078
078
Bang Do-rim, Qingcheng's senior disciple who bore the Phoenix Chick Sword—one of the fabled Twin Old Eagle Swords—swung his blade fiercely yet again, determined to master it.
"Hwaaat!!"
The instant he thrust, a golden phoenix unfurled its wings from the steel. But the phoenix merely fluttered, refusing to advance.
"Yiiiik!"
No matter how he thrust, no matter how he wielded the Ascension Sword Art of the Clear Wind Sword Technique, it was useless. The phoenix simply beat its wings in place, feeding on his internal qi, refusing to acknowledge him as the sword's true master.
"Damn it!"
Bang Do-rim slashed the Phoenix Chick Sword savagely. The straw training dummy split clean along a diagonal line, and Bang Do-rim convinced himself the blade had grown even keener.
'There are no weapon restrictions in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.'
He would certainly be cursed the moment he drew the Phoenix Chick Sword. But if he could display overwhelming power that silenced all reproach for using a treasured blade—if he could become the foremost among the Nine Dragons—then he could reclaim the title of Azure Heaven New Dragon.
'Or I could simply find Namgung Pae and duel him.'
Those who rose to the Nine Dragons did not hold the title unchallenged for the full four years. They had to accept the challenges of countless snakes coveting the dragon's seat, and many surrendered that dragon's place of their own accord after falling to other rising stars.
Bang Do-rim was confident. Even if he had been unable to participate in this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, he had guarded the name Azure Heaven New Dragon for four long years. If he fought with desperate resolve, he still had a chance.
With the Phoenix Chick Sword at his side, no one could take it from him.
Not even the Sect Leader—
"Senior Brother!! Big trouble!!"
"Don't make a fuss."
Bang Do-rim quietly rebuked the junior brother who had rushed into the training ground and slid his sword toward its scabbard. But the blade trembled, stubbornly refusing to slide home.
"...Huh?"
"Senior Brother, s-someone claiming to be the true master of the Phoenix Chick Sword has appeared!"
"......What?"
Bang Do-rim twisted the corner of his mouth.
"This sword is mine. I found it, so it's mine. And now you say someone else claims it?"
"B-But that's..."
"Drive him out! He claims he's the master of the Phoenix Chick Sword? Ha! In Chengdu alone there are already a hundred people claiming to be descendants of Yoo Hyeon-deok!"
"The junior brothers are all getting thrashed!"
Kwaang—!!
A section of the training ground wall collapsed. Seeing an unconscious youth among the rubble, Bang Do-rim tightened his grip on the Phoenix Chick Sword's hilt.
"Junior brother!!"
"Azure Heaven New Dragon Bang Do-rim! At last I meet you!!"
A young man with his face concealed by a bamboo hat strode forward, an iron sword clutched in one hand.
"...A bandit?"
The beard on his jaw beneath the hat made him look like a man from Green Forest, but his voice was unmistakably young.
"If you hand over the Phoenix Chick Sword meekly, there need be no bloodshed!"
"Madman. Do you know where you are? How dare you set your filthy feet inside mighty Qingcheng!"
"I climbed a mountain, so my feet are dirty. Did you expect me to arrive in silk foot-wraps?"
"You cur! Such insolence has no equal!"
"The one without equal here is you."
The young man stretched one hand toward Bang Do-rim. The moment it looked like a trick, several shadows sprang out and surrounded him.
"You scoundrel! How dare you attack Qingcheng Sect!"
"In broad daylight at that! Impudent bastard!"
"We'll break that arrogant pride of yours!"
"Elders!"
Bang Do-rim rejoiced at the elders' arrival. Now this bastard would be thoroughly beaten and chased out, just like so many challengers before him.
"They talk big enough, but they can't actually enter, I see."
The young man merely spoke calmly and kept walking toward Bang Do-rim. The three elders matched his steps and maintained their formation, but they could not easily charge.
"Elders...?"
"Elder Byeok Chija has already fallen at the entrance! This one is no ordinary foe!"
"Martial Uncle Byeok Chija?!"
Bang Do-rim's hands suddenly began to shake. He wondered if it was shock from hearing that a peak-level master had been defeated—but though he was tense, there was no reason for his hands to tremble like this.
"Senior Brother, the Phoenix Chick Sword?!"
"Impossible..."
The Phoenix Chick Sword was trembling. The closer the young man's footsteps came, the fiercer the sword's trembling grew.
Sheeeeng!
Bang Do-rim drew the blade from the scabbard, leveled it at the young man, and shouted.
"This sword is my sword!"
"Shut your mouth, thief."
"Wha—what?!"
The young man stopped walking and tilted his bamboo hat slightly upward. Revealing his lower face, he openly twisted his mouth at Bang Do-rim.
"You dare steal my sword and then spout such nonsense. You have the order reversed."
"Y-Your sword...?"
