Book 7 Chapter 11

Wu Dang Ghost Story Transmission (武當怪談傳)

- The Trials of the Five Ghost Swords and the Five Ghost Generals of the Underworld

"What happened?"

There are times in life when one knows the answer but cannot readily give it.

This is because the answer, if spoken, is clearly visible as having a negative impact not only on oneself but also on society.

There is no need to invite the foreseen catastrophe willingly. This was one such case.

Even though his superior, who was as high as the heavens and a symbol of fear, Celestial Sword Soul Summoner, personally asked the question, Jong Pyong-chang, known as Unit Twenty-Seven, was speechless and could not answer readily. He knew full well that telling the truth would result in at least a severe reprimand and, at worst, immediate execution. So, how could he utter the absurd story that ghosts had beaten him? He absolutely could not, even if he were to die.

"Uh… um… that is… well… what can I say…"

Unit Twenty-Seven, whose face was bruised a dark shade of purple, stammered, his tongue twisted, unable to reply easily. The ruthless and merciless methods of Celestial Sword Soul Summoner were too terrifying for his weak constitution.

"Do you want to die? Hurry up and answer!"

A murderous glint flashed in Celestial Sword Soul Summoner's eyes. He was a man who had never cultivated patience in his life.

"Y-yes! Ghosts beat me!"

"Really? Then take a beating from me too!"

With a *thwack*, Unit Twenty-Seven lost consciousness. This was, in fact, the best-case scenario. He was fortunate to have survived without dying.

"Hmph! My subordinates, of all people, going out and getting beaten up! Not even dying honorably, but coming back battered and bruised…"

"Should I kill them?"

He was displeased to have useless subordinates.

"Ghosts? What nonsense! You foolish simpletons!"

Celestial Sword Soul Summoner roared, his temper flaring, and acting irritably. The incompetence of his subordinates only fueled his rage.

The Heavenly Twin Killers' corps, led by Heavenly Twin Killers, has two opposing leadership groups, like oil and water.

These are the five swordsmen of the Soul Summoning Five Ghost Swords (招魂五鬼劍), who lead the Soul Summoner's Sword Unit under Celestial Sword Soul Summoner, and the five sword masters of the Underworld Five Ghost Generals (冥府五鬼將), who lead the Underworld Sword Unit under Earthly Killers King of Hell's Saber.

These two groups, the Soul Summoning Five Ghost Swords and the Underworld Five Ghost Generals, had a very bad relationship. "Arch-rivals" would be a more accurate description, as their relationship was like that of cats and dogs (犬猿之間).

To the demonic sect, or rather, to them, rivals were merely obstacles that, given the opportunity, must be ruthlessly eliminated as the first priority. They were never life companions who should help each other's development and move forward together.

Both sides were in charge of managing their subordinates as leaders of their organizations, and on top of that, there was a subtle sense of competition between these organizations, so their relationship could hardly be good. Two organizations were attached within one faction. No, two organizations had merged to become one faction.

These were the ones who perfectly embodied the phrase "like cats and dogs." Their relationship was not amicable from the start.

However, they both became simultaneously greedy for one object. Driven by lust and thirst, their desires converged on one target. Naturally, it did not take long for their relationship to devolve into one of mortal enmity.

Their relationship was like a powder keg with embers still glowing. It was not strange for it to explode anytime, anywhere. But then, an incident occurred that dealt a decisive blow to their relationship.

A massive ember falling into a place that was about to explode at any moment!

That was the existence of Na Ye-rin. When Gal Hyo-bong first raided the joint training facility, amidst the chaos, they had seen her. She was a peerless beauty (絶對美) deserving of the title "a well of unparalleled beauty"! A breathtaking appearance (麗態)!

It was natural for their venomous eyes to glint unluckily, their mouths watering profusely. There was only one target, but two rivals. A fight was the inevitable outcome. It was only a matter of time.

They disregarded the command to wait until Gal Hyo-bong recovered and the prohibition was fully lifted, so captivated were they by her beauty. Like the thousands of men before them, they had fallen for her graceful form (美態).

These were particularly violent and dangerous wolves among the men who had come before.

