Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Zhuge One Sword
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“Young Master Goon…?”
Everyone’s gazes converged on me as I suddenly rose from my seat.
Ignoring those looks, I stared straight at the Ho Heaven Hall Leader.
“Hmm? What is it?”
I could sense the ridicule and superiority in the way the Ho Heaven Hall Leader looked at me.
A sneer escaped me at those base emotions.
“You’re laughing?”
His face hardened at my laugh.
He was hot-tempered and clumsy at hiding his feelings.
Compared to Zhuge Geun-yeong, it was hard to believe they shared the same family name.
But that was exactly why he was easier to deal with.
Provoke someone like this even a little, and they’d come charging like a rabid dog.
“It seems you just can’t bring yourself to believe I nearly captured the Lustful Fiend, Ho Heaven Hall Leader.”
When I asked with a deliberately harmless smile, the Ho Heaven Hall Leader, who had been staring at me with a what-is-this-guy expression, twisted his lips again.
“Hmph, that’s not the only thing I can’t believe. Not a single word out of your mouth is trustworthy. The Jade-Faced Yin Fiend is a brewer? What nonsense is that….”
“Then how about I prove it?”
“…Prove it? How? You’re not suggesting we go to that hideout or whatever again, are you?”
I shook my head at the Ho Heaven Hall Leader’s words and said insinuatingly.
“We wouldn’t need to go that far. The most important thing right now is whether I can subdue the Lustful Fiend or not, isn’t it?”
“Hmm, and?”
“It’s simple. Why don’t you check for yourself, Ho Heaven Hall Leader?”
Everyone in the room caught the implication in my words.
Zhuge Geun-yeong and Gong Ak-sa widened their eyes in shock, while Hwa-ryeon wore an oddly displeased expression.
Finally, the Ho Heaven Hall Leader burst into laughter as if he’d heard the funniest thing in the world.
“Pfft, puhahaha—!”
His booming laughter echoed through the office.
The laugh dragged on long enough to make Zhuge Geun-yeong furrow her brow before abruptly cutting off.
Then came the Ho Heaven Hall Leader’s cold voice.
“So, you want to spar with me?”
“How could I presume to spar? I’m just humbly asking for a lesson.”
Of course, that was a lie.
A lesson?
If anything, I was brimming with intent to give him a proper thrashing.
Oblivious to my thoughts, the Ho Heaven Hall Leader chuckled mockingly at me.
“For a greenhorn who’s barely stepped into the martial world to challenge me, Zhuge One Sword Zhuge Cheon-sang. This is what they mean by not knowing your place.”
Zhuge Cheon-sang, huh. So he really was from the Zhuge Clan.
And his moniker was Zhuge One Sword?
Did that mean he was the Zhuge Clan’s foremost swordsman?
His aura, sensed through my qi perception, was certainly impressive enough.
If I had to guess, he was a notch below the Nangong Clan Head.
“Fine. As a senior of the martial world, I’ll personally teach you your place.”
But his mental cultivation clearly hadn’t kept pace with his internal energy training.
The arrogance and stubbornness seeping from every word he uttered even struck me as pathetic.
He notified us to come to the training grounds right away and left the office first.
The moment he vanished, Zhuge Geun-yeong and Gong Ak-sa, who had been fidgeting anxiously while watching me, rushed over in a panic.
“Why would you say something like that?!”
“Hmm, because he treated me like a con artist out of nowhere, and it pissed me off?”
Zhuge Geun-yeong seemed momentarily speechless at my answer, opening and closing her mouth before forcing out words.
“I’ll apologize on his behalf. Please, let’s just pretend this didn’t happen.”
“I doubt he has any intention of doing that.”
“I’ll mediate. Please agree to it. For all his bluster, the Ho Heaven Hall Leader is the Zhuge Clan’s top expert. You can’t handle him, young master.”
“Please do it that way, benefactor. Don’t worry about me. Please, just….”
Zhuge Geun-yeong’s distress and Gong Ak-sa’s desperation.
I alternated glances between their expressive faces before shifting my gaze to the impassive, emotionless face behind them.
“What do you think?”
“…….”
Hwa-ryeon gave me a strange glare for a moment before letting out a small sigh and replying curtly.
“…Go easy on him.”
“Is that so? Where’s the training ground?”
Realizing neither Hwa-ryeon nor I had any intention of backing down, Zhuge Geun-yeong let out a deep sigh and took the lead.
“…This way.”
I smiled and followed, but felt a tug on my sleeve and turned back.
“…Are you really going to do this?”
Gong Ak-sa looked up at me with the most pitiful expression imaginable.
Zhuge Geun-yeong had given up on stopping me, but Gong Ak-sa hadn’t.
I carefully pried Gong Ak-sa’s hand away and said.
“Don’t worry too much. It’ll be fine.”
I had no particular intention of killing Zhuge Cheon-sang.
