Monopolizing Fortunes (67)
Monopolizing Fortunes (67)
"Didn't you say you hate sneaking in?"
"I said that because you, the one who told us to move quietly, showed up making such a racket."
"Since it's come to this, let's have ourselves a proper bloodbath."
Namgung Seol-rin tapped Do Tong-dal on the shoulder as he shook his head.
"Looking at you, you're soft-hearted. Killing those people over there is bothering you, isn't it?"
He couldn't exactly be happy about it.
"Can't you see the swords in their hands? The martial world isn't called a mountain of blades and forest of swords for nothing. Only those ready to die at any moment become martial artists."
"You do not need to lecture me about what a martial artist is. I'm part of the Underworld now, and I will stay that way."
"People in the Underworld put their lives on the line too, so how's that any different from the martial world?"
That was why some people also used the term martial world for the world of the Underworld. While they spoke, hundreds of Red Wind Sword Sect disciples surrounded them in layers.
"Have you truly come from the Red Tiger Society?"
A middle-aged man who had pushed through the disciples asked.
"That's right. And who are you?"
When the young-looking Do Tong-dal immediately spoke down to him, a crease formed between the middle-aged man's brows.
"I am Baek Jong-yeon, strategist of the Red Wind Sword Sect."
"Strategist is a seat for a clever bastard, isn't it? Tsk, tsk, tsk. The Red Wind Sword Sect picked the wrong strategist."
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
"Your strategist is so stupid he thinks he can swallow our Red Tiger Society whole, without realizing he might tear his own mouth open."
"I have heard that the martial arts of your two Protectors are formidable. But to come fight our Red Wind Sword Sect with only four people. No matter how ignorant an Underworld group, that is reckless."
Do Tong-dal drew the blade from his back. Since they were going to fight anyway, talking more was just a waste of time.
"From now on, I'll show you how an ignorant Underworld fights."
Do Tong-dal was about to charge when Baek Jong-yeon suddenly bent at the waist, and he couldn't attack.
The only person Baek Jong-yeon would bow to like that was the Red Wind Sword Sect Leader, Hwang Tae-gun.
"What is all this commotion about?"
"They have come from the Red Tiger Society."
Hwang Tae-gun's gaze shifted to Do Tong-dal's group.
"Four people?"
His expression said, 'That is all of them?'
"Yes. They recklessly came with four people to strike our Red Wind Sword Sect."
"No matter how confident one is in one's martial arts, still. Only four people......"
Hwang Tae-gun cut himself off, his gaze settling on Won Dae-yeon beside Do Tong-dal.
"Only four people...... our...... Red Wind...... Red Wind......"
Hwang Tae-gun's words kept breaking off, and his pupils shook violently. No more words came from his half-open mouth. With his mouth hanging open like that, he looked like he might drool.
"Sect Leader! Sect Leader!"
Only after Baek Jong-yeon called out forcefully did Hwang Tae-gun flinch back to his senses. Even then, he did not stop stealing glances at Won Dae-yeon.
"Shall I give the order to attack?"
At Baek Jong-yeon's question, Hwang Tae-gun shouted angrily.
"No!"
"What?"
Hwang Tae-gun spoke to Do Tong-dal.
"Th-this...... for now, how about coming inside and talking?"
Even without the Mind-Reading Art, he could tell that what had risen on Hwang Tae-gun's face was fear. And he could guess why Hwang Tae-gun was so afraid.
Do Tong-dal looked at Won Dae-yeon and shook his head.
"What's wrong?"
"The fight's off. Off."
Do Tong-dal stepped forward first.
"Let's go."
"Huh? Without fighting?"
At Won Dae-yeon's question, Do Tong-dal whispered.
"That Sect Leader has figured out Won Dae-yeon's identity."
"I've never seen him before."
"That man may be the leader of a minor unorthodox sect, but Won Dae-yeon is different. This is why being famous is such a headache."
Hwang Tae-gun hurriedly ordered his subordinates.
"Prepare to receive honored guests!"
The atmosphere, which had been grim as if a fight would break out at any moment, flowed strangely.
"Sect Leader, what in the world......!"
"Strategist Baek. If you don't want the Red Wind Sword Sect annihilated today, prepare to receive the guests at once. At once!"
He didn't understand the reason, but from Hwang Tae-gun's expression he sensed an urgency as if a blade had been put to his throat.
"Understood."
