Chapter 321
Chapter 321
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 321
Chapter Title: A Public Challenge
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As he had predicted, the traps continued.
The moment the Energy-Scattering Powder was released, the sick old men would suddenly unleash swift sword techniques or throw hidden weapons, attempting all sorts of ambushes.
But with their level of skill, they couldn't touch a single hair on Cheon-geom’s head, not when he was on high alert and had steeled his resolve.
He treated the elderly with his senses heightened to their absolute peak, and at the slightest hint of anything unusual, he would immediately flee the hut.
“To have gathered this many elderly people… It must be Jeok-cheon-mak-ji.”
Leaving the thirtieth house he had visited, Cheon-geom nodded his head as if he had realized something.
A group of elderly people composed of such high-caliber demonic masters could only be Jeok-cheon-mak-ji.
“I should have at least caught one of them.”
But their traps and escape routes were far too meticulous.
Even with Cheon-geom’s martial arts, he couldn't catch them. Just when he thought he had cornered one, they would vanish like a ghost.
“Well, it’s no use. I just need to focus on the treatments.”
A corner of Cheon-geom’s mouth lifted into a smirk.
In just a few more days, he would have visited all the elderly in the Heungsan area.
―I heard that Cheon-geom, who became a Grand Commander of the Murim Alliance, went to Heungsan alone to treat the elderly afflicted with a strange disease.
Fortunately, rumors of his treatments had begun to spread throughout the Murim.
To use one’s own internal energy to heal complete strangers, especially those in a remote mountain village.
For a martial artist, that was no simple feat.
Consuming true qi for treatment meant one had to recover that energy through closed-door cultivation.
―Cheon-geom. He truly seeks to save the common people.
As rumors of Cheon-geom healing commoners with his internal energy circulated, the public’s perception of him as a madman changed in an instant.
He was now praised as an exceptionally righteous figure, his actions a model for all members of the Orthodox Faction.
Individuals are clever, but the masses are foolish.
The majority opinion is always shaped and swayed by rumors and public sentiment.
“Is it done now?”
The rumors had spread sufficiently throughout the Murim, and he had treated most of the sick elderly.
At this point, he could return to the Murim Alliance with the negative sentiment against him somewhat quelled.
“This is the last one.”
Having covered the entire Heungsan area, Cheon-geom had only one small village left.
Once he treated the elderly here, everything would be over.
He had consumed a fair amount of true qi, but it was a level he could recover from without issue after about a month of seclusion.
“Excuse me.”
After explaining his purpose once again, Cheon-geom took the old man’s pulse.
Upon careful examination, he was thankfully an ordinary old man, and there was no sense of anything suspicious.
“Then I shall treat you.”
Just as Cheon-geom was about to place his hand on the man’s Myeongmun acupoint to infuse his true qi, the man spoke.
“Trying everything you can to save your strength, I see.”
The reclining old man let out a low sigh.
In that instant, a spark ignited in Cheon-geom’s eyes.
‘This one is also one of Jeok-cheon-mak-ji’s old men.’
Enraged, Cheon-geom sent a palm strike flying, his expression one of pure annoyance, instead of injecting his true qi.
*Fwoong!*
The old man’s body shot through the door and was thrown outside.
But something was strange.
The sensation on his palm had been oddly soft, and the old man, who should have been fleeing, was lying on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
‘Don’t tell me!’
An ominous premonition struck Cheon-geom, and he immediately examined the old man’s body.
‘He’s wearing a Protective Garment.’
Beneath his outer clothes was another layer of lustrous fabric.
He had been wearing a Protective Garment, capable of absorbing impact, in advance.
Despite this, the old man’s face was pale, and his body trembled ceaselessly.
Sensing something was wrong, Cheon-geom immediately took the old man’s pulse again.
‘An elixir, too?’
Not only was he wearing a Protective Garment, but he had also consumed an elixir that could strengthen and protect his internal organs.
Because of this, the old man wasn't severely injured by Cheon-geom’s palm strike. However, the area he was struck was bruised blue, and he had sustained some internal injuries.
“P-please, spare me.”
The old man, unable to move, rubbed his hands together, trembling in fear.
“I only said what I was told to say.”
Cheon-geom brought his face close to the old man’s and asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“A month ago, a certain warrior gave me a large sum of money, good medicine, and fine clothes.”
The old man continued his story, still trembling on the ground.
