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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: A Hero with One Sword (2)
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Before noon the next day, I was already standing atop the platform. The eyes of the crowd, who had flocked to watch my duel with Luju, all turned toward me in unison.
The rumors had spread throughout Xining, swelling the audience far beyond yesterday's numbers. People were even placing bets everywhere on whether Luju would show up.
If I'd been in the crowd, I would've bet my entire fortune that he would.
Just before noon, the Pavilion Master of Fallen Ghosts Pavilion finally arrived at the front of the platform, his underlings in tow.
"You Yi Sowol?"
He strutted in with about twenty men at his back, brimming with arrogance. Trying to seize the initiative in front of all these spectators, no doubt.
"And you're the fat, brainless Luju who bulked up on money scammed from the common folk?"
Giggling rippled through the crowd. Looked like I'd won the momentum.
Luju's face twisted into a savage scowl. His already bandit-like mug looked twice as ugly now, downright hideous.
With his reddish hair, thick beard, and pitch-black tanned skin, he resembled a wild boar.
I'd never seen this guy's face in my previous life.
The moment the Demonic Cult stormed Xining, he'd grabbed all the "protection" money he'd extorted and fled first like the pathetic coward he was. Even if Dongcheol hadn't died, I would've killed this bastard with my own hands someday.
And beside him stood a familiar face. Luju's right-hand man—Haun, was it?
That guy at least had some conscience. After Luju fled, he'd led the remaining underlings against the Demonic Cult. In the end, the cult lost some lives to their blades, buying the townsfolk a little time to evacuate.
That was why not everyone in Fallen Ghosts Pavilion got wiped out in my previous life—Haun seemed like a decent sort.
"Hey, Luju. Don't throw away your men's lives pointlessly. If you're man enough, come up here alone like you should. I'd love to kill you all, but I'm holding back."
With provocation like that, his pride as boss should drag him up here solo.
I planned to spare Haun, at least. Someone had to rebuild Fallen Ghosts Pavilion after Luju bit the dust.
"Pavilion Master, don't fall for that taunt. Let me go first..."
Embarrassed by his idiot underlings, Luju waved them off and strode up onto the platform.
"Thousand Blood Ghost Blade Gu Yeom."
"Proud of slaughtering a thousand? What a nickname."
Of course, I got called Blood Demon after killing thirty thousand, but I never went around advertising it myself—that made it different.
"You fucking bastard."
Luju drew the massive blade slung across his back, as big as he was, and swung it straight at my side. What a hot-tempered pig.
Against an ordinary foe, that huge cleaver would've ended the fight in one clash without them even blocking.
Bang!
But I drew my sword right there and smacked his giant blade aside, slamming it into the ground.
Brute force without skill can't defy the flow. Pinpoint the trajectory's center with minimal effort, and deflecting an attack like that is child's play.
I swung for his neck next, but Luju dodged back faster than he looked, a single drop of blood trickling from where my blade grazed him.
"Not bad for a pavilion master—better than the rest."
Maybe he'd never been blocked head-on before, because Luju's face drained pale as he broke into a cold sweat.
"What trick did you pull?"
"Trick my ass. Think you're hot shit? All brawn and no brains."
If not for this Invincible reputation, I'd have beheaded him already. I almost missed the days when they called me Mad Dog or Blood Demon.
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"He got lucky blocking the first strike, but things change now."
Luju slammed his massive blade into the ground. Then he closed his eyes, focusing his mind. Some eerie technique? No—he started channeling qi into the blade right there.
This lunatic wasn't prepping a finishing move with the enemy right in front of him?
I could charge and cut him down effortlessly while he was wide open. Damn this title of mine.
"Saber... saber qi!"
"Lord Luju's saber qi is finally out!"
His underlings cheered wildly.
Made sense—this backwater wouldn't see saber qi often.
In the jianghu, talk of "sword qi masters" was common, making sword or saber qi a benchmark of prowess.
But manifesting qi isn't hard with enough inner energy. The trick is controlling and wielding it, so real combat masters with qi are rare.
Among top-tier experts, qi clashes could decide fights, but usually not. It drained focus and energy, potentially backfiring like a double-edged sword.
Besides, this Luju was barely first-rate at best. Even with spirit pills boosting his qi, he wasn't saber-qi level.
His qi flow looked unstable at a glance—maintaining it would exhaust him.
"Take this!!"
Convinced his qi-wrapped self was invincible, he hoisted the huge blade high and charged. Sloppy, amateurish.
