaaaaaan!"
Ma Jeon-gae spat blood and called Hong Geolgae's name.
Hong Geolgae ignored the swordsman he had been fighting and immediately turned, rushing toward Ma Jeon-gae.
He still gripped a thick wooden club. The Ja-yang Twin Killers instantly grasped the situation.
"Damn it!"
If the fight continued like this, only Ma Jeon-gae and Hong Geolgae would die, with the Ja-yang Twin Killers unscathed.
So Ma Jeon-gae's chosen method was to sacrifice his life to take one of them down with him. The price was Ma Jeon-gae's life. And probably Hong Geolgae's too.
Two lives for one. A losing deal by any measure, but better than taking none.
"Die, die!"
The hand axe man repeatedly chopped down on Ma Jeon-gae's back. Ma Jeon-gae's yellow clothes turned completely red.
But Ma Jeon-gae still wouldn't let go of the hand axe man. He gripped even tighter, with the strength of one defying death, making it hard for the man to swing his weapon freely.
"Uwaaaah!"
Hong Geolgae used his running momentum to swing the club with both hands. The target: the hand axe man's head.
But he couldn't be sure the strike would land. Behind Hong Geolgae, the Ja-yang swordsman was swinging his blade at Hong Geolgae's neck.
Would the sword slice Hong Geolgae's neck first? Or would the club smash the axe man's skull first? It looked like Hong Geolgae would meet death by a hair's breadth first.
In that instant, a fist-sized stone flew in and smashed into the swordsman's head.
"Urk!"
As the swordsman staggered from the sudden attack, Hong Geolgae's club accurately struck the axe man's head.
"Head-Striking Rod!"
Crack. Something broke, or perhaps shattered. The axe man's neck twisted at an odd angle, the light fading from his eyes.
The swordsman looked toward where the stone had come from.
There stood Dang Mujin. Frozen in the pose of having thrown the stone, awkward and unsteady.
"You bastard, didn't you run?"
"A man of the Dang family doesn't run!"
"Is that so? Then stay put and don't run!"
The Ja-yang swordsman charged at Dang Mujin.
'He's targeting me instead of Hong Geolgae?'
Dang Mujin hadn't thrown the stone without thinking.
He planned to reduce their numbers first, then land another blow in the gap while Hong Geolgae fought the swordsman.
But the swordsman's judgment was to deal with the seemingly easier prey, Dang Mujin, first.
Dang Mujin hurriedly scanned his surroundings. Not even a suitable stone or branch to use as a weapon.
Dang Mujin slipped his hand into his bosom. He felt the needle case.
'Can needles be used as weapons?'
Dang Mujin pulled out a needle and gripped it in one hand. With this many, maybe he could use them like a dagger.
The swordsman closed in right up to his nose. Terrifying. His head turned instinctively, eyes trying to squeeze shut.
But Dang Mujin forced his eyes wide open, staring at the opponent.
With such a skill gap already, closing his eyes meant dying without a twitch.
The swordsman swung his blade at chest height. As Dang Mujin recoiled to dodge.
Clang—
The sound of metal clashing rang out. Someone from beside Dang Mujin thrust a sword, blocking the swordsman's attack.
'Who is it?'
Dang Mujin turned to look beside him. There stood the Strange Physician. With a relaxed expression, no less.
"I wondered where you'd gone. You came pretty far."
"Old man!"
"Blood's splattering. Step aside for a moment."
The Strange Physician pushed Dang Mujin to the side.
The next instant, the Strange Physician's arm blurred, and the Ja-yang swordsman's head flew into the air.