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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: The Four Demons of Mount Jung, Part One
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As Mujin left the family estate with the fake Taoist in the lead, Elder Jo, having heard the story, rushed out with the still-recovering warriors.
"Young Master!"
"What is it?"
Mujin turned back, looking bored.
"We will go with you!"
"No need. I'm not fond of moving in a crowd. Don't go wandering around in your condition and end up bedridden. Get some rest."
Elder Jo and the warriors were still wrapped in bandages here and there, their movements visibly uncomfortable.
But Elder Jo did not back down easily.
"Geumyang isn't far, but that swindler might have accomplices. Please, let us come with you…"
"With your skills?"
At Mujin's single question, Elder Jo's mouth snapped shut.
"Whether this guy has friends or not, it's more convenient for me to go alone. Just focus on recovering."
With that, Mujin turned away.
Elder Jo, the warriors, and Masok could not follow him.
On the day of the bloody battle at the Jeodong River, they had been utterly useless against the assassins.
If Mujin hadn't appeared when he did, they wouldn't even be here now, wallowing in their bitter feelings.
"Let's go back inside…"
At Elder Jo's dejected voice, the warriors' spirits sank as they returned to the estate.
"Did the Young Master tell you not to come?"
At the downcast General Manager's question, Elder Jo nodded.
*Sigh.*
The two men sighed in unison.
"I feel like I've lived my life in vain."
Elder Jo nodded in agreement with the General Manager's words.
"I feel the same."
*Sigh.*
Leaving the two old men's sighs behind, Mujin followed the swindler.
After passing the main road and turning onto a quiet path, the swindler pointed to a carriage parked by the side of the road.
"This is the carriage I arrived in. Please, get in."
It was a four-horse carriage.
Seeing the carriage, complete with a driver, Mujin shook his head.
"Looks like you've been raking it in."
With that, he approached the carriage. The grim-faced driver shifted, but a glance from the swindler made him settle back into his seat.
The interior of the carriage was nothing short of luxurious.
"What's with this plush seat?"
"It's filled with cotton and finished with leather. This line of work requires traveling all over the country, so I spend a lot of time sitting, you see. That's why I paid special attention to it."
"Your work ethic is needlessly thorough. With that kind of dedication, why don't you try living an honest life?"
At Mujin's words, the swindler smiled and nodded.
"Yes. I'll be sure to do that from now on."
"You're a natural-born liar. Your expression doesn't even change. Then again, with that silver tongue and skill for disguise, the kind of work you can do is pretty obvious."
With that, Mujin lay down on the plush seat and closed his eyes.
"Wake me when we arrive."
Watching him fall asleep so readily, the smile vanished from the swindler's face.
'Just you wait, you bastard!'
Mujin snored softly, sleeping soundly even in the rocking carriage.
He usually got by on minimal sleep, dedicating most of his time to practicing his swordsmanship, so he could fall asleep anywhere, anytime.
How much time had passed?
The rocking carriage came to a halt, and the door opened.
"Is this the one?"
A black shadow entered the carriage along with a gruff voice.
The man, wearing a sleeveless shirt that exposed his thick arms, frowned at the soundly sleeping Mujin.
His muscular forearms were bare, and on each arm, he wore five arhat rings.
"Get up."
"..."
"I said, get up!"
*Thump!*
The burly man kicked the seat where Mujin was lying.
Still, Mujin didn't stir, remaining fast asleep.
"This bastard!"
*Clang!*
The arhat rings on his arm clattered as the man's fist flew toward Mujin's face.
*Thwack!*
The fist, which looked powerful enough to crush Mujin's skull, was blocked by Mujin's cloth-wrapped sword.
"*Yawn*. What? Are we there?"
Mujin sat up, yawning nonchalantly.
The burly man stared at Mujin, who had so casually blocked his punch, and staggered backward.
Ignoring the man, Mujin stood up and stepped out of the carriage.
"Since when was Geumyang in a remote forest like this?"
He looked around. The sun hadn't set yet, but they were in a dark, eerie forest.
"So you're the Hidden Dragon of Sichuan. You've got some nerve, I'll give you that."
"What's with all those arhat rings? Are you trying to announce to the whole world that you're in training?"
