Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: Jeok Sa-goeng (2)
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A simple whim, or perhaps an eccentricity.
As Jeok Sa-goeng headed for the Mount Hua Sect, he didn't entertain the slightest thought that they would welcome him.
Not only had he said unpleasant things when he first met Ouyang Jue, but he also didn't have any close acquaintances there.
Even Ha Jin-ak he only considered a decent junior in his heart.
However, when he arrived at the main gate of the Mount Hua Sect, the sight that greeted him was different from what he had expected.
“Aren't you the Black Wind Unit Commander, Great Warrior Jeok?”
“...Thank you for the welcome.”
“A welcome? It is merely the courtesy we ought to show.”
As Gwak Un-pae greeted him with a calm expression, Jeok Sa-goeng couldn't hide a smile, though he tilted his head in confusion.
‘Was he always this kind of person?’
Although their ages were different and they'd had no chance to meet, he had heard the rumors.
The Clear Profound Sword, Gwak Un-pae, was said to enjoy talking with others and to be hot-tempered.
But Gwak Un-pae's current demeanor was quite different from the rumors circulating in the martial world.
He possessed the composure befitting a sect elder, and his ability to read the other's expression was considerable.
‘If I misspeak, he'll surely find fault with it.’
Jeok Sa-goeng wore a strange smile.
A tension he had never felt before at the Mount Hua Sect seemed to make his heart pound.
Just as his palms grew moderately damp, Jeok Sa-goeng opened his mouth.
“You've changed a lot.”
“One must change.”
Gwak Un-pae glanced up at the sky, gauging the time.
“The day is drawing to a close... How about you stay the night at the Mount Hua Sect?”
At those words, Jeok Sa-goeng laughed heartily and retorted.
“It seems you wish for me not to stay long.”
“Well, it's just that since the Fist Star's visit, the Mount Hua Sect has had frequent guests. To be honest, it doesn't feel particularly pleasant.”
At the sharpness in Gwak Un-pae's words, Jeok Sa-goeng's smile deepened.
“Isn't that proof that the Mount Hua Sect's fame is growing?”
Gwak Un-pae lifted his teacup.
“Even during the time of the old Demonic Cult, our sect threw itself into the fray to protect its fame and honor, desperately wielding our swords to protect our martial brethren who had retreated.”
“…”
Ripples formed in the teacup Gwak Un-pae held.
It was surely because his emotions had surged.
As Jeok Sa-goeng seemed to listen in silence, Gwak Un-pae lamented in a low voice.
“We didn't hope for courteous treatment. Just for people to visit the Mount Hua Sect occasionally, very occasionally, to honor the spirits of the fallen. That was all we wished for.”
At those words, Jeok Sa-goeng quietly bowed his head.
“I am ashamed.”
“What good would an apology from the Unit Commander do? It's because Mount Hua did not know how heartless the martial world is, and how easily it forgets.”
*Creeak.*
Rising from his seat, Gwak Un-pae patted his stomach and offered a faint smile.
“The food we serve these days is quite good, so please try it. I've never eaten at the Martial Alliance, but I can confidently say it's the best in Shaanxi.”
“I will.”
*Thud.*
After the door closed, Jeok Sa-goeng gazed for a moment at Gwak Un-pae's retreating back.
“…I'll have to watch my step.”
Beneath where Gwak Un-pae had been sitting, an indentation gouged by internal energy was clearly visible.
* * *
Late at night.
Returning to his hermitage after finishing his training, Ouyang Jue was startled to see Jeok Sa-goeng.
“Aren't you the Black Wind Unit Commander?”
“Black Wind Unit Commander? I won't be called that anymore.”
“…?!”
At those words, Ouyang Jue's face stiffened.
“Have you stepped down from the position of Black Wind Unit Commander?”
“Most of the warriors belonging to the Black Wind Unit have already returned to their hometowns or their own clans. In such a situation, what's the point of being called Unit Commander?”
“Is that so…”
In his past life, Jeok Sa-goeng had remained in the Martial Alliance as the Black Wind Unit Commander until the very end, so the shock Ouyang Jue felt was considerable.
But there was no need to be afraid now.
Too much had changed for that.
As Ouyang Jue's presence gradually calmed, Jeok Sa-goeng misunderstood.
“Did you expect me to quit?”
“…”
In situations like this, it was best to hold one's tongue.
As Ouyang Jue looked up at the sky, feigning indifference, Jeok Sa-goeng chuckled.
