Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: One Nyang of Gold (1)
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"If you're going to do it, do it right."
With those words, I passed by Zhuge Seolji, Dang Ok-gi, and the Eon younger brothers one after another and entered the Dan River's Number One Inn.
"Follow me."
I grabbed a chair and headed to the backyard.
I figured if we fought in the front yard, rumors would spread everywhere, so I planned to hold a simple spar in the backyard.
The Eon younger brothers followed my actions without a word of complaint.
Zhuge Seolji huffed and puffed but trailed after us.
"……."
Dang Ok-gi seemed a bit hesitant, but as Zhuge Seolji moved, she followed reluctantly...
"Wh-what is this?!"
The moment we reached the backyard, she yanked Zhuge Seolji behind her with her left hand and extended her right in a defensive stance.
Ah, of course. One of the Sichuan Dang Family's mottos is 'The best defense is a good offense,' so Dang Ok-gi's 'defensive stance' meant drawing her hidden weapons to show them off.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The daggers that sprang from the slats of her held fan had blades that gleamed blue, and their vibrant colors suggested they were laced with all sorts of poisons.
Flick! Flick!
The leather strap wrapped around the wrist holding the fan had grooves that looked ready to spray toxic mist at any moment.
Something glinted briefly inside her sleeve, hinting that a fair number of needles could shoot out from there too.
- ...The Dang Family folks have always been like this. Not hedgehogs, but why do they carry around so many poisoned needles? Don't they ever prick themselves? Seems like they'd stab themselves putting on or taking off clothes.
Master clicked his tongue at the sight of Dang Ok-gi.
The Eon younger brothers drew their swords.
Shing! Shing!
Well, it wasn't incomprehensible on either side, so I stood between them and showed both sides my open palms.
"Whoa, whoa."
Our side had assassins visit last night, and the ones behind it were later-generation disciples unhappy with the entrance exam results.
Then, at this very moment, Zhuge Seolji—who was openly dissatisfied with me taking first place—shows up, so it wasn't unreasonable for the Eon younger brothers to bristle.
"Looks like there's been a misunderstanding between us."
Of course, having read the original story, I could understand Dang Ok-gi too.
'Dang Ok-gi was the cautious type.'
Not just her—all the people from the Sichuan Dang Family were like that.
Being a clan deeply versed in poison techniques, they faced subtle disdain in the orthodox martial world. Plus, as a family that handled medicines, there were occasional kidnappings or abductions of Dang Family members by those coveting their elixirs or medical arts.
'To prevent such incidents in advance, the Sichuan Dang Family made it clear: touch the Dang Family, and you'll regret it.'
To that end, they made thorough retaliation one of their mottos whenever someone targeted a Dang clansman.
The people of the world pointed fingers, calling the Dang Family vicious.
And the Sichuan Dang Family retaliated even more thoroughly.
'In that vicious cycle, they developed a family tradition of not trusting anyone unless bound by blood or marriage.'
Knowing Dang Ok-gi's temperament already, I could roughly guess what she was thinking right now.
'There's still a bit of bloody scent lingering around.'
The disciplinary unit's warriors had helped clean up last night, and we'd sprinkled water and swept diligently alongside them.
But the blood spilled by Haryu-bak's rabble wasn't negligible, so a fishy metallic tang still hung in the backyard air.
'My reputation as a notorious scoundrel.'
The Eon younger brothers who moved at my every word, plus the lingering bloody scent.
No doubt, a sinister trap laced with conspiracy had already sprung up in Dang Ok-gi's mind.
'What a coincidence all around.'
But this situation wasn't bad.
No, it was actually good.
'For one, Jeong-hyeon's eyes have changed a bit?'
Just moments ago, her eyes flickered with thoughts of 'Me? With Zhuge Seolji?' But thanks to Dang Ok-gi stepping up like that, any hesitation had vanished.
Right now, she seemed ready to bite if I said the word.
'And Dang Ok-gi...'
