Back in My Day, It Wasn’t Like This! Back in My Day! (2)
Thud.
Namgung Do-wi, his belt cinched tight around his waist, looked down at the sword at his side.
Shiiing.
Slowly, the blade slid free and gleamed white under the sunlight.
He slid it back into its scabbard, then stood before a bronze mirror to inspect himself.
Today, the pale-blue martial robe, the cloud pattern embroidered across his chest, and the two characters for Blue Heaven seemed to stand out more sharply than usual.
"Hoo."
He drew a short breath, then let the corners of his mouth lift just a little.
A handsome man stared back from the mirror with a smile so arrogant it was almost offensive.
"Did I not tell you to be careful with your expression?"
At the sudden voice from behind him, Namgung Do-wi whipped his head around.
"Father."
It was Namgung Hwang, his father and the head of the Namgung Family.
"Whether you feel arrogant inside or not, people won't care. But the moment you show it on your face, those who follow you will become your enemies. I have told you that again and again."
At Namgung Hwang's booming voice, Namgung Do-wi lowered his head slightly.
Namgung Hwang clicked his tongue and went on.
"That is what it means to stand above others."
Every word carried weight.
"The world will turn a blind eye to the great flaws I possess, but it will never forgive even the slightest blemish in the one who stands at the top. That is why anyone in a position to rule others must always carry himself properly. And that is the bearing of one born to the Namgung name."
"I will remember it, Father. I will remember it well."
Namgung Hwang nodded with visible satisfaction.
But only for a moment. Soon his expression hardened again, as if displeased.
"Still, those Nine Great Sects bastards are pulling some petty little trick. A redraw to prevent cheating, is it? The excuse sounds fine, but in truth they're just trying to knock you out by any means possible."
Namgung Do-wi gave a light nod.
"What do you think? If you wish it, even now I could—"
"Father."
Namgung Do-wi shook his head lightly. Then, with a faint smile, he said, "Whether it's Hye Yeon of Shaolin or Chung Myung of Mount Hua, they're nothing more than people I must defeat sooner or later if I want the championship. What difference does it make if that comes a little earlier?"
"Good. That's the kind of answer a descendant of Namgung should give."
A thin sneer appeared on Namgung Hwang's face.
In the end, those bastards just mean that whether Mount Hua's Chung Myung falls or we do, they lose nothing either way.
The treacherous filth of the Nine Sects.
"And one more thing…"
Namgung Do-wi spoke again in a calm voice.
"Even if I did have complaints, when Mount Hua itself isn't voicing any protest, Namgung can't be the one to step forward and complain. Otherwise, won't it look as if I'm wary of the Mount Hua Divine Dragon?"
"That is true as well."
At his son's words, Namgung Hwang slowly nodded. Then he asked, "How is it? Do you think you can win?"
Namgung Do-wi smiled faintly in response.
"Mount Hua's Chung Myung. He is definitely strong."
"Indeed."
"But no matter how sharp that light sword may be, it cannot stand against the Sword of an Emperor. Today, I will prove that the world's number one sword sect is not Mount Hua or Wudang, but Namgung."
"Good."
Namgung Hwang smiled softly.
"That will do."
As Namgung Do-wi emerged from the hall, the Namgung retainers in pale-blue robes lined up on both sides of him.
"How is your body?"
"At its best."
"Big brother! We believe in you!"
"Of course."
"The honor of the Namgung Family rests on the Young Master's shoulders. You must never underestimate your opponent!"
"Of course, Uncle."
Namgung Do-wi answered each encouragement and blessing in turn, then walked in step with Namgung Hwang toward the arena where the martial duel would be held.
After leaving the hall and walking a short while, they came out into a vast plaza. The crowd filling that space turned as one to look their way.
"It's Namgung Family!"
"The Blue Heaven Namgung Family is here!"
"Ooooooh!"
Astonishment and praise poured over them.
This was the strength of a famous house.
