Chapter 20: Archery Heavenly Spirit

Lights flickered throughout the manor, and the movements of the warriors grew more frantic, likely due to the final preparations before heading into battle.

Gangchan quietly observed the situation from atop a nearby hill.

He activated Jieugiseong, filling his entire body with its energy before slowly releasing it.

This was his final check of his physical condition, preparing for any unforeseen circumstances.

He drew his bow and pulled back the string.

Gangchan’s body stiffened as if carved from stone, holding a steady and unwavering posture.

Three men emerged from the office and stepped into the courtyard.

They were Noyujung, the leader of the Baekryonghoe, Dokgwi Geom Mak Bi, and Manhwa Mugwanju Sang Baek.

Noyujung looked at Mak Bi and asked, “Have you fully recovered now?”

Mak Bi nodded in response.

“Yes. At least ninety percent restored. There’s no need for concern, Lord.”

“Truly remarkable. To recover ninety percent in just one day under such conditions.”

Noyujung stepped into the courtyard and called out to the waiting warriors.

“This is the final battle. After tonight, the Night of Hangzhou will be ours. Fight with all your strength, knowing this is the last chance. I promise you all the rewards you deserve.”

“Waaaaaah!”

A thunderous roar shook the entire manor.

At that moment, far away on the hill, Gangchan’s bowstring was drawn back to its fullest and suddenly released like lightning.

Tuuuuung! Pshuuuuuung!

The heavy sound of the bowstring echoed as the arrow flew through the air.

Though the noise was drowned out by the warriors’ cheers, Mak Bi distinctly sensed an unusual energy within it.

His eyes flashed sharply as he gathered his inner power in his hand, reaching out into the void toward the incoming projectile.

His hand grasped the empty air.

Then came the sounds.

Shuuuuuuk! Paaak!

Gangchan’s Iljeomsi.

The arrow flew without the slightest deviation, piercing through Noyujung’s left temple, passing through his right temple.

Noyujung’s body seemed to slow as if time had decelerated, tilting to the right before collapsing to the ground.

Kuuung!

The heavy thud of his body hitting the earth resonated through the heart of the manor.

It was an utterly surreal sight.

All the warriors gathered there stood frozen, staring blankly.

“An arrow!”

At someone’s shout, the warriors all instinctively crouched and scanned the surroundings.

The boisterous atmosphere that had filled the manor moments ago instantly froze.

Mak Bi instinctively checked the direction the arrow had come from and drew his sword.

“Prepare for additional attacks!”

At his shout, Sang Baek immediately drew his sword and stood guard to the left of Mak Bi.

Both men tensely watched the darkness, alert for any further arrows.

After shooting the first arrow, Gangchan used Cheonyeongchukji to instantly relocate to a second position.

While every Baekryonghoe warrior was focused on guarding the right, Gangchan had already moved to a tree directly ahead.

He drew his bow and aimed at his second target, Sang Baek, then fired without hesitation.

Tuuuuung— Pshuuuuuung.

The same sound as before.

Mak Bi reacted the fastest.

Though caught off guard initially, now prepared, his eyes shone with confidence that no arrow could breach his defenses.

Sang Baek also turned his head toward the incoming arrow and readied to block.

The arrow’s initial direction was toward Mak Bi.

However, it moved unexpectedly.

Mid-flight, it suddenly shifted course and sharply turned toward Sang Baek.

“Ahhh, what the—!”

Startled, Sang Baek barely deflected the arrow.

Kraaack! Bang!

Relieved, he watched the shattered arrow pieces and let out a breath of relief.

But then, something pierced his chest.

It was Gangchan’s Yin Yang Arrow.

Sang Baek looked down at his chest, stunned, muttering with disbelief.

“I clearly… blocked it…”

His body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Mak Bi, witnessing Sang Baek’s death, froze with a grim expression.

“Everyone, hide yourselves! This isn’t just ordinary archery—it’s a master’s skill!”

Mak Bi quickly took cover behind a large nearby pillar and surveyed his surroundings.

Inside, he was conflicted.