"Is it not true that the true master of this sword is the one who has mastered Emperor Shaolie's martial arts—the very arts you so desperately covet?"
Shlik.
The young man drove his iron sword straight down into the stone floor. As the steel sank into stone, the elders flinched and stepped back.
"Do-rim! Be careful! This bastard is truly dangerous!"
"Really... the sword's master?"
"Pull yourself together! He's nothing more than a brigand who raided Qingcheng!"
The elders shouted at one another, kindling their fighting spirit. Even if he truly was the sword's master, the fact remained that he had attacked Qingcheng and beaten disciples as he pleased.
"Deploy the Clear Wind Myriad Forms Formation!"
At the command of the eldest-ranking elder, the others stepped back once more and raised their swords. Bang Do-rim entered the sword formation alongside the elders and aimed the Phoenix Chick Sword.
"You! Have you any last words before you die?!"
"It seems you still don't believe I am the true master..."
The young man stretched his free hand high into the sky.
"Come, Bongtong!"
In an instant the sword in Bang Do-rim's hand erupted with golden light and soared into the sky.
"Aargh!!"
The scorching heat forced Bang Do-rim to release his grip. The Phoenix Chick Sword rose into the sky, then descended hilt-first into the young man's waiting hand, as if coming home.
"Sword control?!"
"Dark arts!"
"Does it look like dark arts?"
The Phoenix Chick Sword, which had returned of its own accord, began to shine. A phoenix with folded wings formed around him, surveying all directions with haughty disdain.
"Behold! The true power of the Dragon Emperor Sword!"
Raising the twin blades as if joining them, the young man thundered:
"Falling Phoenix Strike!"
The phoenix that had been soaring toward the sky swept its wings downward in a vast arc.
Pashashashak—!!
The golden wings struck the ground and burst outward in every direction.
* * *
"Haa..."
Seo-hui, a Hao Sect courtesan, clutched her aching stomach and lifted her brush with difficulty.
"Bad person."
A day had already passed since that unknown man had thoroughly ravished her, yet her legs were still so numb she could hardly move. She was fortunate to have fainted midway; otherwise, she likely would have truly died a pleasure-death on that enormous member.
"......."
Though she used the word "ravished," it hadn't been wholly unpleasant. No—it had been good. He was the best of all the men she had ever met in the pleasure houses, and if asked to do it again, she could certainly handle him. She would simply need to prepare herself physically and mentally.
Yet she still called it "ravished" and, recalling his mighty dragon, left this note marked 'execution' for one reason alone.
"How dare he... flee without paying?"
He had committed a dine-and-dash against the pleasure quarter's most beautiful courtesan, Seo-hui. Strictly speaking, he had paid the entrance deposit upon entering the house, but like all high-ranking courtesans, the extra silver a man slipped directly to her was the real income.
"If you've had me, you should pay more and then go!"
Yes. Seo-hui was genuinely furious at missing that extra silver. Worse, instead of giving it to her, he had gone and spent it at another pleasure house to console himself—leaving her so humiliated she could barely show her face in the quarter.
- That bitch Seo-hui, always draining so many men, but now she's met her match. Serves her right.
- She's met her real master. Every day men left her drained and never came back, right?
- What good are night skills and a fine body? She's just a ghost who devours men.
"Those bitches..."
Seo-hui could not contain her indignation at the talk swirling around her. It was true she had a track record of leaving men useless for days, but the torrent of insults pouring out because a single man had defeated her in the bedchamber made her blood boil.
"Should I just kill them all..."
"Elder Sister, a guest has arrived."
"What? A guest?! Who—is it that bastard?!"
"...It is me, Elder Sister."
At the solemn voice from outside, Seo-hui frowned. A tall, sickly-looking youth sat down facing her.
"Shall I bring a table of wine?"
"Elder Sister, please speak comfortably, as you did in the past."
"How could I do that before someone from the Sichuan Tang Clan?"
"You are also a person of the Tang Clan, Elder Sister. Although Uncle Dok-gwi struck your name from the family register, does not the blood of the Tang Clan flow within you?"
The young master of the Tang Clan, Dang Geon-myeon, pounded his own chest. Seo-hui smiled bitterly and began to brew tea.
"Do not say such things anywhere, young master. If someone like me, a whore, were called a member of the Tang Clan, Poison Immortal himself would be furious."
"A whore! That is utterly absurd!"
"No. It is the truth. I am simply a woman who liked to mix flesh and so became a courtesan selling her body of her own will. Young master..."
Seo-hui gave an acrid smile and lifted her teacup.
"You didn't come here to hold me, did you?"
"Of course not!"
"Fufu, a joke. Then perhaps another woman...?"
"Elder Sister! ...Haah, no. The reason I came is to consult with you."
At Dang Geon-myeon's words, Seo-hui shook her head as if perplexed.
"You know I am a person of the Hao Sect, right? If you leak the family's affairs, you will be in great trouble."
