Chapter 6
‘There was a bandit stronghold here, too.’
As Wi Ilcheong moved between the trees and spotted the lights, he sprang toward them.
Leaping down from a high tree, he used the Thousand-Jin Drop principle to stamp down hard, landing in the very center of the stronghold.
KWA-BOOOOM!!
“W-What… what was that?!”
“What’s going on?!”
Startled by the sudden boom, the bandits poured out of their quarters to find its source.
Wi Ilcheong swept a hand through the air, dispersing the rising dust, and spoke.
“Excuse me. I’m looking for someone. Have you seen a red-haired young lady?”
“…”
As the bandits exchanged wary glances and toyed with the hilts of their weapons, the corner of Wi Ilcheong’s mouth curled up slightly.
‘Looks like I found the right place.’
Clang!
Wi Ilcheong flicked his arm, drew a soft sword, and shouted.
“I have no desire to spill blood, so if you return the young lady to me unharmed, I won’t lay a hand on anyone. Please make a wise choice.”
“W-Who are you?”
One of the bandits stepped forward, tense, and asked Wi Ilcheong.
“D-Do you know this is the stronghold of Blood-Axe Demon Jo Chang?!”
“Blood-Axe Demon Jo Chang….”
Hearing the name, Wi Ilcheong tilted his head for a moment.
“…That’s not a name I’ve heard before.”
“He recently took his place among the Ten Outlaws of the Green Forest! Once he arrives….”
“Kwahaha! The Ten Outlaws of the Green Forest?”
When Wi Ilcheong suddenly burst out laughing, the bandits were thrown into confusion.
“I can tell you for certain that man isn’t one of the Ten Outlaws. I’ve never heard of any of them using an axe.”
“H-He recently took his place among the Ten Outlaws! If you’re a martial artist, you should know how weighty that title is… Go back! The crazy woman you’re looking for isn’t here!!”
“…Crazy woman?”
“Gah!”
Hearing the bandit’s words, Wi Ilcheong was certain.
Dokgo Jin was here.
“…So Miss Dokgo is here.”
“Miss Dokgo…?”
“You don’t know who she is? That woman is the Mad Demon’s daughter.”
“T-The Mad Demon!!”
“We’re dead!!”
The moment the Mad Demon’s name came up, despair spread across the bandits’ faces.
“Y-You mean the Mad Demon who stormed the Tang Clan alone?”
“As far as I know, the only person who goes by the title Mad Demon is Lord Dokgo Jin.”
“…”
“And you fellows are truly unlucky.”
KWA-GWA-GWAK!!
Wi Ilcheong suddenly released the presence he’d been concealing and unleashed his inner energy, forcing the bandits to drop to their knees one by one.
“K-Khh!”
“W-What kind of inner energy…!”
Wi Ilcheong stopped in front of the bandit who had spoken to him first.
“My name is Wi Ilcheong. The martial world calls me the ‘Lust Demon.’”
“The L-Lust Demon!!”
“You’re holding a woman with whom I made a promise. Do you understand the situation now?”
The bandit lamented, his face twisted with dismay.
‘H-How did we end up crossing both the Mad Demon and the Lust Demon?!’
The Mad Demon, who despised martial artists and had roamed the entire martial world alone.
The Lust Demon, who never considered breaking a promise to a woman, no matter how difficult it might be to keep.
The bandit felt like biting his own tongue and killing himself, having managed to earn the enmity of these two of all people.
Just then, Wang Bong, the bandit who had found Dokgo Jin first, spoke up.
“M-Miss is in the boss’s quarters!”
“Wang Bong! You crazy bastard…!”
“What do you mean, crazy?! We have to survive first, don’t we?! If we’d known she was the Mad Demon’s daughter, we wouldn’t have laid a finger on her!!”
“Khh…!”
Wi Ilcheong looked at Wang Bong.
“Where are the boss’s quarters?”
“T-That largest tent over there.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
Wi Ilcheong gave him a polite martial salute, and Wang Bong returned the gesture.
But Wi Ilcheong’s next words were as cold as ice.
“If the young lady has been harmed, I’ll kill you.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m a man who has never once considered breaking a promise to a woman. But today, I may break that promise for the first time.”
“What are you…!”
Swaaash!
Several long lines were carved into the ground directly in front of where Wang Bong stood.
‘W-When did he…?!’
“Pray that nothing has happened to the young lady. If anything has happened to her…”
“Hey, Lust Demon!!”
“I-If something has…?”
