Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Martial Alliance (2)
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“…….”
The once boisterous banquet hall sank into silence. The situation was now beyond Jegal Hyeon's control.
Ouyang Jue had challenged him to a fight.
A young prodigy from Mount Hua, against Jeok Sa-goeng, the Black Wind Unit Commander of the Martial Alliance.
“Ridiculous.”
Amidst the silence, Jeok Sa-goeng spoke, his face expressionless.
“I'll be frank. I don't like this whole charade of having to walk on eggshells around the Mount Hua Sect. That's why I misspoke.”
“……”
Ouyang Jue remained silent. But his expression was one of resolute refusal to back down.
Jeok Sa-goeng spoke again.
“I don't want to see the Mount Hua Sect join the Alliance, so go back where you came from.”
“What nonsense.”
Ouyang Jue muttered. Yet, his voice spread softly but clearly throughout the banquet hall.
In a way, it sounded like a declaration.
He was making it clear he would not accept it as a mere slip of the tongue. He would extract an apology through a proper duel.
It was Ouyang Jue's roar of defiance.
“The mouth is the gate to disaster, the tongue a blade that cuts the body. So the saying goes.”
“So, you intend to punish me?”
“If necessary.”
Ouyang Jue brought his left hand to the scabbard of Severing Manifestation. He was prepared to respond immediately if the moment came.
Jegal Hyeon and the other Martial Alliance members watched with complicated expressions.
Opinions were divided.
‘They say he is the pride of Mount Hua, an unforgiving blade… As expected, he won't overlook an insult to his sect!’
‘Still, to pick a fight in the heart of the Martial Alliance… Tsk, tsk, isn't he going too far!’
It was a difference of opinion, and if one were to count, the latter view was more common.
The Mount Hua Sect was an old ally returning late, while Jeok Sa-goeng was a comrade-in-arms they had fought alongside for a long time.
Naturally, there was a difference in how they were treated.
Ouyang Jue, realizing this once again, considered his two options.
To fight, or not to fight.
The latter was the better choice here. Even if he chose the former and won, the outcome would likely not be favorable.
What would the Bloodhound, the former ronin, have done?
Ouyang Jue gave a bitter smile. His past self would have yielded here. He would have let Jeok Sa-goeng's words slide.
And so, Ouyang Jue realized how much he had changed. He was now a Daoist of the Mount Hua Sect.
The Bloodhound was slowly fading away.
The plum blossom sapling that had begun to sprout within him was growing, using the Bloodhound as fertilizer.
So he would not turn away.
Ouyang Jue looked straight at Jeok Sa-goeng.
“If necessary, I have no choice but to fight and make you understand.”
As Ouyang Jue made his declaration, most of the martial artists stepped back.
In effect, they were making space for Jeok Sa-goeng and Ouyang Jue to fight.
Yet, no one thought Ouyang Jue would win. Nor did they wish for it.
Even those who had defended Ouyang Jue would likely detest such an outcome.
For the Black Wind Unit Commander to lose to a fledgling would tarnish the Martial Alliance's honor.
*So, Mount Hua, you will yield here.*
*If the Martial Alliance demands it, you will prune your branches and shed your flowers.*
*Is not the unfading fragrance a thing of the past?*
Such gazes were fixed on Ouyang Jue. It was not killing intent or powerful aura, but something ambiguous that pressed down on him.
Just then, Jeok Sa-goeng looked at Ouyang Jue with his deep-set eyes.
“I heard you inherited Ha Jin-ak's legacy.”
“……”
“That kid was truly remarkable. I only met him a few times, but I've never coveted a talent more. I even considered entrusting the Black Wind Unit to him someday.”
Jeok Sa-goeng spoke of a past Ouyang Jue knew nothing about. It didn't seem to be a lie.
One wouldn't reveal such deep, wistful emotions for someone they disliked.
Ouyang Jue realized anew how little he knew about his senior brother, Ha Jin-ak, and the other elders.
After all, he had only properly known Ha Jin-ak for about ten days.
For all he knew, this man might have been closer to him than he was.
*…But.*
Ha Jin-ak had passed on everything he had to Ouyang Jue.
And he had made a request of Ouyang Jue.
He had cried out for the future of Mount Hua, shielding Ouyang Jue with his own body.
