Chapter 35 – Natural Enemy (4)

“Is that really the secret martial arts manual of the Blood Water Poisonous Claws!?”

Gu Pae Ajusshi’s shocked voice rang out.

I nodded in response toward him and answered.

“It seems to be a copy made by Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons. I’ve seen him go through it before.”

It was definitely the book I had seen back then.

I had tried to take a peek at it once, but Grandfather scolded me, saying not to look at it out of curiosity. Because of that, I remembered it clearly.

Grandfather had mentioned he copied only the part explaining how to use the Poisonous Claws from Blood Water Poisonous Claws to see if it could be adapted for the Tang Sect. That meant not all the original contents were included in the copy.

He had said something about it being without the formula and only containing the form, but I didn’t really understand what he meant by that.

At that moment, Gu Pae Ajusshi turned to the intruders with an enraged expression and shouted.

“Who are you, daring to infiltrate the Tang Sect and try to steal that cursed evil cultivation technique!?”

Back when we retrieved the Blood Water Poisonous Claws from Haenam Island, Grandfather had strongly emphasized how vile it was, saying it required blood and bone marrow.

Yet, as expected, the middle-aged man who had been silent ignored Gu Pae Ajusshi’s question.

Standing in the rain, he took the manual and tucked it into his chest, then spread his hands with a sinister smile.

“The cowards of the Cult told us to avoid unnecessary trouble and quietly bring back the Blood Water Poisonous Claws. But with so many bugs swarming around us like this…”

“I-I’m sorry!”

“No, this is perfect. The other factions will cause a commotion, but wouldn’t this make for an excellent excuse?

It’s earlier than planned, but since we’ve retrieved the Blood Water Poisonous Claws and Man of Ten Thousand Poisons is no longer around, what better offering could there be to announce our return?

In any case, if we want to escape this place, we’ll need to deal with these pests. Hyeol-yeong, I permit you to use the Cult’s martial arts. Leave no one alive!”

“Yes, understood!”

‘Cult?’

The term Cult usually referred to a religious organization.

While I was tilting my head in confusion at the mention of the Cult, the man in red martial arts attire reached for his injured shoulder and grabbed at the fallen body of his comrade nearby.

-Splat!

Blood spurted out from the body of the masked man lying on the ground.

Strangely, the blood began to flow toward the man’s fingertips and his injured shoulder, merging with the falling raindrops as it was absorbed into his body.

“That’s!”

‘What is this!? A vampire!? Isn’t this supposed to be murim, not some supernatural story?’

It was like a scene straight out of a vampire movie from my previous life.

Watching the man absorb the blood, Gu Pae Ajusshi muttered in a stunned voice.

“Blood Cult….”

‘Blood Cult? If it’s the Blood Cult?’

The mention of the Blood Cult from Gu Pae Ajusshi triggered a memory from not too long ago.

I remembered the reaction of the branch elders when I had shown them the original version of the Blood Water Poisonous Claws.

「“This, this is the Blood Cult and the Blood Water Poisonous Claws! Look at the cover! Those words written in blood! This is undoubtedly the Blood Water Poisonous Claws!”

“Indeed. It was said to have originated from the Blood Cult…!”」

That memory aligned with our current situation, and the man in red confirmed it by nodding his head and speaking.

“That’s right. I am none other than Blood Eagle Dagger Claws Gu Cheon-ak, Elder of the Blood Cult! Become sacrifices to announce the Blood Cult’s revival!”

“An elder of the Blood Cult….”

Hearing his words, Gu Pae Ajusshi’s face turned grim.

However, he quickly regained his composure and shouted to the Tang Sect warriors and me.

“Form the Five Poisons Fire Annihilation Formation! Young Master Soryong! Signal with the Flying Needle!”

“Understood!”

At Gu Pae Ajusshi’s command, the Tang Sect warriors swiftly moved to form their battle formation, and I quickly reached into my chest pocket.

I was pulling out the signal Flying Needle, which the Tang Sect used as an alternative to traditional signal flares.

At that moment, the Blood Cult’s Elder pointed at me and yelled.

“Hyeol-yeong, if they all attack at once, it’ll be troublesome. Stop him! Don’t kill him, though. There’s nothing as beneficial to recovery as a boy’s Essence Blood.”

