Monopolizing Fortunes (167)
Monopolizing Fortunes (167)
Won Dae-yeon told him the story involving Do Tong-dal. It was quite a long story, so the tea had gone cold, and Jo Seong-un listened attentively, just turning the cold teacup in his hands.
"That's a complicated story."
After the story ended, Jo Seong-un remained silent for a long while before speaking.
"It's also a bit insane."
"It is. Trying to fight Mount Hua Sect. But it is impressive. And I'm curious about this thug named Do Tong-dal. You want the Twelve Zodiac Shadows to serve under that thug, Senior Brother?"
"Only until the Revenge Society matter is finished. After that, even if you wanted to stay, Coordinator Do would refuse."
"That can't be. He's human too, so there's no way he'd refuse."
"Judge that for yourself after you meet him."
"What makes you so sure I'll go all the way to Luoyang?"
"You're curious, aren't you?"
"If I go, I might kill this Do Tong-dal. If he isn't worthy of having you under him, I will certainly do so."
Won Dae-yeon chuckled.
"Stop being so stubborn about staying beneath me."
"What?"
"Coordinator Do has that kind of power. A charm that draws people in."
"That will absolutely never happen."
"We'll see."
Won Dae-yeon smiled faintly and slowly drank the now-cold tea.
* * *
Yeom Je-cheong looked up at the signboard with a puzzled expression.
"Is this the right place?"
Baek Su-hyeon also looked bewildered.
"I was told it was definitely here."
But the place they were looking for was the Jang Merchant Company. Just from the signboard with the three large characters 'Righteous Chivalry Sect' carved into it, it was clear this was a martial sect, not a merchant company.
Just then, the door opened and a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties came out. The man spotted Yeom Je-cheong and Baek Su-hyeon and asked, "What brings you here?"
"Is this not the Jang Merchant Company?"
"Ah! They moved somewhere else yesterday, and this place has become the Righteous Chivalry Sect."
"If it's the Righteous Chivalry Sect, you mean it's a martial sect? I've never heard of a sect called the Righteous Chivalry Sect in Luoyang......"
"We've only hung the signboard; the sect hasn't officially opened yet. We'll probably hold the founding ceremony soon."
Baek Su-hyeon asked.
"Excuse me, but could you tell us who the Sect Leader is?"
"You'll find that out at the founding ceremony."
Just then, a gruff voice came from inside.
"Isn't it perfect weather for drinking? On a day like this, you've got to drink heavily from broad daylight!"
A head suddenly popped out through the gate. It was a giant of a man, a full head taller than an ordinary person.
He looked at Yeom Je-cheong and Baek Su-hyeon with his large eyes and asked.
"Who're you?"
He was a man who closely matched the description of the appearance they had heard from the severely injured Plum Blossom Swordsman.
"Are you the one who insulted Mount Hua Sect?"
Belatedly remembering the name, he added, "Wang Du-sik."
"Who the hell are you people?"
The reply, devoid of any courtesy, lit a fire in Baek Su-hyeon's chest.
"I asked if you are Wang Du-sik."
"What if I am? Oho! You must be from Mount Hua Sect, right? Three came before and got beaten up, so you should've brought ten, but you only brought two?"
"You bastard! Do you think you can insult Mount Hua Sect and get away unharmed?!"
"Fuck, what's so great about Mount Hua Sect when all they do is grope women's asses in pleasure houses?"
"What did Mount Hua Sect do in a pleasure house?"
"Idiot, why pretend you don't know?"
This was the first he'd heard about a pleasure house or a woman's backside. There might be something they didn't know, but since a Plum Blossom Swordsman had been attacked, the cause didn't matter.
"You're bringing trouble on yourself with that mouth. I'll take you to Mount Hua Sect and make you pay for insulting our sect!"
"So you want to fight? I'll beat you two up, then go to a pleasure house, drink, and slap some women's asses. I get to do everything I like today, so it's my lucky day. Hehehe......"
Wang Du-sik laced his fingers together and stretched his arms, and a cracking sound came from his joints.
"Come at me, both of you."
"What a reckless brute!"
Yeom Je-cheong didn't bother to stop Baek Su-hyeon as he threw himself at Wang Du-sik. Anyone who dared to disrespect Mount Hua Sect had to pay the price, one way or another.
From the looks of it, he wasn't a merchant company man but a member of a martial sect, so killing him wouldn't be a problem. That was why he didn't even say the usual thing about holding back.
