Martial Wild West

Jang Geon got off Jojo’s back and laid down at the edge of the cliff. Below, he could see Juyeo-lang backed against the cliff and a man standing in front of her. They seemed to be arguing about something, so Jang Geon quickly focused his energy to enhance his hearing.

“So, you’re fixin’ to be uncooperative?”

“Now, why in tarnation would I be held accountable for that?”

The man, who was as tall as a tree, was standing straight, looking down at Juyeo-lang.

“The scion of the clan done hung himself without a proper will, all ’cause of one gal. Even though he’s barely breathin’ now, ain’t regained consciousness. So, it’s only natural for the clan’s old-timers to wanna know what the heck went down.”

“Why in blazes should I be takin’ the blame for that young whippersnapper hangin’ himself?”

Despite Juyeo-lang’s outcry, the man slowly shook his head.

“We got word from Seom Ji-young, a soldier. She claims you and the boy were right cozy. Even if her words ain’t gospel truth, it’s clear you’re somehow mixed up in this affair. And if you’re as pure as the driven snow, all you gotta do is mosey on over to our clan and prove it.”

“Are you plum loco? You reckon I’m gonna waltz into your clan after bein’ tied to a suicide attempt? I ain’t so sure I’d make it outta there in one piece!”

The man took a step closer to Juyeo-lang.

“If you’re as innocent as a newborn calf, it shouldn’t ruffle your feathers none.”

Juyeo-lang gritted her teeth, lowered her stance, and gripped the handle of the sword on her back.

“So, the fine fella uttering this is the same one who turned my horse into a ghost?”

The man loosened his stance and replied,

“That wouldn’t have come to pass had you not made a run for it.”

The moment the man loosened his stance, a handle of a sword that had been hidden at his right shoulder appeared. Surprisingly, it had been hanging there the whole time, but it was impossible to notice until he revealed it.

From his vantage point, Jang Geon could tell that the man was a real master, a direct descendant of an ancient martial arts lineage. An ancient lineage that not only produced numerous masters for the Imperial Palace but also left their mark in the martial arts of the Imperial Army.

Even though the families who came to the new continent were people who had been expelled from the Central Plains, it was no small feat for wandering rangers in the wilderness to surpass their martial arts. Juyeo-lang’s martial arts displayed at the tavern were good, but it was hard to think that she could win a fight against that man.

Watching their standoff, Jang Geon rolled his body and looked up at the sky. The white fluffy clouds in the blue sky were basking in the sunlight, looking warmly lit.

“Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat! It’s downright serene when folks are starin’ down death’s barrel. I shoulda come back as a cloud, not a human.”

As he was saying such nonsense, Jojo came next to him. The creature stared blankly at Jang Geon and down the cliff, then poked his head as if asking if he was going to continue doing that. Jang Geon pushed his head away as if annoyed.

“Gotcha, ol’ four-legged friend.”

Jang Geon stood up, dusted off his clothes, looked up at the sky once more, and sighed lightly. Then, he jumped down the cliff.

He landed smoothly between Juyeo-lang and the man who were glaring at each other as if about to explode any second. Despite the high drop, the landing sound was surprisingly light.

Thanks to that, Juyeo-lang and the man, taken aback by his sudden appearance, could only stare wide-eyed at Jang Geon who was crouching down. The man only opened his mouth after seeing Jang Geon slowly getting up.

“···Who might ya be?”

“Jang Geon.”

The man took a moment to process the word “Jang Geon” before realizing it was the name of the person who had just dropped in front of him. He hadn’t expected an answer to his question about identity to be so straightforward, and he closed his mouth in surprise.

“You’re the gent from the tavern last evenin’, ain’t ya?”

Juyeo-lang recognized Jang Geon. He had been one of the last guests remaining in the tavern, which had made him memorable. At her words, the man furrowed his brow and alternated his gaze between Jang Geon and the cliff from which he had descended.

“···Yup, Jang Geon it is. Quite a leap from up yonder. But what made ya pick the spot betwixt me and this here lady?”

“‘Cause the ground’s level here.”

Upon inspection, the man found this statement to be true. However, he furrowed his brow even deeper and said,

“Now ain’t the time for japes. Right now, you’re meddlin’ in Jega family matters. If you don’t sidestep, I’ll have to shove you aside, and that won’t be a featherlight touch.”

Jang Geon, straightening his crooked hat, responded,

“Matters, you say. What sorta matters?”

“Why’s that concern you?”

At the man’s counter-question, Jang Geon shrugged.

“Tell me, and I might just mosey outta your path.”

The man gave Jang Geon a piercing stare. But under his hat, Jang Geon’s eyes were calm as a serene lake.

