He’s Got Me Today. (2)
Thud!
Another of the Namgung swordsmen had collapsed face-first onto the ground.
Namgung Dowi slowly opened his eyes, which he had clenched shut, and counted the people sprawled on the floor.
One, two, three… six…
Exactly six.
Those six were a number that proved the weakness of the Namgung Clan, and at the same time a number that symbolized the stubborn spirit of the Namgung disciples—those fools who had seen their senior brothers get their heads bashed in and faint, yet still refused to accept the result and rushed forward anyway.
In other words, six hardy idiots had shouted, “I refuse to accept this result,” charged in, and gotten their heads broken open for the trouble.
By Dang So-so’s sword.
I don’t know.
Should he laugh? Or should he cry?
Thanks to Dang So-so thoroughly humiliating the Namgung swordsmen, it had been proven beyond any doubt that his choice had been the right one. There could hardly have been a clearer demonstration.
But is this really something to be happy about?
How was he supposed to interpret the sight of Namgung swordsmen, who had trained in swordsmanship for only a few years, being swept away like dead leaves by Dang So-so?
Namgung Dowi glanced over his shoulder.
The Namgung swordsmen looked as though they’d seen a ghost.
Shock, disbelief, and astonishment—everything was mixed together on their faces as they stared fixedly at the fallen men.
And then—
Clap, clap, clap.
Someone stepped forward while lightly applauding.
“Well, then. This seems like enough of a friendly sparring match. Let’s call it here. It was just a match, so don’t get hung up on the result…”
It was Baek Cheon, trying awkwardly and quickly to smooth things over. Seeing him, Namgung Dowi felt gratitude and apology he couldn’t quite put into words.
It was an action filled with a tearful effort to preserve at least the last shred of Namgung’s dignity.
But…
“Just a moment, Sahu.”
“So-so. Let’s stop now…”
“I still have something to say. Just for a moment.”
“...All right.”
In the end, Baek Cheon was pushed aside by Dang So-so. He lowered his head and shuffled out of the way. Taking one step forward, she swept her eyes over the Namgung swordsmen.
No one. Not even Namgung Dowi. No one could meet that gaze; all of them averted their eyes.
“You lot.”
“…”
“You complained because your senior brother personally said he’d train you, didn’t you?”
“…”
“What exactly is so great about you?”
The Namgung swordsmen’s shoulders trembled faintly. On top of their already thick despair, humiliation came pouring down.
“Namgung Clan? A famous clan? Of course it’s famous. Naturally it is. But… did you create the Namgung name you’re so proud of?”
“…”
“Get a grip.”
Dang So-so’s gaze, leveled at everyone there, was cold.
No one understood better than Dang So-so just how arrogant and prideful those who bore the name of a famous house could be. If she herself hadn’t been in a position where she had to live one step behind in the Tang Family simply because she was a woman, she might have grown up no differently than they had.
“You’re just greenhorns. A bunch of greenhorns who are nothing without the Namgung name.”
At that, Namgung Dowi shut his eyes tightly. He knew she wasn’t speaking to him, but his chest still ached.
“You seem to think you can just wrap yourselves in the shell of the Namgung Clan and become strong on your own, but if people like you are the ones meant to represent the Namgung name, then it won’t be long before that name is dragged through the dirt.”
“Noona!”
“...Aren’t your words a little too harsh?”
“Too harsh?”
At the immediate objection, Dang So-so only curled one corner of her mouth in mockery.
“You got beaten by a girl who’s barely learned swordsmanship for a few years, and you still have the gall to say that?”
“…”
The Namgung swordsmen shut their mouths again.
There was no possible excuse for that. Even if you dragged the most eloquent man in the world over to argue for them, he’d still end up clamping his mouth shut and closing his eyes.
“You’re all style and no substance.”
Dang So-so let out a cold sneer.
“If you really want to get stronger, then rebuild your foundations from the ground up. There isn’t a soul in this Jianghu who’d fall for those flashy, empty sword forms.”
With that said, she spun on her heel.
Just as the others were letting out relieved breaths, thinking the time of humiliation was finally over, her cold voice flew back to them.
“And also.”
“…”
“Be grateful to our senior brother. He still sent me out because he was thinking of you idiots. If someone else had stepped forward, you’d have lost in a far more miserable way.”
That was the killing blow.
With even the will to resist stripped away, the Namgung swordsmen’s heads drooped. Their eyes lost their light, and their fingertips trembled miserably.
Watching that pitiful scene in silence, Baek Cheon made a strange face. Just then, Jo Geol leaned toward him and whispered softly.
“Hey, Sahu.”
“...What?”
“Isn’t this basically cheating?”
“...Be quiet.”
Baek Cheon calmly raised one finger to his lips.
“No, I mean, it is cheating, isn’t it…?”
Without a word, Yoon Jong reached out and clamped a hand over Jo Geol’s mouth.
“I said shut up, you bastard.”
“Mmmph!”
Baek Cheon looked at the Namgung swordsmen with an expression that suggested he felt vaguely guilty.
...It is kind of cheating.
If someone else had gone out there, they would’ve been crushed even harder?
Well…
Of course, if the Five Swords had stepped forward, that statement wouldn’t have been wrong. But if you asked whether Dang So-so was weak by Mount Hua standards, the answer was no.
Objectively speaking, Dang So-so’s skill was now among the upper tier even in Mount Hua. She had been doted on by Dang Gun-ak since she was very young and had eaten all kinds of rare elixirs as casually as snacks, and on top of that, she now possessed the internal energy of the Purple Revival Pill.
Among Mount Hua’s disciples, she was one of the two strongest when it came to internal energy alone.
