Absolute Regression Chapter 741

Episode 741: I think you stole my heart

Jihan ran through the darkness.
His heart pounded like it was going to burst. Had he ever been this surprised since becoming unmanned?

‘What did I see?’

In an instant, the Blood Wind Sword was struck down by the bastard. Watching from afar, I couldn’t tell exactly how he had defeated them.

Is it poison? Or is it memorization?

He didn’t know how they killed them, but it happened in an instant.
But what really made Jihan’s heart beat so fast wasn’t because he killed them.

‘You must have seen me.’

He looked at himself in the darkness. It wasn’t an illusion. He even waved at himself.

It was so far away. It was hidden in such thick darkness.

How far had he run?
Jihan stopped, panting heavily. He was so shocked that he couldn’t breathe properly while performing a lightness attack. His qi and blood were entangled, and he almost suffered internal injuries. This was truly a first.

“Haa, haa.”

The image of the young man smiling at her from the carriage came back to her. Her
ominous premonition was correct.

‘He’s someone you shouldn’t mess with.’

Now I know for sure why Songno didn’t sell the information.

‘It’s a big deal. We can’t handle it.’

I can now see clearly that telling her to let go and leave was really advice for myself.

However, if you leave the organization without permission, the organization will use every means at its disposal to track you down.
You might think they’ll stop after a few years, but the pursuit continues forever. The more vicious and vicious the organization, the more unforgiving it is of betrayal.

Since he knew the art of chasing better than anyone, he wouldn’t be caught, but he would have to live his whole life on the run, anxiously watching.
Leaving is not as easy as it sounds.

Even if I were to leave, I couldn’t do it so suddenly. I had to prepare thoroughly before leaving.
Therefore, now is the time to return and report.

How will the leader of the Hwalongdan, Cheon Dae-woong, accept the death of the Blood Wind Sword?

“The Blood Wind Sword is dead. They are not to be messed with.

The moment I uttered those words, he might explode in a fit of rage, killing himself. He was the type of person who would act without regard for consequences.

At this moment, when his allies felt more difficult than his enemies, Jihan remembered what Songno had said.

―If you can’t leave… …run towards death.

He probably didn’t mean to tell me to die. He was doing me a favor.

Will that death be generous?

Jihan’s worries deepened as he stood alone under the dawn starlight.

* * *

Cheon Dae-woong was pouring drinks behind the curtain.
It had been a long time since I’d seen him so respectfully pour someone a drink. It meant the person I was drinking with was someone precious.

After pouring the drink like that, I asked about the report I had just received.

“The Blood Wind Sword is dead?”

Jihan felt even more fearful at his unexcited voice.

“Yes, they are all dead.”

Behind the curtain, Cheon Dae-woong spoke politely to the other person.

“Please take a moment to eat.”

One curtain parted, and Cheon Dae-woong stepped out.
The once-genteel man, as he emerged from the curtain, had changed.
Cheon Dae-woong suddenly swung his fist at Ji-han.

Crack!
Crack!

The tension that had passed through Jihan’s face shattered the door. The guards outside were struck by lightning.

“Who died?”

Crash! Crash! Crash!

Cheon Dae-woong destroyed everything he saw. He looked completely different inside the curtain than he did now.

I’m usually like this, but being polite behind the scenes is a courtesy to you.

Rather, it seemed that the temper tantrum outside emphasized the courtesy towards the person inside the curtain.

Boom! Kwaang!

The ground around Jihan was shattered by the force of the explosion, and the ground flipped upside down. Fragments splattered onto Jihan’s body, but he didn’t dodge.

This Cheon Dae-woong was the type of person Ji-han hated the most.

Those who express their anger through violence.
Those who believe that because they are strong, they can freely express their emotions.

The only silver lining was that his anger didn’t directly reach Jihan.
Only after a flurry of tantrums did Cheon Daewoong’s anger subside.

“Who did it? Was it the old man who was with them? Or was it that mysterious woman who killed him?”

Jihan saw at least one thing clearly: that it was the young man’s doing. Unless the other two had been lying down and demonstrating their martial arts prowess.

Jihan answered honestly.

“I couldn’t see it properly.”

I thought he would be scolded, but Cheon Dae-woong thought it was normal.

“Yeah, of course.”

He considered himself far weaker than the Blood Wind Sword. In fact, not only that, but many in the organization disliked and ignored him. They treated him like a hunting dog, just chasing after scent.

There was a clear reason they disliked Jihan.
Most of the targets of his pursuit were defectors from within the organization. In short, Jihan was the one they would pursue if they left the organization.