“Yes!”

“Stop him! We cannot let him reachYoung Master Soryong!”

“Let’s see you try to stop me! Hahaha!”

-Boom!

“Aaargh!”

The dialogue between the intruders caused Gu Pae Ajusshi to pull the Tang Sect warriors and block their path in surprise. However, the formation collapsed under the force released by the Blood Cult elder, and the one called Hyeol-yeong shot toward me.

Earlier, his speed was already quick, but now it was almost like that of an arrow.

Before I could even fully draw the Flying Needle from my grasp inside my pocket, the man had already seized my wrist.

“Well then, why don’t you take a little rest? The elder seems to want your Essence Blood, after all.”

“Young Master Soryong!”

Gu Pae Ajusshi shouted in alarm at my precarious situation, even while clashing against the Blood Cult elder.

But he couldn’t help me while dealing with the Blood Cult elder, and at the moment when the man raised his arm as if to strike my nape with a pressure point attack.

-Crunch.

He was no longer of this world.

Because the centipedes that burst out from my arm that tried to block him, my caught hand, and my abdomen mercilessly bit into his stomach, arm, and nape.

“Kuhk….”

The light fading from his eyes that met my gaze.

Perhaps after the centipedes had shed their skins their venom had grown more potent. When Tak Wun-yang had died, his body had merely turned pitch black. However, the state of Hyeol-yeong was even more gruesome.

The areas where he had been bitten seemed to melt away slightly.

-Splash.

The Blood Cult member known as Hyeol-yeong fell lifelessly into a rainwater puddle.

Even the ground around him was tainted by the venom leaking from his body.

-Boom!

The sound of a deafening explosion drew my attention away. I turned to see the man in red martial arts attire unleashing forceful energy to push back the Tang Sect warriors. His expression shifted into one of disbelief as he looked in my direction.

“A spiritual creature? Things are getting interesting.”

His expression seemed to convey that he hadn’t expected Hyeol-yeong to die. But I ignored his gaze and quickly launched the Flying Needle into the sky.

-Beep. Beep. Beep.

Soon after, the sound of the signal brought Tang Sect members from all around rushing to the scene.

***

-Splatter!

“Guhhh!”

“You seemed confident after firing that Flying Needle. But without Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, you’re all as good as dead. Hahaha.”

A Tang Sect warrior, struck across the chest by the man’s claw attack, staggered backward while clutching his wounded chest before collapsing.

This was followed by urgent warnings.

“Don’t get too close!”

“His internal energy is tremendous! Avoid direct confrontation!”

The injured warrior was dragged away by others, who tore his martial arts uniform to apply pressure to the wound and stop the bleeding.

I tried to help as much as I could.

After all, the only techniques I had learned so far were basic internal energy cultivation techniques, movement arts, and introductory throwing dagger techniques.

Because I hadn’t yet mastered footwork techniques, Numin had tasked me with focusing on support in chaotic situations like this.

“Grr…”

“Hang in there just a little longer!”

Already, around twenty warriors and one elder from our branch family lay collapsed around me.

Not even a single incense stick’s worth of time had passed since I had launched the Flying Needle, and yet the situation had turned increasingly unfavorable.

Initially, I had thought that the reinforcements from the Tang Sect would secure an easy victory.

However, before the others could arrive, the man relentlessly targeted Gu Pae Ajusshi and the warriors, as if trying to reduce their numbers. By the time our reinforcements arrived, nearly half of our warriors had been incapacitated.

Still, I thought that as long as we treated it like a raid, no matter how strong he was, we would eventually overcome him.

This confidence stemmed from the fact that among the newly arrived reinforcements were not only Tang Sect warriors but also a few elders from the family and, most importantly, nunim.

「“Soryong! Five Poisons Fire Annihilation Formation! What on earth is going on here?”

It was nunim, looking around at the chaotic battlefield.

“That man is an elder of the Blood Cult! We must help Vice Commander Gu Pae!”

“Blood Cult!?”

“An elder of the Blood Cult!?”

Everyone’s faces turned incredulous at the mention of the Blood Cult. However, upon quickly assessing the situation, nunim immediately gave her orders.

“Everyone, assist Vice Commander Gu Pae!”

