That's Not How You Use Martial Arts

Chapter 27
The Wanderer’s League (1)

『 Translator – Divinity 』

The next morning.

As soon as day broke, the procession set off again towards Hefei.

Driving the carriage slowly behind the procession, I said to Miss Seol inside,

“As I mentioned before, those attempted kidnappers will definitely make a move before we enter Hefei. Of course, they don’t know that you’re in this carriage.”

To avoid being discovered, Miss Seol’s movements had to be restricted until we reached Hefei.

“I apologize, but please refrain from leaving the carriage until we enter Hefei.”

“Yes, please don’t worry about it. I’m grateful that you’re going this far to help me.”

Miss Seol expressed her gratitude from behind the carriage curtain.

I glanced at Miss Seol, whose silhouette was barely visible through the curtain.

We still hadn’t heard about her circumstances.

I had tried asking her last night, but she was hesitant and reluctant to talk about it.

So, we decided to wait until she was ready to tell us, rather than prying and making her uncomfortable.

We would probably learn about her situation once we arrived at the Namgung family estate.

Suppressing my curiosity, I continued driving forward.

We traveled without any problems for a while, and as the sun gradually reached its zenith, my prediction came true.

“Stop!”

Just as the city presumed to be Hefei came into view in the distance, a group of horsemen blocked the procession.

There were easily over fifty of them, and the escorts couldn’t hide their surprise and anxiety.

But that wasn’t all.

My senses detected another group stealthily approaching from the forests on both sides of the road.

I immediately understood their strategy.

While they held me back at the front, they would attack from both sides and try to snatch Miss Seol?

Although Miss Seol wasn’t in that carriage, if I left them alone, they would clash with the escorts who were still recovering from their injuries.

I couldn’t let that happen.

Moreover, I had no intention of missing the opportunity to divide and conquer.

They had made a wrong move.

It would have been better for them to attack all at once.

“Young Master Gun? What’s wrong?”

Hwa-ryeon, seeing me smile faintly, looked puzzled.

I briefly explained the situation to her.

After hearing it, Hwa-ryeon frowned slightly and asked,

“So, what are you going to do?”

“I’ll slip away and quickly take care of those hiding in the forest. Could you look after Miss Seol for a moment?”

At my answer, Hwa-ryeon nodded with a stern expression.

Seeing her tense up, I threw in a joke to lighten the mood.

“And don’t touch the reins carelessly again. This time, it’ll be a major accident.”

“Th-that was an accident…!”

I gave a slight smile to Hwa-ryeon, who responded with a flustered look, and then silently jumped out of the carriage.

And I immediately dashed into the forest on the right.

***

Following the leader’s plan, the members of the third division of the Wanderer’s League, the largest wanderer organization in the Central Plains, split into two groups and circled around the forest, slowly approaching the procession from both sides.

—Got it? The first and second divisions will hold that young guy back with me. In the meantime, you guys quickly grab the woman and get out of there.

The members of the third division, with the leader’s orders firmly in mind, slowly approached the procession.

How long had they been walking?

The figures of the escorts gradually came into view in the distance.

“Shh, wait here for now.”

At the vice-captain’s words, everyone stopped moving and waited.

They would wait here, and when the leader, along with the first and second divisions, engaged that monster in battle, they would swiftly snatch the woman from the carriage.

It was a simple task, but anxiety was evident on the faces of the third division members, including the vice-captain.

‘C-can the leader even hold his own against that monster?’

Having witnessed Ja-seong’s martial prowess firsthand, they were certain that even their leader wouldn’t be able to defeat him.

Of course, the first and second divisions were with him, but they didn’t think it would be of much help.

The vice-captain recalled Ja-seong’s movements.

Like a ghost or an apparition, flashing here and there.

No matter how he thought about it, it wasn’t a movement a human could make.

No wonder there were rumors among them that he might actually be a ghost.

All they could see whenever Ja-seong moved was a blurry shadow.

Whoosh!

‘Yes, just like that… Huh?’

The vice-captain, muttering to himself as he saw a black shadow flash right past him, suddenly snapped back to reality.

It was him.

He didn’t know how they had been discovered, but that monster had come to deal with them.

“E-Enemy–!”

Thud! Thud!

Just as he was about to warn the others, he felt something prick his neck and the back of his head.

Immediately after, the vice-captain’s body stiffened, and he collapsed.

‘Wh-what is this…!?’

No matter how much he tried to open his mouth, no words came out.

The vice-captain’s mind went blank from this strange and terrifying experience he had never encountered before.

