The Fox's Rain and the Gambler's Devotion
A rain of swords falls from the sky.
Unlike ordinary raindrops, the blades that struck the ground scattered Sword Qi in every direction. The power was such that anyone caught within the radius would be shredded to pieces like a rag. Since these swords were pouring down like a torrential downpour, nothing should have been left standing beneath the Sword Rain.
“Hahahahaha!”
Just before the swords falling from the sky touched the ground, they dissolved into sea foam. It was the Shin-geom-hap-il—the art of bestowing substance upon formless illusions and turning terrifying reality into mere phantasm. This absolute, powerful technique was rendering Seong-jin’s attacks useless, but that did not mean they were without effect.
Thwack!
The swords that fell where Maegu had already dodged did not turn into foam; they slammed into the earth. Instead of reverting everything to nothingness in one stroke, she was running to avoid the rain, turning only the blades that threatened her into foam.
‘The Formless Sword of the White Sword Master ultimately relies on the reaction speed of the caster.’
The Shin-geom-hap-il of the Supreme Realm was certainly a powerful technique that operated on a different level from the martial arts below it, but it was not invincible. ‘If I can catch them off guard, I can break it.’
Born with a frail body, Seong-jin had always fought beings stronger than himself. Even the Tiger Demon possessed a physique strong enough to easily suppress Shin Suran; Seong-jin’s battles were always a precarious balancing act on a tightrope. This meant he had no reason to pull back just because things were a little dangerous now.
“Come.”
At Seong-jin’s call, a sword floating in the sky flew into his hand. He could have continued to project swords from a distance to erode his opponent’s mental strength, but that would consume too much of his internal energy. He decided to join the fray with a blade in hand.
With one hand, he manipulated the Sword Rain to guide Maegu’s movements. Then, he swung his own sword toward his cornered opponent.
Clang!
Hand and sword met, producing the sound of clashing metal.
“I suppose you can’t turn the sword I’m holding into sea foam.”
“As expected of my darling. Those hypocrites must have been unable to resist taking you as their disciple!”
The Shin-geom-hap-il unleashed by a peak master was a power that could, in a very small way, repaint reality to one’s will. It was not something a lesser being should be able to challenge, but it was not invincible either.
Seong-jin exerted Attraction through his Thunder Qi, linking blade to blade. He swung the resulting chain of swords like a whip. The chain, imbued with lightning, became a weapon that could paralyze the body and disrupt the flow of blood and energy just by touching it.
“You can do such things as well?”
Blue flames erupted in Maegu’s hands. As she snatched his sword with a fist technique that had reached the realm of Returning to Truth, Seong-jin immediately released the blade and reached behind his back. A new sword flew into his hand as if it had been waiting. Immediately after, a slash wreathed in lightning exploded outward.
Maegu turned her body into sea foam to avoid the attack, then materialized again at a distance.
“Your talent is bottomless. Respect wells up within me. They say a husband and wife should respect each other, so you are more than qualified to be my partner.”
“Has the demonic energy rotted your marrow?”
“But today is not a good day for a wedding. Let us meet again on a day when the fox rain falls.”
“Where do you think you’re going…!”
Seong-jin rushed to chase her, but he could not catch her as she turned herself into foam and fled. In the place where the fox spirit had departed, the Butterfly Illusion Mirror faded, and Zhuge Lin, freed from her restraints, collapsed to the ground. Seong-jin approached her and held out his hand.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes? Yes…”
The moment lightning imbued Seong-jin’s sword during the fight, Zhuge Lin had realized the truth. ‘The Thunder Asura. Master Joo is the Thunder Asura!’ Having realized the identity of the demon who had turned Hubei upside down, would she be silenced here and now? She took his hand, feigning composure, but she could not stop her trembling.
“Were you in the same group as the Mount Hua Sword Dragon and the Diancang Single Sword? They are arriving just in time.”
