Chapter 97: Warning (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 97: Warning (1)
It was around the time Seok Myeong and Mi Gongja were continuing their conversation.
"Ho-ho. Well, now."
Amidst the crowd that had gathered in droves, a man stood scratching his head. Judging by the state of his hair—matted and looking as if it hadn't seen water in months—he wasn't scratching out of embarrassment.
However, contrary to his disheveled appearance, his eyes were clear and filled with a sharp, piercing light, suggesting he was no ordinary man.
Someone approached him and whispered into his ear.
"Is it true?"
"It is certain."
"When?"
"A carriage arrived here fifteen days ago. They say it was a high-end carriage, the kind rarely seen in the provinces. After he stepped out, the carriage was abandoned."
"Is that so?"
The man crossed his arms, an intrigued expression crossing his face.
He had been searching for a long time. With hundreds of onlookers passing through every day, identifying the origins of every individual was no easy task. Furthermore, the number of people flocking to the Samjunggwan was always high, making an already difficult task increasingly arduous.
However, after persistent tracking, he had finally uncovered the truth. He was now certain that the woman standing before his eyes was the one involved in this matter.
What did she come here to find out? Just how much does that Qingcheng Taoist brat know?
He wanted to seize him immediately and force him to spit out his objective, but that remained a mere wish.
The Beggar Sect was an Orthodox sect. Intervening in the middle of a fair duel would only invite unnecessary criticism. No, even if they could ignore the criticism—since beggars were used to being cursed at every day—the only weakness of the Beggar Sect, which kept watch over the world, was...
If only we had the power. Damn it.
They lacked Absolute Masters.
"Geomma?"
"What does that mean?"
At that moment, the confused voices of the people filling the Samjunggwan were growing louder.
Ho.
He decided to suppress his impatience and wait for now. Given the current atmosphere, it seemed likely they would reveal the truth themselves.
*
"Are you not going to speak?"
"..."
"Well, then I suppose I'll have to make you."
When Seok Myeong remained silent, she judged that her opponent had refused to answer and raised her sword.
It was at that moment.
Zzzzzzt!
A dense radiance began to spread in all directions, soon surging up along the blade.
"Get back!"
"Fall back!"
At the sight of the radiance burning at the tip of the sword, the people surrounding the three sides of the Samjunggwan began to retreat instinctively. They felt it in their gut—the energy she had manifested was no ordinary power.
"It—it's Sword Force!" someone among the martial artists shouted.
It seemed they had recognized the true nature of the energy she emitted. It was a light so brilliant that one might go blind if they stared too long. It was indeed Sword Force, the ultimate pinnacle of the sword.
Seok Myeong stood dazed for a moment, lost in thought. He had seen this martial art once before, when he was a child. Right after three lotuses moved and vanished above his Master's head, it was the energy that had emanated from the first sword his Master had gripped.
A massive energy, known as the ultimate realm of the sword, began to frost over before his eyes.
"I think this should be enough to make you confess on your own. Shall we hear it?"
"..."
Seok Myeong looked into her eyes. Was it a simple threat, or did she truly intend to unleash that energy?
She's ready to attack at any moment.
After a brief hesitation, Seok Myeong grasped her intention and made a decision. He drew up all the power from his lower Dantian.
Strike first.
Thud!
As a massive amount of internal energy gathered, Seok Myeong immediately sent it to the soles of his feet. Through the Gushing Spring Acupoints, a powerful True Qi erupted like a roar.
Swish!
With the illusion that the surrounding scenery was being pushed back, his body lunged toward her. The movement was so incredibly fast that even as Seok Myeong appeared before her, an afterimage seemed to remain in his original spot.
The pinnacle of Lightness Skills, Shape Shift Position Change, was displayed before the crowd.
Slash!
However, he couldn't get within a single zhang of her. This was because she had accurately sensed Seok Myeong's approach and swung her sword.
Whoosh!
Just as Seok Myeong hurriedly ducked his head, an unpleasant sound echoed above him as something flew past, followed by a foul odor. Seok Myeong looked back for a moment and was able to confirm what had just happened.
A small mark, as if grazed by a flash of light, was left on one of the foundation stones supporting the pillars at the back of the Samjunggwan.
Creeeeeak.
And that small mark soon created a massive crack. Then, it completely demolished the entrance to the Samjunggwan behind it.
Rumble!
With a sound like the ground collapsing, the crowd retreated several more steps. The six judges, who had been spread out to the left and right with Hong Jun-gyeong, had also descended to the ground before anyone realized it.
It was a situation where only the two of them were left alone on the sparring ground.
"Just because it's Astral Energy doesn't mean it always accompanies a massive explosion. However..."
"..."
"It's dangerous because it can cut through anything."
Seok Myeong looked at her with tense eyes.
Astral Energy. It really was Astral Energy. If so, continuing this fight was meaningless.
"What is it that you want?"
He was no match for her. Not as he was now.
"If I tell you, will you let me know?"
"I have to know what it is to decide whether to tell you or not. If you ask about my sect's weaknesses, am I still supposed to answer?"
