Chapter 47
Episode 47
Friendly Sparring (1)
The day of the Tang Elite Unit's friendly sparring arrived.
Time flew by quickly, and the ten-day training period agreed upon by both sides had already passed.
For the first time in a while, laughter continuously filled the Sichuan Tang Family's estate, which had been weighed down by a series of unfortunate events recently.
"Ah, my eyes are finally going to feast on something good after so long!"
"I was so excited I couldn't even sleep last night."
"My friends in Chengdu were so jealous when they heard about this."
"Hey, uncles! Stop chattering and come help carry these dishes already."
"Haha. Alright, Yunseok."
The atmosphere was as lively as a banquet.
All the family members were seated around the central training grounds where the sparring would take place, with various feast dishes prepared by the servants since yesterday laid out in abundance.
Although this sparring originated from the Tang Elite Unit's dissatisfaction with the Young Lord, Se-woon had personally suggested making it a day for the entire family to enjoy together.
Back when the family was prosperous, such internal martial arts competitions were frequently held, but since their decline, there had been no such opportunities, so everyone—young and old—was delighted.
"But doesn't it seem like the outcome is already decided?"
"Why? The Young Lord might pull off another miracle."
"Come on, now. The Young Lord's team consists of newcomers who haven't even been here half a year. How could they win?"
"Well, that instructor Lady Yeo-seon he brought might be incredibly skilled at teaching."
"Even so, the difference in numbers is huge, and ten days is too short."
"Hmm, I still want to believe in the Young Lord."
"Then what does that make me?"
Just as predicting the winner is the most entertaining part of the annual Martial Arts Tournament held by the Martial Alliance, the gathered family members were all eagerly speculating about the outcome between Se-woon's team and Tang Bi's team.
And the majority of them predicted an overwhelming victory for Tang Bi's Tang Elite Unit.
Of course, if Se-woon himself were participating, the predictions would have been the opposite.
But doubts about the abilities of Lady Yeo-seon, who had just joined the family ten days ago, and the thought that the three newcomers trained under her couldn't have improved much in such a short time were enough to skew expectations.
Amidst the boisterous atmosphere—
Whoosh.
The head of the Sichuan Tang Family, Tang Mu-yeol, finally appeared, and the noise instantly died down.
Young Lord Tang Se-woon and Tang Elite Unit Leader Tang Bi also appeared alongside him.
"The Family Head has arrived! Everyone, show your respects!"
At the loud announcement by Chief Steward Son Geon, the head of both internal and external affairs, everyone bowed respectfully in unison.
Soon after, Tang Mu-yeol gazed at them all with a benevolent smile and spoke.
"It truly feels like it's been a long time since we've all gathered like this for a family banquet."
Though his words weren't particularly special, the eyes of the older family members quickly grew moist.
The hardships they had endured—so severe that even holding such internal martial arts competitions or banquets had become difficult—must have suddenly come to mind.
Pausing briefly, Tang Mu-yeol continued, sending them a warm look as if he understood their feelings.
"Many things have happened to our family recently, but today, I hope we can forget all those worries and enjoy ourselves to the fullest."
"Yes!!"
After everyone responded enthusiastically, Tang Mu-yeol took his seat, and Son Geon stepped onto the training grounds.
"Now, I shall explain the rules of the friendly sparring!"
Everyone fell silent and pricked up their ears.
In short, the rules of this friendly sparring prioritized safety above all else.
Unlike typical martial arts competitions, no sharpened weapons were used.
All participants had replaced their primary weapons with blunted training versions.
"Additionally, if anyone targets a lethal pressure point during the match, the sparring will be stopped immediately, and the offender will be disqualified."
These strict rules had all been set by Family Head Tang Mu-yeol.
Unlike other martial arts tournaments held against external sects or families, today's sparring was between family members and comrades.
If serious injuries occurred, the discord among the unit members could spiral out of control.
Otherwise, the rules were largely the same as any other martial arts competition.
The match would end immediately if a participant was rendered unable to continue or if their body left the bounds of the arena, resulting in the opponent's victory.
"Now, let the vanguards of both sides step onto the training grounds!"
Whoa!
Just as Son Geon was about to call the names of the first two participants—
"You've thought this through brilliantly, Young Lord."
Tang Elite Unit Leader Tang Bi whispered quietly into Se-woon's ear as they stood side by side.
When Se-woon turned his head slightly, Tang Bi was looking at him with admiring eyes.
Tang Bi spoke sincerely, full of praise.
"Indeed. There's no better way to soothe the discontent of subordinates than to feign ignorance and let them win while lifting their spirits."
"......"
"That losing can be winning—to already understand this at such a young age fills me with boundless joy."
"......"
"From appointing that Lady Yeo-seon as guard captain and instructor to deliberately stoking the unit members' dissatisfaction—it must all be part of your plan to......"
"Uncle."
At that moment, Se-woon, who had been listening quietly, cut him off with a firm voice.
Tang Bi blinked in surprise.
"Yes?"
"But what exactly have you been talking about this whole time?"
"......Huh?"
"Let them win?"
Se-woon looked at his uncle with an expression that said, What nonsense is this?
"I have no intention of doing anything but crushing them."
'......What in the world is going on?'
Fan Pyeong, the first participant from the Tang Elite Unit's side, was utterly bewildered by the situation before him.
