Martial Artist Lee Gwak - Chapter 39: Dragons and Tigers Gather (2)

Light Novel: Volume 2 Chapter 14

Manhwa: Chapters 41-42

Episode 5. Dragons and Tigers Gather (2)

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of Lee Gwak’s mouth.

Dan Li-yeon was one of the few people who knew about Lee Gwak’s connection with Geum Yul-seon. He honestly didn’t want to attract her attention and get noticed unnecessarily.

Muk Seon-wol asked Dan Li-yeon,

“Do you know him?”

“A little!”

When Dan Li-yeon answered, Muk Seon-wol’s expression changed slightly. Her female intuition sensed that there was something more to it.

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Squad Leader Lee.”

“Neither did I. Now that you two have met, I’ll take my leave.”

“Squad Leader Lee!”

“Yes?”

“Never mind. Please go back safely.”

“Thank you. Then, I will.”

Lee Gwak bowed to the two women and turned to leave. Dan Li-yeon watched his retreating figure intently.

Suddenly, Muk Seon-wol grinned mischievously.

“You’ll burn a hole in his back staring like that. Do you like him or something?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s just… weird.”

“What do you mean?”

“He seems ordinary at a glance, but somehow, he’s unnerving.”

“Hmm!”

Dan Li-yeon’s words made Muk Seon-wol nod unwittingly, as she had felt something similar.

The two women continued to gaze in the direction Lee Gwak had disappeared for a while.

* * *

Lee Gwak left the outer city and walked down the street in silence.

Although his heart was slightly troubled after unexpectedly meeting Dan Li-yeon, he tried not to dwell on it too much. However, a heart once stirred does not easily calm.

He thought about returning to the inn but wasn’t in the mood for more drinks. Eventually, Lee Gwak just walked home.

It was late at night, so the path home was eerily quiet, especially since his house was near a slum area where people scarcely ventured at night.

As he passed through the slum and reached a desolate open area, Lee Gwak suddenly looked up. Something had been tugging at his senses for some time, and it suddenly became stronger as he entered the open area.

He stopped and looked around when a cold voice spoke from the darkness.

“You have good instincts.”

Three figures appeared from the shadows.

The swollen-faced and wounded individuals were the Tempest Three Demons, who had been driven out of the inn by Muk Seon-wol.

The third demon, whose arms had been dislocated, had apparently reset his shoulders and looked normal again.

At their sudden emergence, Lee Gwak slightly furrowed his brow.

“What do you want?”

“What do we want?”

The already swollen face of the first demon contorted unpleasantly.

They were the Tempest Three Demons who had been thoroughly humiliated by Muk Seon-wol. Their dignity had hit rock bottom, and even if they were to enter the Jade Heaven Alliance, they would not be able to show their faces confidently.

In the end, they gave up on joining the Jade Heaven Alliance. However, they were still simmering with resentment, so they couldn’t leave this place easily. It was during this time that they spotted Lee Gwak stepping out alone.

A martial artist from the Outer Hall who dared to stand in their way.

Without needing to discuss, the Tempest Three Demons had a mutual understanding. They decided to take out their frustration on Lee Gwak to restore some of their shattered pride.

Their actions were cowardly, but the Tempest Three Demons, with their pride deeply wounded, were not in a state to consider honor or dignity.

“Did you just ask me what’s going on?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Did your liver become swollen because you teamed up with that Muk wench? How dare you talk back to me?!”

“……”

“Enough talk, come here. You need to take the brunt of the Tempest Three Demons’ frustration today.”

The first demon said something that would have made anyone else embarrassed enough to wish they could crawl into a mouse hole, but he said it without any hesitation. The second and third demons echoed his sentiments.

“Hoho! We won’t kill you, so don’t worry.”

“Just breaking an arm or a leg should do.”

Lee Gwak’s eyes narrowed.

These three people were someone who could be considered high-level martial artists in Jianghu, basking in wealth and honor. He hadn’t expected them to be so narrow-minded, so he could only sigh.

“After being beaten by Lady Muk, you want to take out your frustrations on me? That’s not just cowardly, it’s despicable.”

“How dare you!”

The first demon suddenly bellowed in anger and charged forward.

He was enraged because Lee Gwak’s words had pierced his heart like a dagger. Determined to crush Lee Gwak’s detestable face, he focused all his energy into his fist.

It was then.

Swoosh!

A sound like thousands of snake scales rustling echoed in the first demon’s ears, followed by a powerful force that sent him flying backward.

‘What?’

He had no time to process his confusion, as his body was sent flying. The first demon’s body flew back like lightning before colliding with the second demon. This caused the two to tumble and lay sprawled on the ground.

