Do You Know the Saber? (1)
Tension hung taut throughout the manor.
The head of the Hebei Paeng Clan, the Unfettered Blade Immortal Paeng Yudeok.
The head of the Hwangbo Clan, the Thunder Fist Venerable Hwangbo Gi.
With the sudden appearance of these two absolute masters of the Orthodox Murim, everyone fell silent and waited for their words.
Yet it was Eun Yakbyeok who first broke the silence.
"Have you all gone mad? Crossing another sect's walls so freely like this?"
"Hahaha! Don't be angry, Sound Venerable! I'll settle every account, I tell you."
"Heheh... This old man has done nothing wrong. The Blade Immortal said we should go, so I simply tagged along for a stroll."
"That's right, Fist Venerable! Getting some fresh air now and then is good for the vital energy, isn't it?"
"Heheheh."
While the Blade Immortal and the Fist Venerable chatted cheerfully, Eun Yakbyeok felt irritation surge so hard that veins stood out on her forehead.
How did they find out? Whose information network got breached...!
She was already locked in a fierce underground information war with the Beggars' Sect; the arrival of these unaccounted-for figures left her thoroughly unsettled.
Whether they sensed her mood or not, the uninvited guests strolled about the manor at their leisure.
"The Hao Sect really is rolling in money."
"Indeed. More importantly... which one is Dokgo Jin's daughter?"
"!!"
The moment Paeng Yudeok's gaze locked onto Wi Ilcheong's group, their knees nearly buckled under the crushing pressure of his spirit.
So this is the aura of an absolute master...!
Wi Ilcheong braced himself against Paeng Yudeok's overwhelming force and stepped forward at once, shielding Eun Gwanyeong and Dokgo Ryeong behind him. Interest flickered in Paeng Yudeok's eyes.
"Hmm... Quite the spirited young man. That 'Lust Demon' moniker was just a slur after all."
"Thank you... kugh...!"
Just as Wi Ilcheong's body began to sink under the strain of enduring that tremendous aura, Paeng Yudeok said something strange.
"Young man. Have you ever thought of learning the saber?"
"...Pardon?"
"I can tell you're a swordsman. A pity. A real man ought to wield a saber."
The crushing pressure vanished as if it had never existed. Paeng Yudeok approached with a broad grin.
"Think about it. A sword, you see... it lacks boldness, doesn't it?"
"Wh-what do you mean..."
"It should be like this!"
Whoosh!
Paeng Yudeok's saber sliced the empty air once, producing a clean, sharp whistle of wind.
"Doesn't the cutting feel lack something? A real man needs a free and open spirit, and for that he needs a fitting weapon, wouldn't you agree?"
"Th-that's true..."
"And what is the weapon befitting a man? The saber! That solid heft in the hand, that clean single stroke. Petty thrusting and blocking—what meaning is there in that? A man attacks without compromise! Walking a single path is the proper bearing of a true man, is it not?"
"..."
When Wi Ilcheong stood dazed and unable to answer, Paeng Yudeok's vast aura crashed down on him once more.
"You disagree?"
Under that formidable inner energy, Wi Ilcheong's face twisted in pain.
"Guh... gugh...! Y-yes... that's right...!"
"Then you too are a saber man. Discard the sword."
"...What?!"
"What are you waiting for? Throw the sword away. I'll teach you the saber myself."
"B-but..."
"Come now! Is a true man going to go back on his word?"
"..."
Watching the entire spectacle from the side, Dokgo Ryeong clicked her tongue.
...Crazy bastard.
This was exactly why she hated Paeng Yudeok.
That madman acted as if he would die unless he proved the saber was the supreme weapon, forcing everyone around him to learn it and acknowledge its superiority.
He treated fellow saber users with endless warmth, like family, yet turned especially prickly toward swordsmen and never hesitated to use force if it came to that.
And for someone who learned martial arts, he sure acts like a neighborhood thug.
She did not like it one bit.
And she was not the only one who disliked it.
"...Withdraw your aura, Blade Immortal."
"Sound Venerable. I am currently speaking with this young man..."
"If crushing someone with force counts as conversation, then I suddenly feel like having a little chat with the Blade Immortal myself."
Eun Yakbyeok made no attempt to hide it as she raised her killing intent and floated her seven-stringed zither into the air.
"Funeral dirges aren't my hobby, but I do know how to play them. What will you do?"
"Heheh... The Sound Venerable's fist and kick arts are indeed fierce."
"..."
The Fist Venerable, who had kept silent until now, suddenly stepped forward. Eun Yakbyeok's delicate brows furrowed.
"...Isn't it a bit early for senility, Head of the Hwangbo Clan?"
"Your tongue is rather sharp today. So the rumors floating around were true after all?"
When the Hwangbo Clan head provoked her by bringing up the baseless gossip that she had been unable to forget the night she spent with Wi Ilcheong and had chased after him for a while, she did not stay quiet either.