On the opposite side of the training grounds stood not one, but two opponents.
"You can do it, Dae-woong! Just remember everything I told you!"
"......Yes."
"Ah! There's no need to be so nervous. Come on, let's go!!"
"......Let's go."
Lady Yeo-seon was enthusiastically cheering on Dae-woong, who looked visibly tense.
The moment Dae-woong's name was called, Yeo-seon had rushed out after him and was now energetically massaging the towering man's shoulders while chattering nonstop.
The almost comical scene made Fan Pyeong chuckle involuntarily.
"......Uh, Instructor Yeo. We need to begin the match, so please step down."
"Ah! S-sorry."
Unable to bear it any longer, Son Geon spoke up, startling Yeo-seon into hastily leaving the training grounds.
Haha.
The watching family members burst into laughter.
Fan Pyeong couldn't help but feel his energy drain away, but he quickly steadied himself.
'Sigh, don't let it bother me. The Young Lord must have his reasons.'
He suppressed his displeasure toward Yeo-seon and focused on the promise all Tang Elite Unit members had made during their grueling ten-day training.
'Let's show such overwhelming skill here that the Young Lord will see us in a new light.'
Though they felt slighted by their lord's lack of trust, the thought of actually defeating him never crossed their minds.
Looking back, everything Dae-woong had said on the first day about "breaking bones" had been correct.
Their lord's lost trust was entirely their own fault.
In this situation, the only way to regain that trust was to prove their worth.
"Now, we shall deliver the weapons to both sides."
Right on cue, Son Geon's voice rang out as two servants brought forward their respective primary weapons, adjusted for the sparring.
Swish!
A sword was placed in Fan Pyeong's hand.
He was one of the few orthodox swordsmen among the Tang Elite Unit members, who primarily specialized in hidden weapons.
'This isn't a sword—it's practically a club.'
As Fan Pyeong stared at his blade-less sword with unfamiliarity—
Murmur, murmur.
'Huh?'
The commotion behind him grew louder.
Following his comrades' gazes, Fan Pyeong finally noticed Dae-woong—and his eyes widened like lanterns.
Dae-woong held a recurve bow and a quiver of arrows whose tips had been wrapped in thick cloth, blunting them.
"......A bow?"
"Wasn't that guy's main weapon a whip?"
"Wow! The Young Lord caught them off guard."
"Hmm, but can archery learned in just ten days defeat a senior unit member?"
"That's what I'm saying. I think the Young Lord might have miscalculated."
As debates erupted among the family members—
Fan Pyeong was dumbfounded.
For ten days, he had focused solely on countering whip techniques.
Now, all that effort seemed wasted.
Then—
"Begin the match!!"
With Son Geon's booming shout, the friendly sparring officially commenced.
Whoosh!
Both participants simultaneously stepped back with explosive speed.
In an instant, they stood at opposite ends of the training grounds.
Fan Pyeong held his sword in a ready stance.
Dae-woong nocked an arrow and drew the bowstring taut.
The tension was palpable.
Fan Pyeong quickly assessed the situation.
His opponent's primary weapon and martial arts had changed, so he needed a new strategy.
His cold gaze fixed on Dae-woong's arrow.
'Judging by the arrowhead's shape, the sharp tip has been replaced with something blunt, like a metal ball, and wrapped in cloth.'
Having calmly analyzed this, his tension gradually eased.
Though losing his blade also imposed some restrictions and disadvantages on his own martial arts—
'His side is far worse off.'
Fan Pyeong concluded that choosing the bow—whether it was Lady Yeo-seon or Se-woon's decision—was clearly a blunder.
With the arrowheads modified like that, bows were at a much greater disadvantage than swords.
First, the rounded arrowheads would drastically reduce speed compared to before.
Second, the altered balance would make it much harder for the archer to aim accurately.
Moreover, this exposed the fatal weakness of archery in martial arts.
Bows boast the longest range of any weapon.
But in such a confined space, that advantage vanished entirely.
'Once I close the distance, the archer is finished.'
The worst flaw—having no means to counter a close-range opponent—became glaringly obvious.
An archer could never defeat a swordsman in close combat.
Of course, Dae-woong might get one shot off before then.
'If I can't cut it, I'll just deflect it.'
This would end anticlimactically.
Fan Pyeong spoke softly to his junior, who was about to face the worst of it.
"Don't misunderstand—this isn't personal."
"Three......, ......strikes. Fi......."
"......?"
But his opponent only muttered something incomprehensible in response.
'This brat—!'
Creak.
Fan Pyeong's forehead vein bulged in a cross shape.
Though he had said it wasn't personal—
'I still don't like him.'
Resolving to teach this arrogant junior a lesson—
Whoosh!
Fan Pyeong charged forward at full speed.
Among all Tang Elite Unit members, his footwork was exceptional.
He had already closed half the distance.
And—
Dae-woong stared straight at his lightning-fast opponent.
'Unit Member Fan Pyeong. First attack. Diagonal slash from the upper right.'
He repeated the countermeasures Instructor Yeo-seon had taught him endlessly.
By now, his eyes had taken on the fierce glint of a tiger's.
Crack!
He gripped the bowstring with all his might, twisting it like a whirlwind.
Creak!
Simultaneously, the recurve bow's limbs bent to their limit—
KABOOM!
A thunderous explosion erupted like a lightning strike.