Martial Artist Lee Gwak Episode 186
Some People Never Change 2
“Ugh!”
A groan escaped Nam Woo Gyeong’s lips, caused by a searing pain in his side.
A long cut crossed his flank, muscles torn and blood gushing, yet Nam Woo Gyeong couldn’t muster the courage to stop the bleeding.
He was surrounded by assassins, presumably the Blood Rain Assassins.
They were persistent. And they were skilled in tracking.
Nam Woo Gyeong tried to evade them by covering his tracks and being stealthy, but it was futile.
Like hounds on a hunt, the assassins persistently tracked Nam Woo Gyeong and eventually cornered him.
But he did not simply succumb.
The bodies of over twenty assassins lay around him. He had defeated them with his martial prowess.
However, as a result, numerous wounds were carved across Nam Woo Gyeong’s body. The assassins did not die alone.
One life, one wound, and so Nam Woo Gyeong’s entire body was covered in scars, large and small.
“Gasp!”
Rough breaths escaped Nam Woo Gyeong’s lips.
Although he fought fiercely and defeated his enemies, he was still surrounded by more than ten assassins.
The problem was that the skills and abilities of these remaining assassins were far superior to those Nam Woo Gyeong had already defeated.
In a way, the first to fall were merely expendables. The real force was among those who remained.
As Nam Woo Gyeong steadied his breathing, he asked, “Who’s the leader among you? Let’s hear the reason for this.”
Swoosh!
However, what came back was a strike swift as lightning.
They did not allow Nam Woo Gyeong the chance to regain his strength under the guise of conversation.
“Damn it!”
Nam Woo Gyeong cursed as he unleashed his martial arts.
For the first time, he regretted not being accompanied by his master, Hwian. If Hwian had been there, he would not have been cornered to this extent. But there was no point in wishing for someone who wasn’t there, so Nam Woo Gyeong desperately used his martial arts to break free from the situation.
“Cha!”
Every time Nam Woo Gyeong thrust his fist, a fierce energy burst forth with a thunderous roar.
It was one of the supreme fist techniques of the Jianghu, the Six Harmonies Splitting Fist.
The Six Harmonies Splitting Fist was extremely powerful, but it had the drawback of consuming a lot of internal energy. The assassins seemed to know this weakness and were stalling, waiting for his internal energy to be depleted.
As time passed, it was Nam Woo Gyeong who found himself at a disadvantage. Even though he was aware of this, he had no choice but to continue using the Six Harmonies Splitting Fist.
Swoosh!
“Ugh!”
Another deep wound appeared on his back.
As Nam Woo Gyeong staggered in pain, the assassins launched an all-out attack.
Their relentless assault disoriented Nam Woo Gyeong.
“Is this the end?”
Nam Woo Gyeong had a premonition of his own death.
Swoosh!
At that moment, an assassin’s sword aimed for his forehead.
As his breath caught and his movements momentarily faltered, the assassin’s sword came rushing at him. Nam Woo Gyeong couldn’t even think of dodging and closed his eyes tightly.
Thud!
At that moment, a soft sound echoed.
At first, he thought it was the sound of the sword piercing his forehead. But when he felt no pain, Nam Woo Gyeong slowly opened his eyes. What he saw was astonishing.
A fallen leaf was embedded in the forehead of the assassin who had targeted him.
“The… Leaf SwordTechnique?”
Thump!
The body of the assassin with the leaf embedded in his forehead fell backward.
“What?”
Nam Woo Gyeong’s eyes widened.
The Leaf Sword Technique involved imbuing a fallen leaf with internal energy and throwing it like a hidden weapon, a high-level technique. Without sufficient internal energy or enlightenment, it was a supreme martial art that could not be executed.
Ssssh!
At that moment, a sharp sound of cutting air echoed, and another assassin fell, a leaf embedded in his forehead.
The emotionless eyes of the assassins showed signs of disturbance. They realized that reinforcements had arrived for Nam Woo Gyeong.
