Chapter 109
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Flawless Imitation
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“What, no confidence?”
“No, it’s not that.”
As Yu Hyun suddenly tried to cover his eyes, Dang Sa-dog blinked in bewilderment.
Cover his eyes? What kind of nonsense was that?
The eyes were the most important thing in hidden weapons.
Of course, there were cases of launching them in the dark by relying on senses alone, but that was a realm only achievable by someone like his father, the head of the Tang Clan, Tang Cheon-hwa.
He could imitate it to some extent... but throwing a random pebble he’d just picked up was a different story altogether.
Hidden weapons were different from other weapons. They required a delicacy of touch that fools swinging any old sword around could never understand. Even the slightest difference in weight or shape could change the accuracy.
That was why Tang Clan warriors chose their hidden weapons early on and spent decades training and training to get familiar with them.
And now, to throw a pebble he’d just picked... with his eyes covered? What nonsense was that?
“Ah, when’s that guy who said he’d do it as squad leader coming? The kids have been waiting since earlier.”
“......”
“Got it, got it. We’ll skip the eye-covering. At this rate, we might as well do it in the afterlife.”
“......”
“You’re not gonna do it?”
Yu Hyun scowled in annoyance, and Dang Sa-dog bit his lip slightly, glanced at Nangong Seong’s position, then flicked his hand.
Ping! Pyut!
The stone flew swiftly, slicing a clump of grass above Nangong Seong’s head—who stood ten paces away—in half.
“Hoh! That’s quite the hidden weapon skill.”
“It’s the Tang Clan’s One Flash Blood.”
At Yu Hyun’s brief admiration, Dang Sa-dog puffed out his chest proudly.
*I know, you punk. I know way more than you, and I’m way more skilled.*
But right now, it was time to play dumb, not know-it-all.
*Let me show you my talent too. The talent that makes people misunderstand I’m copying martial arts perfectly after seeing them just once.*
“Like this with the hand...?”
“Haha, it’s not something you can imitate just because it looks amazing. The Tang Clan’s hidden weapons may seem easy, but...”
Ping! Pyushut!
“......!”
Dang Sa-dog, who had been shaking his head dismissively while ignoring Yu Hyun, suddenly had to doubt his own eyes.
*Th, that’s One Flash Blood?*
“Now, one to one.”
“......H-how did you...?”
Dang Sa-dog stared in shock, but Yu Hyun didn’t even answer and beckoned to Nangong Seong and Gae Du-sin.
“My turn first.”
Pyut!
Yu Hyun moved his hand toward Gae Du-sin, who had stepped back fifteen paces, and the grass was sliced in half.
Dang Sa-dog couldn’t believe what he’d seen with his own eyes.
No matter how he looked at it, it was One Flash Blood. Perfectly clean, without any excess motion.
“How on earth do you know One Flash Blood?!”
Dang Sa-dog glared with bulging eyes, and Yu Hyun smirked.
“I copied it. What’s the problem?”
“What?”
*C-copied it?*
And during that, Yu Hyun’s eyes had been fixed on him. Meaning he hadn’t even looked at Gae Du-sin.
Not only did he know One Flash Blood, but he’d succeeded with senses alone?
*L-luck...?*
“No way you’re admitting defeat already?”
“Eek!”
Dang Sa-dog’s face twisted, and he quickly spun his wrist.
One to two, three to three...
It kept ending in draws, and the distance grew farther and farther.
Dang Sa-dog grew increasingly anxious at Yu Hyun’s leisurely display of hitting every target without even looking.
At this rate, anyone would see it as his defeat, wouldn’t they?
Time passed, and before long, the distance had stretched to forty paces.
Pyut!
Yu Hyun’s stone, as always, precisely sliced half of the grass clump above Gae Du-sin’s head...
Pueok!
“Kraaak!”
Nangong Seong clutched his head and collapsed.
“Match over! Congrats on becoming a squad member.”
“......”
“Now, I’m going for a stroll, so you three pull up all the grass.”
Dang Sa-dog stared blankly at Yu Hyun, who grinned brightly and strolled off casually, then slumped powerlessly to the ground.
“......M-me? I, the Hidden Dragon Dang Sa-dog, lost?”
As he muttered in a dazed face, Nangong Seong—his head cracked open—started bellowing.
“Let go! I’m gonna kill that two-faced bastard!”
