Hero Yong, Never Underestimate Your Foes
I'd heard that Dok Goe had two disciples, each of whom had taken in three students of their own. He might well be one of them.
Won Seung decided he should go pay a visit to Gong I-gwan.
After all, he bore the grave duty of reviving Cheondaemun.
After a few rounds of drinks, nature called.
Won Seung rose and headed to the back, relieving himself as he gazed up ahead—and rubbed his eyes.
"Song, come here. Am I drunk? I think I'm seeing things."
Won Seung called out to Jong Bi, pointing toward Yong Jo-un, who was hiding in the tree.
"You see something there, right? That hazy shape? I'm not imagining it, am I?"
"Gasp! A ghost?"
Jong Bi knew he was a descendant of the Yong family, but she played along, trembling in feigned fear.
"Maybe an owl?"
Ogu came over and chucked a stone. It flew through the branches, but no sound came—no impact, not even the stone hitting the ground.
"Who's there! Come out now!"
Ogu bellowed.
Hmm. How did they spot me?
Yong Jo-un had no choice. Fleeing wasn't in his nature.
He leaped lightly from the tree and soared over.
"Gasp!"
Everyone jumped back at Yong Jo-un covering a dozen zhang in a single bound.
He was a far greater master than they'd expected.
Yong Jo-un landed before Won Seung, his expression sheepish.
"You knew."
Won Seung feigned ignorance.
"No way anyone could've guessed a great hero was hiding in the branches. Thought it was a ghost and got spooked. Don't do that next time. If you've got business, just knock anytime."
Won Seung led Yong Jo-un to the fire.
"We were grilling meat. Join us."
Yong Jo-un found Won Seung intriguing. Most folks fled at the sight of a martial artist, figuring they'd be killed on a whim.
That Song fellow over there and his sidekick wouldn't even meet his eyes after seeing his lightness skill.
Yet Won Seung treated him without a hint of unease. If anything, he sometimes came off a bit condescending.
Could it be? Does he practice martial arts?
Assuming as much, Yong Jo-un sized Won Seung up. His loose clothes hid any muscle tone, but his balanced build and fluid movements were anything but ordinary.
His Solar Acupoint looks flat, so probably no internal energy... Must focus on external arts, mainly fist techniques.
That made sense. Even ordinary people trained basic fist forms for health, and some got cocky enough to think they were masters.
But Won Seung didn't strike him as that deluded.
Does he rely on his status?
Yong Jo-un had heard Won Seung came from a high-ranking Huangdo family. His ingrained speech and mannerisms reeked of those arrogant officials' spawn.
Though he occasionally slipped into crass talk that didn't fit.
"Here, dig in."
Won Seung sliced off a hefty chunk of meat and offered it to Yong Jo-un.
Gulp!
Gurgle!
His mouth watered, and his stomach growled hungrily.
Even masters got hungry without food.
Musanggok viewed martial arts as cultivation and money as a worldly distraction. Influenced by that, Yong Jo-un had no interest in wealth—he was practically a beggar.
He stayed at the abandoned Yong estate because he couldn't afford an inn.
He couldn't even remember his last decent meal.
Yong Jo-un tore into the meat ravenously when Won Seung asked,
"How high is your martial prowess, great hero? One of the Ten Great Experts?"
Yong Jo-un stared at him in disbelief. Asking someone's realm outright?
Definitely a clueless scholar ignorant of Jianghu etiquette.
Won Seung piled on.
"Could you take on Gwancheonbangju and Hwa Cheon-gang at the same time?"
An ignorant question. Who in the Central Plains could face two of the top hundred masters simultaneously? Ranking in the top hundred meant not just skill, but surviving countless battles—like monsters.
Even a Ten Great Expert would struggle against two at once.
Yong Jo-un dodged the question, so Won Seung nodded.
"Figured as much—too much."
"Why ask?"
"I told you. I'll summon Hwa Cheon-gang for you."
Yong Jo-un's eyes sharpened.
"How exactly?"
"I don't make empty promises. But to call Hwa Cheon-gang, Gwancheonbangju has to show too."
"?"
"A three-way duel. You against Hwa Cheon-gang and Gwancheonbangju—all three on the same stage."
"Is that even possible?"
Yong Jo-un dismissed it while chewing, letting it slide past one ear.
"You keep ignoring people. Bad habit."
"Why do you care?"
"It's about a friend, actually."
"Friend?"
"Hwa Yeo-wol from Cheongsu Gate—she's my friend. If you fight Hwa Cheon-gang for revenge, Gwancheonbangju will exploit the chaos to wipe out Cheongsu Gate. My friend could die. So yeah, I care."
