Monopolizing Fortunes (186)
Monopolizing Fortunes (186)
At the time, the Won Merchant Company had also been martial artists, but they had simultaneously held the status of merchants.
Byeon Jung-man asked.
"And who might you be, to speak so?"
"Yang Su-pan."
He had stated only his name, but Byeon Jung-man was startled enough that his breath stopped. No matter how little interest one had in the affairs of the imperial palace, the name Yang Su-pan was one that even a child passing on the road would know.
It was impossible not to know the name of the man who would become the supreme power in an instant once the current crown prince ascended to the throne.
"Th-then you truly are that Yang Su-pan?"
"And what is 'that Yang Su-pan' supposed to mean?"
"The Censor......"
Yang Su-pan waved his arm to cut Byeon Jung-man off.
"I'm that Yang Su-pan, all right. If I weren't, would I have dragged two hundred of the Embroidered Uniform Guard all the way out here? I hear twenty men are fighting today? It won't end in an instant like it used to. Back then it ended so fast I was bored. Heh heh heh......"
Do Tong-dal scolded him.
"Why is a gentleman who's supposed to be a state official so fond of watching fights?"
"Is there anyone who dislikes watching fights? Oh, right! Commander Tae!"
Tae Jun-seo, who had been standing nearby so he could rush over at any moment, came trotting up.
"You called?"
"You brought the things, right?"
Tae Jun-seo summoned three guards. From the packs on their backs, they produced a folding table, liquor, and side dishes.
At the sight, Do Tong-dal burst out.
"You came here to play!"
"Yep."
"This man, seriously!"
Namgung Seol-rin stopped Do Tong-dal from kicking the table over.
"Hold on, hold on. The Censor Yang came all the way out here; he ought to enjoy at least this much luxury."
"Exactly! That Tong-dal fellow has no human warmth. None."
Do Tong-dal made another sour remark, and Yang Su-pan grumbled. Watching the two of them, Byeon Jung-man and Wang Jo-hyeong keenly felt that the plan they had laid for today had completely fallen apart.
No matter how far their gall had swelled past their bellies, they could not point swords at the emperor's closest confidant and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Wang Jo-hyeong whispered to Byeon Jung-man.
"It seems today we must survive by our own strength."
Byeon Jung-man looked around at the eighteen men nearby. Twelve were elders of the two sects, and six were hall masters.
It was a force that could wipe out most ordinary sects if set loose in the martial world. By no means weak martial strength.
"The disciples were meant to pull up the weeds by the roots, not to prepare for our defeat. Do not forget that we are Mount Hua and Jongnam."
"Indeed. No matter how many long years have passed, how could the likes of the Won Merchant Company ever be a match for us?"
The Revenge Society had been sharpening its sword for eighteen years, but they had not been idling either. Rather, they had risen to this place today through bone-grinding training harder than anyone's.
At that moment, Do Tong-dal's voice rang out.
"Sitting together will only be uncomfortable, so let us finish quickly and go back down. As the one overseeing today's fight, I will decide the format as I please."
They had to choose one of two options: forty men, twenty on each side, fighting in a melee, or fighting one-on-one.
Do Tong-dal naturally chose the latter. If a melee broke out, the surrounding Mount Hua and Jongnam disciples might get dragged in and it could spread into a larger battle.
When Do Tong-dal explained the format, everyone simply nodded. It was a fair fight with no advantages or disadvantages, decided purely by the level of martial skill.
"I will give you one ke. Decide your order."
Mount Hua, Jongnam, and the Revenge Society gathered in circles and worked hard on their plans. Sworn enemies had met, yet the enemies themselves exchanged not a single word.
It almost felt like a sparring match to test martial skill. But that atmosphere soon came to an end.
Each side handed Do Tong-dal a paper with their order decided. The order written on the papers did not deviate from Do Tong-dal's expectations.
The martial skill of those fighting first was unknown, but the stronger fighters were positioned toward the back. The final match was set as a duel between Won Jung-bang and Byeon Jung-man.
Baek So-gu whispered to Ha Su-ran, who stood beside him.
"It's a shame such an important fight won't be known in the martial world at all."
"If word got out, this whole area would be buried under a sea of people."
"Thanks to that, the beggars get to fill their bellies."
"Aren't you a little too at ease just because there's nothing for you to fight?"
