The Hwangbo Clan’s Beloved Live-In Son-in-Law - Chapter 43
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 43
Aaahhh!
Tougui let out a scream.
It wasn’t because he was injured somewhere or bitter from defeat.
He was just angry.
“You bastard!”
Whoosh! Whoom! Whoosh!
Tougui’s great sword continuously sliced through the air.
Large movements and rough swordplay. Added to that, the flesh-piercing fighting spirit and thick killing intent had something that would make even any master sick and intimidated.
That’s why he was Tougui and how he survived.
But what is this bastard.
Whoosh!
This time too.
Tougui might be called crazy but he wasn’t truly insane.
A gap appeared in the fiercely swung blade. Xie Baowei stabbed at that gap and Tougui gave ground.
The spear tip scraped his skin and by the time Tougui staggered to avoid it, he had already withdrawn.
That made him angry.
“Why! Why don’t you press the attack!”
Even at that furious roar, Xie Baowei retreated and stood quietly, just quietly pointing his spear.
“Why!”
“…Do I need to answer that?”
“Aaahhh!”
When Xie Baowei tilted his head as if he truly didn’t understand, Tougui swung his blade whoosh, whoosh again.
This time really, really swinging to vent his anger…
Like hell.
“So it was fake madness after all.”
“Damn bastard. You’re really a fucking dog.”
Pretending to swing wildly through the air for a few steps, pretending to stagger unable to contain his anger for another few steps.
He thought he was stealthily approaching but found himself farther away.
Tougui spoke in a low voice as if he had never been angry.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t angry.
“Hah. I should have killed you then.”
“…Regret is always too late, isn’t it.”
“Hmph. You speak like someone who’s experienced bitter regret.”
Tougui frowned looking at his unresponsive opponent.
He had eaten all the delicious parts but now the food was cold and he was forcing himself to eat the tasteless portions – how could that be fun.
He tried to warm it up at least, but even that didn’t work.
Rather than a problem with the cook.
This was a problem with the ingredients.
“I acknowledge it.”
Tougui nodded his head.
His eyes looked straight at Xie Baowei.
“You’re a genius.”
“Mm.”
Xie Baowei nodded his head.
“I’ve heard that often.”
“Damn bastard.”
Xie Baowei was an ordinary person.
Given his background, he grew up rough and had cunning aspects and wasn’t as naive as one might think.
But first of all, he was truly an ordinary woodcutter.
Of course, he never found anything difficult to learn, never got hurt fighting with back alley thugs, never got caught doing pickpocketing or theft he never learned after just watching and practicing a few times, and occasionally monks and Taoists passing by would tell him to follow them or say it was a waste, but.
He just lived cutting wood so how would he know.
“He’s grown in just this short time.”
Tougui steadied his increasingly labored breathing again.
It was different from when they first met the day before.
He had been someone who swayed back and forth to his movements, barely managing with improvisation, trading bone for flesh in his responses.
In other words, even with such methods, he had made himself feel cool and thrilled, which was enjoyable.
But what about today.
During the first confrontation, after seeing him aim for the spear to control distance, he hadn’t clashed spear and blade even once since then.
Therefore, he couldn’t close the distance either.
Rather, it was himself who was devising clever moves and showing openings, twisting his whole body.
And still.
“You don’t waver.”
“…Why don’t you wear iron armor like before.”
“Hmph. Relying on such things is why you get hurt.”
Tougui glanced once at his own arm with displeasure, then once at Qitian above.
Then he shook his head. In the end, it was his own choice.
“I’ve gotten old too. To think I listened to such words as advice.”
“…Your thinking is different from ordinary people.”
“Enough. Have you rested a bit now?
Don’t I see your hands still trembling?”
“Talent doesn’t build stamina.”
Of course he would be tired.
Attacking relentlessly without gaining anything, and only Tougui got wounded from deliberately showing openings.
Yet it was Xie Baowei who was dripping sweat all over his face as if exhausted.
If Tougui could aim for the throat even while deliberately showing openings, for Xie Baowei a single mistake would result in losing his life.
Before, it was different though.
“I should have torn that woman’s wounds wider. No. Should I have slit her throat?”
“…That’s what I’m saying. She’s alive so it’s fine. Would an idiot worry about wounds.”
Provocation didn’t work well either. He clearly trembled, but didn’t act on it.
No. Looking at his eyes, if he lost he’d die horribly.
Since there’s no chance of losing, does it matter?
“That brat is annoying.”
Thinking of how he charged yesterday, it must be because of that little kid on his back.
Tougui said while spinning his great sword round and round.
His body still swayed.
Overflowing with leisure, but tension flowed through the taut air.
How many times had he charged after acting like that.
“Teacher Im. I’ll have to kill that child.”
Really like that.
He spat out a single word and charged again.
The flesh-piercing fighting spirit disappeared. Now a spine-chilling killing intent spread thickly.
Swish! Swoosh!
His swordwork changed accordingly.
From the rough movements that sought the clash of strength against strength and the thrill of dancing on blade tips, to something more concise and clean instead.
Purely killing moves to sever flesh and bone.
Every time Tougui’s body swayed here and there, Xie Baowei’s spear swayed along with it.
Swaying and staggering unpredictably was Tougui’s body movement technique.
But he had seen enough already.
“Indeed, you’re keeping up.”
Thud. Thudthud.
While Tougui swayed his body, he tapped the spear tip. Tap. Tap.
More with speed than strength, more like touching than striking.
Tang. Tatang.
Then a little stronger, will you dodge this too?
Even at this level, even with more force?
What about next?
Whoosh.
“Stop right there!”