All he could do was lie on the ground, looking up at the trees and the sky, his eyes darting around.

How long had he been like this?

‘Why, why is it so quiet?’

The surroundings were eerily silent.

He couldn’t have been the only one who saw that monster appear; what were the other division members doing?

‘Don’t tell me, they’ve all been defeated? In such a short time? Without even a groan?’

He wanted to turn his head and check the surroundings, but his paralyzed body wouldn’t allow it.

At that moment, as the vice-captain lay helpless in the dreadful silence, the monster appeared in his vision again.

‘H-hiik…!’

The vice-captain was terrified at the sight of Ja-seong crouching right next to his head.

Ja-seong’s voice reached his ears.

“Hmm, roughly… a quarter of an hour? That’s about how long it will take for the paralysis to wear off. So don’t worry too much.”

Ja-seong smiled reassuringly.

But hearing that only made the vice-captain more afraid of him.

To be able to paralyze someone’s body at will without even using poison…

Was this guy really a ghost?

“Well then, I have to take care of the other side as well, so I’ll be going.”

Ja-seong stood up again and disappeared from his sight in an instant.

The vice-captain realized that the leader and the other division members hiding in the forest on the other side would meet the same fate as them.

And that Ja-seong hadn’t even used his full power in the previous battle.

‘It seems we’re doomed, Leader…’

The vice-captain closed his eyes tightly, thinking of his leader, who was completely unaware of this situation.

***

While Ja-seong was busy dealing with the third division of the Wanderer’s League, the leader of the Wanderer’s League, Wi Cheon-gyeong, along with the first and second divisions, were blocking the Peaceguard Escort Agency’s procession and demanding Seol-yak-bing’s surrender.

“Hand over the woman quietly, and there won’t be any bloodshed!”

Unlike the third division, who had disguised themselves as bandits to conceal their identities, Cheon-gyeong was openly revealing himself.

Leader Mak, realizing the identity of those targeting them, roared,

“How can those of the Wanderer’s League commit such a lawless act!”

“A lawless act, you say?”

“Then what is it if not a lawless act to try to kidnap a woman!”

At Leader Mak’s outburst, Cheon-gyeong looked bewildered for a moment, then started laughing knowingly.

“Pu, puhahaha…!”

His laughter gradually spread, becoming the laughter of the entire Wanderer’s League.

Hahahaha!

“…What’s so funny!”

Leader Mak, frowning at their obvious mockery, asked for the reason.

Cheon-gyeong, who had stopped laughing, replied with a cold gaze,

“Do you think our Wanderer’s League would do something like kidnapping?”

“…What?”

Leader Mak was dumbfounded by his contradictory words.

Was that something the people who attacked his procession yesterday should be saying?

“Are you saying you weren’t trying to kidnap Miss Seol and demand money from the Seol family?”

“Of course not. It was the head of the Seol family himself who asked us to bring that woman back.”

“What!? What do you mean…!”

What in the world was he talking about?

The head of the Seol family was Seol Se-ung, the Heavenly Pillar Sword, Yak-bing’s own father.

In other words, what Cheon-gyeong was saying was that her father had ordered them to forcibly bring his daughter back.

“Do you think that makes any sense! Why would a father ask someone to bring his own daughter…”

Leader Mak suddenly stopped speaking.

He remembered what Yak-bing had said before the procession departed.

—No one must know that I’m going to Hefei. Please ensure strict confidentiality.

‘Come to think of it, why did she make such a request…?’

He hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

But hearing those words from Cheon-gyeong, he started to feel something was amiss.

“It seems you’ve figured something out.”

Cheon-gyeong smirked, seeing Leader Mak speechless.

At his smile, Leader Mak asked with a grim expression,

“Then I’ll ask. Why did the father demand his daughter be brought back?”

“Yes, I’m also quite curious about the reason.”

“….!”

A third person’s voice cut in.

Leader Mak and Cheon-gyeong’s gazes turned towards the direction of the voice, and soon, Ja-seong emerged from the forest.

“Young Master…!”

The two men had completely opposite reactions to seeing Ja-seong emerge from the forest.

Leader Mak’s face brightened with relief, while Cheon-gyeong’s face hardened as he saw Ja-seong coming from the forest.

‘Why is he coming from the forest? Don’t tell me…’

With a sense of foreboding, Cheon-gyeong instantly realized Ja-seong’s identity.

“…It’s you. The young master.”

“Hmm, it feels good to be called a master, but it’s a bit awkward. I don’t think I’m quite at that level yet.”

Ja-seong replied to Cheon-gyeong’s words with a grin.