Chapter 89
Chapter 89
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Fire Dragon Sword of the Heaven Beyond Heavens!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Do Hyun-tak spoke.
"The Thousand Illusions Wanderer is a figure from the Chronicle of Invincibles."
Following the Life-Ending Saber, Geum Cheong-san, another master recorded in the Chronicle of Invincibles had arrived.
I spoke quietly.
"There is one thing you all must not forget."
"Please, speak."
"The applicants are here to join the Dong-ro Branch, not the Hangzhou Branch."
Do Hyun-tak started to say something, but then stopped.
In the grand scheme of things, whether it was the Dong-ro Branch or the Hangzhou Branch, it was all the Martial Alliance. However, the applicants gathering at the Dong-ro Branch now intended to become members of the Dong-ro Branch, not the Martial Alliance in general or the Hangzhou Branch.
"If the Dong-ro Branch were to interfere in the Hangzhou Branch's recruitment review, that would be an overreach, wouldn't it?"
In other words, it was also an overreach for the Hangzhou Branch to involve itself in the recruitment review for the Dong-ro Branch.
"The Branch Master of the Dong-ro Branch will oversee recruitment, and the Vice Branch Master will be in overall command. You two will follow their orders."
Do Hyun-tak flinched, and Mak Pyo's face contorted.
The quick-tempered Mak Pyo couldn't hold back and burst out.
"Isn't this going too far?"
"What is?"
My way is to respond to roughness with roughness.
"Aren't you the Grand Branch Master of the Dong-ro Branch?"
"And?"
Do Hyun-tak didn't stop Mak Pyo. It was what he wanted to say himself.
"Then you are a subordinate of the Hangzhou Branch Master!"
"I am no one's subordinate."
"Surely you don't mean you aren't a subordinate of the Alliance Lord?"
"That is correct."
"Then why are you staying at the Martial Alliance's Dong-ro Branch?"
"The Grand Branch Master is a special appointment."
"In that case, this is Martial Alliance business, so you should not interfere!"
"I once thought you were rather amusing, but now I see you're just a pathetic fool who only knows how to throw a tantrum."
"You've gone too far!"
When I first met Mak Pyo, I had liked his fiery spirit, but I had been wrong. He was nothing but a hothead.
I asked Do Hyun-tak.
"Do you also disobey my words?"
"Yes, I do. I do not believe this is right. I implore you to reconsider."
"Is that so?"
"The Dong-ro Branch is a subordinate organization of the Hangzhou Branch, so it is only natural that we take command."
"Is it also natural to slyly place your chopsticks on a table that has been so well prepared by others?"
"That is..."
Do Hyun-tak was at a loss for words.
"If the Commander or Chief Sang were here, would you dare to disobey my words?"
They were well aware that So Yang-gun and Sang Gang-jo were powerless against me.
I could have disciplined them with force, but I didn't want to.
Since they were insisting that the Hangzhou Branch was superior to the Dong-ro Branch, I decided to press them with the hierarchy they so desired.
"You have your Alliance Tablets, don't you?"
"Yes."
"Take them out."
At the command to show their Alliance Tablets, the two proudly took out their own and presented them.
In the Dong-ro Branch, from the Branch Master down to every member, all held Bronze Alliance Tablets. The Bronze Tablets had three ranks: the Branch Master was first-rank, the Vice Branch Master second-rank, and the members third-rank.
Above the Bronze Tablet was the Steel Tablet, which also had three ranks. The Hangzhou Branch Master, Do Hyun-tak, was first-rank, and the General Manager, Mak Pyo, was second-rank.
Mak Pyo taunted me.
"You must have an Alliance Tablet as well, why don't you show it?"
I slowly removed the Peerless Phoenix Jade Tablet from around my neck and placed it in my palm.
A faint aura of yellow, green, white, red, and blue flowed from it.
"Ah!"
"Gasp!"
Seeing the Peerless Phoenix Jade Tablet, Do Hyun-tak and Mak Pyo were horrified.
"What kind of tablet do you think this is?"
"Umm! D-Don't tell me it's a Jade Tablet?"
"It is as you see."
I held out the Peerless Phoenix Jade Tablet to Do Hyun-tak.