“You must have been hiding far away like a coward, right?”
“The Blood Wind Sword Master told me to retreat because I was interfering with the fight. I was giving the enemy a heads-up for no reason.”

It was a lie. After revealing their location, they retreated on their own.
The surprise attack in the dead of night had the Blood Wind Swordsmen feeling confident. They were confident that even in broad daylight, the four of them would be unbeatable.

“But you must have seen something, right?”
“The match was decided in an instant, so I didn’t see anything.”

Cheon Dae-woong grabbed Ji-han by the collar.

“If you can’t even do this kind of thing properly, what else do you know besides sniffing? Should I cut off your nose?”

Jihan ducked his head to avoid the contemptuous gaze.
Cheon Daewoong threw him. Jihan rolled to the floor. He could have used the Kyungshinjutsu to get down, but that would have resulted in a real assassination attempt.

Cheon Dae-woong turned to the back curtain and spoke politely to the person beyond it.

“This matter will have to be handled by you, sir.”

The shadow behind the curtain took a sip of wine and then put down the glass.

“Okay.”

Then, the curtain lifted, revealing the man known as “Elder.” Jihan, upon seeing the man, understood why the foul-tempered Cheon Dae-woong was paying him such respect.

“Guide them.”

* * *

The carriage set off early the next morning.
The swordsman acted as if nothing had happened the night before, so the governor wondered if he had been dreaming.

“Do you know who the surprise attackers were yesterday?”

The sword dance nodded.

“I know.”
“You know? Who is it?”
“Why are you curious now?”
“I think you should know who I buried.”

That wasn’t it. I was curious to see just how high a level of expert he’d killed. I was too shocked and flustered yesterday to ask.

“Blood Wind Sword.”

For a moment, Taesu was startled and then shook his head.

“Hey, don’t joke around.”

It was certain that the four masters who killed the four people were just random names.

Even if you’re joking, you have to do it appropriately, Blood Wind Sword?

The Blood Wind Swordsmen were renowned masters of the Sapa.
The number of warriors they killed was countless. Many of those they killed were also renowned masters.

And that wasn’t all. As befitting masters of the Sapa, they were also guilty of countless atrocities.
They were the kind of people who, while dining in a guesthouse, would instantly fall silent if someone mentioned the Blood Wind Sword.

They died without ever being able to properly swing their swords? That was absurd.

“I’m not that naive. I’ve been around long enough to make a name for myself in the martial arts world. So stop teasing me and tell me who I am.”

The sword dance troupe drove the carriage silently. It didn’t claim to be the Blood Wind Sword. So, it felt more real.

Taesu reconfirmed with a trembling voice, recalling the lightning-quick movements of yesterday’s sword dance.

“Is it really the Blood Wind Sword?”

As Geommu-geuk nodded, Taesu became lost in thought. Earlier, during the battle for Jangbo Island, those pursuing him had been nothing more than nameless, greedy warriors.

All I had to do was dodge with my own lightness technique, my own axial attack. I didn’t need to know his name, nor did I care.

But finally, a name began to emerge.
The Blood Wind Sword.
The fearsome Blood Wind Sword, which he had only heard of in stories, turned its sword on him and died before his eyes.

Maybe we’re just beginning to hear some surprising names.

Taesu, his mind clear, looked at Geommu-geuk. “This guy really killed the Blood Wind Sword?”

“Did you know they were
you when you killed them?” “You didn’t know when you killed them.”
“Then how did you know now?”
“Because the report came in this morning.”
“To whom?”
“The Cheonma Pyo-guk has an information network all over the Central Plains. With a thousand horses, how quickly can they communicate?”

Taesu stared at him, uncertain whether to believe this or not.
Geommu-geuk pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to him.
Taesu screamed as he read its contents.

“Eww!”

It was because of another name written on the paper.

―The Blood Wind Sword is currently active as the right-hand man of Cheon Dae-woong, the leader of the Hwa-ryong-dan of the Evil Kings’ Gate.

“They belonged to the Four Kings Gate?”

The Four Kings Gate.

This sect was notorious for its violence and infamy.
It wasn’t originally this notorious, but at some point, it began accepting those who had committed crimes and fled the martial arts world, transforming its prestige.
Now, it was said that anyone who caused trouble in the martial arts world would hide in the Sawangmun Gate, a sect filled with so many evildoers.

“We need to hide. This is not the time!”