‘What’s going on? At first, it seemed the arrows targeted me, but then one changed direction mid-flight? And Sang Baek definitely blocked an arrow, yet another still hit him? Rapid-fire? But the intervals are too short…’

The unnatural movement of the arrows threw Mak Bi into confusion and fear.

‘Should I avoid confrontation and run? No, the trajectory’s unpredictable now.’

Sang Baek’s death paralyzed Mak Bi’s judgment beyond mere caution.

“It’s not just one! Guard all directions!”

Mak Bi’s shout caused the warriors to scatter, scrambling for hiding spots.

But with no proper cover inside the manor, they instead clustered toward the center, fiercely jostling for position.

Seizing this moment, Gangchan moved to his pre-prepared third position.

He lightly landed on the roof of a house about eighty jang to the left of the Baekryonghoe manor, like a feather.

Calmly, Gangchan nocked his last arrow.

The target was Mak Bi, who was hiding behind a pillar, watching the situation through a gap.

Mak Bi had yet to realize Gangchan’s presence on his right side.

Gangchan’s eyes locked onto Mak Bi’s right profile.

At that instant, the final arrow was released.

Tuuuuung— Pshuuuuuung!

Sensing the faint sound of the arrow, the seasoned Mak Bi reacted immediately.

He raised his sword in the direction of the incoming arrow and swung it with tremendous speed.

As the sword sliced through the air, scattering light, a powerful inner energy cloaked the blade, forming a Geommang.

Crack… Bang!

The Yin Yang Arrow was completely blocked by the sword’s barrier.

However, unable to dispel the full force of the arrow’s power, Mak Bi stumbled back two steps.

His arm trembled, and his senses dulled, but he stayed alert to the right side from which the arrow had come, ready for the next attack.

Sweat beaded on his forehead.

‘Hoh! A true master. To block a Yin Yang Arrow…’

From his perch on the branch, Gangchan calmly watched Mak Bi.

Although the Yin Yang Arrows could suppress him enough, Mak Bi was a tenacious opponent.

A few more arrows might finish him off, but that risked giving Mak Bi a chance to escape.

As Gangchan pondered, certainty flashed in his eyes.

‘I must end this here.’

Resolute, Gangchan raised his bow again.

His hand pulling back the string showed no hesitation.

But there was no arrow.

It was the Gwihoonsi of Sayecheonryeong.

Gangchan was preparing an invisible arrow.

Currently, Gangchan’s Sayecheonryeong had reached nine stars, allowing him to use the Gwihoonsi, an invisible arrow controlled by Qi.

However, this technique consumes enormous energy, risking a temporary Qi void after firing just one shot.

So this one shot had to decide the outcome.

Gangchan inhaled deeply and activated Jieugiseong.

The surrounding energy rapidly flowed into his body, boosting Jieugiseong to the limit that Euigiseong could endure.

He concentrated all his energy into the Gwihoonsi.

Tuuuuung—— Rrrrrrumble!

As the bow vibrated and the Gwihoonsi was released, a strange sound erupted from the sky.

The invisible arrow darted like a dagger toward Mak Bi.

Mak Bi felt the immense power approaching him.

No matter how wide he opened his eyes or focused on the energy’s direction, nothing was visible.

Only the overwhelming force rushing at him filled him with terror.

Bang!

In an instant, Mak Bi’s body was slammed as if struck by a massive iron club, bouncing into the air.

He flew three jang before crashing into the ground.

Kuunghh!

The shockwave reverberated through the center of the manor.

A two-chi-wide hole had been pierced through the center of his chest.

His eyes were wide open, lifeless.

Instant death.

Gangchan, who had fired the Gwihoonsi, also breathed heavily with a pale face.

The incredible power had demanded a tremendous amount of Jieugiseong energy in an instant.

He felt weary from the Qi void caused by the aftermath.

Collapsing onto the roof, he lay flat on his back, staring up at the night sky.

The Eight Immortals’ Secret Record, which he had studied to avenge himself, contained an unspoken premonition that someday he would have to kill.

