Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Want to Repay That Humiliation?
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One shichen earlier, at the Taegeom Sect.
“Senior Brother!”
Seo Pung came running from outside the gate, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Song In, polishing his sword with the door flung wide open to enjoy the fine sunlight, didn’t slow his hands and merely opened his mouth to ask,
“What’s got you in such a tizzy today?”
“I heard the Oga-bo brat got thoroughly thrashed.”
“Looks like he picked the wrong mark this time. I always figured a day like this was coming.”
“They say Great Heavenly Sword O Dae-gyeong even lost his wrist.”
“...!”
Stunned by the shocking news, Song In halted his hands and stared.
Great Heavenly Sword O Dae-gyeong was a disciple of the Hyeongmun Sword Sect and a cousin to the Oga-bo leader. It was that blood tie that had let the Oga-bo brat worm his way into the Hyeongmun Sword Sect in the first place. Folks around Yichang always said that if O Dae-gyeong and Song In himself ever squared off, it’d be a clash of equals—like tiger versus dragon—impossible to call a clear winner. They praised both as the future of Yichang’s martial world.
But he could state without reservation that they were dead wrong.
Song In didn’t acknowledge Great Heavenly Sword O Dae-gyeong as his equal. The Hyeongmun Sword Sect was an old, renowned orthodox sect near Yichang. And since they walked the same righteous path, the Wudang headquarters had instructed him not to tarnish their face while in Yichang. That was why Song In had held back, never flaunting his true skill.
“Guess he finally met someone he couldn’t handle.”
Song In reached for his sword again to resume polishing.
“That’s not all. The streets are in an uproar right now.”
“Wouldn’t doubt it. With Great Heavenly Sword humbled, the Hyeongmun Sword Sect won’t sit idle.”
“No, it’s not that. Word is, some unbelievable beauty showed up. Not just any beauty—they’re calling her a celestial fairy beyond the heavens. They say the Oga-bo brat fell for her looks and crossed a line, and that’s what got him in trouble.”
“A woman’s beauty shines bright but fades like a flower in an instant. If you’ve got time to get all worked up over that, polish your sword instead. The blade is the companion you’ll carry your whole life.”
Song In’s hands resumed their work on the sword.
“Beyond the heavens, they say. A celestial fairy beyond the heavens. She doesn’t look like she’s from some famous sect, so everyone’s saying first come, first served. All the rich playboys with a bit of coin are flocking there. If the Hyeongmun Sword Sect steps in and takes charge, where do you think that celestial fairy ends up? In the arms of that brat, that’s where! How can you just stand by and watch that?”
“Tsk tsk! It’s not a celestial fairy that appeared—it’s a succubus!”
Song In clicked his tongue, sheathed his sword, and stood.
“Let’s go. We can’t just let her stir up the public like this.”
The sect leader’s inn.
“We’re lay disciples of the Great Wudang Sect, aren’t we?”
Song In answered.
His gaze remained fixed on the woman. Once pinned there, he couldn’t tear it away. If not for the question about whether they were from the Hyeongmun Sword Sect, he might not have managed a reply at all—he was that stunned.
“If you’re trying to say being Wudang makes you different, then act like it. You’re no better than those sleazy Hyeongmun Sword Sect dogs.”
Song In’s face flushed hot at the sharp rebuke. Turning his eyes, he caught sight of Do Cheon, radiating clear fury.
“Who’s your senior?”
“You’re totally out of it.”
“...!”
“Sure, her beauty could fluster anyone. Any man might waver. But a warrior who bears his sect’s name shouldn’t cross that line.”
“What are you implying?”
“That you’re the ones being rude.”
“We’re the ones who demanded if you were from the Hyeongmun Sword Sect the moment we saw you?”
“If you weren’t the ones picking fights with the Hyeongmun Sword Sect, why show up here all high and mighty?”
“We heard there was trouble and came to check.”
“You’re saying we caused the trouble?”
“Wasn’t it you?”
“We go into a city. The locals hassle us. We teach them a lesson. Did we cause the trouble?”
“A true warrior who can hold his own knows where to draw the line.”
“This guy hasn’t reached that level yet?”
“...!”
Song In’s gaze shifted to Yi Yeol, whom Do Cheon indicated.
Yi Yeol sat calmly, anger simmering on his face, but Song In detected no aura of a master there.
“Not him, you say?”
Song In asked.
“You still haven’t snapped out of it.”
“Watch your tongue!”
Song In snapped back. But Do Cheon ignored him.
“Take a look around first. Do you even know where you are?”
“...!”
“So many eyes watching, and you’re still gonna deny it?”
The inn was packed with guests. Plenty of staff too. They’d all seen it.
Song In was at a loss for words and clamped his mouth shut.
“Got it? This isn’t your business, so get lost.”
