Chapter 2
“You lot!”
The ruffians, deep in their drinking and revelry, turned around at Yoo Somyung’s clear voice.
“Huh? Who’s that wench?”
“I don’t know what she is, but she’s really pretty, isn’t she?”
“She’s exactly Leader’s type! Let’s grab her before he gets here!”
The ruffians were already too drunk to properly discern anything. They didn’t even wonder about Yoo Somyung’s identity, simply getting excited by the appearance of a beautiful woman. One of the more impatient ones stood up and approached Yoo Somyung.
“Hey, you wench. Come over here...”
Yoo Somyung looked at him with empty eyes. He was already slow-witted, and he was full of openings with the alcohol.
Yoo Somyung imbued her fist with Internal Energy.
Willow Flower Righteous Fist.
Her slender arm and small fist shot straight out, striking the ruffian in the abdomen. He let out a single scream, tumbled several times, and collapsed beside his comrades.
Only then did the Bandits stop drinking and their eyes widened.
Yoo Somyung offered the ruffians a faint smile. It was undoubtedly the innocent smile of a beauty, but from their perspective, it was anything but.
Mercy was useless against such cruel and wicked individuals. Yoo Somyung continued in a firm tone.
“Stop speaking so disrespectfully.”
“...”
“You might get severely punished.”
“This wench!”
Another ruffian charged at Yoo Somyung with a saber, but she easily dodged it and struck him on the head with the flat of her blade.
“Gah!”
“I told you not to, yet you did it again.”
Two men fell in an instant. Though she appeared young, the Bandits realized they were no match for her and immediately lowered themselves.
“I am Dongryong, the Deputy Leader of this place. What brings a noble lady like yourself to such a humble abode?”
For an mere Unorthodox Faction member to survive long in the murim, one must not only wield a saber well but also know how to bow deeply.
At her opponent’s sudden change in demeanor, Yoo Somyung let out a hollow laugh and continued.
“I’ve heard tales that this place has recently been harassing the weak and stealing their possessions.”
At her words, Dongryong broke out in a cold sweat. Well, that was because it was all true.
“Therefore, if you return all the wealth you’ve plundered and surrender yourselves to the Magistrate’s Office, I will spare your lives.”
“W-what nonsense!”
“Hold it! Wait, Bangsam!”
Bangsam cried out in indignation at the demand to abandon everything, but Dongryong stopped him. He wore a serious expression, as if he had made a decision.
“I will accept the noble lady’s terms.”
“Deputy Leader!”
“Then, would you please bring out the things you’ve stolen from the Common People first?”
“Understood. All the wealth is gathered in the Storehouse. Please wait a moment!”
“Deputy Leader! How could we give up what we’ve gathered with such effort!”
“Silence, you fool! Wasn’t that wealth gathered through illicit means anyway? Since it was stolen from others, it was destined to be repaid someday. It’s better to pay all our dues now and be reborn as new men.”
“Deputy Leader...”
Yoo Somyung saw the firm resolve in Deputy Leader Dongryong and smiled faintly. She was of the belief that one could always repent if one regretted one's sins, no matter how wicked a person.
“Your repentance is good to see. That’s a good mindset. Naturally, once you’ve paid for all your sins, you can be reborn anew. More importantly, when will you give me the Storehouse key...?”
“Ah, just a moment... I’m getting it out. Ah, here it is.”
Something glinted from Dongryong’s bosom. Yoo Somyung thought it was a key reflecting the light. But it wasn’t.
Thwip, thwip!!
Dongryong threw the dagger he pulled from his bosom at her.
“Here it is, my foot! Take this, you wench!”
“Ugh!”
Barely raising her sword to block the dagger from Dongryong’s surprise attack, she was then assailed by two more men.
“Hmph...! Don’t you think your fighting style is too underhanded?”
“Underhanded, my ass! To survive, you have to use any method!”
“This is how the Unorthodox Faction lives.”
While Yoo Somyung was momentarily distracted, Dongryong imbued his saber with Internal Energy.
“Take this! This is the Thousand Strength Saber Art I learned directly from our Leader!”
As the saber’s weight suddenly increased severalfold, a flustered Yoo Somyung lost her balance. And into that opening, Bangsam lunged.
“Ugh!”
Yoo Somyung quickly twisted her body to avoid the tip of the saber, but it grazed her waist lightly. A small amount of blood dripped from her waist.
“Too bad, Bangsam!”
“I’ll do better next time, Elder Brother.”
Yoo Somyung glared at Dongryong and Bangsam with cold eyes. Having seen their true nature, Yoo Somyung no longer saw any point in being respectful.
“So, you have no intention of being captured willingly, do you?”
“Bullshit.”
“Get lost, you wench.”
Yoo Somyung let out a deep sigh.
Indeed, the problem was trying to apply the Righteous Faction’s methods against Bandits from the start.
Yoo Somyung gripped her sword firmly. Dongryong and Bangsam swallowed hard at her changed aura.
Willow Flower Sword Art.
People don’t know if willow blossoms exist, or what they look like. But willow blossoms bloom softly and tenaciously, unbeknownst to anyone.
