Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: What Sword?
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What sword?
Jongli Seongrak’s eyes blazed. Pure fury poured out from them.
“What… did you just say?”
A refined killing intent billowed from Jongli Seongrak’s body.
In response, Cheon Gyeongwan discreetly stepped in front of Byeok Taesan.
He knew Byeok Taesan was no ordinary man, but he still hadn’t fully recovered from his illness.
Exposure to such killing intent would do him no good.
Moreover, their opponent was a master from a prestigious family. He looked to be an elder, and Cheon Gyeongwan wasn’t confident Byeok Taesan could fend off a surprise attack from someone of that caliber.
If he could just block the first move, perhaps Byeok Taesan could exploit the opening.
“Do you really think a whelp like you can stop me?”
Jongli Seongrak’s fury now turned to Cheon Gyeongwan.
Byeok Taesan snorted.
“Weren’t you planning to kill him anyway? You were just going to abduct me. Right?”
As if Byeok Taesan’s words had struck a nerve, the look in Jongli Seongrak’s eyes hardened.
“You’re the one who spoke of slaughter.”
“A man’s words and thoughts reflect his usual conduct. You only think of murder, so that’s how you interpret everything you hear.”
Byeok Taesan said, sweeping a meaningful gaze over Jongli Seongrak.
“That’s why your soul is so tainted. You’ve truly… lived a filthy life.”
He was already enraged, and those words sent his anger erupting.
“You bastard!”
Jongli Seongrak roared, his voice filled with internal energy. Without a proper defense, one’s eardrums could burst.
It was a crude, artless technique, but a sonic attack nonetheless.
Cheon Gyeongwan’s expression twisted.
He managed to block it with his internal energy, but a numbing shock coursed through his entire body.
Cheon Gyeongwan worried for Byeok Taesan behind him. Could he withstand something like that?
As if reading his thoughts, Byeok Taesan spoke calmly.
“You can’t even deflect something that clumsy? You really… lack training.”
Cheon Gyeongwan trembled involuntarily at the words “lack training.”
Jongli Seongrak’s demeanor turned cold. He had decided that further conversation would only fuel his anger.
This wasn’t getting them anywhere. It would be better to kill one of them first, capture the other, and then talk.
Byeok Taesan noticed the shift immediately. He asked Cheon Gyeongwan.
“How long do you think you can last?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
“Then let’s find out. Just get hurt enough that the Divine Doctor of the Ages can fix you.”
Cheon Gyeongwan gave a wry smile. As if he could control that.
“I’ll struggle as hard as I can.”
Byeok Taesan nodded.
“Fighting someone stronger is the best way to grow, after all.”
Cheon Gyeongwan exhaled sharply and drew his sword.
*Shing.*
Jongli Seongrak glared at him with contempt.
“I’ll take your head in a single blow.”
Jongli Seongrak’s body seemed to flicker, and in an instant, he was before Cheon Gyeongwan.
Calmly but quickly, Cheon Gyeongwan raised his sword.
*Clang!*
He blocked a strike so fast it was nearly invisible.
“You blocked that?”
Jongli Seongrak’s eyes widened. That attack had been a decisive blow, combined with the element of surprise.
Yet Cheon Gyeongwan had blocked it.
Jongli Seongrak’s sword moved fluidly, unleashing a series of strikes.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Jongli Seongrak’s strikes were fast and powerful. Each one was imbued with a potent killing intent, sending a considerable shock through Cheon Gyeongwan’s body with every block.
Yet, somehow, Cheon Gyeongwan was managing to parry them all.
Of course, he couldn’t perfectly disperse the force, so the impact was immense, but it was something.
If this were the old Cheon Gyeongwan, could he have properly blocked even one?
No, even now, he could only manage this because he understood the weaknesses of the Jongli Family’s martial arts. If not for that, his head would have already been sent flying.
‘I can do this!’
Confidence began to fill Cheon Gyeongwan’s eyes.
Jongli Seongrak did not like that one bit. More and more power began to flow into his sword.
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The sound of each block grew louder, soon becoming thunderous explosions.
Cheon Gyeongwan gritted his teeth and parried the strikes. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He had suffered an internal injury.
Despite this, his fighting spirit didn’t wane in the slightest. If anything, it burned with even greater strength and resolve.
