The RoFan Novel Fan Has Reincarnated Into A Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 30
Chapter 30: The True Nature
The reason Gongye was able to grab Seong-oh’s ankle, despite his hands being tied, was because a small amount of true energy had returned to his empty dantian. The cheap poison, the "Mountain Snake Poison," had not been able to completely block the internal energy that Gongye had left.
“You bastard, how did you untie your ropes?”
Ignoring Seong-oh’s shout, Gongye slowly began to rise to his feet. In an odd display of confidence, no one dared to step forward as he steadily approached Seong-oh.
“You, you....”
Seong-oh involuntarily raised his hands.
Grab!
“Hahaha! Please, enough, Seong-oh. That was a little too much.”
Gongye grinned in a fawning manner as he held Seong-oh’s hands.
“What?”
“To think you were about to harm such a young boy! Oh no, that won’t do. We must at least maintain some form of decency, right? Show mercy!”
Gongye, thinking he had made the best argument, bowed his head respectfully.
“There is a saying that mercy is the greatest virtue....”
Even if you are from the Unorthodox Faction, surely you must understand, as we are still people, yes?
As Gongye thought this, he heard a soft chuckle. The moment he glanced up, a massive fist was flying toward his face.
“Wha—?”
BAM!
“Ack!”
Stars exploded in his vision, and the world spun around him. Seong-oh had struck him with a punch and kicked his legs out from under him, sending Gongye crashing to the ground.
Seong-oh spoke, standing over him.
“Seong-oh doesn’t want to do this, you bastard.”
Laughter erupted from the Unorthodox Faction men.
“Hahaha! This bastard knows how to scare people! And what? Mercy? Who the hell says stuff like that, huh?”
Gongye realized he had made a huge mistake. He sprang to his feet, his face contorted in a feigned anger.
“Ah, so now you’re really going to act like this?”
He shouted, but there was no way out. As he carefully assessed the situation, a group of people suddenly rushed toward him. It was the people from the Baekha Escort Agency, including Tang Soso, who had just been tied up.
“Wha—no! How...?”
Gongye was stunned as he realized something. Tang Soso had never actually taken the Mountain Snake Poison.
Right. Tang Benefactor must have internal energy, being a martial artist herself. She must’ve released everyone herself!
With a resolute expression, Tang Soso shouted to the Unorthodox Faction.
“I won’t stand by any longer! Stop tormenting innocent people!”
“That’s right! Leave the Baekha Escort Agency now!”
Baek Cho-un, who had been struck by Seong-oh and was looking pale, also shouted with courage. But the Unorthodox Faction didn’t look worried at all. The people from the Baekha Escort Agency were hardly true martial artists.
Seong-oh sneered at Tang Soso.
“So, the little lady from the Sichuan Tang Clan is finally speaking up? You want to stop me, huh? Should I feed you Seven-Step Soul-Shattering Powder instead?”
Another round of laughter rang through the room. But Gongye, still serious, turned his gaze to Tang Soso. He believed there had to be a reason for her taking such a bold step.
“Tang Benefactor! If it’s not poison, could it be an amulet? Am I right?”
“Yes... Yes, that’s right. It’s an amulet....”
Tang Soso rummaged through her clothing, and the faces of the Unorthodox Faction men stiffened. The Tang Clan’s amulets were as well-known as their poisons.
Soon, a small silk pouch appeared in Tang Soso’s hand. But in her haste, she dropped it, and its contents spilled out onto the ground.
“Oh no!”
Tang Soso scrambled to pick up the scattered items. What had fallen out weren’t poison pellets—no, they were beautiful beads.
The Unorthodox Faction men, who had been tense, couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the ridiculous sight.
“Hahaha!”
“Hey! You did that on purpose, didn’t you? Trying to make us laugh so we couldn’t fight!”
Tang Soso, now bright red with embarrassment, shouted loudly.
“P-Please, stop laughing!”
At the same time, she swung her hand, sending the beads flying in every direction.
Whoosh!
What the—?
The odd sound of whizzing beads made Gongye tilt his head in confusion. At that moment, one of the Unorthodox Faction men, who had been laughing the hardest, was struck directly in the middle of his forehead by one of the beads.
CRACK!
“Ugh... ughhh...”
The man’s eyes rolled back, and he fell backward.
