Seo-jun chased after the man fleeing in the distance.
With a sharp swoosh, the sound of cutting wind filled the air as he quickly closed the gap, his opponent’s back now within reach.
The man twisted his body, whipping out a weapon that was strapped to his waist—a whip with a blade attached to the end.
The blade came flying at Seo-jun, tearing through the air with a loud crack. Seo-jun wrapped qi around his hand and grabbed the whip mid-air.
The man tried to pull the whip back, but Seo-jun yanked it hard, causing the man to stumble forward. Seo-jun's right fist burned with fiery qi as he prepared to strike.
“W-wait! Hero!” the man stammered, gulping as Seo-jun's fist stopped just short of his face. He knew that if Seo-jun punched him now, his head would be crushed. Having seen Seo-jun’s ruthlessness, he was certain that Seo-jun would have no qualms about killing him. His only chance was to talk his way out.
Immediately, he prostrated himself.
“P-please spare me! We weren’t in the wrong, really! You, as a fellow martial artist, must understand! The world runs on the law of the jungle!”
“The law of the jungle?” Seo-jun questioned.
“Yes! Take the Namgung family, for example! They rule Anhui with their strength! We are just trying to do the same…”
“So, right now, I’m the one with the strength, right?”
“Well, yes…”
“And since you’ve pissed me off, you’re dead.”
“Ugh…!” The man sprang up suddenly, aiming a kick at Seo-jun.
Seo-jun glanced at the attack. Predictable. He intercepted it effortlessly and squeezed.
Crack!
“Gaaah…!!” The man screamed, clutching his crushed leg.
Seo-jun sighed and brought his foot down, crushing the man’s head into silence.
“Next…”
He still sensed the remaining presence at the edge of his perception.
Golden qi flared up at Seo-jun’s feet, and he shot forward, riding the energy as though on the back of a dragon.
Up ahead, he spotted another man who had noticed him as well. The man drew a bow from his back, and with gritted teeth, he released a volley of arrows in a strange curve towards Seo-jun.
Seo-jun’s eyes shone. It wasn’t every day that he saw someone use a bow in the martial world.
He infused his qi with the essence of the White Crane Ghost technique, drawing a large circle with his hand.
The arrows, which had been flying in, slowed as their momentum died and they fell harmlessly to the ground.
The man glanced over and quickly prepared another arrow, aiming directly at Seo-jun with greater focus.
He shouted, “Haaap…!” The arrow tip swelled with power, and with a speed surpassing the sound barrier, it flew towards Seo-jun’s chest.
Seo-jun observed the arrow, spinning rapidly as it curved towards him. He understood the principle instantly.
Grabbing the arrow mid-flight, he snapped it and then readied his own technique, drawing from the idea of the arrow’s spin.
Golden qi gathered into the shape of a bullet in his hand, spinning with deadly force.
With a flick, he fired.
The golden bullet flew at a speed so fast it was barely visible, piercing through the man’s torso.
Satisfied, Seo-jun nodded at the sight of his second successful shot.
“Not bad.”
Now, only one remained.
Instead of pursuing immediately, Seo-jun decided to wait for Hwan Bae-ho.
He stood there, gazing at the sky until he sensed Hwan Bae-ho approaching.
“Young Master,” Hwan Bae-ho said, panting as he reached him and bowed.
“Shall we chase them down right away?” he asked.
“No, let’s take it slow,” Seo-jun replied, pulling the bow from the dead man’s hands and testing its draw.
Hwan Bae-ho looked concerned. “Though it’s unlikely, we might lose the trail if we don’t act quickly. Shouldn’t we pursue them immediately?”
“It’s fine. I can follow him easily,” Seo-jun assured him.
“Did you bring tracking incense or something?”
Tracking incense, like the famous Thousand Mile Incense, was designed for this purpose, allowing a martial artist with the right skills to track the scent across great distances.
“I didn’t bring that. He’s just got my qi on him.”
Seo-jun tapped his arm. He was referring to the man who had been injured by his qi bullet earlier. The trail would be easy to follow.
“Can you really track him that way?” Hwan Bae-ho asked, amazed.
“It works. Though I find it more incredible that you can track things from such tiny traces.”
“That’s a skill anyone can learn.”
“No, it’s not.” Seo-jun chuckled, genuinely impressed.
“Anyway, let’s take our time. A fugitive always feels the heat more when he’s running.”
Hwan Bae-ho quickly bowed his head, “Understood!”
