A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 299

299. Counterattack

Sun Bin and his group were ascending Mount Huangshan.

The dense fog that had previously veiled the sun was gradually dissipating, revealing the Huangshan’s unique rock formations.

The remaining fog clinging to the valleys created a breathtaking vista, making it appear as if the entire Huangshan was submerged in a sea of clouds.

“Wow, amazing! I’ve never seen anything like this before! You too, right?” Hwasa exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.

“Yes, it’s truly beautiful,” Sa Su-yeon replied, eliciting a bright smile from Hwasa. However, Old Gun, who had been leisurely admiring the scenery with his hands clasped behind his back, frowned.

“What’s with all the fuss about some fog? And why are you here instead of with Talhondo?”

“That guy is busy causing trouble with Gwigyonsura and doesn’t want to play with me. Pout,” Hwasa said, sticking out her lips and making a displeased noise.

“Then why don’t you go cause trouble with him?”

“Madam Dang said you shouldn’t interfere when men are hanging out together.”

“Who said that?”

“Madam Dang did.”

Old Gun couldn’t argue with that and cleared his throat. The ‘Madam Dang’ Hwasa referred to was none other than the elderly Madam Dang Un-yeong, a spiritual medium.

“Ahem, well, what a spiritual medium says is mostly right, but…” In truth, Dang Un-yeong didn’t know much about romance or relationships.

‘She must have heard it from someone or read it in some trashy novel,’ Old Gun thought.

“Excuse me for interrupting, but are we going the right way?” A sharp, young woman’s voice cut through Old Gun’s words. It was Qing Hye, a young outer disciple and master from Emei [a prominent Buddhist martial arts sect].

Her voice clearly conveyed her dissatisfaction with the current atmosphere.

And with good reason. They were on their way to confront Grand Prince Gyeonggi, the mastermind behind the chaos. Yet, the atmosphere was as relaxed as if they were going for a leisurely walk.

“Besides, you said they would be waiting for us, so, with all due respect, shouldn’t we be more alert…?” If Grand Prince Gyeonggi was expecting Sun Bin, they should be prepared for traps or ambushes, especially considering Cheonsugeom Neung Cheon-hwa [Heavenly Sword Neung Cheon-hwa] and the black-clad figures.

But Old Gun was simply chatting with Hwasa, who was acting like a child, her usual seductive and imposing demeanor completely absent.

Qing Hye couldn’t understand it and couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

“Is this your first time?” Old Gun suddenly asked. Qing Hye responded with a questioning look.

“Pardon?”

“Is this your first time traveling with Bin? Isn’t it?”

“…Yes, it is,” Qing Hye replied, her expression slightly disgruntled. Old Gun chuckled.

“I understand. It’s natural to think that way at first. But when you travel with Bin, you’ll realize that all your worrying was for nothing. Once you see him take care of everything with one swing of his sword, you’ll feel a sense of futility, wondering why you even bothered to worry in the first place.”

“Well, it’s not exactly one swing…” Sun Bin started to say, but Old Gun interrupted him.

“So, you better get used to it now. You’ll only be hurting yourself by getting wrinkles on that pretty face.”

Qing Hye’s brow furrowed even more at the mention of wrinkles.

Qing Hye turned her gaze to Sun Bin.
The young scholar, Sun Bin, looking somewhat embarrassed, met Qing Hye’s gaze and lowered his head apologetically.

He was probably apologizing for Old Gun’s rudeness, but that only made Qing Hye feel less confident, deepening the lines on her forehead.

Even his words that had once given her a clue to enlightenment now seemed doubtful.

“The direction is right,” Dang Wol-ah, the lady with her face veiled in silk, said in a low voice.

“Considering the locations where the strange men appeared and the direction they retreated, they must be this way. Our children’s eyes are quite accurate.”

“Yes, that’s right. Who taught them?” Seo Rin nodded in agreement.

They may look cute, but the five children were originally raised as Dangmun’s [a clan specializing in assassination and intelligence] death squad.

Moreover, they had learned Dang Wol-ah’s poison energy and Seo Rin’s tracking skills, making it difficult for anyone to deceive their senses.

However, Qing Hye was more concerned with a different phrase in Dang Wol-ah’s statement.

‘…Our children?’

Unconsciously, her gaze drifted towards Sun Bin.

She couldn’t help it. Qing Hye had overheard Dang Wol-ah’s declaration at the previous Yewon gathering [a gathering of martial artists], ‘I am all Young Master Sun’s.’

‘No, as a disciple of Buddhism, I must not jump to conclusions,’ Qing Hye quickly recited Buddhist scriptures to clear the distracting thoughts that had arisen in her mind.

It was wrong to suspect people without reason. Besides, the phrase ‘our children’ could have a different meaning.

