Chapter 106: The Dragon, the Phoenix, and the Tiger (4)
Chapter 106: The Dragon, the Phoenix, and the Tiger (4)
Cheon Hwa-ryeong looked down at the sparring stage with a sullen expression.
The voices of the rising stars from the Jiangnan Baekrim Association, chattering beside her, brushed past her ears like fleeting wind.
A series of duels followed, featuring people whose names she didn't need to remember—people who weren't even worth the effort.
Why on earth do these Orthodox types enjoy this sort of thing?
It wasn't a fight to the death, nor was anything of value at stake. They weren't revealing the secret techniques of their sects, and lethal strikes were strictly forbidden.
If so, why bother sparring at all? Without the goal of actually improving one's martial prowess, they were no different from chang-u—street performers—obsessed only with how grand they appeared to the crowd.
Could movements restricted to mere self-display even be called martial arts? True martial arts was a struggle for survival in the fleeting moment between life and death.
It was pathetic and meaningless. She found herself longing for the scenery of the Heaven Mountains.
She missed her beloved Cult, that fierce place where even the Little Heavenly Demon would die if she failed to prove herself.
"Lady Cheon?"
"Yes?"
"Haha, you look a bit bored... Are you alright?"
"As I am merely the daughter of a merchant guild, I was simply lost in thought, trying to understand the profound techniques displayed by the chivalrous experts of the Orthodox sects."
"Then I, Huangfu, shall explain them to you! How thoughtless of me!"
You're still being thoughtless.
Cheon Hwa-ryeong let Huangfu Hyeon-seok’s renewed rambling go in one ear and out the other as she turned her gaze away.
Her eyes drifted toward the seating area reserved for the Murong Family at the edge of the stage.
—Crack.
"Whoa?!"
The martial artist sitting in front of her suddenly tumbled backward onto his buttocks.
His chair had shattered into splinters.
The surrounding martial artists burst into boisterous laughter, busy teasing him.
She suppressed the Astral Energy that had inadvertently leaked out and looked back at the Murong Family’s seats.
Her husband was currently accepting a sugar-coated pill from that vulgar, lewd wench.
She, too, was quite fond of those sweet Central Plains snacks.
Especially after their brief, beautiful outing in Tianjin, she had grown to love them so much that she even cherished the sticky sensation of the candy melting in her palm.
And yet, that loathsome girl was trampling over those memories with her muddy feet, pushing her slutty body against him and acting all cute...
Should I kill her?
At the very moment when the reasons to do it began to outweigh the reasons not to—
"Ah."
Peng Hyeon-hwi stood up. He roughly brushed off Murong Cheong’s hand as if it were a nuisance and ran toward the sparring stage.
Her heart melted at the sight. Yes, my husband is not one to be swayed by mere beauty.
Objectively speaking, her own beauty far surpassed that wench’s.
This was a fact agreed upon by the countless members of the Cult who followed her. She was beautiful enough to be discussed as the greatest beauty under heaven.
Therefore, if Peng Hyeon-hwi were the type of man to forget his grand purpose because he was bewitched by a pretty face, he would have already surrendered to her in Tianjin and returned to the Heaven Mountains with her...
Though that would have been nice in its own way.
Maybe he should let himself be a little bewitched.
Cheon Hwa-ryeong pressed her fingers to her brow and sighed before looking back at the stage.
Peng Hyeon-hwi was scanning the audience and his opponent, shouting:
"The only ones we respect are those who have proven themselves."
Ah, how true.
How could one call those who failed to prove their martial intent "martial artists"? As always, her husband spoke nothing but the truth.
How could she not desire such a man?
As she was thinking this...
"That insolent rogue. If I, Huangfu, had stepped forward, it wouldn't have lasted even half a move... What a pity!"
The words of this noisy fly, baring his yellow teeth at her, were becoming increasingly grating.
Just as she was about to lift her head and speak—
"Shut your mouth, Hyeon-seok."
"...Jeong-ha? What are you talking about?"
"Have some shame."
Namgung Jeong-ha, who had been quietly watching the stage until now, spoke curtly.
Huangfu Hyeon-seok’s face turned beet red at being insulted in front of the woman he secretly adored.
