Chapter 6: My Heart Softened
Even in the barren land of Xinjiang, merchants still moved about, and following them, wealth and money flowed as well. Naturally, bandits who set their sights on such things were bound to appear.
However, even bandits had rules. In the lands of Xinjiang, Qinghai, and the Demonic Path, carriages or wagons bearing the mark of the Bright Cult were never to be touched.
After all, banditry was done to stay alive, and no fool would rush headlong into a situation where death was obvious.
Yet these bandits seemed to think a little differently. They had stepped forward with the intention of robbing a carriage clearly marked with the symbol of the Bright Cult.
As a result, while Cold Blade Blood and Flashing Light Blood stared in disbelief—having never once considered that they might be threatened by bandits in Xinjiang—Yul Han stepped forward, though none of them had noticed when he had risen.
“Are you saying you will take another person’s life just to obtain wealth?”
Just from the Vice Cult Leader’s voice, no longer gentle but raised like blades of frost, Cold Blade Blood and Flashing Light Blood realized that he was enraged, and their expressions stiffened.
They knew well that when the Vice Cult Leader was angered, blood flowed like rivers.
Unfortunately, the thieves—who looked as though their courage had swollen beyond their bodies—seemed not to know that.
“Ha, you son of a bitch. Staring like that, scary as hell. I almost got so scared just now that the hairs all stood up here.”
Joking around, the leader raised his arm, showing his comrades the goosebumps standing all over it. As his men burst into raucous laughter, he turned his gaze back to Yul Han and shouted angrily.
“Enough with the bullshit, just hand over the money! If you puff your chest out just because you’re some Bright Cult trash, you’ll die without even knowing how it happened, so don’t try anything funny.”
Judging from the bandit leader’s words, they hadn’t attacked out of ignorance. They had known these were Bright Cult people and still made their move, which meant they had confidence in themselves.
Now that I looked again, the bandits lined up haphazardly behind the leader, laughing, all bore the look of those who had trained in martial arts.
They were likely a band of warriors who had been expelled or excommunicated from their sects after committing various misdeeds and had gathered together as bandits.
As he looked at them, Cold Blade Blood spoke with an expression as though something had come to mind.
“So it’s you lot, huh. I heard there were bastards lately who ambushed and killed cult members traveling or trading, stealing their wealth.”
At Cold Blade Blood’s words, grumbling arose among the bandits.
“That’s why I said we should just kill them all. It’s because the leader let that woman escape last time that rumors spread.”
“Exactly. We should’ve killed that woman back then, along with the brat she had with her. He said she was amazing in bed and spared her to keep her around again…… I knew this mess would happen.”
“So this time, let’s just kill them all. It’s not like there aren’t other women to play with, right?”
“That’s right. Why bother searching them? Let’s just kill every last one and take it.”
Every word that burst out from here and there was enough to make heaven and earth furious. Yul Han’s eyes, as he looked upon them, turned icy.
Perhaps unaware that they were standing atop a blade, urged on by his subordinates, the bandit leader finally uttered the words he never should have spoken.
“Fine. Kill them all!”
The instant the bandit leader spoke, the bandits charged forward with a roaring cry.
In that moment, a streak of light pierced into the rushing bandits.
Slice.
Along with a chilling sound, red energy burst outward, reflecting the brilliant morning sunlight and blooming rainbows in the air.
Rainbows of blood.
Not just one, but in an instant they blossomed brilliantly in all directions. Each time a blood rainbow bloomed among the bandits, the eyes of Cold Blade Blood and Flashing Light Blood grew wider.
They had heard of instant kill, one strike one death. Against low-level foes, it was something even they could achieve.
But the scene the Vice Cult Leader now created as he moved was something they had never heard of, nor could they ever hope to imitate.
Each time the Vice Cult Leader’s sword moved, the necks of three or four bandits flew off at once.
Bandits right in front of him, cowering in fear, remained untouched, while others several zhang away, who had turned their backs to flee, spewed blood and collapsed.
Sometimes, with a single sword thrust casually extended by the Vice Cult Leader, five or six bandits who charged in without fear simultaneously vomited blood and fell.