But qi was qi, low-level or not. Blocking bare steel would've snapped my sword.
Dodging by breaking Invincible didn't sit right, though.
Clang!
After agonizing, I countered with my own sword qi, meeting his blade head-on.
"What?!"
Too early to be shocked. Since I'd gone this far, time to show everyone why I was Blood Demon, not Sword Fiend or Mad Demon.
💥 Blood Heaven Asura Art 💥
Heaven-Destroying Chaotic Slash
Dozens of crimson lines bloomed across Luju's body and massive blade. Moments later, pitch-black sword qi traced them, carving clean cuts.
Splat!
The blade shattered into scrap, scattering across the ground. Luju didn't even leave a corpse—just a red spray bursting everywhere.
The Fallen Ghosts Pavilion goons in the crowd stared at me, trembling in terror, drenched in their boss's blood.
"Luju's dead! Anyone seeking revenge, come up here—I'll face you all!"
I raised my sword high and roared. The crowd stared silently for a moment, then erupted in cheers.
"Yi Sowol! Yi Sowol! Yi Sowol!"
The name of a slum beggar echoed through Xining's bustling streets.
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In the end, no one climbed the platform.
They knew it'd be suicide, but still—with their leader dead, not one stepped up?
"Hey, you there. You seem like the number two. No revenge?"
I called out to Haun, the only one staring straight at me while the others averted their eyes.
"I have a duty to protect my remaining brothers. I can't die."
Good eyes.
The gaze of a man with something to protect.
"Not worried I'll slaughter you all right here?"
"If that was the plan, you'd have done it already. There's a reason you spared us, right?"
Sharp, too.
"Follow me."
I led the remnants of Fallen Ghosts Pavilion out of the crowd.
I wasn't killing them all, nor shouldering their gang myself—better to dump it on someone else.
"Do you know why your idiot boss died?"
"Shut your mouth."
Thud.
I grabbed Haun's head and smashed it into the wall.
"Pavilion Master!"
"Suicidal? That's why your boss died—with underlings like you."
I released him, and Haun lunged, grabbing my collar.
"Then what should we do? Think we wanted this life? We clawed from the bottom just to survive..."
Slap.
I backhanded his cheek.
"Better to die than scrape by stealing from others. Think your victims were few? And you want understanding after that?"
Understanding was a luxury for scum like them.
"Listen up. You're Pavilion Master now. First, kick out all the idiots. Shrink the gang, stop that bullshit protection racket. Earn honestly—how long you gonna leech off others?"
"...Got it."
He accepted surprisingly readily.
"Good. If I hear of Fallen Ghosts Pavilion thugs causing trouble, you'll follow your old boss first. Clear?"
"How long to clean up?"
Hadn't thought that far.
"Seven days from now. No change by then, and you all die by my hand—not just you."
Haun nodded.
A bit slow, but not hopeless—should be fine for now.
"Oh, and send men to scour every inn nearby. Report any that recently hired a young out-of-town woman."
Might as well offload the grunt work.
"Where to report? Don't know where you stay."
"I'll check in regularly. See you often."
Their faces soured like rotten apples—hilarious.
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"I'm back."
I returned to the inn with Wolhyang and Taeu.
Previous night, fearing assassins, I'd camped nearby—two days since last here?
No assassins came, just crows pecking me to death all night. Nearly wiped them out in rage.
"We waited, brother!"
Wolhyang appeared brighter and more radiant, leaping into my arms as always. Just a change of ragged clothes and a bath made her glossy brown hair seem to glow on its own.
And trailing behind her was... a woman?
"No way—you're Taeu?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. That weird...?"
Utterly transformed, Taeu shyly looked away.
Tamed wild hair, scrubbed-clean pale skin—she no longer looked boyish, passing for a refined young lady from a good family.
"Not weird at all. Suits you perfectly."
"Really? Phew, thought it'd be awkward as hell."
Seeing her relieved sigh, I felt how much brighter our lives had become, matching her change.
Just two days ago, we'd scraped by in the slums, future bleak.
No more dust dimming our light.
"Brother, eaten? Dinner first?"
"Sure. Let's eat out, the three of..."
My mind suddenly reeled.
Using sword qi for that technique had been too much after all.
Strength ebbed from my body as I slumped against Wolhyang's shoulder.
"Brother!!"
"Sowol!"
Tried to say I was fine, but my mouth wouldn't move. Eyes grew heavy.
Wolhyang's shocked face filled my vision. With that, darkness claimed me.