"Whichever side wins will take a fatal blow, and the martial world will finally find peace. That's reason enough to be at ease."
"That may be, but do you think Young Master Do will end this whole affair with just their fight?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Young Master Do is the sort of man who, if he falls to the ground, picks up even a stone before getting back up. Whether Mount Hua and Jongnam win or the Revenge Society wins, what is it that falls into Young Master Do's hands?"
"Well, the satisfaction of having protected the peace of the martial world?"
"He'd tell you to give that to a dog."
"Strategist Ha's mouth is starting to sound like a thug's."
"Like husband, like wife."
"What is Do Tong-dal scheming?"
"I don't know either, but there's definitely something."
"The fight is getting more interesting."
Do Tong-dal's voice rang out.
"The match order has been set. As you know, this is not a sparring match to decide victory or defeat, but a fight to the death between enemies. Those who win their one-on-one fights will have to fight again later, so please keep that in mind."
Won Jung-bang spoke.
"We know. Start already."
With his enemy before him, the rage he had suppressed for so long began to creep out. It was regrettable that he could not drag them off and torture them to death over tens or hundreds of days.
That satisfaction had been stripped away, but in any case, the time for revenge was now before his eyes.
Jongnam Sect Hall Master Baek Gi-seok came out first, and from the Revenge Society's side, Hall Master Oh Tae-ryong stepped forward.
As the two fighters took their positions three jang apart, the arena plunged at once into an ocean of tension.
In terms of the overall outcome, it was not an important fight. But across eighteen years, they had finally pressed the tips of their grudging blades to each other's throats.
That fact alone made the tension a thornbush, constricting the arena.
Do Tong-dal had no need to announce the start. The moment the two drew their swords, the fight had begun.
Baek Gi-seok and Oh Tae-ryong hurled themselves at each other simultaneously. Though they ranked among the weaker of the twenty on each side, they were masters who could easily make a name for themselves in any region of the martial world.
Both sides had sent them out confident of victory, and the fight was fierce. Once one ke passed, the outline of victory and defeat took shape in Do Tong-dal's eyes.
"Is this the strength of the Nine Great Sects after all?"
Baek So-gu was thinking the same as Do Tong-dal.
"Kuh!"
Oh Tae-ryong took a long slash across his stomach and dropped to his knees. It was a wound so large his innards were visible. The blood flowing from his stomach soaked the ground and was on the verge of forming a stream.
Baek Gi-seok, who had suffered no small number of wounds to his arms and legs, gasped for breath and looked down at Oh Tae-ryong.
Even if he withdrew now, Oh Tae-ryong would die from excessive blood loss. But Baek Gi-seok confirmed with one final thrust that this was a fight to the death.
Shunk—!
The sword pierced through Oh Tae-ryong's left chest and jutted out his back. Thus the first fight ended in victory for the Mount Hua-Jongnam alliance.
But neither the winning side nor the losing side showed much reaction to the result. They all knew this single fight held no great meaning.
The next fight also fell to the hall masters of both sides. It was likewise fierce, and this victory also went to the two-sect alliance. The difference from the first fight was that the winner had suffered wounds amounting to mutual destruction.
He had received emergency treatment, but one arm had been severed, so survival would be difficult.
It was not until the tenth match that a duel worthy of Do Tong-dal's attention took place.
—We'll have to bring the Blood Spirit Three Swords from the Righteous Chivalry Sect.
It had been Won Jung-bang's request. No matter how many masters the Revenge Society had, masters like the Blood Spirit Three Swords could not be common.
Do Tong-dal had first asked the Blood Spirit Three Swords for their opinion. He told them that if they did not wish to participate, they did not have to fight.
But the Blood Spirit Three Swords chose to participate without much deliberation. No matter that they had left the Revenge Society, they could not easily forget the place that had been their home for their whole lives.
Do Tong-dal spoke to the Ice Sword as he walked out.
"Be careful."
The Ice Sword smiled brightly. The Blood Spirit Three Swords had learned how to smile after coming to the Righteous Chivalry Sect.
"Don't worry."
The Ice Sword's opponent was Mount Hua Sect Elder Yeon Jong-il. In the martial world he was known by the epithet Chunhwa Nan-geom, and as his epithet suggested, his sword was endlessly unpredictable.