“He said that when the time came for me to feel sick due to the medicine’s effects, he would send someone to treat me…”
The old man, unable to meet Cheon-geom’s gaze, gasped for breath as he spoke.
“In return, he made me promise to say, ‘Trying everything you can to save your strength, I see,’ when my pulse was being taken…”
As he continued to speak, the old man finally succumbed to fear and pain, fainting.
Even with an elixir and a Protective Garment, he couldn't completely block Cheon-geom’s strike.
‘Damn it!’
In that moment, Cheon-geom’s eyes blazed with fire.
Only then did he realize he had fallen into a trap.
‘If word spreads that I harmed a commoner… all my efforts until now will be for nothing!’
Just as Cheon-geom was about to inject his true qi to heal the old man completely, a voice called out.
“Grand Commander Cheon.”
At that moment, a middle-aged man in ornate martial robes descended from the sky, followed by dozens of martial artists.
It was none other than Jeong Il-ryong, the Head of the Murim Alliance’s Inspection Hall, and his subordinates.
“What in the world are you doing?”
For a moment, Cheon-geom was at a loss for words.
On the surface of the Protective Garment the old man wore, the mark of the Sword Venerable’s unique palm technique, the Wandering Hidden Heaven Palm, was vividly imprinted.
“This is a trap.”
“A trap?”
“Look. What kind of old man living in a place like this would have the money to wear such an expensive Protective Garment?”
Jeong Il-ryong’s brow furrowed deeply as he spoke.
“An old man living in a place like this?”
“Um, what I mean is…”
Cheon-geom disliked the arrogant look in Jeong Il-ryong’s eyes, but he held his tongue and explained the situation.
The Head of the Inspection Hall was the type to live and die by the word ‘evidence,’ so the circumstances of the man wearing this garment should be enough to prove his innocence.
“So, what brings you here?”
At Cheon-geom's question, Jeong Il-ryong sighed and replied.
“According to our Hall’s intelligence, the recent strange disease in Heungsan is someone’s deliberate conspiracy.”
“That’s right. It’s…”
“They say you intentionally caused the disease to restore your reputation.”
Cheon-geom’s eyebrow twitched.
“Are you saying I did such a thing?”
Jeong Il-ryong remained silent for a moment before speaking coldly.
“Our investigation revealed that the elderly were not suffering from a strange disease, but from the side effects of an elixir.”
“…”
“And you, Grand Commander, were not treating them but merely injecting a minuscule amount of true qi to alleviate their symptoms.”
“That’s…”
Jeong Il-ryong cut Cheon-geom off and continued.
“As if you were trying to publicize your good deeds to the Murim without consuming much of your own energy.”
“…”
“And now, as if that weren't enough, you attack a commoner and then treat him?”
Cheon-geom, who had been listening quietly, suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha!”
He finally understood.
All this time, he had been flailing about, caught in a meticulous trap laid by Bu Eun-seol.
He realized that no matter how much he explained, it would be useless.
The board had already been set with exquisite precision.
“Haa.”
After laughing like a madman for a long while, Cheon-geom suddenly sighed and shook his head.
“Is the Murim Alliance really filled with nothing but blockheads?”
In an instant, a sharp glint flashed in Jeong Il-ryong’s eyes.
“What did you just say?”
“If you’re the Head of the Inspection Hall, shouldn’t you be investigating more thoroughly, like a proper Head of the Inspection Hall?”
Cheon-geom said with a sneer.
“To think the Head himself would mobilize after being played by the Demonic Cult’s scheme. What’s the source of your information? Are you sure you checked it properly?”
“Grand Commander Cheon. You are far too reckless.”
Jeong Il-ryong pointed to a female inspection agent standing behind him.
It was Jongjeong-yak, the Law Enforcement Captain who had once investigated Dangli Muk’s corruption alongside Bu Eun-seol.
“Are you suggesting a member of our Hall is a pawn of the Demonic Cult?”
“And the source of the information?”
“It was Jeok-cheon-mak-ji. One of my own agents investigated it directly.”
“See? It’s an elaborate trap, isn’t it? Can’t you tell just by looking? They even concealed the source of the information with a second layer.”
At Cheon-geom’s words, Jeong Il-ryong’s gaze grew increasingly sharp.
“If everything you’ve said so far is true, then you would have known it was a trap from the beginning, wouldn’t you?”
“That’s right. Is your head finally starting to work?”
