Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 382

382. Easy, right?

The endless night felt long.

Or perhaps it felt longer because of their anxious hearts.

It was a night that the heroes of the Heroic Bloodshed Alliance and the demonic factions would remember as the longest.

But that tedious wait finally ended.

“Huh? That!”

One of the demonic figures suddenly shouted, gazing at the night sky.

Jang Samchae, who had been watching intently, as well as Hwangsan Blood Buddha and Jade Faced Rakshasa, immediately turned their heads.

And they saw a small flame trailing a long tail as it soared into the endless night sky.

“It’s the signal!”

Jang Samchae shouted immediately.

But the words were unnecessary.

Whoosh.

The flame, which had been rising with a tail, soon blossomed into a large light.

That light, likely sent from the Yangtze River, was undoubtedly the signal from Alliance Leader Iron-Blooded Death King, Yeom Jung-bu.

“Get up! Everyone, get up from your spots!”

Hwangsan Blood Buddha shouted loudly.

The booming sound of the flame blossoming in the night sky was faintly heard, but no one cared.

“The signal is up! Advance!”

“Oooooh! Advance, advance!”

“Damn it, finally!”

The hundred and fifty or so bandits and dozen demonic figures each roared and rose from their spots.

The faces of those who had been exhausted from waiting instantly flushed with excitement.

“Alright, let’s gooooo!”

Hwangsan Blood Buddha’s voice echoed through the mountain.

“Uwaaaaaa!”

The bandits shouted madly and rushed to where their horses were tied.

Rescuing and maintaining a hundred and sixty or so horses was a very difficult and expensive task.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Rumors that other groups had prepared horses forced them to do the same.

To gain merit, they couldn’t afford to lag behind others.

Dudududu.

The bandits and demonic figures all rode out at once.

Two bandits holding torches and Jang Samchae, who knew the way, stood at the very front, a charge without even a proper formation.

But that was enough.

The sound of hooves echoing in the night excited the bandits even more.

“I see it!”

Jang Samchae, who was running ahead, shouted loudly.

A large mansion lit with lights could be seen in the distance.

Shining brightly in the darkness, it was none other than the temporary headquarters of the Azure Dragon Alliance.

‘Got it!’

Hwangsan Blood Buddha’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the Azure Dragon Alliance’s temporary headquarters.

Other groups were not yet visible.

They were the first to arrive.

“Hahaha! The time to gain merit has come!”

Hwangsan Blood Buddha laughed loudly as he spurred his horse.

“Let’s go! Let’s go kill!”

Encouraged by his shout, the bandits and demonic figures rode even harder.

Dudududu.

It didn’t take long to reach the brightly lit mansion.

The gates of the Azure Dragon Alliance’s temporary headquarters, with lights shining all around, were firmly closed.

“Whoa! Whoaaa!”

The hundred and fifty or so bandits who had been charging stopped their horses.

But Hwangsan Blood Buddha flew straight ahead.

Whoosh.

The bandits’ eyes widened as they saw him leaping from his running horse.

The fat Hwangsan Blood Buddha was flying through the air like a bird.

Hwangsan Blood Buddha wasn’t the only one.

“Hohoho!”

Thud.

Jade Faced Rakshasa lightly leaped into the air.

And following her, a dozen or so demonic figures soared up.

Swish, swish.

Most of the demonic figures landed lightly on the ground.

But Hwangsan Blood Buddha did not.

Flap.

“Taha!”

Hwangsan Blood Buddha twisted his body once in the air and slammed his two feet straight down onto the firmly closed gate.

Kwaaaang.

The gate shattered with a tremendous noise.

Thud.

Hwangsan Blood Buddha, who had landed in front of the broken gate, turned to look at the demonic figures and bandits and shouted.

“Charge! Kill them all!”

“Uwaaaaaa!”

The bandits cheered, drawing their swords, and the demonic figures frowned.

The fact that Hwangsan Blood Buddha had broken down the gate of the Azure Dragon Alliance’s temporary headquarters and was the first to charge in was etched into the bandits’ minds.

The demonic figures, not wanting to lose out on merit any longer, immediately leaped towards the temporary headquarters.

Clang.

The dozen or so demonic figures and hundred and fifty or so bandits kicked away the broken gate that was hanging precariously and entered the mansion.