“What the?”

The third demon, realizing something was amiss, lunged at Lee Gwak. At that moment, Lee Gwak’s left hand swirled through the air.

Slash!

A long, black object, like a venomous snake, shot out towards the third demon.

“Hmph!”

The third demon scoffed and tried to grab the black, whip-like object with his hand. But at that moment, the long black object writhed and wrapped around his forearm in an exquisite manner.

“Ugh!”

The third demon gritted his teeth.

Only then did he see the object that had coiled around his wrist— a whip with a tremendous amount of elasticity, like a black viper, and a weight at the end.

“An iron meteor hammer? Ridiculous.”

The third demon tried to use his raw strength to tear the meteor hammer off his wrists.

It was then that Lee Gwak’s fingertips trembled subtly, and the whip tightened around the third demon’s arm with even more immense pressure.

Whip-lash!

“Keugh!”

The flesh caught between the whips was torn apart along with the muscles, and blood splashed everywhere like a fountain. A tremendous pain engulfed the third demon.

“Stop it!”

“Cha-hat!”

The first and second demons, who had come to their senses late, rushed to the third demon’s rescue, their faces filled with urgency.

They never expected that a low-ranking martial artist, whom they hadn’t even treated as a human being, would be able to conceal such formidable martial prowess. This unexpected revelation left them utterly bewildered.

They unleashed their ultimate moves with all their might.

Swish!

Their swords sliced through the air.

At that moment, Lee Gwak vigorously shook the meteor hammer. Instantly, the third demon’s body flew through the air like a tree uprooted from its base, hurtling towards the first demon.

The first demon tried to catch the third demon using the technique of using four ounces to move a thousand pounds,¹ believing his skill would easily handle even the most ferocious momentum. However, this thought shattered in an instant.

Lee Gwak rushed towards him, just below the third demon who was airborne. The sight of Lee Gwak’s approach, with his back, crouched low to the ground, like a swallow swooping over the surface of the water, was terrifying.

“This wretch… Cough!”

Thud!

At that moment, the first demon’s head snapped back. The handle of Lee Gwak’s sword, held in reverse, had struck him squarely between the eyes.

Luckily, the blunt end of the handle prevented his skull from being penetrated, but the impact dazed him. Lee Gwak’s knee then slammed into the first demon’s abdomen.

Crack!

“Keugh!”

The first demon’s body collapsed under the excruciating pain as if his abdomen had been pierced. Lee Gwak’s elbow then powerfully struck his temple.

The first demon spat out blood before losing consciousness.

“Chang-sun!”

The second demon called out to the first demon. But he was only writhing, unable to regain his senses.

“You son of a bitch!”

Enraged, the second demon searched for Lee Gwak. At that moment, the meteor hammer flew towards her.

Swoosh!

She swung her sword. This time, she had drawn out sword qi and wrapped it around her sword, so she was confident that she could slice the meteor in two.

However, the meteor hammer’s trajectory cleverly changed, and her blade uselessly cut through empty air.

Puff!

“Aaack!”

Suddenly, the second demon screamed and fell to her knees. The meteor that had changed trajectory had pierced through her left foot.

Lee Gwak swung his hand wildly, and her body soared upside down into the air.

“Stop!”

The third demon, who had been lying on the ground, belatedly tried to save her. But before he could even move halfway, her body slammed into the ground.

The second demon, who had hit the ground shoulder-first, could only twitch intermittently, unable to lift her head.

The third demon roared angrily towards Lee Gwak.

“What are you?”

His eyes were filled with both disbelief and fear.

He hadn’t expected an insignificant member of the Outer Hall, whom he hardly regarded as a person, to possess such martial prowess.

“What are you, exactly?”

His desperate outcry echoed in the night. However, Lee Gwak didn’t answer. Or rather, he couldn’t.

Although he had sparred countless times against the bronze statues at the Steel Blood Hell Training Ground, this fellow martial artists in the Iron Blood Hell Training Center,this was his first real fight against a martial artist. Regardless of his martial arts skills, he was naturally nervous.

Lee Gwak concealed his trepidation by staying silent, and hid his agitation with a calm gaze.

Now was the time to show overwhelming strength.

A talkative man could never intimidate his opponent.

Lee Gwak walked toward the third demon without a word.

The third demon staggered backward, tripping over the first demon’s body on the ground.

“Keugh!”

It was a mistake he would never make under normal circumstances.

Lee Gwak didn’t miss the opportunity.

The meteor hammer in his hand sliced through the air with terrifying speed.