“Then why didn’t you contact the Alliance? You should have sought a way out of the trap, so why did you continue with the treatments?”
“That’s… well, I mean.”
Cheon-geom ran a hand through his hair and fell silent.
Even he had to admit that his own words were full of holes.
“Grand Commander Cheon.”
Jeong Il-ryong spoke with gravity.
“The Grand Commanders of the Murim Alliance hold immense authority, but with that comes great responsibility.”
“So?”
“You should have conducted yourself in a manner befitting your station.”
“Hehehe. Hahahaha!”
Listening quietly, Cheon-geom erupted into manic laughter instead.
“It’s because you have this needlessly complicated system that the Murim Alliance never makes any progress. Do you get it?”
“Cheon-geom!”
“Enough. I know I’m in the wrong anyway.”
Cheon-geom abruptly stopped laughing, shrugged his shoulders, and said.
“As for the title of Grand Commander of the Murim Alliance, I’ll be the one to throw it away.”
And without hesitation, he spun around.
“Cheon-geom!”
Despite Jeong Il-ryong’s shout, Cheon-geom paid him no mind and walked away.
He stared at the distant sky and clenched his fists so tightly they could have crumbled.
“From now on, I’ll play for real, Bu Eun-seol.”
***
A strange rumor circulated through the Murim.
Cheon-geom, the disciple of the Sword Venerable. The peerless martial prodigy who had secretly roamed the Jianghu and earned the moniker of the Righteous Sword’s Divine Eye…
The rumor spreading rapidly was that he was, in fact, not of sound mind and was furthermore a wicked person.
―They say his treatments in Heungsan were just a smokescreen.
―I know, right? Worried about consuming his internal energy, he didn't actually heal them, just used enough to alleviate the symptoms.
―And on top of that, he intentionally attacked and then healed someone? A sick old man, at that.
The reputation of Cheon-geom, the Righteous Sword's Divine Eye who had shaken the Murim, didn’t take long to hit rock bottom.
Cheon-geom had been far too confident in himself.
He believed in his superior martial arts, and he believed in his own clever mind.
But one cannot live in this world alone.
And to break a system, one must first learn to adapt to it.
Just like the successor of the Demonic Cult, Bu Eun-seol.
Now, Cheon-geom had no options left.
All that remained was a direct confrontation with Bu Eun-seol.
But, like the madman he was, Cheon-geom began to do something bizarre once more.
―Bu Eun-seol. I challenge you.
Cheon-geom boldly declared his fight with Bu Eun-seol to the entire Murim.
―If you have the courage, let us face each other on the night of the full moon of the eighth month, at Mount Taejeong’s Seokgwangpyeong, and settle this with a proper duel!
Mount Taejeong was a mountain of bones—composed of rock and stone—and at its base lay a vast, open area of solid bedrock.
This place was called Seokgwangpyeong, and it was large enough to hold several thousand people.
Cheon-geom’s final gambit.
It was a public challenge meant to shed his current infamy and once again gain immense renown.
―Ooh!
The martial artists of the Murim were ecstatic.
Bu Eun-seol, the successor of the Demonic Cult, who had risen to the position of aide to the Four Shin and Seven Wang at a young age and inherited the direct lineage of the Nang-ya-gak.
He was the greatest prodigy of the Demonic Path and was, in effect, considered the top next-generation master among the young martial artists.
But who was Cheon-geom?
Was he not the man who had perfectly mastered the Sword Venerable’s Myriad Phenomena in One Style, hailed as the second coming of the Sword Venerable?
A public duel between two new-generation masters, a sight one might see only once in a lifetime, was about to unfold!
―Let’s go! To Seokgwangpyeong!
Without a second thought, martial artists from all corners began to pack their bags.
Bu Eun-seol and Cheon-geom.
To witness the clash between these two peerless prodigies, they all headed for Seokgwangpyeong.
***
Jam-ma-gak Hall meeting room.
“That madman is using his head to the very end.”
Yu Un-ryong, sitting on a bookshelf, said as if spitting out the words.
“If he wins after making such a public challenge, he’ll be able to wash away all his current disgrace in one fell swoop.”
He clenched his fist and spoke in a cold voice.
“Getting excited over the strong. That’s just the nature of the Murim.”
Myo Cheon-u, who had been listening silently, also nodded.
“Or, even if he loses, it could be a ploy to reveal your martial prowess and methods to the Orthodox Faction.”