Mount Hua Sect's terror lay in its swords, but that didn't mean its fist and foot techniques were weak.
The Wall-Shattering Jade Fist that Baek Su-hyeon unleashed was a fist technique focused on power rather than speed and variation. At Baek Su-hyeon's current level, it had enough force to split a ten-thousand-geun boulder in two.
That Wall-Shattering Jade Fist slammed into the chest of Wang Du-sik, who stood there motionless.
'Oh! I shouldn't kill him like that!'
Even if he was going to kill him, he had to instill a thorough regret for touching Mount Hua Sect.
With a bang, Wang Du-sik staggered backward. He should have flown far away and rolled on the ground, but he had only retreated two steps.
Baek Su-hyeon, the one who had attacked, was several times more surprised than Yeom Je-cheong. Even if he hadn't used his full strength, it wasn't a blow that should have only made him step back.
Wang Du-sik brushed off his chest where he'd been hit and said.
"Is that all you've got? You talked shit like Mount Hua Sect was the best under heaven, so I thought you'd be something, but you're nothing special."
"Shut your mouth!"
This time, he used his full strength. A power different from the first time bore down on Wang Du-sik. Wang Du-sik didn't just offer his chest like before.
He spread his palm, as big as a pot lid, and blocked Baek Su-hyeon's fist. A sound like a leather sack bursting rang out, and Baek Su-hyeon was pushed back a full jang.
"You little shit! Do it properly and entertain your elder!"
Wang Du-sik rushed at Baek Su-hyeon. His build was like a bear's, but his movements were swifter than a tiger pouncing on its prey.
Baek Su-hyeon blocked the fist aimed at his face with both arms. Dodging and counterattacking was the standard, but Wang Du-sik's attacks were too fast to follow the standard.
Bam!
Baek Su-hyeon's sleeve burst as he blocked the attack, and a groan escaped him. Baek Su-hyeon felt an impact as if his arm had been struck by an iron club.
"That's how you endure it!"
Wang Du-sik's attacks continued. As Baek Su-hyeon ducked to avoid the attack aimed at his left cheek, a knee targeted his face.
Baek Su-hyeon couldn't even think of counterattacking and blocked the knee with both hands. With a dull sound, pain shot through him as if the backs of his hands were shattering.
He was proud of himself for not screaming. He didn't want to admit it, but he was no match for Wang Du-sik in fist and foot techniques.
But it was a realization that came too late. Even when he tried to draw his sword, he had no time to reach behind his back.
If he missed even one of Wang Du-sik's relentless attacks, he would clearly suffer a fatal wound.
'They definitely said he was just some thug, so what kind of martial arts is this......!'
This wasn't a level he could guarantee even if he had his sword. There wasn't a single part of his body that didn't hurt. In this state, he clearly couldn't last even one ke.
He had to draw his sword even at the risk of danger to have any chance of winning. He blocked the attack coming at his left side with his elbow and grabbed the sword hilt with his right hand.
Wang Du-sik didn't miss that brief opening. As if he had anticipated it, Wang Du-sik's fist flew toward his face.
The rapid chain punches were too fast to dodge or block. All Baek Su-hyeon could do was close his eyes.
Bang!
Just as Wang Du-sik's fist was about to touch his face, Yeom Je-cheong intervened. He couldn't just watch his disciple's face get smashed.
Wang Du-sik, struck in the shoulder by Yeom Je-cheong's palm, rolled once on the ground before springing back to his feet. The clothes on his shoulder were in tatters, but Wang Du-sik simply rolled his shoulder a couple of times without any sign of pain.
'What a monster!'
He had expected at least one shoulder to be disabled, but Wang Du-sik's toughness exceeded Yeom Je-cheong's expectations.
"Fuck, that's why I told you both to come at me from the start. You Mount Hua bastards are damn cowardly."
Baek Su-hyeon, who had drawn his sword, spat out the words through his teeth.
"Master, I'll kill that bastard with my own hands."
Yeom Je-cheong's voice was cold as he replied to Baek Su-hyeon's words, which were thick with killing intent.
"Step back."
"Master......"
"What are you going to do with that arm?"
Baek Su-hyeon's hand holding the sword was trembling. Far from fighting, it was hard for him even to hold the sword.
"I can fight."
"Are you going to disgrace Mount Hua Sect to the very end?"
Baek Su-hyeon grimaced and had no choice but to step back. It was all too obvious that he would lose if he fought like this.