Mujin looked at the man, whose arms were laden with round, iron arhat rings, with an expression of contempt.
Arhat rings were what Shaolin pugilists started wearing on their arms to build strength during training.
Those who wore them outside were one of two types: those who wanted to show off that they knew some martial arts, and those who didn't know the real purpose of the rings.
There were even some ignorant fools who used them to block weapons for self-defense.
"Whether I wear these rings or carry them on my head is none of your damn business. How dare you interfere with Brother Do's business and try to extort his property. You'd better not expect to get away with this lightly."
The man and his underlings began to close in, spouting nonsense.
"You're not just some run-of-the-mill underworld thugs, are you?"
Mujin smiled as he looked at the four martial artists, including the burly man.
"Underworld? How dare you compare us to such lowly scum?! We are the Four Demons of Mount Jung!"
"Mount Jung?"
Mujin tilted his head.
The famous mountains of Sichuan were typically Mount Emei and Mount Qingcheng. There were others, but he had never heard the name Mount Jung.
"Demons of Mount Jung… so you're… bandits?"
The burly man, his arms covered in arhat rings, bristled at Mujin's blunt description.
"You bastard! How dare you compare us to mere mountain bandits?! We live the lives of Demons, with Mount Jung as our base…"
*Clang!*
*Riiip!*
Mujin slammed the cloth-wrapped iron sword he held in one hand onto the ground. The cloth covering the sword tore and scattered in all directions.
"The word 'Demon' isn't something just anyone can use. It's a word reserved for those prepared to forsake their humanity and live the life of a fiend. What's there to be so proud of that you go around calling yourselves Demons?"
Jeongcheon had lived his life being called the Divine Demon.
He had cut down his enemies without regard for age or gender and showed no mercy to anyone who stood in his way.
His was a demonic path, paved only with blood.
From his perspective, having ended his life as a Demon at the end of a bloody road forged by slaying his foes, these self-proclaimed Demons were nothing but a joke.
"What does a punk like you know about the life of a Demon?"
"Brother, is there any need for small talk? The outcome is already decided."
At the words of a short martial artist holding an iron staff, the burly man nodded.
What was the point of arguing with a man who was about to die?
"In the afterlife, when your ancestors ask why you came so soon, tell them it was because of your insolent mouth."
With that, the four martial artists unleashed their auras and charged at Mujin.
'They're certainly better than the assassins from the river.'
Their auras were just strong enough to let them throw their weight around, calling themselves Demons.
They were skilled enough to easily prey on novices from prestigious sects.
Their intimidating pressure was enough to make an inexperienced orthodox first-rate master falter.
'It's crude, but it's definitely demonic energy.'
However, it was an aura that would only work on clumsy experts like novices.
Against the Divine Demon, who even the leader of the Sun Moon Divine Cult—the pinnacle of the demonic path—had to yield to, it was utterly worthless.
Mujin took a step toward the men rushing at him and thrust his sword forward.
The Third Stance: Sky-Shattering Stance.
It was a sword style said to be able to split the sky, no matter how high an opponent's internal energy reached.
It was a technique that cut through an enemy's momentum and neutralized the influence of their encroaching energy—a crucial offensive stance of the Nine Swords of Dugu for seizing the initiative.
The four martial artists' eyes widened as they saw Mujin's sword cut through their combined aura like a knife through paper.
Having sliced through their momentum with a single strike, Mujin twisted his body and swung his sword.
The Fifth Stance: Army-Slaying Stance.
It was a sword style from the Nine Swords of Dugu designed for fighting multiple opponents, meant to bring any number of enemies to their knees.
Faced with the pressure radiating from Mujin's sword, the four martial artists instantly switched to defense and halted their advance.
Normally, a Demon's demonic energy would overwhelm and pressure their opponents, preventing them from using their full strength.
But when their own momentum was shattered and broken, it was only natural for the attackers' hearts to waver.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The burly man, who had been the first to charge, retracted his punch and blocked Mujin's sword with the arhat rings on his arms.
"Guh!"
He had only blocked three strikes, but he could feel his arms vibrating and the bones cracking.
Even though he had blocked at the cost of injuring his arms, his opponent's sword didn't slow down in the slightest and continued to press forward.
