Chapter 75
Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Respect for the Elderly? (5)
"Woooaaah!"
"Diamond Escort Agency! Diamond Escort Agency!"
"The escorts are rebelling!"
Amid the pouring cheers, Ma Du-gwang stared at his fist with a dumbfounded look on his face.
His fist, slightly reddened from embedding itself into the noble face of a Plum Blossom Swordsman.
Even looking at that fist, he couldn't believe what had just happened.
'What the hell is this!?')
Did I just take down a Plum Blossom Swordsman?!
With one punch?!
It was something he couldn't have dreamed of before. For it to happen in reality, even the person involved couldn't believe it.
The Silver Push Sect Leader Ma Du-gwang shattering a Plum Blossom Swordsman.
If his comrades who had shared meals and blades with him heard this, they'd faint from shock.
Of course, their heads had been gone for a while, so they couldn't really be shocked anymore.
'Kuhuhu. Kuhuhuhu.'
Ma Du-gwang's arms trembled with thrill.
'Come on in! Damn it, I'm Kang Moo-jin! Wooaaah!'
Ma Du-gwang, who had some sense, didn't voice his inner shout but let it rip in his mind refreshingly.
Of course, his mouth was mumbling, so he looked a bit strange.
"Th-this can't be."
"That idiot Cheong-jin got careless."
"Even if the opponent's from an evil sect, you should've stayed focused."
The Plum Blossom Swordsmen clicked their tongues as they looked at the fainted Cheong-jin.
Not a single one among the fifty-plus Plum Blossom Swordsmen thought Ma Du-gwang had won through skill.
Losing to an evil sect member in pure skill was impossible in their dictionary.
"I'll go next. I need to show them what happens. We can't let Mount Hua's reputation be misunderstood."
The Plum Blossom Swordsman Myeong-chan glanced at his fallen comrade and stepped onto the arena.
"I am Plum Blossom Swordsman Myeong-chan."
"Kang Moo-jin... no, Ma Du-gwang."
"...? It'll be different this time. I'll show you what Mount Hua's sword is."
As he spoke, Myeong-chan looked not at Ma Du-gwang but at the surrounding crowd.
His gaze was still fixed on the spectators rather than his opponent.
"Will you yield one move?"
Ma Du-gwang probed with some expectation, but Myeong-chan firmly shook his head.
"Sorry, but I'll decline. We have much to show as well."
Taak-!
Stepping with Mount Hua's signature smooth footwork that glided like on ice, Myeong-chan infused his inner energy into the blade, drawing out sharp sword qi.
"Haat!"
Myeong-chan's sword tip wavered, and soon dozens of plum blossoms bloomed on the branch that was his sword tip.
Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art. Plum Blossom Butterfly Dance.
The second form of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art, embodying plum blossoms dancing like butterflies.
Dozens of plum blossom petals fluttering in the sky fell over Ma Du-gwang's body.
Sguk-! Sgeuk-!
Each petal, packed with inner energy and formed of sharp sword qi, mercilessly sliced and tore at Ma Du-gwang's clothes.
"Gasp! Y-your hand is too heavy!"
"Wh-what if he dies?!"
The startled audience covered their eyes in dread of the impending disaster and averted their gazes.
"Heh. It's over. Good work. I held back, so a few months of rest should heal you."
Myeong-chan's relaxed face bore a smile that said, 'I did it!'
And at that very moment.
Puheok-!
Ma Du-gwang's swung fist spun Myeong-chan's jaw around.
"Guk! H-how?!"
Myeong-chan steadied his staggering form and glared at Ma Du-gwang.
"Th-this can't be!"
Ma Du-gwang's upper garments lay in tatters on the arena floor, leaving him unintentionally stripped to the waist, but astonishingly, there wasn't a single sword wound on his body.
The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art had only left blue bruises in places on Ma Du-gwang's body. It hadn't inflicted any actual wounds!
"Kuhuhu. Kuhuhuhu!"
Ma Du-gwang laughed like a madman and charged at Myeong-chan.
"I won't die...! I won't dieee!"
"Hiiik!"
