Chapter 40: Young Lord Cheol Gun (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 40: Young Lord Cheol Gun (2)
Cheol Gun felt a wave of disappointment. It had been a long time since he’d truly cut loose with his martial arts, yet he hadn't found the slightest bit of enjoyment in it.
He clicked his tongue and muttered, “Did they say he was from the Qingcheng Sect? Whatever. Grandfather brought him here, so he can deal with the consequences.”
Talking to himself, he began to walk away.
“Brother.”
Cheol Gun turned around at the sound of the voice.
“So-yeon? Why are you here…?”
“What did you just do?”
She was staring at him, looking flustered. Dust rose from the collapsed building, drifting toward the open courtyard.
“Oh, that guy Grandfather brought? I killed him.”
“What?”
“I said I killed him.”
At those words, Cheol So-yeon asked in a panicked voice, her tone trembling slightly.
“Why? Why would you do that?”
“Why? Because he was an eyesore, that’s why.”
“…”
“Heh, I’m joking. Actually, Grandfather said he was going to make us duel. So I figured since we were going to do it anyway, I’d just get it over with right now…”
“You killed who?”
This time, a voice came from the opposite direction.
It was Hyeok-jin.
He had rushed out, startled by the loud noise, only to find the surrounding buildings destroyed and a young man he’d never seen before talking to Cheol So-yeon.
“What’s this? Was there another one?” Cheol Gun said, looking at him. His nonchalant attitude remained unchanged. “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. I don’t feel like using my martial arts anymore.”
“Kill who? Don’t tell me you…”
“Why so surprised? I just got rid of some trash from that so-called Orthodox sect, the Qingcheng Sect.”
Hyeok-jin’s eyes shook with shock. He looked toward the shattered pavilion. It had been reduced to splinters.
“Hahaha! I’m free for a while now. All Six Inns are finally in my hands.”
Cheol Gun bounced with excitement. He turned his back on Hyeok-jin and Cheol So-yeon, intending to walk back the way he came.
Or rather, he tried to, but a sudden voice forced him to stop in his tracks.
“I might have misjudged, but…”
“Huh?”
Startled, Cheol Gun whipped his head around. He spotted someone standing on the bridge over the artificial pond.
“You gathered your internal energy as you raised your sword and unleashed it on the downswing. Judging by that, you seem vulnerable to low-center-of-gravity attacks or close-quarters combat where the opponent strikes from the inside.”
“…?”
“Furthermore, that Blood Flash Light Hammer you mentioned appeared to be a Sword Aura two feet long, but strangely, its power was weaker than a one-and-a-half-foot aura. This is just my opinion, but it seems you failed to put the full strength of a finishing blow into it because you tried to make the opponent chase the trailing edge of the aura at the end.”
Cheol Gun’s face contorted.
He had suspected it, but there he was—the Taoist from the Qingcheng Sect who should have been dead.
“I have seen your sword well, so now it is my turn.”
“…!”
Ssssh.
Seok Myeong executed the Flying Stream Step.
At first, two or three afterimages appeared at regular intervals. Then they multiplied to five or six, and in an instant, dozens of shadows covered the area.
Just as Cheol Gun swung his sword horizontally to sweep away the dozens of shadows at once, a flash appeared before his eyes, and Seok Myeong revealed himself.
“Not so fast!”
As if he had predicted the move, Cheol Gun’s sword dropped from a middle guard to a low one.
At that moment, Seok Myeong’s falling sword stopped.
To be precise, it didn't collide with Cheol Gun’s sword but simply dropped straight down.
Vertically, toward the ground.
“Ha!”
With his sword planted in the ground, Seok Myeong lunged forward and threw a punch.
A white, smoke-like energy swirled around Seok Myeong’s fist and erupted the moment it touched Cheol Gun’s body.
It was the Fist Scripture.
“Ugh!”
Cheol Gun let out a groan and covered his body with both hands.
He had been momentarily frozen by the unorthodox move of planting the sword in the ground, and by the time he tried to react to the incoming strike, he had lost the chance to block properly.
Thump!
With a heavy sound, Cheol Gun’s body was sent flying.
But Seok Myeong had no intention of stopping.
Pulling his sword from the ground, he immediately unleashed the sixth form of the Heaven and Earth Sword: the Dividing Horizontal Sword.
“Hah!”
A milky-white energy gathered at the tip of his sword and shot forward.
It wasn't the three-colored energy. Perhaps because Seok Myeong hadn't drawn out all of his internal energy, only a pure energy flew through the air.
“…!”
Cheol Gun, who had skidded back about fifty feet before stopping, raised his sword.
He felt something alien coming from the nearly one-foot-long Sword Aura.
Cheol Gun slammed his sword into the ground and then jerked it upward.
A surging energy swirled around him, centered on his body. Simultaneously, the paving stones on the ground shattered, and large chunks of rock soared into the air, following the trajectory of his sword.
Boom!
With a massive explosion, Cheol Gun was pushed back another twenty feet. However, he braced himself until the end, refusing to fall.
“Kaaaah…!”
Barely regaining his stance, Cheol Gun shouted.
“This horse-nosed priest is actually decent! You might be worth a real fight!”
Seok Myeong and Cheol Gun locked eyes. Both held an unreadable gaze.
“I do not avoid an incoming sword. That is the spirit of Qingcheng.”
“I like that spirit.”
As Cheol Gun raised his sword, Seok Myeong also leveled his blade.
There was no reason to avoid someone charging with a sword.
“Stop it, Brother!”
