Chapter 35: Zhangjia Village (1)
Zhangjia Village was situated on the road connecting Lantian County and Shanyang County. Therefore, it was inevitable for people traveling from Lantian County to Shanyang County to pass through Zhangjia Village.
However, that did not mean the roads were well-maintained enough for major groups like the merchant guild or courier services to pass through. There were not many travelers.
Because of this, Zhangjia Village could not develop significantly. The main sources of income for the people of Zhangjia Village involved roughly cultivating fields in the mountains to make a small profit, or foraging for medicinal herbs and hunting in the surrounding treacherous mountains. They often sold their goods to the peddlers passing through the village.
But then, like a bolt out of the blue, a tiger threat descended upon Lantian County one day.
It was not unheard of for villagers to be attacked and killed by tigers. Until the first two were devoured by a tiger, the villagers conducted mountain rituals, praying just for the tiger to leave.
The horse-headed Taoist who accepted the villagers’ meager coins ended up dead by the tiger, leaving behind only the coins and his torn clothes. Naturally, more people continued to be attacked and killed thereafter.
Including Jang Sam, who picked herbs, and Jang Myeong, a widower raising children alone. And the kind-hearted woman from Shanyang County who took in those two children, Sae Ah-nak.
Eventually, the village chief collected money and called for professional hunters.
But, as if mocking the people of Zhangjia Village, the tiger neither ate the hunter nor did it leave him whole, ripping him to shreds. Moreover, it defecated on his corpse. Seeing its cunning and enormous pawprints, the people realized this was no ordinary tiger, but a great tiger.
A great tiger could not be caught by ordinary hunters. They needed to bring in the best of the best among the hunters.
The village chief painstakingly gathered all the village’s resources. He then went to Shanyang County and personally hired a group known as the Tiger Killer Gang.
These were hunters who hunted tigers to sell their skins. They were martial artists belonging to the Unorthodox Murim, all notoriously fierce individuals.
People who had hunted more humans than tigers.
But they were undeniably experts.
It had already been two months since they settled in Zhangjia Village, claiming they would catch the great tiger.
Saying they needed to wait for the right moment, they consumed Zhangjia Village’s food supplies while eating and drinking, and the villagers became skeletal.
“Big sister, I’m hungry…”
“Just hold on a little longer. They said there are chestnut trees further up. We might be able to find some chestnuts.”
The children holding their stomachs were no exception.
The siblings raised by Jang Myeong, who had died early on from a tiger attack, were now orphans and even hungrier because of it.
Among the siblings, the somewhat sensible older sister, Jang So-young, comforted her younger brother as they climbed the mountain.
Her brother, Gyu, complained naively, “I wish those men would leave.”
“They have to catch the tiger.”
“I’m scared. Brother Seong-deuk got hit by one of those men a few days ago.”
And that was not all. The hunters always looked at Jang So-young, the prettiest girl in Zhangjia Village, with lewd eyes. Their gazes scanning her from top to bottom were like snakes.
“Also, the adults said not to go into the woods.”
“We have no choice. Otherwise, we’ll starve to death, won’t we?”
So-young could not help but snap at her brother.
Her mood soured immediately. Her younger brother’s cheeks, which should have been chubby, were gaunt.
“Let’s secretly pick a few chestnuts and go back.”
If they roasted and ate the sweet chestnuts, they could stave off this terrible hunger. Thinking this, Jang So-young’s mouth watered.
She climbed the mountain laboriously, almost dragging her younger brother along.
And then, all of a sudden, there was energy in her brother’s steps.
“Sister, there! There’s a chestnut tree!”
Chestnuts were densely clustered. Her brother, who had been urging her to go back just moments before, suddenly perked up.
“Gyu, slowly!”
So-young lost hold of her brother’s hand for a moment.
And then, a pungent smell reached her nose. It was the scent of rotten meat.
“Ah…”
She didn’t know where the smell was coming from, but she knew what it was used for.
It was the smell of bait used in traps to catch carnivorous animals.
“No-!”
So-young rushed towards her brother in a panic, but it was already too late. Gyu had stepped on something.
Twang—
There was a sound of something taut being released.
The piece of wood Gyu had stepped on sprung into the air, and the bent bamboo trap sprang back with force.
Then, a log big enough to catch a tiger sprung out with a whoosh from among the branches.
Without a moment to think, So-young shoved her brother away.
Thud!
“Ah, ahhhh!”
The scream came not from So-young but from her brother Gyu.
His sister had been hit in the upper body by the suddenly sprung log and had rolled on the ground.
“Sister! Sister!”
If it had hit her squarely, her internal organs might have burst. Fortunately, that did not happen, but So-young lost consciousness nonetheless.
“Get up! I’m sorry! It’s because I ran!”
Gyu cried out loud, his tears and mucus flowing freely.
No matter how hard he tried to wake his sister, she did not get up. He cried until his throat was hoarse, intending to carry his sister down the mountain. However, he ultimately could not. His scared legs would not support him, and his undernourished arms had no strength.