"Hmm, now that I think about it, you're right."
The woman briefly withdrew her sword. The radiance faded, and it returned to being an ordinary blade.
"Then I'll tell you. Reach out your hand."
"...?"
Seok Myeong tilted his head at her. He didn't understand what she meant all of a sudden.
"What do you mean?"
"If you reach out your hand, I'll stop."
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about right now...!"
"What will you do? Choose quickly."
Seok Myeong looked at her and the surroundings with a bewildered expression. It was a look that seemed to mix absurdity, embarrassment, and awkwardness.
"Really... do I really just have to reach out my hand?"
"Yes."
Seok Myeong slowly reached out his hand with a hardened expression.
Grasp.
Seok Myeong flinched when she grabbed his hand, but he did not resist. The woman gave a slight smile, her eyes curving into crescents, and placed Seok Myeong's hand against her chest.
"..."
Seok Myeong's face turned beet red. For a noble lady to place a man's hand on her own chest... because he couldn't understand why she was doing this, he was at a loss, overwhelmed by shame.
Whether she knew Seok Myeong's heart was pounding or not, she released his hand only after stroking it for a while. After taking a step back, she smiled brightly once more and spoke.
"We will meet again."
Leaving those words behind, she turned to leave and spoke toward Hong Jun-gyeong, who was standing nearby.
"I lost."
"Huh..."
Hong Jun-gyeong had a bewildered face, but a rule was a rule.
"Seok Myeong wins!"
Whisper, whisper. Buzz, buzz.
As Hong Jun-gyeong's voice rang out, the area became noisy.
Su Su-rin. The daughter of the Samu Alliance Leader. No, a mysterious woman of the Unorthodox Faction who wasn't even that. Why did a master who could use Sword Force hold the hand of a young man who was just starting to make a name for himself? Furthermore, what was the reason she declared her own defeat and stepped down?
"Is it because she's interested in him?"
"No way. This is the great Samu Alliance we're talking about. There's probably some conspiracy..."
A low murmur arose, though no one dared to speak loudly. As she ignored the noise and stepped down from the stage, a secret Sound Transmission reached her.
[The eyes of the Beggar Sect are on us.]
[The man in rags on the left?]
[You already knew.]
She nodded. After walking a few more steps, the voice spoke again.
[So. How did it go?]
[I found it.]
[Does that mean...?]
[Yes, that young man was practicing it.]
The woman turned her head with a slight smile. Her gaze was fixed on Seok Myeong, who was standing on the stage in a daze.
[It was in Qingcheng. The Demonic Energy Absorption Art we were looking for.]
*
Whoooooosh!
A grim wind brushed past the six-story pavilion that rose magnificently like spreading wings. It was a massive building, heavy and solemn, so grand that even a great sect would find it difficult to build.
Just as a great mountain is surrounded by other peaks of no less stature, there were many extraordinary buildings around the main pavilion. Five-story pavilions spread out to the north, south, east, and west. Judging by their form, it looked like an Alliance gathered for a single purpose.
Step. Step. Step.
Men were walking in perfect rows and columns nearby, and in the training grounds seen here and there, men were shouting vigorously as they trained.
"Phew... Well then."
At the very top of the highest six-story pavilion, a meeting of some sort was taking place. This was the heart of the Samu Alliance, known as the overlord of the Unorthodox Faction, and the place that governed all its affairs.
"As you all have likely heard..."
A small old man with a severely hunched back looked around at the assembly and continued. He was a man named Hwang Il-guk, who had been a party leader in the Thunderclap Faction before it was integrated into the Three Factions Under Heaven. Now, he was in charge of the Blue Faction among the Five Tyrants.
"They say the Black Lord has personally stepped forward."
"Why the Black Lord?"
"There are rumors that it's because of that martial art."
At the mention of 'that martial art,' the three old men exchanged serious glances.
To the public, it was known that the Three Factions Under Heaven had merged to become the Samu Alliance due to their deep bonds. However, that was not the truth. They were together in this place for the sake of a single secret manual. Therefore, the agenda they discussed together could only be that.
"Then, are you saying, Lord of Blue, that there wasn't just one manual?"
An old man wearing a silk robe, rare for the Unorthodox Faction, and a Dongpa hat spoke. He was Jang Gu, who had led the Black Cloud Faction in the past. Since the merger into the Samu Alliance, he had been active as the leader of the Red Faction.
"We'll know once we investigate, but seeing as the Black Lord judged it so, hasn't he caught a scent of something?"
"This isn't an issue we can just touch based on mere circumstances, is it?"
Perhaps because of the weight in Jang Gu's voice, the cautious atmosphere suddenly began to grow heavy. When Hwang Il-guk remained silent, Jang Gu continued.
"The Black Lord pointed to Qingcheng. Qingcheng, whose pride is among the highest even if you count both Orthodox and Unorthodox. If we touch them for no reason and it becomes a headache like poking a hornet's nest, who will take responsibility for the aftermath?"