Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Embroidered Uniform Guard
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Sss...
Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong's wooden sword moved slowly, kicking up a shadow like heat haze. It was hard for me to track its motion with my dynamic vision, and the reason was that the haze flowing around the wooden sword was an illusion created from qi. I'd never faced anyone who used a martial art like this before, so I blinked in surprise.
'What is this? Ah.'
In that instant, I realized that the distance between Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong and me had suddenly closed. There had been absolutely no warning—our gap, which had been about two paces, was now much less than one. This must be a technique that used the big toe to distort the opponent's sense of distance.
Realizing it would be a hassle to get caught in Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong's footwork, I swung my dagger.
Klang!
Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong's wooden sword clashed with my dagger in midair. A lightning-like burst of energy sent out an invisible shockwave. Normally, it would be impossible for a mere child like me to block an attack swung by a first-class expert like Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong.
Wobble.
But Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong nearly dropped his wooden sword from the rebound force tearing at his grip. It didn't break, but it bent slightly inward, and a spurt of blood shot from Wi Jong's mouth.
"Huh...!!"
Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong barely held onto his wooden sword, but his arm was flung up into the air, leaving his stance full of openings. He stumbled backward, retreating clumsily, and only after some time did he regain his balance, gasping for breath.
"Ugh, huh, huh...!! Wh-what kind of internal energy is that...?!"
"That was my full power just now, right?"
"......"
I sneered at him, but Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong, sweat beading on his forehead, couldn't muster a reply. He seemed frozen, just waiting for a chance to flee. A common bandit might have flown into a rage and charged, but as a considerable martial arts expert, he had sensed the terrifying potential in the internal energy carried by my dagger.
"Wh-who are you?"
"As you can see, just a passing young boy."
I stared at him quietly and said,
"What's your business, coming here looking for Nangong Hwan and Moyong Yeon?"
"Ugh... so the Beggar Clan has gotten involved too."
"Not the Beggar Clan, I said."
I protested when he stubbornly mistook me for a young expert from the Beggar Clan.
"I won't give up on Moyong Yeon!"
He seemed to have no interest in talking further. He glanced around urgently, clutched his torn palm, and bolted.
Swoosh.
The moment he leaped onto the wall, I jumped up after him and swung my dagger at his back. But Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong twisted in midair like a carp, displaying agile lightness skill to dodge my attack. It seemed my strike lacked sufficient power and speed, despite the heavy energy behind it.
As expected of a first-class expert—he effortlessly evaded and landed on another house's roof, using the momentum to flee swiftly.
"Hey!"
I thought I could catch him with my lightness skill. But I felt it wouldn't be wise to pursue further.
Should I catch Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong and torture him for information? He wasn't some thief or robber; he was a proper denizen of the martial world. If I got entangled carelessly, the backlash could be tenfold. Intimidating a first-class expert wasn't worth my curiosity or needs.
'Hmm, this is as far as it goes...'
Standing there, I reflected on the brief clash with Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong. On the surface, I had overwhelmed him, but that was only because he didn't know about my internal energy and approached it like a typical novice fight.
In reality, Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong's wooden sword moved with masterful circular swordplay in harmony with his footwork—a level of technique I couldn't match yet.
My martial arts foundation was still too shallow. If I could use my internal energy more efficiently, I could have caught Wi Jong just now instead of letting him escape. At the same time, I realized this was a moment for decision.
The auras of experts were stirring. Four auras at first-class expert level!
'Their speed... they're all walking pace.'
Moving in unison like that couldn't be coincidence.
They must have faintly sensed the qi ripple from my clash with Wi Jong. It was a wave too subtle for ordinary people to detect, but to first-class experts, it would feel as clear as a drop of cold water on their scalp.
But they weren't heading straight here—they were walking. They'd noticed experts clashing nearby but couldn't pinpoint the location, so they were moving cautiously, wary of an unknown enemy.
Having grasped the experts' mindset, I pondered my next move.
'Their senses are on edge right now, like wild animals. If I pick a fight with one more, the rest will charge like startled boars. That's not what I want...'
I hadn't intended to fight Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong from the start. His sudden aggression led to the exchange, but fundamentally, it was just a fleeting curiosity. Deciding not to provoke the first-class experts further, I quietly slipped back into the alley.
Moyong Yeon was probably Nangong Hwan's fiancée.
What did it mean that he wouldn't give up on Moyong Yeon?
Did Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong have unrequited love for her?
Was he trying to steal her from the Heavenly Firmament Sword Dragon Nangong Hwan?
'Something feels off.'
But my intuition told me it wasn't that. If Jeondo-gwi Wi Jong was acting out of love, his eyes and demeanor would have held desperate longing for someone. Yet from the first moment I saw him in the alley, he'd had a cold face, exuding thorough calculation. Moreover, the way he said he wouldn't give up on Moyong Yeon had a strange inflection.
It was more like greed for an 'object.'
After leaving the alley, I suppressed my presence as much as possible and resumed walking the streets. Normally, the Thunder Dragon One Qi Art would make it hard to hide my formidable internal energy, but now the Mysterious Heaven Divine Art made concealing my aura effortless. It wasn't just the five elements' mutual generation effect; controlling the strength of my internal energy was much easier. I felt anew that cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Divine Art had been an excellent choice.
Paat.
"......"
I glanced back at a man in purple clothes who brushed past me on the roadside.
He was strikingly handsome and tall, with a feminine allure around his eyes. There was also a vague yin energy or scent of cosmetics, making him an unusual man. Above all, he was undoubtedly one of the four first-class experts I'd sensed earlier.
'Looks just like a gisaeng's older brother. Is even a guy like that after Moyong Yeon?'