Qing Hye decided to set her thoughts aside, resolving to calmly ask Dang Wol-ah about it later.

“But come to think of it, why did you come along? You said you would follow Bin’s lead.”

“Cheonsugeom Neung Cheon-hwa is not unrelated to Emei,” Qing Hye replied sternly to Old Gun’s question.

“Furthermore, Grand Prince Gyeonggi is my junior sister, so how can I, as a representative of the sect, turn a blind eye to my responsibility?”

Old Gun wore a bitter expression at her resolute words.

“…That’s true, but it won’t be easy.”

Grand Prince Gyeonggi had received the Dharma name Cheongryeon in Emei.

Ultimately, it was a matter of Emei disciples fighting each other.

Of course, Grand Prince Gyeonggi and Qing Hye might not actually fight, but it was by no means a comfortable situation for Qing Hye.

The fact that she was willing to bear it showed the extent of Qing Hye’s sense of responsibility in this matter.

“Oh? Look over there!” Seo Rin suddenly shouted. The group stopped and looked in the direction Seo Rin was pointing.

On the edge of a towering cliff, a classic pavilion with a black roof stood.

To be precise, another rocky peak stood in front of the cliff, forming the precipice, and the pavilion was located on top of that peak.

It resembled a candlestick placed in front of a large stone slab.

“Wow, the view must be great. But who would build something like that?” Seo Rin muttered to herself.

The rocky peak, as vertical as the cliff facing the sky, was so steep that it seemed impossible to climb, let alone build a pavilion on top of it.

“Ah,” Sun Bin exclaimed.

Everyone looked at Sun Bin with puzzled expressions, but Sun Bin couldn’t take his eyes off the cliff.

“Young Master Sun?” Sa Su-yeon asked, and only then did Sun Bin speak in a low voice.

“It really…”

His voice trembled slightly as he answered, and his eyes, fixed on the cliff, couldn’t conceal his agitation.

“It really existed.”

“What really existed?” Sa Su-yeon asked again. But Sun Bin gritted his teeth, his gaze remaining fixed on the cliff and the pavilion in front of it.

“The hidden treasure of the Four Heavenly Kings.”

Surprise spread across the group’s faces.

“Hidden treasure?” Old Gun frowned immediately, and Hwasa also asked with a surprised expression.

“What are you talking about, Oppa [term used by a younger woman to address an older male acquaintance or brother]?” Qing Hye felt a moment of discomfort at Hwasa’s term of address, but that was not important now. She immediately questioned Sun Bin.

“Did you just say the hidden treasure of the Four Heavenly Kings?”

Seo Rin and Dang Wol-ah, whose face was covered in silk, couldn’t hide their surprise either. But the person who was most shocked was Sa Su-yeon.

“Did something like that really exist?”

Sun Bin bit his lip. And only then did he turn his gaze to Sa Su-yeon.

“This is not what people think it is. But what else can I call it other than a hidden treasure…?”

“Hey, stop making people frustrated and tell us quickly,” Old Gun urged him. Sun Bin turned to Old Gun and said.

“We must go up there.”

“Go up? To that pavilion?”

“Yes,” Sun Bin nodded.

“It’s there. The hidden treasure of the Four Heavenly Kings, and probably Grand Prince Gyeonggi too.”

The group’s faces hardened at once.

They had finally arrived at the place where they would end this chaos in Huangshan, and where they would hold Grand Prince Gyeonggi accountable for everything.

“Then we must go,” Old Gun said casually. He turned to Qing Hye and asked.

“A rocky peak like that should be easy, right?”

It was not easy at all. The rocky peak, as high and steep as a candlestick pointing towards the sky, had almost no foothold, making it difficult for even skilled masters to attempt.

However, Qing Hye nodded.

They were all masters of the outer sect. No matter how steep it was, climbing such a rocky peak was not a problem.

“Ah, I’m a bit…” The voice that was heard suddenly was Sun Bin’s. He had been lost in thought, staring at the cliff, and now he looked apologetic as if he had finally come to his senses.

“I’ll take Young Master Sun with me,” Sa Su-yeon stepped forward immediately. Everyone seemed to accept it as a matter of course, as if it was a familiar occurrence, and Qing Hye couldn’t hide her puzzled expression.

‘He can’t possibly be bad at lightness skill [a martial art technique that allows one to move swiftly and lightly], and he doesn’t seem to be sick, does he?’

But he looked too healthy to be sick. Qing Hye shook her head. Anyway, this group was full of strange things.

“Be careful,” Old Gun said in a low voice. The fact that Grand Prince Gyeonggi was there meant that Cheonsugeom Neung Cheon-hwa and the black-clad figures were also there. Qing Hye steeled her heart.

