Extreme Sword Dragon (4)
The situation that had swelled like a landslide finally settled into a lull. Lee Young-jin, face flushed crimson as he huffed and puffed, slunk back to his seat and began gulping down drink after drink. The others chatted idly about the earlier scene for a while before the spark of interest quickly died out. There was nothing to gain by clinging to my anger, either. I cooled the icy rage in my chest and filled my stomach lightly. After sitting a little longer, I rose first from my seat, mindful of my condition for tomorrow.
When I opened the door and stepped outside, the winter night wind rushed in, starkly different from the warm air inside that had been heated by the crowd. It should have felt cold, but my body was still burning from the earlier fury, so the breeze only felt refreshing. I wandered a short distance away and stood quietly, savoring the wind, when someone approached from behind.
Lee Young-jin? No. His footsteps had been unexpectedly heavy despite his crude speech and behavior, but these steps were lighter.
“The night air is truly clear.”
He was a man with a gentle, amiable face. His frame was somewhat slimmer than Lee Young-jin’s, yet he didn’t look weak at all. His build was solid, and he stood a little taller than the Zhongnan disciple.
“Who are you?”
As I asked, I took in his attire. Light pink martial robes, with white plum blossoms delicately embroidered on the sleeves.
“I am Baek Yu of the Mount Hua Sect.”
The white plum blossom pattern on the sleeves. Mount Hua of Shaanxi. A rival sect in the same province as the Zhongnan Sect, competing for dominance. One of the great sects of the Nine Great Schools, counted among the top three alongside Shaolin Temple and the Wudang Sect. They were famous for leading with the Plum Blossom Sword Protectors, who wielded the illusory sword style known as the Twenty-Four Hands Plum Blossom Sword Art.
“It’s a pleasure. I’m glad to meet a swordsman of Mount Hua.”
I remembered every face that had sneered while watching the earlier confrontation. He wasn’t among them, which meant he hadn’t laughed. That alone suggested his approach wasn’t hostile.
Baek Yu. I had never heard the name in my previous life. Mount Hua had many experts in the Peak Realm, so not knowing one of them wasn’t strange. Still, if he was talented enough to appear at the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering, I should have heard of him sometime in the next ten years.
Before I could follow that thought further, he spoke first.
“Are you alright?”
He was asking about everything at once—the mental shock, what lay ahead, even his own words. I was fine. A little irritated, perhaps, but there was no real problem. My mind wasn’t fragile enough to be shaken by such cheap provocation, and the pathetic threat of pressuring my sect held no weight against me, the sole successor of a one-man transmission. So I told him I was fine, yet he spoke as if something still weighed on him.
“...Though we are not fellow disciples who inherited the same lineage, as a fellow disciple of the Nine Great Schools, I wish to offer my deepest apology for his words and conduct. I hope you will not take it too much to heart.”
He brought both hands together in a respectful fist salute and bowed deeply. The apology came from someone who had no personal stake and shared no sect affiliation, so it left me both bewildered and burdened. I waved my hand to stop him.
“This is not something for you to apologize for, Lord Baek Yu.”
He paused at my words, then slowly released his salute and straightened. Looking straight at me, he said,
“No. I have a duty to apologize as well.”
“Power carries responsibility. As a disciple of Mount Hua, the responsibility I must bear is to never abandon chivalry—no matter the circumstances. That is the one thing I have learned in more than a decade of training.”
“That insulting and trampling on the weak contradicts the very meaning of chivalry is something even a newborn babe should know. I witnessed it clearly with my own eyes just now.”
Once more, he bowed with genuine sincerity. Then he offered another apology.
“Yet I was bound by my sect’s position and could not stop his improper behavior.”
“This is both a self-imposed punishment and an apology to you, Sword Net. Please accept it.”
It was astonishing. After my regression, I had observed the world of the righteous sects not as a member of the Demonic Cult or its vice-leader, but simply as a human being. Among them were the power-abusing villains and arrogant tyrants I despised, but there were also those who truly understood the meaning of chivalry and righteousness. Still, I had never encountered someone so stubbornly devoted to it. That was why I felt surprised, grateful, embarrassed, and burdened all at once.
“...Thank you. Since I’m truly fine, please raise your head. You’re making me uncomfortable...”
At that, he straightened immediately. A brief silence followed before he smiled and changed the subject.
“Haha… By the way, are you confident about tomorrow?”
