Chapter 66

To protect (護) and to guard (衛), together they form protection (護衛).

A bodyguard is, in the literal sense, someone who helps and guards a specific target from various dangers.

Therefore, as the bodyguard of Sima Mantian, the successor of the Sima Family, Jang Sam-i was undoubtedly third-rate.

What a bodyguard should be most concerned about is the safety of the person they are guarding.

For the sake of safety, even if it goes against the wishes of the person being guarded, one must not hesitate to act.

In other words, what Jang Sam-i should have done was not to create a situation for Mantian to fight by dispersing the enemy, but to knock Mantian out and run away with him.

…But he didn’t do that.

It’s not that Jang Sam-i is incompetent. If he were incompetent, Sima Family Head wouldn’t have entrusted him with the position of guarding his precious son.

It’s just that, without realizing it, he became fond of the meddlesome young master and lost the ability to make objective judgments.

Thus, unknowingly, he ended up respecting the wishes of his friend and young master.

As a result, he chose the worst option where both he and the person he was guarding could die.

Tang Family Secret Technique – Twelve Continuous Strikes.

Twelve crescent-shaped hidden weapons swarm towards Jang Sam-i, who is jumping around on the roof, from various angles like a pack of hunting beasts.

Swish-swish-swish-!!

Facing the twelve slashes flying towards him with no margin for error, each aimed at cutting a specific part of his body, Jang Sam-i sighed inwardly.

‘Sigh… Sima Family Head, I guess I wasn’t in a position to call that guy soft.’

But regretting what has already happened is pointless.

Anyway, the water has been spilled, and the dice have been rolled.

Now, there’s no choice but to fight. In this gamble where life is the stake, there’s no choice but to win.

…There’s no choice but to struggle desperately.

The reason the martial arts of the Sichuan Tang Family are fearsome is not just their excellent hidden weapon techniques, but also the fact that you never know what kind of poison might be on the weapons.

Although he has some resistance to poison, he can’t let his guard down.

If he gets hit, it’s over. He must face them with the mindset of not getting hit even once.

‘So…’

A fierce killing intent swirls in Jang Sam-i’s eyes.

There is no longer the image of a friendly servant who played around with Mantian and got hit by a stick.

‘I’ll deflect them all.’

Stopping his escape and turning his body in a spin, he faces the swarm of hidden weapons head-on.

Thud-thud-thud-! Clang-!!

Due to the sudden change in direction, his legs scrape against the roof tiles, slowing him down.

His body trembles from the recoil, and the relentless secret techniques of the Sichuan Tang Family pour down.

But it’s okay. One move is enough.

He raises his right arm and fires a bullet loaded between his index finger and thumb.

Finger-Shooting Technique.

On the roof where broken tiles and hidden weapons dance, the sound of metal clashing echoes repeatedly.

The clear ‘clang!’ sound rings out twelve times in total.

A single iron ball, wrapped in blue energy, deflects all the hidden weapons threatening its master as it traverses the battlefield.

Although it was an attack to gauge the opponent’s strength, when the basic forms were completely countered head-on, Tang Wu’s eyes widen in surprise.

An absurd laugh bursts out.

“…Ha!”

It’s understandable because this time, Tang Wu was on the receiving end of the attack.

Orchid Hand Technique – a martial art that makes finger movements light and precise.

Breaking the basic forms, Jang Sam-i’s hand moves quickly, unleashing dozens of iron balls.

It’s literally a rain of iron balls mercilessly slaughtering the enemy.

…And it’s an obvious feint.

The real attack is a hidden shot aimed at the gap created by dodging the scattered shots.

As a fellow hidden weapon user, Tang Wu, who has grasped the opponent’s intentions, glares at Jang Sam-i through the rain of iron balls with a twisted smile.

It’s a declaration of war, acknowledging the enemy’s strength while vowing to crush them thoroughly.

Tang Wu charges forward without dodging the rain of iron balls, recalling the martial art that countered the Tang Family’s secret technique, the Twelve Continuous Strikes.

Finger-Shooting Technique… a hidden weapon technique that catches hidden weapons.

It’s a martial art that becomes increasingly tricky the more you delve into it, but it also unleashes remarkable power depending on the user’s strength and adaptability.

It was truly a good show.

‘So, in return…’

Bang-!!

Exploding the energy in his dantian, he steps forward without hesitation. He draws the three-section staff connected to the iron chain at his waist.

‘I’ll show you something good.’

Song Emperor Staff Technique.

The staff technique of the emperor who pacified the chaotic era of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, where five emperors and ten nations ran rampant, crushes everything in its path.

Clang-! Clatter-clang!!

The staffs connected by the iron chain swing freely, smashing any insignificant enemies blocking the way.

“What the…!?”

Sensing danger instinctively from the unexpected appearance of this domineering martial art, Jang Sam-i steps back to create distance-

But unfortunately, he was a step too late. To be precise, Tang Wu was faster.

