The Shin clan, like the Baek clan, was located in the Shaanxi Province.
Their clan’s martial art which was called the Swirling Wild Wind Blade Technique was considered one of the most outstanding techniques in the region. It didn’t fall short to any of the secret techniques of any major martial sect.
In fact, the current head of the Shin clan Shin Jeok was a supreme martial artist who could be ranked among the best in the martial arts world. When it came to personal skill, even the head of the Baek clan Baek Yeong Hak had to concede a bit.
However, despite possessing exceptional martial arts, their clan had yet to rise above the level of a mere manor.
There was no particular reason for this. It was simply because the head of the clan Shin Jeok was a man born for martial arts. He had no ambition beyond the pursuit of his martial way.
Baek Yeong Hak of the Baek clan described them as a weapon ready to ascend at any moment.
What a martial arts clan needed most was outstanding martial arts and skilled warriors. And the Shin clan had both of these.
He was certain that the moment they decided to expand their influence aggressively, they would eventually rise to rival even the Five Great Clans, though it might take considerable time.
“Haaat!”
With a fierce cry, the crescent blade drew a half-moon arc through the air.
Baek Woo Jin calmly stepped back. He chose to deflect the opponent’s attack rather than confront it head-on.
The crescent blade that slid down the slanted sword carried a fierce destructive force. Had he chosen to block it, the sword’s life would have ended at that moment.
She spun with the crescent blade and launched another attack. As the sharp edge of the sword sliced through the air near his chest, he predicted her move and tilted his head back.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sight of their exchange was enough to make anyone’s skin crawl. Even though she wasn’t aiming to kill, a single hit would require at least a dozen days to heal.
“Hrngh!”
He caught a glimpse of her face; her teeth were clenched in determination. So his mind started to race.
What is she trying to say?
“What is it you want to tell me?”
He dodged a low sweeping kick aimed at his legs before asking that question.
“I—!”
Whoosh!
“I finally understand!”
Whoosh!
With each attack that cut through the air, a word escaped her lips.
“What you mean to me!”
Clang!
The powerful thrust of her crescent blade struck the right side of his sword, and a piece of the blade chipped off.
Shin Ye Hwa paused her attack for a moment to catch her breath.
“The reason I wanted to become stronger was so I could protect you.”
The Swirling Wild Wind Blade Technique of the Shin clan was a martial art that could only display its true power when used by someone with innate strength and a robust physique.
Shin Jeok relentlessly subjected his daughter to grueling training, far beyond what a young child could endure, in order to push her past the limitations of being a woman.
Shin Ye Hwa did not give up.
Even as she shed tears dozens of times a day, the only reason she didn’t surrender was because of one person—Baek Woo Jin.
I will protect him!
With a determination bordering on obsession, she tore through training so brutal that even veteran warriors would have recoiled in fear. So much so that her father Shin Jeok couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy towards Baek Woo Jin.
However, the moment Baek Woo Jin became engaged, all her resolve and vows gradually faded away.
…..
The childhood friend who always held her hand and laughed beside her now spent more time holding his fiancée’s hand than hers.
Looking back now, she realized that Baek Woo Jin had been kidnapped by that sly fiancée, Yoo Hwa Yeon, but as a child she couldn’t think that way and instead consoled herself by believing it was just one more friend caring for him.
Time passed that way.
I never want to experience that again.
She didn’t know what had happened between them, but it was clear that Yoo Hwa Yeon was no longer in the picture.
But now another vixen was eagerly waiting to take that empty spot.
I won’t let anyone take him from me.
The fierce determination that had once shocked even the great master Shin Jeok now rekindled in her. It was a fire she had long forgotten.
She would no longer retreat foolishly like she did in her childhood.
“I—!”
She calmed her breath and kicked the ground.
Her crescent sword which was drawn back to its fullest swept up the surrounding wind and surged forward with her unleashed intent.
“Even if it’s late, I’m going to say it now!”
She executed the Whirlwind Strike, one of the Swirling Wild Wind Sword Techniques.
“I like you!”
A huge gust of wind surged toward Baek Woo Jin.
***
The second transmigration was vastly different from the first.
He didn’t lose his mind because he couldn’t tell the difference between reality and a dream, nor did he lock himself away for days on end, tearing his hair and screaming in despair, so that everyone around him thought he had gone mad.
Though he never wanted this second transmigration, it was easier in every way—except for one thing.
“I like you!”