Xie Baowei gritted his teeth.
Tougui’s body, which had been playfully tapping the spear tip, seemed to blur for a moment before disappearing.
Even after fighting this much, did he still have this much strength left!
Clang!
Again! The intense explosive sound of blade and spear colliding burst forth.
Xie Baowei’s spear, which had barely managed to block Tougui’s blade, trembled violently.
Even despite the difference between two hands and one hand.
“What a pity.”
Again, whoosh.
He disappeared.
He understood the principle. Instantaneous sudden stops and acceleration.
But without the intermediate process, it was difficult to follow.
How on earth could a human body do this!
Xie Baowei gritted his teeth and stepped back one pace.
He gripped the spear shorter.
Tadadang!
One faint footstep sound heard amidst the struggle between the guards and pursuit team.
Tadak.
Clang!
Tougui, who had appeared on the right, suddenly disappeared and struck from the left.
He deflected the sharp thrusts again and again, pushing them away.
Each direction the blade came from was either the head, heart, or neck.
It was different from before when it seemed like he would cut anything in half wherever he struck.
However.
“Hold on tight!”
Xie Baowei’s body swayed greatly with a lurch.
The movements of Tianhou Taibao also had parts that connected with Tougui’s footwork.
There was nothing he couldn’t do.
Kakak!
He barely deflected the curved slashing blade again, spilling to the left before bouncing to the right.
Finally, Tougui’s figure came into view.
“You bastard!”
This is straining my joints!
While swaying his body once more, his knees and waist screamed in pain.
Yingying’s arm tightened around his neck like a stranglehold. One more bounce and it would come loose.
Just once more!
Capturing the clear killing intent burning like fighting spirit in his eyes, Tougui’s great blade pierced the sky.
The tremendous force contained at its tip sent chills down his spine.
It was like seeing that decisive sword strike that Martial Arts Alliance Leader Fang Maqing had shown.
Standing in its path meant death.
Even while feeling that clear sense of crisis, Xie Baowei thrust his spear forward.
He aimed for only one thing.
“Die!”
Buuuk!
Unlike the Alliance Leader, a somewhat rougher sound split the air.
But its power was sufficient.
A blade strike that could cut through whatever stood before it.
Xie Baowei’s body barely escaped that range.
Though it only grazed him, the middle of the spear shaft made of incredibly sturdy ironwood was cut clean through with a snap.
Instead, he managed to prevent his forearm from being severed.
Blood gushed up from his deeply cut arm.
“Huff. Huk.”
Thud.
Xie Baowei retrieved his extended spear and used the cut end to prop himself against the ground.
Even with blood flowing freely, he didn’t have the strength to extend his arm to stop the bleeding.
“…You damn bastard.”
Tougui stood trembling before him.
The wounds that had formed from showing openings to catch Xie Baowei burst open again from the rough movements, bleeding.
But the spear Xie Baowei had thrust out at the last moment hadn’t touched Tougui’s body.
At least, not his body.
Thudthud.
Thud.
Tougui’s bandage, which had been almost completely cut by the spear tip, finally fell with a thudding sound.
Along with it, Tougui’s right arm, which had been firmly secured, also dropped with a thud.
“Did you think you’d win by cutting just one bandage like this? With that body?”
Tougui spoke as if spitting while looking at his own dangling right arm.
In that brief gap, Xie Baowei caught his breath, freed Yingying’s arm and sent her back, then stood up using his spear as support.
His left arm also hung limply like Tougui’s.
“…Whew. Huff. Just trying something.”
“What?”
Xie Baowei kicked a small stone with his foot.
It was to divert attention to the very end.
Whether the stone hit his forehead or not, Tougui turned his body with a demon-like scowl.
Clang!
“Young Master Xie!”
“You bastard!”
Namgung Bin’s sword, having rushed over, pressed down deeply on Tougui’s great blade.
Though Tougui deflected it this way and that, he managed to inflict a shallow wound around the chest area.
Tougui scowled and leaped back to create distance.
“…Fucking idiots.”
Looking at the situation again, only four guards remained standing intact.
The opponents, though not exactly unharmed, were still the formidable Namgung Bin and Namgung Seol.
Wei Zibai, who was at least still standing though barely, and Huashen, who was lying down with bandages but still holding something to throw, remained.
In perfect condition, he could have slaughtered them all alone.
Clap!
“Let’s stop here now. Everyone please step back. I ask this of Yan Senpai as well.”
It was around then that Qitian, Lim Junggeol spoke up with a clap.
“What?”
Tougui growled and looked back at Qitian, but Qitian shook his head.
“Well now. This is unexpected, I suppose…”
Qitian’s eyes looked at Xie Baowei with complexity.
Then he looked around once at Yingying, Namgung Bin and the pursuit team, Tougui and Shihui, and the remaining guards in turn.
“If I had known it would come to this, there was no need to push so hard.”
“Teacher Im!”
“Yan Senpai. Please stop enjoying yourself. This junior will only help you clean up the aftermath.”
“I will!”
“Senior.”
The two men’s eyes met in midair. Though Tougui was famous for his rough nature, for some reason he bit his lips tightly and retreated after seeing Qitian’s stern expression.
Following Qitian, the guards also retreated while taking care of their injured comrades.
Soldiers who appeared to be Qitian’s subordinates came down and took Shihui away.
The pursuit team couldn’t just stand by and watch, but the arrows that kept flying toward Huashen, Wei Zibai, Yingying and others prevented them from moving further.
“…Boy. It seems our connection is not deep. But don’t worry, I will resolve your grievance.”
Having said that, Qitian nodded with a cold expression.
Then he disappeared into the forest.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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