For centuries, the Namgung Family, hailed as the head of the Five Great Families, had held onto its place as the most prestigious noble martial house in the martial world. Anyone with even a passing connection to Jianghu knew the name of the Blue Heaven Namgung Family.
That was why everyone looked at them with such awed eyes.
Yet Namgung Do-wi wasn't particularly pleased by the cheers raining down on him.
I don't like this.
His brows twitched faintly.
He couldn't let his face twist too openly because his family taught him to remain composed before others, but inside, his mood grew heavier by the second.
Why?
The reason was very simple.
"Mount Hua!"
"Woooooah! Mount Hua is here!"
"The Mount Hua Divine Dragon! It's the Mount Hua Divine Dragon!"
"Chung Myung and the Mount Hua Sect are here!"
A shout so enormous it was beyond comparison with the Namgung reception began to shake Shaolin to its core.
Before he even realized it, Namgung Do-wi bit down on his lip.
After yesterday's duels between Jin Geum-ryong and Baek Cheon, and then Chung Myung and Yi Song-baek, Mount Hua's popularity had punched straight through the heavens.
Ever since the beginning of the tournament, Mount Hua's popularity had already been high. The Mount Hua Sect, once one of the Nine Great Sects before its fall and exclusion, had returned in brilliant fashion after years of bone-deep endurance. That alone was enough to stir the hearts of everyone watching.
Everyone secretly wanted Mount Hua to knock the arrogant noses of the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families flat.
And that hope had exploded, quite literally, in the duel against Southern Edge.
Baek Cheon's name, as he displayed Mount Hua's splendid Plum Blossom Sword Art before everyone's eyes, was constantly on people's lips, and Chung Myung's name, after he had stolen all attention in the fight against Yi Song-baek of Southern Edge, was being mentioned twice as often as before.
So no matter how great the Namgung Family might be, when it came to popularity, there was nothing they could do against Mount Hua.
Frowning slightly, Namgung Do-wi looked toward the approaching Mount Hua Sect.
"Heh heh. What's so great about them? Heh heh heh."
Seeing Chung Myung at the very front, grinning brightly, only made something inside him twist in disgust.
How frivolous.
A true expert should possess dignity.
But Chung Myung was more frivolous than anyone he had ever seen. There was no way he looked like a rising martial talent of the Jianghu, much less a genius destined to stand among the best of the next generation.
That ends today.
An ill-fitting reputation always became a burden to its owner.
For Chung Myung's own good, Namgung Do-wi would teach that man defeat today.
With that thought firmly in place, Namgung Do-wi fixed Chung Myung with a lowered gaze.
Watching him, Namgung Hwang said in a low voice, "He is no ordinary man."
"…"
"Do not underestimate him."
"But you mean I don't need to fear him either, Father."
Namgung Hwang nodded, pleased with that answer.
"Go and show him what the Sword of an Emperor is."
"As you wish."
Namgung Do-wi gripped his sword with one hand and slowly stepped up onto the arena.
Amid the cheers pouring over him, he stood atop the platform and looked across at the empty side, his brows furrowing.
How rude.
No one had ever made Namgung Do-wi wait like this before.
And yet that Chung Myung fellow, despite knowing exactly who his opponent was, showed no sign of urgency.
As far as he could see, Chung Myung was still noisily talking with his fellow disciples, shuffling toward the platform at a leisurely pace.
And even then, the disciples around him were sneering at him or giving him light punches to the back of the head.
This is a total mess.
Namgung Do-wi couldn't hide the grimace twisting his face.
How could a martial sect be so outrageously careless?
Martial arts began with carrying oneself properly. That was the foundation. Yet Mount Hua looked like nothing so much as a den of mountain bandits.
At this rate, weren't they no different from the Black Path?
"Were you waiting long?"
Waiting, was it?
Namgung Do-wi frowned and looked at Chung Myung standing on the other side.
One leg was extended lazily to the side.
