Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 54

054. Encounter, A Chance Meeting

‘This is a mess.’

Surrounded by bandits, Unhyun thought he was in serious trouble.

He even thought that a club might have been better than a sword, but what could he do when his body instinctively dodged the obvious attacks?

‘Besides, I don’t even have a wooden sword right now…….’

If he had a wooden sword, he might have been able to hold out, but he didn’t even have a decent stick.

‘Not preparing in advance was a mistake.’

Unhyun couldn’t help but feel regretful. But what’s gone is gone.

“Hiyaaa!”

With a shout, a large sword flew towards Unhyun.

Unhyun quickly moved his body back, dodging the first attack.

But as if waiting for him, another sword flew in from behind.

Whoosh.

He twisted his body to avoid the second attack as well.

However, the recklessly swung swords and clubs had no style or swordsmanship, so Unhyun couldn’t predict the two clubs flying from behind.

Swoosh.

Feeling the momentum from behind, Unhyun immediately twisted his body and unconsciously waved his hand.

If he had a wooden sword in his hand, he would have naturally fended off the opponent’s club.

But now Unhyun had no sword.

Thwack.

“Kugh!”

A groan escaped from Unhyun’s lips.

He dodged one club, but failed to dodge the other.

Unhyun staggered and stepped back.

Although he wasn’t hit directly, Unhyun’s face was distorted with pain.

“You little punk, you should have listened when we were talking nicely.”

The bandits surrounding him began to wear sly smiles again.

“Scholars never listen to others, even though they have nothing to show for it.”

“Boss, I’m going to mess him up today. Don’t stop me.”

As if they had the upper hand, the bandits became talkative again.

In particular, the bandit who had missed Unhyun three times and tumbled on the ground clenched his club, grinding his teeth.

“Hold on. The boss should start first.”

The bandit with the large sword said arrogantly and slowly approached Unhyun.

“You’ll only be half-dead at most, so don’t worry too much. Understand?”

However, Unhyun had no intention of being ‘only’ half-dead.

Unhyun quietly regulated his breathing and tensed his entire body.

He was waiting for a chance to counterattack.

‘Just a little more…….’

His stance alone was flawlessly learned from the White Strike [a martial arts technique].

The problem was that he had no practical experience.

If he rashly attempted an attack, he would not only fail but also not be able to seize another opportunity.

Therefore, Unhyun waited for the opponent to enter his range.

If he succeeded with just one blow, he could somehow manage by taking the opponent’s sword.

“Haa!”

With a loud shout, the bandit swung his sword.

Whooosh.

Just as Unhyun was about to unleash the White Strike at the approaching blade.

‘Huh!’

Sensing a chilling sensation, Unhyun immediately lowered his body.

Clang.

“Kyak.”

With a scream, the bandit clutched his hand.

The sword that had been rushing towards Unhyun was knocked far away, and blood flowed from the bandit’s clenched hand.

“Wh, what!”

The bandits were flustered by the sudden event and shouted in unison.

“You bastard! What did you do…….”

It was when they were shouting at Unhyun.

Whooosh.

Someone appeared behind the bandits.

There was no time to recognize them.

The person, dressed in white martial robes from head to toe, swept past the bandits like the wind.

Swish.

“Aaaagh!”

Blood splattered, and the swords and clubs in the bandits’ hands fell to the ground.

The bandits, with cuts on their hands and arms, quickly lost their ability to resist.

However, the person in white was not satisfied with that.

The moment his sword was about to slash through the air again, Unhyun shouted urgently.

“Stop!”

Thud.

At Unhyun’s word, everyone’s movements stopped as if by magic.

Seeing the blue blade stopped in front of a bandit’s neck, Unhyun breathed a sigh of relief.

If he had shouted even a little later, the bandit’s head would have already been rolling on the ground.

“Thank you for your help. But please don’t take their lives.”

Unhyun spoke politely, but the person, who had his face covered with white cloth up to his eyes, didn’t move.

Rather, he glared at Unhyun, emitting a murderous aura.

“Stop it.”

A clear voice was heard from somewhere.

‘Huh?’

Everyone, including Unhyun, and even the bandit with the sword to his neck, turned their heads without realizing it.

Clatter.

A large, ornately decorated carriage stood in the middle of the main road.

Unhyun, as well as the bandits, blinked, not knowing what was going on, but the person in white lightly kicked off the ground.

Tap.

He leaped at once and landed next to the carriage. The gleaming blade had already disappeared into its sheath.

“Oh, my god…….”

The bandits couldn’t hide their surprise at the sight. To them, it looked like he was flying.

Of course, Unhyun had seen this level of leaping in the Golden Uniform Guard [elite imperial soldiers], so he wasn’t particularly impressed.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

A clear voice suddenly flowed from inside the carriage.

“I’m fine.”

Unhyun quickly replied. The voice was clearly speaking to Unhyun.

“They have already lost their will to fight. How about just letting them go?”

The words were certainly unexpected.

The bandits blinked and glanced at Unhyun.

A moment of silence passed.

Soon, a cold voice flowed from inside the carriage.

“Leave.”

Unlike before, the voice was cold and chilling.

“I won’t forgive you next time.”

The bandits trembled without realizing it at the chilling aura.

“Go quickly. Hurry!”