Jongli Seongrak watched him with admiration. After a few more swings that pushed Cheon Gyeongwan back, he leaped away.
“Your skills are wasted in the mere Golden Jade Trading Company. How about it? Join our family. I will personally ensure you grow strong.”
As he spoke, Jongli Seongrak glanced at Byeok Taesan, who was standing behind Cheon Gyeongwan.
But a sneer was playing on Byeok Taesan’s lips.
Displeased, Jongli Seongrak frowned slightly and continued.
“It’s not betraying the boy behind you. You’re going to die anyway. So just consider yourself dead and step aside.”
But Cheon Gyeongwan’s expression remained unchanged.
Tightening his grip on his sword, Cheon Gyeongwan charged at Jongli Seongrak as if to say no answer was needed.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Jongli Seongrak met Cheon Gyeongwan’s attack. With each clash, waves of energy erupted, and blood spurted from various places on Cheon Gyeongwan’s body.
Then, Cheon Gyeongwan’s sword deftly slipped into Jongli Seongrak’s blind spot.
*Swish!*
A thin line appeared on Jongli Seongrak’s cheek, and a bit of blood sprayed out.
Sparks flew from his eyes.
“How dare you!”
Jongli Seongrak’s sword was enveloped in a pure white light.
*Screech!*
Cheon Gyeongwan’s sword was cleanly sliced through.
Then, Jongli Seongrak’s sword continued its smooth motion and stabbed into Cheon Gyeongwan’s shoulder.
“Gack!”
Cheon Gyeongwan coughed up blood and was sent flying backward.
*Crash!*
He rolled across the ground several times before forcing himself back up and into a stance.
Jongli Seongrak scowled.
That last strike had been aimed at the chest, not the shoulder. It had missed.
The longer he fought, the more he felt something was off. His irritation mounted.
Jongli Seongrak channeled that irritation into fury and glared at Cheon Gyeongwan.
Cheon Gyeongwan’s arm hung limp. The shoulder wound had apparently rendered it useless.
But he paid it no mind, pointing his broken sword at Jongli Seongrak. He was a wreck, but his fighting spirit was undiminished.
Seeing this, Jongli Seongrak let out a hollow laugh.
“Now, I’ll kill you.”
With those words, Jongli Seongrak strode forward, his sword glowing white.
Watching him approach, Cheon Gyeongwan poured all his remaining internal energy into his broken blade.
He intended to at least take him down with him.
But at that moment, a hand rested on Cheon Gyeongwan’s shoulder.
It was Byeok Taesan.
“That’s enough. Any more and you might lose that arm.”
If it had been a simple sword wound, it would have been fine, but it was an injury from sword energy. The damage was likely far worse than it looked.
Still, it was a good thing he wasn't hit by sword aura.
If he had been, his arm would have been reduced to a bloody pulp.
“Don’t blink. Watch carefully. Who knows? You might learn something.”
Byeok Taesan said with a smirk.
It seemed he really had changed quite a bit. To think he would say something so kind.
Watching Byeok Taesan leave Cheon Gyeongwan behind and stride forward, Jongli Seongrak’s eyes twisted strangely.
“Now… a thing like you intends to cross swords with me?”
Byeok Taesan snorted.
“What sword? You expect me to draw my sword for one of you? Are you kidding me?”
Byeok Taesan retorted as he assessed his condition.
Thanks to his consistent visits to the brothel, his body wasn’t in the worst possible shape.
Swinging his arms a few times wouldn't result in severe aftereffects.
Besides, he still had a decent amount of power stored up from gently roasting and absorbing Jongli Ung’s soul just a short while ago.
Since he took that power from the Jongli Family, it was only right to return it to them.
“Hooo. Later, I will personally cut out your tongue.”
As he said this, Jongli Seongrak stepped into range and thrust his sword toward Byeok Taesan’s thigh.
The moment he struck, he was certain. There was no way he could dodge this.
*Swoosh!*
Jongli Seongrak’s eyes widened as if they would tear.
He had clearly stabbed at the center of the thigh, but his sword had grazed past its side.
Before he could even process what had happened, Byeok Taesan was right in front of him.
He had simply strode forward, yet he was already this close.
Alarm bells screamed in Jongli Seongrak’s mind.