He had also wished for Ouyang Jue to live well with his master, Bai Duanxian, and his martial brothers.
Ouyang Jue remembered. He remembered the sight of Ha Jin-ak, under the moonlit sky, pushing back five swordsmen.
The sight of Ha Jin-ak lying emaciated, nothing but skin and bones.
And so, Ouyang Jue did not hesitate.
“I can never overlook your remarks.”
“……”
Jeok Sa-goeng did not avoid Ouyang Jue's gaze. He wore a peculiar expression.
As if he were seeing someone else in Ouyang Jue.
“...You're just like him. Good.”
*Screech, clang!*
The spear in Jeok Sa-goeng's grasp spun halfway and struck the ground.
With that simple motion, the stone tiles on the floor shattered into several pieces. A sharp fragment flew toward Ouyang Jue's cheek.
*Swish.*
The fragment grazed his cheek, then fell limply and rolled to Ouyang Jue's feet. A bead of blood formed on the cut.
Seeing this, Jeok Sa-goeng spoke.
“The first move is done. Come at me.”
The words had barely left his mouth.
*Thump!*
Ouyang Jue stepped on a shattered fragment and leaped forward. But strangely, not a single mark was left on the piece he had stepped on.
Seeing this, Jeok Sa-goeng let out a small sound of admiration. He was genuinely thrilled by the appearance of a young master.
So much so that he almost forgot they were in the middle of a fight.
“...You!”
*Wham!*
Before Jeok Sa-goeng could finish his sentence, Ouyang Jue's fist slammed into the side of his face.
The blow felt like it could shatter his cheekbone, and his whole body tingled from the shock.
Ouyang Jue replied nonchalantly.
“I've finished my first move as well. Now it's your turn.”
It was, in a way, a petty battle of pride, but the difference was significant.
The weaker one offering the first move to the stronger.
Jeok Sa-goeng was impressed by Ouyang Jue's spirit and grinned.
“...Alright!”
*Boom! Craaack!*
The moment Jeok Sa-goeng widened his stance and swung his spear in a full circle, Ouyang Jue felt as if he were caught in a whirlwind.
This man possessed terrifying strength. Otherwise, he could not have generated such pressure.
*‘But strength alone cannot solve everything.’*
That is why the path of martial arts is endless, infinitely vast.
Ouyang Jue held nothing back and released his Purple Mist True Energy.
Faced with internal energy nearing a full sixty-year cycle, the martial artists recoiled in shock, taking another step back.
*Shing!*
Drawn from its scabbard, Severing Manifestation cried out, emitting a cold light.
“...Hup!”
Jeok Sa-goeng, captivated for a moment by the sword's cry, lost sight of Ouyang Jue's form.
Fortunately, he didn't need to search for him.
*Clang!*
He was right there. Jeok Sa-goeng quickly adjusted his grip on the spear and brought his knee up.
It was partly to prevent him from getting any closer, but…
*Crack!*
For the man once known as the Heaven-Shattering Kick, his kicking arts were a killing technique on par with his spearmanship.
Many unorthodox martial artists had been crippled attempting to trade blows with him.
Jeok Sa-goeng was facing Ouyang Jue with the casual thought that it would be enough.
But he soon had to revise his judgment.
“I went easy on you.”
…*Rip, tear.*
Severing Manifestation had already torn through his clothes and grazed his skin. If Ouyang Jue had harbored even a little malice, his tendons and bones would have been severed.
At the completely unexpected sight, even Jegal Hyeon frowned.
*‘This is beyond what I anticipated.’*
Jeok Sa-goeng's actions had certainly been a bit much, but they were also a necessary step to quell the discontent.
The Martial Alliance was, after all, the largest political stage in the Orthodox martial world.
If a prestigious sect like Mount Hua were to join now, the sects that lacked a strong claim to legitimacy would be pushed aside.
The problem was that more than a few people didn't want that to happen.
Of course, Jeok Sa-goeng's reasons were his connection to Ha Jin-ak and his dislike for Mount Hua.
Jegal Hyeon bit his upper lip.
*‘A storm is brewing.’*
Defeat is unacceptable for a martial artist, especially for someone like Jeok Sa-goeng, who had reigned through sheer force.