"Oh my. If I had mentioned it to the Alliance Leader, you would have been stripped of the Fist Venerable title on the spot. Such eloquence truly befits the Hwangbo Clan head who talked his way into the position."
"Shall we put it to the test?"
"Haa... And here I rather liked the title of Sound Venerable."
Rumble!
As Hwangbo Gi wrapped his entire body in thunder qi, the sound of lightning crashing rang out once more.
Tension spiked; a fight could erupt at any moment.
It was Paeng Yudeok who broke the standoff.
"Hahaha, just a joke. A joke."
"Huff... huff...!"
"It pained me to see a young man with such a bright future wasting time on something as trivial as a sword, so I stuck my nose in a little. Hahaha! Sorry about that, Sound Venerable. Fist Venerable, you withdraw your thunder qi as well."
"Blade Immortal! Today I will settle life and death with that woman..."
"Hwangbo Gi."
Paeng Yudeok spoke his name coldly.
"Withdraw the thunder qi. We did not come here for anything unpleasant, did we?"
"..."
Startled by the sudden chill in Paeng Yudeok's demeanor, Hwangbo Gi hastily reined in his inner energy.
"Hahaha, well now. My apologies. I went and ruffled the Hao Sect Leader's temper for no good reason."
"...If you understand that much, then leave at once. I want no further disturbance."
"Since we're already here, we'll just take care of our business and go. If we leave right now, well... I suppose I'll have to drop by Tianjin this time. Hahahaha!"
"..."
Saying he would go to Tianjin—where the Beggars' Sect headquarters stood—was the same as threatening to reveal Dokgo Ryeong's location.
Faced with that veiled threat, Eun Yakbyeok could only feel irritation while finding herself unable to refuse.
"...I will have the children prepare a banquet."
"Wine would be even better."
"...Very well. Gwanyeong, escort the two gentlemen to a private room."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Hahaha, Fist Venerable. Care for a drink?"
"...Yes. I believe I will."
"Good. The Sound Venerable told us to go in first, so for now we'll behave and head inside, but..."
Paeng Yudeok's eyes locked precisely onto Dokgo Ryeong.
"Don't run away, daughter of Dokgo Jin."
"...Fuck."
"Hahahaha!!"
Paeng Yudeok laughed heartily with Hwangbo Gi as they stepped through the hole he himself had smashed in the brothel wall. Eun Yakbyeok clutched her head with both hands.
"...I'm going to lose my mind."
"..."
"Young Master Wi, are you all right?"
"...Yes, I'm fine. However..."
When Wi Ilcheong turned, he found Eun Gwanyeong's face drained of all color.
"I... I almost peed myself..."
"...Paeng Yudeok may be an outrageous bastard, but that inner energy of his is terrifying. Think of it as a valuable experience, Gwanyeong. You may well run into people like them more often from now on."
"Hiiing..."
"Hurry and catch up to them so you can show them the way."
"...Yeees."
Watching Eun Gwanyeong's retreating back, Eun Yakbyeok turned her gaze to Dokgo Ryeong.
"...Do you have any idea why they might have come?"
"Fuck... how should I know. That crazy bastard does things for no reason..."
"Even so, they are heads of the Five Great Clans. They are not idle enough to show up without purpose."
"Huh?"
"..."
Seeing Dokgo Ryeong's completely blank expression, Eun Yakbyeok spoke through sound transmission.
It's true that Paeng Yudeok drops in on people unannounced at all hours, but he always comes with a steady purpose.
"...?"
The Saber of Asura Rakshasa.
"Ah..."
Only then did Dokgo Ryeong understand.
In the entire history of the martial world, a saber user's name had been carved into legend only once.
The Hell Saber Guest, Ju Jang.
He had lived his whole life in hiding; no one knew who his master was, where he learned the saber, or how he had lived. Yet the martial world remembered his name for one reason alone.
He had defeated the Heavenly Demon of his era and stopped the Demonic Cult's uprising.
After the Heavenly Demon fell and the Demonic Cult lost its momentum, they retreated once more into the Hundred Thousand Mountains. The martial world praised the Hell Saber Guest's name, yet he returned to seclusion and no one knew what became of him afterward.
Since the Mad Demon Dokgo Jin possessed the martial arts of that dream figure of every saber user, a saber-obsessed man like Paeng Yudeok had every reason to cling to him at every opportunity.
"...I have a bad feeling about this."
"About what?"
"If he had come alone I might have let it slide, but of all people he brought the Hwangbo Clan head with him. That does not sit well..."
"...They just live next door to each other, so they came out to play together, right?"
"Haa... Guest. They may talk that way, but they are still heads of the Five Great Clans. Did you think they won those seats gambling?"
"They got them by birth order, so it's pretty much the same feeling, isn't it?"
"..."
Seeing that Dokgo Ryeong genuinely believed it, Eun Yakbyeok shook her head.
"We've lost one ally, Young Master Wi."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"...Would you sit with us?"
"Me?"
