Secrets Beneath the Full Moon
Everyone seemed stunned.
Even if it was only a sword dance, both men had been moving in perfect accord with the forms each had mastered.
The orchestra lagged half a beat before falling silent.
"…Keep playing! This isn't a sparring match where victory and defeat are decided!"
At someone's command the music resumed, and Pang Ji-gyu and Gwak Ho-shin, who had stepped several paces apart, raised their weapons once more and locked eyes.
Puhh.
Slightly flustered, Pang Ji-gyu expelled a heavy breath. The force of his presence was nothing like it had been at the start.
"Ji-gyu, don't get worked up!"
"…Ha, haha! Of course not!"
He answered Pang Mu-gwang's advice, yet when he lifted his great saber and looked at Gwak Ho-shin again, his eyes were blazing.
"Ho-shin."
"…Hyung-nim."
"You can be bolder."
"…Yes."
The brothers of the Gwak family received counsel wholly different from that given to the Pang brothers. In an instant the scene took on the look of young masters from rival great houses competing against each other.
Clap-clap!
At someone's signal the music quickened, the tempo growing openly impatient.
The sword dance began again.
Tak. Ta-dak.
The two men, still watching each other, began to sway with natural ease, unfolding the techniques they had learned in time with the beat.
Chak.
…The result was exactly the same as before.
"Eh."
"Ah."
"What are you doing? I said it isn't a spar!"
…They fell back, closed again several times, and every time the outcome was identical.
Chak.
Just when it seemed Pang Ji-gyu had seized a blind spot and spun behind his opponent—
an instant before the saber could swing, the tip of Gwak Ho-shin's sword was already poised before Pang Ji-gyu's shoulder.
Chak.
Just when it seemed he had dodged a thrust aimed at his chest—
it was a feint. As Pang Ji-gyu tried to press forward again, the tip of Gwak Ho-shin's sword was waiting at his breastbone.
What the hell?!
Growing frantic, Pang Ji-gyu began ignoring the music entirely, driving more and more power into his legs and waist each time he stamped the ground and launched a footwork technique, trying to force his speed higher.
Chak.
Chak.
Chak.
No matter how many times he tried, the sword always arrived first.
By now suspicion had taken root. Perhaps the other man, instead of performing natural forms, was deliberately twisting his movements just to land the decisive touch and put on a winning display.
But that was not the case.
Tak. Ta-da-dak. Ta-dak—
Gwak Ho-shin fell back, then closed again. Even under a suspicious gaze, the force that began in his feet and ankles, traveled through knee and waist, was transformed from start to finish into fluid, elegant motion.
Chak.
He was slipping past every form the Pang family unleashed and placing that razor-sharp sword tip squarely before his opponent's vital points.
In short, Pang Ji-gyu was losing the exchange of techniques to Gwak Ho-shin.
How is this… even possible?
Falling back once more, Pang Ji-gyu's eyes filled with sheer disbelief.
Of course this was not a real fight. If it had been a proper spar in which he could freely use the physical strength he had cultivated as a member of the Hubei Pang Family, his natural power, and even the inner force ordinary martial artists of the jianghu could never hope to match, he would never have lost.
Even so—the fact that he, whose name at least occupied a place on the Jianghu Rankings, was being outmaneuvered in pure technique by a rising star from a martial house that had not even entered the Seven Great Families… that was astonishing.
Thump.
And Gwak Ho-shin felt the same. That his sword tip kept reaching the other man first—not once, but again and again—was something he could scarcely believe.
At first he thought:
Is it because… the sword is light?
The blade his elder brother had given him was lighter than expected—so light, despite its ordinary appearance, that he half-wondered whether some special forging method had been used.
Of course he had no idea that this sword was a divine weapon forged in a secret manor in Hangzhou. Nor did he know that the influence this blade—still not revealing its full power—had exerted on the present result was less than a drop of blood on a bird's foot.
A faint smile touched Gwak Yeon's lips as he watched his brother.
Must seem strange to him.
There was only one reason the boy could seize the upper hand in an exchange of techniques.
He had handled a great saber himself.
The experience of training with one and facing enemies while wielding it, right up until their arrival at the Hubei Pang Family, had naturally broadened the ways he could respond to a great-saber user. It was the same principle by which mastering a particular weapon lets one read the mind of anyone who uses it—a principle that ran in the same vein as the practical combat arts Gwak Yeon himself had perfected in his previous life right up until the moment he died.