After Myeong-chan, Ma Du-gwang took down two more Plum Blossom Swordsmen.
He had achieved the feat of felling four peak-level Plum Blossom Swordsmen.
"Huff... huff... Brother. It's over."
"Good work."
Moo-jin lightly patted the shoulder of Ma Du-gwang, who was clearly exhausted.
Thanks to the Iron Ox Art Moo-jin had taught him, Ma Du-gwang had only bruises big and small, no real injuries.
But after fighting four times, his energy and stamina were depleted; he couldn't fight anymore.
"How do you feel?"
The spectators who had come to watch the matches were still cheering for Ma Du-gwang.
"Iron Lion! Iron Lion!"
"Diamond Escort Agency's Iron Lion! That was awesome!"
"Kuh! What magnificent martial arts!"
Iron Lion Ma Du-gwang.
It was the first nickname the people had given him.
"...Feels damn good."
Even in his exhaustion, Ma Du-gwang had a huge smile on his lips.
He never knew being recognized and cheered by others could feel this good.
It was the first time in his life he'd felt such exhilaration.
It was hundreds of times more thrilling than his first big job, waves of pleasure surging through his meridians.
"Damn righteous sect bastards. Keeping all this fun to themselves."
"You still scared of those guys?"
At Moo-jin's words, Ma Du-gwang's gaze turned to the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.
Seeing them with heads hung low instead of held high in nobility, he snorted derisively.
"Once I faced them, they weren't much. This is all thanks to you, brother. Without you, I'd have lived my whole life as trash just shaking people down for money."
"... "
Meeting Moo-jin had changed everything for Ma Du-gwang.
'Even 'benefactor' doesn't cover it.'
To Ma Du-gwang, Kang Moo-jin was no different from a Daoist immortal descending from the heavens to save mortals.
"Thank you so much, brother. This is all because of you."
Seeing Ma Du-gwang so solemn for once, Moo-jin nodded silently.
"I just gave you the rope. You climbed up it yourself."
"...I'll repay this grace with my life. Even after death. Sniff."
"Go inside and cry. Not here."
"Sniff... Damn it. Thank you, brother."
Moo-jin led the teary-eyed Ma Du-gwang into the inn and turned his gaze back to the arena.
With the Mount Hua Sect matches over, Won Yu-hwa and a Blue Crane Swordsman from Mount Zhongnan Sect now stood on the stage.
'This'll end quick.'
Moo-jin glanced at Yu-hwa then shifted his eyes to the Blue Crane Swordsmen.
They had faces pumped up from watching Mount Hua publicly lose face.
Defeating Yu-hwa here would prove they were better than Mount Hua, so they were already acting victorious.
"Anyway, they're too arrogant for their own good."
Righteous or evil, sects always underestimated escort agencies first.
They figured people who escorted goods against bandits couldn't have decent skills. A strong preconception.
That's why they still wore those smug looks even after Ma Du-gwang beat their Plum Blossom Swordsmen.
"See? One's already down."
One Blue Crane Swordsman couldn't even withstand a single strike from Yu-hwa and fell off.
Everyone was shocked speechless, but to Moo-jin, it was obvious.
Yu-hwa had top-tier talent among the many escorts Moo-jin trained, and she trained harder than anyone.
'Everyone watch closely.'
Moo-jin looked at every spectator here, every Mount Hua and Mount Zhongnan warrior.
'From now on, the Diamond Escort Agency will soar even higher.'
He clenched his fist like a promise, vowing it to all.
"H-how can such a beautiful girl wield such brilliant martial arts..."
"Whoa! The Radiant Sun Sword Fairy is incredible too?"
"Amazing. Are all Diamond Escort Agency people monsters?!"
Yu-hwa felled ten Blue Crane Swordsmen without breaking a sweat and gracefully descended.
Her stunning beauty that entranced onlookers, her gentle smile that soothed hearts and won everyone over.
Plus her peerless martial arts that shattered Blue Crane Swordsmen in one exchange. People called her the Radiant Sun Sword Fairy and showered her with praise.
Ma Du-gwang and Won Yu-hwa. The two representatives of the Diamond Escort Agency had vividly demonstrated its power before all.
