Unwanted Invitation (6)
The distinguished guest invitation event had begun.
For about a week, the academy students listened to pedantic lectures on martial arts and life from the invited luminaries, asking questions about martial philosophy and receiving answers. Expectations were especially high this time because Moyong Gang, the renowned absolute master known as the Fengbai Sword Breaker, was in attendance. The academy had been mired in a somber mood after the Sichuan incident, so this rare burst of energy invigorated everyone.
On top of that, with the Jeongdo Council and Baekdohoe in ruins, the students no longer had to watch their step around them. Even members of the Jeongdo Council and Baekdohoe showed high participation rates, heating up the atmosphere further. Their pride wouldn't allow them to skip the event—after all, the name "Fengbai Sword Breaker" weighed too heavily even on them.
Thus, the event proceeded amid massive participation from students (save for a few exceptions), and the attendees expressed high satisfaction... or so it seemed.
"That's just what you think, Jin Gongja."
"...Huh?"
Seong Moran, her cheek swollen from some blow, spoke with a face full of resentment.
"Do you know the medical hall is overflowing with people right now?"
"...Lessons are supposed to hurt the bones, after all."
Seong Moran trembled at my calm, almost Ilgak-like response.
"That doesn't mean actual bones should break!"
There had been one small problem: Moyong Gang's lecture style.
When he suggested dividing the lectures by date due to the huge crowd, Moyong Gang had ordered everyone gathered in the grand training hall.
And then...
[I can't yap on like some long-nosed Daoist or bald monk.]
[A martial artist learns more from one brush with death than a hundred lectures on enlightenment.]
[So I'll let you feel more of it.]
[Those who want to get hit, come forward first.]
[Not coming? Fine, I'll come to you.]
...He spouted lines like that and dove into the crowd of students.
At first, the students were bewildered by Moyong Gang's actions, unsure how to react.
But even those who hesitated to lay hands on an absolute master started charging at him once their noses exploded with blood...
...And pandemonium erupted in an instant.
Some disciples, fired up by rivalry, unleashed ultimate techniques or ganged up, but it was always the students spilling blood and screaming.
[Tsk tsk. What do you think Baekdo's greatest weapon is?]
[What? A righteous spirit? What the hell is that?]
[Hah, you call that justice? Do you know what a bastard your sect leader was when he was young?]
[You idiots! Baekdo's greatest weapon is sheer numbers! No black path or evil path can beat Baekdo in headcount—that's why the Murim Alliance rules the jianghu! Got it now?]
Under Moyong Gang's "teachings"(?), the students began forming sword formations in unison.
But Moyong Gang waited until they were complete, then shattered them in one go, leaving the students dazed.
[I said fight with numbers, not just clump together like morons! What the hell have you been learning?]
[A combined formation means syncing like limbs. If you show off in it without matching power, there's no point in forming one!]
[Don't get it? No worries! You'll understand even this young master's words once you're beaten senseless.]
As the "lectures"(?) turned into outright beatings, fed-up students started dropping out one by one.
Moyong Gang, who remembered every single face perfectly, raided their dorms, dragged them out, and "lectured"(?) them anew.
It was truly tear-jerking passion.
"...But why didn't you join the event, Jin Gongja?"
Namgung Seonhwa, her eyes blackened like bruises, glared at me sharply. She looked like she really hurt.
"Representatives don't need to attend, do they?"
"...Did you predict the lectures would go like this?"
Namgung Seonhwa stared at me with eyes brimming with betrayal, like a child abandoned by her parents. I avoided her gaze and feigned nonchalance.
"No way... I'd already taken enough beatings from the elder, so my body couldn't handle it—I didn't sign up."
I covered my once-bruised eye, but the suspicious looks lingered.
"The marks are almost gone anyway!"
Tch, Sama Jeong's medicine worked too damn well.
My group grumbled a bit too, but most stuck it out to the end. Dragging their bruised faces and aching bodies to Moyong Gang daily was almost inspiring. They had the highest participation rate, so they got the most "teachings."
Geum Pyo and Dongryong even got private sessions(?).
"Hah, amazing. One with Heavenly Yang Divine Bone, the other born with Heavenly Killing Star."
I knew about Dongryong's Heavenly Killing Star, but Geum Pyo's Heavenly Yang Divine Bone was news to me.