"Confirm it."
Until a moment ago, I had shown Do Hyun-tak some respect, but now I decided to treat him dismissively. Do Hyun-tak was just the same as Mak Pyo.
Do Hyun-tak didn't dare to touch the Peerless Phoenix Jade Tablet and instead bowed his head to look at it closely.
"Have you confirmed what this is?"
"It... It is a Jade Tablet."
Do Hyun-tak and Mak Pyo had seen a Silver Tablet once, but they had never encountered a Gold or Jade Tablet.
"Who possesses the Jade Tablet?"
"The Alliance Lord."
"Then why do I have it?"
Do Hyun-tak was flustered.
"I do not know."
"In any case, do you now understand that I am of the same rank as the Alliance Lord?"
"I understand."
Mak Pyo started acting difficult again.
"The Jade Tablet is a sacred object belonging only to the Alliance Lord. Why do you have it?"
At this point, he was just being belligerent.
"Ask the Commander later."
"Answer me now."
Using force on Mak Pyo in this situation was the worst option. However, I didn't want to bring up the matter of my marriage to the Alliance Lord myself. Especially not with Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo sitting right beside me.
Just then, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo spoke in a quiet voice.
"How utterly ignorant you are."
"What did you say?"
"Just as the Steel Tablet represents your status, it is common knowledge that the Jade Tablet represents my brother's. To insist on such stubbornness is not merely ignorant, but closer to shameless."
Mak Pyo, incensed, glared at Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo. He felt an unapproachable aura emanating from her, but his anger was stronger at the moment.
"How dare a woman speak so insolently!"
"Did you say, 'dare a woman'?"
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo remained calm.
"Why? Am I wrong?"
"What is the gender of the Martial Alliance's Lord?"
"..."
Mak Pyo flinched and could not answer.
"Would you shout at the Alliance Lord, 'How dare a woman sit in the position of Alliance Lord'?"
"That and this are different!"
"They are not different! Your way of thinking is flawed."
Mak Pyo turned to me, demanding.
"Grand Branch Master! Who is this woman to be spouting such nonsense?"
It was fine for him to spout nonsense, but he couldn't stand to hear others speak the truth.
"She is my younger sister."
"I'll let it go for the sake of the Grand Branch Master's dignity, but if she spouts such nonsense again, I will not tolerate it!"
A nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Mak Pyo was the nail, and I would be the hammer.
"If you apologize to my brother and obey his command, I will forgive you."
"You provoke me to the very end!"
Mak Pyo growled, unable to contain his anger.
I fanned the flames of his fury.
"If you can defeat my sister, I will do as you wish."
"Hahahaha! A man's word is his bond!"
Mak Pyo headed for the entrance.
"Follow me outside!"
"There's no need to go out."
"What do you mean?"
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo spoke calmly.
"I mean there is no value in dealing with a petty man."
"Did you call me petty?"
"One who doesn't know when to advance and when to retreat is called foolish and petty."
"Shut up!"
Mak Pyo's anger shot to the top of his head. He drew upon his sixty years of internal energy and charged at Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, swinging his fist with brutal force.
*Whoosh!*
It was a blow powerful enough to shatter a massive tree in a single strike.
A man who would use a killing technique on a woman, especially one I had introduced as my sister, was not even worthy of forgiveness.
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo extended a slender, jade-like hand toward Mak Pyo.
"Stop."
*Thud!*
"Huk?"
Mak Pyo froze in the exact posture he was in—mid-lunge, fist swinging forward, his feet half a foot off the ground. His body had become as rigid as a tree.
"Ugh...!"
Mak Pyo struggled to move, but he couldn't even lift a finger.
Do Hyun-tak watched the scene in utter shock.
'Grasping Emptiness!'
Grasping Emptiness was an ultimate technique that one needed at least one hundred and fifty years of internal energy to even attempt to imitate.
As Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo slowly lowered her hand, Mak Pyo's body and knees bent.
*Crack! Crunch!*
"Kuaaargh!"
Mak Pyo tried to resist with all his might, but it was a futile effort that only brought the excruciating pain of breaking bones and twisting muscles.
To Do Hyun-tak, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo was clearly a supreme master.