"Good thing the Diamond Escort Agency is just an escort agency. If it were a sect, one of Mount Hua or Mount Zhongnan would've had to close down."
"I heard the Golden Ghost Indestructible Shattering Demon Fist Dragon Kang Moo-jin trained those two?"
"Really?! Not just great in his own arts, but in teaching too?!"
"I heard the Diamond Escort Agency escorts are on another level from others. Each one's a monster."
"I heard they have dozens just like that Iron Lion monster."
People who had been whispering while only watching Mount Hua and Mount Zhongnan now ignored them.
All eyes and talk centered on the Diamond Escort Agency and Kang Moo-jin.
Especially praise for Moo-jin, who had raised those two experts, poured endlessly from mouths.
Great warriors exist, but ones great in martial arts and teaching? Rare.
'Heh. Everything went according to plan.'
First shock with food tastier than home cooking, second with humbling their arrogance.
Seeing those faces twisted in humiliation, no more groundwork needed.
Just scratch their pride a bit and offer a chance—they'd bow to the waist to become escort leaders.
'Time to wrap it up then.'
As Moo-jin moved to step onto the arena for one final verbal blow.
"Has this old man gone mad?! We did better!"
"What nonsense. Won girl beat Ma hero, so Mount Zhongnan did better!"
"We only lost four. You lost ten!"
"Hah! At least we didn't underestimate them, you bastard!"
Mount Hua Sword Demon Un-cheon and Whirlwind Divine Sword Pung-hyeon, grabbing each other's collars, climbed onto the arena with beet-red faces and started bickering.
"You punk? Let go!"
"You let go first!"
"Fine. On three, we let go."
"One."
"Two."
"Three!"
"Three!"
Like it was planned, they gripped tighter on three.
"Oh? Wanna go?"
"Yeah. Let's end it today!"
Tak-!
Releasing collars at once, the two elders drew swords from their waists and unleashed sword arts at full power against each other.
"Haaap!"
Hundreds of plum blossom petals bloomed over the training ground like a plum tree,
"Haaap!"
and a blue sword wall occupying all thirty-six directions swept them away, blasting qi everywhere.
Diamond stones shattered, fragments flying; sharp whooshes pierced ears; flashing blades appeared from all sides.
The battle between Mount Hua's top swordsman and Mount Zhongnan's was like a red dragon and blue tiger from myth clashing in bloody combat.
A fight between absolute masters rare even in a lifetime.
But the problem was that people unprepared to witness such a clash were present.
"Cough!"
"Keurk!"
The qi shaking hearts and dazing minds made some disciples stagger and collapse.
Lucky no killing intent; if there was, weaker disciples would've suffered severe internal injuries.
"Those... insane old fools!"
Kang Moo-jin flipped his eyes seeing some Mount Hua and Mount Zhongnan disciples fall and charged in.
"Daring to harm our future escort leaders!"
The Plum Blossom and Blue Crane Swordsmen here were cheap labor for later. No, future escort leaders.
And they dared injure potential recruits!
Tak-!
Moo-jin leaped to the arena center in an instant, wedging between the two senile elders.
"...!"
"...Wha!?"
Un-cheon's sword swinging from sky to ground and Pung-hyeon's from ground to sky halted as their eyes bulged.
"D-dodge!"
"Damn it. Can't stop now...!"
Their faces paled; too much power already committed. At that moment.
Kwaduk-
Kang Moo-jin grabbed both blades barehanded.
He'd stopped the two elders' famed top swords from each sect with his bare hands!
"Th-Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art barehanded?!"
"Bl-Blocking the World's Thirty-Six Swords with hands?!"
The elders' pupils dilated massively mid-technique,
"...Daring... to touch our future escort leaders!?"
Kang Moo-jin glared at them with eyes aflame.
"...!"
Reading his future in that gaze, Mount Hua Sword Demon Un-cheon hastily added,
"S-sorry. But shouldn't you respect your elders?!"
"Respect for elders?"
Kang Moo-jin's head tilted crookedly.
"All I know is attacking old men!"