This was his first time seeing Seo-jun’s skills up close, and he knew he’d never forget this day.
As they traveled, Seo-jun experimented with the bow a bit.
Thwunk!
An arrow flew in an arc and struck a tree. Not exactly where he had aimed.
Shrugging, he tossed the bow aside.
“Not my style.”
Seo-jun then felt a sudden presence and widened his eyes.
“What the—?”
He leapt up, kicking off a tree, and soared higher for a better view.
From his vantage point, he saw a black wave on the horizon—a horde of monsters.
“There must be hundreds. No, thousands.”
After descending, Seo-jun explained what he saw to Hwan Bae-ho, whose eyes went wide.
“A monster flood!”
“You mean a monster wave?”
“Yes?”
Seo-jun shrugged. “What do you usually do in these situations?”
“Typically, large sects intervene. But by the time the Namgung family assesses the situation and sends reinforcements, it may be too late. Their resources are stretched thin as it is.”
“So a few cities might be overrun?”
“Yes…”
Seo-jun sighed, growing tired of the chaotic world around him.
“The path the last guy took matches the direction the monsters are coming from. We should head that way and see if there’s any town nearby.”
“Yes, sir!” Hwan Bae-ho replied.
Seo-jun knew they needed to move quickly. Although Hwan Bae-ho’s qinggong was impressive, he was no match for Seo-jun’s full speed.
Seo-jun grabbed the back of Hwan Bae-ho’s collar, and he let himself be carried along.
“Sorry about this.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just make sure not to bite your tongue.”
With that, Seo-jun took off, leaving a golden trail in the sky. The clouds shimmered in a faint gold, like the hues of a sunset.
It didn’t take long to find a small city along the monsters’ anticipated path.
Seo-jun set Hwan Bae-ho down in the city center.
“You go and warn them about the monster wave,” Seo-jun instructed.
“Though this city is a bit larger, it doesn’t have much in the way of defenses.”
“Better to be informed than caught off guard.”
“Yes!” Hwan Bae-ho quickly ran off. Seo-jun watched him for a moment before following the remaining qi trail.
As he walked, the streets grew quieter.
“Why do small fry always like back alleys?”
He finally stopped in an empty alley and looked down at the ground.
Below him, he sensed his own qi mixed with the remaining man’s presence.
Seo-jun lifted his foot and stomped down hard.
Boom!
The ground crumbled, and he descended into the darkness. He landed and looked up, meeting the terrified eyes of the man who had been hiding.
“Found you.”
A wicked smile spread across Seo-jun’s face.
Meanwhile, Hwan Bae-ho rushed to the largest sect in the area, recalling that Blue Thunder Sect held the most influence around here.
“Halt!”
The gatekeeper stopped him, but upon recognizing his Namgung attire, quickly bowed.
“What brings someone from the Namgung family?”
“I need to see your sect leader immediately!”
“I should announce your arrival first…”
“There’s no time!”
Pushing past the gatekeeper, Hwan Bae-ho headed directly to the sect leader’s quarters.
“Blue Thunder Sect Leader!”
Fortunately, the leader was outside and available.
“And who might you be?”
“The situation is urgent!” Hwan Bae-ho approached, his expression dire.
“You may be from the Namgung family, but that’s no reason to be disrespectful.”
“It’s a monster wave!”
“What did you say?”
“I said there’s a monster wave! We’re running out of time!”
The sect leader rubbed his forehead, cursing under his breath.
“Monsters have been increasing lately… Any support from the Namgung family?”
“There’s only one person here at the moment.”
“Only one…?”
“The Young Master himself.”
“Namgung Myung?”
“No… But this isn’t the time for questions! We need to work together with an exceptional martial artist to hold them off!”
The leader bit his lip, deep in thought.
“Understood. We’ll secure an escape route as well. Even with extraordinary skill, he’s still human. He can’t hold off thousands of monsters alone.”
“I’ll leave that to you. Inform the other sects too.”
The leader quickly took off using his qinggong.
Standing there, Hwan Bae-ho sighed, gazing up at the sky.
“What are we going to do?”
He knew the Young Master’s capabilities, but no matter how strong he was, he was still human. Facing off against a horde of thousands was impossible. Losing the fiancé of Lady Namgung Sua this way was unacceptable.
If worst came to worst, they’d have to retreat and wait for reinforcements. But would Seo-jun agree to retreat?
Hwan Bae-ho’s concern grew deeper.