"But there is no one else who can hear my troubles besides you, Elder Sister. With Brother I-jeong not here..."
"......."
Seo-hui took a sip of tea and closed her eyes. After deep thought, she slowly parted her lips.
"Tell me, then. Why did you mention Brother I-jeong in front of me?"
"I think Brother has returned."
"...What?"
Crack. A fissure ran through the teacup Seo-hui was clutching.
"That's impossible. Brother definitely..."
"Yes. He left the family. But he has returned. Father and the elders all keep quiet about it, but I have figured out the whole situation. Brother I-jeong briefly returned to the family."
"Th-That can't be. That person... No, why did he come? What did he come to confirm?"
Seo-hui was visibly flustered. Dang Geon-myeon agonized over whether to tell the anxious Seo-hui or not, and finally opened his mouth.
"It seems that Brother has already mastered Emperor Shaolie's martial arts."
"That can't be. Brother merely inserted a treasure map into that place."
"But he came here. With Emperor Shaolie's martial arts in hand."
Plop. Dang Geon-myeon's fists trembled and tears like chicken droppings fell.
"Because I... blurted it out in the middle of the situation with Bang Do-rim and the Jegal Clan, sniffle, and to sort out the mess it caused, hic, Brother came in person to retrieve both swords. Saying he is the master of the Dragon Emperor Sword. Sniff."
"W-Wait a moment. Does that even make sense? Brother is in Sichuan right now? That's impossible..."
Bang!
The door swung open to both sides. A courtesan stood panting, her expression desperate.
"What is it?"
"S-Sister Seo-hui! A huge commotion has broken out at Qingcheng Sect!"
"A commotion?"
"A man claiming to be the master of the twin swords is turning the place upside down, demanding they hand them over! But..."
The courtesan shouted with a pale face.
"Everyone from the disciples guarding the entrance to the senior disciple has been taken down! Even elder-level masters!!"
"......!!"
The news from Mount Qingcheng set the whole of Chengdu astir in an instant.
* * *
"Uhahahah! To think Qingcheng is only this much!"
A golden dragon soared into the sky. A golden phoenix spread its wings and deflected flying daggers. It was a martial art, yet so eerie it could not be called a martial art—and the warriors of Qingcheng refused to accept reality.
"Dark arts! He is beguiling us!"
"How can a human wield a golden dragon?!"
"It is all an illusion! Yes, an Illusion Demon! That bastard is an Illusion Demon!!"
The elders who were directly clashing swords were the first to deny reality. The disciples, their senses scattered by a battle their eyes could not follow, believed the elders' words.
"Fools who turn away from reality!"
They did not want to believe that a single swordsman was pressuring the entire Qingcheng Sect with only two blades. The young man, standing right in the middle of the twelve elders' coordinated formation, did not allow a single attack to land, handling the twin swords freely as he clashed with their blades.
Crunch!
The golden dragon bit through Elder Byeok Juja's sword and crushed it. The phoenix seized Elder Byeok Jija's blade in its talons and shattered it. The two phantom beasts, glowing faintly as if guarding the young man, stood steadfastly at his left and right like the sworn brothers of Emperor Shaolie.
"This... impossible..."
Thud. Bang Do-rim, already driven out of the sword formation, collapsed as the strength left his legs. The Phoenix Chick Sword—which had shown no reaction of any kind in his own hands—fluttered its wings like a lovebird that had found its mate.
"You... son of a bitch...!!"
It enraged him even more, because it felt like watching the woman he loved coquettishly flirting with another warrior. Inferiority boiled up as he watched a young man who did not even look much older than himself fight—no, dominate—the Twelve Elders of Qingcheng.
Let's kill him.
Bang Do-rim drew a dagger from his bosom. Murderous intent and jealousy filled his entire being, and his eyes saw only the young man's mocking sneer beneath the bamboo hat.
"Hold."
A sharp voice came from behind him, and a crushing weight pressed down on his shoulder. Bang Do-rim turned his head under that thousand-catty grip.
"Master!!"
"The Sect Leader."
The Qingcheng Sect Leader Byeok Bak-ja pushed Bang Do-rim behind him and drew an iron sword. The elders scattered to left and right, opening a path, and the young man squarely faced Byeok Bak-ja, gripping his twin swords.
"My apologies for the discourtesy, Sect Leader."
"......If you know it is discourtesy, why do you insist on doing this?"
"Because that man took my sword. I came to recover my property from a thief, not to debate swords with the Taoists of Qingcheng."
"Just who are you?"
"Me? Heh heh."
The young man lightly lifted his bamboo hat with the tip of the Phoenix Chick Sword. The moment Byeok Bak-ja saw his face, his expression twisted violently.
"N-No way...!"
"Indeed. I am..."
Swish.
The young man cast off his bamboo hat and revealed his face to all under heaven.
"The descendant of Emperor Shaolie! Yoo Bung! Courtesy name Geomdam (劍淡)!"
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