Manhyeong Swordplay.
The martial art of this family that Gwak Ho-shin had learned had been created by a genius child who watched the fighting style of Gwak Yeon's previous life and then established it within the Gwak family. Its roots lay in a former wandering warrior who had handled every kind of weapon; the more weapons one had mastered, the more countermeasures and variations one could pour into the sword.
It was precisely why, in his previous life, he had been able to face grotesque weapons—including that damned chain-sickle of the Shadowless Old Monster—right up until the end.
Chak.
As if to prove the point, Gwak Ho-shin's understanding of each situation and his responses when employing forms he had already shown were cleaner and faster than before. The feel for dealing with a great saber was unfolding from his hands and the tips of his feet even before conscious comprehension caught up.
…These brats really are geniuses. I never expected the sense for selecting and converting forms to lock in this quickly.
Looking at the descendant of the genius child he had once saved, Gwak Yeon nodded with a peculiar expression.
Of course, that was not the whole of it. There was one more reason Ho-shin was winning the technical exchange right now—
"Hoh!"
That was when it happened. Pang Mu-gwang, who had somehow come to stand right beside him, spoke up without bothering to hide his amazement.
"I'm impressed. The sword arts of the Seoho Gwak Family are beyond anything I expected!"
A broad grin sat on his face, and a great saber rested in his hand. Whether he had forgotten this was a banquet or simply decided that the excuse of a sword dance made etiquette irrelevant, Pang Mu-gwang nodded toward Gwak Yeon.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The moment Gwak Yeon sharpened his hearing, the pounding of a heart came pouring in. The man made no attempt to conceal his excitement; his eyes shone as if he had discovered a treasure of the realm as he spoke.
"Ji-gyu is by no means lacking in technique, yet here he is broadening my horizons!"
"The sword Ho-shin is holding is lighter and shorter, isn't it? In a sword dance like this, a sword naturally has the advantage over a great saber."
"If he'd trained in the Pang family, he ought to be able to swing something that weight as if it were paper—so that excuse won't wash! Your family's martial arts and the Young Master Soundless Thunder who performed them are both formidable!"
"You flatter us."
"I only said what I felt. Haha!"
Pang Mu-gwang's praise was free of any twist or reservation. His eyes, however, were on fire. Anyone could see he wanted a real fight far more than a dance—and just as his lips began to move again—
KANG—!
A ringing clash of steel cut through every ear in the hall.
Great saber and sword had finally met.
When heads turned, Gwak Ho-shin's sword and Pang Ji-gyu's great saber had struck and flown sideways. The hilts stood quivering with their blades buried in the earth—proof that someone had released inner force and driven the clash with full momentum.
"……"
The brief silence that followed was broken by Pang Ji-gyu.
"I was careless. I forgot it was a sword dance, let my heart race, and ended up using inner force."
Under every gaze he scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
"My apologies, Young Master Gwak."
"……"
"But I am astonished. The world truly is wide! I thank you for broadening my meager insight!"
It was a situation that would have wounded the pride of an ordinary man. Yet Pang Ji-gyu acknowledged it cleanly and offered a clasped-fist salute.
"Ho-shin."
At Gwak Yeon's word, the taciturn Gwak Ho-shin quietly brought both hands together and raised them.
"……Gwak Ho-shin of the Seoho Gwak Family."
"Haha! I am Pang Ji-gyu of the Hubei Pang Family!"
The sword dance came to a natural close.
"…Well fought!"
"Hoh! There was nothing lacking in Ji-gyu's saber!"
"The sword of the Seoho Gwak Family is fierce! Next time, I'll—"
"No—I will go first!"
Applause broke out on every side, and the atmosphere turned warm and lively.
Clap-clap-clap-clap—!
Gwak Yeon joined in the applause, though a faintly regretful look crossed his face. The other reason Pang Ji-gyu had lost the technical exchange—beyond Ho-shin's experience with the great saber—kept circling in his mind.
There had been a colleague from the Geumuiwi in his previous life who also belonged to the Pang family. The marvelous techniques of the Hunwon Thunderbolt Saber that man had unfurled with such ethereal grace remained in the forms Pang Ji-gyu had shown only as faint traces.
