Chapter 41: Great Tiger (4)
There were two reasons why Yi-gang had taken the Purple Spirit Phantom Herb with other medicinal ingredients as a decoction.
The first was to maximize the medicinal effects of the Purple Spirit Phantom Herb.
And the second was because casually chewing and eating such a spiritual herb could instead turn it into poison.
The Purple Spirit Phantom Herb was a plant where Yang energy was condensed. Eating it recklessly would make it poisonous.
However, Yi-gang did not hesitate and chewed and swallowed the Purple Spirit Phantom Herb. His body, with a lower temperature than normal, became burning hot.
The effects appeared immediately. At the same time, pain also arrived, as if molten iron was flowing through his veins.
「I can feel the spiritual energy even from that bottle.」
Yi-gang asked for various items from Jin Ri-yeon. They were chosen based on the discerning eye of the Immortal Divine Sword.
“Is the water containing the silver bell something special as well?”
“Hmm, it’s not just any water. It’s healing water from the deepest valley of the Azure Forest, provided by the Azure Forest Lord… Ah, you’ve already drunk it.”
As he gulped it down, a clear fragrance arose. He had already drunk so many things known to be good for internal injuries from the Azure Forest that he felt full.
Starting with the Purple Spirit Phantom Herb, Yi-gang consumed everything that was infused with spiritual energy or was good for the body.
What was unexpected was that Jin Ri-yeon was more cooperative than he thought. Yi-gang no longer needed to wield his short sword. She gave everything she had to Yi-gang without reservation.
“This red thread is infused with the power of evil-warding. Wrapping it around your sword will help in cutting down the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger. Since it’s also a yokai.”
Yi-gang tied the red thread around the Shooting Star Fang, and even tied it around Jin Ri-yeon’s whip sword as well.
“I’ll go back and save Squad Leader Neung and the Biyeon Squad members.”
“Yes, I thought I should do that too.”
Saying so, Jin Ri-yeon spurred her horse on.
“I will repay the borrowed items with the bounty from the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger.”
“Okay.”
“…Do you think I can catch him?”
Yi-gang asked, stretching out the Shooting Star Fang. Compared to Yi-gang’s slim arm, the Shooting Star Fang looked extremely heavy.
「Of course! If the descendant gets his act together, there’s no problem!」
The Immortal Divine Sword answered on her behalf. However, Yi-gang waited for Jin Ri-yeon’s response.
Jin Ri-yeon was silent for a moment.
Aaah—!
Then, the scream of a member of the Biyeon Squad came from afar.
The ferocious roar of the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger and the sound of trees breaking were also heard.
The battlefield was getting closer.
And finally, Jin Ri-yeon opened her mouth.
“I know you’re special.”
The “auspicious star of Xi’an” that the Forest Lord spoke of must surely be referring to Yi-gang.
The first time she met Yi-gang at Sohwa’s grave, she felt an overwhelming aura from him. He had not shown that side of himself since.
But when he overpowered Moyong Tak, who was superior in every way to herself, Jin Ri-yeon was certain.
She could not see Yi-gang as just a frail boy.
“That’s fortunate, then.”
Of course, Yi-gang did not fully know such inner thoughts of Jin Ri-yeon. He just wrapped the red thread around his wrist to prevent the sword from slipping from his grasp.
“Please don’t slow down.”
“Okay.”
Thud, thud, thud, thud—
The horse breathed heavily.
Despite the roars of the tigers, the horse did not stop running.
“Kheung!”
And then, Yi-gang arrived in front of the wreckage of the shattered carriage. In just a short while, the situation had dreadfully deteriorated.
Two tigers lay dead, but the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger still stood tall.
One Biyeon Squad member’s stomach was drenched in a deep red, and another, clutching his ragged left arm, was protecting his colleague.
Neung Ji-pyeong stood with his back turned.
Jin Ri-yeon and Yi-gang simultaneously drew their swords.
The Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger raised its right head.
The moment its blood-red eyes met with Yi-gang’s.
「You only get one chance. Focus your mind.」
Amidst the pain of his body burning fiercely, Yi-gang’s eyes widened.
One of the Biyeon Squad warriors was slashed in the abdomen by the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger’s claw. Neung Ji-pyeong pulled him back.
“Step back behind me! Mu Jung, protect Pil Hwan. Stay behind me!”
Even though he was ready for death, the lives of his subordinates were at risk. Neung Ji-pyeong confronted the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger alone.
“Squad Leader! I can still fight!”
“You’re a hindrance. Tend to your arm and stop the bleeding.”
The Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger’s left head sneered open its mouth. It seemed to mock Neung Ji-pyeong, spitting out what it had in its mouth.
The crushed hand belonged to his subordinate.
Neung Ji-pyeong clenched his teeth; the sound of them grinding resounded.
‘Monstrous creature.’
The Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger was, quite literally, a monster.
Neung Ji-pyeong and the Biyeon Squad members fought with a resolve of desperation. Therefore, dozens of sword marks were etched into the creature’s body.
However, those wounds were healing at a visible rate.
Although the regeneration had slowed compared to the beginning, Neung Ji-pyeong had also sustained various injuries, both big and small, in the meantime.