“···We’re transportin’ a varmint.”

At the word “varmint,” Juyeo-lang burst out.

“You ornery cuss! A varmint? You swore I only had to stand tall! And now you’re stampin’ me as a varmint ‘fore I even get a fair shake at skedaddlin’!”

“If you’re as pure as a lily, then all you gotta do is prove it to the clan’s bigwigs.”

At the man’s response, Juyeo-lang spat on the ground.

“After they’ve plucked out each one of my nails? Don’t be spoutin’ hogwash.”

Despite Juyeo-lang’s profanity, the man turned to Jang Geon and said,

“Now step aside. If you meddle, remember your moniker could end up etched on the Jega family’s death register.”

But Jang Geon didn’t move. He merely extended his right foot one step forward and continued to calmly stare at the man. After a moment of staring back, the man let out a quiet laugh.

“A hero jumpin’ in to shield the feeble from tyranny on a distant forest trail… Ain’t reckon I’d come across a knight in shinin’ armor in this neck of the woods. How foolish.”

With that, the man took a stance similar to Jang Geon’s. He stepped back with his right foot, brought his left foot forward, withdrew his hand from his right shoulder, and became as calm and quiet as Jang Geon.

Juyeo-lang, watching their sudden standoff, looked at Jang Geon with bewildered eyes. She wanted to intervene, but the intense atmosphere surrounding the two warriors in their face-off wouldn’t allow for any interference.

The man facing Jang Geon leisurely reached for the hilt of his sword hanging on his shoulder. At some point, he felt a sudden expansion of sensation due to the circulation of internal energy. In the storm of explosive energy and heightened senses, only the figure of his opponent, Jang Geon, remained. And his sharpened senses and intuition painted a very brief picture of the future.

Two drawn blades. Two rays of light aimed at each other’s throats. And at some point, the opponent’s blade splitting into a blurry afterimage, coming down like scissors. One could be blocked, but the other could not.

“Huh!”

The man inhaled sharply and took a step back. A drop of cold sweat trickled down his face. He blinked, distinguishing the scene he had just envisioned from the reality before him. Jang Geon remained as calm as ever.

Rather, seeing the man retreating, he even asked dumbfoundedly,

“What in tarnation are you doin’?”

Unknowingly, the man licked his lips.

“···You’re slick as a whistle. Which clan’s badge do you wear?”

At his offbeat question, Jang Geon furrowed his brows.

“Reckon I’m wearin’ the Jang clan’s emblem. Didn’t you hear me introduce myself a spell back?”

“The Jang clan? If you ain’t a part of the Big Three, might you be hailin’ from the Emperor’s army? Nah, can’t be. You’re a might too rugged for an Emperor’s man.”

The man said so, slowly retreating.

“Yup, Jang Geon. Steppin’ up without gumption shows a lack of sense, but if you got the confidence to back it up, you might just be earnin’ your spurs as a true hero. Name’s Je Un-seong. I’m fixin’ to pull back for today. But don’t go thinkin’ the Jega clan’s throwin’ in the towel. Let’s see if you can wrangle the full might of the Jega family.”

The man who identified himself as Je Un-seong retreated step by step until he disappeared into the trees of the forest. As he vanished, Jang Geon let out a light sigh and muttered,

“···Them ancient fightin’ moves from them Big Three Families sure are a sight to behold.”

Jang Geon could guess what scene Je Un-seong had seen to make him flee so quickly. While Je Un-seong’s consciousness didn’t sense the threat, his martial arts honed over decades and the unconscious sharpened by it had gathered scattered information and seen a step ahead.

In the martial world where one-on-one confrontations with drawn swords usually resulted in death, such a crisis detection ability and the virtue of being able to retreat without pride were the factors that made the ancient Three Families stand out from other martial artists.

And Jang Geon felt that his skill level had increased by a notch after defeating the Bandit brothers. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to make an ancient martial artist from the Three Families retreat in a sword fight.

However, he was disappointed that he missed an opportunity to witness the martial arts of the Three Families. Yet, he didn’t want to hold onto the fleeing man and force him to fight. As he turned his body with these thoughts, Ju Yeo-lang was looking at him with strange eyes.

She blurted out,

“You oughta have put him outta his misery.”

“···Say what now?”

“To stall for even a bit, you shoulda given him the cold shoulder for good. He’s fixin’ to unleash his clan’s might to bag both you and me.”

Jang Geon chuckled.

“So, I should’ve just gone and ended him? Would that have stopped him from tailin’ us?”

“I done told you. You shoulda bought yourself some time. At least a day, let the Jega clan sort out the mess.”

