Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Jeok Sa-goeng (3)
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‘…Numb.’
From just a single strike swung with all of Jeok Sa-goeng’s might, Jo Hun felt as if his arm would tear off.
And his knees?
The impact, crashing down from above, felt as if it had crushed them.
An unpleasant sound came from his wrist as well.
Even though his application of the Purple Mist True Energy, taught by his senior brothers, had been flawless, his insides churned.
His throat was scratchy and hot.
As Jeok Sa-goeng drew back the Ink Swallow Spear, Jo Hun’s vision, which had turned completely white, slowly regained its color.
The gazes of those who saw him as admirable, as incredible.
The sunlight revealing itself from behind the fully bloomed plum blossom tree.
“Ah.”
Jo Hun realized he was still facing Jeok Sa-goeng.
“Not yet, not yet…”
“Have you not realized?”
At Jeok Sa-goeng’s question, Jo Hun stubbornly nodded his head.
“I still have strength left.”
“How disappointing.”
The sunlight obscured Jeok Sa-goeng’s expression.
His voice was so deep and somber it was as if he might have been disappointed in himself.
“Courage and recklessness are two different things.”
“Not yet…”
“Rest now.”
Jeok Sa-goeng brushed past Jo Hun, patting him on the head.
“That is enough. Having received the Ink Swallow Spear even once makes you a martial artist worthy of recognition.”
“Is, is that so.”
With those words, Jo Hun collapsed on the spot as if from exhaustion.
Ouyang Jue’s voice followed.
“Take care of Hun.”
“…Yes!”
As if on cue, a martial artist standing near Jo Hun carefully lifted him into his arms.
Then, Ouyang Jue spoke to Jeok Sa-goeng in a cold voice.
“Even if Hun wanted it, you went too far.”
“Once he holds a weapon, he is a martial artist.”
Thud!
Jeok Sa-goeng struck the ground once with his Ink Swallow Spear and continued.
“I treated that boy as a martial artist, and while I didn't use any forms, I clashed with him using all my strength.”
“…”
“You know that’s what the boy wanted, do you not?”
Ouyang Jue lowered his head, then briefly glanced to his left.
He needed time to quell his boiling emotions, to calm himself.
The fact that so many eyes were watching felt like a restraint on both his arms.
He barely managed to suppress the urge to rush out and swing Severing Manifestation, but he couldn't control the emotion seeping into his voice.
“Then is it my turn?”
At the various emotions contained in those words, Jeok Sa-goeng briefly tightened his grip on the Ink Swallow Spear.
“Very well.”
Crack!
Before the words had even finished, the soles of Ouyang Jue’s feet tore up the ground, pulling the wind in before thrusting it away.
His form was not a shape but a faint line, with only the barest hint of a person’s scent left behind.
‘A storm.’
Facing Ouyang Jue, Jeok Sa-goeng spun his Ink Swallow Spear once and tensed his muscles.
“Hoo.”
With a short breath, his upper body expanded and then contracted. His lower body supported his torso like an ancient tree.
The length of the spear shaft in his grip was only about an inch.
With just that much length, that much space, Jeok Sa-goeng had spent countless hours in contemplation.
How could he become faster?
How could he move undetected?
A spear lacks the versatility of a sword, a saber, or even a staff. A clumsy move allows the opponent to close the distance, and that means death.
But Jeok Sa-goeng did not despair over this.
Why isn’t the Nangong Clan, said to paint the cosmos with their swords, the strongest? Why can’t Wudang, which wields the Taiji, claim to be the greatest in the Central Plains?
Even Shaolin, said to embody the Diamond itself, cannot claim to be the greatest of all time.
‘So, is the spear powerless?’
Jeok Sa-goeng shook his head internally. It was a torment he had overcome decades ago.
If the sword paints the cosmos, I will shatter it.
If they wield the Taiji, I will pierce through it.
If it is Diamond, I need only strike it countless times.
Just like the life Jeok Sa-goeng had lived, like the days he roamed the martial world with the Ink Swallow Spear in hand.
FWOOSH!
The Ink Swallow Spear in Jeok Sa-goeng's grasp spun fiercely from left to right.
