Seo-jun followed the trail of disturbed qi, moving steadily ahead. Though Chun-bong’s constant sighing and muttering of complaints beside him was a bit distracting, it wasn’t anything new, so he didn’t pay it much mind.

‘What can I say, I’m just that skilled,’ he thought.

As they walked, an unsettling splash of red caught his eye amidst the lush green of the forest.

It was the bodies of bandits, scattered along the path like discarded refuse.

Judging by the positioning, it seemed they had been killed while trying to flee. Seo-jun stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Looks like he really lost his mind for a bit.”

Of course, it made sense. His daughter had been kidnapped by bandits. Who wouldn’t lose it in that situation?

If Chun-bong had been kidnapped, Seo-jun would have drawn his sword immediately and slaughtered them all without hesitation.

“He’s quite skilled,” Chun-bong commented, noting the precision with which the bandits had been killed.

She examined the bodies, noticing the sword marks left behind.

“Most of them were taken out in a single strike. He’s not just any nameless fighter.”

“And yet, I still beat him,” Seo-jun teased.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re amazing,” Chun-bong replied dryly.

Seo-jun chuckled and kept walking.

After some time, Seo-jun sensed something at the edge of his awareness.

“Found them,” he said.

“So, what’s the plan?” Chun-bong asked.

“What else? We charge in.”

Seo-jun plucked a leaf from an overhanging branch. His hand glowed faintly with a blue light, and in a moment, the leaf froze solid.

“Let’s see…”

In an instant, Seo-jun leapt to the top of a nearby tree. From there, he could see the bandits’ hideout in the distance.

It looked like Wang—whatever his name was—had made a mess of things. The hideout was in disarray. The bandits were yelling, herding the women they had captured into a building. Judging by their appearance, the women must have been kidnapped as well.

What stood out most was a young girl. She was crying hysterically, and a large man lifted her easily with one hand, shouting something.

“Is that the one?” Seo-jun wondered.

“She’s just a kid,” Chun-bong said, having joined him at the top of the tree.

Seo-jun frowned. “She looks about your age.”

“…Are you serious? Do I look that small?”

“Yup.”

The girl looked like she was barely of elementary school age. When Seo-jun had first met Chun-bong, she had looked about the same. Now she had grown enough to seem like a middle schooler.

“Ah, my poor cheeks…” Chun-bong muttered.

“Oh, here we go again,” Seo-jun sighed.

“No, really! It’s a serious issue!”

Seo-jun shook his head and continued observing the bandits. It looked like they intended to use the girl as a hostage. He couldn’t understand why Wang-whatever had gone on a killing spree like that. Why hadn’t he tried a stealthy approach?

“Well, for now…”

Crack! Seo-jun crushed the frozen leaf in his hand.

He had been planning to use the Merged Origin Divine Art, but it didn’t seem like the right time for that.

Instead, a massive amount of qi began gathering at the tips of his fingers.

Hoo…

As he exhaled, his breath turned white in the air.

Chun-bong grimaced as she watched.

‘He’s going to burn through his internal energy like that…’

Sometimes, even she forgot that Seo-jun had only been practicing martial arts for about a year.

Internal energy wasn’t something you could rush—it had to be accumulated over time. That was why seasoned martial artists were so feared.

To a martial artist, time spent cultivating their internal energy equaled power.

Chun-bong wisely kept her mouth shut so as not to disturb him. Seo-jun extended his hand toward the bandits’ hideout.

“Let’s show them what an airman’s marksmanship can do.”

“Airman? You were in the military?”

Before Chun-bong could fully process his words,

Thwip!

The condensed qi shot out at an unbelievable speed.

Crack!

In the blink of an eye, the bandit holding the young girl had a hole punched clean through his forehead.

His head froze as he fell, triggering chaos within the hideout.

“Let’s go!” Seo-jun shouted.

He charged in, with Chun-bong drawing her sword and following closely behind.

Rustle

Seo-jun landed beside the young girl, his voice booming.

“Ahem! Now, bandits, none of you have any reason to complain if you die here, right?”

“That guy…!” one of the bandits shouted in recognition.

It was the same bandit Seo-jun had captured earlier when he’d fled.

“Oh, hey there,” Seo-jun greeted with a grin before stomping hard on the ground.

Boom!

The earth shook, and flames shot up.

“F-fire…!” one of the bandits screamed.

“Ah, don’t worry,” Seo-jun said, pulling the girl into his arms protectively.

Yang energy spread out rapidly, engulfing the entire hideout in flames.

“It’s hot! Wait… no, it’s not hot at all?”

“It’s nothing! Just kill that bastard already!”

The bandits charged. Seo-jun quickly scanned the area, confirming the building where the women were being held. He nodded in satisfaction.

Yin-Yang Reversal!

Placing his hand on the ground, Seo-jun reversed the yang energy into yin energy.

Crrrrrrk…!!!

A deep silence fell over the hideout as the flames disappeared. Seo-jun smiled in approval.

“Not bad.”

As he gently patted the girl on the back to calm her, Chun-bong approached.

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

Seo-jun carefully lifted the girl from his chest to examine her face. She had a few bruises, probably from the bandits hitting her, but nothing life-threatening.

“Hnnng…!”