While not intending to disparage all men in the demonic sect, their control over sexual desire and longing was fatally weak for most women, based on general statistics. The environmental influence played a significant role in this, of course. Having committed such deeds, the demonic sect members could not protest when they were all lumped together.

Even among the righteous sect, it was common for hot-blooded young men to make mistakes that led to ruin or becoming shameless, due to poor control over lust. Expecting such restraint from those who kill and commit violence for a living is fundamentally misguided. It was better for your neck bone's health to not stare at trees you can't climb.

Forcing morality upon those who go wild at the sight of women, isn't that an unreasonable demand that could put a burden on them! In such cases, there is no room for compromise, so resolving it with fists rather than words is a cleaner and easier method.

This is even more so for the leaders of the Twin Killers' corps, whose specialties include murder, arson, looting, and rape. They are composed entirely of beings who are no different from beasts, or rather, worse than beasts.

These five individuals, completely devoid of restraint, were now charging forward relentlessly for a single delusion, their eyes bloodshot.

There was only one reason for these immature men's bloodshot, moving eyes. It was women. Especially considering the extreme state of excitement they were exhibiting, she was undoubtedly a top-tier beauty. It was rare even for them to be so frenzied.

In such moments, a man becomes the most dangerous animal to women in this world. If any woman witnesses such men nearby, her immediate escape would be an excellent choice for maintaining a healthy and peaceful life.

Women, beware!

Men are fundamentally a race of wolves. This does not change with the passage of time, so do not trust them carelessly. Do not make the foolish mistake of trusting men, especially when you are alone.

The excitement of the Five Ghost Swordsmen of the Soul Summoner showed no signs of abating, like stallions in heat.

"If I'm not mistaken, she's a well of unparalleled beauty. I thought the veins in my head were going to burst! Hehehe!"

Gui-yeong-sal-geom Sang-jung let out a creepy lewd laugh.

"That's right! She was so beautiful it made my head spin! Who would have thought such a beauty would be here!"

The second, Gui-ryeong-geom Kang-jung-yak, expressed his full agreement.

"Khahahaha! I had heard rumors, but not to this extent! Wow, it's driving me crazy!"

Called Saek-saek-i (Various Colors) for his excessive lust, Saek-ma (Lust Demon) Gui-myeong-geom Kang-yak-yak jumped around like a lustful dog, causing a commotion.

"Yak-yak! Did you know about her?"

It was as if asking if he knew everything. The second, Gui-ryeong-geom Kang-jung-yak, was surprised.

"Of course! How could the romantic gentleman, this Kang Yak-yak, not know about such a top-tier beauty? Brothers, haven't you even heard that the most beautiful woman in the world was decided ten years ago?"

The others, whose mood was unlikely to be good, listened to the bragging of someone who was always getting into trouble because of women.

"N-no way?"

Regarding that story, the other four also remembered hearing it. It was impossible for conversations about women and lewd jokes to be absent from their many drinking sessions, so they had all heard something somewhere.

"Exactly that 'no way'! Isn't it truly amazing? Ah… I never dreamed such an opportunity would appear before my eyes."

Saek-saek-i Kang Yak-yak's eyes turned ecstatic and hazy. Currently, his eyes were traveling in a different world. At such times, he wouldn't be able to hear what others were saying. It seemed only the woman was appearing before his eyes.

"Tch! We weren't as preoccupied with lust as you were, so it's understandable that we might have neglected information about women!"

Kang Jung-yak grumbled.

"She is Na Ye-rin, the treasured daughter of Na Baek-cheon, the leader of the Jeongcheon Alliance, who was judged to become the most beautiful woman in the world when she turned twenty, and who was the subject of intense interest among the romantic gentlemen of the martial world!"

Kang Yak-yak bragged again, annoyed. As much as he bragged, he knew more facts than others, but that didn't make the disliked person seem any more likable.

"I already knew you were a rapist, or a lust demon, or a lecher, but this is the first time I've learned you're a romantic gentleman!"

Kang Jung-yak said in a sarcastic tone. If Kang Yak-yak was a romantic gentleman, it would be safe to say that all romantic gentlemen in this world were ruined.

What kind of romantic gentleman was someone whose hobby was engaging in violent relationships without even asking a woman's opinion? Even a stray dog would scoff and have diarrhea at such a story. However, he did not want the discussion about the criteria for a romantic gentleman to be prolonged, so he stopped adding to it.