I stopped staring and naturally blended into the crowd. Whatever the outcome, my will-o'-the-wisp curiosity had burned out. I'd dipped my toes in just enough; now it was time to pull back.
I'd look into this later.
For now, focus on entering the Azure Dragon Martial Hall.
'By the way, what's this Beggar Clan?'
It irked me.
Before returning to my lodgings, I stopped by the fabric shop and bought simple activewear for a child. Then I turned in early. Washing in warm water and lying comfortably on the bed felt great. Though my immense internal energy meant I didn't tire easily, it brought mental peace.
The next day, I woke up refreshed and headed to the Azure Dragon Martial Hall.
"Let's go."
I wondered how the Azure Dragon Martial Hall would receive me.
In front of the Azure Dragon Martial Hall stood the same two gatekeepers as before. Though called gatekeepers, they were actually second-line disciples Bang Il and Bang Gok of the Azure Dragon Martial Hall. Known as the Bang brothers, Bang Il was the chubby, fleshy one who'd arm-wrestled me when I first visited.
Truth be told, I didn't have great feelings toward Bang Il. But seeing him again after so much time had passed, rather than resentment, I felt oddly glad. Compared to the hardships I'd endured through my reincarnations, Bang Il's jealousy was downright cute.
I said to Bang Il, who was guarding the Azure Dragon Martial Hall,
"I've come to take the entrance exam."
"Entrance exam? Hah, what a joker."
"Wow..."
My jaw dropped for a moment.
Incredibly, when I repeated the exact words I'd said on my first visit, Bang Il's response was identical! Ignoring my shock, Bang Il continued 'exactly' as before.
"Kid. You from one of the Guanzhong Six Great Families or something?"
"No."
"Then did you build a foundation in internal energy from childhood?"
"......"
I stood there dumbfounded, unable to reply. I'd never imagined this situation. That Bang Il would repeat the exact same words without missing a syllable! It felt mystical, like something meaningful. Only after a while did I snap out of it and say,
"Yes."
"Then let's test the internal energy of our soon-to-be junior disciple, shall we?"
"Go easy."
Now I wasn't even surprised. As Bang Il stomped forward and thrust out his pot-lid hand, a thought crossed my mind.
'Let's try matching my responses and actions from before as closely as possible. See if the reactions are similar.'
Soon, after Bang Il's brief self-aggrandizement, the arm-wrestling began.
......
...
Of course, I won.
I could have won with my pinky, but I held back deliberately.
Sss.
"Huh!"
"Bow's enough. Just put in a good word with the Hall Master."
Bang Il went inside. And came back out.
"Come with me for a bit."
"To see the Hall Master?"
Here, the flow diverged slightly.
"Yeah."
In that moment, I intuited the law of reincarnation.
'It changed. Bang Il's not taking me to bathe but going straight to the Hall Master.'
On my first visit, around this point, Bang Il had dragged my filthy self to an inn for a warm bath because he couldn't stand it. But since I wasn't dressed like a beggar this time, he skipped that.
'No major anomalies, and words and actions repeat similarly.
But if there's a strong cause, the future changes.'
This felt like important information.
My gut said it could one day be a crucial clue for my survival.
I asked about the oddity again.
"We're going straight to see the Hall Master?"
"Why keep asking?"
"I thought we'd meet an instructor first..."
"Hmph, sounds like you've heard of our Azure Dragon Martial Hall."
Bang Il spoke as he walked with me trailing behind.
"Normally, you'd see Chief Instructor Jin So-cheong first, but he's out visiting a friend today. The other instructors are always busy with trainees, so no choice but to take you straight to the Hall Master."
"A friend?"
"Who cares. Don't get curious about useless stuff—just follow straight."
Bang Il's tone was gruff, but it wasn't malice or spite. That's just how he was. Having spent three years bickering with him, I knew best. You couldn't like him, but hating him was tricky too. That was Bang Il.
Step.
"Hall Master. Second-line disciple Bang Il here with an entrance exam aspirant."
Some time later, Bang Il and I arrived in front of the Crouching Dragon Hall, where the Azure Dragon Martial Hall Master and his immediate family lived. It was the Hall Master's extremely private space, off-limits to ordinary disciples. Only his prized disciple like Jin So-cheong could visit personally. But this was a special case, so Bang Il could come this far.
'I never even entered the Crouching Dragon Hall during my three years of training at the Azure Dragon Martial Hall.'
No, I'd spoken directly with the Azure Dragon Martial Hall Master fewer than five times. He was a middle-aged man with endlessly clear eyes, more like a scholar than a warrior. He seemed to take little interest in me, leaving all instruction to Instructor Jin So-cheong.
That's why, despite spending three years nearby, I knew almost nothing about what kind of man Triple Excellence Lee Gwang, the Azure Dragon Martial Hall Master, really was. I'd seen him when I was at my lowest, so I had no idea of his skill level. I could only guess from things Instructor Jin So-cheong occasionally said.
"Come in."
Bang Il and I opened the door to the Crouching Dragon Hall and entered. A somewhat spacious room appeared, with the Azure Dragon Martial Hall Master seated in a chair. Nearby was a study, and he appeared to have been reading.
The Hall Master's face was just as before. After gazing at me for a moment with clear eyes, the Azure Dragon Martial Hall Master said,
"Bang Il. What did this child say his name was?"
"Uh... well..."
As Bang Il hesitated and looked at me, I stated my name.
"It's Baek Woong."
"I see... Bang Il, you may go."
"Yes, sir."
Creak.
Once Bang Il closed the door and left, the Azure Dragon Martial Hall Master silently observed me for a long while.
Then, out of nowhere, he said,
"Baek Woong. Are you from the White Lotus Cult?"