The disadvantage was on their side.
‘I should have aimed for the head from the start.’
That was his thought, but it was not an easy task.
Having two heads meant having four eyes.
The two pairs of eyes, moving freely from left to right, detected almost every attack from all directions.
How dangerous were those saw-like teeth? Mu Jung, his subordinate, had his left hand torn off all too easily.
Neung Ji-pyeong held his sword and took a deep breath. Due to his significantly reduced stamina, his stance was not stable.
The Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger, too, seemed to desire Neung Ji-pyeong’s life, as it silently regulated its breathing and crouched its body.
‘Cutting off both heads…’
It seemed impossible. He had no choice but to hope that cutting off even one head would bring down the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger.
Neung Ji-pyeong braced himself for death once more.
‘I have come to repay that debt, Clan Head.’
Although he was polite to the Clan Head as a vassal, he held no more respect for him in his heart.
He could not help it. Baek Ryu-san was the benefactor who saved him from the unorthodox martial artists chasing him to his death, demanding the Wudang’s secret techniques.
Since then, a strange companionship continued, and indebted to Baek Ryu-san, he followed Baek Ryu-san wholeheartedly. Was it not thanks to him that he eventually entrusted himself to the Baek Clan and became a vassal?
‘The life you gave, I will use it to save your son.’
Here, he would definitely cut off the head of Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger. With that thought, his mind felt at ease.
Neung Ji-pyeong gathered all his internal energy from his lower dantian.
The cultivation technique he had mastered was that of the Shadowless Sword Pavilion. It belonged to a pathetically destroyed sect, but their martial arts were not pathetic.
The internal Qi that sprouted from the Qihai point flowed through his blood vessels, ultimately into both hands tightly gripping the sword.
This was sword and body unification.
First-rate swordsmen consider the sword as part of their body. That was why they could imbue their internal energy into a sword, which was nothing more than a piece of metal.
And Neung Ji-pyeong, as a swordsman, had surpassed the first-rate and reached the Peak.
Soon, due to the full internal energy, something called a sword cry resonated from the sword.
Woo-woong—
Just like a mirage, the sword energy undulated and surged.
“Krrr…”
The Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger also seemed to instinctively realize the danger of the sword energy, growling threateningly.
Neung Ji-pyeong bit the inside of his cheek, driving away the dizziness. As the stingy blood spread, he regained consciousness.
“Die, monster!”
It was the moment he charged at Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger—
Doo-doo-doo—
Accompanied by the sound of galloping hooves that should not have been heard at this moment, he heard the astonished voice of his subordinates.
“Mi-miss Jin, Young Master too!”
Neung Ji-pyeong had no choice but to look back.
Truly, Jin Ri-yeon and Yi-gang had returned. Jin Ri-yeon was galloping on the horse.
As soon as she reached close, Jin Ri-yeon suddenly leaped from the horse, running at a speed faster than the tired horse.
“Sir Neung!”
Jin Ri-yeon drew her sword and stood next to Neung Ji-pyeong.
“What on earth are you doing! I entrusted the Young Master to you!”
Neung Ji-pyeong was furious.
However, Jin Ri-yeon only looked at Neung Ji-pyeong with calm eyes.
“I will take care of the right head.”
“What…?”
“And Yi-gang says he will take that creature’s life.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
His sincerity sprang forth. They did not just come to help. Yi-gang was also stepping in.
Even so, Yi-gang’s swordsmanship was still far inferior to Baek Ha-jun’s.
“How could the Young Master…”
Neung Ji-pyeong’s eyes bulged as he looked back. For that moment, he had even forgotten about the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger.
Yi-gang was standing on the horse.
Foam was around the tired horse’s mouth, but Yi-gang stood unshaken, even with his eyes closed.
Then he drew his sword and assumed a riding stance.
“That is.”
It was a stance Neung Ji-pyeong could not pretend not to recognize.
It was when Baek Ryu-san jumped in to save Neung Ji-pyeong, who was being ambushed. He had leaped from a high rock and split the skull of the unorthodox martial artist with his sword.
Coincidentally, that was the name of the initial stance of the sword technique.
Imagining a dragon from the sky biting a tiger on the ground, it was an initial technique created by the ancient Immortal Divine Sword.
“Heaven’s Shadow Sword…”
Third Form.
Arrogant Dragon Biting Tiger.
When Yi-gang opened his eyes again, his aura had completely changed. Even Neung Ji-pyeong, who was far away, could tell.
He was no longer the frail young noble son. He was as robust as a martial master who had walked the path of the Asura, with an aura of iron and blood.
Yi-gang’s mouth opened, and a different voice than usual sprang out.
“Don’t take your eyes off—!”
It was imperative, but with the intimidation in those words, Neung Ji-pyeong’s head turned involuntarily.
Indeed, the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger must have felt an extraordinary aura too, as it was stepping back with its fur bristling. It was trying to flee.
Neung Ji-pyeong and Jin Ri-yeon moved simultaneously.
The Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger quickly turned its body, but their swords had already reached its flesh.