He had been a prominent figure in the Jongli Family since before the Heavenly Demon incident. His vast experience screamed of danger.
In this crisis, his body moved as it had been trained to through years of practice and real combat.
He twisted the sword he had thrust out.
*Crack!*
His joints and muscles screamed in protest, but he had no time to care about such things.
With a forced twist of his arm, he swung the sword, aiming for the back of Byeok Taesan’s neck.
*Tap!*
At that moment, Byeok Taesan’s elbow tapped Jongli Seongrak’s arm.
Jongli Seongrak’s arm, which had been swinging inward, shot upward.
The trajectory of the sword narrowly missed, grazing over Byeok Taesan’s head.
Byeok Taesan’s hand shot up from below.
His palm struck Jongli Seongrak squarely on the chin.
*Thwack!*
Jongli Seongrak suddenly saw the blue sky, then the world shook violently before turning completely black.
*Thud!*
Jongli Seongrak pitched forward, his head hitting the ground.
Byeok Taesan had already taken a single step to the side.
The entire sequence had taken no more than the blink of an eye.
Cheon Gyeongwan had witnessed it all.
His dazed gaze was fixed on Byeok Taesan’s back.
The walk, the elbow strike, and the palm strike Byeok Taesan had just shown—the fluid, seamless movements were seared into his mind like a brand.
It was so beautiful.
‘Could I… ever do that?’
Focus returned to Cheon Gyeongwan’s dazed eyes. And within them, an intense, pure desire took root.
***
“If it weren’t for me, you would’ve had to cut off that arm. You know that, right?”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages said, milking his contribution for all it was worth.
Cheon Gyeongwan nodded with an expression that said it was obvious.
“I will never forget this debt.”
Who else but the Divine Doctor of the Ages could treat such a wound so perfectly?
“Right, right. As long as you know that. You have to repay this debt, okay?”
The Divine Doctor was now speaking to Cheon Gyeongwan very informally.
Before coming to the Yeon family estate, he had used a very polite tone. But while treating him this time, he had started to speak casually.
It meant he felt more comfortable, but it also established a clear hierarchy: you are now beneath me.
He was, after all, the benefactor who had saved an arm that would have otherwise been amputated.
Whenever he could, the Divine Doctor had been diligently engraving his benevolence into Cheon Gyeongwan’s mind and heart.
After thoroughly taking his credit, the Divine Doctor casually shifted his gaze to Yu Seoyeon, who was following a short distance away.
Yu Seoyeon also sent a grateful look toward the Divine Doctor.
He noted that the gratitude in her eyes had diminished somewhat compared to before.
‘I should stop here.’
Any more would be counterproductive. He could still lay it on thick with Cheon Gyeongwan a few more times, but with Yu Seoyeon, this was the limit.
‘I can just do it when we meet separately.’
As they say, you have to take credit when you can. Otherwise, too many people take things for granted.
The Divine Doctor casually moved to Byeok Taesan’s side.
“Young Master, you heard what a magnificent offer I kicked aside to be here, right?”
Byeok Taesan didn’t reply. But the Divine Doctor hadn’t asked because he needed an answer.
“You have no idea how much money they offered… Not only did they promise an unlimited supply of precious herbs and poisons, but they were also going to give me dozens of servants to command at will, and to top it all off, they were going to provide me with a bevy of women so I wouldn’t be lonely at night!”
Byeok Taesan snorted.
He looked at the Divine Doctor and waved his hand dismissively.
“I’m not stopping you. Go.”
“Pardon?”
“Go on, to the Jongli Family.”
“Aigoo, why must you be so heartless? As if I would ever leave your side, Young Master. I was merely pointing out how capable I am… hoping you would recognize it.”
“Be honest. You were almost swayed, weren’t you? You only changed your mind after learning about the Jongli Family’s current situation, didn’t you?”
“Goodness, what an outrageous thing to say! I swear on my life, until just a moment ago, I had absolutely no idea the Jongli Family was on the verge of ruin.”
Byeok Taesan snorted.
“Alright, I get it. We’ll just say that’s the case.”
“I’ve been wronged! It’s really not true!”
The Divine Doctor practically jumped in protest, but Byeok Taesan just smirked.
They were currently on their way back to the Golden Jade Villa.