Chapter 51. Hah, So We’ve Got Some Big Shot Coming, Do We? (4)
Yi Song-baek frowned.
Regret? Did he just say regret?
This brat’s got no fear at all.
Under normal circumstances, Yi Song-baek was not the sort of man who judged others by age or status. But this young disciple of Mount Hua was far too insolent.
No matter how ignorant he is, this is still too much.
He wasn’t old enough to understand the gap between his own sect and another, much less to choose his words and actions with any real judgment. That much, Yi Song-baek could forgive.
But at the very least, how could he possibly maintain that sort of attitude when a swordsman from another sect, one who stood a whole head taller than him, was asking for a duel?
Let’s just call it boldness.
Yi Song-baek let out a small sigh and continued.
“Will you accept the duel?”
“Yeah.”
Even the answer was maddeningly calm.
At last, with the patience of a grown man indulging a child for one final time, Yi Song-baek opened his mouth again.
“May I ask your Taoist name?”
“I don’t have one. My name’s Chung Myung.”
“Chung Myung. Chung Myung, then.”
The reason he asked again even though he already knew the name was simple.
“Listen, Chung Myung. Let me offer you a word of advice. You may think you’ve done nothing wrong right now, but that’s not how the world works. It isn’t decided solely by whether you’re right or wrong. Before you get into even more trouble, why don’t you head back to Mount Hua and—”
“Aren’t we fighting?”
Yi Song-baek twitched.
Chung Myung yawned as if bored, then stretched his arms wide.
“So the people of Southern Edge fight with their mouths, huh? You picked a fight first, so why are you suddenly trying to talk instead of drawing that nice sword of yours?”
“…….”
Yi Song-baek smiled faintly.
My cultivation is still far from enough.
The fact that he was getting the urge to beat the living daylights out of this flea-sized brat was proof enough.
“No need to rush. I was about to begin anyway.”
As Yi Song-baek tightened his grip on his sword, Go Hui quietly caught the sleeve of his robe.
“Senior Brother. Are you planning to handle this yourself?”
Yi Song-baek turned to look at him.
“There’s no need for you to step in directly. I’ll do it.”
“No.”
“Senior Brother.”
Yi Song-baek said with firm eyes, “There is such a thing as minimum courtesy. Among us, I’m the oldest. If I fight him and lose, it will at least save that child some face.”
In the end, Go Hui let out a sigh and stepped back.
Senior Brother is always too rigid for his own good.
In terms of character alone, he was worthy of being the chief disciple.
“This humble Yeong of Southern Edge, Yi Song-baek, requests a sword duel with Chung Myung, disciple of Mount Hua.”
“Oh, wait a second.”
“……Now what?”
Chung Myung tilted his head slightly and looked at Go Hui.
“Lend me a sword.”
“…….”
Go Hui’s eyes went wide.
He wants to borrow a sword? And this is supposed to be a disciple of a renowned sect?
The first thing you learned when entering the sword gate was never to hand your cherished weapon to another person. And yet this punk was shamelessly asking to be handed a sword?
“Are you saying a disciple of a sword sect doesn’t even carry a sword?”
“What, did you think I’d be getting into a brawl?”
“What exactly is Mount Hua—”
“If you don’t like it, then don’t.”
Chung Myung glanced around.
“Let’s see. Something I can use as a sword……”
Yi Song-baek’s brow furrowed.
“Give it to him.”
“Senior Brother!”
“Do you want to hear that a disciple of Southern Edge bullied a Mount Hua disciple who wasn’t even carrying a sword?”
“…….”
At those words, Go Hui let out a long breath. Then he unfastened the sword at his waist and tossed it to Chung Myung.
“Thanks.”
Taking the sword, Chung Myung gripped it casually in one hand and looked at Yi Song-baek with a bored expression.
“Shall we start?”
“……You don’t intend to draw it?”
“I’m not killing anybody, so why bother drawing it? You can draw yours if you want.”
Yi Song-baek squeezed his eyes shut.