“Let’s go!” As soon as Old Gun’s words were finished, everyone kicked off the ground and soared into the air. Sa Su-yeon, holding Sun Bin in one arm, also leaped into the air immediately.

The group soon arrived at the base of the rocky peak. And then they flew up, beginning to climb the vertically rising rocky peak.

Tak, tadak.

Kicking off various points on the rocky peak, Old Gun, Seo Rin, Dang Wol-ah, Hwasa, and Qing Hye flew towards the summit. Sa Su-yeon, holding Sun Bin, followed behind them.

Their movements were as fast as if they were running on flat ground, but the rocky peak was quite high, so it was taking quite some time.

Swish, shwish.

It was when they were about halfway there.

“Something’s coming from above!” At the same time as Seo Rin shouted, Sun Bin, who was being held by Sa Su-yeon, raised his head. Something was falling from the summit.

‘That’s?’

At first, they looked like black dots scattered in the sky. But the moment they fell at a terrifying speed, Sun Bin realized that the dots were black spheres about the size of two adult fists.

“Everyone, stick to the wall!” At Old Gun’s shout, the group stopped climbing at once. They decided that it was better to avoid the rain of spheres than to go through it. They could just knock away anything that was a little dangerous.

However, Old Gun’s plan was thwarted by Dang Wol-ah’s subsequent shout.

Dang Wol-ah, who had been staring intently at the black spheres, had discovered a glimmer of light in some of them.

“They’re fire bombs!”

It was an unusually sharp and urgent voice for her, but no one was paying attention to it now.

“Keuk,” Old Gun groaned. The rocky peak was shaped like a candlestick, so there was no way to avoid it sideways.

Then, could they just stick to the wall and let them pass? Perhaps not. The opponent would not have failed to consider that.

The fire bombs would surely explode in the middle, and if they stayed like this, they would be helplessly caught up in it.

Should they go down immediately? Would it be okay if they went down faster than those things and scattered in all directions?

However, the fire bombs were already approaching, and the range was wider than expected.

Only a very few people would be able to avoid the explosion. Unless someone blocked those things even for a moment.

Gritting his teeth.

Old Gun’s decision was made in an instant. He immediately flew towards the falling spheres and shouted.

“Everyone, get a…”

“Everyone, get out of the way!”

“Hyung [term used by a younger male to address an older male acquaintance or brother], get out of the way!” Hwasa and Seo Rin’s voices burst out before Old Gun could finish his words. Dang Wol-ah was soaring towards the spheres without even saying a word. And so was Qing Hye, who was gritting her teeth.

Everyone had the same judgment and conclusion. They were all prepared to step forward to buy time.

‘Damn it!’

Old Gun, realizing the situation, glanced at Sa Su-yeon. She, too, understood the situation and immediately wrapped her body around Sun Bin and fell downwards.

Sun Bin was shouting something over Sa Su-yeon’s shoulder, but he couldn’t hear it. It was probably something like, ‘No!’

However, Old Gun did not change direction or change his mind.

Shhh.

The black fire bombs were rapidly approaching. Five outer sect masters would be enough to buy time. The problem was the power of the fire bombs.

‘Can we withstand it?’

They were all masters of the outer sect. If they concentrated their inner strength, they could withstand most impacts.

But would that protect them from the explosion of the fire bombs?

No one knew. No one had ever experienced it. Therefore, this was a gamble. A gamble with their lives on the line.

Still, Old Gun did not regret it. If he could save Sun Bin’s life with such a gamble, he would not hesitate at any time.

‘Heh heh, this is going to be a real…’ Burning brightly in my final years, he thought, Old Gun drew his sword, So-ryeong.

Woo-oong.

It was at that moment, just as Old Gun’s So-ryeong was wailing.

“Sang. Hyo. I. Jeol [Filial Piety, Loyalty, Propriety, Integrity].”

A cold voice brushed past Old Gun’s ear. At the same time, countless forms of snow-white swords floated in the air.

It was unlike anything he had seen at the previous Yewon Gathering, as if it would cover the entire world. It was the Sword Demon’s ultimate technique, Sanghyo Ijeol.

“Everyone, get down!” Old Gun’s voice, filled with inner strength, echoed loudly. The others, realizing the situation, immediately reversed direction and threw themselves downwards.

“Cut [斬],” the Sword Demon commanded.

Along with the cold voice, countless ice sword forms were shot upwards towards the black fire bombs.

And at the same time, a huge impact sound shook Huangshan.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang.

The Sword Demon’s Sanghyo Ijeol blocked the explosion of the fire bombs, creating only a brief moment of respite. But that brief moment was enough for the masters of the outer sect.

Shh shsh.

Old Gun, Seo Rin, Hwasa, Dang Wol-ah, and Qing Hye fell towards the ground at a terrifying speed.