In her case, it was good for a different reason.
'I've been racking my brain for a way to put a mental burden on her, and she goes and acts rudely on her own?!'
In the martial world, there are many things to watch out for, but if I had to pick the trickiest to handle, it'd be poison without a doubt.
No matter how skilled a master, unless they've achieved complete immunity through some fortuitous encounter, poison is something they can't deal with.
It can take you out in an instant.
Or slowly poison you over time.
Or catch you off-guard while poisoned, preventing you from bringing your full strength to bear in ridiculous fashion.
Master that one thing—poison—and a martial artist's life expectancy jumps by at least thirty years.
'Dang Ok-gi is the key to handling that poison.'
Dang Ok-gi was the one who would create the Dang Family's long-cherished dream, the Myriad Poisons Pill.
And the Sichuan Dang Family's mottos were mostly ruthless, including one that went, 'Repay favors and grudges tenfold.'
Ah, of course.
Right now, it was just a minor misunderstanding, and not even an actual attack—just a threat—so it wasn't a huge debt.
'You can't fill your belly on the first bite.'
But if I used this chance to button the first one favorably, I'd get her help reaching the realms of Thousand Poisons Immunity and eventually Myriad Poisons Immunity before long.
As those thoughts ran through my head...
"I asked what this is all about."
Dang Ok-gi glared sharply, but she just looked like a cat facing a pot lid after being startled by a scarecrow.
I barely suppressed a laugh that threatened to escape.
Then, with an exaggerated sigh, I answered her question.
"...Hah. What is it? You came to my lodgings, threw a tantrum refusing to accept me as top scorer, so I offered you a chance. Didn't want eyes on us if we clashed in the front yard, so we came to the back. Have you forgotten we're candidate students?"
At my response, Dang Ok-gi shook her head with a serious expression.
"That's not what I mean. I'm asking about this blood smell."
"People like you came last night too. That's all I can tell you. If you want more, ask the academy. But why the sudden informal speech?"
"Th-that's because the blood smell hit suddenly and gave me the creeps... Anyway, we're cohorts, so what's the problem? Speak informally back?!"
"No."
"……."
"I said no."
"...S-so, you've talked to the academy about it... right?"
That was the moment.
The moment Dang Ok-gi's momentum deflated.
Zhuge Seolji, who had been scanning the surroundings from behind her, spoke up.
"Ok-gi. Looks like they cleared the ground after a fight. A brawl this big in Dan River District? The academy would've heard. And Lord Yong-un's attendant went to the academy about it, right? You were too oversensitive."
At Zhuge Seolji's words, Dang Ok-gi—her momentum fully broken—opened her mouth to apologize to me right away.
"S-sor... ."
But I didn't let her.
"No need for apologies. You must've jumped to conclusions based on my scoundrel reputation and imagined all sorts."
A single word won't settle the accounts.
"I won't forget how you repaid my consideration with rudeness."
We'll settle our debt bit by bit, Dang Ok-gi.
"So. What'll it be? You doing this or not?! I didn't even invite you two in the first place—why am I even bothering? If you want to leave, go. It's easier for us too."
Her earlier bravado gone, Dang Ok-gi clearly wanted to leave.
Not knowing the full story, but based on my attitude and Zhuge Seolji's prediction, she'd realized her assumption was wrong, and her conscience was starting to prick her.
But Zhuge Seolji stepped up.
"Not leaving. I want to beat Jeong-hyeon. Don't forget your promise from earlier?"
I nodded calmly.
Then I began setting up the conditions for Zhuge Seolji and Jeong-hyeon to face off.
The conditions weren't anything grand.
"No live blades."
I just had So-rung fetch wooden swords reinforced with iron cores from the armory,
and had Ha-seong fetch water with him to sprinkle a circular area, establishing the arena's dimensions.
"The ring will be this size. Lose by admitting defeat, exhaustion making continuation impossible, or stepping out of the circle. Any complaints?"