Maegu’s reason for fleeing was likely because she had sensed their presence. With Seong-jin’s resistance proving stronger than expected, the addition of two peak-level swordsmen would only increase the variables, and there was no telling if they were the only reinforcements.
“Brother Joo!”
“...Brother?”
The unexpected sound from an unexpected person. Zhuge Lin began to observe the situation quickly.
“I came because there was no contact from Miss Zhuge by the appointed time, and it seems you saved her.”
“I happened to be nearby chasing a demon. I felt the aura of a monster, so I left my group members behind and rushed over, only to find the Bokma-jeon.”
“Bokma-jeon? The traces left behind look like those of martial arts…”
Before explaining about Maegu, Seong-jin decided to resolve Zhuge Lin’s issue. “You may speak to her.” Zhuge Lin already knew of the monster’s existence, and since it was Maegu who had revealed her identity to her first, there was no fear of leaking heavenly secrets.
“What is going on? Why is the Mount Hua Sword Dragon calling you ‘brother’?”
“Hmm, it’s a long story. Let’s head down the mountain first.”
***
Young-myung explained to Zhuge Lin separately about what had happened at the Mount Hua Inn and briefly about Seong-jin.
“My goodness. Then you mean the Thunder Asura was not actually a demon, but a hero who defeated a monster?”
In Young-myung’s story, the Scholar was a powerful monster who had even defeated the White Sword Master, and Seong-jin was the great hero who had taken down such a monster. He had omitted the story regarding the White Sword Master’s betrayal, which could have been a stain on Mount Hua’s reputation.
‘It’s not entirely wrong, either.’
In any case, it was Seong-jin who had defeated the Scholar. Young-myung, who had buried the fact that he had defeated the White Sword Master in the darkness, nodded at Zhuge Lin’s words.
“Brother Joo is a benefactor of Mount Hua. The robe he is wearing was a gift from the Sect Leader as a token of gratitude.”
“Oh my, then this is…”
At Young-myung’s words, Zhuge Lin’s brain began to spin rapidly. Recognition enough for the Sect Leader of one of the Nine Schools and One Sect to hand over his own personal token. Considering that Young-myung was not a man to speak nonsense, Seong-jin was essentially a winning lottery ticket.
‘…This is a prime opportunity for a low-point buy!’
In the Murim world, a guest warrior of the Murim Alliance was something akin to being "better than a masterless ronin." While a formal warrior would be recognized as a master anywhere, most guest warriors were essentially just ronin employed by the Alliance with guaranteed status.
‘A person recognized by Mount Hua is merely living as a guest warrior? Because they kept their mouths shut for the sake of Mount Hua’s honor, no one else knows his value? And yet, by chance, I am the only one who knows this information?’
She couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face, no matter how hard she tried. A martial artist wandering alone without an affiliation in the Jianghu was a precarious life, never knowing when they might die in a gutter. Therefore, the goal of every ronin was to enter a household as a retainer, and the best among them was the Murim Alliance. Just as it is better to be a servant in a great house, it was obvious that being a retainer was better the larger the faction.
‘I must stake a claim for the Zhuge Clan before others get their eyes on him!’
Zhuge Lin couldn’t contain her excitement and licked her lips. Having finished assessing the situation, she went to find Seong-jin’s group with her members. However, when she opened the door, excited to plant the first flag on the unclaimed mountain, there was already someone who had preempted the guest warrior.
“I didn’t know what you liked, so I ordered every dish in the inn, so please eat to your heart’s content.”
“Thanks to Miss Danmok, my mouth is in for a treat. I will eat well.”
Seong-jin was creating a warm, cheerful atmosphere with Danmok Cheong.
“No!! My own little guest warrior!!!”
She had been careless. It was only natural for ants to gather around such a high-value stock. She shouldn’t have left Danmok Cheong alone with him.
“Brother Joo!”
“You’re here? Miss Danmok ordered food, so let’s eat together.”