THUD!
The sound of a large creature crashing to the ground echoed as the bead rolled on the floor.
Clink, clink, clink.
“...What was that?”
“What was that just now?”
“Ugh...”
Tang Soso had a disbelieving expression, clearly shocked by what had just happened. Everyone was stunned. In that moment of confusion, Gongye quickly grabbed Tang Soso and ran toward the opposite side of the room, behind the Baekha Escort Agency members and away from the Unorthodox Faction men.
“W-Wait!”
Ignoring Tang Soso’s shout, Gongye lifted her onto a sturdy vanity and shouted to the Baekha people.
“Grab anything you can use as a weapon and gather around here!”
At his call, the people quickly scrambled, grabbing anything they could—chairs, tables, ropes, and even bottles of alcohol. Baek Ju-a and Baek Cho-un stood firmly by their mother’s side, ready to protect her.
Seong-oh, who had been watching the scene with an expression of disbelief, snickered.
“Is that it, you worthless trash? You think you can do something with that?”
Seong-oh drew a large, sharp sword. The other Unorthodox Faction men followed suit, grinning cruelly as they drew their own blades. The metal gleamed menacingly, reflecting light like a flash of lightning.
“Alright, these fools want to die. Let’s grant their wish.”
“Let’s do it, Seong-oh!”
“Those blind beads won’t be much of a problem if they don’t hit anyone!”
The atmosphere grew tense as the Baekha members held their breath, completely on edge.
The truth was, there was no way they could defeat martial artists from the Unorthodox Faction. Their skills alone were a vast gulf, but the difference in internal energy was far too great. Their only hope was their sheer will to survive.
Then, one of the Unorthodox men spoke up.
“Huh? What’s going on? Why can’t I feel my internal energy?”
“Wait, me too! I can’t feel my energy!”
Seong-oh’s face twisted in confusion. Seeing this, Gongye quickly turned to Tang Soso.
“Tang Benefactor... Could it be?”
“Ah... Actually, the paralytic I used earlier affects internal energy as well. It might be kicking in now...” fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
“Oooh!”
At her words, hope filled the faces of the Baekha members. If the Unorthodox Faction members had lost their internal energy, it wasn’t the worst situation possible.
Seong-oh, sensing the shift in atmosphere, sharply shouted.
“Damn it, no internal energy? It doesn’t matter! Kill # Nоvеlight # them all!”
Gongye, matching his resolve, shouted back.
“Protect Tang Benefactor while fighting! Do not scatter—stay close and fight together!”
Gongye rallied his people and turned to Tang Soso.
“Tang Benefactor, we know your mercy. But this time, you must not hesitate. We cannot afford to hold back.”
“Understood.”
With a determined expression, Tang Soso grasped the beads tightly in her hands.
“Attack!”
With Seong-oh’s command, the battle began.
Loud shouts and the clash of swords filled the air.
In the chaos, Baek Cho-un couldn’t regain his senses. Born as the heir to the Baekha Escort Agency, he had lived a pampered life.
Snap out of it! I must protect my mother!
Shaking his head left and right, Baek Ju-a spoke.
“Cho-un, look for an opportunity to escape.”
“Sister, what do you mean?”
“You can’t afford to be caught!”
“No, sister. I can’t do that.”
“Cho-un!”
Before Baek Ju-a could say anything more, enemies charged in. The Baekha Escort Agency members shouted and began fighting to protect the Baek siblings and their mother. They were determined to keep them safe at any cost.
“You bastard!”
A man who suddenly appeared swung his sword at Baek Cho-un. Startled, Baek Ju-a grabbed a long stick and blocked him. This was her assumption that the man wouldn’t kill her.
“Move, you bitch!”
As expected, the man hesitated. Taking advantage of that, Baek Cho-un struck his foot with the pointed stick.
“Ahh! You little bastard!”
Angrily, the man attempted to swing his sword again, but just then—
Whoosh!
“Ugh!”
The man collapsed to his knees after being struck between the eyes by one of Tang Soso’s beads.
It wasn’t the blind beads!
Baek Cho-un, fist clenched, surveyed the battlefield. Surprisingly, the situation wasn’t as bad as he feared. His brother, who had introduced himself as Ryeo, was fighting well.
