Reaper of the Drifting Moon - Chapter 169

The moment the old man stepped forward, the air inside the guest house changed.

The already tense air heated up even more as if it was about to burst.

A vigilant look appeared in Hwangbo Chiseung’s eyes.

Just confronting the old man made his nerves as sharp as a knife. His body felt a sense of crisis and responded in turn.

When the old man was still behind Yeo Hwa-young, he didn’t feel any flow of qi from the old man. It was as if the old man didn’t exist.

But the moment he stepped forward, his qi pressed down the warriors of the Heavenly Silver Marketplace with overwhelming pressure.

‘Master!’

Hwangbo Chiseung realized that the old man was a master at a level that could not be easily seen.

He spoke to the old man with respect,

“This junior is Hwangbo Chiseung. May I know this senior’s name?”

“I’m Ak Chusan.”

“Ak… chusan. The Lion Sword?”

Hwangbo Chiseung’s eyes widened without realizing it.

Lion Sword, Ak Chusan.1

He was one of the top masters in Jianghu.

Although the eleven superpowers is represented by Two Factions, Three Clans, Three Packs and Three Manors, it is said that Ak Chusan is a step lower than the Eight Constellation and Three Saints. Still, the majority of Jianghu’s opinion was that the difference is not that big.

The fact that his name was compared mentioned along the likes of the Eight Constellations and the Three Saints was proof that Ak Chusan was great.

The Lion King’s Sword,2 which unfolds with one attack, has earned a reputation as one of the strongest. In terms of power alone, everyone acknowledged that it is one of the top ten techniques in the world.

Hwangbo Chiseung could not hide his nervousness.

“What brings senior here?”

They did not expect Ak Chusan to appear here. As far as they know, he had no contact with the Bamboo Sea clan.

So the old man being with Yeo Hwa-young confused him.

“I have a little connection with this child’s master. I couldn’t refuse her request.”‘

“Then—”

“What are you going to do now? Are you going to keep pressuring this child?”

“Senior, I didn’t mean to pressure her!”

“Everything your master does not feel like pressure to his subordinates. I don’t think you’re unaware of that.”

“Well…”

Hwangbo Chiseung’s face hardened.

Because Ak Chusan’s words had a point.

Hwa Ok-gi stepped forward and said,

“Senior, I am Hwa Ok-gi of the Heavenly Silver Marketplace. This is an issue for me and Lady Yeo to solve, so why don’t you just watch for a little bit?”

“You’re a coward.”

“What?”

“What do you mean you’re going to solve the problem with just the two of you when you’re with your subordinates like this? No way. You don’t think that’s fair, do you?”

“That…”

Hwa Ok-gi’s face turned red.

He couldn’t think of a proper excuse.

He became embarrassed.

That was then.

“How dare you go against our Lord?!”

A man behind Hwangbo Chiseung burst into rage, saying that the person in front of them was a crazy old man.

Unlike Hwangbo Chiseung, he was a warrior who had been serving Hwa Ok-gi for a long time. When he saw his master being criticized by Ak Chusan, his eyes turned and he cursed.

In an instant, Ak Chusan’s eyes widened.

“What did you just say?”

“I said crazy old man.”

Hwa Ok-gi freaked out and tried to stop him.

“No—!”

Shiak!

A terrifying blast rang out faster than his voice.

Bang!

The walls of the guest house exploded.

The man who told Ak Chusan that he was a crazy old man only had his lower body left.

His upper body has completely disappeared.

After witnessing the formidable swordsmanship that was capable of destroying an opponent’s upper body in a single attack, the Heavenly Silver Marketplace’s warriors retreated.

Only then did they realized how terrifying the old man in front of them was.

Everyone stepped back, but Hwangbo Chiseung couldn’t.

Although he sold himself money, he was a very proud warrior. If he steps back in fear of Ak Chusan’s martial arts, no one will hire him anymore.