Hwangsan Blood Buddha stood at the wide-open gate, watching the bandits pass by on either side, a triumphant smile on his face.

But that smile didn’t last long.

“Huh?”

“What, what is it?”

The mansion was empty.

Lanterns were hung everywhere, and fires were lit, making it as bright as day, but there wasn’t a single person to be seen.

“What’s going on?”

The bandits were bewildered, and the demonic figures frowned, looking around.

But the only people moving were themselves.

Come to think of it, there weren’t even any guards protecting the gate.

Even though the lights were brightly lit.

“What’s going on? Something feels…”

Jade Faced Rakshasa’s voice trailed off.

Kwaang.

A sound of something breaking was heard from one side of the mansion.

“It’s over there!”

The demonic figures and bandits all turned their heads at once.

Hwangsan Blood Buddha frowned as someone shouted.

“They’re running away!”

At those words, the demonic figures snapped to their senses.

“Hehehe. So that’s it.”

“They saw us and ran…”

Hwangsan Blood Buddha roared.

“What are you doing! Chase them!”

Having shouted that, Hwangsan Blood Buddha immediately stomped his feet.

He wasn’t about to let his prey escape right before his eyes.

Swoosh.

Hwangsan Blood Buddha leaped forward, belying his large size.

But his pursuit didn’t last even a moment.

The ones who had made the commotion earlier came into Hwangsan Blood Buddha’s view.

‘What?’

Hwangsan Blood Buddha frowned.

The hundred and fifty or so thugs wielding swords and exuding a fierce aura were none other than the bandits of the Heroic Bloodshed Alliance.

At that moment, a bandit who spotted Hwangsan Blood Buddha shouted in surprise.

“Gasp! An enemy attack! Quickly…”

“Stop!”

Hwangsan Blood Buddha shouted loudly.

And landed lightly on the ground.

Thud.

So Myeon-hori came into Hwangsan Blood Buddha’s sight.

So Myeon-hori was the former Great Demon leading another group.

They had charged in from the other side of the mansion.

Breaking down the gate in the same way.

“…What is going on?”

So Myeon-hori, who had approached, frowned and said.

Instead of answering, Hwangsan Blood Buddha raised his head and looked around.

Crackle, crackle.

Only the sound of wood burning could be heard, and the large mansion was as silent as a tomb.

So Myeon-hori seemed to have grasped the situation as well and spoke quietly.

“It seems they knew we were coming. And the fact that the others haven’t shown up yet…”

Hwangsan Blood Buddha gritted his teeth.

He shouted at the demonic figures who were following him.

“Get out of here immediately! Everyone, be wary of your surroundings…”

“Hahahahahaha!”

Suddenly, a clear laughter echoed around them.

The voice, filled with internal energy, clearly resonated in the ears of the demonic figures and bandits of the Heroic Bloodshed Alliance who had invaded the mansion.

“What, what is it?”

“It’s over there!”

Someone shouted, pointing.

The demonic figures and bandits all turned their heads at once.

Someone was standing on the roof.

“You came all this way with such difficulty, why are you trying to leave so soon?”

Flutter.

His flamboyant clothes fluttering in the night breeze, he was a very handsome young master.

His expression, looking down at the demonic figures and bandits with his hands clasped behind his back, held a smile.

“Oh my, what a handsome man?”

Jade Faced Rakshasa looked up at the young man with a seductive smile.

The young man standing on the roof exuded an atmosphere like a romantic nobleman.

“Are you perhaps Azure Dragon Sword Lord?”

“Hahaha.”

He burst into laughter.

“I am Plum Blossom Sword, Yeongho-jun. I cannot even be compared to the Alliance Leader…”

“You scoundrel!”

Hwangsan Blood Buddha shouted in an angry voice.

“How dare you mock us with such an empty castle trick!” [A military strategy where a vulnerable, undefended location is used to lure the enemy into a trap.]

The empty castle trick is a type of bluff that induces the enemy’s misjudgment with an empty castle.

Strictly speaking, it was different from the current situation, but that didn’t matter.

Yeongho-jun chuckled.

“An empty castle trick? What a disappointing thing to say. Do you know how much we’ve prepared for the uninvited guests who came from afar?”

Swish.

As he spoke, Yeongho-jun lightly raised his hand.

