Martial Arts Ain't Anything Special-Chapter 31: Murim Debut (4)

Seojun followed the traces of the messed up qi.

Though Chunbong’s constant sighing and lamenting beside him was a bit annoying, it wasn’t anything new so he didn’t pay it much mind.

Can’t help that I’m just that good.

As they walked, they spotted something red that stood out against the green forest.

All bandit corpses.

Seojun stroked his chin as he looked at the bodies strewn along the path, killed while being chased.

“He really did lose it, huh.”

It was understandable though.

Your daughter gets kidnapped by bandits? It’d be weirder not to react this way.

If Chunbong got kidnapped, I’d draw my sword and kill them all immediately too.

“He must’ve been quite skilled.”

Chunbong raised her eyebrows looking at the blade marks on the bandits’ corpses.

“Most were killed in one strike. He can’t be some no-name martial artist.”

“But I still beat him right?”

“Yeah yeah, you’re amazing, whatever.”

Seojun chuckled as he walked on.

After walking for a while, human presences appeared at the edge of his qi detection.

“Found them.”

“What’s the plan?”

“What plan? We charge in.”

Seojun plucked a leaf from a hanging branch. Blue energy swirled around his hand and the leaf frosted over.

“Let’s see...”

Thud, he lightly leaped up. From the treetop, he could see the bandits’ hideout.

Wang... what was it? Whatever, the place is in chaos, so news about that man must have reached them.

Bandits were roughly herding women into a building. From their appearance, they were likely other kidnapping victims.

Among them, one girl stood out. A man was shouting something while holding up a crying, struggling child.

“Is that her?”

“She’s just a kid?”

At Chunbong’s words from the tree beside him, Seojun made a dumbfounded expression.

“She looks about your age though?”

“...Do I look that fucking young?”

“Yeah.”

The girl looked like an elementary schooler to anyone. Chunbong was about that age when they first met.

Though she had grown into more of a middle schooler now.

“Haah... My cheeks...”

“Here we go again.”

“But this is seriously important, I swear.”

Seojun grumbled while observing the bandits. It seemed they planned to use the kid as a hostage, but he wondered why that Wang guy had mindlessly killed everyone in this situation. He could have at least tried infiltrating.

“Well first...”

Crumble—Seojun crushed the leaf in his hand.

He’d planned to start with a Primordial Sun-Moon Finger, but that wouldn’t work with her there, so he began concentrating a massive qi at his fingertip.

“Huu...”

His breath came out as white mist and Chunbong’s expression twisted watching him.

He’ll run out of inner qi at this rate.

Though she sometimes also forgot, Seojun had only been learning martial arts for about a year.

Inner qi should be built up gradually. There was a reason old masters were feared.

For martial artists, time was power itself.

She kept quiet to avoid disturbing him as he stretched his hand toward the bandit hideout.

“Let me show you an Air Force Sergeant’s marksmanship.”

“Sergeant?”

Was this bastard a soldier? As Chunbong tilted her head—

Pew!

The concentrated qi bullet shot out at an unfathomable speed.

Splat!

In the blink of an eye, a hole appeared between the eyes of the bandit holding the girl.

As the bandit fell with his head frozen, the hideout went into emergency mode.

“Let’s go!”

Seojun charged in immediately, Chunbong drawing her sword and following close behind.

Flutter—

After instantly appearing beside the girl, Seojun cleared his throat.

“Ahem! Well then, dear bandits. You won’t have any regrets dying, right?”

“Th-That guy...!”

One bandit recognized him. It was the one Seojun had caught fleeing earlier.

“Hey, you.”

Seojun grinned and stomped the ground hard.

Boom!

The earth shook as flames erupted.

“F-Fire...!”

“There there, it’s okay.”

Seojun pulled the startled child into his arms.

Yang qi is active and tends to spread more compared to yin qi.

As Seojun deliberately expanded his yang qi, the bandit hideout was instantly engulfed in flames.

“T-There’s fire!”

“It’s hot...! Huh? It’s not hot?”

“Stop wasting time! Kill that bastard now!”

The bandits charged. After confirming the building where the women were held, Seojun nodded.

Yin-Yang Reversal.

He placed his hand on the ground and converted the spread yang qi into yin qi.

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Crack────────!!!

Silence descended upon the mountain fortress. Seeing this, Seojun nodded with satisfaction.

“Not bad.”

Pat pat, as he patted the back of the child in his arms, Chunbong stomped over.

“Is the kid okay?”

“Yeah, probably?”

He gently pulled the child away to check her face.

There were some bruises likely from being hit by the bandits, but she didn’t seem to have any major issues.

“Hic...!”

But as soon as their eyes met, she began crying pitifully.