Immense heat and flames chased after them from above, licking their greedy tongues.

And Old Gun realized that it was not just heat and flames that were chasing them.

‘Splinters!’

Swish, pipik.

Countless splinters that had burst out as the fire bombs exploded were chasing after them. At this rate, they would be covered in splinters before they even reached the ground.

However, the Sword Demon’s technique was not over yet.

“Sanghyo, Iljeol [Filial Piety, Loyalty, One Integrity].”

Once again, a cold voice flowed out. And a huge silver sword appeared behind everyone.

Old Gun immediately realized the Sword Demon’s intention.

“This way!”

Papat.

Seo Rin, Dang Wol-ah, Hwasa, and Qing Hye immediately turned towards Old Gun. At the same time, the silver sword blocked the impact of the explosion and the splinters, protecting the group.

Whirr.

The huge sword was soon engulfed in heat and flames. And countless splinters rained down, hammering the sword like hail.

Kaga gagagang.

Tzzeng.

Even the Sword Demon’s Sanghyo Iljeol could only hold out for a moment.

But thanks to the cold sword blocking them, everyone was able to gain time.

Enough time to escape from the splinters of the fire bombs.

Pat.

As the ground approached, everyone immediately scattered in all directions. Heat and flames covered them as if chasing after them, and splinters fell to the ground like a rain of death.

Pa ba ba bak.

The dull sounds were like hail falling.

But that was a rain of death. A cruel rain of death that tore apart everything that existed within its domain.

“Heo, heok. Gga, that was a surprise,” Seo Rin said, wiping her chest. Dang Wol-ah, Hwasa, Qing Hye, and even Sun Bin, who was being held in Sa Su-yeon’s arms, still had expressions of shock on their faces.

Pararak.

A woman descended gracefully in front of the group.

White bare feet and long, straight calves visible between the folds of her clothes, and a face as cold as frost.

Holding a sword in both hands, she was none other than the Sword Demon.

Tat.

Landing on the ground, she staggered slightly. It was because she had unleashed Sanghyo Ijeol and Sanghyo Iljeol in succession.

“Hey, are you okay?” Hwasa quickly approached the Sword Demon, her face full of worry.

The Sword Demon quickly straightened her body. Then, she stared straight at Hwasa with a cold gaze.

“You have to avoid it in situations like that. Don’t rush in,” the Sword Demon said after blinking once. It felt like she was angry.

“Got it? You stupid flower snake [derogatory term for a woman who seduces men for money].”

Instantly, a vein popped out on Hwasa’s forehead.

“What’s with this ice block? How could I have avoided it back there? Should I have used aerial walking [a legendary martial art technique that allows one to walk on air] or something? Huh?”

Aerial walking was the legendary state of walking on nothing in the air. It was something that only immortals could do, a story that had been passed down only in words.

“Aerial walking, can’t you do it?” The Sword Demon asked. Hwasa flinched.

“Can you do it?”

“No,” the Sword Demon’s answer was so natural that Hwasa was speechless.

In the meantime, the Sword Demon turned her head and stared intently at Sun Bin. Sun Bin, who was still being held in Sa Su-yeon’s arms, quietly shook his head.

“I can’t do it either.”

On the surface, there was no change, but Sun Bin could see a slight disappointment flashing in the Sword Demon’s eyes.

In the meantime, Sun Bin got out of Sa Su-yeon’s arms. Sa Su-yeon checked several times to make sure that Sun Bin was not hurt.

After thanking Sa Su-yeon, Sun Bin politely bowed to the Sword Demon.

“Thank you. I owe you my life.”

“…It’s nothing,” the Sword Demon’s answer was still cold, but Hwasa smirked as she watched.

“Oh, look at this, even an ice block knows how to be shy…”

Swish.

Hwasa, who was speaking, turned her head and looked towards the rocky peak with sharp eyes.

“They’re here.”

Gritting her teeth, Hwasa gnashed her teeth.

“The ones who really pissed me off.”

Tak, tadak.

Five shadows that had fallen from the top of the rocky peak landed on the ground. It was three black-clad figures, Cheonsugeom Neung Cheon-hwa, and the flamboyant Bi Geom Gongson Geuk [Jade Sword Gongson Geuk].

“Hehe, it seems you’ve been quite startled,” Bi Geom Gongson Geuk, who was standing in the middle, stroked his beard and laughed heartily. He looked down at Sun Bin’s group with one hand behind his back.

“No, honestly, I was impressed. I thought we could at least neutralize half of you with the fire bombs just now, but it was a truly admirable response.”

He sighed suddenly as he admired them.

“But it’s a pity. One of you must die here.”

The eyes of Bi Geom Gongson Geuk, who was speaking as if he was sorry, were flashing with blatant murderous intent.