At her fierce words, Jang Geon shook his head gently. It seemed very martial artist-like for her to suddenly suggest killing someone who wasn’t even a thief. He took his eyes off her and whistled towards the cliff. He could see Jojo coming around the cliff and coming down.

Ju Yeo-lang stared at Jang Geon’s actions and then asked, placing her hands on her hips,

“Hey there, why’d you lend a hand?”

“Ain’t you about to get snatched?”

“···Yeah, if you hadn’t jumped in, I might’ve had a date with a sword and a one-way trip.”

“Then there’s somethin’ you oughta say first.”

At Jang Geon’s words, not even looking at her, she was momentarily speechless. After a brief hesitation, she smoothed her clothes and slowly bowed, making a salutation.

“Ju Yeo-lang from Gamsan Keep, much obliged for your help. Thanks to you, I managed to dodge a close shave with them wrongdoers. Whenever the time comes, I aim to square up that debt right quick. Much obliged.”

Staring at her, Jang Geon scratched the tip of his nose and asked,

“Gamsan Fortress, that your stompin’ ground?”

Ju Yeo-lang straightened up her waist and smiled faintly.

“Why’s that matter? You reckon I’m a lackey for the Emperor? While Gamsan might’ve been sittin’ purtier than other spots in the New Continent thanks to the Emperor, don’t mean everyone there’s singin’ his praises. If I was fat ‘n sassy back yonder, I wouldn’t be standin’ here beggin’ for mercy.”

“Got a point there.”

Jang Geon, who roughly agreed, grabbed the reins of Jojo, who was approaching fast. As he was about to mount, Ju Yeo-lang spoke in surprise.

“Hold on, you’re just aimin’ to ride off into the sunset like that?”

“Why not? Je Un-seong done skedaddled, so it’d be smarter for you to high-tail it too.”

Ju Yeo-lang approached Jang Geon a little and hastily spoke.

“You hear what he just said, don’t ya? He’s fixin’ to trail both you and me?”

“Well, if we split, he’s more likely to be sniffin’ your trail than mine.”

“···True enough. But then, why’d you extend a hand in the first place?”

“You think I’d stand by and watch someone get snatched right in front of my eyes?”

At Jang Geon’s response, Ju Yeo-lang puckered her mouth as if she didn’t know what to say. It was as if she hadn’t met someone who spoke like that in a long time.

Unbothered, Jang Geon climbed on Jojo. And he was about to leave by pulling the reins.

“Hold your horses! Can you lend a hand a mite longer?”

Jang Geon turned his head and looked down at Ju Yeo-lang, asking,

“···You askin’ me to go toe-to-toe with one of them ancient Three Families right here and now?”

“Nah, not that big of an ask. I got folks who’d pitch in. Kin from Gamsan who’d come to my aid if they got wind of my pickle. Even the Jega clan wouldn’t rattle their spurs that easy. With their help, I reckon I can wrangle this mess.”

She let out a deep sigh and continued.

“Truth be told, this whole shebang’s plum absurd. All I done was toot my flute for some coin, but that Jega highfalutin wouldn’t take no for an answer. Threw a tantrum ‘n strangled himself. Dang it all, makes a lick of sense for him to be houndin’ me over that?”

Jang Geon looked at her ranting, then asked,

“Who’s this witness y’all jawin’ ’bout?”

“Witness? Seom Ji-young? Ugh. She’s a heap more absurd. She was the betrothed of that Jega bigwig, but when he set eyes on me, she flat out told me to skedaddle. I was warblin’ tunes over in Shin Sa Cheon, but now I’m neck-deep in this mess thanks to her. Reckon she painted me as the villain with all kinda schemes. Elsewise, I wouldn’t be in this stew. Blast ’em!”

She was so angry that she even swung her fists in the air. If they were in front of her, she would have mashed their faces right then and there. The strange thing was that maybe because she was a beauty, even that didn’t look ridiculous.

She, who was swinging her fists, coughed awkwardly in response to the blank stares of Jang Geon and Jojo.

“Anyways, just ride along with me till I can rope in them folks. You aimin’ to back me up with just fancy words?”

Jang Geon leaned against the saddle head and looked down at her.

“Word of mouth’s all?”

Ju Yeo-lang answered with a grin at that question.

“Of course, I’ll rustle up a bit of gold… You’re Jang Geon, ain’t ya? Seems like you’re right handy with them fisticuffs. Must’ve had a rough patch if you ain’t belongin’ to no school or clan.”

“Ain’t been too rough. Why you askin’?”

Ju Yeo-lang’s eyes sparkled.

“These folks I’m rustlin’ up could teach you the Emperor’s martial tricks too, if you fancy.”