Whether Zhuge Lin was bursting with frustration or not, Young-myung smiled broadly as soon as he saw Seong-jin and ran over. Zhuge Lin couldn’t pay attention to Young-myung’s reaction because something far more shocking was happening right in front of her eyes.
“Master Joo, what kind of food do you like?”
‘What is that demure reaction!’
The Diancang Single Sword that Zhuge Lin knew was a human with the heart of a beast. ‘A beast itself!’ That meant she didn’t see him as a human. He was a gambler who bet his entire fortune on Ak So-pyung, Young-myung’s sparring partner—a man standing at the opposite pole from herself, the embodiment of rationality with one of the sharpest brains in the Heaven Martial Academy.
A human-adjacent being who lived by the motto of "life is one shot," true to the Diancang Sect’s late-generation disciples who staked everything on a single thrust and performed only "first-strike, one-hit-kill" maneuvers. A gambling addict who was a million years away from humility and steadiness.
The very demon of the gambling den who stood at the opposite pole from her, the embodiment of rationality—that was the Danmok Cheong that Zhuge Lin knew. ‘How can such a person have such a girlish expression? What on earth is this…?’
Zhuge Lin almost suffered a Qigong Deviation, unable to accept the sudden change in situation, but Danmok Cheong was sincere.
‘My light. My hero.’
When she visited Young-myung at the Murim Alliance previously, Danmok Cheong had met the Azure-Clad Lady and Seong-jin there. Hearing the story, she learned that Seong-jin had realized the White Sword Master’s betrayal, cured the Azure-Clad Lady’s illness, and defeated the mastermind—he was the benefactor of Mount Hua. At the time, Danmok Cheong had kept that fact to herself after being told to keep her mouth shut by the Azure-Clad Lady, but as soon as she heard the news that the Murim Alliance warriors would participate in this subjugation battle as the Dragon-Phoenix Meeting’s rules were modified, what came to her mind was a fantasy bordering on madness.
‘What if I bet my entire fortune on the group of Master Joo, who is known only as a mere guest warrior, when no one else knows about him?’
Perhaps she could recover the money she lost on Ak So-pyung’s defeat. Having grabbed her beastly heart, which had started beating again, and headed to the gambling den, she was greeted by a crazy 1503-fold odds.
‘Money is replicating!!!’
As Seong-jin’s group achieved an overwhelming first place, she became the top customer of the Ten-Thousand Gold Gambling House in an instant. ‘I am invincible. Master Joo Seong-jin is a god!’ ‘The greatest in history, Master Joo.’ ‘I worship you, Lord.’
Danmok Cheong’s upper dantian, having finally hit the jackpot after repeated insane gambles, was filled with faith. She had even bought a handkerchief to quickly wipe it off if Seong-jin happened to step on dog poop while walking. The elders of the Diancang Sect were so happy that they jumped around, saying their "little puppy" (mad dog) had finally awakened her girlish heart.
“Hehe, cute.”
Danmok Cheong rested her chin on both hands like a girl in love and watched Seong-jin eat. Zhuge Lin felt goosebumps at the sight of her wagging her tail as if she were full just by watching him eat.
“We cannot serve such shoddy food to Master Joo, who saved my life. Let’s go to the Zhuge Clan’s manor. I will treat you to the delicacies of the world.”
“What’s wrong with you? Don’t you know it ruins the appetite if you’re interrupted while eating?”
“Hmph, isn’t it your fault for serving something that ruins the appetite as ‘cooking’?”
“What’s wrong with this place?”
As the students of the Heaven Martial Academy said, one was crazy for quick riches, and the other was crazy for low-point buys. Between the confrontation of two proud madmen, ordinary people could only tremble in fear. ‘Why are we stuck in the middle of this?’ ‘I don’t know, but the food is delicious, so let’s eat first.’
Byuk Wol-rang and Ham Bi-so had no choice but to eat their meals while watching the tension between them.