"I'm sorry."
"Let's see how tough an old man's bones are!"
As Wang Du-sik charged in eagerly, Yeom Je-cheong drew his sword. He was confident he could win even with fist and foot techniques, but he didn't want to leave even the slightest room for error.
The Thirteen Forms of the Clear Wind unfolded from Yeom Je-cheong's sword. As its name suggested, the Thirteen Forms of the Clear Wind, soft and fast like the wind, allowed free attack and recovery, making it capable of handling any martial art with ease.
Of course, the Thirteen Forms of the Clear Wind performed by Yeom Je-cheong, whose martial arts ranked among the top five in Mount Hua Sect, went beyond the level of mere competence.
The sword was straight, but the attacks were like a raging torrent in a valley. Startled, Wang Du-sik leaned his body to the left to dodge, but the sword energy alone tore the front of his clothes.
Wang Du-sik closed the distance and swung his fist, but Yeom Je-cheong had already widened the gap and swung his sword.
The sword came first, and the sword energy followed, forcing him to overcome two crises. Normally, one would retreat and dodge, but Wang Du-sik charged straight ahead.
He dodged the first attack, and the second sword energy struck the left forearm of Wang Du-sik, who had twisted his body.
His clothes tore and blood spattered. No matter how tough Wang Du-sik's body was, the sword of a Mount Hua Sect elder was not something he could simply bounce off.
Even after seeing blood, Yeom Je-cheong was surprised. He had expected to be able to cut the arm clean off, but at the last moment, Wang Du-sik had deflected the attack at an angle, only damaging the flesh.
In exchange, Wang Du-sik got close enough to Yeom Je-cheong that their fists could touch.
Humm—!
The sound of the fist tearing through the air sent chills down his spine. Startled, Yeom Je-cheong hastily retreated while continuously unleashing the Thirteen Forms of the Clear Wind.
Wang Du-sik's fist struck the side of the sword, pressing the attack. The arrogance that he could never lose as long as he held a sword was now forcing Yeom Je-cheong to retreat.
Yeom Je-cheong threw his sword backward and thrust both palms toward Wang Du-sik's fist.
Bang—!
As the two powerful forces collided, the ground within a jang in every direction erupted upward, and Baek Su-hyeon, who had been watching the fight, was knocked onto his backside by the shockwave.
Yeom Je-cheong, pushed back a jang by the impact, caught the sword he had thrown. Fury surged within him at having to resort to such improvisation.
"You die here today."
"You're all talk, old man!"
Yeom Je-cheong's Twenty-Four-Hand Plum Blossom Sword Art unfolded toward Wang Du-sik, who kicked off the ground to close the distance.
The Twenty-Four-Hand Plum Blossom Sword Art, with his internal energy raised to its peak, truly seemed to make plum blossoms bloom at the tip of the sword.
Even Wang Du-sik, who took great pride in his body, knew he couldn't take this attack head-on.
He tried to close the distance while dodging as much as possible, but Yeom Je-cheong, fighting at full strength, gave him no such opening.
Wounded on his left forearm, side, and thigh, Wang Du-sik had no choice but to retreat.
The reason Wang Du-sik had been able to fight Yeom Je-cheong on equal footing was thanks to his momentum, which seemed like it could smash everything.
The moment that momentum faltered and he stepped back, Wang Du-sik had no chance of winning. Even if he had trained as if his life depended on it in the Northern Unorthodox Alliance, Yeom Je-cheong was still a mountain Wang Du-sik could not yet climb.
Dozens of wounds appeared on his arms and legs as he deflected the sword to protect his vital areas. If Wang Du-sik's limbs hadn't been as hard as steel, they would have been cut off long ago.
'What a monster! I have to cut him down now!'
It was Yeom Je-cheong's belief that enemies must be killed without fail, whether righteous or unorthodox.
The sword, filled with the killing intent to end his life, shifted from the Twenty-Four-Hand Plum Blossom Sword Art to the Mount Hua Wild Wind.
The sword, carrying immense power, swept toward Wang Du-sik's neck. Sword energy extended a full ja from the blade, which contained all of his internal energy.
Wang Du-sik instinctively knew that this attack couldn't be endured with mere flesh wounds.
'Fuck!'
Better to lose a wrist than his head. Wang Du-sik retreated and blocked the sword with his arm. In the brief moment his arm was being cut, he thought he could retreat a little further and protect his neck.
* * *