Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 291

291. You Shouldn’t Live Like That

“Euhahahahaha!”

Jo Gwan frowned, covering his ears against the echoing laughter that seemed to twist his mind inside out.

Even Jin Ye-rim and Hang Jang-ik, along with those already conversing, visibly distorted their faces in discomfort.

Flap, flap.

A middle-aged man, his flamboyant clothes fluttering, descended slowly.

He wore red silk robes embroidered with golden patterns, held himself with a relaxed posture, hands clasped behind his back, and possessed sharp eyes as eerie as a snake.

Thud.

He landed lightly on the floor.

“It’s been a while,” he said to Unhyun, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling light.

He projected the dignified and relaxed air of a high-ranking official, yet a palpable murderous intent emanated from his gaze.

“It has been a while,” Unhyun replied, his face stiff.

“Iron-Blooded Death King, or should I call you the Lord of the League of Heroes now?”

Jo Gwan and his party exchanged astonished glances.

The middle-aged man before them was none other than Yeom Jung-bu, one of the Hwanwoo Five Heavens [a group of highly skilled martial artists] and the Lord of the League of Heroes, the Iron-Blooded Death King himself!

“Huhu.”

Yeom Jung-bu chuckled, his gaze sweeping over Jo Gwan’s party standing behind Unhyun.

“…Officials.”

Jo Gwan’s expression hardened.

They were in plain clothes, attempting to conceal their identities.

But Yeom Jung-bu had recognized them as officials with a single glance.

“How did you know?” Unhyun asked, preempting Jo Gwan.

If their secrets had been compromised, the situation was dire.

“Officials have a distinct, unpleasant smell. They probably don’t even realize it themselves,” Yeom Jung-bu said dismissively.

Unhyun wasn’t fooled by the casual explanation.

“That can’t be all. You are, by nature, a cautious person.”

“Yes, it’s not,” Yeom Jung-bu admitted readily, much to Unhyun’s surprise.

He fixed his gaze intently on Unhyun.

“…Well done.”

The remark seemed out of place.

But Yeom Jung-bu laughed as if privy to some hidden truth.

“It must have been a very painful mistake for Mun Wang [a high-ranking official]. He laughed heartily when he saw you running away, but in reality, he was unknowingly signing his own death warrant.”

Unhyun remained silent, unable to decipher Yeom Jung-bu’s cryptic words.

“Hmph, are you pretending not to know? I already know that you were responsible for crippling Mun Wang in the court, cutting off all his limbs.”

Not only Unhyun but also Jo Gwan’s eyes widened in surprise and understanding.

It was now clear that Yeom Jung-bu was referring to the recent, significant power shifts within the court.

It also explained why he had identified Jo Gwan as an official; he believed Unhyun was the mastermind behind these changes and that the officials were present to protect him.

“Keul keul keul.”

Yeom Jung-bu chuckled, staring directly at Unhyun.

“Yes, I already knew,” he said, his gaze unwavering.

“That you would definitely return here.”

Yeom Jung-bu’s eyes burned with undisguised greed.

Unhyun responded calmly, masking the turmoil within.

“So you buried the dead here to mark the spot and had people watch over it.”

“That’s right.”

Upon arriving, Unhyun had sensed watchful eyes.

He also noticed someone discreetly vanish.

The message was clear: someone had been surveilling the area, waiting for his return, ever since that day.

There were two likely candidates: Mun Wang’s Three Great Images [elite bodyguards] or the Iron-Blooded Death King Yeom Jung-bu.

But it wasn’t the surveillance that truly agitated Unhyun.

“Why were you waiting for me?”

“Because I value you,” Yeom Jung-bu said with a grin.

“Yes, to the extent that I bothered to take care of a guy lying here covered in blood, simply because he was connected to you.”

A heavy weight settled in Unhyun’s heart.

His eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.

Biting his lip, Unhyun managed to speak.

“Is he… alive?”

Agitation surged through him once more.

A sliver of hope flickered in his chest.

But the answer was cruelly definitive.

“No.”

Yeom Jung-bu’s smile turned bitter.