I couldn’t afford to make enemies of the Zhuge Clan main house before even visiting.
I just planned to teach him that recklessly insulting others while drunk on his meager power could backfire spectacularly.
“…….”
Even after my firm assurance, the worry didn’t leave Gong Ak-sa’s face.
He was probably imagining the exact opposite of what I had in mind.
Knowing he wouldn’t believe me even if I claimed certain victory, I just shrugged and followed Zhuge Geun-yeong.
We arrived at the training ground following Zhuge Geun-yeong.
Unlike my expectation that it would take a while in such a vast estate, the training ground wasn’t far.
The problem arose elsewhere.
“Come on over, greenhorn.”
“…What is this?”
Zhuge Geun-yeong’s bewildered mutter.
The cause was the crowd of spectators who had gathered in the training ground in less than half an incense stick’s time before our eyes.
Not just clan members, but even servants from the branch office—everyone filled the arena.
His malice in wanting to humiliate me in front of all these people was so blatant that I couldn’t help but chuckle.
What a childish way of thinking.
Even as we stared in disbelief, Zhuge Cheon-sang, the culprit, showed no shame whatsoever, merely grinning smugly.
Thanks to him, the embarrassment fell entirely on others.
“What in the world do you think you’re doing!?”
Zhuge Geun-yeong shouted, her face flushed with shame and anger.
But the response was a shameless what’s-the-problem tone.
“What? I went to the trouble of preparing this to personally instruct a martial world newcomer. Isn’t it better if more people witness the lesson?”
“Ha….”
Ignoring Zhuge Geun-yeong’s stunned expression, Zhuge Cheon-sang turned to me.
“You’re not going to back out now, are you?”
Childish provocation.
Followed by base mockery.
“Of course, if you grovel and beg forgiveness between my legs, I might let it slide once. Kuhaha—!”
Laughter rang through the training ground.
Yet not a single onlooker joined in—not even his own Ho Heaven Hall subordinates chose to echo him, opting instead to look away.
What a thoroughly despised man.
I scratched my cheek wordlessly.
I’d planned to go easy with just a light tap, but he was digging his own grave this deep.
So, what to do?
He was still the leader of the Zhuge Clan’s elite force, for all intents.
Smashing him publicly in front of this crowd could cause issues later.
Should I just force a draw?
With his personality, even that would enrage him to no end.
As I pondered inwardly, Hwa-ryeon, who had followed behind, approached and whispered something unexpected.
“Don’t hold back out of pity. Crush him thoroughly.”
“Huh? You sure? What if it causes trouble later….”
“They insulted you first. If they make an issue of it, it just proves the Zhuge Clan is nothing much.”
A sharply pointed remark.
Realizing Hwa-ryeon was more than a little—no, quite furious—I asked in confusion.
“Why are you so mad?”
“That bastard said you should crawl between his legs and spewed such bullshit…!”
Hwa-ryeon suddenly clamped her mouth shut mid-sentence.
Her pupils shook wildly with panic as she looked at me.
“…So, you’re mad because he spewed bullshit at me?”
“N-No?”
“Huh? It’s not?”
“N-Not that either….”
“Then what is it?”
Unable to help laughing as I asked, she whipped her head away, refusing to look at me.
“I-I don’t know. Do whatever you want.”
Her voice desperately suppressing embarrassment made me burst out laughing.
“Puhuhuhu….”
“…You, what the hell are you doing right now?”
A voice laced with anger reached me.
Looking up, I saw Zhuge Cheon-sang’s face, his earlier smugness gone, now twisted viciously.
Trying to shame one insolent punk, only to see him flirt with a peerless beauty—must’ve gotten under his skin.
“Ah, sorry.”
After a perfunctory apology, I stepped forward to face Zhuge Cheon-sang.
Before the duel proper began, I asked about using real swords.
“Shall we duel with live blades?”
“To gain a proper lesson, the closer to real combat, the better.”
He was saying yes to live blades.
Yet there was a subtle edge to his lofty words.
Seemed like my flirting with Hwa-ryeon had really pissed him off.
He was probably thinking of taking a limb of mine.
Well, with Hwa-ryeon’s permission, I had no more reservations.
“Then live blades it is. How do we decide victory? Ring-out, as usual?”
Even as I mentioned ring-out, I knew he’d never accept it.
He was utterly convinced of his superiority.
“How can you gauge true skill with something as childish as ring-out? The first to admit defeat loses.”
See? What did I say?
Imagining how much he’d regret this decision soon, I stepped onto the training ground.
Thus began the duel.
Hwa-ryeon and I took positions at the center of the arena.
-Shing
As we each drew our swords, Zhuge Geun-yeong, looking pained, stepped up as referee.
Confirming both sides were ready, she declared the start with a deep sigh.
“Begin!”
At that instant, I lunged at Zhuge Cheon-sang with a solid step.