This is madness. Pure madness.
Talking to this kid made it feel like all the patience he’d built up over years of cultivation was being torn away in an instant.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment, and then raised his sword.
Originally, he’d planned to startle the boy a little and drive him off. But that clearly wouldn’t be enough. Setting aside personal dislike…….
From the way he talks and carries himself, he’s the type who won’t listen unless something breaks.
With only a brief exchange, Yi Song-baek had already grasped Chung Myung’s personality perfectly.
“Take up your sword.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Chung Myung lifted the sword with obvious indifference.
Watching that, Yi Song-baek’s brow tightened slightly.
“You’d better do this properly. By the time you start complaining that I used too much force, it’ll already be too late.”
“Hey.”
“Hm?”
Chung Myung let out a long sigh.
“Can we hurry this up? You’re gonna keep me here till dawn or something. Just come at me.”
“……You!”
At last, anger rose in Yi Song-baek’s face.
“I’ll teach you some manners!”
In the end, he threw caution, courtesy, and everything else aside and shot straight toward Chung Myung.
Whoosh!
The sword of Southern Edge was simple and clear.
Among the Nine Great Sects, those known for Daoism and swordsmanship each possessed their own distinct style. Wudang’s sword was gentle, Mount Hua’s flamboyant, Wudang’s sword sharp and swift, and Southern Edge’s sword solemn and weighty.
A blade stripped of all unnecessary flourish and trickery came crashing down toward Chung Myung’s neck.
Chung Myung casually raised his sword and blocked the incoming strike.
Clang!
Sword and sword collided, releasing a shrill metallic cry.
“Ha!”
At that instant, Yi Song-baek swung again, aiming for Chung Myung’s flank.
It was fast and fierce. Even if there had been room for a counterattack, the sheer murderous pressure of a blade that seemed ready to split the waist in two would have robbed most men of any such thought.
Clang!
And once again, Chung Myung dropped his blade to block the attack.
He staggered.
Unable to bear the force, Chung Myung retreated a step.
Having seized the opening, Yi Song-baek pressed forward with renewed intensity, raining strikes down on him.
“Ho.”
Watching the duel, Go Hui smiled with easy confidence.
“Senior Brother seems quite angry. He doesn’t look like he intends to finish this quickly.”
“Pardon?”
“That boy did get under Senior Brother’s skin quite a lot. Tsk, tsk. You really do need to pick your targets before teasing them.”
“So Senior Brother is teaching him a lesson right now?”
“Exactly. He could end this anytime if he wanted, but instead he’s giving the boy a chance to play along, isn’t he? The one blocking Senior Brother’s attacks right now must be having a miserable time.”
As if to prove the point, Chung Myung kept stumbling back again and again.
Watching that, Wei Han-su tilted his head.
“And yet he’s blocking them awfully well for someone in such a miserable state, isn’t he?”
“That’s precisely what makes Senior Brother so impressive. If he were to knock the boy out in one go, what would people say?”
“Ah……”
“He’s already figured out the boy’s limits in an instant, and he’s pressuring him with just enough strength and speed to make him barely able to keep up. He hasn’t landed a single hit, but he’s still teaching him plenty.”
Go Hui shrugged.
“It’s a lesson far too heavy for such an arrogant brat. I hope the boy understands that. You lot, don’t miss a single one of Senior Brother’s movements.”
“Yes!”
Go Hui clicked his tongue softly.
To think that such a composed man could get so angry. Then again, I’d probably be angry too. Still, Senior Brother really mustn’t get too worked up.
But unlike the spectators’ interpretation, Yi Song-baek, the one on offense, was having a miserable time.
Clang!
He blocked it again?
Strange.
This should not have been blocked.
Contrary to Go Hui’s words that he was merely playing around at a suitable pace, Yi Song-baek was in fact striking at the fastest speed he could muster.
Why the hell is he blocking this?
It was enough to make a ghost scream.
Chung Myung’s sword was by no means fast. It was so slow it was almost frustrating to watch.