“You've always had a sort of foresight about you, haha.”
“It's hardly foresight. It's nothing more than being observant.”
“Being observant is a skill in itself.”
Ouyang Jue sensed a hint of envy in the brief look Jeok Sa-goeng gave him.
‘Did this old man get beaten up somewhere?’
His fame in the martial world, his public standing.
In every aspect, Jeok Sa-goeng was overwhelmingly superior to Ouyang Jue. He couldn't understand why such a man would look at him that way.
“It seems a lot has happened while we haven't seen each other.”
“Two years isn't a short time, after all.”
From Jeok Sa-goeng's calm demeanor, Ouyang Jue inwardly guessed that many things had occurred while he was in secluded training.
The news periodically delivered by the Iron Wind Hound had been helpful, but how could it compare to information from a high-ranking official of the Martial Alliance?
Ouyang Jue wiped the glistening sweat from his forehead.
“It's late, so why don't you sleep here for the night?”
“I can't do that. Didn't I arrive too late in the first place?”
Jeok Sa-goeng glanced sideways at the Ink Soul Spear, which was taller than him.
“If anyone saw, it would look like a spearman was launching a surprise attack on you.”
“Haha.”
Although Ouyang Jue responded to the joke with laughter, he was confident he wouldn't be easily taken down even in a real surprise attack.
Two years.
To some, it might have been a very long time, but to Ouyang Jue, it was far too short.
The martial arts he had learned so far and the experience gained from fighting countless powerful warriors.
Above all, a day was not enough to fully embody the Profound and Limitless Sword and the ultimate principles of the Mount Tai Sword Gate that Bai Duanxian had passed down.
Even though he had trained in the formation created by the Omniscient One.
‘I've grown closer to the realm I reached in my past life, yet at the same time, I've grown farther from it.’
The unorthodox path built in a short time versus the orthodox path developed over a sufficient period.
One couldn't say which was stronger, but in terms of the limits of one's potential for growth, the latter was overwhelmingly superior.
Above all, the sense of fulfillment that filled his dantian was incomparable to his past life.
Ouyang Jue's lips parted slightly.
“Tomorrow, when the sun rises, may I ask you for a light sparring match?”
At those words, Jeok Sa-goeng gave a look of momentary surprise. But his hesitation was brief.
“That sounds good.”
Just as Ouyang Jue and Jeok Sa-goeng exchanged glances filled with competitive spirit.
A vigorous voice came from somewhere.
“Me too, me too!”
“…?”
“Hun!”
Despite Jeok Sa-goeng's tilted head and Ouyang Jue's flustered expression, Jo Hun shouted spiritedly.
“May I also spar with Senior Jeok?”
“Haha.”
How should he answer?
Jeok Sa-goeng couldn't hide a dry laugh. Still, since such a young child was asking for a lesson, he couldn't refuse.
“Let's do that.”
“You promised!”
While Jo Hun waved his arms in excitement, a dark shadow fell behind him.
…*Grip!*
It was only for a brief moment, but Jeok Sa-goeng came close to executing a throwing stance, gripping his Ink Soul Spear tightly.
The weight emanating from the dark shadow was beyond imagination.
Presently, the dark shadow revealed its form in the moonlight.
“Welcome to Mount Hua, Great Warrior Jeok.”
‘What is this presence…!’
How could a rising star, just entering his mid-twenties, exhibit a presence harder than diamond?
The shadow—no, Liu Zhangming—cupped his hands in greeting.
“Plum Blossom Cloud Dragon, Liu Zhangming, greets you, senior.”
“…Thank you.”
From Gwak Un-pae to the young rising stars, Jeok Sa-goeng realized that the Mount Hua Sect was worlds apart from what it used to be.
* * *
“The Fist Star was one thing, but for the Black Wind Unit Commander to come to the Mount Hua Sect as well…”
“Hey! You fool, have you forgotten that Great Warrior Jeok is no longer part of the Martial Alliance?”
At the man's rebuke, a middle-aged man who looked like a merchant scratched his cheek sheepishly.
Jeok Sa-goeng had tried to visit the Mount Hua Sect without alerting others, but in the chaotic martial world, a single rumor could travel a thousand li.
Above all, the Martial Alliance's announcement that Jeok Sa-goeng was no longer the Black Wind Unit Commander had piqued the curiosity of gossips.
“Could it be that they were afraid the Ink Soul Spear would lose at Mount Hua, and the Martial Alliance's prestige would fall?”
