He Brought It Upon Himself
The Cheonun Sect's victory. The news shook all of Taibai Peak to its roots. Those waiting at the mountain's foot doubted their own ears the instant they heard the result — and in the next breath, the place erupted into a cauldron of frenzy.
"Good god, the Cheonun Sect took first in the hunting tournament? Has the sun risen in the west? Who even won?"
"No idea! The strongest Cheonun disciple this year was Wang Maeng, and he was lying collapsed at the foot of the mountain!"
Soon a more detailed report arrived: this year's hunting champion, first place, was none other than Yeop Pung.
"Yeop Pung? Who's Yeop Pung?"
Every face in the crowd went blank. No one had ever heard the name. Only those who kept close to the Gi family had vaguely overheard Gi disciples mentioning him in passing. He was nothing more than an ordinary inner disciple of the Cheonun Sect. How had someone like that seized the championship in a single stroke?
People began to stir. Everyone talked of Yeop Pung with one voice. Every feat of his in the hunting tournament spread from mouth to mouth until it became the hottest topic in the land. Who was Yeop Pung? What martial arts did he use? How had he defeated Sa Cheonseong? In the blink of an eye, the name Yeop Pung was known throughout all of Fengsang Commandery.
"Aaagh! It hurts! It hurts!"
That night, screams rang through the Cheonun Sect's encampment. Elder Han Un, the remaining five escorting elders, Wang Maeng, Yo Yeong-chun, Mo Soo-mi, and several others were huddled outside Peak Master Maeng's tent. They listened to the shrieks from within, torn between pity and the struggle not to laugh.
So it turned out... even that death-defying little devil felt pain.
Inside the tent, Maeng Chang-haeng looked down at Yeop Pung, who was pouring with cold sweat, and coldly curled the corner of his mouth. His hands were using Profound Qi to join Yeop Pung's completely shattered leg bones.
"So now you know what pain is? Hmph. You looked mighty brave when you charged at Sa Cheonseong!"
Crunch!
He put force into his hands, and Yeop Pung screamed again.
"Aaaagh! Grand Martial Uncle, please be gentle! I didn't die on Sa Cheonseong's spear, but I'm going to die at your hands!"
Yeop Pung forced a smile as he spoke. His handsome face had gone deathly pale, but his mind was still clear. The injuries to his right arm and right leg, however, were far too severe. Even with the Cheonun Sect's healing medicines, he would have no choice but to lie still for a month or two.
"As if!"
Maeng Chang-haeng's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Aren't you our Hero Yeop? How could a little scratch like this do anything to you? You're taking the joke too far."
Crunch!
The sound of bones being set rang out once more. Yeop Pung's face looked as if he were about to cry.
"No more!"
He grabbed Maeng Chang-haeng's large hands, his expression pleading.
"Grand Martial Uncle, please stop. I'll tell you everything!"
"Hmph!"
Maeng Chang-haeng's face said, You should have done that from the start. He swept his hand to raise a soundproof barrier and asked Yeop Pung with a serious look.
"Tell me. How did you know about that path behind Taibai Peak? You've never even climbed it. How did you know there was a road?"
"And what about those Furious Golden Apes? Don't tell me you're going to call that a coincidence — that the apes just happened to help you hold off the Military Supply Bureau?"
"And at the end, when you clashed with Sa Cheonseong, you were clearly slower than him. How did you strike his fist so precisely? Even I couldn't see it properly. Come on. One by one. We've got plenty of time today."
The questions poured out of him like a rapid-fire barrage. Maeng Chang-haeng was no fool. Everything that had happened until now remained vivid in his mind. Just because he hadn't said anything to Yeop Pung didn't mean he harbored no suspicions. Yeop Pung's performance in the Ascent Battle had been far too strange.
Yeop Pung gave a bitter smile inwardly. If he couldn't explain himself properly today, Maeng Chang-haeng would never let this go. Even the Cheonun Sect behind him might no longer support and cultivate him as they had before. No one wanted to raise a child whose heart they couldn't read. What if they raised him only for him to grow into an ungrateful wretch?
Having organized his thoughts, Yeop Pung no longer hid behind anything. He looked at Maeng Chang-haeng with a serious expression.
"Grand Martial Uncle, do you trust me?"
"Don't waste my time with nonsense."
Maeng Chang-haeng waved his hand.
"And who the hell taught you the Nine Heavens Cloud-Spirit Scripture? Tell me everything today."
"I cannot tell you that."
Yeop Pung's voice was firm.
"I can only tell you this much, Grand Martial Uncle. Behind me, there is always a benefactor who silently guides me. He taught me the Nine Heavens Cloud-Spirit Scripture, and he told me about the path on Taibai Peak. The Furious Golden Apes were prepared by him as well."
"I made a promise with him — that I would never leak any secret concerning him. But one thing I can tell you with certainty: both he and I sincerely have the Cheonun Sect's best interests at heart. I beg you, Grand Martial Uncle. Please believe in my sincerity!"
This was as far as Yeop Pung could go. He himself had not yet fully grasped the Golden Disc's secrets. Even if he told the absurd story of transcending time and space, there was no way Maeng Chang-haeng would believe him. It would have been more plausible to say the founding ancestor had appeared in a dream and told him.
The tent fell deathly silent. Maeng Chang-haeng held Yeop Pung's calf, slowly stroking it with his fingers as he sank into thought.
After some time had passed, he nodded, then let out a long sigh.
"Yeop Pung, I've underestimated you far too much..."