Taesu was truly terrified. Every rumor about the Four Kings Sect was unsettling.
The fact that they had killed someone wasn’t the point. What terrified everyone was how they had done it. They had killed people with such brutality. They had given up on humanity, and they exploited that fear to further strengthen their sect.

You touched the gate of the Four Kings and you’re so calm?

“Give me the reins. I will find a place to hide.”

Taesu, accustomed to running and hiding, felt he had to step forward.
The two people in the carriage, and this sword dance. The name “Sawangmun” came up, so why was it so peaceful?

“I’ll tell you the location of the hole, so go back to Manhyeoldong and hide in that hole.”

This wasn’t a joke, it was serious. Other sects might have been different, but the Sawangseon was truly a sect teeming with evildoers.

“Even if I go in, I can’t let our elders enter that narrow space, can I?”
“Our opponent is the Four Kings Gate. They’re not something a mere Pyo-guk can handle! If they hide out somewhere for a few years, they’ll forget about Jang Bo-do.”

Geommu-geuk smiled at Taesu. Neither he nor the demons have time for that, not even for a few days, let alone years. We’re busy people, you rascal.

“What do you smell like?”
“Ah!”

Taesu had completely forgotten what they were chasing. Unless he cut off his hand, the Four Kings’ Gate’s pursuit was unavoidable.

The sword dance mentioned one place.

“Should we ask the Apostolic Alliance for help?”

Taesu made a bewildered expression.

“Are you calling in tigers to chase away wolves?”
“That’s just like Admiral Yi Dok.”
“No matter how vicious the Four Kings are, don’t they bend their arms inward? If the Four Kings fall, the power of the Four Sects will weaken, and the Sadomaeng won’t attack them.”
“If a war breaks out with the Cheonma Shingyo or the Jeongpa, will the Sadomaeng really be at the forefront? Never! They’re the ones who will try to use the chaos to their own advantage. The current Sadomaeng will want to eliminate them. Even evil must have a minimum of dignity.”

Even if that part is reported accurately by Geommugeuk.

“Even if the Sadomaeng stops them, will you just let Jang Bo-do go?”
“If you don’t?”
“Of course they’ll take it. They’ll kill us all to keep the secret.”
“Wouldn’t they?”

The governor finally sighed at the seemingly calm response.
With the Four Kings Gate targeting Jang Bo-do, could he really survive? Could this peace of mind truly come from composure and skill?

“If any unmanageable masters appear, let me go.”

Of course, it wasn’t sincere, it was just a comment to show off the sword dance.

“Of course it should be like that.”

It was obvious, but I felt needlessly disappointed.

“But that won’t happen.”
“Huh?”
“There’s no opponent we can’t handle.”

Hearing that, Taesu suddenly remembered what his father had said to him.

―Don’t be greedy about shopping! It’s something we can’t afford.

Even if it was something I couldn’t handle,
at least for this moment, I wanted to believe in the bluff of the sword dance.
I hope you can handle it!

How far had he run?
An old man stood blocking the road.
He had a formidable presence, the same man who had been drinking with Cheon Dae-woong earlier.

He stood there, clad in a white robe and with a fluttering white beard, looking like a divine being. Outwardly, he seemed to have transcended the world, but he was transcended in another way.

Knowing that the opponent was the Four Kings Gate, it was not difficult to guess who this old man wearing clothes with a swastika on his chest was.

“All evil mountain people!”

Taesu shivered. Man-ak-san-in was a master of the Sapa clan, a man who had committed countless atrocities.
Rumors abounded about him. Some said he was called Man-ak-san-in because he had killed ten thousand masters. Others said he was known for committing ten thousand atrocities. Some even said he was both.

‘No matter how skilled these people are, they can’t stand up to the Man-ak-san people!’

Man-ak-san-in did not ask who killed the Blood Wind Sword.

“Who has Jang Bo-do?”

Then, Geommugeuk looked at Taesu without hesitation.

No, even if it’s true, why are you looking at it so blatantly?

Taesu finally felt the moment he couldn’t handle. It came much sooner than he expected. He
understood why Geommugeuk had abandoned him. Who could possibly handle Manaksanin? His boasting ended here.

“What if things had ended up like this anyway?”
Taesu asked Man-aksan-in with a determined look in his eyes. He didn’t know why he felt this way, though.

“I’ve memorized the Jangbo Map. Take me and let these people go. If you kill them, we’ll never know the Jangbo Map’s location. Please spare these people!”

Man-aksanin smiled a murderous smile at Tae-su, who had set a condition for him.
Meanwhile, a broad smile formed next to Tae-su, enough to offset his coldness.

“I think you just stole my heart.”