Chapter 729: Falling Dragon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 729: Falling Dragon
I was speechless as she approached me with such a radiant smile.
She was covered in a ridiculous number of bruises. While she hadn't sustained any major injuries, the sheer volume of minor ones left her in terrible shape. Bongsun’s body was a testament to just how grueling the duel had been.
But she lost.
I massaged my throbbing forehead.
She had lost. In the end, Bongsun was defeated by the Sword Dragon.
“Hehehe!”
I endured a mounting headache as I watched Bongsun laugh as if she’d just had the time of her life.
Naturally, I had watched the entire duel. I knew exactly why she had been defeated.
It wasn't much different from Seong Yul's case…
It was a difference in level—the same gap seen in the duel between Peng Woojin and Seong Yul. However, it wasn't an overwhelming disparity in raw power like it had been for those two. They were on nearly equal footing.
The circumstances were the biggest problem.
I recalled what I had asked Bongsun before the duel. Looking at Yung Pung, I had asked her if she could win.
Bongsun had given me a clear answer. She wasn't sure about a sanctioned duel.
‘If it were a fight to the death, I’d win.’
Bongsun had said those words with absolute confidence. And on that point, my own assessment wasn't much different.
In a fight with the intent to kill, Bongsun would be stronger than Yung Pung. Yung Pung was still an unseasoned martial artist of the Orthodox Faction. How much real combat experience could he possibly have?
But Bongsun was different.
…She’s like a wild beast.
She has no hesitation when it comes to killing. She doesn't care about means or methods. If it had been a struggle where they were actively trying to end each other's lives, I also believed the probability of Bongsun winning was high.
Of course...
That isn't a certainty either.
Yung Pung’s performance in the duel had exceeded my imagination.
His plum blossoms have gained a newfound depth.
The swordsmanship he originally displayed had become sharper and more refined. Even the Taoist Qi harbored within him had become more profound.
Looks like he’s been training properly.
I could tell just by looking at his physique. Yung Pung’s body, forged through arduous training, looked incredibly solid.
…If you’re going to build a foundation, that’s how you do it.
His level might rise slowly, but he remained faithful to the fundamentals above all else. Perhaps when Yung Pung reaches the Fusion Realm, all the effort he’s invested until now will manifest as a massive advantage.
Furthermore, while I couldn't be certain, if he were left to his own devices, there was a high probability that Yung Pung would become the next generation's Sword King. There was that Woo Hyuk kid, too… but in terms of pure swordsmanship, it seemed Yung Pung had surpassed him.
Well, whatever about that…
To think Bongsun would lose here. I had considered the possibility, but I couldn't help feeling a sting of disappointment.
As I thought. Was the problem that she couldn't use her treasure?
Bongsun used a memento of the previous Sword Queen. Since the use of treasures was forbidden in this tournament, she’d had no choice but to leave it behind. Perhaps because her beloved sword was gone, Bongsun couldn't display her full power.
However...
The same goes for Yung Pung.
He couldn't use his primary weapon either. It only made sense.
Since Yung Pung should have the Solar Light as well.
For some reason, two Solar Lights remained in this world. Yung Pung must possess the one that Mount Hua had retrieved from Wudang.
Yung Pung couldn't reveal the Solar Light in the duel either.
It was true that both of them were handicapped by the circumstances. And it was also true that the final result was Bongsun's defeat.
Tsk.
It meant I had to accept it.
If this is how it turned out… I’ll have to go with the second plan.
I had prepared two plans concerning Bongsun. The second was what I had in mind in case she lost the duel.
I’ll have to send a message to the Lord of the Hwangbo Clan later.
I needed to grasp the situation quickly and respond. Just as I made that judgment and let out a sigh…
“…So.”
I pushed the bruised Bongsun aside and turned around.
“What do you want?”
Someone had come looking for me.
“...”
The man behind me flinched at my bluntness.
He had a clean-shaven head and a handsome face. He was a young man with strangely familiar yellow eyes. It was Yu Yeon, the Heavenly Dragon, known as the hope of Shaolin.
“What do you want?” I repeated, frowning.
Yu Yeon spoke with an awkward expression. “…I came to offer my greetings.”
“Greetings?” I tilted my head. “What greetings?”
Were we really on the kind of terms where we needed to exchange pleasantries? That was the question that came to mind.
However...
“Have you been well, Patron?”
Yu Yeon, though he seemed uncomfortable, was the first to show courtesy. I watched him silently for a moment before nodding.
“Yeah. You been well too?”
“Yes, I have.”