He felt deep confusion as she came at him with overwhelming force. In both a physical and emotional way.
He had already given up on the story following the original plot, but he never imagined he would be hearing a confession in a situation like this.
This is troublesome.
The complicated emotions in Baek Woo Jin’s eyes were clearly visible as he looked at Shin Ye Hwa.
Whenever he possessed a character, the past events of that character’s life would seep into him as if they were his own experiences.
These memories even brought back things the original owner had long forgotten. This was why he could respond to Shin Ye Hwa’s question earlier without hesitation.
Whether it was the author’s intention to prevent confusion or if this was just the nature of possession, he wasn’t sure.
It was clear that the original owner’s memories were crucial for blending seamlessly into that world, but because of them, he often found himself facing even greater confusion in situations like this.
I’m here, but I’m not him.
The person Shin Ye Hwa confessed her feelings to was “Baek Woo Jin”, but he wasn’t really Baek Woo Jin.
He couldn’t show her the same qualities of the Baek Woo Jin she had fallen for.
Even if he accepted her feelings, she would eventually notice the differences between him and the real Baek Woo Jin and grow disappointed. That disappointment would soon lead to a breakup.
The outcome would ultimately be a conclusion where neither she nor he could find happiness. They would both be hurt.
He had painfully experienced this before. Even when he had more at his disposal and could do more than he could now, he hadn’t been able to change the outcome.
He didn’t want to be fooled twice by an all-too-obvious tragic ending.
Baek Woo Jin who made up his mind gripped his sword tightly.
He didn’t resist the fierce wind but instead surrendered his body to its erratic flow.
In the midst of the chaos and instability around him, the Drunken Immortal Steps shone even brighter.
After neutralizing the attack with a movement embodying the pinnacle of softness, he unleashed the Shaanix Baek clan’s ultimate movement technique—the step of retribution—which sacrificed everything for speed. He closed the distance between them in an instant.
“Ah…!”
As she let out a startled sound and raised her crescent blade to defend herself, he took another step closer and spoke a word of apology.
“Sorry.”
He then executed the first form of the Drunken Immortal Sword Technique
Drunken Immortal Leaping Clouds.
The sword, embodying the stealthy movement of the drunken immortal who would often leap over the clouded walls of others’ homes, slipped through without a sound. It silently flowed into the narrow gap between Shin Ye Hwa and her raised crescent blade and finally reached her neck.
A drop of sweat on her chin trickled down the blade as it touched her throat.
“Woo… Woo Jin-ah.”
Her desperate voice trembled.
As if she sensed the ominous tone in Baek Woo Jin’s single word of apology, her eyes that were filled with despair shook violently when they looked at him.
“Unfortunately, it’s too late.”
The Baek Woo Jin you loved is already dead.
He suppressed the last words that could never be revealed to anyone before he withdrew the sword from her neck.
After glancing at her now lifeless eyes, Baek Woo Jin turned away.
And a belated victory announcement from the referee echoed through the arena.
“Ba-Baek Woo Jin wins!”
Amidst the roaring cheers, Baek Woo Jin walked off the arena and immediately disappeared as soon as he left the training grounds.
“Haah.”
After reaching a secluded spot, he stopped and sat down on the wide patch of weeds.
Gulp, gulp!
He drank the never-ending stream of liquor without pause. Even so, the heavy feeling in his chest refused to lift.
“Fu*k.”
It was unfair.
Baek Woo Jin’s death was due to his own carelessness. It was said that even a lion gives its all when hunting a rabbit, but this fool was weaker than a lion and went out without any preparation or focus, only to be stabbed by a mere bandit and die on the spot.
Strictly speaking, he was also a victim. If that guy hadn’t died so foolishly like that, he wouldn’t have ended up possessing this body.
“Yeah, this is right.”
This is how it should be.
But why did he feel as though he had killed Baek Woo Jin and stolen this body?
Why did he have to endure the pain of trampling on a woman’s desperate love?
“Bastard…”
Hatred surged within him toward the author who had thrust him into this place.
He wanted to face him, even just once. Forget slapping him—he’d settle for hurling some curse words right to his face.
“If I turned this world upside down, would he finally show up?”
Maybe if he didn’t just take down the Heavenly Demon but instead joined forces with the Demonic Cult and incinerated the world with a double Heavenly Demon Death Beam, he might get to see his face?
He tried to lighten his heavy mood with a bit of dark humor, but all that came back was a bitter sense of self-mockery.
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