He paused for a moment before continuing.
“Or perhaps he intends to paint you as a cruel demon.”
Bu Eun-seol’s goal was to end Cheon-geom’s life to hold him accountable for the cruel murder of Yeong Mun-ho.
But to the martial artists of the Murim, who were unaware of the grudge between them, Bu Eun-seol suddenly unleashing killing techniques might not be understood.
If that happened, it could brand him as a cruel demon in their eyes.
“That doesn't matter, does it?”
Yu Un-ryong shook his head.
“Whether it’s a duel or something else, killing an enemy in a fair and square fight is a common occurrence.”
“That may be so.”
Myo Cheon-u stroked his chin.
“But a public duel is what worries me. The reason such duels have disappeared from the Murim is that there’s too much room for trickery.”
“Hmm.”
“One could receive instructions via telepathy during the fight or use hidden weapons. In the worst-case scenario, someone could even interfere with the match.”
“Surely he wouldn’t resort to such methods. A disciple of the Sword Venerable?”
Myo Cheon-u shook his head.
“That man is a madman. If he were the type to care about honor in the first place, he wouldn’t have used a method that keeps his victims alive to die in agony.”
“Hmph.”
Yu Un-ryong fell silent at Myo Cheon-u’s words.
Bu Eun-seol was the successor to the Demonic Cult.
A public fight was unlikely to be to his advantage.
Moreover, having ascended to the rank of the Four Shin and Seven Wang, countless masters would challenge him in the future.
If he revealed his trump card publicly, his enemies would surely devise countermeasures.
*Creak.*
Just then, the door opened, and Bu Eun-seol entered.
As if waiting for him, Yu Un-ryong spoke.
“Bu Eun-seol, Cheon-geom’s martial prowess is not to be underestimated. In this duel, your hand could be revealed.”
He paused for a moment, his expression serious.
“His reputation has already hit rock bottom. There will be plenty of opportunities to kill him in the future. There’s no need to accept that bastard’s challenge.”
But Bu Eun-seol simply gazed out the window, offering no reply.
Finally, unable to watch any longer, Myo Cheon-u also spoke up.
“He has nothing to lose. But you…”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Bu Eun-seol.”
“It’s fine.”
Bu Eun-seol said with a confident expression.
“The things you’re worried about will absolutely not happen.”
“How? For starters, your sword techniques will be clearly exposed.”
“I will take the Ice Soul Sword.”
Bu Eun-seol stated calmly.
“Using the Ice Soul Sword will allow me to conceal the changes in my techniques to some extent.”
The Ice Soul Sword had two unique characteristics.
When infused with internal energy and swung, a chilling cold air would spread from the blade like mist, and when it reflected moonlight, the blade would become transparent.
It wouldn't matter to the combatants, who could see the trajectory of the sword qi.
But for those watching from a distance, they wouldn't be able to properly comprehend the changes in the Ice Soul Sword's techniques.
As it happened, the Heavenly Demon had bestowed upon Bu Eun-seol the perfect sword for such a duel.
“Besides, my sword style is not a fixed form. If the enemy’s sword is strong, my sword becomes stronger.”
Bu Eun-seol stated calmly.
“As long as they don’t understand the sword intent of the Mu-sang-cheon-ryu, they could watch my techniques change a hundred, even a thousand times, and still never be able to break through my swordsmanship.”
“Then there’s no need to take the Ice Soul Sword, is there?”
Myo Cheon-u, who was listening, said.
“Using a new, unfamiliar sword in a duel like this would be a disadvantage.”
He had a point.
All swordsmen have a favored sword they primarily use, and Bu Eun-seol’s Muk-geom was already in a state of Sword and Hand as One with his arm.
“No, I will take the Ice Soul Sword.”
“Hm?”
“There is a reason I must use it.”
A smile graced Bu Eun-seol’s lips.
Yu Un-ryong and Myo Cheon-u looked at each other, then nodded as if they had no choice.
“Understood.”
Yu Un-ryong said with a deep breath.
“Then I will announce that you accept the challenge.”
Bu Eun-seol was not only brilliant but also prepared for various situations.
It was unlikely that he, blinded by vengeance, would make a mistake.
Since he guaranteed that such a thing wouldn't happen, it truly wouldn't.
All this time, Bu Eun-seol had sown countless seeds to bring down Cheon-geom without clashing with the Murim Alliance.
And now, it was time to harvest the fruits of his labor.