He was really reluctant to fight a master like Ak Chusan, but as he goes through life, he is bound to encounter moments from which he can not back down.

Now was that moment.

Hwangbo Chiseung blocked the front Hwa Ok-gi and said,

“Get out first.”

“But–”

“It seems that Lord Ak is very angry. I don’t think we can solve this by talking.”

An intense energy was radiating from Ak Chusan’s whole body.

Ak Chusan was never a broad-minded or generous person.

His nickname, Lion Sword, was given to him because his strong martial arts, and not because he was a great person.

He had a fiery temper that could not tolerate even the slightest insult.

“Where do you think you’re going? A subordinate’s mistake is a master’s mistake. Shouldn’t you take responsibility for it?”

Ak Chusan vented his anger at Hwa Ok-gi.

Hwa Ok-gi’s face turned white.

If he takes the energy of a master at the same level as Ak Chusan head-on, it was bound to inflict serious damage to his mind.

Hwangbo Chiseung went in front of Hwa Ok-gi and said,

“Lord Hwa has nothing to do with this. You’ll have to get through me first.”

“You overestimate yourself too much. Do you think you can stand your ground against me just because you’ve gained a little bit of fame in Jianghu?”

“How can a junior have such a thought? I just hope that today’s fight will be limited to a confrontation with this junior.”

“Does that mean you’re going to take full responsibility?”

“That’s right.”

“Your spirit is great. I hope that you have the ability to follow your spirit.”

“I will do my best not to disappoint you.”

Hwangbo Chiseung raised his qi.

Huuung!

A powerful energy rose from his whole body.

Hwangbo Sega has long been famous for his cultivation method.

In particular, the Three Fists of the Heavenly King contained Hwangbo Sega’s essence for hundreds of years.

Hwangbo Chiseung only focused in learning the Three Fists of the Heavenly King. But even after spending most of his time in meditation, he has yet to achieve great success.

This is because the main structure of the Three Fists of the Heavenly King was lost when the family fell.

If Hwangbo Chiseung had a dream, it was to completely restore the Three Fists of the Heavenly King before he dies.

‘I’ll have to survive before that, but now…’

Ak Chusan’s eyes were not serious.

Hwangbo Chiseung went out of the guest house. He didn’t want to cause any more damage to the said place.

Ak Chusan followed him.

A few moments later, there was an explosion.

Gwaang!

The two men clashed.

People who had been terrified until just a moment ago rushed out of the guest house.

“Who do you think will win?”

“Of course, it would be Lord Ak. Lord Hwangbo is great, but how can he dare compare himself against the Lion Sword?”

“I’ll bet Lord Ak will win in twenty seconds.”

“But what if he managed to hold out for thirty seconds?”

People even wagered on the match between the two.

At the sight of such people, Yeo Hwa-young had a disillusioned expression on her face.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime problem for her to decide whether or not her clan would survive, but they saw and treat it as a mere bet.

‘After all the contribution of Bamboo Sea clan to Enshi, how can they treat us like this?’

She thought the people of the world were too heartless.

Her affection for everyone in Enshi dropped.

At that moment, a person different from the people around her came into Yeo Hwa-young’s sight.

He was sitting in front of a table with his face half covered with a scarf. Among the people in the guest house, only one person was still on his seat, unbothered.

If it were in the past, she wouldn’t have spared him a glance, but since she was fed up with the feeling of betrayal, he strangely caught her eye.

Yeo Hwa-young approached the man and talked to him.

“Don’t you want to see them fight?”

The man raised his head and looked at Yeo Hwa-young.

For a moment, Yeo Hwa-young felt an eerie feeling.

Because the man’s eyes were different from the other people she knew.

There was no hint of any emotion in his jet-black eyes. It was absolutely impossible to read his emotions and thoughts through his eyes.

What puzzled her more than anything else was that she occasionally saw a soft red light in his black eyes. So he appeared even more mysterious.