Then, it happened.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a fierce windstorm swept through the battlefield, and someone entered the fray riding on the wind.
He stood in front of Nam Woo Gyeong, facing off against the assassins.
All Nam Woo Gyeong could see was the man’s back, making it impossible for him to identify him.
But strangely, the back looked familiar.
“You…”
At that moment, the assassins pounced simultaneously.
Half attacked the man blocking their way, and the other half targeted Nam Woo Gyeong. Despite the unexpected interference, their determination to end Nam Woo Gyeong’s life remained unwavering.
As they charged, disregarding their own lives, the man moved too.
Ssssh!
The moment he drew his blade, Nam Woo Gyeong involuntarily shivered. He felt an inexplicable chill.
“Ah!”
Nam Woo Gyeong’s eyes widened as he witnessed the man’s graceful movements.
The first to attack Nam Woo Gyeong had blood gushing from their necks.
Silver lines were drawn in the air, followed by red droplets filling the space where the lines had been.
The scene was dazzlingly beautiful, moving Nam Woo Gyeong strangely. However, the aftermath was far from beautiful.
Plunk!
Blood rained down like a shower, and the assassins’ bodies collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.
It was a death so futile that it was hard to believe these were the same assassins who had relentlessly attacked Nam Woo Gyeong just moments before.
It wasn’t that the assassins were weak. If that were the case, Nam Woo Gyeong would have dealt with them long ago, and two hundred lives would not have been lost.
It was that the man was strong.
His blade didn’t seem to carry any particular force, yet it flawlessly disrupted the rhythm of the assassins’ attacks.
“Such ghostly bladesmanship.”
The chill that ran over his entire body refused to subside.
That was how shocking the man’s bladesmanship was.
Nam Woo Gyeong had never once heard of such a bladesman existing in the Jianghu. He watched the scene unfold before him, utterly captivated.
The man was the natural enemy of assassins.
No matter how well the assassins hid their presence, he found them like a ghost and cut off their lifelines.
It seemed like the man’s senses dominated the entire area.
Pfff!
The last assassin’s chest was split open, and a fountain of blood burst out. Droplets of blood also splattered onto Nam Woo Gyeong’s face.
Shing!
The sound of the man sheathing his blade brought Nam Woo Gyeong back to reality.
Nam Woo Gyeong quickly performed a fist salute and thanked him.
“Thank you for saving my life, grand master. I owe you my life.”
“It’s me, brother.”
“Eh?”
“I am Lee Gwak.”
Then the man came closer with a smile.
Nam Woo Gyeong’s eyes widened.
“Lee Gwak? You mean Lee Gwak from the Jade Heaven Alliance?”
“That’s right.”
“My goodness!”
Nam Woo Gyeong couldn’t even express his joy and just collapsed to the ground. His legs gave way the moment he realized who Lee Gwak was.
Lee Gwak then helped Nam Woo Gyeong to stand.
“Are you okay, brother?”
“I’m fine. Just confused… It’s really you.”
“Let’s take care of the bleeding first. Please wait a moment.”
Lee Gwak pressed on Nam Woo Gyeong’s acupoints to stop the bleeding, then took out a small packet of powder from his belongings.
It was a hemostatic agent they had prepared for their journey. Sprinkling it on the wound quickly formed a scab.
Despite the considerable pain, Nam Woo Gyeong didn’t even blink. His attention was entirely
focused on Lee Gwak.
“So it really is you, Lee Gwak. You’re not a ghost.”
“It’s been a long time, brother.”
“You rascal!”
Nam Woo Gyeong suddenly embraced Lee Gwak tightly.
Lee Gwak was momentarily surprised by his sudden action but stayed still, feeling the sincerity in Nam Woo Gyeong’s gesture.
“Brother!”
“I’m glad. To see you alive and well like this.”
Nam Woo Gyeong was more grateful for the fact that Lee Gwak was alive than for him becoming an unfathomable expert.
