Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Chapter 3: The Match (8)
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"Impossible."
Hwang Ryeo-man of the Army Marching Sword gave a firm reply.
He had the impression of a stern Confucian scholar. It was a face that seemed better suited to holding a brush than a sword. He continued in an utterly solemn voice.
"It is a duel between two warriors staking their lives and honor. A one-on-one match must be a sanctuary inviolable by any external pressure."
Each strike of the Army Marching Sword embodied propriety and righteousness, akin to a gentleman in itself. Despite his scholarly appearance, his heart harbored a martial spirit more upright and unyielding than anyone's.
"You are already the sect leader of your school. Do not forget that your status is different from the days when you roamed the jianghu wielding a single sword to chastise the wicked."
"Are you trying to lecture me on the duties of a sect leader? Know that this is insolence."
"Making a fight that need not happen into a greater one is the act of petty villains. Halting even necessary battles is the true way of the gentleman, is it not?"
"Why should I alone adhere to the code of gentlemen? Solitary purity in the jianghu is but an illusion. If my opponent is a rogue wielding a blade, I too must draw my sword."
The Army Marching Sword was resolute.
He had readily accepted a one-on-one duel with Dongpungneung. The issue lay beyond that.
He absolutely refused to throw the match deliberately.
He would rather not fight at all than stage a false victory before the crowd.
"I did not wish to resort to this method."
Cheonwi spoke in a grave tone.
It was an open pavilion overlooking the lake.
The midday sun cast rippling waves of light upon the mirror-like waters. With the daylight so bright, Cheonwi's expression was all the darker. As if the glaring sunlight offended him, he narrowed his brow and squinted his eyes.
"In the Army Marching Sword's Third Form, during the Palace Guard Advance leading into the Retreating Shadow Sword and Revolving Slash Strike, there is a gap one-third up from the upper sternum that remains empty. I believe even you, Gang Leader, would find it hard to overcome easily. It is one of the Army Marching Sword's most fatal flaws."
Hwang Ryeo-man's face hardened like stone.
It was an expression rarely seen on him. Trembling his glossy beard, Hwang Ryeo-man parted his lips.
"How do you know of that?"
"What if the Daedong Chief also knew?"
"What!!"
"Army Marching Sword's Seventh Form. In the moment of retreating three paces to switch to Full Draw Sword..."
"Enough!"
"Tongcheon-do is powerful. Of course, you, Gang Leader, have some countermeasures against the Army Marching Sword's flaws, but a flaw is called a flaw for a reason. When attacked, a momentary breach is inevitable. Even if you block the first strike, the follow-up Tongcheon-do will be hard to handle."
Hwang Ryeo-man fell silent for a long while.
Dongpungneung was an expert no less than Hwang Ryeo-man. In battles between such masters, the slightest difference decided victory. Moreover, exposing a martial art's flaw was tantamount to handing over victory even before the fight began.
"If what you say is true, then this battle is already..."
"Yes. It can no longer be called an upright duel. Of course, no one can predict the outcome of a clash between masters until it concludes, but there are too many factors unfavorable to you, Chief."
"And yet the Daedong Chief agreed to a deliberate draw?"
"Does the Daedong Chief lack competitive spirit? He must have made a bold decision looking ahead. If one side wins outright, it will spiral into an uncontrollable war. Leaving aside Ilsan, the balance of the Five Strongholds themselves would collapse."
"Win or loss in combat is the fate every martial artist must face. My Taesan Guild and disciples will not grow arrogant in victory nor despair in defeat. I am confident we possess that level of discipline."
"That holds only while you remain strong, Gang Leader. A sect whose leader falls struggles to recover. Martial artists are more sensitive to visible outcomes than one might imagine. The moment you lose, the Taesan Guild will be deemed weaker than Daedong forever. In the end, the Five Strongholds become Four, and all of Shansi plunges into chaos from the regime's collapse."
"Even so, my resolve remains unchanged. I will fight to the best of my ability with this sword, and humbly accept whatever the outcome."
Was he a true warrior?
Or a stubborn old fool?
Words failed to sway him. Yet Cheonwi did not dislike Hwang Ryeo-man. Such martial artists were rare these days.
The problem was that like or dislike mattered not.
Only achieving the goal defined righteousness.
Cheonwi's eyes gleamed as he spoke.
"No choice, then. Listen carefully. Dongpungneung's Tongcheon-do has three fatal weaknesses. The first is the wrist. Tongcheon-do employs a heavy blade, and the Daedong Chief wields a steel double-edged sword over thirty catties. The excessive force on the wrist causes qi flow from the thumb joint to the elbow to stagnate momentarily. Thus, half an inch up from the outer radius at the wrist joint..."
"What are you doing right now!"
"If you strike that raised position, the qi flow will..."
"Stop there! I will hear no more!"
Hwang Ryeo-man bellowed.
The face once praised as the image of a gentleman twisted like a demon's.
He said he would not listen, but he already had.
He was a man who had earned fame upholding one of Shansi's five pillars. His understanding of martial arts matched his renown. He grasped Cheonwi's words instantly. In other words, he had learned a previously unknown weakness of Tongcheon-do.
"Surely you are not the one who revealed the Army Marching Sword's flaws to Dongpungneung as well!"
"Ah, well, to confess, I told you a little white lie, Gang Leader."
"A lie?"
"The Daedong Chief does not know the Army Marching Sword's flaws. In other words, you alone now know his weaknesses."
"Wha-what!!"
Hwang Ryeo-man's expression was a sight to behold.
Cheonwi remained utterly composed.
How many in the world could toy with a figure like one of Ilsan’s Five Strongholds' leaders as easily as flipping a hand?