Yeon Jong-il drew his sword and spoke.
"A young whelp has come out. Has the Revenge Society given up on this fight?"
As if to show composure, Yeon Jong-il was the first to open his mouth. The Ice Sword answered with an unbothered face.
"You're so old, even the sword you're holding looks heavy."
"Why has a brat who wouldn't even have been born eighteen years ago come to this place?"
"I couldn't stand the thought of a bastard like you dying peacefully of old age."
No matter that they were fighting to the death, the orthodox faction's thinking was that courtesy must be observed.
Bang Si-bo said, "Junior brother, don't fall for the provocation," but Yeon Jong-il's insides were already boiling over.
"Let's see if your sword is as sharp as that tongue."
"With those dim old eyes, you won't even be able to see it."
"You insolent wretch!"
From his very first attack, Yeon Jong-il raised his Internal Energy to the twelfth level. As he swung his sword, dozens of white shadows descended on the Ice Sword.
It was impossible to tell which was real and which was illusion. Those dozens of sword images could turn into real swords at any moment.
Against Yeon Jong-il's phantom sword, the Ice Sword's sword was an extremely restrained swiftness. As if paying no mind to the sword images, the Ice Sword drove straight in toward Yeon Jong-il.
It looked as though he had resolved to charge in for mutual destruction.
"This madman!"
Startled, Yeon Jong-il hastily knocked the Ice Sword's sword aside. It was an instinctive human movement beyond that of a martial artist, but with that, the outcome of the fight was as good as decided.
A phantom facing swiftness must not stop attacking. If its edge was not broken and it was forced onto the defensive, the phantom could only be at a disadvantage against swiftness.
It ended faster than any fight so far. In barely half a ke, the Ice Sword's sword pierced Yeon Jong-il's chest.
Before Yeon Jong-il's collapsing corpse even touched the ground, the Ice Sword flicked the blood from his sword onto the floor.
The Fire Sword came out and said to the Ice Sword.
"Why drag a fight out so long?"
"Oh? You think you can finish faster?"
"I'll finish before that official drinks two cups of liquor."
The Ice Sword glanced at Yang Su-pan and said.
"Half this month's pay."
"I'm in on that bet too."
The Lightning Sword stepped in as well, raising the stakes.
"Do Hall Master can be the judge."
Under the gaze of the Blood Spirit Three Swords, Do Tong-dal let out a long sigh. Their transformation was so fast that even Do Tong-dal had trouble keeping up.
He had told them to learn how to live among people, and the first thing they learned was gambling!
'They seemed like fighting machines, and now somehow.......'
Still, Do Tong-dal did not betray the Blood Spirit Three Swords' expectations and nodded.
Jongnam Sect Elder Jeon Jung-bae, who was to face the Fire Sword, trembled with rage, his beard quivering. The Ice Sword's martial skill had been astonishing, but the matchup had been poor from the start.
On top of that, Jeon Jung-bae prided himself on having greater martial skill than Yeon Jong-il.
"You whelp, I'll tear that mouth of yours apart and kill you."
"Idiot, who asked you anything?"
"Wh-what did you say!"
He had thought Yeon Jong-il foolish for falling for the provocation, but Jeon Jung-bae could not suppress his surging rage.
A sword laden with immense force fell toward the Fire Sword's head. It was a heavy sword focused on power rather than swiftness or change. But the Fire Sword had also trained in the same kind of sword art.
The Fire Sword knocked aside the sword falling toward his head.
Clang!
The sound of the two swords colliding produced a thunderous noise like ten thousand geun of iron crashing together.
The two swung their swords at each other again. The thunderous noise pounded the onlookers' eardrums without pause.
As if retreating meant death, neither took a single step off the ground. The veins on their exposed forearms bulged, and on their reddened foreheads the blood vessels stood on end.
Then one exchange went awry. They had traded attacks one at a time, but at some point the Fire Sword's sword attacked twice in succession. It was because Jeon Jung-bae, overpowered in strength, had faltered.
That single opening decided the course of the fight. Now it was no longer an exchange of blows, but a one-sided assault by the Fire Sword.
In the end, Jeon Jung-bae could not hold out and stumbled backward. One step, two steps, three steps.......
His waist bent back and his stance gradually collapsed. The sword blocking the attacks falling toward his head drooped lower and lower.
* * *