Profound Qi gathered in his hands once more. This time, though, his manner was far gentler. He carefully soothed Yeop Pung's broken leg bones and spoke in a low voice.
"The thing I hate most is having to scheme and plot. Yeop Pung, because of you, I've used up every trick I've been saving for decades."
"Grand Martial Uncle, you're being far too modest. When it comes to scheming, I still have a long way to learn from you... Aaagh... No, that's not what I meant. Among all the elders I've met, you're the most pure-hearted and innocent..."
"Mm. I think so too... Yeop Pung, to be honest, no matter how much of the Nine Heavens Cloud-Spirit Scripture you knew, it was still within a range I could accept. But the things you showed this time made me uneasy. Even so, I'll believe in you!"
Maeng Chang-haeng looked Yeop Pung straight in the eye. His gaze was clearer than it had ever been.
"Damn it, I don't know why, but I believe you! Hahaha. Kid, I've liked you ever since you first came to Nagun Peak. Everyone's got a secret or two."
"Like I said that night — if you just took first place in the hunting tournament, I'd handle any big problem that came up. Same goes this time."
"But Yeop Pung, remember this. If you dare deceive me, even if I become a ghost, I won't forgive you. Understand?"
"Grand Martial Uncle..."
The sharp tongue that had turned the Cheonun Sect upside down was, for the first time, struck speechless. Maeng Chang-haeng's words were so sincere and powerful they drove into his chest like a nail. What more could he possibly say?
"Grand Martial Uncle, I, Yeop Pung, swear to the heavens..."
"Enough. I told you not to waste my time with nonsense! If these damn heavens had eyes, how would they have let our Cheonun Sect fall to this state... You need to treat those injuries properly. We've set the bones tonight, so don't rush it. Rest here, and let those fellows outside get some air. We'll return to the Cheonun Sect in three days."
"Understood, Grand Martial Uncle... But there's one thing I need to tell you."
"Hm? So you do have a conscience. Go on."
"Are you sure you set the bones correctly? My leg feels a bit... crooked..."
"You little brat! I'm the finest physician in the entire Cheonun Sect, how could I— huh. It really does look crooked... Han Un! Han Un! Get in here and take a look! This is my first time doing this, so I'm a bit rusty!"
Yeop Pung's mind was in complete chaos.
Three days later, a massive airship soared into the sky. Its destination was the Cheonun Sect.
The treatment Yeop Pung received this time was nothing like before. In the past he had sat alone in a corner of the airship, enduring the cold shoulders and mockery of everyone around him. But now? He was lying at ease on the top deck, basking in the warm sunlight, with Elder Han Un standing beside him, specially assigned as his caretaker.
Elder Han Un set aside all dignity as he tended to Yeop Pung, grinning from ear to ear. He poured tea and fed him meals as if caring for his own son. Yeop Pung was, if anything, embarrassed. Beside them, Wang Maeng, Yo Yeong-chun, Mo Soo-mi, and the others looked on with envious eyes.
What kind of treatment was this? Even a crown prince wouldn't receive such care. But their hearts, too, were full of joy. First place in the Autumn Hunt. The hero of Fengsang. That the Cheonun Sect would enjoy such glory after decades — people from other factions couldn't even imagine it.
For the past three days, every Cheonun Sect member walking at the foot of Taibai Peak had a halo radiating from their entire body. The hunting tournament participants who hadn't yet left all approached them to offer congratulations while trying to dig up information about Yeop Pung.
Never mind the others — Yo Yeong-chun had earned several hundred taels of silver just by rattling off useless stories about Yeop Pung from the Cheonun Sect. And that was the achievement of a fellow with no gift for words. Mo Soo-mi, standing beside him, had supposedly received dozens of spirit pills just from talking about Yeop Pung's type — a veritable rain of money.
Who would dare dislike Yeop Pung now? They were too busy grabbing onto his pant legs and clinging to him.
Among the countless crowd, the only person in a foul mood was Beom Undae. He was clearly a clever fellow. No — he still had some last shred of conscience, at least, since he hadn't tripped Yeop Pung up during the Ascent Battle. But he had never in his wildest dreams imagined that Yeop Pung would actually take first place in the hunting tournament.
How am I supposed to survive in the Cheonun Sect from now on? Yeop Pung is completely playing the big shot of the sect. If that guy goes back and decides to make trouble for me, my future is finished!
His prospects having grown bleak, he stood at the ship's rail, lonely, taking the wind.
The airship had flown for half a day and reached the entrance to Cheonun Sect territory when Yeop Pung suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Han Un beside him also changed color and lunged toward him.
"Watch out!"
CLANG!
A sword aura that could startle the heavens and shake the earth erupted into the sky, and the ship's cabin split cleanly in two. Then, with a crashing roar, the vessel shattered to pieces.
Damn it! What the hell is this?
Everyone was stunned speechless. In the midst of the wreckage, Maeng Chang-haeng, grinding his teeth, had seized the golden dog by the scruff of the neck. He unleashed a torrent of unprintable curses.
"You stupid mutt! I told you not to play around with this sword! What are we supposed to do now? How am I supposed to explain this when we get back?!"
Bone hung in midair, held by the scruff in Maeng Chang-haeng's grip. The dog wore an expression that seemed to look at Maeng Chang-haeng with pity. A pitch-black longsword was clenched in its jaws, but its eyes seemed to say to Yeop Pung:
Have you ever seen a dog play with a sword just because it was bored?
Grand Martial Uncle, if you're going to pin this on a scapegoat, you ought to pick a more convincing one!
But the next instant, everyone's gaze locked onto the sword clenched in Bone's mouth.