After a moment, Nam Woo Gyeong suddenly rolled his eyes back and fainted.
He had sustained many injuries, and losing consciousness was the result of his tension finally releasing.
Lee Gwak carefully supported him.
＊＊＊
Nam Woo Gyeong woke up.
The first thing he saw was a ceiling covered in cobwebs here and there. Blinking in confusion for a moment, Nam Woo Gyeong soon remembered the bloody battle with the assassins and his reunion with Lee Gwak.
“Surely, it wasn’t a dream?”
Nam Woo Gyeong muttered as he tried to sit up. However, the moment he exerted strength in his arm, he nearly screamed in severe pain.
It felt as if every muscle in his body was moving independently, and his nerves were being pricked with needles. Just moving a little caused him to break out in cold sweat, which was truly agonizing.
Nam Woo Gyeong then realized that his entire body was covered with some unknown medicine.
“It seems it wasn’t a dream.”
The pain throughout his body was proof enough that he was still alive.
Enduring the pain, Nam Woo Gyeong managed to get up and went outside.
As he opened the door, he saw the courtyard of an out-building surrounded by high walls and two men sitting on a bench.
One man, with a bear-like build, was staring intently at a boiling medicinal pot. The other was Lee Gwak.
“Have you woken up? You should have rested more.”
Lee Gwak approached him upon noticing Nam Woo Gyeong.
“How long was I unconscious?”
“Two days.”
“Ha! I was out cold for quite a while.”
“The injuries were severe. The physician who treated you said if the wound in your chest had been just an inch deeper, you might not have survived.”
“A physician came by?”
“The leader of the Hao Clan’s branch in Lianzhou almost kidnapped a physician to treat you.”
“The leader? So, it was Chief Gong?”
“Yes!”
“How do you know him?”
“I joined the sect the day before yesterday, and he came looking for help to save you.”
“How does he know you?”
“A man who’s been unconscious for two days sure has a lot of questions. Catch your breath first.”
Nam Woo Gyeong calmed down a bit at Lee Gwak’s words.
At that moment, the bear-like man came over with the medicine pot.
“The medicine is ready.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Not at all. Hehe!”
The man who laughed sheepishly at Lee Gwak’s words was Cheol Gwang Woo.
Lee Gwak said to Cheol Gwang Woo, “Introduce yourself. This is Brother Woo Gyeong, he’s like a real brother to me.”
“So, you’re the big brother then. Please feel comfortable with me. My name is Cheol Gwang Woo.”
Cheol Gwang Woo bowed deeply to Nam Woo Gyeong.
Nam Woo Gyeong appeared slightly bewildered but soon regained his composure.
“I look forward to your kindness.”
“Hehe!”
Cheol Gwang Woo laughed innocently at Nam Woo Gyeong’s words.
Lee Gwak handed the medicine Cheol Gwang Woo had prepared to Nam Woo Gyeong.
“Drink this medicine first.”
“Alright! Thank you.”
Nam Woo Gyeong did not refuse and drank the medicine. It was bitter, but he did not spill a drop and drank it all.
Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Nam Woo Gyeong said, “I owe you one.”
“Not at all.”
“Phew! It seems we have a lot to talk about.”
“There will be plenty of time for stories. For now, the priority is to recover your health.”
“Right!”
Nam Woo Gyeong nodded in agreement.
His current physical condition was serious. Not only were his external injuries severe, but what was worse were his internal injuries.
Using his energy recklessly had damaged his meridians, making them unstable.
For the time being, he needed to focus solely on recuperating and healing his wounds.
“It looks like I’ll be depending on you for a while.”
“Anytime.”
“Thank you. Once I’m somewhat better, let’s have a proper drink together.”
“We can always drink later. For now, focus on getting your condition back to its best.”
“Right! That’s necessary. Only then can I seek revenge.”
Nam Woo Gyeong clenched his teeth.
Two hundred lives had been lost overnight. He could never rest easy without seeking vengeance for them.