His internal energy flowed along its spinning edge.
If Ouyang Jue was a raging typhoon, Jeok Sa-goeng was the spear that pierced the typhoon.
No, it would not be an exaggeration to call it a divine spear.
CLANG!
Its immense weight, its rotation, and the internal energy imbued within it.
The Ink Swallow Spear in Jeok Sa-goeng’s hand seemed to have already transcended the mortal plane, reaching the level of a divine art.
A single thrust could demolish a castle gate and still have the power to bring down a wall.
“My god…”
Could even the notoriously dangerous gunpowder concentrate this much power into a single point?
The martial artists crowded nearby gradually backed away, increasing the distance.
And the standoff between the two did not last long.
CRACK!
From within the storm Ouyang Jue had created, Severing Manifestation shot out and struck the shaft of the Ink Swallow Spear.
Scrape.
Feeling the potent Purple Mist True Energy emanating from Severing Manifestation, Jeok Sa-goeng clenched his jaw.
It wasn't a killing move, as this was a spar, but it was by no means a light technique.
Hadn't he used an artificial movement technique precisely to hide his first move?
“Shall we play?”
The moment Jeok Sa-goeng muttered in a low voice, the Ink Swallow Spear rotated half a turn.
“…?!”
Ouyang Jue frowned for a moment.
He hadn't struck hard enough for Jeok Sa-goeng to drop the spear, nor had he used any fist or foot techniques to disrupt his footwork.
So why did the Ink Swallow Spear suddenly rotate?
His contemplation was short, as the answer appeared even more quickly.
‘He let go of the spear…?!’
It was less an unorthodox move and more a complete break from convention—a variation a common wanderer might use.
But Ouyang Jue was not greatly flustered; he watched both ends of the Ink Swallow Spear carefully.
He wasn't called the Bloodhound for nothing.
He had faced such tricks countless times in his past life and had learned how to counter them.
Just as the Ink Swallow Spear rotated halfway, its blunt end pointing toward Ouyang Jue’s solar plexus.
Grip, Thump!
Jeok Sa-goeng grabbed the spear shaft and, in an instant, shot it toward Ouyang Jue’s solar plexus.
Broken down, it was two separate actions, but the movements of a seasoned master made them appear as one.
‘The easiest response here would be to strike the spear shaft upwards, but…’
That was not the correct answer.
Ouyang Jue used the Plum Blossom Steps to move half a step to the left. The move actually seemed to take him deeper into Jeok Sa-goeng's range.
Then, a short laugh brushed past Ouyang Jue’s ear.
“…Hoh.”
Jeok Sa-goeng clamped the Ink Swallow Spear under his right arm and twisted.
The internal energy contained in the Ink Swallow Spear was immense beyond words. If it struck him without any defense, Ouyang Jue’s arm would be crushed.
A simple trick of a wanderer, transformed into a supreme principle in the hands of a peerless spearman like Jeok Sa-goeng, was a truly majestic sight.
Ouyang Jue admired it quietly and gripped Severing Manifestation with both hands.
“Plum Blossoms in Full Bloom.”
For a fleeting moment at the sound of that voice, Jeok Sa-goeng felt a sense of disappointment.
It was because he felt that, compared to the martial art he had just displayed, the Plum Blossom Sword Arts, while certainly excellent, fell short of the pinnacle.
But the ensuing scent of plum blossoms, a sharpness that couldn't be called a technique of the Mount Hua Sect, made the fine hairs on his skin stand on end.
‘…This is!’
Was this the reason for his two years of secluded training?
A pleased smile formed on Jeok Sa-goeng's lips.
The disappointment he had felt for a moment was swept away by the wind brushing past his ears.
‘The Mount Hua Sect is strong!’
The boy, Jo Hun, who had perfectly received one of his moves, even if it was just once.
The young man, Ouyang Jue, who had been stirring up the martial world for the past three years.
And even Liu Zhangming, whose true abilities were still unknown, and Ha Jin-ak, who had fully recovered!
The Central Plains were vast and thus home to many masters and eccentrics, but the current Mount Hua Sect was truly exceptional.