"Shame? Against a piece of Unorthodox trash who dares to act like that in front of the Martial Alliance?"
"Yes. You should think about who you owe your life to right now."
"That...! That was thanks to the Murong Family Head!"
"Huangfu Hyeon-seok, please. Stop tarnishing the bright name of the Jiangnan Baekrim Association."
"How dare you...!!"
As Huangfu Hyeon-seok balled his fists and tried to stand up, Sang-gwan Wook kicked his chair, forcing him back down, and growled.
"I agree with Jeong-ha. Have you no shame?"
"Even you!"
"Dammit. Besides, would anything have changed if you were up there?"
"What?"
Huangfu Hyeon-seok’s eyes snapped to the stage.
In the brief moment they had been talking, the duel had already ended.
Peng Hyeon-hwi was shaking blood off his gauntlets and sheathing his blade.
In front of him lay Jang Seok-wol of the Taihu Sect, who had been standing tall just moments ago, now a crumpled mess.
True to his word, Peng Hyeon-hwi hadn't moved a single step from beneath the Peng Family banner.
He stood there blankly, in the exact same posture he had started in.
"H-How is it over already...?"
"It ended the moment you stood up. You fool. Half a move? The man has reached at least the Peak Realm, and you still spout such nonsense? Do you even realize he’s at least five years younger than us?"
Huangfu Hyeon-seok gnashed his teeth and looked around. The martial artists of the Jiangnan Baekrim Association were looking at him with pity.
Even Cheon Hwa-ryeong, whom he had been trying so hard to woo, wasn't even looking at him; her eyes were fixed fervently on Peng Hyeon-hwi.
Overcome with humiliation, Huangfu Hyeon-seok stomped his foot, shaking the ground, and stormed away from the seating area.
Even amidst such a commotion, the audience remained shrouded in silence.
Jang Seok-wol was the direct disciple of the Taihu Sect Leader and one of the most prominent rising stars in Zhejiang.
Being a First-Rate expert at his age had earned him high expectations for the future, and he was a man of considerable chivalrous reputation.
Such a man had fallen without being able to withstand a single exchange. And it was clear that his opponent had even shown mercy.
Those who couldn't even recognize that fact had no choice but to follow the lead of the experts who did and remain silent.
Namgung Jeong-ha watched Peng Hyeon-hwi with heavy eyes and sighed.
"I worry for the balance between the Orthodox and Unorthodox in our generation."
The Jiangnan Baekrim Association was an organization established alongside the rise of the Hebei Dragon Slaying Alliance.
It was formed by Orthodox martial artists from the Jiangnan region of Southern Zhili, which bordered Hebei in Northern Zhili and shared interests in the Grand Canal.
Therefore, seeing a martial artist of their generation from the Hebei Dragon Slaying Alliance be so peerless filled them with unavoidable anxiety.
At Namgung Jeong-ha’s words, the crowd exhaled as if weighed down by sorrow.
Such a martial artist wasn't even the Young Family Head.
The Hebei Peng Family’s succession method was quite unique, so the Young Family Head was practically treated as an equal to the heads of other martial families, but even so.
This was a man whose name hadn't even been known in the Peng Family’s succession race until now.
He was so young that the word "boy" felt more appropriate than "young man."
And yet, less than a year after this boy made his debut, he was standing there.
From the moment he slew the head of the Divine Spear Yang Family and shook the martial world of Shanxi until now.
The term "Rising Star" (Hugi-jisu) refers to the most outstanding (Su) among those of the later generation (Hugi).
From that perspective, everyone here who hoped to share the names of Dragons and Phoenixes should rightly be called Rising Stars.
But then, what should they call that man? He was the pick of the crop, a crane among chickens even among the elite of the later generation.
"Zhuge Yeong."
"..."
Namgung Jeong-ha turned his head toward the young man who seemed unable to hide his anger, shame, hatred, and jealousy. Toward his friend.
This martial artist, who had been his companion for many years, showed none of his usual gentle demeanor.
Namgung Jeong-ha patted his shoulder and spoke.
"Do not take your current dejection as a shame. If we know that such a man is destined to become a Great Arch-Demon of the future, then we simply need to devote ourselves heart and soul to our cultivation."
