"You… What the hell are you?"
The middle-aged guard couldn't hide his shock as he spoke to me.
"My identity...? Why don't you reveal yours first?"
Responding to his reaction, I moved like lightning and tore off the area below his ear.
That instantly revealed the true face he had been hiding beneath a human-skin mask.
It was none other than Chosa, the Ghost of the Demonic Palace (Pagungwi Chosa).
"A human-skin mask?!"
Even King Gyeong and the courtesans watching couldn't hide their astonishment.
But unlike them, what surprised me more was that his arm was intact.
My father-in-law, Wolak Sword (Wolakgeom) Sama Chak, had told me:
He'd once ambushed this man and cut off his arm, trying to kill him — but Chosa had escaped using remarkable Qinggong (light movement technique).
> "It's hidden by the skirt."
Sodam Sword grumbled to me.
While disguising myself as the courtesan Yeonsaeng with Chehwa Manbyeonsul (Perfect Body Transformation Technique), I hid Namcheon Iron Sword inside a lucky pouch and Sodam Sword under my skirt.
Still, could even a severed arm regenerate over time?
Otherwise, it wouldn't be in perfect shape like this.
While I was puzzled, Chosa tried to release my grip from his neck.
So I struck him in the abdomen with a firm blow.
> Thud!
"Urgh!"
The power behind the hit caused blood to spill from his mouth in pain.
Did he think I'd let him run away?
Chosa looked at me with an expression of utter disbelief.
And understandably so.
He must have assumed I was just another courtesan serving King Gyeong. But now, here I was, pushing him into a corner — leaping over walls with a dainty wrist and displaying superhuman strength.
"How… who are you, really?"
Even King Gyeong, startled by what he was witnessing, couldn't help but ask.
But first, I had to talk to Chosa — so I needed to put the king to sleep.
> Snap!
Using the Illusory Sound Technique from Jungyo Hwanyigyeong, I snapped my fingers.
And just like that, all the courtesans guarding King Gyeong collapsed into slumber.
> Thud! Thud!
Naturally, I assumed he too would fall asleep—
"What trickery is this?!"
But strangely, the king remained wide awake.
Instead, he scolded me for putting his guards to sleep.
> What? He's fine?
Something's wrong.
Even though King Gyeong had some internal energy cultivation, the perfected Hwanyigyeong technique requires an elite master's level of willpower to resist.
It was strange for someone of his low-tier skills to endure it.
He bent down, checked the pulse of the sleeping courtesans, and sighed in relief, glad they weren't dead.
"Why did you put them to sleep?"
"I intended to put Your Majesty to sleep as well."
"What?"
I was still curious why it hadn't worked on him — but right now, Chosa was the priority.
> Crunch!
"Urgh!"
The bones in Chosa's broken wrist began twisting back into place, healing rapidly.
His regenerative power was far beyond any of the Golden Emperor's typical subordinates.
Well, he had lived over 300 years — this much was expected.
"Hraaagh!"
Chosa suddenly unleashed a surge of internal power and aimed a kick at my neck.
I leaned back slightly to dodge, but then he changed direction — aiming to strike the arm I was using to choke him.
So I quickly caught his ankle with my left hand.
> Smack!
Infusing it with power, I firmly held onto his leg.
At that moment, he swiftly drew a dagger from his waist and tried to slash upward — targeting both my wrist gripping his ankle and the arm on his neck in one clean strike.
No choice then.
> Crack!
"Gkkk!"
I snapped his neck with the hand that was holding it.
His grip weakened, and the dagger fell from his hand.
> Clatter!
Normally, a broken neck would be fatal, but someone who had undergone the Golden Body Technique (Geumsangjiche) wouldn't die unless the head was completely severed.
He'd recover soon anyway.
"Eek!"
At that moment, County Magistrate No Gangyeon, who had been watching in horror, turned pale and tried to flee.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
King Gyeong roared in fury and ran after him.
He clearly wanted to catch the man who had betrayed him.
I made a pulling gesture toward the fleeing No Gangyeon, who was heading toward the exit.
"Huh?!"
He was instantly dragged back by telekinetic grip and brought forward — but not to me.
I sent him politely flying right to the king's feet.
Startled, King Gyeong glanced at me before drawing his sword and pointing it at No Gangyeon's neck.
"You dare strike this king from behind?!"
"Y-Your Majesty, please spare me!"
The county magistrate dropped flat to the ground, bowing deeply.
But that wouldn't calm the king's fury.
He lashed out at the man.
"You really think you deserve to live?"
"I-I was only following orders!"
"Orders? Who gave them? Speak now!"
> Stab!
King Gyeong jabbed the sword into No Gangyeon's back.
Panicked from the pain, he cried out:
"I don't know! I just did what that man told me! That's the truth!"
He pointed at none other than Chosa.
If Chosa gave the orders, the mastermind must be the Golden Emperor.
"Please, have mercy!"
"I trusted you…"
> Slash!
Ignoring the plea, King Gyeong sliced through his neck.
No Gangyeon died instantly — body and head separated before he could even scream.
Drenched in the man's blood, King Gyeong glared at me with wrath in his eyes.
"You should have just killed that one instead."
By "that one," he meant Chosa.
With his head lolling to the side, neck obviously broken, he looked dead to anyone.
But I replied calmly:
"He's not dead yet."
"What?"
> Crack, crack, crack!
As soon as Gyeongwang finished speaking, a cracking sound came from Chosa's neck.
The broken bones aligned themselves and began to heal.
His tilted head straightened, and Chosa's eyes suddenly shot open.
The man, now awake, looked at me in shock and said,
"What... what on earth are you? A wench like you... I've never heard of someone like you..."