Dragging his sister by the collar, Gyu suddenly thought.
‘What if, what if a tiger appears.’
His crying might attract a tiger from somewhere.
Then, as if it had been waiting, something appeared.
“I came to see if we caught a wild boar or something because of the noise.”
It was not a tiger, but it was someone just as terrifying.
“What’s this, just kids?”
“Heh, looks like we caught something better than a wild boar.”
When Gyu looked behind, two hunters from the Tiger Killer Gang were standing there. They were smiling, revealing their yellow teeth.
“Ah, si-sir hunters! My sister, she’s…”
“Stepped in a trap?”
“Yes! Please, save my sister.”
Gyu, who disliked the hunters, did not care about that now. Instead, he was grateful to them as if they were ropes sent down from the heavens.
They looked over the unconscious So-young.
“Wow, she’s lucky. Heh, if the log had fallen on her head, it would’ve cracked open.”
“Can’t let a pretty face get ruined like that. She’s not waking up even when shaken, huh?”
“This is good.”
What’s good about it?
While Gyu was puzzled by their words, one of the hunters suddenly approached him.
“How will you repay us?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m talking about the trap, you little rat. Do you know how much trouble we went through because of this?”
“I’m sorry… I’ll do anything.”
“What can you possibly do?”
And then, everything flashed before his eyes.
The man kicked Gyu. Rolling over on the ground, Gyu became dazed. Blood gushed from his nose like a waterfall.
“I’ll go call the others for a moment. This just got interesting.”
“Take your time.”
Gyu did not understand what the hunters were talking about, but it was clear that it was not anything good.
One of them went down the mountain, leaving only the man who had kicked Gyu. He stuck out his bright red tongue and licked his chapped lips that were covered in dead skin.
“Heh heh. Aren’t you pretty? Acting all high and mighty.”
Smiling languidly, he used his dirty fingernails with grime underneath to pinch So-young’s cheek and examine it.
His actions were ominous.
Gyu crawled desperately on his hands and knees toward him. The hunter, whose eyes were bloodshot, did not notice Gyu approaching.
Gyu bit into the hunter’s filthy ankle.
“Argh! You brat!”
Once again, everything flashed before his eyes.
He had been kicked. The hunters, despite being despicable, were also skilled in martial arts.
Swept off his feet, Gyu was now kicked in the stomach.
“Damn it! Do you want to die that badly?!”
“Cough, you little devil. Ugh!”
Gyu ended up vomiting. Seeing his own vomit on his foot, the hunter became even more irritated.
Swish-
Eventually, he drew his sword.
“How dare you bite a hunter who came to save your village?”
The illogically flat blade was sharply honed.
Even when he was about to take the life of the trembling boy, the hunter felt not the slightest bit of guilt.
Gyu raised his shaking hand.
“Be-behind.”
“What?”
His finger pointed behind the hunter. The man could not help but let out a snicker.
“What, did a tiger show up?”
Thinking Gyu might try to distract him and flee seemed laughable to him.
However, a strange voice was heard right behind him.
“I’m not a tiger, though.”
Chills ran down his spine, and the hunter swiftly turned around.
“Wh-who are you?”
It was not his colleague who had left earlier. Neither was it one of the scoundrels from Zhangjia Village.
It was a boy with an appearance almost unbelievable to emerge from this treacherous forest.
A red robe that seemed to be made of silk. Smooth, fair skin that only the well-off could afford. A refined look with red lips.
He seemed less like a human and more like…
“A-a ghost?”
Gyu, lying on the ground, voiced out the words the hunter would have said.
“Hahaha!”
The boy who suddenly appeared, Yi-gang, laughed like that.
The hunter realized that Yi-gang had a sword.
“I-I don’t know who you are, but back off… No, please step back. Just don’t get involved.”
The hunter could not dare speak informally, seeing the extraordinary appearance of Yi-gang.
“Hmm, you seem to be in a lot of pain.”
“What do you mean?”
However, he soon realized that Yi-gang was completely ignoring him and speaking to Gyu.
“Tsk tsk, I knew the world was harsher for the have-nots, but…”
The sword wobbling in Yi-gang’s hand caught his attention. The hunter tightly gripped his own blade.
Fortunately, it seemed, Yi-gang turned his back.
He was not sure if Yi-gang had heeded his warning.
“Hmm, was it like this? Flick the shoulder here…”
But instead of stepping back, he just stood still with his back facing the hunter. The hunter seriously contemplated whether to stab him in the back as he wriggled about.
“It’s a bit of a waste to use Shadowless Splendor on these kinds. Just…”
Who was he talking to?
And then, without warning, Yi-gang spun around and thrust his sword. The red robe he wore fluttered wildly.
Shwiik—
It was an unavoidable strike for a henchman of the unorthodox faction wielding power in a mountain village. It was not that the sword was fast, but it had hit a vulnerable spot.
Thwack!
Yi-gang’s sword pierced the hunter’s collarbone.
“Kuaaaah!”
“Ah, I was aiming for the neck.”
“Aack, kuaack!”