“No, you haven't. You don't look like you have at all.”
“...”
At my words, Yu Yeon let out a dry cough. He must have understood what I meant. Right now, Yu Yeon had a bandage wrapped around his chest. It seemed the wound from his fight with Wi Seol-Ah hadn't fully healed yet.
The wound he took back then was deep.
It wasn't a fatal injury, but it wasn't something that could heal in just a few days. It was severe enough that anyone else might have been forced to forfeit their next duel. Despite such an injury, Yu Yeon had returned to the arena today.
I wonder if that was his choice or if he was forced.
Even if Shaolin was far more corrupt than I had anticipated, I doubted they would push an injured disciple onto the stage.
But you never know.
You never know what can happen in a person's life.
“You think you can fight in that state?” I asked, tilting my head.
Yu Yeon lightly bit his lip. “…I can.”
“Hmm.”
He looks like he’s about to drop dead.
I didn't say it out loud. What good would it do for me to worry about him? I held my tongue and looked around.
The stares from the crowd were intense. Most people were already fixated on the Heavenly Dragon.
The impact of what he showed last time was considerable.
He possessed an overwhelming martial might that couldn't be dismissed as that of a mere prodigy. The Heavenly Dragon had already become a figure of great significance to the masses.
It could be vigilance. Or it could be admiration. Whatever it was, it meant his standing was now too high to be called a mere "prodigy." Because of that, the interest of the crowd was now focused on one thing.
‘If the Dragon Warrior and the Heavenly Dragon fight, who will win?’
The Dragon Warrior who crushed the Dao King. The Heavenly Dragon who revealed his true self to the world. If those two were to clash, who would emerge victorious?
It was a question many were curious about, but with the Dragon Warrior's forfeiture, it had become a scenario that could never happen. Thus, some people, feeling a sense of disappointment, shifted their curiosity toward the Dao King and the Heavenly Dragon.
The funny thing about that was…
The prevailing opinion is that it's a fifty-fifty split.
Half believed the Heavenly Dragon would win. The other half believed the Dao King would win. That was the current state of public opinion.
What a pathetic situation.
To think the Dao King's fame has fallen that far.
It was ridiculous enough that a King-level martial artist was being compared to a mere prodigy, but for people to see the odds as even? How absurd.
That old man must be crying tears of blood right now.
Would it just be tears? He was probably so pissed off he was destroying everything in sight. This was all a situation created by the Dishonored Venerable.
Tsk.
That damned old man. Because of the trouble that geezer caused, things had gotten a bit messy.
…Thanks to that, the talk about the relationship between the Demonic Cult and the Dishonored Venerable has died down a bit, though.
But it was still a headache. Suppressing a sigh that threatened to escape, I looked at Yu Yeon again.
“So. What’s your business?”
“...”
He wouldn't have come all this way just to say hello. As I said before, we weren't on terms where we needed to exchange greetings.
At my question, Yu Yeon didn't say a word. To be precise, he was stammering, unable to speak. He seemed to be hesitating, his lips repeatedly opening and closing.
Just as I was about to get annoyed by his frustrating behavior…
“Oh! It’s that guy from before!”
The bruised Bongsun suddenly stepped forward. “Baldy! So shiny!”
“…What, you brat?”
“Can I touch it again?”
My eyes widened at her words, spoken as if she were the happiest person in the world. What is this crazy bitch saying?
“What do you mean, touch… Wait. ‘Again’? What do you mean by that?”
Did ‘again’ mean she had already touched it?
“Yep! I touched it last time! It’s super smooth. Cult Lead— ah, no, Young Master, do you want to touch it too?”
I asked, thinking it couldn't be true, but Bongsun's eyes gleamed as if she had spotted a rare jewel.
I'm going to lose my mind.
Even I would be pissed off by this.
I looked at Yu Yeon with an embarrassed expression. But…
“…Uh… that… uh…”
Contrary to my expectations, Yu Yeon was busy stuttering as if his brain had short-circuited. What was wrong with him now? His face and ears were bright red; he was clearly not okay.
“...”
Watching him, a thought occurred to me.
…No way.
“Hey.”
“…Ye-yes?” Yu Yeon flinched and responded to my call.
Watching him, I asked, “Did you fall for her?”
“…!”
Hearing my words, Yu Yeon jumped in surprise. Look at this guy…?
“Don't tell me you actually…”
“Oh, what’s this, what’s this?” Bongsun chimed in. I had a bad feeling. “Do you want to mate with me— Gack!”
As expected, she was about to spout nonsense, so I smacked her on the head.