Cheonwi continued in a subtle tone.
"Even knowing Tongcheon-do's weakness, it will be hard to ignore it mid-duel. Fighting while sparing an obvious flaw would clash with your ideals as well, Gang Leader. Best to postpone a pure contest of skill."
Cheonwi was right.
In this situation, victory would not feel clean, nor defeat acceptable. A fair match was now impossible. Hwang Ryeo-man spoke in a dazed tone.
"It is so absurd that not even anger rises. What on earth is the reason for such machinations?"
"My goal has been one from the start. To end the conflict between Daedong and Taesan without further spread. To prevent needless chaos in Shansi! For that, I will spare no means or methods, even stake my life."
"Truly for such a reason..."
"While accepting win or loss is a warrior's fate, the world has no shortage of battles unresolved by verdict. Consider it. Must one always decide a winner before the masses to claim victory? Even feigning a draw, the two combatants will know who held the edge. This once, please set aside personal pride. I beg you."
He cupped his fists in salute, backlit by the sun. His shadowed face held eyes that shone mysteriously.
"Hah..."
Hwang Ryeo-man let out a long sigh. Shaking his head sorrowfully, he continued.
"Your three-inch tongue is more fearsome than Ilsan's Mansu Seongbul. I will ponder it gravely once more. But I cannot promise. As you know, in warriors' clashes, anything can happen. 'Certainly' has no place."
"I believe you will make the right choice, Gang Leader."
Cheonwi did not prolong the talk.
Extracting this much from one like the Army Marching Sword was success enough. He was a man of clear judgment, prizing greater righteousness. He could not ignore the importance of sparing needless blood.
Cheonwi turned to leave. As with Dongpungneung, no farewell followed.
A cold wind blew.
Even in broad daylight, it felt like late autumn's chill.
* * *
"Tongcheon-do Dongpungneung and Army Marching Sword Hwang Ryeo-man will settle it one-on-one!"
The lightning decision for a duel between Ilsan’s Five Strongholds' leaders.
The entire marketplace erupted.
Rumors spread like winged messengers, stirring waves wherever they reached.
Murmur murmur.
Heroes gathering since the previous day filled the Sahap-ro streets in an instant. Eyes watched everywhere Jinseong Pavilion was visible. Roofs and walls alike hosted camps. From renowned jianghu elders to market housewives, none were excluded.
"They are appearing one by one."
Cheonwi and the five had taken position on the roof of Yeonghwa Pavilion, right beside Jinseong Pavilion.
A prime spot among prime spots for spectating. Securing it first marked their cunning.
"That side... Jinju Alliance?"
Seol pointed to one direction.
Men and women in red outer robes, dressed splendidly, chatted at the third-floor railing of the opposite inn.
Oho raised an eyebrow and asked back.
"How did you know?"
"I saw them last time."
Seol replied curtly.
"Huh?"
"I told you to ignore them. No time to dawdle."
"Ah, right."
Oho chuckled.
Even facing Hebei's powerhouse, Jinju Alliance, he showed no tension. Legs stretched out, he sat casually. Cheonwi went further, laying out cloth like a blanket and reclining.
But Seol and Hyang could not relax like them.
They could not. The space was too open. Jinseong Pavilion was well in view, but overly exposed. Moreover, Cheonwi and Oho forbade them even veiled hats. To show their faces to all. To lure enemies, that was the reason.
"What are those? Plum Blossom Sword Disciples?"
"Huashan Sect."
"Only three? So young."
"Two are still ordinary swordsmen. No plum blossom sword qi. Wait, no—one is a Plum Blossom Sword Saint. Impressive sword qi."
"Doesn't seem sent from the main sect. Just passersby come to watch."
Far below, distant swordsmen eyed Jinseong Pavilion. As Oho said, fresh-faced youths. Their jianghu inexperience made even calling them swordsmen a stretch.
"Huh?"
Oho, scanning about, widened his eyes at one spot.
His expression hardened as he straightened his slouch. Oho slapped the tiled roof with his palm. Thud thud, the tiles rattled. A clear voice rose from below in response.
"What is it?"
"Sahap-ro east, second-floor railing of Chaegang Inn—the man there, find out who. And the ones camped at the opposite Hongsimju Inn. The white-robed ones."
"Wait a moment."
Quite distant. Beyond Seol and Hyang's sight. Cheonwi followed Oho's nod and turned his gaze. Squinting, he focused his vision. His pupils quivered faintly.
"That's... a big shot."
"You know him?"
"Shansi's Divine Hero. Matches the description. See the white crane fan? Analysis says supreme in both sword and staff arts. Seo Ja-gang. Name rising frequently across central-south Shansi lately."
"Threat level?"
"White rank first grade. I think higher."
White meant unidentified friend or foe. Neutral, judgment pending.
"We rate the Five Strongholds first grade—higher than that is Mansu Seongbul level?"
"Possibly stronger than Mansu Seongbul."
"No way."
He spoke staggering words so casually.
Mansu Seongbul vied for top in vast Shansi.
Yet one stronger lurked here. Anyone hearing it would dismiss as jest.
But Oho could not laugh it off.
Because the speaker was Cheonwi. Oho shook his head vigorously, then gestured to the opposite side.
"Then those across from him?"
"No idea. They look dangerous. And inside Hongsim Inn, someone else lurks. Feels extremely perilous."
Oho's face crumpled.
Cheonwi failing to grasp everything at this point was no good omen. But fortunately, Cheonwi was not alone beside Oho.
A clear voice pierced his ear from below the tiles, as if awaited.
"Battle slaves."