Chapter 23: He Who Ties It Unties It (3)

The one that came out the least frequently was gong.

At the same time, he felt inner power surging from his dantian.

He couldn't quantify it, but his inner power had definitely increased.

Then a sharp voice rang out again.

"This spar is invalid."

The owner of the voice was a middle-aged Taoist with flecks of gray in his hair.

He was Yi Heechun, lord of the Reception Hall.

Hanbin asked,

"Why is it invalid?"

"We can't recognize swordsmanship without drawing the sword. Youngest Young Master."

Hanbin examined his lips closely.

It wasn't dissatisfaction—he was smiling.

Suddenly, Hanbin recalled memories of him from his past life.

His martial prowess was at the Peak realm.

But as the head of the Reception Hall, he rarely had occasion to cross blades.

He probably saw this as a chance for a spar.

Hanbin asked again,

"What should I do then?"

"If the youngest Young Master can withstand ten of my strikes, I'll acknowledge it."

Hanbin scrutinized his body closely.

There were a whopping two yellow dots.

Wanggeuni!

This was a formula that hadn't appeared before—it emerged the moment he proposed the spar.

Hanbin inwardly cheered.

But there was a price to pay for jumping the queue late.

Hanbin raised his hand high and spread all five fingers.

Snap!

The clueless Reception Hall lord tilted his head.

"Fourth Young Master, what does that mean?"

"If you want to spar with me, pay up."

"What..."

"I clearly gave you a chance earlier, but you didn't step up. What's your intention now, proposing a spar? There's an old saying: time is money."

"How much, then?"

"Five nyang."

"Hm... five cheoljeon?"

"No, silver jeon."

"What outrageous terms..."

As the Reception Hall lord trailed off, Hanbin shouted,

"Five nyang for this one. If anyone else jumps in after this spar ends, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it'll be ten nyang. Then twenty next."

Hanbin's terms were firm.

Anyone raising objections after the spar would pay double each time.

The only one grinning now was Ga Gi-gun.

Jujak Hall Lord Ga Gi-gun figured he'd gotten a free spar.

"As the saying goes, strike first while the iron's hot..."

His words were cut short by Paeng Kangwi's piercing glare.

Paeng Kangwi's glare endorsed the proposal from his son, the candidate for young patriarch.

With the patriarch's approval setting the tone, the atmosphere in the hall shifted.

The hall lords and elders who wanted a spar surged forward.

Rumble.

Glancing sideways, Hanbin called out to So Daeseop.

"So Daeju."

"Yes, my lord."

"Handle the registrations yourself. Collect the spar ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fees upfront."

"Understood, my lord."

So Daeseop went to Reception Hall Lord Yi Heechun and collected five silver jeon.

Then he extended his hand to the elders and hall lords lined up behind.

There was some grumbling, but collection went smoothly.

If Hanbin ended up unable to spar, they'd get refunds.

The Reception Hall lord asked about their agreement,

"If I win, you'll refund me too, right? Fourth Young Master."

"Of course. Please instruct me, Reception Hall Lord."

At Hanbin's words, the corner of Yi Heechun's mouth curled up.

Then Paeng Kangwi's signal to begin the spar echoed once more.

Boom!

Hanbin drew his sword and tossed the scabbard to the floor.

The same trick wouldn't work twice, and his realm was Peak.

He had to go all out.

Yi Heechun seemed to think the same.

He fixed Hanbin with fierce eyes.

There was no sign of him yielding a move to a junior. He charged ferociously.

Two steps away, Yi Heechun's blade rose like a tiger's paw, then slashed down at Hanbin's crown.

Wham!

Hanbin swiftly sidestepped left.

Whoosh.

At the same time, he thrust his sword.

Swish!

His opponent, as if anticipating it, swung his blade to parry.

At that moment, Hanbin withdrew his sword.

As the opponent's blade sliced empty air, Hanbin struck his shoulder with the ridge of his blade, not the edge.

Thud!

It wasn't a finishing blow, so Yi Heechun staggered but swept his blade horizontally.

Bang!

Hanbin retreated hastily, but felt his front clothing loosen.

Flutter.

A chunk of Hanbin's robe had been sliced off.

Someone cried out in a trembling voice,

"Blade qi!"

"The Reception Hall Lord was dead serious about taking down the youngest Young Master."

Murmurs rippled through the hall.

Hanbin took two steps back.

A little deeper, and he'd have been bedridden for a month.

That was wishful thinking on his part.

His skin was grazed by the blade qi, and blood seeped from his front.

A week in bed was now reserved.

But Hanbin couldn't help smiling.

With the Basic Chapter formulas filling up, Hanbin couldn't stop grinning.

It signified his own growth.

Infuriated by Hanbin's smile, Reception Hall Lord Yi Heechun charged again.

Clang, clang!

Sparks flew as his blade clashed with Hanbin's sword.

A moment later.

"Hoo."

Hanbin sheathed his sword, breathing heavily.

His upper garment was in tatters like a rag.

He had faced five opponents in total.