“Please calm down, Brother Seok Myeong.”
At that moment, Cheol So-yeon and Hyeok-jin intervened.
She was trying to stop her reckless brother, while Hyeok-jin was wary of the situation escalating further.
Cheol Gun bellowed at Cheol So-yeon.
“Why should I stop? I have the chance to kill this man today! If I kill him, then the life I’ve wanted so badly…”
“You mean living a life of debauchery?”
“…!”
Cheol Gun’s head snapped around.
His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. An entirely unexpected person was standing there, looking at him.
“Father.”
*
When Cheol So-yeon called out to Cheol Jung, he turned his head.
“Why are you here?”
“Ah…”
“Did you come to watch because a fight broke out?”
“No. I was just walking nearby by chance and…”
“Is that so?”
He turned his gaze back to Cheol Gun.
Then, clicking his tongue, he said, “I saw you using your martial arts for the first time in a while and came over thinking you’d finally grown up. Tsk, tsk, tsk. You pathetic fool.”
At his words, Cheol Gun scratched his head.
“Hahaha, I grew up a long time ago. That’s why I’m doing this.”
“Don’t laugh, you brat. What do you have to be proud of?”
“Hahaha. I’m sorry, Father.”
Cheol Gun was the same as ever. Even as his father scolded him, he wasn't intimidated in the least.
Cheol Jung’s gaze shifted.
“Are you the boy from the Qingcheng Sect?”
Seok Myeong was momentarily speechless upon seeing him.
Even a simple glance at the light of his internal energy revealed something extraordinary. A thread-like energy billowed around him like the scent of thick incense.
It was then.
Wooooong—
“Ugh!”
Seok Myeong clutched his head and grabbed his wrist.
The Dark Heaven Bracelet had activated without his permission.
How could the Dark Heaven Bracelet…
Seok Myeong looked at the middle-aged man again with startled eyes.
“Well, look at this. A mere fledgling dares to probe my energy without permission?”
Cheol Jung looked at Seok Myeong with surprise. He had thought he was just a simple novice, but the boy had more depth than expected.
If he could ride the energy Cheol Jung was emitting and sense his internal state, he was certainly different from other children his age.
Of course, this was a misunderstanding on Cheol Jung’s part.
It was the Dark Heaven Bracelet’s function attempting to neutralize the energy within Cheol Jung’s body; it hadn't been Seok Myeong’s intention.
“Well, I suppose Father called for him because he’s at that level.”
Cheol Jung turned his gaze back to Cheol Gun.
“Apologize.”
“…!”
“Father!”
The smile vanished from Cheol Gun’s face. Cheol So-yeon, who was watching, called out to him as well.
But Cheol Jung continued.
“You were reckless. What were you thinking, swinging your sword at an opponent who wasn't even prepared?”
“Father…”
“Apologize.”
“…”
“Now!”
His thunderous voice shook the surroundings. It was merely speech, but it created the illusion that the very ground was trembling.
“I’m… sorry.”
“I can’t hear you.”
Cheol Jung shouted again.
Then, Cheol Gun yelled out at the top of his lungs.
“I’m sorry!”
The atmosphere turned stiff for a moment following the ringing shout.
Cheol Gun, his face flushed with shame, was restless. The shock must have been several times worse because he had been forced to apologize to someone from an Orthodox sect.
However, Cheol Jung remained upright. He watched Cheol Gun without a hint of wavering, then spoke to Seok Myeong.
“Accept his apology.”
Embarrassed, Seok Myeong hesitated for a moment before bowing his head.
“Yes, I accept the apology.”
As soon as Seok Myeong accepted, Cheol Jung spoke quickly.
“Then make a promise as well.”
“What kind of…?”
“That even if you die during the duel, the Qingcheng Sect will not hold the Golden Martial Association responsible.”
“…!”
Seok Myeong’s eyes widened.
That was it.
Now that he thought about it, there was a reason Cheol Mu-jin had brought him here. He had forgotten that.
“Father, what do you mean by that?”
Cheol So-yeon asked, shocked once again. Telling him not to hold them responsible even if he died was no different from saying they would kill him if he lost. He was forcing that condition right now.
“Stay out of this,” Cheol Jung said firmly.
But Hyeok-jin, who had been listening, could not stay silent.
“Look here! What on earth are you doing!”
Hyeok-jin was flabbergasted. First, he demanded an apology be accepted, and then he made a proposal that was essentially a threat. This was undoubtedly a trick—a scheme to lead them into a trap.
“Did you say you were Baek Yang-cheon’s disciple?”
“…”
“This will be a good experience for you, so just stay quiet and watch.”
“What are you talking about! Is that what’s important right now? Such nonsense…”
“I will do it.”
“…!”
“…!”
“I will do as you say.”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to Seok Myeong.
The most shocked among them was Cheol So-yeon. She couldn't believe he was agreeing to a fight where his life was on the line.
“However, I have one request as well.”
“What is it?”
“If I win, post a public notice.”
“…?”
“That the Taoist Seok Myeong of the Qingcheng Sect defeated Cheol Gun, the Young Lord of the Golden Martial Association.”
“…!”
This time, Cheol Gun glared at Seok Myeong. His eyes were filled with bewilderment and intense fury.
“Fine. I shall do so.”
Cheol Jung agreed and addressed those around him.
“Three days from now. In three days, the duel will be held, so be prepared.”
With those words, he vanished from the spot.
However, none of the remaining people looked at ease. Cheol Gun, Cheol So-yeon, Hyeok-jin, and Seok Myeong—all of their expressions were grim.