Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Chapter 3: The Match (5)
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“Tsk...”
Shwaaaaa.
A tongue click echoed, and the wind that had retreated earlier returned, swirling around them once more.
Cheonwi was walking toward Oho. Unconscious Seol lay draped over his shoulder.
Cheonwi addressed the Blue Spear Society.
“Mutual slaughter doesn’t do either side any favors, does it?”
“We don’t have much choice.”
“You’re not getting through to me. You wouldn’t want the Han Nam Spear Manual’s flaws plastered across the entire Jian Province, would you?”
“...!”
“We’re not the ones at a disadvantage. If you kill us, those flaws will spread throughout Jian Province. Can you handle that? Even if you just subdue us, it’s the same. Our people are pretty cold-blooded. They won’t negotiate to save someone who’s been captured. They wouldn’t get captured in the first place, though.”
“That means there’s a major organization backing you.”
“You think guys like us just pop out of the ground?”
The middle-aged man’s eyes widened. He asked suspiciously.
“You’re... from Ilsan Ohgang, aren’t you?”
Cheonwi responded with a light smile.
Neither confirmation nor denial. He grinned and said.
“Talk about a sticky situation, huh?”
The middle-aged man drew a deep breath into his chest.
Truly a dilemma. Pride wouldn’t let him back down, but fighting meant worrying about the sect standing behind them. The biggest issue was not even knowing if they could win. Embarrassment filled the middle-aged man’s face.
“Since you can’t advance or retreat anyway, how about this?”
“What?”
“Let’s make a deal.”
“A deal?”
“Ten copies of the Han Nam Spear Manual flaws. One thousand silver taels each.”
“One thousand silver taels...”
“I’m selling them.”
The middle-aged man’s face twisted in absurdity at Cheonwi’s reply. He questioned as if doubting his own ears.
“Sell... what? The flaws? That’s ridiculous...!”
“What’s so ridiculous about it?”
“It’s obviously absurd!”
“On the condition that you don’t leak them anywhere else. Plus, I’ll throw in the countermeasures for each flaw.”
“...!!!”
“Does that sound reasonable now?”
Selling martial arts flaws was unheard of.
The very idea was incomprehensible, let alone believable.
But that last line was too tempting to ignore.
“Countermeasures for the flaws...”
“Of course, they won’t be perfect. Flaws are fundamental weaknesses baked into the creation of the technique.”
That was true. If they could be easily patched, they wouldn’t be called flaws. The middle-aged man asked, entranced.
“Then how effective are these countermeasures?”
“They can deflect over eighty percent of attacks exploiting the flaws. With sufficient internal energy, even more is possible.”
A flurry of emotions crossed the middle-aged man’s face.
It was understandable.
Whether the man was telling the truth or lying, it was a problem either way.
He’d broken through the flaws, so it wasn’t bravado. But if it wasn’t, that was seriously bad news in itself. An unknown outsider knowing their core techniques inside out was naturally disconcerting.
“What’s the difficulty level of those countermeasures...?”
“They’re not for beginners or general training. But you don’t need mastery of advanced arts either. Anyone proficient in the Han Nam Spear should pick them up without much trouble.”
“Can you demonstrate right here?”
“Hahaha.”
Cheonwi laughed. He shook his head and asked back.
“One thousand each. You want it for free?”
“Not free. I need to see it to believe and make the deal.”
“You really don’t grasp the situation.”
Cheonwi dropped his smile and asked.
“What’s your name?”
An out-of-left-field question. The middle-aged man furrowed his brow slightly. He promptly declared his name confidently.
“Seo Suyang.”
“One of the Thirteen Spears, I see.”
Cheonwi paused briefly. He continued slowly.
“Let me be clear. I just want to avoid unnecessary fighting. Worst case, I take you all down and leave. Then you’ll spend the rest of your days worrying about Han Nam Spear flaws spreading across the Central Plains, bruised pride secondary.”
Seo Suyang.
One of the Blue Spear Society’s famed thirteen spear masters. Not a legendary figure, but a veteran known for battle-hardened experience. He shot back, voice laced with feigned anger.
“If you could take us all down, why drag this out?”
A question that seemed to hit the mark. But Cheonwi didn’t flinch.
“Your calculations don’t match your reputation. One thousand each makes ten thousand silver taels. No need to sour things with a brawl.”
“How about this? If we let you go here, our sect will hunt you with full force. I’ll report to the Society Leader that settling this is our top priority over all else. Within three days, three hundred spear warriors under the Blue Spear Society will scour for you. Why not reconsider?”
“Enough word games. The choice is yours.”
Cheonwi brushed off Seo Suyang’s threat with a single smile.
Complex emotions flickered in Seo Suyang’s eyes.
His grip on the blue spear shaft tightened and loosened three times. As if resolved, he glanced at Oho and Cheonwi and said.
“Fine. We’ll let you go. But leave the woman.”
“Impossible.”
“Then no deal. We took a commission. Consider our face too.”
Seo Suyang’s expression was resolute.
His whole body radiated unwillingness to yield on this.
Cheonwi shook his head.
“You’re impossible to reason with. We even handed over the Six Meat Brothers; you could back off now.”
“Six Meat Brothers? That’s separate, isn’t it? You know how the Blue Spear Society works. The first commission is sacred.”
“Oho.”
“Yeah.”
“This won’t work. Let’s break through. Looks like I need to show them the flaws are worth a thousand taels each.”
A rare smile tugged at Oho’s lips.
The easing tension snapped taut again.
Shwaaaaa. The bamboo grove responded to the imminent crisis with a chill wind.
