Chapter 160. The Proper Way to Cross the Wilderness Is

“Gang Leader Hwang, do you have many experts among your men?”

“What level of expert do you mean?”

I looked at Gang Leader Hwang.

“I’m asking whether you have any subordinates around your level, or even a little below, but still roughly comparable.”

Gang Leader Hwang pondered for a moment before answering.

“……There is something of a gap.”

“Is that so? Then, in your estimation, if you brought the Daeo Gang, how many casualties would there be at minimum? Let’s keep the calculation simple and say there are about a hundred horse bandits. Suppose the horse bandits and the Daeo Gang clash head-on in the wilderness.”

Gang Leader Hwang did the math and said,

“Twenty or thirty would be wounded.”

“And?”

“Wouldn’t more than ten die?”

“That’s your minimum estimate?”

Gang Leader Hwang nodded.

“Yes.”

I stared at Gang Leader Hwang and asked,

“Then what crime did those fellows commit? Are they men who deserve to end their lives in the wilderness?”

“Pardon?”

“Gang Leader Hwang, listen carefully. If horse bandits attack your home ground, where the Daeo Gang is based, then it is only right for all of the Daeo Gang to step forward, take up their blades, and fight. If they die or are injured in the process, that is bad luck. Even so, the meaning remains that they fought bravely to defend their home. They would be fighting in place of the weak people there.”

“Yes.”

“But what meaning is there in calling your subordinates all the way here and sending them to die like dogs? Because I scolded you and hit you a few times? You’re going to summon your men and get them killed to protect your pride? It’s not revenge, and there’s no noble cause of protecting something, either. They have to risk their lives just so you can show you’re manly? What kind of dogshit is that?”

This bastard had spent long years as a worthless man to begin with, so even if he suddenly decided to change his heart, it was impossible for us to suddenly understand each other perfectly.

Gang Leader Hwang answered,

“I was thinking wrongly.”

For the first time, I poured liquor into Gang Leader Hwang’s empty cup. I also poured some for the coachman and said,

“There’s no need to go to the Daeo Gang, so drink at ease.”

The coachman received the drink.

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

After we each shared a cup of liquor, I said,

“Gang Leader Hwang, I’ll respect the fact that you want to prove something.”

“Yes.”

“But don’t turn your men into meaningless corpses in the wilderness. How about stepping forward yourself with dignity?”

Gang Leader Hwang replied with a puzzled expression.

“If you say stepping forward myself……”

“Why are you suddenly pretending not to understand again? I’m talking about the horse bandits. I don’t know if there are a hundred or two hundred of them, but if you charge in and cut off the head of Zimen Honggui, not only your subordinates but also people throughout the jianghu would say, ‘As expected of Hwang Gao. As expected of the Daeo Gang Leader.’ Wouldn’t you be able to hear words like that? Isn’t that what you want to show?”

Gang Leader Hwang answered,

“It sounds to me like you’re telling me to go into the wilderness alone and die.”

“Is it too much?”

“Yes. I’m no absolute master.”

I nodded.

“Then don’t act as if you’ve suddenly become a different person. It’s deception.”

Gang Leader Hwang replied with a laugh,

“Deception?”

“Or is it delusion? Whatever.”

Gang Leader Hwang looked around with a strange expression, neither quite smiling nor not, then said to me,

“Sect Leader, tomorrow, let the two of us go together. To the wilderness.”

After saying it, Gang Leader Hwang shut his mouth tightly, and the area around his molars bulged out. It seemed he was excited.

I replied with a smile,

“With me? Are you confident?”

Gang Leader Hwang looked at me and said,

“I would not say I am confident. But I can show you that I won’t run away while fighting at your side, even if it means dying.”

Gang Leader Hwang looked around and said,

“As it happens, the brothers of the jianghu here have all heard the conversation between you and me. I will keep the words I have spoken. What do you say?”

As Gang Leader Hwang said, everyone around us was listening closely to our conversation.

I scratched my cheek with a finger and responded to Gang Leader Hwang’s request.

“Fine. Let’s go. The two of us will go and see whether all the horse bandits die, or whether the two of us die.”

Gang Leader Hwang glared at me and asked,

“If I do not run away, whether I die fighting or survive fighting, will you acknowledge me?”

I answered while pouring liquor.

“I’ll have to see how you fight.”