All of it was a spectacle created by Force Energy surging crimson from the Vice Cult Leader’s sword—sometimes lashed like a whip, sometimes flying like arrows.
On the mountain path, which turned into chaos in an instant, blood flowed like streams, and the corpses of dead bandits piled up everywhere.
In Yul Han’s sword as he executed the bandits, there was not the slightest hesitation, nor any trace of mercy.
Among those who resisted, there were even unlucky ones who received Yul Han’s blade head-on and had their bodies split lengthwise.
It was like using a blade meant for slaughtering oxen—or rather, tigers—to kill chickens.
After butchering dozens of bandits in the blink of an eye, Yul Han finally severed the head of the bandit leader who had been fleeing in terror, then muttered,
“Those who would take another’s life for their own gain must be prepared to lose their own. There is nothing to resent, nothing to feel wronged about.”
At Yul Han’s quiet yet resolute voice, Cold Blade Blood and Flashing Light Blood, who had witnessed everything, felt a chill run through their bones for no reason.
Somehow, they felt that even they themselves, if they were to take another’s life for profit, might find the Vice Cult Leader’s sword flying toward them.
Turning to the two, who were thoroughly shaken by that thought, Yul Han spoke.
“Let’s go. The filthy stench is assaulting my nose.”
As he said that and walked back toward the carriage, the Vice Cult Leader’s eyes did not belong to someone who had just hacked dozens of people to death.
Endlessly calm and tranquil…….
Startled once more by that gaze, Cold Blade Blood and Flashing Light Blood hurriedly moved.
They felt that if they dawdled, the Vice Cult Leader’s sword might come flying simply for not listening.
Thus, the carriage hurriedly set off once more on the return journey, continuing along the still sparsely traveled mountain path.
Yet, whether it was an unlucky day, or whether all the bandits of Xinjiang had gone completely mad, bandits once again appeared to block the carriage’s path.
“Halt!”
As they poured out en masse and blocked the road, Flashing Light Blood hastily stopped the carriage.
In that instant, Cold Blade Blood, who had been sitting beside him, kicked off the driver’s seat and leapt into the air.
This time, I had intended to deal with it quickly within my own limits and move on, without the Vice Cult Leader needing to step in.
But then…….
“Stop.”
At Yul Han’s voice, which sounded as though he had exited the carriage at some point, Cold Blade Blood, who had been flying forward, hurriedly changed direction and landed.
“Vice Cult Leader. This time, I will take care of it swiftly. Please rest comfortably in the carriage…….”
“There is no need. Can you not feel it?”
“Yes?”
Cold Blade Blood stared blankly, not understanding what he meant. Flashing Light Blood, who had been sitting on the driver’s seat, quickly spoke up.
“Killing intent. There’s no killing intent.”
Only then did Cold Blade Blood properly look over the bandits and realize that, indeed, no killing intent could be felt from them.
But.
“However, those who try to take another’s life for their own gain are…….”
“There is no killing intent.”
At Yul Han’s calm voice cutting into his words, Cold Blade Blood grew flustered and began to stammer.
“B, but s, still, bandits are…….”
“Look at their appearance. Do they look like bandits, or common folk on the verge of starving to death?”
At Yul Han’s words, they looked again. Every one of them had hollow eyes and sunken cheeks, while their bellies alone bulged outward.
When people are driven by hunger to eat things they should not, their stomachs swell like that. In short, they were on the brink of starvation.
Moreover, their composition was absurd. Not only men, but quite a few women were mixed in as well, standing there holding withered branches like clubs.
And the one who had stepped forward as the leader was a monk, his head freshly shaved, wearing monk’s robes, with a long string of prayer beads hanging around his neck.
Now that I thought about it, there were quite a few monks in robes scattered here and there.
Realizing this belatedly, Cold Blade Blood muttered with a dumbfounded expression.
“What is this? A monk bandit group?”
At his incredulous question, the monk who appeared to be the leader of the bandits stepped forward.
“W, we’re from Haran Monastery—no, n, no, mountain bandits from Hadong Stronghold. If you hand over everything you have…… no, if you just share a little…… we’ll let you go.”