"...Thank you."
Even as he said this, his eyes remained fixed on Peng Hyeon-hwi. Sensing something strange, Namgung Jeong-ha turned his gaze back to the stage.
Peng Hyeon-hwi was still standing there, looking at them.
By right, he should have stepped down to rest and returned when it was his turn again.
When their eyes finally met, Peng Hyeon-hwi smiled and shouted:
"Come down, Zhuge Yeong."
He tapped the Peng Family banner and said:
"I said I would not move under my family's name today. Come down and try to push me out."
A laugh escaped Namgung Jeong-ha’s lips.
He almost stood up, hand on his hilt, before barely managing to restrain himself.
It was the kind of boldness one could only see in a martial artist of that age.
After hearing such a provocation, one would want to trade blows even knowing defeat was certain.
It seemed there were others in the crowd who felt the same.
A commotion broke out in the seating area where the Shaanxi martial artists were gathered.
The Little Arhat burst out laughing and tried to stand up, only to be smacked on the back of the head by the Red Lotus Sword Plum of the Mount Hua Sect and forced back into his seat.
And Zhuge Yeong...
"Fine. I shall do just that."
Under the expectant gaze of the entire audience, he leaped onto the stage as if flying.
*
"Zhuge Yeong. What is the Zhuge Family plotting?"
"...What nonsense is that?"
Look at him lying through his teeth.
"I already know everything, so let's just make this easy. Is there a need to shed blood? The outcome won't change."
"There is no such thing—"
Zhuge Yeong took a deep breath, assumed a starting stance, and said:
"And even if there were, why would I have any reason to tell you?"
"Right, that's the spirit."
Then I have nothing more to say. I'll just beat him up appropriately, and he'll eventually do whatever he was going to do.
In this situation, no matter what he’s plotting, there are almost no schemes that would work. At least, none within my imagination.
Unless they use poison, they’d have to rely on sorcery like the Ghost Gate...
Or the Zhuge Family’s divination and formations. But that’s a different genre from me, so I can't really prepare for it anyway.
Besides, most of those sorceries can't face a martial artist head-on.
If that were possible, the Ghost Gate would have been the number one sect of the Unorthodox Faction.
Most sorceries stop working after the Peak Realm, and any sorcery capable of harming a Peak Realm expert would inevitably leave some kind of trace.
Just as a Peak Realm martial artist cannot fully hide their aura.
—Thump, thump, thump.
I raised my left hand and tapped the acupoints above my Middle Dantian.
Instantly, a tingling sense of omnipotence, accompanied by terrible pain, began to surge through my entire body.
The force of my Astral Energy rippled through the acupoints in every part of my body.
Lightning seemed to sear through my pores. The sensation of lightning crawling over my skin was vivid.
A few streaks of it reached out toward where Zhuge Yeong stood.
Whatever he’s prepared, I just need to resolve it by slamming him with the best I’ve got in one go.
They say a lion gives its all even when hunting a rabbit, right?
A tiger, too, does its best even when catching a fox.
"Clench your teeth."
We live in an era without dental implants, after all.
I lunged toward him.
*
Murong Seo-jeong watched the duel with one hand resting on his bow.
Archery is fundamentally a martial art of vision. He possessed eyes that could look through the very movements of his opponent.
There are things that only become possible when someone who has mastered a vision-specialized martial system reaches the Harmony Realm.
In Murong Seo-jeong’s eyes, even seeing a mere fragment of an opponent's movement allowed him to clearly see the derivations of the actions that would follow.
It was a shooting method (Sabeop) that 'read' the opponent's movements in advance and predicted their actions three steps ahead. That was why the Murong Family’s archery was considered one of the wonders of the martial world.
Through those eyes, he read the direction of the duel.
The way Peng Hyeon-hwi and Zhuge Yeong were entangled, the exchanges they were making, the exchanges they would make, and even the result of this duel.
Splitting a moment into fractions. Reaching the smallest unit of time. The fastest strike allowed by the Lower Dantian.
—BOOM!!