“Calm down, calm down. It was the expected result from the start.”
Gae Du-sin grabbed the raging Nangong Seong from behind and tried to console him.
“Shut up, you beggar scum!”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Who’d have thought that wimp’s hidden weapons were *that* pathetic?”
One side was criticism, the other veiled mockery, but Dang Sa-dog couldn’t say a word.
He’d lost. Completely...
“But the duel’s over—why haven’t you paid up?”
“Huh? Now that you mention it?”
At Nangong Seong’s grumbling, Gae Du-sin pondered briefly and nodded.
“Hmm, right. That must be it.”
“......?”
“Seong.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t you get it, seeing as the squad leader even vacated the spot for us?”
“What?”
“This is the squad leader’s grand intention.”
“What’s that mean?”
“New member training... has always been done by the seniors.”
“Ah!”
As Gae Du-sin gripped his green bamboo staff and stepped forward first, Nangong Seong’s face darkened with realization at the impending head-smack enlightenment.
*I see. This is Uncle’s consideration for me, with my cracked head.*
As they approached, Dang Sa-dog—floundering in the swamp of defeat—snapped to his senses and flailed his hands in panic.
“Hey, wh-what are you guys doing all of a sudden?”
“Shut up, you rookie punk!”
“You’re dead today!”
“W-wait a sec! You bastards... Kuaaaak!”
That day, the Hidden Dragon Dang Sa-dog—who had carried the Tang Clan’s great expectations—joined the Latent Dragon Squad as the third member amid a thorough hazing ritual.
* * *
“Why’s your face like that?”
The next day, as Yu Hyun—dressed and ready after hearing the Grand Strategist had summoned him—tilted his head at Dang Sa-dog, who was waiting ahead of time.
Nangong Seong’s head wrapped in bandages made sense since it got cracked yesterday, but why this guy’s face?
Eyes all black and blue, bloody rag stuffed in his nose...
“These punks beat me up.”
“What?”
“They called it new member training!”
“......”
“Does this even make sense? In this day and age, beating someone up just for joining late?!”
“Hmm.”
“It’s a entrenched evil! A total abuse of power! You gotta discipline them and straighten out the squad’s discipline. These are the future elites from each sect who’ll become Latent Dragon Squad members—how can we protect the peace and safety of the martial world like this?!”
Dang Sa-dog vented his grievances at the top of his lungs with an indignant expression.
The fact that he called him “Squad Leader” and spoke respectfully meant he’d cleanly accepted the bet’s outcome...
“They both ganged up on you?”
“No, not that. Don’t know what they ate to get so strong, but they used to be about equal to me, and suddenly...”
“Hmm, really?”
“Yeah. So please punish them quick. How can a noble-born from a prestigious sect, a Beggars’ Sect disciple upholding justice, bully the weak like this?”
“Hmm, so you lost one-on-one anyway?”
“Yeah! They took turns beating me, I’m telling you!”
“I see.”
As Yu Hyun nodded calmly and glanced at the two, Gae Du-sin and Nangong Seong—who’d been glaring at Dang Sa-dog—flinched and shrank back.
“You kids.”
“Yes?”
“Were you all about equal before?”
At Yu Hyun’s sudden question, Nangong Seong glanced around before answering.
“Th-that cocky wimp was a bit ahead, but I won about eight out of ten times.”
“Order?”
“Huh?”
“What was the skill order?”
“W-well... not a huge gap, but among us three, Sa-dog, then Du-sin, then me.”
“Hmm, yeah?”
“But how...?”
“......”
Yu Hyun smiled faintly at Nangong Seong’s answer.
Dang Sa-dog. As the Tang Clan’s son, he’d undergone grueling training.
He probably hadn’t skipped daily qi circulation morning and night, training to his limits every day under good instruction.
Especially in the ruthless Tang Clan, which showed no mercy even to blood kin—the intensity wouldn’t be light.
Yet they’d beaten him one-on-one. And whereas Dang Sa-dog used to be a bit stronger before, now they were far ahead.
In other words, his training was effective.
It went without saying that Nangong Seong—who he’d met first and trained in the Seven Emotions, even glimpsing qi temporarily—was the strongest. Even Gae Du-sin, whom he’d taught the Drunken Eight Immortals Steps and Striking Staff Method to, had surpassed Dang Sa-dog.
“Um, Uncle? The reason we did that to Sa-dog...”