Behind Baek Jong-yeon, who was running off in haste, Hwang Tae-gun's voice rang out.
"All disciples, sheathe your weapons immediately and return to your posts!"
Because it was the Sect Leader's order, the disciples scattered in all directions again. As the disciples, numbering seven hundred, withdrew like an ebbing tide, only Do Tong-dal's group and Hwang Tae-gun remained in the large training ground.
Hwang Tae-gun straightened his clothes and approached slowly. Even a subject meeting the emperor would not have moved as carefully as he did.
"I never expected to meet Great Hero Won, the Life-Stealing Twin Swordsman hailed as the greatest chivalrous hero in the martial world, here. I am deeply honored."
"Tch! I told you. The Sect Leader recognized Won Dae-yeon."
Won Dae-yeon scratched his head.
"I'm telling you, I've never seen his face before."
Hwang Tae-gun said.
"Three years ago, I went to Hunan Province and happened to see you with an Elder of the Beggars' Sect."
That had been when he was wandering the Central Plains for a long time in search of his enemy.
"Had I known you were coming, I would have received you with proper courtesy. It is late, but I apologize. First, please come inside."
When the other side was being that courteous, he couldn't exactly swing his blade shouting, "Hah! Take my blade!"
Namgung Seol-rin whispered to Do Tong-dal.
"Looks like today's fight is off."
"We'll have to wait and see about that."
"You're saying we might still fight?"
"It depends on how afraid of Won Dae-yeon the Sect Leader is."
The reception room was already prepared for guests. It wasn't evening, and mealtime had passed, so tea and refreshments had been set out.
They sat around a round table with no seat of honor. It wasn't a servant but Hwang Tae-gun himself who poured the tea. And the four of them accepted the cups as if it were only natural.
"I did not know Won Dae-yeon was backing the Red Tiger Society."
"I'm not backing them. I'm a member there."
"Pardon?"
"I'm a thug belonging to the Red Tiger Society."
Hwang Tae-gun was so shocked that he gulped down the tea he had been cooling in his mouth.
"Ah! Hot, hot......!"
Hwang Tae-gun, who had barely soothed his throat with cold water, asked.
"No, what weakness did they seize to make someone like Won Dae-yeon work as a thug for the Red Tiger Society?"
Do Tong-dal bristled.
"This fellow talks carelessly! Do we look like people who seize other people's weaknesses and use them?"
Namgung Seol-rin muttered.
"What's wrong with that? Underworld thugs are all like that."
Somehow she seemed to be becoming more Underworld than the Underworld itself.
Won Dae-yeon said with a soft smile.
"No. Shameless as it is, I asked and obtained the position myself."
"I don't know what position you hold, but our Red Wind Sword Sect has plenty of posts too. If their treatment of you..."
Do Tong-dal grabbed the handle of his blade.
"If you're just going to spout nonsense, let's just fight."
Startled, Hwang Tae-gun waved his hands.
"Ah...... no. I was so surprised to meet Won Dae-yeon that...... I misspoke."
Won Dae-yeon's face turned serious.
"Just because the Sect Leader recognized me does not mean this situation has changed. Do not forget that our Red Tiger Society and your Red Wind Sword Sect are still enemies. And that we came here to fight."
Hwang Tae-gun's Adam's apple bobbed up and down heavily.
"Of...... of course I have not forgotten. Not knowing that Won Dae-yeon was with the Red Tiger Society, we committed a grave error."
It was widely acknowledged in the martial world that even the Ten Great Masters found Won Dae-yeon difficult to deal with.
Had they known such a terrifying master was in the Red Tiger Society, they would not have so much as pissed in that direction.
'If I hadn't recognized Won Dae-yeon, the sect would have become a sea of blood, wouldn't it?'
With more than seven hundred disciples, they might have been able to take him down with them. But there was no reason to trade the Red Wind Sword Sect for Won Dae-yeon's life. It would not even be a costly victory—only the sect's annihilation, with no glory at all.
Won Dae-yeon took a sip of tea and said.
"Even if I were not here, your sect would have suffered great harm."
"Pardon? Do you mean the three here are also masters?"
Won Dae-yeon pointed at Jang Yu-seom and Namgung Seol-rin.
"If those two attack together, even I could not guarantee the outcome."
"P-pardon?"
"What did you say?"
"Hmph! I don't think that's right."