Ryeo, unarmed, was darting between blades, using his hands, feet, shoulders, knees, and even his hips to block and strike in an oddly effective manner.
Such martial arts... I never imagined something like that existed. What sect does he come from? I thought he only liked to drink.
As he observed, more and more enemies fell. Especially the beads from Tang Soso, which knocked people unconscious on impact.
She must have quite deep internal energy. Despite what had been happening until now, Baek Cho-un was now certain that the Tang Clan was behind it all.
“Kill that bastard first! He can’t use his internal energy!”
The Unorthodox Faction surrounded Ryeo. They had realized they couldn’t defeat him unless they dealt with him directly.
In that moment of crisis, Ryeo spun his body like a whirlwind. His arms and legs struck the enemies in precise, deadly places.
“Ahh!”
Whenever someone tried to cover their vital spots, Tang Soso’s beads would fly through the air. Thwack! The sound of beads hitting their targets followed as the enemies collapsed.
Before long, only Seong-oh and two others were left standing. The Baekha Escort Agency members, now emboldened, began pressing in on them.
“Get back, you evil bastards!”
“Don’t stain Baekha Escort Agency with your filthy swords!”
Grimacing, Seong-oh barked orders at his remaining men.
“Damn it, we can’t lose! Target the woman!”
“Yaaa!”
Two Unorthodox martial artists rushed forward without hesitation. They needed to capture a hostage to buy time.
But in that moment, as they charged forward, Seong-oh rushed at Baek Ju-a.
“You bitch!”
“No!”
Baek Cho-un tried to stop him, but with a single kick, he was knocked away. Lying on the floor, Baek Cho-un cried out in pain.
“Ugh! Sister!”
At that moment, Ryeo’s form moved toward them with a speed that surpassed everything before. The swiftness was so great that his hair was nearly torn from his head.
A wig?
Ryeo’s bald head was now fully visible, and the distinct symbol on his skull was now unmistakable to everyone. Baek Cho-un’s eyes widened in realization.
“Could it be...?”
With incredible force, Ryeo surged toward Seong-oh. In an instant, he closed the distance, stretching his right fist out toward Seong-oh. Panicking, Seong-oh raised his sword, but Ryeo’s fist glowed with an intense light.
BAM!
Seong-oh’s sword couldn’t block the punch, which landed squarely in his chest.
With a terrible scream, Seong-oh’s body flew into the air. Ryeo’s powerful strike was followed by perfect posture—a stance of the Shaolin Arhat Fist.
This move was exactly as Baek Cho-un had read in countless storybooks, the hero’s iconic pose. Tears welled up in Baek Cho-un’s eyes as he looked at the hero before him.
“Cho-un! Are you alright?”
Baek Ju-a rushed toward him as Baek Cho-un sobbed.
“Ugh, sister... you came for me.”
“What?”
“The Shaolin Temple... the Shaolin Temple came to help us!”
“Cho-un...”
With that, the battle at Baekha Escort Agency was over. The silence was only broken by the faint sound of a boy’s sobs.
“Phew, I’m glad I saved just a bit of strength.”
The voice was none other than Ryeo’s. Standing tall, he picked up the wig that had fallen to the ground and walked toward Baek Cho-un, who was still crying.
As the key figure in their victory, people eagerly stepped aside to let him pass. Even Tang Soso, who had descended from the vanity, watched him approach.
Ryeo, or rather Gongye, stood in front of the weeping Baek Cho-un.
“Baek Gongja.”
“Ugh... yes?”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t reveal my true identity earlier due to certain circumstances...”
“It’s fine. Sob, the Shaolin Temple... they didn’t abandon us. Right?”
“Ah...”
As everyone watched, their hearts were filled with warmth and emotion. Some even wiped away tears with their sleeves.
Gongye slowly raised his hand. People expected him to comfort Baek Cho-un, but instead, he quietly picked up the wig and placed it back on his head.
“Huh?”
Seeing the puzzled looks, Gongye gave a weary smile.
“It’s not that. Please pretend you didn’t see that. I have to hide my identity.”
A moment of silence passed, and then he turned to Tang Soso.
“By the way, Tang Benefactor, is there any alcohol left? My throat is a bit dry.”
“....”
A loud voice soon echoed through the Baekha Escort Agency.
“Monk, please, just give me something!”