His body was certainly solid enough, but because his posture was crooked and slouched, he gave off no sense of power at all.
And despite having a reasonably decent face, the sheer amount of irritation and malice soaked into it made anyone who looked at him frown in instinctive distaste.
Namgung Do-wi finally understood, in full, his father's lesson about how even a gesture and a facial expression mattered for someone who led others.
What could subordinates possibly learn from looking at a man like that?
"Hoo."
Taking a short breath, Namgung Do-wi gave Chung Myung a neat bow.
"I am Namgung Do-wi of the Namgung Family."
"I'm Chung Myung of Mount Hua."
Unlike his bored expression suggested, Chung Myung did return the gesture with a proper cupped-fist salute.
Seeing that, a flicker of surprise crossed Namgung Do-wi's eyes.
So he isn't completely lacking in manners.
Namgung Do-wi was not so foolish as to be unable to distinguish between someone who offered courtesy halfheartedly and someone who did so with real feeling.
Whatever this man's inner thoughts might be, one thing was certain: he had learned etiquette properly.
Feeling a little better, Namgung Do-wi slowly drew his sword.
"I've heard Mount Hua's sword is very sharp."
"Pretty normal."
"But don't think that sword will work on me."
Then he smiled faintly and continued, "The sword of Namgung isn't swayed by superficial brilliance. Today, you will learn that there is a heaven above heaven."
"Ah. Yeah. Sure."
Chung Myung answered lazily and drew his own sword.
"Since I get it, let's just start already. I'm in a bit of a rush."
"You should regain your composure. I am not the same as the opponents you've faced so far."
"Yeah. You're different. Very different."
Chung Myung let out a genuine, weary sigh.
What else was he supposed to do when some bastard who looked like he'd start trembling and piss himself if you tossed him into a Demonic Sect nest kept nitpicking him?
Should I just break his head first?
For a moment he considered it seriously, but in the end shook his head.
No. The Sect Leader told me to at least pretend I was taking him seriously.
Chung Myung let out another long sigh.
Since morning, Hyun Jong had been extremely earnest in his pleas.
These days, the looks the leaders of other sects gave him were getting seriously suspicious, so he should at least make a show of exchanging a few sword moves. That was the request.
If it hadn't been for that, he'd have just kicked this bastard flying.
Better dead than suffering…
"I don't think you understand."
This time, Namgung Do-wi spoke in a slightly lowered voice.
"Huh?"
"I said my rank and the people I stand above are nothing like those you've faced until now."
A strange sneer crept to Namgung Do-wi's lips.
"If you think of their swords and then try to face me, you will suffer a great humiliation. I possess something they do not."
"Oh?"
Chung Myung swept his eyes over Namgung Do-wi with a peculiar look.
"Ah, you're saying your class is different?"
"I have no intention of belittling them. But if we're being coldly objective, people of their level are plentiful in this world. Very few possess the qualifications to stand as the best under heaven someday."
Namgung Do-wi pointed at Chung Myung with his chin.
"You and I are probably among them."
"Hoh?"
Chung Myung tilted his head two or three times, then asked, "Just in case I'm mistaken…"
"Hm?"
"Is your birth name perhaps Silver Dragon or something?"
"…What are you talking about?"
"No, I just thought you sounded way too much like some obnoxious bastard. Figured maybe you were from that family too."
"Obnoxious?"
Offended, Namgung Do-wi's face twisted.
But Chung Myung had his own grievances.
Good-looking and annoying—that's a clan trait.
Gold Dragon was like that, Bronze Dragon was like that, so Silver Dragon would be the same too.
Namgung Do-wi forcibly smoothed his expression and said, "I understand your arrogance well enough. You probably haven't met anyone truly worthy yet. The Righteous Sword, Jin Geum-ryong of Southern Edge, or Yi Song-baek, for instance, would never have satisfied you."
As he listened, Chung Myung's head started tilting a little more.
"Ah, so you're different?"