“Fourth: Soul Binding Acupoint on the diaphragm during Horizontal Strike. Fifth: two fen below the Gate of Life acupoint in the pause after Left-Right Cyclic Spear.”
Cheonwi murmured softly.
Oho spun his black-and-white sabers and advanced. Han Nam Spear flaws poured from Cheonwi’s lips. With each one revealed, the Blue Spear Society spear warriors’ faces darkened rapidly.
Oho’s approach broke their momentum, Cheonwi’s words their spirit.
Within striking distance.
Shwaaaaa.
Suddenly, three spears pierced the space, lunging at Oho. They believed only a joint attack could win.
“Together!”
Oho shouted crisply and swung his black-and-white sabers.
His aura overwhelmed them.
Knowing an opponent’s weaknesses perfectly was unparalleled pressure for any warrior. The more they shrank, the more Oho gained the momentum of one against a thousand. Actual power gaps were utterly ignored.
Oho couldn’t use his true arts, so his strength wasn’t far above these spear warriors’. But here, three-on-one was ample margin. Oho’s blades effortlessly deflected the three blue spears. The first to recover thrust a Cyclic Spear from the left. Oho dodged lightly, waited for the spin, and targeted the Gate of Life. The spear warrior’s stance crumbled like a lie.
Crack.
Oho’s foot slammed into the warrior’s shoulder. The man flew like a ragdoll, crashing into a thick bamboo stalk and collapsing. Two blue spears crisscrossed from both sides. Oho stepped left, targeting the downward vertical strike. He flicked his wrist. The vertical-striking warrior recoiled in alarm, retreating. He’d expected a flaw exploit. But it was a feint. The real move followed. Oho surged forward, slashing at the chest with his black-and-white sabers. The retreating warrior’s motion faltered badly. Oho swept the shin with his toe, tripping him, then smashed the saber hilt into the right collarbone. Finishing blow. The warrior’s right arm went limp.
Two down in an instant.
Seo Suyang’s face paled.
Oho wasn’t just hitting flaws straightforwardly. He wove feints and real strikes masterfully using his knowledge. Terrifying adaptability. Not a skill gained overnight. It meant familiarity with flaw exploitation.
Clang clang! Crack!
While dazed, another spear warrior hit the dirt.
A chill ran down Seo Suyang’s spine. If Oho had gone for kills, they’d all be dead. At least he wasn’t murderous.
Only Seo Suyang and one spear warrior beside him remained.
Seo Suyang signaled Oho with his eyes and said.
“Stall him. Whatever it takes.”
The spear warrior gritted his teeth and charged Oho. Simultaneously, Seo Suyang leaped in another direction—straight at Cheonwi. Pin Oho down and take Cheonwi first.
“Haha. Ilsan Ohgang lives up to the hype.”
Cheonwi showed no panic. He laid Seol on a pile of bamboo leaves and drew his golden saber.
Seo Suyang inwardly flinched at the leisurely aiming Cheonwi.
Protecting Seol would divide attention, and Cheonwi seemed weaker than fighting Oho, making him the tactical target. Subduing him could reverse the tide using Seol and Cheonwi as leverage.
But Seo Suyang’s calculus was wrong.
One spear warrior couldn’t hold Oho. And Cheonwi wasn’t as weak as he looked.
Clang!
Blue spear met golden saber.
The golden saber yielded. It couldn’t withstand Seo Suyang’s profound internal energy in the blue spear. But he didn’t lose grip entirely. He twisted hand and arm subtly, dispersing the incoming force masterfully.
Seo Suyang withdrew the blue spear low, then thrust high for a confident vertical strike. Cheonwi ignored the flaw. He didn’t even try thrusting his golden saber, just leaped back.
‘This guy...!’
Clever movement.
Seo Suyang was battle-tested. He had situational counters for flaws, mastery of Han Nam Spear. This vertical strike was one. Rash exploitation would’ve doomed Cheonwi.
But Cheonwi saw through it. He knew his limits, never overreached. He’d dig traps, not fall into others’. Cunning to that degree.
Screech! Clang!
The golden saber deflected the sweeping horizontal strike.
Seo Suyang’s eye twitched faintly.
‘Low internal energy. How is it this low?’
The power transmitted through his hands was pathetic. Not a properly cultivated expert’s.
Holding back? No. As one of Ilsan Ohgang’s elite, he’d sense that.
Ching! Chaaang!
The golden saber quivered wildly.
Cheonwi’s handling looked strained.
No act. Far inferior energy against Seo Suyang’s naturally led here.
“Hah!”
Seo Suyang went all-out. He surged internal energy and unleashed rapid Cyclic Spears.
Clang clang clang! Chaaang! Chaaaang!
Sharp clashes rang out.
Pushing relentlessly. Cheonwi’s movements teetered. He retreated helplessly. Barely parrying each exchange. Impressive he did. A thick bamboo stalk halted his back. Cheonwi ducked urgently, rolling on the ground.
Crack! Crunch!
Seo Suyang’s blue spear felled the bamboo entirely.
Shwaaaaa. Falling leaves carried the wind. Cheonwi brushed off leaves, standing straight.
“Whew... Tough as expected.”
He glanced casually at Seo Suyang, who gaped in shock.
“With that little energy, blocking my Han Nam Spear...”
Seo Suyang clicked his tongue. Cheonwi grinned and asked.
“So, feeling the deal now?”
“I can’t comprehend it. How? Your energy’s barely second-rate Blue Spear Society level...”
“Fights aren’t won on energy alone.”
Cheonwi stated firmly, sheathing his golden saber.