Wi Ilcheong turned toward the voice.
At that moment, Dokgo Jin came walking out, smiling with something in hand.
“M-Miss Dokgo?”
“How could I come out with you spewing your inner energy around like that?”
“I-I see. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I almost had to suck some tiny-dicked bastard’s cock. Ugh, fuck. Got any liquor?”
“…”
Wi Ilcheong had no idea what Dokgo Jin was talking about.
“…We have water.”
“I don’t need that. Here, a present.”
Dokgo Jin tossed the object in hand.
When it landed in the open area lit by the campfires, the bandits’ eyes went wide.
“B-Boss?”
“That bastard had such a fucking thick neck, it was a pain to cut through.”
“Huh…?”
The object was Jo Chang’s head.
As the bandits stared, stunned at the unbelievable sight, Dokgo Jin shouted.
“You bastards kidnapped me?!”
“H-Hii! Please spare us!!”
“F-Fuck, I’m so embarrassed I could die, and you’re asking me to spare you?!”
“M-Miss Dokgo. Perhaps you could…”
“What, you little shit?!”
“…”
Dokgo Jin looked around with a wild gleam in her eyes and pointed at a bandit prostrated on the ground.
“Hey, you.”
“…Yes.”
“You’re the bastard who locked me in a cage and laughed at me earlier, right?”
“…No, I’m not.”
“Don’t lie to me, you bastard!”
Clang!
As Dokgo Jin unwound the soft sword from her hand, the bandit pressed his forehead to the ground and shouted.
“I-I swear, it wasn’t me! I carried Miss here!”
“…Really?”
“Yes…! I swear!”
“…”
As Dokgo Jin continued looking at him suspiciously, the bandit added,
“I-I wouldn’t have laid a hand on you if I’d known you were the Lust Demon’s woman.”
“You crazy bastard, who’s that guy’s woman?!”
“Guhk!”
Dokgo Jin rushed over and kicked him in the head.
“Damn it, you want to die? Do I look like the kind of woman who’d sleep with that piece of shit?! Huh?!”
“…”
“You bastards are so uneducated from doing nothing but banditry, your brains have gone rotten….”
Clang!
Dokgo Jin swung her arm again, and the soft sword naturally wrapped around it.
Seeing that, Wi Ilcheong spoke.
“…You seem to have gotten used to the sword.”
“Huh? Oh, this thing’s really great. Can’t you give it to me?”
“Pardon?”
“Give it to me. In return, I’ll teach you the Asura Rakshasa Saber Technique instead of the Nine Yang Divine Art.”
“…I’m a swordsman.”
“Oh, come on! You’ve got balls, don’t be so stingy.”
“Sigh… Very well.”
“Hehe, thanks.”
Wi Ilcheong clutched his head.
‘…Is this really a young lady who was kidnapped?’
Looking at Dokgo Jin, who spoke so casually as if she’d just gone for a stroll around the neighborhood, Wi Ilcheong’s head began to throb.
He felt like an idiot for having hurried over in a panic out of concern.
Just then, Dokgo Jin approached Wi Ilcheong and spread both arms.
“…What do you mean, Miss?”
“Pick me up.”
“…Pardon?”
“No, fuck. Do you expect me to walk all the way back to the inn?”
“Ah… I’m sorry. When a woman asks me to hold her, I take it the wrong way.”
“Y-You crazy bastard!”
“…I’m sorry.”
Dokgo Jin angrily kicked Wi Ilcheong in the foot.
Even as he took the kick, Wi Ilcheong’s doubts only deepened.
‘Just how feeble was this Jo Chang for a frail young lady like her to kill him?’
Wi Ilcheong held back his laughter at the kick, which looked like a child’s prank, and took Dokgo Jin’s hand.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah, hurry it up. I’m tired as hell.”
“Then…”
Just as Wi Ilcheong put strength into his toes to use his Lightness Skill again,
“Wait! Hold on. There’s something left to do.”
“…What is it?”
“Wang Bong…? You’re Wang Bong, right? Wang Bong, you son of a bitch. Get over here!”
When Dokgo Jin suddenly called Wang Bong by name, every bandit turned to look in one direction.
“You idiot, I told you to come out. Why are you just standing there?”
“W-Why are you calling for me, Miss?”
“Hand it over.”
Dokgo Jin held out her hand, and Wang Bong tilted his head.
“W-What are you talking about?”
“The purse you got from that Jo Chang earlier, you bastard. The money you got for selling me.”