“Yes, Young Miss! Let’s go! Modify the Five Poisons Fire Annihilation Formation into the Nine Poisons Fire Annihilation Formation!”」

With the leader of the Poison Blood Squad and several branch elders joining the fray against the intruder, the battle briefly reached a stalemate.

But the balance didn’t last long.

An elder, who had fallen nearby, spoke with a bitter expression.

“Damn it! If only it weren’t raining!”

The elder from the branch family was so frustrated because we were facing an unfavorable situation.

The unfavorable factor was none other than the downpour.

The torrential rain, which obscured visibility, had washed away most of the poisons applied to the Tang Sect’s hidden weapons.

While there had been preparations to waterproof some of the weapons, the rain rendered them useless before they could even be drawn and thrown.

Moreover, formations like the Five Poisons Fire Annihilation Formation or the Nine Poisons Fire Annihilation Formation, used by the Tang Sect in battles like this, required the use of poison mist or poison powder to be truly effective. However, in this rainy weather, such techniques couldn’t be utilized.

As a result, we were forced to rely solely on physical strength. But the real problem was the enemy’s ability to recover.

“Guh! Aaaaargh!”

While tending to an injured warrior, I turned at the sound of a scream, only to see another warrior caught by the enemy. The warrior had claws embedded in his stomach, and his blood was being drained.

‘Damn it, caught another one.’

Our side was growing increasingly fatigued, while the enemy grew more energized every time he drained someone’s blood.

To make matters worse, the sound of the Flying Needle signal wasn’t carrying far through the rain, preventing the rest of our reinforcements from arriving.

The group here represented about half of the family’s deployed forces.

As I dragged the frustrated elder further under the cover of a tree, I heard nunim’s clear and resounding voice ring out from the battlefield.

“Nine Illusory Kills!”

With her cry, a volley of Flying Needles shot toward the enemy all at once.

It seemed to be a higher-level version of the technique Gu Pae Ajusshi had used earlier. Seeing this, the elder from the branch family clenched his fists and shouted.

“Did we get him!?”

‘Ah, damn it.’

The elder had just uttered the one phrase that should never be spoken.

As expected, nunim’s Flying Needles, which appeared to be heading directly for the enemy’s body, were swatted away with a single sweep of his hand. The needles then reversed course and flew back toward her.

-Clang!

“Tsk!”

“Your skills are quite sharp for a woman! And judging by your pretty face, you must be Tang Hwa-eun. Let’s see if you can block this too!”

-Boom!

“Kyaaah!”

Nunim dodged the incoming needles by swiftly throwing herself to the side, but the enemy had already closed the distance and was now in front of her.

With a single palm strike, he sent her sliding toward me.

Though she had crossed her arms to block the attack, blood trickled from the corner of her lips.

I quickly ran to her and supported her as I dragged her under the tree. She looked like she might collapse at any moment.

“Young Miss Hwa-eun!”

“So-Soryong! Ugh… cough!”

Even after stumbling under the tree, Hwa-eun tried to head back toward the battle. However, after taking just one step, she coughed up a mouthful of blood and stumbled again.

As I supported her once more, she briefly looked at my hands before gripping them tightly and pleading with me.

“Soryong, I… I can’t hold out any longer! Soryong, you must go back to the family and inform them of what’s happening here. Bring more Tang Sect reinforcements! The Blood Cult absorbs Essence Blood to recover their internal energy and stamina. We can’t handle this with just the forces we have now.”

She was telling me to run and summon reinforcements.

While I knew that this was the only thing I could do to contribute, I couldn’t help but hesitate.

Leaving them behind in this situation didn’t sit well with me.

As I hesitated, voices from the others began to reach my ears.

“Young Master Soryong, we’re counting on you! Please, for the sake of the Tang Sect!”

“We’ll hold them off as best as we can until you return with reinforcements. Now go!”

Even Gu Pae Ajusshi and the squad leader pleaded with me.

The elders from the family also nodded in agreement.

With this, I had no choice but to go.

It was clear that I was the only one whose absence wouldn’t impact the group’s combat strength.

“Understood. But… I’m not yet proficient with my movement arts. I don’t know if I can make it….”