“Understood.”

I said to my party,

“Let’s drink and get up. We may be fighting all day tomorrow, so we should rest.”

Murong Bai looked as if he was about to say something to me, so I sent him a look.

‘Let’s talk later.’

Murong Bai kept his mouth shut and only gave a slight nod. As I rose with the party to look for lodgings, someone among the customers asked,

“Young Sect Leader, what sect are you from?”

Murong Bai checked my expression, then answered in my stead.

“He is the Hao Sect Leader.”

As we walked away, I heard all sorts of remarks from behind. Some said they had heard of it, while others asked what kind of sect that was. I also heard, very clearly, as if the words were driving into my ears, someone saying they could not believe that a mere two men were going to attack the horse bandits.

They were words not worth answering, so I left just like that.

* * *

Murong Bai came over from the next room and brought up what he had been about to say earlier.

“Sect Leader, are you really going with just the two of you? What about me?”

“Three of us can’t go.”

“Wouldn’t three be better than two?”

I looked at Murong Bai and spoke in an indifferent tone.

“Then I’d become the same kind of bastard as Gang Leader Hwang. A sect leader and a gang leader will go and settle it, so don’t step in this time.”

Murong Bai said,

“To be honest, I’m not worried about you, Sect Leader, but won’t Gang Leader Hwang die nine times out of ten?”

“As you say, sir, Gang Leader Hwang may die. Or he may not. Even I don’t know. If his skills truly are shoddy, then even if I save him several times while fighting, he’ll end up dying regardless. There will be at least more than a hundred horse bandits.”

“Yes.”

“But isn’t it better to fight prepared for death than to live in that pathetic way? He may be the wretched leader of a small gang, but this is a decision made by a man. The two of us will go and settle it.”

“Mm, is that so?”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Rest well.”

Murong Bai withdrew without pressing his opinion. I sat cross-legged on the bed and closed my eyes. Before entering qi circulation and breathing regulation, I briefly had this thought.

Horse bandits and the Demon Cult weren’t all that different.

Whether their forces were large or small—that was the only difference.

I entered qi circulation and breathing regulation.

* * *

After eating a simple breakfast, I left the crossroads with Gang Leader Huang and headed into the wilderness.

Gang Leader Huang’s complexion had still been poor even through breakfast, but once we actually reached the wilderness and began walking in silence, he seemed to relax a little.

I walked through the wilderness without saying much.

A gentle breeze was blowing, and the sunlight was not too harsh, making it a suitable day for a fight. Murong Bai had offered to give me the Black Cat Fang, which was familiar in my hand, but I refused.

Suddenly, I checked the sword at Gang Leader Huang’s waist and asked.

“Gang Leader Huang, what sword art did you learn?”

“I learned the Heartless Sword Art.”

“What?”

“The Heartless… Sword Art.”

I stopped and looked at Gang Leader Huang.

The words, Isn’t that sword art’s name far too ill-suited to you? rose all the way to my throat, then sank back down. Huang Gao might die here in the wilderness today, so coming all this way just to mock him was not appropriate.

“How many moves?”

“Seventeen moves.”

“Who did you learn it from?”

“The previous leader of the Great Crow Gang was my master.”

“Is it an exclusive martial art?”

“It is.”

“Since it’s an exclusive martial art, you may be reluctant to perform it in front of others, but you might ascend to heaven today, so show it to me now without using internal energy. I’ll have a look.”

“Yes.”

Gang Leader Huang put a bit of distance between us, then drew his sword and held it upright. He then began to perform the Heartless Sword Art, which consisted of seventeen moves.

I examined the forms and patterns of the Heartless Sword Art, and gauged Gang Leader Huang’s stance and the depth of his training. It was an unfamiliar sword art, so I could not grasp it at a glance. When Gang Leader Huang had performed all seventeen moves, I asked again.

“Let me see it one more time.”

“Yes.”

This time, Gang Leader Huang performed the Heartless Sword Art from beginning to end a little more slowly. As soon as the demonstration ended, I held my wooden sword and imitated the eighth technique of the Heartless Sword Art in a similar manner, then asked.

“Why is this movement structured like this? Is it a pattern meant to knock something aside?”

“I understand that the previous gang leader created this sword art while frequently fighting the Meteor Wanderers. That is why movements for knocking aside chains and thrusting are mixed throughout the techniques.”