Of course I was. It might sound arrogant, but I didn’t feel the slightest sense that he was stronger than me. So I answered boldly.
“If I weren’t confident, I wouldn’t have let things escalate this far. If he’s all talk like that, then yes—I’m confident.”
A faint smile touched his lips at my answer, but his expression quickly grew serious.
“Since we are both from Shaanxi, I have met him several times before.”
“He is not merely all talk. He possesses real skill, so please do not underestimate him based solely on his behavior.”
His advice was filled with sincerity. I brought my hands together and bowed in return.
“I will keep it in mind.”
He said he should head back inside and turned to leave. Even as he walked away, he glanced back and added one more thing.
“...Though I am only ranked tenth and will not be able to watch the match properly, I will cheer for you personally. Sword Net.”
With those words, he vanished using his movement technique. I offered my gratitude toward the space he had occupied and toward the chivalry he embodied.
“Thank you.”
.
.
The Noble Dragon and the Poison Dragon. The two young heirs of prestigious families counted among the greatest in the martial world. They sat together, sharing drinks and conversation.
Pouring an expensive fragrant wine for the Poison Dragon, the Noble Dragon asked,
“What did you think, Brother Tang?”
“Of what?”
At the Noble Dragon’s abrupt question, the Poison Dragon asked in return. Without a word, the Noble Dragon jerked his chin toward one side of the room. The Poison Dragon turned to look, then let out a soft “Ah” of understanding. It was indeed a reasonable question.
“It was entertaining.”
The Poison Dragon offered a short impression. The clash of wills between the nobody from Zhongnan and Sword Net. Though the atmosphere at the scene had been rather chilly and tense, to those watching from afar it had been thoroughly enjoyable.
The Poison Dragon quickly emptied his cup, set it down, and asked,
“Who do you think will win tomorrow?”
The Noble Dragon gave him a sidelong glance.
“...Why ask me? Wouldn’t the one who has actually faced him know better?”
He was right.
“I hope Jin Sowoon does well,” the Poison Dragon muttered, staring at the empty chair beside them.
Hearing that, the Noble Dragon rested his chin on his hand and tilted his empty cup.
“...Even he would find three moves difficult?”
The Poison Dragon thought carefully, nodding to himself before answering slowly.
“Well, from what I see, the spar will end in three moves…”
He shrugged once and finished his earlier trailing thought.
“Honestly, I’m not sure who will win.”
At the somewhat negative and ambiguous reply, the Noble Dragon set his cup down with a clack and tilted his head.
“That fellow called Lee Young-jin didn’t look all that much stronger than Sword Net, though, Brother Tang.”
“Sword Net could win. Lee Young-jin could win. The match will simply be decided within three moves.”
It was a statement the Noble Dragon found hard to understand. Seeing his puzzled look, the Poison Dragon smiled and explained.
“Have you heard of the spear and shield paradox?”
“Of course.”
The question of what would happen when a spear that could pierce anything met a shield that could block anything.
Nodding at the Noble Dragon’s answer, the Poison Dragon continued.
“Sword Net’s blade is fierce. If he ever reaches the Transcendent Realm, he might truly be able to destroy anything.”
“However, the Thirty-Six Swords of the World from Zhongnan is a shield that even the Murim Alliance would struggle to match.”
A sword that breaks everything. A shield that cannot be broken. It was a familiar composition.
“Sword Net’s sword strikes from every direction. Zhongnan’s sword blocks from every direction. In a way, it is an even worse matchup than between Mount Hua and Zhongnan.”
The Poison Dragon filled the Noble Dragon’s empty cup once more, then drank straight from the bottle. Setting the empty vessel down, he said,
“In tomorrow’s spar, there is only one thing worth watching, regardless of the outcome.”
“Whether Sword Net’s sword qi can pierce the Thirty-Six Swords of the World.”
If it could, Lee Young-jin might become a sword sheath within three moves. If it could not, then although he might lose in technique, Lee Young-jin—with far more internal energy accumulated over the years—would likely seize victory.
“Personally, I’m rooting for Sword Net. That guy really has no luck.”
“You were much the same until last year, Brother Tang…”
The Noble Dragon offered a mild rebuke as he emptied the cup the Poison Dragon had poured for him. Setting it down, he continued,
“Well, I don’t care about any of that… For some reason, I have a feeling Sword Net will win.”
Yes. That was exactly what he thought.