No one else dared draw their blade against Hanbin, who had withstood all five.

It wasn't fear of Hanbin so much as worry that pushing further would force them to prepare his coffin.

Next was Hanbin's changed demeanor.

The old Hanbin was Hebei's biggest coward, fainting at the sight of blood. Yet here he was, bleeding from his shredded robes, showing no signs of passing out.

To them, Hanbin was no longer Hebei's coward.

Finally, they sensed an eerie aura from him.

Covered in blood and grinning, he looked grotesque and terrifying to anyone.

Amid their heated stares, Hanbin gazed into the air.

He had filled ten gong (merit) formulas now.

His dantian was roiling with inner power.

By his past life's standards, it was roughly ten years' worth.

Each gong formula clearly represented ten years of inner power.

Then it happened.

A message floated up as if the manual were speaking to him.

At the same time, the pages of the Yongrin Sword Art flipped smoothly.

Reading the somewhat longer explanation than the Basic Chapter, Hanbin tilted his head.

What? It clearly said twenty years...

At the end of his question, another message appeared.

Hanbin grasped the meaning.

The manual was counting his past and present lives together as twenty years.

It recognized his past life as part of mastering the Yongrin Sword Art. Hanbin felt a strange mix of emotions.

The one regret was that he couldn't check the Application Chapter ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right away.

But hey, this was something.

It was a hard-earned reward, all thanks to those who'd interrupted him.

At that moment, Patriarch Paeng Kangwi clapped his hands.

Clap, clap.

Everyone turned to him.

Paeng Kangwi extended his blade and declared,

"Sword or blade, it doesn't matter—as long as it severs the enemy's neck!"

He was acknowledging it.

One of the hall lords stepped forward with a cupped-fist salute.

"Still, bringing a sword as a sacred heirloom candidate violates family rules..."

Paeng Kangwi silenced him with a palm.

"Does our family have such a rule?"

"Hm."

The dissenting hall lord retreated a step, looking displeased.

Paeng Kangwi was right.

The Paeng family's advanced arts were blade techniques, so they naturally wielded blades—but there was no rule banning swords.

As the commotion settled, Paeng Kangwi looked back at Hanbin.

"Are you prepared?"

"Yes. With this sword and my life, I swear to uphold the Paeng family's honor."

Hanbin raised his sword high, and Paeng Kangwi said,

"From today, I recognize you as a young patriarch candidate. Rest for now."

Cheers erupted simultaneously.

"Wah!"

"Wooah!"

Whether they liked it or not, all donned masks of joy at the patriarch's command and cheered.

As the cheers died down, Paeng Kangwi looked at Hanbin again.

"Change your clothes first."

With that, he turned and headed back to the grand hall.

Then one of the elders clapped as he approached Hanbin.

"Congratulations on becoming the first swordsman among Hebei Paeng family's young patriarch candidates."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Hanbin beamed and returned the cupped-fist salute.

"Thank you. But I don't think 'first' means much."

Everyone tilted their heads at his words.

As curiosity hushed the room, Hanbin continued,

"Unless you're the best, 'first' has no meaning."

At his final words, everyone coughed awkwardly and looked at the ceiling.

Hanbin sensed lingering dissatisfaction in their eyes.

It bordered on outright hostility.

At that moment,

Someone came running in urgently.

Looking closely, it was one of the guards at the main gate.

He glanced at Hanbin, saluted the patriarch, and spoke.

"The Mu Sword Clan requests an audience right now."

Murmurs spread at the mention of the Mu Sword Clan.

Unlike the reactions around him, Paeng Kangwi asked as if clueless,

"Mu Sword Clan?"

As Paeng Kangwi tilted his head, the chief steward whispered in his ear.

"Patriarch, it's the clan of Young Master Paeng Hanbin's fiancée..."

Only then did Paeng Kangwi nod in recollection.

"Can't be helped if the in-laws have come."

As Paeng Kangwi turned to go, Hanbin stepped forward.

"Forgive me, but I have a question."

Curiosity flickered across Paeng Kangwi's face, but he quickly schooled it.

"Speak."

"Who from the Mu Sword Clan has come?"

"Why do you ask?"

As Paeng Kangwi eyed him curiously, the guard behind spoke up.

"Mu Soryul, the second daughter of the Mu Sword Clan, has arrived with the chief steward and is waiting."

Hanbin saluted Paeng Kangwi and said,

"This isn't a matter for you to handle personally, Patriarch."

Paeng Kangwi asked with keen interest,

"Not for me? Explain fully."

"They said the Mu Sword Clan's chief steward and lady have come. I think the chief steward and I should go. Also, there was a minor clash with Mu Sowi of the Mu Sword Clan."

"A clash?"

"Just a trifling misunderstanding—not worth worrying over. As the saying goes, 'he who ties it unties it.' I'll take responsibility and resolve it."

Paeng Kangwi stared silently into Hanbin's eyes.

After a moment, the corner of his mouth twitched up.

"Do so."

Paeng Kangwi nodded toward the chief steward.