The burly man had no choice but to retreat.
His companions moved in to fill the gap.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
"With such a heavy sword…"
"To move it so fast!"
Most of the stances in the Nine Swords of Dugu utilized the principles of a heavy sword.
However, the Army-Slaying Stance alone focused its essence on the principles of a fast sword rather than a heavy one.
'Because you have to cut down a large number of enemies quickly.'
It was a reckless sword style, purely offensive, with no thought for defense.
And yet, the Four Demons of Mount Jung found themselves pushed back, bewildered by what was happening.
Even when they tried to surround and attack him all at once, Mujin disregarded defense and pressed forward with an all-out assault, making it difficult for them to even strike his back.
When they attacked from the sides, he met them with counterattacks, and they were quickly forced into a defensive position.
'What kind of martial art is this…?'
'What in the world is…'
Among masters, there was no need for a lengthy exchange. A single clash was enough to gauge an opponent's skill.
After clashing with Mujin's brutish iron sword, the Demons instantly knew they couldn't win against him.
The sword energy contained in a single strike was so immense that a poor defense would result in being cut down along with their weapons.
Exchanging glances, the Four Demons of Mount Jung simultaneously retreated, creating distance from Mujin.
"You think I'll let you run away?!"
Just as Mujin was starting to have fun, he prepared to lunge at the retreating enemies.
"We surrender! We have lost!"
At the words of the once-arrogant burly man, Mujin's rising excitement instantly cooled.
"What do you mean, you've already lost? We have to fight more to know. How can you give up when there are four of you?"
He protested, but his opponents, having lost their will to fight, seemed to have no intention of changing their minds.
"My arms were fractured blocking the first three strikes, and the hands of my two brothers who use the sword and saber were torn open long ago. My youngest brother, who uses the iron staff, has a dislocated shoulder. We are well aware that we are no match for you, sir."
With that, the burly man fell to his knees.
Behind him, the other three Demons collapsed to their knees as well.
With things turning out this way, the fake Taoist, who had been relying on the Four Demons of Mount Jung, was left in an awkward position.
"Hey."
At Mujin's call, the swindler quickly approached him.
"Yes!"
"Take it off."
"Excuse me?"
The swindler clutched his chest and took a step back.
"Do I have to say it twice?"
At his words, the swindler quickly began to remove his clothes.
Mujin tore the Taoist robe into strips and started wrapping it around his iron sword.
"Where are we?"
"M-Mount Jung."
Mujin asked again, looking at the swindler who was now only in his undergarments.
"How far to Geumyang?"
"H-half a shichen, and we'll be there."
Mujin nodded and walked toward the kneeling Four Demons, his eyes glinting with killing intent.
Seeing him approach with such a menacing aura, the burly man spoke up.
"The crime of raising my hand against a great warrior. Can you not let it pass with my life alone?"
"Brother!"
"Brother!"
"How can you be the only one!"
The burly man raised a hand to silence his three shouting brothers and looked at Mujin, who smirked.
"I can spare all four of you. If you shatter your dantians and sever your meridians."
At Mujin's words, the burly man began to smash his head against the ground.
*Thud!*
"Great warrior! My three younger brothers were merely following my lead! If you would please spare their lives as martial artists, I will be grateful for your mercy even in death!"
*Thud!*
*Thud!*
The burly man was as brutish as he looked; his forehead soon split open, and blood began to pour down his face.
"Damn it. What is this, a self-harm racket? Stop."
Mujin said, watching the man. He then crouched down to meet his eyes.
"Where did you learn it?"
"Pardon?"
"It's crude, but it's definitely demonic arts. It's not easy to see demonic arts in the Central Plains. From the bastards of the Nine Great Sects to the scumbags of the Unorthodox Factions, they all have a fit at the mere mention of demonic arts. This isn't the Heavenly Mountains. I don't recall ever hearing that a martial lineage of demonic arts existed on some unknown Mount Jung in Sichuan."
At Mujin's words, the burly man spoke.
"I learned from my master, who was alive until two years ago!"
"What's your master's name?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"No!"
The burly man's response was so confident that it was Mujin's turn to be flustered.