The sword got stuck between the collarbone and the rib. Blood spurted violently, possibly because an artery was cut.
Yi-gang twisted the sword deeper.
Kkadeudeuk—
“Kkheuk!”
The hunter lost his grip on his sword and toppled backward.
Yi-gang did not let go of the sword he had thrust, following through to the end. He pinned his opponent’s chest with his knee and held the sword firmly with both hands.
The hunter’s hand flew towards Yi-gang’s eyes.
A slight scratch caused blood to flow freely. Had he not pulled his face back in time, he would have injured his eye.
“Damn.”
With a grimace, Yi-gang prepared to finish it.
And soon realized.
“Hmm.”
The hunter was no longer moving.
Yi-gang stood up and wiped at his scratched face. He attempted to wipe off the blood, but it kept oozing out.
Upon closer inspection, he realized that the robe he was wearing was already soaked with blood.
Yi-gang muttered.
“It was wise to wear red.”
「What do you mean, wise? If you learned the sword from me, you should have finished it more cleanly. Tsk tsk.」
Yi-gang let the criticism of the Immortal Divine Sword pass in one ear and out the other.
「You didn’t have to use the newly learned martial arts; he was an opponent you could have handled easily enough.」
During the few days it took Yi-gang to reach this place, Zhangjia Village, he had learned Shadowless Splendor from Neung Ji-pyeong.
Showing your back to make your opponent complacent, sensing what was behind you with heightened senses, and using elasticity to stab your opponent swiftly and accurately were the derivative sword techniques of Shadowless Splendor.
‘So it wasn’t a good opportunity to try it out.’
「Good? You were so excited that you couldn’t even cut properly.」
True to his words, the sword had pierced the collarbone instead of the intended target, the neck.
Yi-gang felt achy all over, perhaps because he overexerted himself.
“You did wonderfully.”
Neung Ji-pyeong appeared. He had been silently watching over Yi-gang from behind.
It was because Yi-gang had stepped forward, insisting on handling it himself.
The reason he stepped forward was nothing special. On the outside, he seemed calm, but inside, he was seething with rage.
Perhaps he saw himself in the image of the girl who had fallen, bleeding.
Yi-gang extended his hand to Gyu, who was still writhing on the ground.
“Can you stand?”
Gyu extended his small, thin hand to grasp Yi-gang’s. His hand was dirty from blood and vomit, but Yi-gang did not mind at all.
“Thank you.”
Gyu, holding Yi-gang’s hand, shakily stood up. Then, leaning on him as if hanging, he spoke.
“My sister…”
Yi-gang gave a bright smile.
“I’ll save her.”
As Yi-gang gestured to Neung Ji-pyeong, he lifted Gyu into his arms. He placed Gyu on the horse they had brought, and then personally carried the still-unconscious young girl.
“Let’s return to the carriage.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Neung Ji-pyeong showed even more respect to Yi-gang than before.
As Gyu clung to the swaying back of the horse, he gradually regained his senses. Soon, a wave of worry came crashing in.
“Um, noble sir.”
“Hm?”
Yi-gang, who was walking beside him, looked back at Gyu. The ruthless expression he had when slashing the hunter’s chest moments ago was nowhere to be seen on his face now.
“Wh-why did you come here?”
“I intended to stop by Zhangjia Village for a while. That’s at the foot of those mountains, right?”
“Yes, it is. But it’s dangerous to go down there…”
“What do you mean? I have to go down to save your sister. Isn’t there someone who knows medical arts in the village?”
It was true. However, Gyu could not possibly put these benefactors in danger.
“But that guy from earlier has comrades. They’re called Tiger Killer Gang, really ghost-like figures.”
“Tiger Killer Gang.”
“Yes, if they know the Young Master killed that guy earlier, they surely won’t stay still.”
Yi-gang stared wide-eyed at Gyu.
Did Gyu’s sincere worry reach him?
“Don’t worry too much.”
“There are more than twenty of them! And their leader is an incredibly fearsome person.”
Despite the warning, all Yi-gang did was smile slightly.
“That’s true. Those guys might have already arrived there with reinforcements.”
It was then.
From the direction Yi-gang had come from after slaying the hunter and bringing Gyu, a sharp noise was heard.
Fweee— Bang.
And red smoke billowed.
Gyu had seen it a few times before.
The Tiger Killer Gang’s flare, a signal that a significant threat had appeared at the location of the smoke.
When red smoke rose, all the Tiger Killer Gang hunters gathered in Zhangjia Village swarmed in.
“We’re, we’re doomed.”
Gyu said, his teeth chattering in fear, but…
“Wow, isn’t that kind of signal flare quite expensive?”
“The color indicates it’s a low-grade product. The dull red dye is toxic, you see. They can’t even use it when it rains. Such flares are typically used by the low-rank members of the unorthodox faction.”
“I could tell they were no big deal from the start.”
“If he had been dangerous, I wouldn’t have let Young Master step in.”
Yi-gang and Neung Ji-pyeong were, for some reason, nonchalantly engaging in conversation.
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