Nangong Seong and Gae Du-sin, watching Yu Hyun deep in thought with anxious eyes, started making excuses.
*You’ve personally shown the effects of my training—why make excuses, you punks?*
“You punks!”
“Yes?”
“Yessir!”
“You’ve gotten stronger.”
“......Yes?”
“Very impressive. Seeing your progress fills my chest with pride.”
“Th-thank you. It’s all thanks to your guidance, Uncle.”
“That’s right. Without the Squad Leader looking after our martial arts, it’d have been impossible.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
As they bowed their heads in thanks, Yu Hyun clasped his hands behind his back like a seasoned master and spoke gently.
“Still, go easy.”
“......”
“I know you kids, so I won’t think you bullied him for no reason. But you should’ve considered the situation. We’re about to meet the higher-ups—look at that face?”
“......?”
“If you’re gonna enforce discipline in the future, pick spots that don’t show.”
Instead of scolding them, Yu Hyun even patted their shoulders, and Dang Sa-dog scrunched up his puffy-eyed face.
*Not only no scolding, but encouragement? Praising us for beating him good now?*
*And telling us to hit non-facial spots next time? What kind of squad leader is this?*
“Gimiya.”
“......Yes? What?”
At the unfamiliar word, Dang Sa-dog—seized by righteous fury—blinked in confusion.
*What’re you staring at? You’re Gimiya from now on.*
*Du-sin’s Ssibul-i, and you’re Gimiya.*
“Don’t you feel wronged?”
“......”
“Then get stronger. Get strong enough not to get hit, problem solved.”
“......”
Dang Sa-dog stared blankly at Yu Hyun’s back as he patted his shoulder—encouraging yet not—and walked on.
“Now, let’s go. The higher-ups are waiting.”
“Yes!”
Nangong Seong, thrilled by the unexpected praise, hurried after Yu Hyun.
Paaak!
“Kuk!”
“What? Didn’t you hear the Squad Leader? Rookie acting all slow...”
Dang Sa-dog’s face twisted viciously at Gae Du-sin’s infuriating back as he smacked the back of his head hard and strode ahead.
*This damn...*
But wait, what did he say earlier?
“H-hey, Du-sin!”
“Call me senior, punk! As the saying goes, even one day earlier makes you the big brother—latecomer talking back like that?”
“......”
*Ah, wanna rip that mouth off. Damn beggar.*
*One day earlier makes us same age, not brother! By that logic, my birthday’s way before yours!*
“S-senior?”
“Yeah, junior.”
“What was that earlier?”
“What?”
“Th-that you learned martial arts?”
“Oh, that?”
“......”
“Seong’s a bit different, but I’m learning Beggars’ Sect martial arts.”
“......”
Dang Sa-dog blinked at Gae Du-sin’s words.
*What obvious crap is this beggar spouting like it’s profound?*
*Beggars learn Beggars’ Sect arts, not Huashan arts?*
“The Squad Leader’s guidance is amazing every time I see it.”
“Huh? What?”
“What?”
“The Squad... Leader taught you?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Why what? Serve him well. You might learn a Tang Clan technique and skyrocket in skill.”
“......What? So the Squad Leader knows Tang Clan martial arts?”
“Nope.”
“Huh?”
“He doesn’t now, but he will. Depending on your effort.”
“......What?!”
*Has this beggar skipped begging lately and gone nuts with philosophy or Buddhism? Spouting nonsense like Zen koans?*
“You on drugs lately?”
“What bullshit?”
“No... otherwise, how could you say such crazy...”
“Tsk tsk. Who could expect you to understand? One piece of advice: trust the Squad Leader unconditionally!”
“......”
“Be loyal! From experience, never question orders! Then martial arts grow, merits pile up!”
“......”
“Anyway, work hard. Who knows? You might fulfill your lifelong dream of making that near-recluse Mancheonhwau from the Tang Clan come true with your own hands?”
“What’s that...?”
Leaving Dang Sa-dog—who still didn’t get it and just stared blankly—Gae Du-sin ran ahead and buddy-buddy shoulder-poked Nangong Seong.
*This lunatic—what’s he babbling? Explain properly...*
“Hey! Hurry up!”
“Huh? Y-yeah!”
At the sharp call from his big senior Nangong Seong, Dang Sa-dog snapped out of it and chased after.
He still didn’t know what was what, but for now, adaptation was key.