"Yes. We need to even the numbers for now. If it comes to it, will you fight alongside us?"
"I will."
"...Are you out of your mind?"
Dokgo Ryeong stared at Wi Ilcheong in disbelief as he agreed so readily.
"Hey... if you fight those guys you'll die, you know?"
"Yet she is asking for help. Isn't that what the love I spoke of earlier is about?"
"You love the Hao Sect Leader?"
"I already told you. I love her."
"No, fuck... that doesn't seem right..."
"I think the same, actually. Still, I will gratefully accept the help. Would you go in first, Young Master Wi? Please explain the situation to Miss Baekri as well."
"...Yes. Miss Dokgo, let us continue this conversation another time."
"No, fuck, there won't be a next ti— mmpf!"
Before Dokgo Ryeong could keep ranting, Eun Yakbyeok covered her mouth.
"Then I'll send a child for you shortly, Young Master Wi."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Mmpf! Mmmph!!!"
Once Wi Ilcheong also entered the brothel, only Eun Yakbyeok and Dokgo Ryeong remained in the manor grounds.
"Haa... Guest. Please, for once, read the room."
"No, fuck, why do I have to read the room?"
"How am I supposed to face the Blade Immortal and the Fist Venerable alone?"
"Then what about the Lust Demon? If he fights the Blade Immortal he won't last ten exchanges, and against the Fist Venerable maybe fifty? That bastard's going to die, I'm telling you!"
"I need those fifty exchanges."
"So you're telling him to stake his life?"
"Yes. Because Young Master Wi is the sort of person who will stake his life when asked that way."
"...I don't like this."
Dokgo Ryeong scowled.
"That bastard is under the delusion that he loves you, and you're just using it, aren't you?"
"Oh my, how romantic. A man who stakes his life for me while believing he loves me."
"That's not what I meant!"
"Then what will you do? Will Miss Dokgo protect me instead?"
"Grr...!!"
"See? There is no answer, is there? I merely derived the best possible solution within the given situation."
"Fuck. Fuck fuck!"
"Heheh, throwing a tantrum like that makes you look like a little child. Adorable."
"Kyaaaaah!!"
"Let us go inside for now. We will only know what they want after we hear what they have to say."
Eun Yakbyeok soothed the thrashing Dokgo Ryeong and stepped into the brothel.
Dokgo Ryeong watched her go, fury boiling up inside.
I don't like this... not a single one of them.
"...Do I have to wear this?"
"Yes, you do."
"...Fuck."
"And cut down on the swearing a little. If the Blade Immortal's mood sours, everyone except you will die."
"That bastard will be fine even if I swear a bit."
"Yes. But he will take his irritation out on the people around him. Could you please spare a thought for my life as well?"
"You were the one going on about funeral dirges earlier..."
Even as she grumbled at Eun Yakbyeok, Dokgo Ryeong obediently put on the clothes that had been prepared.
It was an extremely feminine outfit whose fluttering fabric only made her irritation spike higher.
"Oh my, you seem quite familiar with women's clothing as well."
"Shut up. Is this good enough?"
"Heheh, you look truly lovely. Shall we go up?"
"Haa... I hate going to a battlefield dressed like this..."
"If that place truly is a battlefield, Miss Dokgo will most certainly die. You should hope it is not."
"...Fuck."
When they climbed to the top floor of the brothel and reached the private room, Wi Ilcheong was already waiting.
Hearing the unending boisterous laughter mixed with the giggles of courtesans from inside the room made her anger surge again, yet Dokgo Ryeong forced herself to stay calm.
"Well then... shall we go in?"
"Let's."
"Yes, let us."
When Eun Yakbyeok opened the door, the courtesans' laughter stopped at once.
"Everyone, leave us."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
The laughter from moments earlier vanished without a trace, leaving only silence. Paeng Yudeok spoke with a touch of regret.
"This is why I dislike the Hao Sect... They deceive so openly, don't they?"
"Oh my, those children simply worked for the money they received."
"Tch... Even so, a man ends up deluding himself that they are smiling for him in earnest."
"They will put as much sincerity into it as the money you pay, so why not offer a little more?"
"That works too. Hahaha!"
Paeng Yudeok laughed and drained his cup.
Eun Yakbyeok, Wi Ilcheong, and Dokgo Ryeong took seats opposite Hwangbo Gi and Paeng Yudeok.
"So... what brings you to grace this place with your presence today?"
"Grace is a bit much. Just a neighborhood stroll. Isn't that right, Fist Venerable?"
"Indeed. A stroll, and a chance to look over a daughter-in-law as well."
"...Pardon?"
The worst scenario Eun Yakbyeok had imagined rose before her eyes.
"Listen here, daughter of Dokgo Jin."
"...What do you want...?"
"Would you come into our house as a daughter-in-law?"
"..."
Staring at Paeng Yudeok as he spoke so calmly, Dokgo Ryeong let out a hollow laugh.
"Ha... Have you lost your mind?"