Chapter 206
Chapter 206
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 206
Chapter Title: Wuchang
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Huge crowds surged like waves near the martial tournament grounds.
There were so many spectators who'd come to watch the matches that they were impossible to count, mingled with merchants eyeing people's pockets.
As a result, the area around the tournament grounds was so jammed that it was hard to find a place to set foot.
Hong Geolgae spoke to Wang Jincheong.
"We're only here in Wuchang to rest. We go into an inn and relax before we get too tired. Got it?"
"Yes."
Rather than resting alone at the inn, Wang Jincheong had come out with the group.
His condition wasn't as precarious as when he'd collapsed, and brimming with the curiosity of a child, he couldn't easily ignore the sights.
Hong Geolgae took a silver tael from Dang Mujin and handed it to Wang Jincheong.
"Here. Pocket money."
"Huh?"
Wang Jincheong's eyes went wide.
Even kids from well-off families rarely handled silver taels.
For example, Dang Mujin wasn't from a rich house, but they never worried about meals, so he could be called from a comfortable family.
Yet even Dang Mujin had never received pocket money in silver taels. At best, he'd secretly pocketed some silver from errands and spent it bit by bit.
How much more so for Wang Jincheong, raised on the streets.
No doubt, this was the first time he'd ever touched a silver tael.
"Why give this to me..."
"Until we leave Wuchang, I'll give you one a day. Spend it wherever you want."
The silver came from Dang Mujin's pocket.
Hong Geolgae had yielded his entire share from the gold exchange to Dang Mujin. A few taels were grains of sand compared to that. So he had every right to speak boldly.
"You'll give me one silver tael a day?"
"Yeah. Spend it where you want. Buy tasty-looking snacks, clothes if you need them. If you need more money, just say so. Spend as much as you can handle."
"Thank you!"
Wang Jincheong's eyes sparkled as he vanished into the crowd. Dang Mujin asked Hong Geolgae.
"What wind blew this? Giving him pocket money?"
"We didn't leave Wang Jincheong at Shaolin Temple because we wanted him to gain experiences and choose his own path. Following me around only lets him experience the beggar's life, so when there's a chance, I should let him experience spending money too."
Just as they hadn't left him at Shaolin to limit his future to monkhood, they wouldn't limit him to beggar's life—they'd let him experience something else.
Dang Mujin was impressed inwardly. Unlike Namgung Myeong or Hyun-gong, Hong Geolgae had thoughtful sides.
The group figured they'd only see Wang Jincheong back at the inn. But contrary to expectations, he reappeared quickly.
Wang Jincheong handed out four bamboo-leaf-wrapped rice dumplings to the group, one each, before heading back into the crowd.
"See you later!"
"Yeah. Come back before you get tired."
Hyun-gong bit into his rice dumpling and said.
"That kid's already learned the ways of the world at his age. Saw him subtly managing his patrons with some pocket money?"
"He's grown mature from hardship. Patrons? What patrons?"
"Look. The money came from your pocket, through Hong Geolgae to Wang Jincheong. He handed dumplings first to you and Hong Geolgae, slower to me and Namgung Myeong. Just coincidence?"
Dang Mujin let Hyun-gong's nonsense flow in one ear and out the other.
Hyun-gong didn't seem all that serious either.
The group moved along with the crowd.
From the chatter, preliminaries had ended just yesterday. Finals started today.
"How good do you think the participants are?"
At Dang Mujin's question, Namgung Myeong chewed his dumpling and replied.
"A few lucky second-rates and third-rates with good senses, the rest first-rates."
"Anyone past the peak wall?"
"Lucky if one or two. None at all wouldn't be strange."
Talented martial artists typically broke the peak wall in their forties or later.
Untalented ones? Not worth pondering when. Most never even reach high first-rate despite lifelong training, let alone peak.
The tournament grounds had no seats except a few for VIPs.
People stood packed like rice in a paddy, craning necks toward the arena.
The four found a good viewing spot, stood on tiptoes.
Just then, two men prepared on the platform. Warming up with light sword swings, both seemed first-rate.
"Who wins?"
"The one in red uniform has higher attainment than gray. I'd say seven-to-three odds."
A martial artist's win or loss isn't just skill and insight. Split-second choices, technique matchups, luck—countless variables.
Especially below first-rate, even harder to predict. Call it free swordplay; call it wild swinging.
So Dang Mujin had low expectations. Two low-insight fighters half-relying on luck in a brawl didn't sound fun.
But as the gong rang and the match began, Dang Mujin was instantly hooked. As Namgung Myeong said, it was surprisingly entertaining.
High-level masters staking lives on signature moves was thrilling, but desperate mid-tier scrappers baring their hearts had unique charm.
The crowd was hyped too. Betting on outcomes, apparently.
"Knee! Stab the knee! Lower body's wide open! I bet on you!"
"I'd fight better! That's the best from guys eating sword rice?"
Namgung Myeong shouted too.
"Imperial Sword Form! Unleash the Imperial Sword Form! Crush with overwhelming sword pressure! Subdue Enemy Sword! Deploy Subdue Enemy Swordsmanship!"
"Kid's talking crazy."
Hong Geolgae scolded Namgung Myeong, but Dang Mujin flinched too.
Somewhere between thrill and frustration, he'd imagined unleashing Heart-Piercing Sword and Dynamic Cultivation to dominate.