And yet, with that sluggish movement, it somehow blocked Yi Song-baek’s sword with uncanny precision.
The slow blade would somehow arrive first, quietly taking up the space where Yi Song-baek’s sword intended to go, as if waiting there in leisure.
Unless he’s inside my head, how is this even possible?
Was he reading the sword path?
No, not even that.
It was impossible for a young Mount Hua disciple to read his sword path in the first place, and even if he had, this was beyond reason.
To block Yi Song-baek’s sword with that sluggish blade, Chung Myung would have to read Yi Song-baek’s thoughts the instant before he swung—no, before he even swung—and move his sword accordingly.
Unless Chung Myung was a ghost, how could such a thing be possible?
“Haahh!”
Yi Song-baek shouted and slashed down with all his strength.
The boy in front of him looked no older than fifteen, if he was being generous. In terms of age, he was hardly older than Yi Song-baek’s youngest brother. And yet this child was blocking his sword without the slightest sign of strain.
The sword of a man famed even among Southern Edge as one of its rare talents!
This is impossible!
Internal energy began to pour into Yi Song-baek’s blade.
It had started as a light duel, but before he knew it, the power carried by his sword was growing stronger and stronger.
Swishhh!
A fierce sword wind burst from the blade.
Kaaanng!
But even Yi Song-baek’s sword, now packed with inner force, could not push aside Chung Myung’s.
A wall.
This was a wall.
No matter how hard he struggled, he could not break through. It was as though he were trying to cut through a wall made entirely of steel.
“Gh!”
Driven by stubborn pride, Yi Song-baek swung with everything he had.
“Senior Brother!”
Seeing the sword wind pouring from Yi Song-baek’s blade, Go Hui shouted before he could help himself.
“Senior Brother! Please calm down!”
Go Hui’s sharp voice reached Yi Song-baek clearly.
Damn it, what am I doing?
Yi Song-baek hurriedly drew back the internal energy he had poured into the sword. The heavy pressure vanished, and the blade, now merely fast, came down on Chung Myung’s sword.
And then—
Kwaaaang!
Without warning, a thunderous explosion erupted, and Chung Myung’s body was sent flying back like an arrow loosed from a bow.
“Huh?”
He crashed straight into the wall.
Thud!
Crack, crack—crack crack crack!
Spiderweb cracks spread across the wall where Chung Myung had slammed into it. Then his body slowly slid down to the ground.
“…….”
Yi Song-baek’s eyes flew open wide.
“Senior Brother!”
Go Hui rushed over in alarm.
“What on earth did you do to the boy?”
“N-no, I……”
He had clearly pulled back his inner force.
Even when he swung with all his strength, he hadn’t been able to leave so much as a scratch. So how could a single blow that had withdrawn its force send the boy flying like that?
Then it happened.
“Grrrrrgh.”
Lying on the ground, Chung Myung convulsed violently and suddenly began spewing blood from his mouth like a fountain.
“Hiiiiii!”
“Aaaahhh!”
Everyone panicked and rushed toward Chung Myung. Only one person, Yi Song-baek, stood frozen in place with a face as if he had been cursed by a ghost.
“Puuuuuh!”
The fountain of blood shot violently upward.
Good heavens…… a person could spit blood like that?
Anyone could see it: I was the one who screwed up here. Anyone could see it.
“Senior Brother!”
“…….”
This was insane.
Yi Song-baek had no idea what on earth was happening right now.
“Krrrk. Krrrk.”
More blood, dark as raw meat, gushed from Chung Myung’s mouth in thick spurts. He looked, to anyone’s eyes, as though he had suffered grievous internal injuries. At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange if his breathing stopped altogether.
Yi Song-baek was just about to shake himself awake and rush toward Chung Myung when—
“What in the world do you think you’re doing!”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward the source of the shout.
Yi Song-baek could only squeeze his eyes shut with a desolate face.
There, glaring at him with a face twisted in fury he had never once seen before, Huang Jong-ui stood with his beard trembling violently.