With her hand still extended toward Mak Pyo, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo spoke quietly, her face showing no sign of strain.
"Apologize to my brother, even now."
"You bewitching wench! Just kill me instead!"
He was a man full of nothing but pigheadedness and stubborn pride.
Having never heard such a vile curse in her life, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's face turned icy cold.
*Crack! Snap!*
"Hyaaaack!"
As the bones in his two legs and two arms snapped helplessly, Mak Pyo let out a horrifying scream.
When Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo withdrew her hand, Mak Pyo fell powerlessly to the floor.
*Thump!*
"Kuaaack!"
With his limbs broken, he flailed like a grasshopper, tears and snot streaming down his face as he wailed.
"Ugh... I was wrong... Please forgive me...!"
"Drag him out."
At my words, Do Hyun-tak hurriedly picked up Mak Pyo and left.
Ahn Do-pil and Hyeong In-geol, who had witnessed the entire scene, looked completely stunned. It was a miracle they hadn't wet themselves.
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo looked at me, about to say something, but I spoke first with a smile.
"Well done."
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo beamed.
***
"Un-hyo, place a stepping stool by the dueling stage."
To get onto the stage without any martial arts, a stepping stool was necessary.
When I had Go Un-hyo face Hainan's Unrivaled Sword and the Golden Dragon Young Master, both had protested vehemently.
They claimed they had come to fight the Fire Dragon Sword one-on-one.
If Hainan's Unrivaled Sword and the Golden Dragon Young Master had heard the rumors about me, they would know full well that they were no match for me.
There must be a reason why they insisted on a one-on-one duel with me nonetheless.
As a matter of courtesy, I accepted their one-on-one challenges.
I stepped on the stool and climbed onto the dueling stage. Having a stool meant I didn't have to worry about how to get up.
As per the order, Hainan's Unrivaled Sword was my first opponent.
I gazed at the man, who had the refined appearance of a scholar and looked to be around thirty years old.
"What is your name?"
Hainan's Unrivaled Sword politely clasped his fists.
"Gu Bon-gyeong."
"What is your reason for challenging me?"
"Does one need a reason to duel with a master?"
"If you lose, you must join the Dong-ro Branch."
"Can we not have a duel without conditions?"
"Did you not go through the recruitment review?"
"That was merely a means to face you, Great Warrior Fire Dragon Sword."
The Life-Ending Saber, Geum Cheong-san, whom I had defeated, and Neung Yu-seong, who had mastered the Thunderous Ghost Spear, had the same objective.
"If you lose to me, you must join."
"Hmm!"
A flicker of conflict crossed Gu Bon-gyeong's face. He knew he would surely lose if he fought me, and he probably thought it was harsh to have to become a member of the Dong-ro Branch as the price for a single duel.
However, he must have known that the Life-Ending Saber from the Chronicle of Invincibles had lost to me and joined the Dong-ro Branch, and that the Thousand Illusions Wanderer, who would duel me shortly, had come with the same resolve.
He himself was far below the level of those in the Chronicle of Invincibles. Yet, he desperately wanted to fight the Fire Dragon Sword. It was a temptation no martial artist would want to give up.
"If I join, how long must I remain a member of the Dong-ro Branch?"
I glanced down from the stage, and Ahn Do-pil, who was in charge of the review, explained.
"It is a one-year contract."
Gu Bon-gyeong pondered again.
On one side below the stage, the Golden Dragon Young Master and the Thousand Illusions Wanderer sat waiting for their turn.
Finally, Gu Bon-gyeong gave a heavy nod.
"I will do it."
"You lose if you fall. Attack."
*Shing!*
Gu Bon-gyeong, keeping his eyes on me, slowly drew the sword from his shoulder and extended it forward.
It was the Blue Steel Sword, the signature weapon of the Hainan Sword Sect, which emanated a faint blue light.
My martial arts had not yet activated, but I wasn't worried. My body would react on its own once Gu Bon-gyeong began his attack.
I couldn't even recall what the Hainan Sword Sect's signature sword art was.
Gu Bon-gyeong's goal wasn't to defeat me, but to learn from me. If so, it was only proper to fulfill his objective.