No matter how careless he had been, or how unexpectedly skilled Ouyang Jue was, if this was the interim result…
Just then, Jeok Sa-goeng snorted loudly.
“You dare boast after landing just one hit on my leg!”
After they had exchanged about thirty more moves.
Jeok Sa-goeng was thoroughly astonished by Ouyang Jue.
*‘A young prodigy who's accustomed to fighting masters...!’*
He seemed to have accumulated immense experience in real battles where life and death were decided by a single sword stroke.
Otherwise, he could not have seized the moment the knee came up and landed a strike.
Any other young prodigy, one hundred out of one hundred times, would have been overcome by fear and retreated, or their offensive momentum would have been broken.
But what about Ouyang Jue?
Thinking this, Jeok Sa-goeng couldn't suppress a laugh.
*‘Perhaps the future of the Orthodox Faction is bright!’*
He was beginning to understand why Jegal Hyeon had shielded Ouyang Jue earlier.
He was a man who had never touched a drop of ink in his life, but he prided himself on knowing martial arts better than anyone.
Even if he had fought with all his might, Ouyang Jue would have lasted at least ten exchanges.
Only then did Jeok Sa-goeng feel a sense of shame.
*‘I was the one who used my strength to force an issue with words I shouldn't have said!’*
Before meeting Ouyang Jue, he had thought of Mount Hua as a foolish and dull sect.
That they had let Ha Jin-ak be neglected and die. When the young prodigy he had his eye on died, he had spent two whole days drinking himself into a stupor.
But now, looking at Ouyang Jue…
He stood out even among the many rising stars. Having fought him directly, he knew the title ‘Plum Blossom Sword Hero’ was no empty boast.
*‘In that case, his senior brother, Liu Zhangming, must be even stronger.’*
Jeok Sa-goeng reflected on the careless words he had spoken.
*‘That boy, his junior brother, must have felt it even more keenly than I did.’*
The thought that he had spoken such venomous words to a young prodigy not yet of age made Jeok Sa-goeng press his lips together tightly.
He was filled with regret. At the same time, he was curious about what kind of person Ouyang Jue would become in the future.
Who knew, perhaps he would one day reach a realm beyond the peak.
When they had exchanged more than fifty moves.
*Clang!*
Jeok Sa-goeng dropped his spear without any lingering attachment.
The shaft and blade of the spear were now covered in marks left during his clash with Ouyang Jue.
“I apologize. If necessary, I will write a formal letter of apology right here and send it to the Mount Hua Sect.”
True to his straightforward nature, Jeok Sa-goeng bowed his head.
Since the man, nearly forty years old, had bowed publicly, Ouyang Jue did not press the matter further.
In fact, he had gained much from the fight.
He had established a foothold in the Martial Alliance.
And he had come to understand his own heart.
Meanwhile, just as expected, other rumors began to circulate.
“My heavens, to bow his head to someone not yet of age.”
“Could it have been arranged beforehand? Otherwise, for the Black Wind Unit Commander to…”
Only the heavens knew how such words would come back to haunt them.
However, as they say, human affairs are for humans to resolve.
“Alright, alright! The night is growing late, so everyone should be heading back!”
Jegal Hyeon, in a voice louder than his usual self, dismissed the Martial Alliance members.
In other words, the situation was such that it required someone of Jegal Hyeon's stature to personally intervene to bring it under control.
Ouyang Jue was satisfied with this. After he had caused such a scene, no one would dare say he wasn't qualified.
Ouyang Jue's gaze turned to Jeok Sa-goeng.
“I will be waiting at my quarters. If you have anything else to say, please come find me.”
“Understood.”
With that answer, Ouyang Jue returned to his quarters.
But the person who came to see him later was not Jeok Sa-goeng, but someone else.
“The Vice-Leader has asked to see you separately.”
At those words, Ouyang Jue sensed that things were turning in his favor and let out a dry laugh.
Then he asked Jegal Hyeon.
“Jeok Sa-goeng... that is, the Black Wind Unit Commander must have strongly urged the Vice-Leader.”
“...He did.”
Jegal Hyeon recalled how Jeok Sa-goeng had thrown a fit in the Vice-Leader's office, smashing an inkstone and causing a general ruckus.
That was usually how his greed for talent manifested.