But the result was anything but light.

Rustle, rustle.

Countless government soldiers appeared on the roof.

Although it was not visible to the bandits, a foothold on which many people could stand had already been installed on the roof.

The government soldiers were all holding bows and aiming at the demonic figures and bandits.

“Gasp!”

The faces of the Heroic Bloodshed Alliance bandits turned pale.

But Hwangsan Blood Buddha snorted.

“Don’t think you can defeat us with just that! Soon the others…”

“Five Routes Advance? Isn’t that a ridiculous strategy?”

Yeongho-jun cut off Hwangsan Blood Buddha’s words.

“Isn’t dividing your forces when the opponent knows it’s happening the same as asking to be defeated one by one?”

The Heroic Bloodshed Alliance had no choice but to do so. They had to move while avoiding the eyes of the government.

But the problem was that the Azure Dragon Alliance had already predicted that fact.

“The other three groups besides you haven’t even set foot in Wuhan. They were completely defeated in one battle, and all the demonic figures were either captured or killed. That was just yesterday.”

Yeongho-jun’s eyes were cold as he spoke.

Hwangsan Blood Buddha shouted convulsively.

“Don’t lie! They’re not the kind of people who would fall so easily…”

“It was easy, though?”

Yeongho-jun shrugged.

“The elites and experts from Mount Hua, Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, the Namgung Clan, and the Moryong Clan stepped up, so what skills could they use to escape, no matter if they were former Great Demons or whatever?” [These are all famous martial arts sects and clans in Wuxia stories.]

Smiling, Yeongho-jun said.

“Thanks to that, we were able to wipe out all the guys we missed during the old Murim Alliance days at once. It’s a very fortunate thing for the world.”

Hwangsan Blood Buddha gritted his teeth.

“You, you! When Iron-Blooded Death King comes, he will never…”

“Huh? You didn’t know yet?”

Yeongho-jun said, as if quite surprised.

“Yeom Jung-bu isn’t coming. No, he hasn’t even come near Wuhan. Maybe by now…”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

Hwangsan Blood Buddha shouted, but Yeongho-jun smirked.

“You’ll soon find out whether it’s nonsense or not.”

Yeongho-jun turned his head.

Thud.

A person wearing government robes appeared on the roof.

It was Inspector Jo Gwan.

Clang.

He drew his Suchun sword and shouted without hesitation.

“Charge the bandits!”

No sooner had his command ended than arrows poured down on the bandits.

Swish, swish, swish.

“Kuaaak!”

“Aaaagh!”

The bandits who were trying to launch a night raid had no shields or anything like that.

Hwangsan Blood Buddha gritted his teeth as he watched the bandits fall helplessly.

If he and the other demonic figures stepped up, the government soldiers on the roof wouldn’t be difficult.

But if the experts from the great sects that Yeongho-jun mentioned came out, the problem would become serious.

Above all, the enemy already knew about the attack and had prepared for it.

Now that he knew this place was a trap, further fighting was meaningless.

Hwangsan Blood Buddha, having quickly made up his mind, shouted loudly.

“Get out of here! Quickly!”

Only then did the bandits begin to scramble out of the mansion.

The quick-witted demonic figures had already leaped outside, and Hwangsan Blood Buddha also retreated without hesitation.

But the government soldiers weren’t just on the roof.

“Keugh!”

“Ugh!”

Arrows flew as soon as they came out of the gate.

“Government soldiers!”

A bandit shouted desperately.

Numerous fully armed government soldiers with shields surrounded them on all sides.

Arrows flew non-stop from beyond those shield soldiers.

That wasn’t all.

There were also warriors wearing the uniforms of noble families, and those dressed as monks and Taoists.

They were clearly the elites and experts from Shaolin, Wudang, Mount Hua, Emei, the Namgung Clan, and the Moryong Clan that Yeongho-jun had mentioned.

Gritting his teeth.

Hwangsan Blood Buddha gritted his teeth.

But there was nothing more he could do.

“Kuaaaaak! I’ll kill you all!”

Flutter.

Hwangsan Blood Buddha’s clothes fluttered, and his eyes turned bloodshot.

It was the moment his signature martial art, Blood Art, was unleashed.

But none of the government soldiers or martial artists were intimidated by that sight.