At Unhyun’s urging, the bandits seemed to come to their senses and began to move.

They quickly left the scene, clutching their bleeding hands and arms.

Once they were far enough away, Unhyun finally sighed and bowed politely towards the carriage.

“Thank you so much for your help.”

The man in white martial robes stared intently at Unhyun, who was bowing politely.

Even as the bandits left, his gaze did not leave Unhyun.

Click.

With a small sound, the carriage door opened.

The person who had covered his face looked at the carriage as if surprised, and a small white shoe peeked out of the carriage.

Spat, spat.

A delicate woman stepped out of the carriage with a small sound, as if stepping on snow.

“I’m glad I could be of help.”

The woman, like a white snowflake, smiled softly and spoke.

But Unhyun didn’t hear it.

He was captivated by her beautiful appearance.

There were many palace women with outstanding looks in the Forbidden City [the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty].

But the woman in front of him was different and special from anyone else.

Perhaps it was because of the white clothes?

The woman who stepped out of the carriage looked as noble and beautiful as a snowflake blooming in the snow.

‘Ah.’

The sharp gaze felt from the side awakened Unhyun, who had been lost in thought.

“Ah, no. No, that’s…….”

Unhyun stammered. He hadn’t heard what she had said just now.

A faint smile crossed the woman’s lips at Unhyun’s flustered appearance.

“You seem to be a scholar, but what brings you to such a remote place?”

“I, I was on my way to Hangzhou, but I took a wrong turn in the middle…….”

As Unhyun answered, he suddenly felt something strange.

He realized that her pronunciation was somehow awkward.

It wasn’t particularly grating, but the tone was slightly different.

“Hangzhou, that’s a coincidence.”

A different light shone in her eyes. The same was true for the person in white.

“We happen to be going to Hangzhou as well. But…….”

A slight smile crossed her face.

“Did you just say you took a wrong turn?”

If Unhyun had taken a wrong turn, they must have taken a wrong turn as well.

It was natural for the woman to ask again, but Unhyun simply nodded blankly.

In fact, Unhyun didn’t even know why he was nodding.

***

“I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble.”

Clatter, clatter.

Inside the running carriage, Unhyun expressed his gratitude politely.

Despite speeding along the rough main road, the carriage didn’t shake much.

It was partly due to the coachman’s great skill, but the carriage itself seemed to be very well made.

Besides, the inside of the carriage was quite large, so even if three more people were sitting there besides Unhyun, it didn’t feel cramped at all.

“It’s nothing. We were lost anyway.”

The beautiful woman in white clothes replied in a quiet voice.

She didn’t reveal her name.

Unhyun, who had revealed his name first, felt awkward, but he couldn’t ask any further because it seemed like there was a reason.

He was just glad that they had given him a ride to the nearest village.

Trickle.

The young lady next to the beautiful woman in white poured tea into a small cup.

It was the first time Unhyun had seen tea in a running carriage, so he watched the young lady’s movements with interest.

“The water here is a bit rough.”

The beautiful woman in white said as she raised the small teacup, as if asking for understanding.

At those words, Unhyun could be sure that they were not from this place.

“You seem to be from far away, but may I ask where you are from?”

At that moment, the sharp gaze of the warrior in white martial robes flew towards Unhyun.

However, the beautiful woman in white replied in a soft voice.

“We came from the Northern Sea.”

“The Northern Sea?”

Unhyun tilted his head.

The beautiful woman in white’s eyes took on a different light, as if the reaction was quite unexpected.

“The Northern Sea Ice Palace.”

“Ah!”

Only then did Unhyun nod. He had heard of the name Northern Sea Ice Palace.

“I heard it’s very cold there…….”

The beautiful woman in white smiled slightly at Unhyun’s words.

But the smile was perfunctory.

“It’s cold, but not so cold that plants can’t grow. Of course, it’s not as good as here, but it’s quite warm in the summer.”

“Ah, I see.”

Unhyun nodded.

“Excuse me…….”

Click.

Just as Unhyun was about to say something more, the beautiful woman in white raised the teacup to her lips.

It was clear that she didn’t want to talk anymore, so Unhyun swallowed his words.

‘Hoo…….’

Unhyun sighed inwardly.

It wasn’t because he regretted not being able to talk to a stunning beauty.

It was because the moment he heard the words ‘Northern Sea Ice Palace,’ an enormous curiosity arose.

But Unhyun had to force himself to hold back the words that had come up to his throat, fearing that he might be seen as pestering her.

Clatter, clatter.

Unhyun glanced at the warrior in white martial robes.

In fact, Unhyun’s interest was now focused on this warrior in white martial robes rather than the beauty.

He hadn’t realized it earlier because he was in a hurry, but his swordsmanship was quite unique.

The unique swordsmanship had captured Unhyun’s interest.

Besides, it was the Northern Sea Ice Palace, so Unhyun’s curiosity could only grow.

Clatter, clatter.

‘Hmm.’

After hesitating for a long time, Unhyun couldn’t overcome his curiosity and finally opened his mouth.

“Excuse me…….”

Thump.

Just as Unhyun was about to speak, the carriage shook quite violently.

Perhaps there was a deep pit in the main road, which caused Unhyun’s words to be cut off.

‘Oh, dear.’

A look of dismay appeared on Unhyun’s face.