In that span of time, which was difficult for even a martial artist trained in vision—let alone a commoner—to fully perceive, the blade danced and the gauntlets struck. Zhuge Yeong’s iron fan was pushing and parrying them away.
There’s nothing.
Zhuge Yeong had stepped forward without any preparation at all.
He was fighting surprisingly well for someone at the First-Rate level, but it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Peng Hyeon-hwi was currently matching his opponent's pace.
There was something Murong Seo-jeong had felt when he first saw Peng Hyeon-hwi. Back then, in the brief flashes of the bloody battle seen through the gaps of the ruined tavern.
Even then, he was already beyond the level of being counted as a mere Rising Star.
His attitude toward combat, his ingenuity in utilizing his martial arts, and his body, which had been refined in essence, energy, and spirit.
He was so complete that he wouldn't be pushed back even if he traded blows with martial artists of the older generation.
So, if Peng Hyeon-hwi wished, he could defeat Zhuge Yeong in an instant.
It wasn't just that he would naturally win because he had reached the Peak Realm; the gap was so vast that one couldn't even imagine a scenario where he would lose, even if he hadn't reached that realm.
Right now, Peng Hyeon-hwi was intentionally provoking Zhuge Yeong.
Avoiding the finishing blow, giving him time, and observing every single one of Zhuge Yeong’s tricks and techniques.
As if telling him to show whatever means he had, if he had any.
An arrogance that seemed to say he would only allow defeat after crushing those means head-on.
Despite the clear gap, his eyes showed not a hint of carelessness, pouring in all his strength.
Murong Seo-jeong’s eyes quickly shifted to the Alliance Leader.
The Martial Alliance Leader was also looking down at them solemnly.
His hand was on his hilt, ready to intervene instantly if anything happened.
Under the watch of two peerless masters, the gauntlet finally slammed into Zhuge Yeong’s chest.
*
What?
This guy just kept getting beaten until the very end.
The Zhuge Family is throwing away their only chance to kill me like this?
Zhuge Yeong vomited a mouthful of blood helplessly and fell to his knees.
Watching him, I stepped back.
I narrowed my eyes as I walked back toward my family's banner.
There’s too little information to make a judgment. I hadn't even doubted it because Murong Seo-jeong’s confirmation overlapped with my own reasoning.
The only way the Zhuge Family could kill me right now was through an 'unfortunate accident' on the sparring stage.
And it had to be before the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering ended.
Wait!
What if the trap the Zhuge Family prepared wasn't Zhuge Yeong?
Let's ignore the process and the 'why' and just look at the conclusion. They must kill me. But does the means have to be Zhuge Yeong?
If we can deduce it, the opponent can deduce it too.
If sufficient information is provided, the schemes traded between two parties are no different from moves in a game of Go.
If both my means and the opponent's means are clear, and if the opponent is competent enough not to make a mistake, it’s not hard to deduce their next move.
Assuming that, it means the opponent can also figure out our deductions in advance.
They know we suspect the Zhuge Family.
They know that Murong Seo-jeong and I suspect them, and that the Martial Alliance Leader and the Murong Family Head are protecting me on the stage.
Then let's work backward from the conclusion to the process.
If the means isn't this guy, Zhuge Yeong...
As soon as I finished that thought, I grabbed Zhuge Yeong by the collar and lifted him up.
"Gah...! Cough!"
"I didn't hit you that hard, so wake up."
"Stop... stop. Stop... insulting me..."
"Answer me first."
"What! What more do you want from me! Is there anything left for you to take from me...? You held my fiancée in your arms in front of me, and you trampled me in front of her!"
Who held who in their arms?
Well, I did hold her.
But it wasn't in front of you. Why are you talking like you saw it? People will get the wrong idea.
"I asked what the Zhuge Family is plotting. I know your family wants me dead. Speak."
"Cough...! Bullshit...!"
"What?"
Zhuge Yeong glared at me with eyes full of hatred and shouted:
"I am a member of the Orthodox Martial Alliance! Do you think I would stoop to such tricks? Just because you people live like that doesn't mean you should think we do too!"
"No."
I looked straight into Zhuge Yeong’s eyes.
I wasn't exactly a psychological analysis expert, but I wasn't completely blind when it came to reading people.