"Were you sent by the True King?!"
Before Chosa could finish speaking, Gyeongwang interrupted and shouted.
That's why I tried to put him to sleep.
It seems I'll have to press a pressure point and knock him out.
But before that, I need to make him faint again...
Just then—
Bam!
A powerful recoil burst from Chosa's body, and Shinhyeong, who was grabbing his neck, was pushed back more than eight steps.
– What's going on?
"His energy suddenly surged."
It had more than doubled.
Looking at him, I saw black mist rising from his body.
I had seen this ominous aura before.
In a panic, he pulled out an arrow and shot it at me.
Fwoooosh!
The arrow tore through the air, rushing toward me at incredible speed.
It was nothing like the arrow I saw three hundred years ago.
Since he was only about ten steps away, I didn't dodge but caught the arrow head-on.
Whrrrrr!
The force carried in the arrow pushed me back nearly three steps. From its spin, smoke rose from the friction on my palm.
"Yeonsaeng!"
Gyeongwang shouted in shock at the sight of me being pushed back.
Does he still think I'm his courtesan?
But that wasn't the real problem.
His shout caught Chosa's attention.
Bam-bam-bam-bam!
The Bow Demon Chosa grabbed four arrows, shot three at me in succession, and fired the last one at Gyeongwang.
An impressive display of rapid fire.
Of course, after three hundred years, his skills wouldn't be the same.
Whoosh!
This time I saw it coming—so dodging was no problem.
But Gyeongwang could never block that on his own.
I hurled Shinhyeong toward him.
"So fast."
It was hard to keep up with the arrow's speed.
Using a sword sign, I sent a surge of energy flying right in front of Gyeongwang.
The energy split the air and barely deflected the arrow aimed at him.
But—
Swish, swish, swish!
The three arrows I thought I had dodged curved mid-air and came flying back at me.
'Tracking arrows?'
Whoosh!
The sideways arrows aimed simultaneously at my head, waist, and legs.
I stomped the ground and spun my body.
Catching two of the arrows, I deflected the last one with a foot technique.
Then, using the captured arrows, I hurled them back at him.
Swish!
Chosa easily blocked them with a wide swing of his bow.
The black mist surrounding his body became darker, and bulging black veins stood out on his face.
In that moment, I stepped in front of Gyeongwang.
"Stay out of this."
Chosa wasn't just after what was behind the stone wall.
He also intended to kill Gyeongwang.
Now, the Bow Demon Chosa nocked five arrows on his bowstring at once and said,
"To think I'd have to use this power on a nobody woman who's not even a descendant of the Sword Sage."
He said it with disdain and drew the bow.
Just pulling the string caused the air pressure to shift, drawing black mist toward the tips of the arrows.
Seeing that, Gyeongwang's voice trembled.
"C-can you stop it?"
"It's the forbidden skill [Bow of Destruction], infused with demonic energy. Not even a Sword Sage's descendant could block this!"
With a crazed scream, he let go of the string.
The black mist-infused arrows twisted like living snakes, aiming to pierce everything.
Boom! Crash, crash, crash!
The arrows flew with such force that cracks formed in the cave's floor and ceiling.
Stunned by the sheer power, Gyeongwang flinched and curled up.
I had planned to go easy, but there's no helping it now.
"Hoo..."
I let out a breath and extended my hand forward.
In that instant, the five arrows—rushing forward with the power to pierce all—suddenly froze mid-air as if hitting an invisible wall.
Whrrrrrr!
The spinning arrows warped the air, yet couldn't move forward any further.
"What... is this...?"
The Bow Demon Chosa muttered in disbelief.
He looked horrified that his full-powered secret technique had been blocked.
I looked at him and said,
"You've improved a lot since three hundred years ago."
'!!!'
His pupils shook wildly at my words.
Whether he liked it or not, I closed my hand into a fist.
Crack!
A grotesque sound echoed, and the spinning arrows snapped one by one and fell to the ground.
I walked toward him.
"Damn you!"
Panicking, he pulled out more arrows and shot them at me.
Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam!
Firing rapidly as if certain one would hit.
But—
Whoosh! Clang! Boom!
Each time I casually swiped my hand, the arrows bent off course and embedded themselves in the walls, ceiling, or floor of the cave.
Just seeing the cracks where the arrows landed showed how serious he was.
But it didn't work on me.
"My goodness..."
Gyeongwang gasped in admiration.
Meanwhile, the Bow Demon Chosa fired arrows like a madman, his face pale as ash.
Desperately trying to hit me.
But the more he did, the clearer his attack patterns became to me.
I could see it now.
Whoosh!
I twisted the path of an incoming arrow.
It curved and shot through his abdomen at terrifying speed.
Thud!
"Gah!"
His body jolted from the impact, staggering.
In a flash, I rushed toward him and summoned his weapon using air control, then swung it.
His arms—just about to counter—were sliced clean off.
"Gaaahhh!"
He screamed and fell.
As he writhed under my foot in agony, he muttered in disbelief,
"You... you're a descendant of the Sword Sage? That can't be... He wasn't a woman..."
So he's flustered that I'm in a woman's body.
Back three hundred years ago, he saw me as the Special Forces Captain of Heaven's Army.
I could correct him, but there's no need to confirm whether I'm a man or woman.
In fact, it's more fun to leave him confused.
I grinned, stuck out my tongue like Baek Hyehyang would, and teased,
"Disappointed I'm a woman?"
"Grrrrrr...!"
He growled, humiliated and furious.
Then, from behind, Gyeongwang's voice echoed in a mix of admiration and awe.
"...I think I might be falling for you, Yeonsaeng."
'!?'
What the hell is that supposed to mean?