After a long, brutal match, victory went to the slightly inferior gray-uniform man, thanks to a bit of luck.
Hong Geolgae said, satisfied.
"More fun than I thought. For entertainment, low-skill scraps might beat peak life-or-death bouts."
The other three gave subtle looks. Hong Geolgae got annoyed, grasping the meaning.
"What? Why stare like that?"
"No, just..."
"There's tiers even among first-rates. If I were up there, I'd take that gray-uniform in five exchanges."
"Sure, acorns vary in size."
As Hong Geolgae moved to unleash Twin Dragons Fetch Water from Dragon-Ascending Eighteen Palms at Hyun-gong, a strange voice called.
"You four! Guardians of this kid, right?"
A woman's high voice, laced with a bit of internal energy.
It cut clearly through the crowd noise.
Dang Mujin looked. A woman in wide-sleeved white robes.
Hyun-gong nearby smirked with satisfaction. By his standards, a great beauty.
Dang Mujin focused past her looks, to the person beside her.
Wang Jincheong, hair messy, clothes torn. Looked like he'd scrapped somewhere.
Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae approached.
"Wang Jincheong! What happened?"
"I was wandering, munching snacks, when local kids approached to rob me. So I beat 'em up. Knocked out three or four, I bet."
Wang Jincheong proudly spread his hand, showing coins. Hadn't lost money despite multiple foes.
But the woman clicked her tongue.
"What's to brag? If I hadn't stopped them, you'd be in big trouble. A guy with a fist-sized rock was sneaking behind you."
"I could've dodged. Didn't see the rock, but knew someone was coming."
"Ugh. Can't even talk sense... Huh?"
Scolding pitifully, the woman froze.
Dang Mujin glanced at Hyun-gong, fearing some sleazy move.
But Hyun-gong, trying to look good, wore a wistful expression.
Unpleasant to Dang Mujin, but not rude.
'What’s she looking at?'
Dang Mujin followed her gaze.
She stared at Namgung Myeong. Like other women drawn to his handsome face? But something off.
Namgung Myeong, facing her, looked flustered.
Hong Geolgae asked.
"What? Namgung Myeong, you know that girl?"
Namgung Myeong ignored, giving an awkward smile to her.
"Long time no see. Jeong Okryeong."
Jeong Okryeong's face was complex too. Fluster, anger, irritation, yet fondness.
"Namgung Myeong. Where the hell you been all this time?"
"Traveled the Central Plains. It just happened."
"You could've sent word!"
Jeong Okryeong's face boiled. Namgung Myeong rarely fidgeted.
"Sorry. You're a bit late for marriageable age, but not past it. Hurry and find a match..."
Her voice exploded near a yell.
"What kinda reunion talk is that after years? Find a match? You dog...!"
Unlike refined ladies, Jeong Okryeong spewed vulgarities. Half her words curses. Hong Geolgae instinctively covered Wang Jincheong's ears.
Curses insufficient, she flushed red, drew her sword.
Onlookers, who'd gathered for fun, scattered hurriedly.
No mere threat—she swung at Namgung Myeong, radiating killing intent. Her sword couldn't touch him, of course.
Namgung Myeong instinctively reached for his sword, then judged drawing in a crowd unwise.
Instead, he casually caught it with his left arm. A wooden prosthetic—no issue gripping bare blade.
Only then did Jeong Okryeong notice, horrified.
"The arm-loss rumor was true? What happened to you!"
Her emotions flipped between rage and worry.
Result: tears welling, voice misty.
Yet she held back tears, bit her lip, sheathed the sword.
"You bastard! Drop dead!"
She stomped hard, heel digging in, stormed off somewhere.
The group was baffled by the sudden mess.
Except Namgung Myeong, they glanced at his face, then approached.
"What? What's the situation? Who's that woman?"
"If I had to put a label, fiancée-ish."
Not odd. Namgung Clan was huge; him having a fiancée fit. Just surprising to hear.
But Hong Geolgae wondered.
"Why 'if I had to put a label' fiancée?"
"Jeong Okryeong was slated as third or fourth concubine."
"What?"
As faces turned odd, Namgung Myeong sighed explanation.
"Great clans' engagements follow need, not love. Mine was set before ten. Without training focus, we'd have wed before twenty."
"Fine. But why concubine talk without even a wedding?"
"Clans like Namgung know of the main wife, still push daughters as concubines. Jeong's family was one..."
"What? Why stare suddenly?"
Dang Mujin replied.
"...Isn't it weird how casually concubines come up?"
"Great clan heads you know have at least two or three. That's few. Moyong Clan head had over ten. Running a great clan means that—siring heirs, binding families, expanding power."
Namgung Myeong sounded off. Not a favorite topic.
Hong Geolgae bravely asked.
"But you're disowned, right? That must've left those women awkward."
"Not really."
"No?"
Namgung Myeong shook his head.
"Other clans betrothed not to me, but next Namgung head. Disownment voids mine, shifts naturally to new heir."
"But that Jeong lady didn't seem so detached."
"That's why I was flustered."
Hard for outsiders in man-woman matters. Worse, Hong Geolgae and Hyun-gong never even held a girl's hand.
But the group had one exception.
Dang Mujin slung an arm over Namgung Myeong's shoulder.
"So, what do you think of Miss Jeong?"
"Why?"
"I'm married. No better expert reading women's hearts."
Dang Mujin grinned confidently.