“Oww, it hurts…!!”
“…Please. Please just shut up and go rot in a corner…”
I couldn't stand the embarrassment. I kicked Bongsun toward Tang Soyeol. It was a signal to take her to the medical team. Bongsun, who took a kick to the butt, giggled and disappeared.
After sending the baggage away, I was finally left alone with Yu Yeon.
“…Hoo…”
I suppressed my boiling anger and wiped my face. I was so embarrassed I couldn't even lift my head.
“A-ahem…”
It seemed to be the same for Yu Yeon, as he suddenly let out a dry cough. And then...
“It is not like that.” He suddenly started to explain.
“…What isn't?”
“I-I do not admire her… or anything of the sort. I follow the teachings of Buddha and do not harbor such dark intentions toward the opposite sex…”
“Hey, you don't have to explain. I'm not interested.”
“…Pardon? Ah. I see…”
“Aren't monks men too? You can like a woman. She's a crazy bitch, but her face is decent enough. It's perfectly possible.”
“N-no! I told you it's not like that…!!”
“Enough. So why did you come here? If you have no business, then get lost so I can rest.”
I cut to the chase to get to the point quickly. At my words, Yu Yeon paused for a moment, his expression shifting. As expected, it seemed he did have some business. What could it be? What on earth could have brought him to me like this?
Just as that curiosity arose…
“…I have a favor to ask.” Yu Yeon finally brought out the words he had been holding back. “Soon, I will be having a duel with you, Patron.”
“I suppose so.” The tournament bracket was set up that way. But why was he bringing this up?
“…At that time…”
“At that time?”
“…I hope that you will fight me properly, Patron.”
“Hmm?”
Surprised by his words, I stared at Yu Yeon. What was this guy talking about?
“…What are you suddenly talking about?”
“I came to ask that you give your all in the duel.”
“Hmm.”
Did he think this duel was a joke? I was always serious. I was about to say that, but I closed my mouth for a moment after seeing Yu Yeon’s eyes.
This guy was serious. His intensely firm eyes were filled with an unidentifiable heat. Seeing that, I clicked my tongue and scratched the back of my neck. It was a look that made me reluctant to give a half-hearted answer.
“…Hey.”
This time, I dropped the playful tone.
“Yes.”
“You'll die.”
“…!”
My answer made Yu Yeon’s shoulders tremble.
“It'd be one thing if your body was fine. What kind of bullshit declaration of war is this in your state? Are you crazy?”
“…This is nothing. I can do it.”
“What is this shitty bald-headed weakling talking about?”
“....”
Perhaps because the words were so harsh, Yu Yeon’s expression hardened. Even seeing that, I didn't stop.
“That's not something you can just ask for. It will depend on your actions.”
“…It depends on my actions?”
“Make me fight you seriously. Then I'll give you what you want.”
“...”
I didn't know why Yu Yeon was suddenly making such a request, but since it seemed he was at least sincere, I gave him a proper answer. If you want to see my full strength, then act in a way that forces me to show it. That's what I meant.
And as if he understood my meaning, Yu Yeon’s eyes burned with even more heat.
“I understand. I will show you, just as you've said, Patron.”
Woong.
‘Hmm.’
As he spoke, a sensation brushed against my heart. My fighting spirit had reacted to Yu Yeon’s resolve.
“Today. I will defeat you, Patron.”
I smirked at Yu Yeon’s words. “Go ahead and try.”
“...”
No more words were exchanged. Yu Yeon bowed his head respectfully, and as soon as he finished his greeting, he turned and walked away.
What was with that guy? Did he really come all this way just to say that? To ask me to fight seriously when we duel?
‘Did that monk eat too many dumplings and go crazy?’
It was enough to make me think that. And that wasn't the only strange part.
‘What is it?’
I thought as I watched Yu Yeon’s retreating back. There was something subtly bothering me. Honestly, it was nothing much. It was purely instinct. There was no reason for it, and no justification. If I had thought of it normally, I would have dismissed it as nonsense.
But I couldn't hold back and called out to the retreating Yu Yeon.
“By any chance.”
At my voice, Yu Yeon stopped walking.
“The tournament bracket ending up like this. Was that your doing?”
“...”
Hearing my words, Yu Yeon remained silent. A few seconds passed. After staying quiet like that, Yu Yeon finally replied.
“I do not know what you mean.”
Without turning his head, he answered and then started walking again. Yu Yeon grew more distant.
Watching him, I became certain.
“Haha. Look at this.”
It seems…
“It was his doing?”
It seemed I was right.