Do Cheon had no fondness for Wudang disciples. Thanks to that Yunyang old man. So he wasn’t thrilled about Song In either, lay disciple or not.
“I can’t just leave.”
“Why?”
“Blood was spilled. You lop off a man’s wrist and act this brazen? I need to remind you that Yichang has its code and order.”
“Stay out of things you can’t handle.”
“Where does that confidence come from, insulting Yichang and even Wudang?”
“No wrongdoing, no fault—so I stand tall.”
“Even if you didn’t start the quarrel, there are lines you don’t cross. Retaliation that goes too far is still a sin.”
“You!”
“Don’t speak to me like that!”
“You! You didn’t hear the full story of how it started, did you? You came rushing over at the news of some world-shaking beauty?”
“How dare you!”
The instant Song In’s hand gripped his sword hilt.
“Waiter boy!”
Do Cheon bellowed, and Song In froze mid-motion. A teenage waiter scurried over at the innkeeper’s glance.
“You called, sir?”
The boy barely squeaked it out, scared stiff.
“You frightened?”
Do Cheon asked.
His tone was gentle, unlike with Song In. Song In frowned at that. He should’ve been the one reassuring the boy and the onlookers—but it hadn’t even crossed his mind.
“No one here will harm you, so no need to fear.”
Do Cheon continued.
One sentence wouldn’t erase terror. That’s how it usually went. Yet somehow, the boy’s face eased. The reassuring energy in Do Cheon’s voice had soothed him.
“Some guys caused trouble here. Can you act out exactly what they did, just as you saw it?”
The waiter hesitated, fidgeting.
Do Cheon’s expression toward him was soft as his voice—hardly the face of someone who’d harm others carelessly.
“Plenty of witnesses to what happened. As long as you don’t lie, no one will say a word.”
At Do Cheon’s words, the boy moved.
He wiggled his hips back and forth, mimicking the act lovers perform.
“That’s enough. Thanks. You can go.”
The boy bowed and darted off. Do Cheon then turned to Song In, whose face burned crimson.
“They spouted dirty talk too, but it’s too vile to repeat. So, tell me—does a wrist seem like a fair price for that?”
Do Cheon’s question pierced Song In like a needle.
He finally realized this wasn’t something he should’ve stepped into. If the boy’s reenactment was true, a few heads rolling wouldn’t be unjust in the jianghu. So Song In could only flush red, speechless.
It was right then.
“I heard my wastrel son disciplined those scoundrels and chased them off. On what basis do you pin it on him, claiming he ordered them?”
A furious voice boomed from the inn entrance. Sounded like the sleaze’s father for sure. Do Cheon glanced back, and Song In and his group parted left and right.
The man’s entourage approached.
A middle-aged silk-robed fellow who looked loaded, an old sword wielder, and over a dozen young swordsmen.
The old man with the sword and the young swordsmen were Hyeongmun Sword Sect warriors, dispatched to guard Yichang’s public sentiment.
Do Cheon waited till they drew near, then spat,
“Got the full story from that sleazy brat already?”
“You punk! Sleazy brat?!”
The Oga-bo leader roared in outrage, but the accompanying elder stepped forward.
“I am Yi Guk-seong, Flowing Star Sword of the Hyeongmun Sword Sect. Who might you all be?”
Yi Guk-seong asked.
No aggression, no heavy wariness. But his tone left room for things to turn based on the answer.
Do Cheon’s eyes met his.
“You Hyeongmun Sword Sect planning to meddle all the way through this?”
“Two of our disciples are involved. Isn’t that reason enough?”
“Fine. Right and wrong must be sorted, so let’s confirm the facts first.”
Yi Guk-seong scowled at Do Cheon’s confidence, eyeing him, Ong Jung-seo, and Byeon Ryeo-gun in turn.
That old guy’s one thing, but the woman—she’s a powerhouse who demands caution every bit as much as her stunning beauty. This is bad!
He’d been livid at the news of his junior’s severed wrist, intent on lopping off the culprit’s head. But arriving here forced a rethink. The foes were too much for him alone.
He’d already sent word to headquarters—masters would arrive in half a shichen. He just needed to stall till then.
“Very well. Explain yourselves.”
Yi Guk-seong feigned leisure. Do Cheon bellowed to the air,
“Hao Gate! The scum who shamed my junior sister demand to kneel here—make it happen!”
Hao Gate!
A sect shrouded in rumors, its very existence uncertain.
Everyone gaped as the name slipped from Do Cheon’s lips.
“Hao Gate? You’re with the Hao Gate?”
Yi Guk-seong probed warily, caution plain.
“Who I am has nothing to do with sorting right from wrong.”
Do Cheon dodged revealing himself, leaving Yi Guk-seong in a bind. He couldn’t just act rashly—their skills seemed extraordinary.
Do Cheon fell silent after that. An uneasy quiet settled.