Seogeok—
Neung Ji-pyeong’s sword, quicker, slashed the left head of the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger as it was turning. The cutting power of the sword energy was astonishing. The tough skin of the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger split like tofu, and its thick neck was cut more than half.
The head dangled and dropped, and dark red blood spurted from the wound.
Jin Ri-yeon’s whip sword was slower than Neung Ji-pyeong’s. Moreover, her sword failed to penetrate the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger’s flank and only got stuck.
Chiieeek—
Surprisingly, smoke rose from the wound where the sword was stuck. However, the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger did not fall.
“Kyaak!”
It began to dash, letting out a scream that seemed to tear the ears.
It was alive even with its left head cut off.
Neung Ji-pyeong felt his heart sink.
If he had only cut off one of its heads, he would have been able to stop the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger.
And then, a horse ran staggeringly between Jin Ri-yeon and Neung Ji-pyeong.
Neung Ji-pyeong saw it.
Tap!
Yi-gang leaped from atop the staggering horse. The exhausted horse neighed sorrowfully and collapsed. Yi-gang flew through the air like a bird.
Yi-gang cast a shadow over the fleeing Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger.
Neung Ji-pyeong’s mouth gaped in a daze.
Holding a heavy, rusted sword, Yi-gang descended with a calm expression, not even blinking.
Did molten iron flow through the veins of the Baek family instead of blood? His face was cold and indifferent, much like his father’s.
There was no flicker of sword energy on Yi-gang’s rusted sword, nor was it fast.
But to Neung Ji-pyeong, a Peak martial artist, it was unbelievably precise. So much so that it felt beautiful.
The tip of Yi-gang’s sword dug into the back and waist of the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger.
Piercing through the thick fur and skin, cleaving the spinal bone, and severing the spinal cord along with the nerves within.
Puuwook—!
Throughout the process, not a hint of resistance was felt in Yi-gang’s hand.
Though the Immortal Divine Sword controlled his body, Yi-gang could feel all sensations clearly.
The world as seen by an absolute martial master. All the swords he wielded. Just like the times he cut down assassins.
Kugugugung—
The Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger collapsed onto the ground without even being able to scream. It was a strike potent enough to kill instantly, even for a yokai.
A hot tremor was felt in the hand holding the sword, and then it became calm.
In the brief silence, Yi-gang’s lips moved.
“This is the Heaven’s Shadow Sword.”
Though the Immortal Divine Sword spoke to Yi-gang, Neung Ji-pyeong shuddered for a moment.
“Y-young Master.”
Reverence that could not be hidden was contained in Neung Ji-pyeong’s voice as he called out to Yi-gang.
It must have been because he witnessed an unbelievable sight.
If he were a swordmaster himself, he would undoubtedly be moved by the sword of the Immortal Divine Sword. The swordsmanship itself was perfect, even though it did not seem like he used any internal energy.
However, the Immortal Divine Sword immediately returned the control of the flesh to Yi-gang.
「Done!」
The spirit of the Immortal Divine Sword swiftly departed from his back.
「A success, huh? Presenting even a single technique is no ordinary feat.」
“Ugh…”
That was the “method to minimize side effects” proposed by the Immortal Divine Sword.
Possession consumed an enormous amount of Innate True Qi, so the idea was to reduce that time as much as possible.
Using the Purple Spirit Phantom Herb and what Jin Ri-yeon possessed, they prepared as much as possible for the impact of possession, and until the moment before swinging the sword at the Twin-Headed Ghost Tiger, Yi-gang himself would move to reduce the time of possession.
The moment the Immortal Divine Sword possessed him was right before Yi-gang leaped up while standing on the horse.
「Hmm, I think it’s best to call the technique One Move Possession. It’s not as cool as Arrogant Dragon Biting Tiger, but it’s a good name. What do you think, Yi-gang? Isn’t it nice to swing the sword together after such a long time?」
The Immortal Divine Sword, seemingly thrilled by the brief possession, asked excitedly.
However, Yi-gang had no leisure to respond.
“Gag, Ugh-Ack!”
What spurted from his mouth was vomit mixed with blood.
Fortunately, it seemed he would not die, but he felt terribly sick, like the hangover of a dawn after drinking a lot of alcohol.
“Young Master! This is bad!”
“Yi-gang!”
Had Neung Ji-pyeong and Jin Ri-yeon not rushed over to support him, Yi-gang would have collapsed right on top of his own pool of vomit and blood.
‘It, it hurts like I’m going to die.’
「Heh, well, you’ll get better. Isn’t it that you learn while you suffer?」
The Immortal Divine Sword hemmed and hawed, seemingly worried about Yi-gang.
He wanted to lie down for a bit, but Neung Ji-pyeong kept grabbing him and shouting.
“Why would you do such a dangerous thing! I told you to go to Shanyang County first!”
“…Ugh, ack.”
“I and the Biyeon Squad did only what we had to do. If something had gone wrong with you, Young Master…”
Right now, he was in no physical condition to listen to a scolding. Yi-gang ultimately could not hold it in any longer.
“Ugh-ack.”
“Ah, ew!”
Having exhausted his internal energy, Neung Ji-pyeong could not avoid Yi-gang’s vomit.
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