The wooden club clenched tightly in his hands trembled like an aspen leaf, making it clear he had never done anything like this before.
Moreover, he seemed to have been frightened by the movement Cold Blade Blood had shown earlier.
Even so, the reason he could not back down seemed to be the desperation of knowing that it was death either way.
Yul Han stepped closer to those mountain bandits.
“The only thing we have is a small amount of dried rations.”
“Th, then if you could just share a little of that…….”
At this point, it was hard to tell whether they had come to rob or to beg.
At the sight of these bandits(?), Yul Han smiled bitterly and gestured with his eyes.
Flashing Light Blood, who had been sitting on the driver’s seat, came down carrying the pouch of dried rations they had.
He had intended to take out about half of it to give away, but Yul Han’s hand took hold of the ration pouch itself.
With no choice, Flashing Light Blood let go and stepped back. Yul Han then handed the entire ration pouch over to the leader monk.
Receiving it and opening it, the monk beamed brightly, pressed his palms together, and bowed his head.
“Amitabha. You will surely attain enlightenment, benefactor.”
Overjoyed, he had unconsciously joined his palms and offered a blessing out of habit, then seemed to realize himself and grew flustered. Yul Han asked him,
“Judging by the presence, it seems there are more people hidden behind you. Tell them to come out.”
After saying that, Yul Han turned to Cold Blade Blood.
“Find a place nearby where there is water and set up there, then light a fire. The rations are few, and they are too hard, so if they eat them as is, they’re likely to get sick. Let’s hang a pot and put the rations in to make porridge. The quantity will increase, and it will be suitable for starving people to eat.”
“Ah…… yes…….”
As Cold Blade Blood bowed his head at the Vice Cult Leader’s order, his gaze was complicated. It had not even been half a shichen since he had slaughtered dozens of people in an instant, calling them bandits.
Yet now, he was treating bandits so gently that Cold Blade Blood could not make sense of it.
In contrast, Flashing Light Blood, who had been watching the entire situation, had eyes that sparkled brightly.
It was because he was moved to see once again the sight he had witnessed fifteen years ago, when the Vice Cult Leader led the Blood Sword Unit and roamed freely across the martial world.
Of course, he was far gentler now than back then…….
Finding a small stream nearby, Cold Blade Blood led everyone there.
As ordered by the Vice Cult Leader, they lit a campfire, hung the pot they had brought, poured in all the dried rations from the pouch they had received back, added plenty of water, and boiled porridge.
Dozens of bandits and their families stared at the pot of porridge, swallowing their saliva.
Among them were women holding newborn babies, and many who hugged three- or four-year-old children whining for food, soothing them to wait just a little longer.
At last, the thin porridge that had been fully cooked began to be handed out to those who had been waiting.
Because they had added as much water as possible and boiled it thoroughly, there was no trace of the dried rations to be seen.
Moreover, with so many people, the portion given to each was no more than what could be eaten in three or four spoonfuls.
Even so, the people were happy, and deeply grateful.
Though it was not something he had chosen to do of his own accord, everyone was exceedingly thankful to Cold Blade Blood for handing out even that small amount, and not a few shed tears.
Watching parents who quickly finished their own small portions give them up to their children who began to whine again after eating, Cold Blade Blood recalled the words the Vice Cult Leader had spoken earlier.
Look at their appearance. Do they look like bandits, or common folk on the verge of starving to death?
Only then did he begin to understand the meaning of those words. After all, to Cold Blade Blood, a martial artist of the Bright Cult through and through, starving commoners and vicious bandits alike were all others.
Whether others went hungry or died had nothing to do with him; it was their own affair.
Years of drought and poor harvests had continued. Wherever one went, the world was filled with the starving and those dying of hunger. There was nothing to feel sorry or pitiful about.
But those he had watched within his own domain…….
‘Damn it, this soft, mushy feeling. I don’t like it.’
Despite the quiet grumbling in his mind, a faint smile clung to the corners of Cold Blade Blood’s eyes.
It was something utterly unlike the known image of Cold Blade Blood, the gambler who lived bearing the nickname of Judge of Death.