He was sincere.
Even though he hated and envied me.
He had come down here simply to look dignified in front of Murong Cheong. Even though he knew he would lose to me.
Even though he expected to be pathetically defeated and made a mess of in front of this massive crowd, he came down simply because he didn't want to be seen running away.
"Dammit."
I slowly set Zhuge Yeong down.
It couldn't be helped while I suspected him, but in truth, considering what I had done, I had 'held back' while attacking to figure out what he was hiding.
In other words, to the martial artists who recognized that, it must have looked like I was toyed with him. How humiliating that must have been.
"I'm sorry."
I meant it.
I helped Zhuge Yeong up, supporting his body.
Zhuge Yeong wheezed and panted for a long time before finally spitting out the last of the blood in his mouth.
Then, with his back turned, he sent me a message via sound transmission.
[I don't know who it is.]
Zhuge Yeong’s voice was trembling with unbearable shame.
[But Eon Se-jeong is likely somewhere here right now.]
"Wait, what?"
[I do not join hands with such people. It seems some of the elders in my family have, but at the very least, I will not do anything I find shameful!]
With that shout, Zhuge Yeong left the stage.
*
Two days ago. Zhuge Yeong had looked at the One-Star Fist Lord, Eon Se-jeong, who had visited his quarters, and said:
"I misjudged you, Great Hero Eon. How have you fallen so low?"
"What did you say?"
"We are the White Path. We are members of the Orthodox Martial Alliance and have lived receiving the admiration of the common people as one of the Five Great Clans. We must be different—at the very least, different from them."
Zhuge Yeong pushed away the wine bottle Eon Se-jeong had offered.
"I know what the Fist King desires. I have no intention of condemning an improper action myself. How great must the burden have been for the Family Head, with the family's fate hanging by a thread? But even so, there are lines we must not cross."
"Are you trying to lecture me now?"
"How could I dare show my shallow knowledge to the Fist Lord? But please, understand. You are currently stepping over the line."
"I, too, have greatly misjudged you."
Eon Se-jeong gripped the wine bottle with a distorted face and took a long swig.
"I never imagined you were such a spineless man, one who could smile and let it slide while his woman frolics in another man's arms."
"The broken engagement between Lady Murong and me was over ten years ago. At this point, I might wish for her happiness, but how could I claim rights I do not have?"
"You're as cowardly as a dog. Will you still say that even knowing your elders are also part of this?"
"Even if the Martial Marquis himself came and ordered it, I would not follow."
Zhuge Yeong stood up and opened the door to his quarters.
He bowed toward Eon Se-jeong and said:
"But if the Martial Marquis saw the state of our family now, I don't think he would give me such an order. How could I tarnish a name so bright in history with my own hands? Even if my pathetic family tarnishes the reputation of our ancestor, at the very least, I have no intention of doing so."
"...Do you think I cannot kill you?"
"You probably could. If the Fist Lord wishes it, how could I beg for my life?"
Eon Se-jeong was a master who had reached the Super Peak Realm. He was a man challenging the Upper Dantian, and his age was close to a martial artist's prime.
If such a man wished it, Zhuge Yeong could never survive. However...
"But how could a martial artist live merely for the sake of living?"
"Tsk...!!"
Eon Se-jeong left without a word of farewell.
Only after he was gone did Zhuge Yeong’s knees buckle, and he collapsed.
Cold sweat soaked his back, making him feel miserable.
Zhuge Yeong felt both regret and a sense of loss.
If I had gone along with Eon Se-jeong, I could have finally killed that bastard Peng Hyeon-hwi.
But at the same time...
I loathed myself for even feeling a shred of regret over turning down his offer.
"To give one's all until the very end..."
I squeezed my eyes shut, reciting the ancient family maxim.
God, seriously.
I’ve never felt this guilty in my life.
Why did he have to be such a good guy? Why did he keep defying my expectations? This was making things so difficult for me.
Watching him walk away with his head held high—even after getting thrashed in front of the woman he loved, even while enduring the pitying and mocking stares of the crowd...
How... how am I even supposed to apologize for this?
I’ve turned into the NTR villain...
No, seriously, this is just... This is so unfair...