Among these five, the one with the fewest instances of assault was the first, Sang-jung-ha. Although he vehemently denied it, in reality, they were practically the same.

"And so…"

Kang Yak-yak, now on his favorite topic, continued to chatter excitedly.

Indeed, everyone, being men, had faces full of interest for this peerless beauty, a heavenly flower (天上花). After frowning once, Sang-jung-ha also quickly joined the ranks, not wanting to miss any more information. After all, wasn't he, a passionate man, more suitable as a companion for this peerless beauty than a lecher like Kang Yak-yak? There was no need to elaborate, just a single word would suffice.

"But is it okay to disobey Celestial Sword Soul Summoner's orders? He clearly commanded us to wait without loosening our nets."

The youngest, Ha Sang-jung, cautiously raised his concern. Moving now to claim the beauty would undoubtedly be a violation of orders.

"Ugh…"

The name of Celestial Sword Soul Summoner caused everyone's faces to stiffen. They had served him for over ten years, yet they still felt fear whenever they stood near him.

To Celestial Sword Soul Summoner, they were merely tools that could be discarded at any time.

"If we handle it secretly and quietly, who would know? Besides, we're not the only ones after her! Surely you haven't forgotten that those five ghost-like figures from the Underworld Five Ghost Generals were also there that day?"

Kang Yak-yak glared at Ha Sang-jung, who had poured cold water on their enthusiasm, and persuaded everyone. At times like these, bringing up the ones who called themselves the five ghosts of the underworld was exceptionally effective.

"Furthermore, among the five ghosts, the second ghost is a very wicked one who is only lustful despite being a ghost! He is also a considerable expert in this field! There's no way he missed her existence!"

As the saying goes, the pot calling the kettle black, Kang Yak-yak was exactly like that. Kang Yak-yak considered the second ghost of the Underworld Five Ghost Generals, In-sal-do Go-chae, to be a rival in the same field. His fighting spirit flared. It was a fighting spirit that offered no help in life and only caused trouble.

All eyes turned to the first, Sang-jung-ha. It was a silent pressure, asking him to make the decision. Sang-jung-ha inwardly grumbled that these were the bad guys who only sought out the first when needed.

"Alright! We can't lose to them!"

Finally, Sang-jung-ha made his decision.

"Let's go!"

At times like these, they were quick to act.

As Kang Yak-yak had predicted, the Soul Summoning Five Ghost Swords were not the only ones making covert moves targeting one woman. Their arch-rivals and eternal adversaries, the Underworld Five Ghost Generals, were also on the move. They were the same ilk, thinking the same things.

An innocent woman had become the target of multiple wolves.

'This is becoming a bit troublesome!'

It would be an exaggeration to say he had thoughts, but Biru-yeon had absolutely no intention of stepping forward and taking charge of the situation. It would be more accurate to say that he felt no need to willingly expend his energy and vital energy on something with no gain.

However, if he were to ignore it under the excuse of it being troublesome, he worried about the lives of the children he knew. While it could be dismissed as unnecessary compassion or pity, it was never a pleasant thing to see familiar faces die for such a trivial reason.

So, Biru-yeon pondered. Pondering also consumed a great deal of mental energy, so he thought as briefly as possible and quickly reached a conclusion. If he was worried about the lives of his companions, wouldn't it be enough to strengthen his skills to a level where they could be at ease? This was his final conclusion.

It was difficult to strengthen his skills to a stable level in a short period, but Biru-yeon was a person who never considered the impossible.

As always, he formulated the plan, and Yeomdo was in charge of its execution. He had faith that Yeomdo would handle the matters without any problems, as she had an unexpected talent for such things.

He intended to swat away any flies that might try to approach him until he had acquired a certain level of skill. Having something to do for amusement was beneficial to him as well.

He took out the human-faced mask he had kept in his embrace for a long time. The moment he put it on, he would transform into someone else, 'Teacher Husband' (노사부). Biru-yeon found this thought extremely enjoyable.

Living life joyfully is not a sin. Rather, it is merely being a little wiser than others! From then on, Biru-yeon's grand game began.