‘Perhaps the Mount Hua Sect could halt the Martial Alliance's charge.’
At this thought, a dry laugh escaped him.
He had spent half his life in the Martial Alliance; how long had it been since he left that he was already feeling such hostility?
Jeok Sa-goeng shook his head slightly.
There were still things that made him suspicious, but now was not the time to dwell on them.
He would simply enjoy this moment, clashing weapons with Ouyang Jue!
“Come!”
In Jeok Sa-goeng’s grasp, the Ink Swallow Spear expanded, drawing a new circle.
“I am Jeok Sa-goeng of the Ink Swallow Spear!”
“…Hmph.”
Ouyang Jue let out a small laugh and swung Severing Manifestation.
“This is the Profound and Limitless Sword, reforged by my own will. No, it is the Fragrance of the Single Origin!”
The sound of the two divine weapons colliding engulfed all of Mount Hua.
* * *
After the spar, evening fell.
The story-lovers left the Mount Hua Sect with countless embellished tales to tell, while the martial artists showered Jeok Sa-goeng and Ouyang Jue with questions.
But neither gave a proper answer.
Jeok Sa-goeng had always despised those who went around asking others about their martial arts, and Ouyang Jue, though not to the extent of Liu Zhangming, was a talented martial artist himself.
No matter how sincerely they might have answered, one can only understand as much as one already knows. So the martial artists, having gained little, left the Mount Hua Sect with disappointed expressions, sometime after the story-lovers had departed.
“They were a tiresome bunch.”
At those words, Ouyang Jue chuckled and picked up his teacup.
“Somehow, that felt more tiring than the spar.”
“Haha… Did you not expend a great deal of internal energy?”
Ouyang Jue wore a playful expression.
“It was so much fun I could have gone for several more rounds. Why did you say something so grand at the end? Was it because it’s been a while since your last spar, and your blood was pumping?”
“Ahem, hm.”
After clearing his throat, Jeok Sa-goeng turned to Ouyang Jue with a serious face.
“That… I apologize for what happened before.”
“What do you mean?”
“For speaking rashly about Ha Jin-ak, and for using too much force against the boy in today's spar.”
“He’s not a boy.”
“…?”
Ouyang Jue shook his head firmly.
“His name is Jo Hun. And he’s a full-grown man, a proper Daoist.”
“Is that so?”
Jeok Sa-goeng showed a look of fresh surprise.
“It seems you truly do cherish your sect.”
“Does it not seem that way to others?”
Ouyang Jue had meant it as a joke, but Jeok Sa-goeng’s attitude was quite different.
“Do you want me to tell you honestly?”
“…It’s fine. I am well aware of my own character.”
“I wish we could have a drink.”
As Jeok Sa-goeng smacked his lips in regret, Ouyang Jue leaned in and asked.
“I can get you some.”
“…Isn’t drinking forbidden within the Mount Hua Sect?”
“Well, there are ways.”
Ouyang Jue grinned and looked at Jeok Sa-goeng.
It wasn't something he, a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, should be saying, but there was something he needed to hear from him.
“In exchange, could you tell me what happened over the past two years?”
“Haha, for nothing in return?”
“Won’t I be wetting that empty mouth with alcohol for you?”
At those words, Jeok Sa-goeng’s eyes narrowed.
“Just when I thought you were starting to look like a proper Daoist, you turn out to be no different from a wanderer!”
Ouyang Jue flinched for a moment but didn't stop talking.
“Didn’t you say you had something to apologize to me for?”
“So, are you trying to make a deal?”
“No, well, rather than a deal… wouldn’t this help you relieve the burden on your heart, Senior Jeok?”
It was a remark that could have easily earned him a rebuke, but Ouyang Jue was half-certain.
Jeok Sa-goeng's character was closer to neutral than righteous, and above all, he had lived a free-spirited life before becoming the Black Wind Unit Commander. He judged that this kind of deal would work.
And his judgment was, as expected, not wrong.
“Tsk… Fine! Let’s do that.”
Even as Jeok Sa-goeng glared at him, Ouyang Jue didn't wipe the smile from his face.