"None."
"Fine by me."
Just as everything was set and we were about to start...
Yin Xia Lian called out 'Hold on' and produced paper and a fine brush.
"Wouldn't it be more fun to bet if something's at stake, rather than just watching blankly?"
At Yin Xia Lian's words, Dang Ok-gi furrowed her brow.
"A bet?"
But Yin Xia Lian pressed on without backing down.
"Problem? I hear the Righteous Martial Academy runs official bets through reliable merchant groups during spring and fall dorm tournaments."
She was right.
Martial artists of all ages loved gambling, and the academy's inter-dorm tournaments officially featured bets mediated by trusted merchants under academy oversight.
So I spoke up.
"No reason not to. I'll bet one nyang of gold on Jeong-hyeon. Back out if you're scared, Lady Dang."
"...Sc-scared? One nyang on Zhuge Seolji!"
But then Yin Xia Lian stepped into territory I hadn't anticipated.
"Oh. Thinking about it, you two are wasting Lord Eon and our time right now. We need proper compensation. Ever heard of spectator fees?"
I mentally approved Yin Xia Lian's bold move as Dang Ok-gi blinked in surprise.
With all conditions set,
I looked at Jeong-hyeon and Zhuge Seolji lined up at the edge of the circle I'd drawn and shouted.
"Begin!"
They charged with their footwork, clashing blades at close range as the wooden swords rang out.
Clack!!!
Zhuge Seolji seized the early momentum.
Clack! Clack! Clack!!!
With elegant footwork reminiscent of a crane, Zhuge Seolji slipped into Jeong-hyeon's range and swung the Zhuge Family's signature sword technique, the Crouching Dragon Sword.
Crouching Dragon Sword.
Legend has it that Zhuge Seolji's ancestor, the great strategist Zhuge Liang—successor to Grand Preceptor Gehan—reforged the world's finest sword arts with his divine intellect to save a nation in peril, passing it down as a secret technique.
True to its name, Zhuge Seolji's swordplay was exquisite.
Clack! Clack!!! Clack clack clack!!!
I couldn't say how it looked to Master, who had glimpsed the pinnacle of Heaven-Splitting Sword, but to my eyes, the Crouching Dragon Sword was impressive enough.
'Now I see why the Zhuge Family never produced a world's greatest swordsman.'
The Zhuge Family, genius sword prodigies of the Murim Academy, were depicted like their counterparts in countless martial tales: a renowned house that produced grand strategists and academy heads generation after generation. But Zhuge Seolji was the first said to aim for the world's top.
I'd accepted it while reading the original, but now as a swordsman seeing it firsthand, I understood why.
'Like the sword's name—a dragon awaiting its time—perhaps it never met the right 'moment' until now?'
This wasn't a sword anyone could wield.
Amid flashy shifts between offense and defense, the subtleties unfolded exquisitely, different in texture from ordinary forms.
Typical sword forms felt like executing thousands of refined moves, but Zhuge Seolji's sword felt like mastering every possible sword path a human could take, then simply thrusting according to the situation.
To wield it required immense inner power and staggering computational ability at minimum.
And Zhuge Seolji was pulling it off.
'Genius is genius.'
As if proving this was her moment, Zhuge Seolji poured out her sword like a fish in water.
Clack!
But Jeong-hyeon was a genius too.
Well, Zhuge Seolji could probably apply that computational power elsewhere besides swordplay.
If you tossed just the two of them into the academy, no matter how many years, Jeong-hyeon would always outscore Zhuge Seolji academically.
But the sword.
Limited to swordsmanship alone, Jeong-hyeon was a genius beyond Zhuge Seolji's reach.
'The flow of time is different.'
How did I know?
Whatever it was, my 'insight' that Master mentioned seemed real. While spectating, instants suddenly stretched like eons.
And in this moment,
I realized Jeong-hyeon was experiencing this time too.
I sat still, mentally simulating my sword between them.
Something was about to become visible.