“Nah, no way. No matter how long Great Warrior Jeok has set aside his spear, how could he not defeat a single rising star from the Mount Hua Sect?”
The middle-aged man who had blurted out those words was so startled that he slapped his own cheek, but no one challenged him.
It was cold, but it was the truth.
No matter how many great deeds Ouyang Jue had accomplished or how much he had elevated the honor of the Mount Hua Sect, he was still a rising star.
Above all, hadn't he been in secluded training for two years?
There were even some warriors who disparaged Ouyang Jue for this.
Saying he became afraid after gaining a reputation far exceeding his actual skills.
They also whispered that he had borrowed the strength of a secular master to deal with the Black Dragon Gang, and that he had only defeated Bai Wun-hwan by joining forces with other Daoists.
Amidst the clamor of various stories, a warrior looked up at the sky and muttered.
“It's noon.”
As soon as those words were spoken, the murmuring died down.
*Clang, clang!*
It was because Jeok Sa-goeng had appeared, holding the massive weapon, the Ink Soul Spear, in one hand.
His resolute eyes seemed to survey the world, and his rippling arm muscles looked strong enough to smash a boulder to dust.
And what of his gait?
“What incredible footwork…”
He was walking through the crowd without the sound of scraping sand, without even leaving footprints.
Considering his immense weight, including the Ink Soul Spear, it was a feat bordering on the divine.
Even when ordinary people occasionally brushed shoulders with him, they felt no pressure at all.
This showed just how high a realm Jeok Sa-goeng had reached.
Just then, Ouyang Jue, who was already waiting, smiled faintly.
“Are you nervous?”
“…Hm?”
“There's no need to waste your internal energy like that.”
At those words, Jeok Sa-goeng grinned.
“I suppose I was putting on unnecessary airs.”
“We're only sparring for fifteen to thirty minutes at most, yet your entrance was reminiscent of a deathmatch.”
“Hahaha!”
As Jeok Sa-goeng threw his head back and laughed, several warriors pointed at Ouyang Jue.
They were slandering him, saying he had no manners or lacked grace.
But the one who was about to fight, Jeok Sa-goeng, knew.
‘The rumors about Ouyang Jue are by no means an exaggeration. If anything, they're an understatement.’
*Shhhk.*
Taking a ready stance, Jeok Sa-goeng inhaled and exhaled.
His shoulders, stiff with tension, slowly rose and fell with his breath.
When Jeok Sa-goeng finally gripped the spear's shaft and thrust it forward, the surrounding warriors realized.
That if they blinked for even a single moment, they would miss Jeok Sa-goeng's strike.
But a single phrase broke the silence.
“Ah, there was a guest before me.”
As Jeok Sa-goeng muttered in a low voice, a boy covered in dust, as if he had been training until late in the morning, appeared.
It was none other than Bai Duanxian's third disciple, Jo Hun.
“Am I late?”
“A little.”
“Hehe, I'm sorry, Senior Brother. But I promise not to disappoint you!”
At those words, most people thought Jo Hun was brave, but at the same time, they felt a great sense of disappointment.
They thought he would be sparring with Ouyang Jue and the other elders, but it was a boy who had just barely outgrown being a child?
“A sparring match isn't child's play, tsk.”
Just as such complaints began to spread through the crowd.
The sound of Jo Hun's footsteps rang out, bright and cheerful.
*Tat-tat.*
As if chasing those footsteps, Jeok Sa-goeng's strike followed.
*Swiiish!*
A sound that didn't just cut through the wind but seemed to tear it apart sent a chill down their spines.
Even Ouyang Jue, who was listening, frowned for a brief moment.
What monstrous strength.
It was a power that couldn't be achieved unless one was born with it, recognized it, and then trained for decades.
‘Hun.’
Can he really block it?
If he were to be knocked flat on his back in his first public sparring match, the shock would be quite severe.
Ouyang Jue watched with a worried expression, but soon a faint smile appeared on his face.
*Kaaang!*
A single inch.
If he had been off by even a little, he would have been unable to withstand the force and been sent flying backward.
But Jo Hun did it.
“...Hoo.”
In a fraction of a second, he had discerned the center of force and read the path of the Ink Soul Spear.
Even if he knew, acting on it with conviction was another matter entirely.
“Huhu, hahaha!”
Seeing Jo Hun block his strike, Jeok Sa-goeng once again threw his body back and roared with laughter.