The man was Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol looked straight at Yeo Hwa-young and said,

“I’m already watching them.”

“What?”

“You don’t have to see to know everything.”

Yeo Hwa-young thought Pyo-wol was making fun of her. Because it was something she couldn’t understand.

But Pyo-wol was telling the truth.

Although the wall was blocking the view, it could not completely block the wave of qi.

He could feel Ak Chusan and Hwangbo Chiseung’s qi swirling and colliding against each other.

Both of them were clashing with no intention of hiding their own qi.

In Pyo-wol’s head, the image of two people fighting was being reconstructed. Through the flow of qi, he could imagining the movement of two people in his head.

This was Pyo-wol’s first time experiencing this. So, if possible, he wanted to focus on this sensation.

However, Yeo Hwa-young did not let him concentrate.

“You a lot of confidence. Does that mean you have that much ability?”

“Think as you please.”

“Can I see your face?”

Yeo Hwa-young was genuinely curious about Pyo-wol’s face hidden under his scarf. However, Pyo-wol flatly turned a blind eye to her wishes.

“My face is not a spectacle.”

“You’re heartless.”

“You have no manners.”

“I apologize for being rude. Let me know your name instead. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable request.”

“Pyo-wol.”

“That’s a good name. My name is Yeo Hwa-young. If you need a place to turn to, you can always come to the Bamboo Sea clan.”

Knowing that Yeo Hwa-young’s offer was just said out of courtesy, Pyo-wol didn’t bother answering.

Bang!

At that moment, a loud roar resounded from outside.

‘He won.’

Someone won.

And Pyo-wol already knew who had won.

Hwangbo Chiseung’s qi had completely disappeared, while Ak Chusan’s qi was still ferocious and alive.

Pyo-wol got up from his seat and came out of the guest house. Yeo Hwa-young also went out with him.

“Wow! As expected, it’s Lion Sword.”

“He finished the fight in twenty-five seconds. That’s amazing.”

People cheered for the winner.

The one who stood with a natural expression and enjoyed the winner’s right was Ak Chusan.

Ak Chusan looked at the people surrounding him with his hands on his back.

Hwangbo Chiseung was in front of him on his knees with his head lowered. His left shoulder was missing. Ak Chusan’s sword had cut his arm at a shoulder distance.

Hwangbo Chiseung, who lost his arm, the lifeblood of an warrior, was filled with despair.

For a warrior who uses martial arts like Hwangbo Chiseung, it was fatal to lose one arm.

Not only would he would find it to difficult to balance his body, he would also find it impossible to exert his martial art’s original power.

Even if his wounds healed, it was impossible for him to recover his martial arts prowess.

He could have stopped by giving his opponent a lesson, but Ak Chusan severed Hwangbo Chiseung’s arm. It was to show off his authority.

Yeo Hwa-young had no intention of blaming Ak Chusan.

It was time to show the Heavenly Silver Marketplace, who is constantly invading their territory, that the Bamboo Sea clan is still alive.

Hwangbo Chiseung was a scapegoat.

This way, the Heavenly Silver Marketplace will be alert and will not be able to treat Bamboo Sea clan recklessly.

She looked around.

Hwa Ok-gi and his subordinates were already nowhere to be found. They must have realized the situation was unfavorable for them, so they returned to Heavenly Silver Marketplace ahead.

Yeo Hwa-young said to Ak Chu-san,

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Ak Chusan nodded and followed Yeo Hwa-young.

The people who watched the fight went back one by one, leaving only Hwangbo Chiseung and Pyo-wol on the street.

Cwaaa!

The rain poured down.

Hwangbo Chiseung’s body was instantly wet because of the rain.

Still, he didn’t move.

He could not return to Heavenly Silver Marketplace. His life as a warrior had already ended, and Hwa Ok-gi had already abandoned him.

‘Where should I go?’

Hwangbo Chiseung raised his head with despairing eyes.

In front of him stood a man looking down on him with indifferent eyes.