‘I told myself countless times it was necessary for revenge…’

But after actually killing someone, an indescribable feeling crushed him, unlike the fear he felt when killing prey for the first time.

Was it physical pain, or pain of the heart?

‘If I continue avenging, I’ll kill many more. But… each time, I feel this same aching.’

From afar, a loud noise began to rise from the Baekryonghoe manor.

It seemed the Cheonrangpa had arrived.

Hearing the sound, Gangchan wasn’t sure whether what he did was right or if he had only birthed another tragedy.

‘I just don’t know…’

Suppressing his swirling thoughts, he lay there staring at the night sky for a long time.

***

Heavenly Wolf Kang Bulhae of Cheonrangpa arrived at the Baekryonghoe manor just as Gangchan’s Gwihoonsi struck down Mak Bi.

Witnessing Mak Bi being flung into the air and collapsing to the ground, Kang Bulhae found it hard to believe what he was seeing was real.

Mak Bi had an enormous hole pierced through his chest, instantly dead.

The Baekryonghoe warriors gathered in the courtyard trembled in fear.

Kang Bulhae stood stunned, shocked beyond words.

“What now, Cheonrang?”

A subordinate’s question beside him pulled him out of his daze.

“Ah… Capture all of them and gather them in one place. The rest will follow me to search the inside.”

Cheonrangpa immediately began searching the manor, collecting documents and valuables.

Once everything was secured, Kang Bulhae left some men behind to guard the captured Baekryonghoe warriors and headed to Cheonrangpa’s headquarters with the others.

****

After Cheonrangpa departed, news of the Baekryonghoe’s downfall quickly spread throughout Hangju.

The rising sun the next day seemed no different from usual, but for Hangju, this was a day unlike any before.

The Baekryonghoe, who had ignited war to control the Night of Hangzhou, had vanished.

Countless rumors swirled through Hangju, confusing even those involved about what the truth was.

But one consistent story was that the Baekryonghoe’s leader and Manhwa Mugwanju Sang Baek were killed by arrows, and Mak Bi had died from a cannon blast.

Regardless of the rumors, Gangchan returned to Baekcheon Inn early that dawn and fell into a deep sleep, skipping breakfast.

He heard pacing outside his door for some time but ignored it until he could no longer hold back.

He sat up on his bed, spoke toward the door.

“You may come in.”

The door opened as if waiting for the invitation, and Sobaekcheon stepped inside.

“You’re awake? Last night, Hangju was in chaos.”

“You were pacing outside all this time. What chaos are you talking about?”

“The Baekryonghoe! They fell apart overnight!”

“Is that so? Then that’s good.”

Sobaekcheon tilted his head at Gangchan’s indifferent reply.

“What do you mean, ‘good’?”

“Well, it might be good for people like your family. For example, if the Baekryonghoe collected protection fees, now you don’t have to pay anymore. Or if you lent money to the inn, you don’t have to repay it.”

“Ah!”

Sobaekcheon’s face brightened with understanding, and he immediately dashed downstairs.

“Mom! We don’t have to sell the inn!”

The joyful voices of mother and son came from below.

Gangchan smiled faintly, thinking it was a fortunate turn of events.

Shortly after, Sobaekcheon burst back into the room.

“Brother! Cheonhyangru is looking for you. That girl came by and said so.”

“Girl?”

“The one who came here before.”

Gangchan nodded, straightening his clothes.

He had an idea who the girl was.

“Got it. Thanks.”

After tidying himself, Gangchan headed slowly toward Cheonhyangru.

Hangju’s streets were rapidly calming, as if no war had occurred.

Yet here and there, groups gathered discussing yesterday’s rumors, each loudly insisting their version was correct.

Listening to them briefly, Gangchan recalled the events of the day before.

Mixed with the memory of killing, it was far from pleasant.

Lost in thought, he soon arrived in front of Cheonhyangru.

Just as he reached out to knock, the door opened on its own.

A woman who looked to be in her thirties greeted him.

“My name is Chohyang. Please, come in.”

She gave no indication of hostility nor suspicion but guided him around the building toward the back.