Breaking through the barrage of shots, Tang Wu leaps onto the roof and closes the distance in an instant.

At the same time, he combines the three separated sections into one, transforming the three-section staff into a complete staff, and strikes down fiercely from above.

Jang Sam-i’s pupils shake violently at the merciless strike that leaves no room for escape. He instinctively calculates.

He channels energy into both arms and raises them, sacrificing them to protect his head. He blocks the downward strike.

Crash!!

The energy-infused arms and staff collide, creating a shockwave.

Clatter-clang!!

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Jang Sam-i looks up at the gaping ceiling with his swaying vision.

It seems he managed to avoid the unfortunate fate of dying with his head exploding without even a ‘ugh?!’ sound, but the roof, unable to withstand the pressure from above, has collapsed, and he is falling along with the debris.

The uniquely unpleasant floating sensation felt when falling from a high place envelops his entire body, and Jang Sam-i sighs inwardly.

‘Sigh… I didn’t really want to use this because it looks embarrassing.’

Bow Body Shadow Technique.

Just before hitting the ground, Jang Sam-i’s waist bends like a bow.

Using the elasticity, he spins his body once and lands safely on his feet.

“Fist techniques, sword techniques, staff techniques, screw them all.”

…And Tang Wu, chasing the fallen enemy, places the staff between his neck and shoulder and lightly descends with a ‘tap’.

“Throwing and staff techniques are the most outstanding martial arts that make humans the top predators. Right?”

Jang Sam-i, with his fierce eyes, looks at Tang Wu, who is slowly and leisurely closing the distance, and frowns.

He had thought this guy was dangerous from the aura and nasty look in his eyes, but he didn’t expect him to be this strong.

The hidden weapon techniques of the Sichuan Tang Family combined with an unknown domineering staff technique… he’s ridiculously strong both at range and close combat.

At least at the level of an elder from a prestigious family, or even higher.

“……”

The problem isn’t just that he has to fight this guy to the death, but that if there’s someone stronger among the attackers, the young master is in danger.

“Sigh…”

A sigh escapes him. Ever since he took on the role of guarding the young master, it feels like he’s been sighing more and more.

…But still, it wasn’t a bad time.

Yeah, it was a pretty good time, to the point where he thought it wasn’t bad to be a fool servant serving a young master.

He checks his condition. His left arm is broken, but his right arm can still move.

Is that a relief? At least his right arm is fine, so he can use ‘that’.

It’s annoying to reveal his true face by releasing his disguise, but he can’t win against this opponent while hiding his strength.

…And Jang Sam-i’s resolve and calculations were suddenly wiped clean by a man who entered the building.

“Hey… sorry to bother you while you’re busy. So, uh… you’re Iron Peng, right? You look dangerous, need some help?”

The man arrived like a natural disaster, like death itself.

‘I didn’t notice his presence until I heard his voice…?’

In an unbelievable situation, Tang Wu hurriedly turns to look at the sudden intruder.

The intruder was a man of average build with no particular distinguishing features, a vague impression.

The only noticeable feature was the dark circles around his eyes.

“Hey… the guy with the bird mask behind you, is he my acquaintance? Someone I know? Someone similar? Can you stop fighting?”

‘…Is he pretending to be naive to make the opponent let their guard down?’

Anyway, it seemed like he was a comrade of the bird mask, so Tang Wu took out a bamboo tube from his robe and threw it at the awkwardly standing intruder’s head.

Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles.

The bamboo tube bursts, releasing a cloud of poison and hundreds of poison-coated needles all at once.

…But there is no sound of a person being pierced, no sound of vomiting blood.

Hundreds of poison needles bounce off the intruder’s body without leaving a single scratch. The poison cloud that should cause vomiting has no effect.

“How… how is this possible…?”

In a situation that defies understanding, Tang Wu’s face stiffens.

“It’s because I have the Diamond Body (金剛不壞) and am Unassailable to Poison (萬毒不侵)…”

The realm where blades and swords cannot penetrate, the complete form of external martial arts, Diamond Body (金剛不壞), and a body that is immune to any poison, Unassailable to Poison (萬毒不侵)…?

At the intruder’s kind explanation, Tang Wu’s eyes fill with astonishment.

It’s understandable because, although the martial world of the Central Plains is vast, there is only one person in the current Central Plains who possesses both Diamond Body and Unassailable to Poison.

The appearance of an overwhelmingly strong individual who should not be here, completely unexpected, makes Tang Wu’s body tremble.

A madman who broke the law of inviolability of officials for a bowl of chicken porridge and killed a royal, marked as a public enemy of the martial world.

A lone assassin with no enemies, unmatched in strength.

“Wuji (無籍)… Wudi (無敵)…?!”

At the name he is called, one of the Three Enemies of the Martial World, Wuji Wudi (無籍無敵), Wuming (無名), smiles faintly.

“Out of the blue, but I like being called Wuji~ Wudi~. It sounds like an animal’s cry, so it’s cute.”