Besides, while other people might have been able to deal with them more easily, it would have been hard for anyone else to create a scene of simply crushing them by force like this.
Unless, of course, it had been Dang So-so, who had spent the last three years training her foundations to death just to catch up with what she had missed.
Watching only the rate at which someone improved made you want to throw your sword away and cry, This filthy world—talent is everything! But when you actually saw her training, she was the kind of person who made you mutter, Well, no wonder she’s improving, and then sheepishly pick your sword back up.
So this was a sight that only she could have created.
That bastard Cheong Myeong probably sent So-so out because he wanted exactly this kind of scene.
It was humiliating enough to be broken apart at the foundation by someone who had learned swordsmanship so much later than they had.
The Namgung swordsmen’s faces were still etched with shock. Looking at them, Baek Cheon felt proud of Dang So-so all over again.
The daughter of Dang Gun-ak, Patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Family.
Her very existence symbolized the exchange between Mount Hua and the Tang Family. She had come to learn the sword, yes, but even if she had spent her days slacking off and living only as a decorative symbol of that exchange, few would have had the right to criticize her.
But Dang So-so had thrown away everything she had. She had wanted nothing more than to be recognized as a swordswoman in her own right. No one who hadn’t watched from beside her could know how desperate that effort had been.
And now, at last, that tearful effort had achieved something.
She herself had every right to feel proud.
“Sahaaaaaa!”
Dang So-so had somehow sneaked over without making a sound and was now hanging off Yu I-seol, who had been watching the scene.
“I did well, right! Right?”
Yu I-seol’s expression remained perfectly blank as her body kept tilting sharply to one side and then snapping back again and again.
So-so. You should really remember that your strength is way greater than it used to be… Sahu’s waist is going to snap at this rate…
Even while being shaken around like that, Yu I-seol somehow managed to keep that same impassive face. That alone was impressive.
“...Your elbows are still stiff.”
“R-really? I was paying attention.”
Dang So-so mimed bending and straightening her arms.
“Keep your lower body firm, and make your arms a little more flexible.”
“Yes! I’ll remember that!”
Dang So-so nodded repeatedly with complete seriousness.
Watching that, Baek Cheon let out a small snort of laughter.
No, it isn’t just So-so.
If Yu I-seol hadn’t spent the last three years continuously teaching Dang So-so, today’s scene would never have happened either.
And then—
From behind them, Cheong Myeong strode casually forward to observe the situation.
“Hm.”
Just that one short sound was enough to draw everyone’s attention. He looked at the Namgung swordsmen with calm eyes.
“So?”
“…”
“What else do I need to prove?”
When Cheong Myeong let out a crooked smile, the Namgung swordsmen’s faces turned bright red. Now they could fully understand how ridiculous their tantrum must have looked to that Mount Hua Divine Dragon.
Hadn’t they been utterly destroyed by Dang So-so, let alone the Mount Hua Divine Dragon?
“Let’s stop the jokes here.”
Cheong Myeong flicked his finger lightly.
“I’m not so free that I can drag along idiots who don’t understand even when I tell them with words, or even when I show them with my actions.”
“Dojang…”
“Decide by tomorrow morning whether you’re staying or going.”
He cut straight to the point and neatly brought the matter to a close.
“Starting tomorrow, you’ll be doing real training, not this half-hearted stuff you’ve been doing until now. It’ll probably be twice as hard as what you’ve been through so far.”
“…”
“If you don’t like that, then don’t come to train starting tomorrow. I won’t stop you.”
Namgung Dowi lifted his head sharply.
“Dojang! That’s…”
“You need to get your own position straight too.”
Cheong Myeong said indifferently,
“Forcing along idiots who are screaming that they won’t follow is too much. It won’t do anything but harm the people who actually have the will to learn. If you truly care about the Namgung Clan, then you need to know how to cut out the rotten flesh.”
A deep sigh escaped Namgung Dowi.
“...Understood, Dojang.”
In the end, he had no choice but to admit Cheong Myeong was right. With the mindset they had now, everyone would only keep repeating half-baked training over and over.
“Then until tomorrow…”
“Just one question…”
At the voice cutting in, Cheong Myeong’s gaze slid downward. Namgung Dan, who had been lying sprawled on the ground, had lifted his head and was looking up at him.
“May I ask one question…?”
“Go ahead.”
Forcing himself up onto his feet, Namgung Dan stared at Cheong Myeong and then spoke.
“...If we follow the Dojang’s training… can we become stronger?”
Cheong Myeong let out a short laugh.
“Can you become stronger?”
“Yes. We—”
“Enough. You bunch of idiots.”
Namgung Dan looked up in surprise, then froze in place when he met Cheong Myeong’s eyes.
Cheong Myeong glared sharply at him and growled,
“I’m the guy who kicks the asses of people who actually want to do something. I’m not some nanny who soothes and comforts crying brats.”
Namgung Dan’s face instantly went pale.
“I’ve already given you more than enough time to think it over.”
“Do-Dojang…”
“If you want to get stronger, then put in more effort yourselves. Don’t come whining at me and asking me to do it for you.”
Namgung Dan clenched his fists tightly. Cheong Myeong swept him with a cool glance and spoke once more to Namgung Dowi.
“Don’t force them.”
“…”
“Let each of them decide his own path. Even if there are fewer people left, that’ll still be better than merely stuffing the ranks with bodies.”
Namgung Dowi nodded.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
When he finished speaking, Cheong Myeong spun on his heel. Then he drew the wine bottle hanging at his waist and wandered off at a lazy pace. The Five Swords and Mount Hua’s disciples followed after him.
Left alone in the vast mansion courtyard, the Namgung swordsmen watched the retreating backs of Mount Hua’s disciples in silence.