Hwang Tae-gun was surprised to hear that Jang Yu-seom and Namgung Seol-rin were masters whom even Won Dae-yeon rated highly, while Namgung Seol-rin and Jang Yu-seom were surprised with wounded pride.
"Have you forgotten that the two of us once caught Won Dae-yeon in a joint attack?"
"Back then, you lasted about one ke, didn't you?"
Namgung Seol-rin and Jang Yu-seom spoke in turn. Of course, Won Dae-yeon had an excuse to protest.
"That was when my body wasn't in normal condition."
"Then shall we try again now that you're normal?"
"There happens to be a sparring ground paved with marble."
"If you two are fine with it, I don't mind."
Do Tong-dal cut in.
"No, what are you people......"
"You stay out of this. This is a matter of pride."
Namgung Seol-rin, who had simply shut Do Tong-dal's mouth, stood up first.
"Let's go."
When Jang Yu-seom stood, Won Dae-yeon was the last to lift his rear from the seat.
"Don't regret it."
"Won Dae-yeon, you're the one who shouldn't make excuses later."
"What excuses would I make?"
"Excuses like you lost because you had to take a shit."
"I don't make filthy excuses like that."
Namgung Seol-rin got on Won Dae-yeon's nerves by saying, "So you might make some other excuse, then."
As the atmosphere turned strange, Hwang Tae-gun had no choice but to follow along in a fluster. When masters too formidable to approach said they would spar, he could not stop them.
In the marble-paved training ground, three people were finishing up cleaning they had left half-done.
Facing the sparring ground, a large building stood with imposing dignity.
Won Dae-yeon stood with his back to that building, while Namgung Seol-rin and Jang Yu-seom had the main gate behind them.
"Shall we go until a winner is decided?"
At Namgung Seol-rin's question, Do Tong-dal said curtly.
"Winner, my ass! Exactly one ke."
"A winner might not be decided within one ke."
"If no winner is decided, are you going to go until dawn? Exactly one ke!"
It was a time that was short if short, long if long. Jang Yu-seom asked Do Tong-dal.
"There's no judging, right?"
"There's nothing like that. When I say stop, you stop exactly then. Understood?"
The three nodded in agreement. With a mutter of "Coins are surprisingly useful," Do Tong-dal tossed a coin.
The spinning coin fell onto the marble floor with a clear sound. At that instant, the three moved simultaneously.
Clang!
The moment the three weapons clashed, the marble floor cracked apart. Won Dae-yeon pushed away the sword and blade and at the same time hurled the dagger in his hand.
Throwing a dagger from the very start meant Won Dae-yeon was serious about this spar.
Namgung Seol-rin and Jang Yu-seom deflected the dagger and simultaneously threw themselves at Won Dae-yeon. Won Dae-yeon retreated with a leap, and the dagger, returning through the air, aimed at the backs of Jang Yu-seom's and Namgung Seol-rin's heads.
Even though they had anticipated it, the speed was so great and the changes so severe that it was not easy to dodge.
Namgung Seol-rin leaped up parallel to the ground and spun around. Jang Yu-seom twisted his body and deflected the incoming dagger.
Before the two daggers could return to Won Dae-yeon, the two kicked off the ground.
Another collision erupted, and the marble shattered into small fragments that flew up.
Hwang Tae-gun, who had crept up to Do Tong-dal, asked.
"Um...... shouldn't we stop them?"
"The spar?"
"It looks more like a duel to the death than a spar."
To Hwang Tae-gun's eyes, it did. It was so ferocious that being a single breath too slow or too fast could put a hole in someone's throat. They called it a spar, but it did not look like a spar at all.
On top of that, it grew more intense as time passed, until even Hwang Tae-gun could no longer follow the three's movements. He could only see hundreds, thousands of white-glowing lines tangling together.
"No winner's coming out of this within one ke."
At Do Tong-dal's mutter, Hwang Tae-gun asked cautiously.
"Can you see those three's movements?"
"Are you blind? How could you not see that?"
Hwang Tae-gun was blind.
Boom!
Suddenly a thunderous sound rang out, and a pillar of the building facing the training ground shattered to splinters.
"Why are those people destroying property?"
Hwang Tae-gun could only gape. That speed and destructive power were a realm he had never even imagined in his dreams.
Even if he trained for another hundred years, he would not reach the realm of even one of them.
'What if those three became enemies and fought the Red Wind Sword Sect?'
* * *