Not a mere imitation of the Plum Blossom Sword Art, but truly the Sword Art that led the Shanxi Yu Clan to its golden age.
Yoo Somyung held her sword straight, like the character ‘一’ (one), and leaped.
“Get ready, Bangsam. Here she comes!”
Dongryong watched Yoo Somyung’s sword. Whether it was his imagination or not, the sword’s speed seemed much slower than before, and he felt it. He could win.
He filled himself with *qi* and swung his saber at her. But the sensation of cutting was strange. It felt like cutting through thick cotton. When he came to his senses, she was behind him and Bangsam.
“H-how?”
“A Swift Sword that appears slow, yet cuts down enemies faster and more swiftly than anyone. That is the Willow Flower Sword Art.”
With those words, Dongryong and Bangsam collapsed to the ground.
“Ugh.”
“Aargh!”
Yoo Somyung hummed a tune as if nothing had happened and asked.
“I deliberately didn’t cut any vital points, so you should be able to speak. Where is the wealth?”
“Just kill me instead!”
At his words, Yoo Somyung shook her head.
“No, I’m going to hand you over to the Magistrate’s Office, remember? Stop being troublesome and...”
“Stop!”
Just then, a desperate voice was heard from outside the Mountain Stronghold. The sound came from where the Coachman and Woodcutter were hiding.
*Could it be?*
Yoo Somyung turned her head to see one of the ruffians she had knocked out earlier holding a saber to the Woodcutter’s throat.
She had been careless.
She had been so engrossed in using the Willow Flower Sword Art that she neglected something important.
“P-please save me.”
“Drop your sword right now! Otherwise, I’ll cut this fellow’s throat!”
The Woodcutter trembled violently, seemingly terrified, and the Coachman lay unconscious beside him.
Tch.
Yoo Somyung clicked her tongue. For some reason, she disliked seeing the Woodcutter’s life threatened. She was conflicted. Yet, dropping her sword wouldn’t guarantee the ruffian would release the Woodcutter.
If I lower my sword to the ground, I push his arm away at the same time.
That was a Sound Transmission Yoo Somyung sent to the Woodcutter. The Woodcutter seemed confused upon receiving the Sound Transmission, but soon grasped the situation and subtly nodded.
Confirming that he understood, Yoo Somyung slowly began to lower her sword.
“Understood. If I put down my sword, you’ll release him, won’t you?”
As she lowered her sword, she transmitted numbers to the Woodcutter via Sound Transmission. It was to synchronize their timing.
“I’m putting it down now.”
One.
Two.
Three.
And the moment the sword touched the ground.
Now!
The Woodcutter desperately pushed the ruffian’s arm away, and as the flustered Bandit tried to slash the Woodcutter’s throat, Yoo Somyung leaped.
There was no time to retrieve her sword. She extended a straight fist.
Willow Flower Righteous Fist
CRASH—!!
Unable to withstand the impact of the *fist energy* (*quanqi*) she unleashed, the Bandit’s body flew backward.
“Hah, hah!”
Sending only the Bandit behind the Woodcutter flying with *fist energy* required immense concentration, even more so because an innocent person’s life could have been lost.
However, the result was a great success. The Bandit was down, and the Woodcutter was safe.
“Young Lady!”
The Woodcutter rushed towards her, his legs giving out from the tension.
Yoo Somyung even felt a sense of satisfaction from his bright expression.
It was all over. Now, all that remained was to redistribute the wealth to the innocent Common People and punish the cruel Unorthodox Faction...
Thwack.
“Gah!”
But Yoo Somyung couldn’t continue her thoughts. Only an unfamiliar pain and an inability to breathe remained.
*What happened?*
She couldn’t understand the situation that had just unfolded. The bright-faced Woodcutter had simply struck her hard in the throat, what had only been seen with her eyes to describe...
...
“Oh, she didn’t faint?”
By then, the Woodcutter was wearing a mischievous, impish grin. Yoo Somyung, struggling to hold onto her fading consciousness, asked him.
“W-what, ugh, what is this...?”
“Ah, my apologies, Young Lady Yu. I tried to knock you out, but it didn’t quite work. I’ll try the back of your neck this time.”
His tone, which had been innocent when they first met, had now become cocky and thuggish, like a street punk extorting money.
He raised his blade-like hand high. Yoo Somyung, instinctively realizing what he was about to do, tried to block him but failed.
“W-wait...”
“Next time, don’t follow strangers, even if they’re handsome men?”
Thud.
This time, a pain as if her neck was breaking followed, and her vision went black.
“Hey, Bongchun. Your acting has improved. Are you alright?”
“Hehe, Leader. I’ve gotten much better, haven’t I? But that wench’s fist really hurts. I can’t get up.”
“Dongryong! Are you alright?”
“Damn it... Leader. I’m not doing this role next time. I’ll be the one doing the tricking.”
“Haha, I told you, women don’t like you because of your rough face.”
“Ugh, damn it.”
With the conversation between one triumphant man and the grumbling others, Yoo Somyung’s consciousness finally faded.