“His chest was crushed, and his heart was shattered. Even a god…”

His words mocked Unhyun’s desperate hope.

“There’s no way to save someone like that.”

A terrible emptiness washed over Unhyun.

He knew it was futile, yet he couldn’t suppress the profound sense of loss, as if the ground had given way beneath him.

Faint.

Unhyun gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, battling the wave of grief.

Yeom Jung-bu observed him with a curious expression.

‘That bastard.’

He relished witnessing Unhyun’s emotional torment.

But he didn’t neglect to scrutinize Unhyun with his sharp eyes.

‘What happened? Did he really lose all his inner strength?’

Yeom Jung-bu had witnessed In Tae-sang crushing Unhyun’s dantian [energy center].

Though he hadn’t overheard their conversation, the outcome was evident from the devastating technique.

Indeed, Unhyun exuded no discernible energy.

Even now, amidst such intense emotional turmoil.

‘If so…’

Yeom Jung-bu licked his lips, a predatory glint in his eyes.

Perhaps he stood to gain even more than he had anticipated.

“…His body,” Unhyun’s voice trembled, yet it was surprisingly cold and controlled.

“Where is it?”

Unhyun’s icy gaze locked onto Yeom Jung-bu.

With a relaxed demeanor, Yeom Jung-bu replied, “He’s doing well. He even looks like he’s still alive at first glance.”

His words were a deliberate barb, twisting the knife in Unhyun’s heart.

But Unhyun’s expression remained unchanged, which irritated Yeom Jung-bu.

“Now that I think about it, it’s a good thing. Even if not….”

Whoosh.

A chilling murderous intent began to emanate from the Iron-Blooded Death King, engulfing the surroundings.

Jo Gwan and his party, unable to withstand the oppressive aura, paled visibly.

“I was going to drag you to the League anyway.”

Whooooong.

A tremendous force swept wildly around them.

The trees swayed, and leaves and grass swirled in the air, mirroring the chaos of that fateful day.

Jo Gwan and his party groaned, struggling to maintain their footing.

“There is one thing I want to ask,” Unhyun said, his voice cutting through the oppressive atmosphere.

Even amidst the storm-like force, Unhyun stared directly at Yeom Jung-bu.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you desecrating the dead, taking other people’s precious things hostage, and trying to drag them away arbitrarily?”

“Because I can,” came the simple, dismissive reply.

Yeom Jung-bu spoke as if discarding a meaningless trifle.

“And because you are powerless. That’s all. That is it.”

With a sneer, Yeom Jung-bu glared at Unhyun.

“It is the law of the Kangho Murim [martial arts world].”

Unhyun and Yeom Jung-bu’s gazes clashed, neither willing to yield.

Yet, beneath his confident exterior, Yeom Jung-bu harbored a flicker of unease.

Unhyun, despite appearing powerless, remained unshaken.

‘…Could it be that Dokseon [a healer] healed him?’

But even the most skilled healer couldn’t restore a shattered dantian.

“Indeed,” Unhyun said quietly.

“It’s a childish reason.”

“You bastard! How dare you!” Yeom Jung-bu roared, his composure cracking.

But Unhyun slowly drew his sword.

“If you still don’t know, I’ll teach you,” Unhyun said, his eyes fixed on Yeom Jung-bu.

“That you shouldn’t live like that.”

Sreung.

The sword gleamed in Unhyun’s hand.

The movement was fluid and natural.

And a chilling aura began to emanate from Unhyun’s blade.

Whooooosh.

Yeom Jung-bu was startled.

“Heok!”

He immediately retreated, lashing out with his Red Death Whip.

He didn’t even have time to dwell on the humiliation of being forced to make the first move.

Boo-ook.

The Red Death Whip tore through the air with a sound like ripping silk.

The crimson whip, splitting into two ends, revealed its sharp fangs and lunged at Unhyun.

Unhyun lightly swung his sword downwards.

Shwiiik.

Unhyun’s sword didn’t strike the Red Death Whip, nor did it even touch it.