“W-Why…?”
“Damn it, you got that money by selling me, right? So shouldn’t it have been mine to begin with?”
“…Pardon?”
When Wang Bong tilted his head again, Dokgo Jin’s anger erupted, and she kicked him in the groin.
“Ghh….”
“You should’ve handed it over when I asked nicely.”
Dokgo Jin rummaged around Wang Bong’s waist as he lay there foaming at the mouth, and soon found the purse she’d seen earlier.
When she opened it, there was a fair amount of silver coin inside.
“Oh… These bandit beggars have a decent bit of money.”
“…”
As the bandits stared in a daze at her robbing them, Dokgo Jin glared at them once more.
“You bastards, eyes down! Want me to make you all one-eyed?!”
“…No.”
“Damn it. If this purse had been light, you’d all be dead. Got it?!”
“…Yes.”
As Dokgo Jin approached the Lust Demon again, purse in hand, Wi Ilcheong grabbed her by the legs and scooped her up.
Dokgo Jin relaxed, lacing her hands behind her head and letting her body go limp, and Wi Ilcheong looked at her in bewilderment.
“…Miss?”
“What?”
“U-Um, hold on to something. You’re going to fall.”
“Ah, I don’t care. I’m tired as hell. Just handle it yourself.”
“…”
“Oh, right! You bandit bastards!”
Dokgo Jin looked at the bandits and spoke.
“Make that Wang Bong bastard the next boss. Hey, I just kicked him and felt it—he’s fucking solid. About ten times as hefty as Jo Chang.”
“…”
“You’d hate it if some little runt became boss, right? So, if you can, make Wang Bong the boss. That bastard’s fucking huge.”
“…Miss, if a woman keeps putting such words in her mouth…”
“Fuck that. Let’s go.”
“…”
Wi Ilcheong simply gave up on saying anything more to Dokgo Jin.
‘Senior Mad Demon… How did you raise your daughter?’
The Lust Demon sighed, kicked off the ground, and soared into the air.
*
When Dokgo Jin opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was a woman.
A woman with a somewhat sleepy, vacant look was reaching to touch Dokgo Jin’s face.
The moment their eyes met, her mouth fell open.
A little while later.
“Ah.”
“Fuck, this is frustrating. Why are you so slow to speak?”
“…”
“Ugh, my head. Give me some cold water….”
“Here….”
Dokgo Jin sat up, took the cold water from the woman, and recalled the previous night.
‘The inn… I drank and passed out as soon as we arrived. Fuck, this body can’t even handle a hangover.’
The more she learned about it, the more she felt this body was trash.
Just then, the vacant-looking woman spoke.
“Um…”
“What?”
“I… Baekri Sohyeon.”
“…And?”
“I’m… close with Brother Wi.”
“So?”
“…”
When the conversation stalled, Dokgo Jin felt her anger rising again.
“FUUUCK!!! Why the hell do you talk so frustratingly slow?!”
“…Sorry.”
“Sigh… So what are you, then? The… Lust Demon’s woman?”
“…Yeah.”
Baekri Sohyeon answered shyly, her cheeks reddening.
Her vacant expression from a moment ago disappeared, replaced by the sensual air of a strangely mature woman, making Dokgo Jin feel awkward for no reason.
“…Fine. So where’s the Lust Demon?”
“Outside…”
“What’s he doing?”
“…Morning training.”
“That’ll take a while, then. Go get me something for breakfast.”
“…Okay.”
Baekri Sohyeon obediently did as Dokgo Jin told her.
Watching her trot out, Dokgo Jin tilted her head.
‘…Is she an airhead? More importantly, does the Lust Demon have a woman he keeps around?’
She’d heard all sorts of rumors about the Lust Demon, but didn’t actually know anything about him.
Just then, the door opened, and Wi Ilcheong came in with Baekri Sohyeon, who was carrying food.
“Miss Dokgo. You’re awake.”
“…Yeah.”
“May I join you for a meal?”
“Go ahead.”
“Haha, thank you.”
Wi Ilcheong sat down with a smile, and Baekri Sohyeon set the meal between him and Dokgo Jin.
“Thank you, Miss Baekri.”
“Yeah…”
Seeing the two exchange greetings so naturally, Dokgo Jin picked up some food.
‘…So he did have a woman he kept around.’
Shoving whatever food she could find into her mouth, Dokgo Jin spoke.
“So, Lust Demon.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Let’s talk about what we didn’t get to yesterday. About the deal.”