"Hm... You wouldn't know. It's not a well-known constitution."
"Is it good?"
"If you train decent external arts, your bones won't break easily, nor your skin tear. A body like born rock."
I'd thought his endurance came from grit, but his constitution was just that tough. So he'd naturally stand at the front lines from now on?
Geum Pyo sensed a grim future.
Dongryong gazed at Moyong Gang with teary eyes.
"E-Elder, I'm a bit anxious. I don't know when I might lose control."
When Dongryong voiced his private anxiety, Moyong Gang brushed it off.
"No need to worry. Training will control it fine. Perfect—you two can train together."
"Together?"
Moyong Gang nodded vigorously.
"Get beat a lot. Heavenly Yang Divine Bone will toughen the frame; Heavenly Killing Star will build endurance."
"..."
"..."
Students jealous at first that only those two got personal advice changed their minds upon seeing every inch of them pummeled without mercy—they prayed never to get singled out.
Thus ended the eagerly awaited week of lectures.
Students fled to dorms or off-campus the moment it finished, while the medical hall overflowed, tormenting Sama Jeong.
Of course, none of my business.
***
"You've worked hard."
As I cupped my fists, Moyong Gang twitched his brow.
"The academy rep didn't show once in seven days."
I tilted my head innocently.
"Hadn't I received plenty already?"
"...Still, I want to teach you."
Crack.Crack.
Moyong Gang rolled his neck and knuckles.
...Was that what he meant by teaching?
"Then teach me that."
"What?"
I flailed my hands wildly.
"You know, that thing where space warps like this."
"Empty Annihilation Fist?"
"Yes!"
A roar burst from Moyong Gang's mouth.
"You punk! That's my lifelong enlightenment!"
"You still owe me for that beating, don't you?"
"What?! I already lectured you! Do you think Moyong Gang would show off martial arts in front of these third-rate scrubs?!"
I chuckled dryly at his rampage.
"Didn't I find justice for the Moyong family? Was that nothing?"
"..."
"Even if it's your lifelong enlightenment, it's from a sword-breaker's perspective. Now with Heaven-Splitting Eyes, aim higher."
Moyong Gang's lips quivered in frustration at my spot-on words—true to his thug nature.
"That move you showed... definitely Sword Demon's sword style."
"...No comment."
"Hmph! Your face says it all. No idea how you learned it, but with Tae-eul Sword Lord's manual and Sword Demon's style, few your age can rival you."
Moyong Gang's eyes calmed suddenly.
"...But why cling so to martial arts?"
I paused, then answered.
"Because it's not enough."
"Not enough?"
His face filled with doubt at my reply.
Endless demonic hordes. Monsters that wouldn't shatter no matter how many times struck. Mind-bending sorcery and heaven-defying demonic arts.
The future in my memories was hell.
And I, as I was now, wasn't enough to endure it.
I met Moyong Gang's eyes squarely.
"It's not enough to protect those I want to safeguard."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Hm, just that?"
"...What do you mean?"
His gaze sharpened.
"Not protect—dominate, maybe?"
I shook my head.
"No lust for power."
"Then what you have suffices."
I shook my head again.
"Too many to protect."
"...Madman. You gonna protect the whole world?"
I showed no reaction.
I knew it was impossible from the start.
Moyong Gang clicked his tongue at my silence.
"Dares crave my enlightenment but won't even talk straight."
But...
His lips twisted into a strange grin.
"You're perfect Moyong family material."
"..."
What was that smile? Why so creepy-happy?
Moyong Gang kept grinning as he asked.
"Why does a martial artist cultivate inner arts?"
Busy as hell, and he pulls this?
I scratched my ear with my pinky.
"...Skip the basics—give me the formula and qi operation."
"Insolent brat!"
Thwack! My skull rang, nape burning.
"Wh-When?!"
I'd thought distance hid it last time, but up close, no qi flow from his body.
Enviable. So damn enviable...!
I blurted urgently.
"Heart Sword?!"
"Heaaart Sword?! Read too many novels? As if it'd manifest like th—"
I cut him off, cupping fists.
"A martial artist cultivates inner arts to gather qi internally and wield it freely."
His eyes softened—pleased.