The Oga-bo leader seethed but held back since Yi Guk-seong stayed mum.
Less than a shichen passed like that.
Over a dozen men burst into the inn entrance, faces pale with terror. They rushed to Do Cheon’s group and dropped to their knees, kowtowing.
“Spare us!”
“We committed a mortal sin! Mercy, please!”
Incredible.
At Do Cheon’s call, the men who’d vanished long ago returned on their own to kneel. Do Cheon glared at them fiercely and bellowed,
“What possessed you to commit such a deed?”
“It was all on orders from the Oga-bo young leader!”
“Yes! We only did as told. Spare us!”
All over a dozen groveled in unison.
That instant.
“How dare you slander us!”
A sword flashed out like lightning.
Yi Guk-seong.
His snap judgment was clear: lop off one head, scare the rest silent. Hold out till headquarters’ masters arrived, then turn the tables. Witnesses could always flip their stories anyway.
Yi Guk-seong’s blade was swift and merciless.
It slashed at the nearest man’s neck without pity. Blood should’ve sprayed, the head tumbling. But no—a heavy rebound halted his sword.
Yi Guk-seong stiffened in shock.
Crack!
A skull-shattering blow sent him crumpling on the spot.
Who? Who here moved with such terrifying speed?
Yi Guk-seong blacked out without identifying his foe.
“M-Master!”
“You bastard!”
Hyeongmun Sword Sect disciples drew blades in unison.
A fierce aura surged, slowing their draws to a crawl. Then one punch per man dropped them all.
As the compressed air decompressed in a gusting wind, Song In—pale from shock at Do Cheon’s prowess—searched for him. Do Cheon was returning to his seat.
“Tell me. What do you make of what just happened?”
Do Cheon eyed Song In.
“Wh-What...!”
“That old coot was gonna behead them to shut them up! Didn’t you see? Or is it that you can’t speak truth against fellow orthodox sects?”
Song In’s face shook violently.
Even considering the Hyeongmun Sword Sect’s position as fellow righteous folk, he couldn’t blurt it out. Do Cheon’s blunt query in front of everyone left him no defense.
“And you call that Great Wudang?”
Do Cheon scoffed loudly at the speechless Song In.
A blatant, biting sneer. Yet Song In could only clench his fists and endure.
“Now you see Wudang’s not what the world thinks.”
“That’s not true!”
“Too late. You’re not worth the time—get out.”
Song In trembled. The humiliation made him itch to draw his sword.
“Want to draw? Go ahead. You’ve spent your years honing a blade you haven’t got the guts to unsheathe anyway.”
Do Cheon mocked, goading with laughter. But Song In, cowed in justification and skill, couldn’t budge.
“Humiliated? Craving to settle that score? Then come find me anytime at the Iron Lion Sect in Honam Province.”
“Iron Lion... Iron Divine Dragon!”
Not just Song In—his juniors gaped too.
Rumors of the Heaven-Rending Legion incident last autumn in Honam had spread here plenty, still buzzing among young warriors.
Song In, once proud in Yichang, saw his confidence shatter. He slunk away like a man who’d lost everything, life drained from him. His juniors followed.
Half a shichen later, masters from Hyeongmun Sword Sect arrived.
Emboldened, the Oga-bo leader railed at Do Cheon with every insult he knew. Furious at the sight of unconscious Yi Guk-seong and the disciples sprawled on the floor, the newcomers drew steel. But they couldn’t nick a hem of Do Cheon’s robe before collapsing.
Realizing a reaper had descended, the Oga-bo leader shuddered. Do Cheon had Hao Gate drag in the true culprit—the Oga-bo young leader—then ended it with a kick to the groin, ensuring he’d never sire again.
With it all wrapped up, they boarded the carriage and left Yichang.
“Got a question.”
Byeon Ryeo-gun spoke as soon as they cleared Yichang.
“What?”
“The way you handled those Wudang disciples. You pushed them on purpose, right?”
“Why think that?”
“You hate long-winded talk. Hate arguments too. And you usually let things slide and yield against Wudang folk.”
“Wrong. I hate chatter and squabbles—unless I know I’ll win. And I don’t yield just because it’s Wudang. But yeah, I did push extra hard this time.”
“Why?”
“If I run into that Yunyang geezer, I need some ammo to fire back.”
“...!”
“Gonna pull Sword Saint Elder from alliance leader, right?”
“Probably.”
“Involves the main sect. We owe Sword Saint too. Anyway, not our place to meddle in Great Righteous Alliance business. But that old man’ll barge into Iron Lion Sect for sure. Gotta have words ready to throw back. If I just crush them with martial arts and can’t speak up, even a win’ll feel like a loss.”
Byeon Ryeo-gun, Ong Jung-seo, and even Yi Yeol all stared, speechless at Do Cheon’s words.