As I nodded and was about to turn away, I suddenly felt warmth from nunim’s embrace, soaked from the rain.

She hugged me tightly and whispered softly into my ear.

“Soryong, you remember what I taught you, right? You can do it. And when you return… let’s train together again at night.”

With that, she turned away and hurled herself back toward the battle, where the Blood Cult elder was clashing with the Tang Sect warriors.

It was my first hug with nunim.

Though I was momentarily dazed by the situation, I quickly turned my back to her and dashed toward the Tang family’s side.

There was no time to hesitate.

-Tap tap tap tap.

In my mind, I began recalling the fastest techno dance track I knew.

If I wanted to run as fast as possible, I needed a fast rhythm, and techno dance music was perfect for that.

How long had I been running like that?

-Tap tap tap.

-Tap tap.

-Tap.

My frenzied Qinggong footsteps gradually slowed to a halt.

Something odd had stuck in my mind and wouldn’t go away.

We had been tracking the masked figures for two days now.

We hadn’t used Qinggong continuously through the nights, but we had still covered a significant distance.

Even so, the question lingered: if I sprinted at full speed for at least half a day to reach the family and then returned with reinforcements, would the people we left behind be able to hold out until then?

Another doubt arose.

The strongest martial artists in the family had already been taken by Father-in-law and Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons to deal with another matter.

Would there even be anyone left in the family capable of defeating that monster?

We didn’t need weaklings.

Weaklings would only serve to help the enemy recover by giving him more blood. What we needed were strong martial artists, someone as powerful as Grandfather or Father-in-law.

In the end, my doubts led to one conclusion.

Could it be that the situation seemed so dire that they sent me away under the pretense of calling for reinforcements, just to save my life?

After all, I was the youngest. Maybe they just wanted to save at least one young life.

I recalled the faces of Gu Pae Ajusshi, the squad leader, and the family elders who sent me off. Their expressions, their eyes, and the words they said to me replayed in my mind.

「“From now on, you’re one of our family.”

“Of course! Naturally! Even in death, you’ll still be one of us Tang family members!”

“Young Master Soryong, please! For the sake of the Tang family!”

“We’ll hold the line somehow until you return with reinforcements. Now go!”」

“Family, huh…. Was that word always this meaningful? Or is this just part of their code? Are they protecting me because I’m weak and need to be shielded?”

The family of the greatest assassination clan in the Central Plains.

I hadn’t thought much about what being part of the family meant, and I hadn’t yet considered myself a full-fledged member of the Tang family.

But they didn’t see it that way.

To them, I was already part of the family, fully and without exception.

The warmth in their sentiments felt unusual, almost out of place for an assassination clan, and it made me chuckle quietly.

And then I began to think.

Think of a way to resolve this situation.

No, I had to think of a way.

‘Should I gather the scattered Tang warriors in the vicinity? No, that would take too long. Even if I managed to gather them, I couldn’t guarantee we’d win.’

Honestly, I was afraid.

I’d never experienced such a deadly, blood-soaked battle before.

But maybe I’d seen too many superhero movies in my past life.

I didn’t want to become a coward who abandoned those who treated me like family and ran away.

Blood Cult, blood, Essence Blood, recovery….

Countless thoughts raced through my mind.

As I was lost in thought, a faint, chilling sound reached my ears.

-Ssssssshhh!

“What’s that sound?”

I quickly ran in the direction of the noise, and what came into view was a dark cavern with its ominous maw wide open.

It was the same cave I had nearly fallen into earlier. The sound was coming from the snakes inside.

Slowly, I walked up to the cave entrance and looked down.

The snakes hissed at me, baring their fangs.

“Just wait here for a moment. It’ll be fine.”

After observing them for a moment, I made a decision. I set the Centipedes down beside me, then grabbed a wild vine nearby and tossed it into the dark cave.

Then, without hesitation, I followed the vine and plunged into the pitch-black cavern.

“A spicy problem should be solved in Maewoon Fabre’s spicy way.”

‘Ha… If this ends with me dying from snake bites again, that’ll be a problem….’

Even though I shouted bravely, my heart was pounding like crazy.

The gaping, dark pit felt like the mouth of a massive snake, ready to swallow me whole.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – 에르훗]

[Translator – bjgoofy]