"……."
"What I want is for the parties involved to settle it themselves. Whether grudge or ambition, let those who hold them resolve it. Dragging innocents in just breeds more resentment and karma. That what you want, great hero?"
"Not 'great hero'!"
"I know. A great hero wouldn't spy from the branches. But you're new to Jianghu, right? Still green, but you've got the makings—so I'll treat you like one."
This punk?
Yong Jo-un glared, his face darkening. The brat was toying with him. Won Seung ignored it and pressed on.
"Just agree, and I'll tell Hwa Cheon-gang to accept the three-way duel. You want Gwancheonbangju dead anyway, right? Better to settle it all at once."
"……."
If possible, it'd be ideal... but could he really take down two top hundred masters? Yong Jo-un knew his limits, hot blood notwithstanding.
As he hesitated, Won Seung held up a single finger, as if reading his mind.
"No need to fight both at once. It's a three-way, but you'll face them one by one. Take out Gwancheonbangju first. Hwa Cheon-gang just watches. Then final showdown with him."
"You think Hwa Cheon-gang will just watch?"
Not simultaneous, so odds improved a bit. Consecutive fights were taxing, but... Yong Jo-un trusted his skill. Hwa Cheon-gang, though? He'd surely try to kill them both when the fight with Cheon Il-hae peaked.
"You think I'd push this without safeguards?"
"Safeguards?"
"How long to finish Cheon Il-hae?"
"Hmph! His fame's overblown. Real skill? Not even top hundred."
Cheon Il-hae had once done menial work under the Yong family. The memory made Yong Jo-un underestimate him.
Won Seung sighed.
"Great hero, you mustn't underestimate enemies. I get the fiery novice spirit, but plenty have died from it. Cheon Il-hae has his aces up his sleeve—that's why he's Gwancheonbangju and in the top hundred."
Kept calling him a novice—infuriating.
"How old even are you?"
"Age doesn't matter in Jianghu. Skill does."
Yong Jo-un gaped in absurdity. A pale scholar who couldn't grip a sword lecturing on skill?
"Skill isn't just martial arts."
Won Seung tapped his temple with his index finger.
Yong Jo-un sighed and pondered. If Won Seung was right, it might work.
But his motives felt off. He was scheming something.
"Drop the Hwa Yeo-wol act and spill your real intent. What're you after? Kill Sangyang's two overlords and leave a power vacuum for Seongwangbu's dogs?"
"Whoa! Sharp guess—impressive."
Won Seung praised him.
"With your righteous hero vibe and quick wits, you could be a crafty warlord."
"What, you little—?"
Yong Jo-un finally snapped, swinging a fist at Won Seung's head. Ogu reflexively shot out his hand.
No energy or technique—just pure reaction, easily blocked.
Clack!
Ogu grabbed Yong Jo-un's wrist.
Their eyes met. Ogu's pupils quivered under Yong Jo-un's blazing glare.
"Gasp! Hic!"
Ogu hiccuped in shock—he hadn't meant to act first.
Yong Jo-un knew they both trained martial arts.
He glared a moment longer, then withdrew his fist.
"Hic!"
Won Seung patted Ogu's back.
"Go get some water."
Ogu staggered to the well, stunned by his own boldness.
"Loyal subordinate you've got."
Yong Jo-un remarked. Won Seung turned serious.
"Winning hearts ain't hard. Keeping them is. Being Hwa Yeo-wol's friend means protecting her heart too."
To Yong Jo-un, who'd trained in isolation fueled by vengeance alone, it rang hollow.
"Nothing to do with Seongwangbu. Though I do have a tiny favor. Don't say no."
"Favor?"
"Kill someone for me."
"……?"
Yong Jo-un gaped in disbelief.
Killing as a "tiny" favor? What would a big one be?
Won Seung stood, hands clasped behind his back, fanning himself with a folded fan under his chin as he gazed at the night sky.
Striking the pose of a patriot fretting over the nation's fate, he said gravely,
"A bad one. His existence harms many. A great hero would punish scum like that. Where are this land's heroes? Letting him run rampant... lamentable."
Of course, Yong Jo-un wouldn't fall for such childish ploys. He eyed Won Seung suspiciously.
"So, kill someone as payment for arranging the three-way duel?"
"A gamble on my end. If you die in it, wasted effort."
"Hmph!"
Yong Jo-un snorted and shot up.
"Wasted my time. My blade isn't some assassin runt's toy. It pursues the one true Dao in the world."
The current assassin runt grilling meat by the fire—Jong Bi—flinched.
Definitely Musanggok.