Only then was I able to understand the Heartless Sword Art a little.

“I see. But it makes no sense to use this sort of sword art when fighting multiple opponents. Use it only in one-on-one combat. When fighting multiple opponents, use only evasion, footwork, and the Three Talents Sword Art. The generals of the military don’t emphasize only the Three Talents Sword Art to their soldiers because they lack skill. It’s because when large numbers of troops clash on the battlefield, that is ultimately the most effective. Enemy generals with outstanding skill will be handled by the generals anyway.”

“Yes.”

“If you survive, remove all the techniques among the seventeen moves that were created to deal with specific weapons. Reduce it to about thirteen moves. For weapons like the meteor hammer, you should instead train the fundamentals to the extreme and respond flexibly according to the situation. If you try to deal with them through set techniques and your methods become obvious, you can be caught by variables like hidden weapons.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Let’s go.”

I walked through the wilderness again with Gang Leader Huang. After walking for quite a while, the crossroads were no longer visible, and there were no signs of human habitation.

There was only wilderness in every direction.

Gang Leader Huang, who was walking beside me, asked in a worried tone.

“Sect Leader, forgive the question, but…”

“What?”

“Will you be all right with a wooden sword?”

“You sure ask quickly. Should we switch swords?”

“No.”

“If you’re not going to switch, why did you ask?”

Gang Leader Huang answered with an awkward expression.

“Since my skill is lacking, I will use a real sword. I was simply curious why you brought a wooden sword, so I asked.”

“Do you think I’m an idiot who would bring a wooden sword to a place like this?”

Suddenly, Gang Leader Huang opened his eyes wide and stared ahead. A group of a dozen or so horse bandits was moving some distance away.

“Sect Leader.”

“I see them.”

As soon as someone among the distant horse bandits looked our way, I grabbed Gang Leader Huang by the shoulder and turned in the opposite direction.

“Let’s run.”

“Pardon?”

“I said let’s run, you bastard.”

I changed direction with Gang Leader Huang and quickened my pace. Gang Leader Huang spoke in an urgent tone.

“No, why are we suddenly running…”

I began to run at a moderate speed and said.

“We have to run for the enemies to chase us. They’re too far away. Those fellows on horseback will come after us on their own.”

“…I suppose so.”

The proper way to cross the wilderness was to pretend to be weak. If you did that, you could learn whether this place was merciless or not.

“Gang Leader Huang.”

“Yes.”

“When men like that discover the weak, their blood will surge. They’re the sort who kill, steal, and if they’re hungry, even roast corpses to eat.”

“That is true.”

“Judging by their small number, they’re scouts who come and go through the wilderness regularly.”

As we fled, the sound of horse hooves grew louder and louder. I gradually slowed down, then stopped altogether and looked at the approaching horse bandits. The bandits split to either side in front of us and passed by while observing us, then quickly turned their horses around and formed a circular encirclement.

I looked over the horse bandits’ appearances, then at Gang Leader Huang’s expression, and laughed to myself.

After sweeping my gaze over the horse bandits once, I said.

“Greetings, brothers. We’re crossing the wilderness. Do we need to pay a toll?”

When I asked in a friendly tone, the horse bandits looked at one another and burst into laughter. A fellow with a woman’s ornaments hanging all around his neck spoke.

“You’re a smart one. Put down everything worth money, and throw your swords over here too.”

“Can’t we just pay the toll and pass through? And we can’t give you our swords.”

Looking at the fellow’s appearance, it seemed he had even smeared his face with powder stolen from women; his exposed arms and legs were dark, but only his face was conspicuously white.

The fellow grinned and drew his blade.

“Enough bullshit. Throw your sword first. Before I beat you to death.”

I looked at the made-up horse bandit and smiled.

“Do you really have to do this?”

The horse bandit pointed his blade at me and replied.

“Don’t laugh. I’ll tear your mouth…”

As soon as I drew the wooden sword Elder Heo had given me, I infused it with sword qi and lopped off the head of the bandit whose face was caked in powder. With a splurt— blood and head shot up at the same time.

The bandits’ gazes all turned as one toward the headless corpse. As that headless body toppled from the horse to the ground, I shrugged my shoulders and laughed.

“Gang Leader Hwang.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s kill them.”

I charged at the bandits together with Gang Leader Hwang.