But the moment Unhyun’s sword and the Red Death Whip brushed past each other, the whip instantly lost its momentum.

As if the strings controlling it had been severed.

But Yeom Jung-bu’s assault didn’t end there.

“You bastard!”

Tu-du-du-dung.

The sound of bowstrings snapping echoed in rapid succession.

Yeom Jung-bu unleashed a barrage of Red Blood Death Needles with his hand.

Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwak.

The ground erupted, sending soil and debris flying.

The surroundings were instantly obscured by dust and leaves.

Tack.

In the ensuing chaos, Yeom Jung-bu created distance, retracted the Red Death Whip, and narrowed his eyes.

“…Bastard.”

Yeom Jung-bu gritted his teeth.

Unhyun remained standing in the same spot.

His sword tilted downwards.

Whoo-oong.

Sparkling ice crystals swirled in the air like mist around Unhyun’s blade.

Swish.

Unhyun turned his head.

“Are you alright?”

Behind him stood Jo Gwan and his party.

The imposing Hang Jang-ik and Jin Ye-rim stood guard in front, swords drawn, while Censor Jo Gwan and Dam So-ha stood protected behind them.

Their hair and clothes were disheveled, but they appeared unharmed.

“Don’t worry about us, Lord,” Hang Jang-ik said with a grin.

He knew that Unhyun had deflected the brunt of Yeom Jung-bu’s attack.

If it had been just Hang Jang-ik and Jin Ye-rim, they wouldn’t have been able to withstand Yeom Jung-bu’s offensive.

“Hmph,” Yeom Jung-bu sneered.

“Can you protect them and face my Red Death Whip?”

“Yes,” Unhyun answered without hesitation.

“If it were the Three Great Images, I might be concerned, but with you, there is no problem.”

Eudeuk.

Yeom Jung-bu’s face contorted in anger.

“And I don’t intend to protect you. You have already risked your lives for the greater good.”

Unhyun’s eyes shone with unwavering resolve.

More fiercely than the blade he held.

“Hmph!”

Yeom Jung-bu snorted and cracked the Red Death Whip in the air.

Jja-ak.

The red whip resonated with a sharp sound.

“There were many who wagged their tongues in front of me. But in the end, their tongues were pulled out, and their necks were cut off.”

Woo-woo-woo-woong.

The Red Death Whip pulsed with power, slowly rising into the air as if alive.

The whip, imbued with crimson energy, stood upright, poised to strike.

“Let’s see if you can withstand even my ultimate skill, the Red Death Descent.”

Whoosh.

Yeom Jung-bu drew the Red Death Whip back.

The whip writhed violently in the air, and Yeom Jung-bu roared in a thunderous voice.

“Let’s see!”

Kwaja-ja-jak.

The Red Death Whip tore through the air, lunging at Unhyun.

The red energy surrounding the whip seemed capable of shattering anything in its path.

But what was even more terrifying were the split ends of the Red Death Whip.

The weighted ends, like venomous fangs, plunged towards Unhyun, imbued with formidable energy.

Even if Unhyun managed to block the whip, the ends would mercilessly pierce his back.

Swish.

But Unhyun slowly raised his sword, seemingly oblivious to the Red Death Whip.

He simply raised the sword above his head with both hands.

Yet Yeom Jung-bu, Hang Jang-ik, Jin Ye-rim, and even Jo Gwan and Dam So-ha, could sense the immense power contained within Unhyun’s raised sword, like that of an ancient, unyielding tree.

Whooooong.

“Let me be clear,” Unhyun said quietly.

“You are wrong.”

Whoosh.

Unhyun swung his sword downwards with overwhelming force.

From top to bottom, from heaven to earth.

As if to cleave the world in two.

And the Iron-Blooded Death King Yeom Jung-bu witnessed it.

Kwaja-ja-jak.

His Red Death Descent was being shattered.

The two venomous fangs of the Red Death Whip, imbued with formidable energy, were swept away by Unhyun’s sword and vanished as if melting.

His lifelong ultimate skill was being effortlessly nullified, leaving him utterly powerless.