"You'll know once you experience it. But I will certainly make you feel it. What the difference in rank means."
Chung Myung grinned.
"Ah, so Jin Geum-ryong, our Sasuk Baek Cheon, and Yi Song-baek are all beneath you. Is that it?"
His words, quite naturally, became shorter and sharper by the second.
"That's the obvious conclusion."
"Because you're a genius?"
"Of course that's not what I meant. Only…"
"No need to backtrack."
Chung Myung cut him off, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"You are a genius. Fine, I admit it."
"Hmm. I'm embarrassed, but thank you."
"What a load of crap."
"Hm?"
Namgung Do-wi's once-pleasant smile froze. His eyes narrowed with it.
Chung Myung was twisting his neck left and right, making his joints crack.
"Kids these days are always weird. Where'd you learn to dance around the point like that? So what, you're a genius, and everyone else here is beneath your notice?"
"They're simply different from me."
"You little comedian."
Chung Myung snorted with laughter.
"Fine. One last thing I want to ask."
"Go on."
"Do you have siblings?"
"…I don't know why you're asking, but yes."
"Then that's enough."
Chung Myung shoved his sword back into the scabbard and lifted the scabbard itself.
A chorus of shocked voices broke out from the Mount Hua disciples, but Namgung Do-wi had no idea what that act was supposed to mean.
"Anyway, we're starting. Don't go whining about a sneak attack afterward."
"Of course. Take the first strike."
"Wow. You even yield first move. I'm so honored I really ought to hit you properly."
Chung Myung began to sneer.
Watching from a distance, Baek Cheon's group all went pale.
"S-Sasuk! Shouldn't we stop him?"
"…How would I stop him? They're in a duel."
"That bastard's going to die like this."
"…You think he'll actually kill him?"
"Yes."
"…Right. That does seem possible."
Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung with uneasy eyes. But there was no time for him to try anything.
Chung Myung raised his sword with a flash and charged at Namgung Do-wi like a beam of light.
Swaaaaak!
The sword tore through the air with a terrifying shriek, plunging down toward Namgung Do-wi's head.
But Namgung Do-wi did not panic in the slightest. He simply raised his sword.
"So obvious!"
He had already seen this sort of overhead strike several times.
This guy, for reasons unknown, was absurdly fixated on attacking the opponent's head.
He had already calculated that if he yielded the first move, the target would be his head.
To fall for a provocation like that? Pathetic!
Namgung Do-wi's sword precisely intercepted Chung Myung's blade.
The instant the swords meet, I'll deflect it and cut his ribs—
BOOOOOOM!
At that instant, a hideous sound exploded across the entire platform and rolled out over all Shaolin.
"HIIIIIIC!"
"Aaaahhhhhhh!"
"Ah. Ahhh… Ahhhhh…"
At the same time, screams of agony burst from the audience seats. Some covered their mouths. Others dropped both hands and clutched below their waists.
But no matter how they reacted, every single person's gaze was focused on one place.
Namgung Do-wi's gaze was the same, slowly dropping downward.
His feet.
Chung Myung's extended foot was buried squarely between Namgung Do-wi's legs.
"…Krrk."
Namgung Do-wi collapsed straight down.
And then—
"Aaaaagghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
He began rolling around on the floor, both hands clamped over his groin.
At that pitiful scream, the men in the audience could no longer bear to watch and all turned away.
The Mount Hua disciples also brought both hands together in front of them and shuddered, their faces bleached white.
"Urgh… He'd have been better off dead."
"I thought he'd only kill him. Right, there was no way that bastard would stop there. Aaaagh…"
"That demonic bastard. He's really vicious, vicious."
But Chung Myung, who could not hear their condemnation at all, simply snickered and tapped Namgung Do-wi's hips with the scabbard.
"It's fine, it's fine. You said you had siblings, right? You can still carry on the line."
Hm?
That wasn't the problem?
Well, that's not my business.
Heh heh heh.