Swish!

The black whip filled the air, writhing like a swarm of serpents. The third demon, trapped within, lost his way.

There was nowhere for him to escape. Soon, he lost his balance and tumbled. He felt as if he was being sucked down into the ground as if he had fallen into an ant hell.

The meteor hammer didn’t miss its chance.

Thud, thud, thud!

The meteor hammer struck his body. In the end, the third demon stumbled backwards, unable to scream. His entire body was dripping with blood.

“Hoo!”

Lee Gwak sighed as he retracted the meteor hammer. The long whip quickly vanished into his left sleeve.

This was his first real application of the Invisible Spider Puncture Art. Lee Gwak was satisfied that his rigorous training had not been in vain.

He was no longer a helpless dog.

His wolf-like fangs were sharp and strong enough to tear through the martial experts of Jianghu.

Lee Gwak approached the third demon who was on the ground.

The third demon looked at Lee Gwak with bloodshot eyes.

“You… are definitely not just an Outer Hall martial artist. Someone as skilled as you… just an Outer Hall warrior? I get it! You must be a covert warrior of the Jade Heaven Alliance.”

He spoke without thinking, then convinced himself.

Indeed, the Jade Heaven Alliance secretly placed experts in each organization.

They were known as covert warriors.

Their role was to blend into organizations and be prepared for emergencies. In the event of a crisis, they were to escape and report to the Jade Heaven Alliance for strategic responses.

The third demon thought Lee Gwak was one of those covert warriors. It was the only explanation that made sense. From Lee Gwak’s fearless stance in the inn to the martial prowess he displayed, it all added up.

The third demon’s already pale face turned even whiter.

If his opponent was indeed a covert warrior, just provoking him could invite retaliation from the Jade Heaven Alliance. No matter how much they claimed to have come at the behest of the Inner Court Leader, they couldn’t just touch a covert warrior and hope to come out unharmed.

“W, We will leave this place and never come near the Jade Heaven Alliance again. Please, just spare our lives!”

“Are you sure you won’t come back here again?”

“Yes, absolutely. We will never come back. And we’ll never reveal that you are a covert warrior.”

Lee Gwak realized the third demon had misunderstood him.

He knew about the covert warriors. But as far as he knew, there weren’t any assigned to the Outer Hall. Covert warriors only operated in higher-level organizations.

Lee Gwak didn’t want to correct the misunderstanding since it was to his advantage.

“Leave now.”

Lee Gwak cleared the way. Then the third demon forced himself to his feet, helped his two companions to their feet, and turned to leave.

As Lee Gwak silently watched them go–

Swish!

Three flashes of light suddenly flashed.

“Keugh!”

With a loud groan, the three people who were supporting each other collapsed. This caused Lee Gwak to rush over.

Each of the three had a sharply honed dagger deeply embedded in their chest.

“Argh! You… said… you’d let us… go…”

The third demon looked at Lee Gwak with a resentful gaze as he took his last breath. Until the moment of his death, he had thought that it was Lee Gwak who had thrown the dagger.

Lee Gwak stared at their bodies for a moment, before shifting his eyes to where the dagger had come from.

“Honor is certainly necessary in Jianghu, but you must know and be careful whom to give it to. Those men were never going to keep their word.”

The moment a voice echoed from the darkness, Lee Gwak’s expression hardened in fear.

He knew who the voice belonged to.

“Nam… Woo-gyeong!”

Emerging from the shadows with a mischievous smile was none other than Nam Woo-gyeong.

His approach, with a lazy swagger, exuded an aura of intimidation. Gone was his usual lackadaisical and giggly demeanor.

“How come you’re here?”

“The slums are my territory. I know everything that happens here.”

“……”

“Lee Gwak!”

“Yes?”

“It seems we have a lot to talk about, right?”

Nam Woo-gyeong grinned slyly.

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

Thank you for reading!

1. Using four ounces to move a thousand pounds. Raws: 사량발천근(四兩撥千斤). This is a Tai Chi phrase for a very skillful deflection. It is an idiom that means to achieve much with little effort or to be able to use minimal force to handle a strong incoming force.

2. Covert Warrior. Raws: 암행무사(暗行武士).
   • 暗 àn – dark / to turn dark / secret; hidden / (literary) confused; ignorant
   • 行 xíng – to walk / to go / to travel / a visit / temporary / makeshift / current / in circulation / to do / to perform / capable / competent / effective / all right / OK! / will do / behavior / conduct / Taiwan pr. [xing4] for the behavior-conduct sense
   • 武士 wǔshì – warrior / samurai 

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