“Waaah... Daddyyy...”

The child hugged Seojun tightly, crying her eyes out. He then walked towards the building where the women were being held while carrying her.

“Hey, is your inner qi okay? You’re not overdoing it, are you?”

As Chunbong tugged at his clothes, Seojun patted her head.

“I’m totally fine. I can just replenish inner qi while circulating it.”

Besides, if you use it efficiently from the start, you rarely run out.

“Really? Then want to circulate qi for a bit now? I’ll guard you.”

“I’m doing it already though?”

“Huh? What the hell are you on about?”

Chunbong stared blankly at Seojun before jumping up.

“W-Wait...! Really!?”

“Yeah, turns out it’s possible.”

It would normally be considered insane, but somehow he had figured it out while researching protective qi.

It seemed more influenced by his insight into the Supreme Polarity than protective qi.

“No fucking way, how... The Yellow—”

After briefly glancing at the child in his arms, she continued.

“The martial art I taught you isn’t a movement art!?”

“Well, turns out anything’s possible if you focus!”

“No! That’s impossible!”

“But I’m doing it, y’know?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake!”

When Chunbong threw a fit, the child became scared and clung tighter to Seojun.

“B-Big brother... Seo-ryeong is scared...”

“Aww, really?”

“Mm... Hehe.”

For some reason, Chunbong’s eyes seemed to grow deadly coldly.

No way. Even she wouldn’t... not to a child!

*Approaching the building where the women were held, Seojun placed his hand on the frozen door.

Crack!

The ice broke, but not because of Seojun.

“One’s still alive.”

Seojun turned around. A man with unkempt beard approached, grinding his teeth.

“Y-You damned bastard.”

“Oh wow, what a brave friend. You should’ve run away though, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Fuck you. A real man has no choice but to fight.”

“Hmm.”

With that mindset, why choose to be a bandit? This guy makes no sense at all.

As Seojun sighed and stepped forward, Chunbong drew her sword first.

“You call yourself a man? Don’t make me laugh. Stop with the jokes and come at me.”

“...Now even some worthless brat.”

The man, probably the fortress chief, leaped forward with a stomp, his blade glowing with murky green blade qi.

In contrast, Chunbong stepped lightly as if taking a stroll.

Her sword danced like flowing water, elegantly circling the rough downward slash.

Shing!

When their weapons clashed, the man’s blade flew up into the air.

“What the...!”

The man’s eyes widened, and then Chunbong casually took one step and passed by him.

Thud—

His head fell off.

She sneered as she released the platinum sword qi from her sword.

“Pathetic.”

Had she been stressed? Little Chunbong became a savage!

“Now now, dear Chunbong. Don’t use such bad words.”

“Shut up.”

Chunbong grumbled as she sheathed her sword.

While patting her head, Seojun reflected on the sword technique she had shown.

Although she was using the Blue Cloud Divine Art to manipulate qi close to yin, but the aura was more serene than cold.

Definitely... thinking of yin qi as cold is prejudiced.

Though it does have that property, you shouldn’t think of yin qi as ice.

If anything, wouldn’t ice belong to the water element of the Five Elements?

Even just now, he had spread yang qi like fire but it wasn’t actually hot like real fire.

“The Five Elements...”

Since the Five Elements ultimately derive from the two extremes of yin and yang, there was no reason he couldn’t control them.

At this rate, who knows, maybe I’ll end up using elemental magic later.

Lost in thought, he came to his senses to find Chunbong staring at him.

“Done?”

“Yep.”

When he nodded, Chunbong walked over and opened the building’s door.

Creak—

As the door opened, the women inside flinched.

Then seeing Chunbong, their eyes went wide, and one woman carefully asked.

“Um... by any chance...”

“We’ve dealt with all the bandits, so you can come out now.”

“Ah, aah...! Thank you...! Thank you so much...!”

The woman collapsed crying, and the surrounding women also began crying one by one as if it were contagious.

The woman who had first spoken crawled to Seojun’s feet and bowed repeatedly, still crying. Apparently they hadn’t considered that Chunbong might have been their savior.

“Thank you... thank you so much...”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Please, you don’t need to. Stand up...”

“No, really... I cannot thank you enough...”

He started wondering how badly the bandits had treated them, but looking at the women’s state, he immediately understood. There were clear signs that they had experienced unspeakable acts.

Though they seemed to have left the child alone at least, but then why the hell did they kidnap her? Unless they were crazy pedophiles, there was no reason to kidnap her.

If anything, it’s strange they didn’t touch her if they were crazy pedophiles.

Seojun adjusted his hold on the child and raised an eyebrow.

“Let’s go for now.”

First we should return the kid to that Wang whatever. We can raid the fortress later.