"...Ready to listen properly now?"
"I've been earnest from the start."
This was beyond imagination. Qi without a trace.
Endless applications.
Moyong Gang stroked his chin.
"Then answer: difference between internal qi and world's ambient qi?"
"Some purified by heart method, each with unique traits, right?"
"So internal qi fundamentally differs from world's?"
A tickle stirred in my mind.
"No heart method erases nature's qi root. Not even heaven-defying arts."
So close—like a sneeze itching to burst.
"Then why use only dantian qi?"
Denying martial arts' foundation.
But undeniable—nature's law.
"Martial arts mimic nature's way but never merge. Can't martial way unite with nature's?"
His profound words deepened the frustration. Heart pounded, breath ragged.
"Attempt to unite martial way and nature's way—that's Empty Annihilation Fist."
A truth only a bone-deep rebel denying even roots could grasp. Moyong Gang's alone.
Thirst burned my throat.
"Th-Then the formula? Qi operation? Heavy consumption?"
I fired questions like a starving beggar at food.
Moyong Gang grinned twistedly.
"Lesson ends here."
Panicking, he smirked.
"Want more? Become Moyong family."
"..."
End it here?! Thug much?
#
Like his storm-bringing arrival, Moyong Gang left with fanfare.
'Insulting the Alliance Leader in Murim Alliance heart...'
Even aides or outsiders would've faced Execution Hall torture, but no one there could touch him.
Thus Moyong Gang returned to his family.
With the event ending smoothly, representative committee numbers swelled. Good resume builder.
Veterans delegated tasks, catching a break.
I had even less to do.
Office lounging, premium chair, sipping tea—peaceful life. Unexpected downtime.
"But now you must report to Mantongbu."
I scowled at Eunho's buzzkill.
"Does seeing your senior rest give you hives?"
Eunho replied calmly.
"Of course not. Just hoping you'll shine there soon—for the other juniors."
Hah, cheeky.
"...You wrote the letter instead of Jaehwa, right?"
"No way. I wrote as Jaehwa dictated. He said his handwriting's so bad it'd anger his grandfather."
"..."
Eunho's ambiguous stare—glare or gaze?
"Can't scapegoat Jaehwa anyway."
...Guilty, couldn't snap back. Jaehwa, puppy-like since, now avoided me slyly.
Eunho drove it home smugly.
"Get to Mantongbu. They're griping about paperwork shortages 'cause of you."
I had to anyway—Maeng Ju-won messaged constantly, visited dorm weekly.
'Ugh, clingy pest.'
Planned to work there anyway. Compare changed events to past life, predict futures.
'Plus those elders.'
Damn Elder Council. They'd withhold budgets, but nitpick paperwork to torment them. Heh.
My mental archive held tens of thousands of future docs—no learning curve.
Short-term: Show quick handover mastery, cut to weekly.
Then committee slack, weekends free, training time.
Plans set, entered Mantongbu—greeted by Maeng Ju-won and Jegal Somyeong.
"Welcome home! Welcome!"
Never was home, but Maeng Ju-won beamed uncontrollably.
"Been well?"
Jegal Somyeong scowled at my greeting.
"Think I've rested easy?"
Guilt bowed me.
"Preserve your health at your age."
"Eighty percent of my worries are you."
No point arguing—my loss.
Switched topics fast.
"What first? Assign anything."
Maeng Ju-won tugged me, but...
"Hold. Priority task."
"Yes?"
"..."
For some reason, I stood still while Maeng Ju-won looked more shocked.
Jegal Somyeong handed a long scroll regardless.
I skimmed, tilting head.
"Help build alliance with Sahyeokryeon?"
He nodded at my summary.
But questions remained.
"Send envoys?"
"Evil" implied not black path.
'New due to me?'
No Sahyeokryeon in my archive.
"First time hearing of Sahyeokryeon."
"Bound to be. It's new."
More odd. Why ally with newborn faction?
Tilting head, Jegal Somyeong explained.
"You know it well. New black path alliance centered on your friend, the Four Emperors Peak Lord."
"No way..."
"Attend Sahyeokryeon's founding ceremony."
"...Whaaat?!?!"
Jegal Somyeong sipped tea nonchalantly.
Like sending to buy tofu downtown.