But as soon as their eyes met, the girl began crying.

“Daddy…!”

She clung to Seo-jun, sobbing uncontrollably. Holding the child, Seo-jun made his way toward the building where the other women were held.

“Hey, are you sure your internal energy’s okay? You’re not pushing yourself too hard, right?” Chun-bong asked, tugging at his sleeve.

Seo-jun smiled, ruffling her hair.

“I’m perfectly fine. I’ll just replenish it by circulating my energy later.”

Besides, he had used his qi efficiently, so he hadn’t burned through too much.

“Really? Do you want to take a break and circulate your energy now? I’ll stand guard.”

“I’m already doing it.”

“Huh? What the hell are you talking about?”

Chun-bong blinked in confusion, then suddenly jumped up in disbelief.

“Wait a minute…! Are you serious!?”

“Yeah. Turns out I can do it.”

It was something that had seemed impossible before, but after experimenting with self-defense techniques, he had somehow figured it out. It probably had more to do with his insight into Taiji.

“That’s insane! But—!”

Chun-bong glanced at the girl he was holding and muttered under her breath.

“Everything I taught you wasn’t meant for moving qi while walking!?”

“Yeah, but if you concentrate, it’s doable.”

“No! It’s not doable!”

“But it is.”

“Aaaagh, you bastard!”

Chun-bong threw a fit, her tantrum startling the young girl, who clung even tighter to Seo-jun.

“B-brother… I’m scared of her…”

“Aww, poor thing.”

“Y-yeah…”

For some reason, Chun-bong’s gaze became a little sharper at that moment.

No way, right? It’s not like she’d be jealous of a child…?

•  

Seo-jun approached the building where the women were held. He placed his hand on the frozen door.

Crash!

The sound of ice shattering. But the sound hadn’t come from him.

“One’s still alive.”

Seo-jun turned to see a wild-looking man with a ragged beard, grinding his teeth in anger as he approached.

“You… damn bastard.”

“You’re brave. Why not just run away?”

“Run? A man doesn’t have ‘run’ as an option.”

“Hmm.”

If that’s his mindset, why did he choose to become a bandit? I’ll never understand these people.

Seo-jun sighed and prepared to step forward, but Chun-bong had already drawn her sword.

“Are you calling yourself a man? Don’t make me laugh. Shut up and fight.”

“…Now even some brat is acting cocky.”

The bearded man, who appeared to be the leader of the bandits, stomped the ground and launched himself forward. His saber was cloaked in a sickly green qi.

But Chun-bong moved as if she were simply strolling, her steps fluid and light. Her sword rose gracefully and wrapped around his incoming strike like a ribbon.

Shiiiing!

With a metallic screech, the man’s saber was flung into the air.

“What the…!”

The man’s eyes widened in disbelief. Chun-bong took another step forward, casually brushing past him.

Thud

The man’s head hit the ground.

Chun-bong wiped the platinum-colored qi from her sword, sneering.

“Pathetic.”

Had she been bottling up her frustrations? Chun-bong seemed a little harsher than usual.

"Hey, Chun-bong, be nice, okay? Don’t say such bad words."

"Shut up."

Chun-bong grumbled as she sheathed her sword.

Seo-jun patted her head, reflecting on the technique she had just used. She wielded the Blue Cloud Divine Art, handling energy close to yin, but her aura was more serene than cold.

‘It’s true… coldness is just one aspect of yin energy,’ Seo-jun mused.

Yin energy did have a cold nature, but it wasn’t strictly about ice. In the Five Elements, ice probably fell under the water category.

Even just now, when he’d spread his yang energy like fire, it wasn’t actually burning hot.

"The Five Elements, huh…" Seo-jun muttered.

The Five Elements ultimately derived from the duality of yin and yang. There was no reason he couldn’t handle them. Wouldn’t it be funny if he started using elemental magic later on?

Seo-jun snapped out of his thoughts to find Chun-bong staring at him.

"Are you done?"

"Yeah."

Chun-bong walked up to the building and opened the door.

Creak

The women inside flinched, trembling in fear.

But when they saw Chun-bong, their eyes widened, and one cautiously spoke up.

"Um… are you here to help us?"

"We’ve taken care of the bandits. It’s safe to come out now," Chun-bong reassured them.

"Oh…! Thank you, thank you so much!"

The woman collapsed in tears. Soon, the others began crying as well, their relief turning into sobs.

The first woman, still sobbing, crawled to Seo-jun’s feet, bowing her head repeatedly in gratitude. It seemed she didn’t realize Chun-bong was the one who had saved them.

"Thank you… thank you so much…"

"Uh, yeah… please, you don’t have to do that…"

"No, no, it’s fine. Thank you, thank you so much…"

Seo-jun couldn’t help but think that the bandits must’ve been horrible for the women to react like this. And looking at their clothes, it was clear they had suffered unspeakable things.

At least the little girl hadn’t been touched. But then, why had the bandits kidnapped her in the first place? Unless they were twisted pedophiles, it didn’t make sense. Then again, if they were sickos, why hadn’t they harmed her either?

Adjusting the girl in his arms, Seo-jun raised an eyebrow.

"Let’s get going."

For now, it was probably best to return the girl to Wang Daesan. They could deal with the rest of the bandits later.