Was your saber art never passed down to this generation?
A demon of the blade who had devoted himself to eradicating evil as fiercely as Gwak Yeon himself—perhaps even more so.
…Pang So-ho.
If it had been only Pang Ji-gyu, he might have dismissed it. But even in the brief sword dances the Pang family warriors had performed earlier, he had sensed nothing that truly resembled the man.
Will this one be different?
Just as Gwak Yeon turned his gaze toward Pang Mu-gwang beside him—
"Ahh! After a rare spectacle like that, my body is itching for a fight. Don't you agree?"
"I feel the same."
"Oh-ho?!"
Pang Mu-gwang rolled his wrist in a circle.
"You as well, Young Master Gwak? The more I think about it, a sword dance feels a little lacking for truly broadening each other's horizons."
"Is that so?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"If you wish, we can hold a spar instead. Naturally only a light one, for the sake of friendship."
"Ooooh!"
Every eye in the hall snapped toward Gwak Yeon at once.
Pang Mu-gwang was no mere rising star; he was already acknowledged as a true expert of the jianghu. His standing on the Jianghu Rankings alone was considerably higher than Pang Ji-gyu's just now. What kind of showing would Gwak Yeon put on against a man like that? Expectant gazes fixed on him—
Thump!
"Then right away—!"
"Mu-gwang."
The ones who cut off Pang Mu-gwang just as he was about to grin and nod were the people seated at the high banquet table.
"Perhaps we should leave it at this for today?"
"Father!"
"Mu-gwang, you must also think of the guests."
"Mother!"
The family head and the grand madam. Warm eyes rested on Pang Mu-gwang; then Pang Chi-ung glanced meaningfully up at the night sky.
"Mu-gwang, the night has already grown deep. Is this not barely enough time to eat and drink with our guests and then rest?"
"Ah."
"And if you truly wish for a spar, is it not better to avoid a time when the guest is already tired?"
"I was shortsighted!"
Pang Mu-gwang accepted the point at once.
In that instant—
…What was that?
Gwak Yeon had clearly felt it. Before answering, Pang Mu-gwang's gaze had flicked briefly toward the sky—toward the night sky where a full moon hung.
It felt like… some kind of signal.
While Gwak Yeon was still turning that strange impression over, Pang Chi-ung clapped lightly and offered praise to him and Gwak Ho-shin.
"Truly worthy of the Seoho Gwak Family. This time it is our Pang family that has been fortunate enough to meet precious friends. If you would remain as our guests for a good long while and give our children the chance to broaden their horizons, we would be most grateful."
"On the contrary, we are the ones who have learned a great deal."
"Uwahaha! Excessive modesty is no courtesy, Young Master Gwak! You must already be tired, so I won't trouble you further. You've come a long way—let us leave it here and simply enjoy the gathering. Here, fill the tables with more wine and food!"
Banquet tables were hurriedly replenished. Soft words from the grand madam followed, and the atmosphere quickly turned warm and convivial again.
"In any case, I had very much wanted to meet you. Elder Wol-un of the Moyong family, who stopped by briefly last time, spoke of you at some length."
"Ah, is that so?"
"Haha, indeed. The way he praised you—even deep in his cups he kept saying he hoped you would be put forward as a candidate to fill the vacant seat among the Seven Great Families—"
"Frankly, that is not a subject one should raise under the influence of wine. I told the elder as much last time, yet he brought it up again?"
"……"
"……"
"……"
There was the minor problem of Jegal Chan suddenly popping up beside them and saying something unnecessary, but Pang Chi-ung's raised voice and booming presence soon buried it all.
"Anyway—raise your cups!"
In high spirits, a deep drinking bout unfolded.
"Uwahaha! Tonight I will not let a single one of you into the guest quarters until you are thoroughly drunk, so steel yourselves!"
In the small hours after the banquet had ended.
Between clouds drifting across a pitch-black sky, a full moon revealed itself and poured down brilliant moonlight.
Step.
Somewhere within the manor of the Hubei Pang Family, a figure appeared.
Ta-dat.
A light leap from the third-floor window frame of the guest quarters. The skill to spread razor-sharp senses in every direction and keep his body hidden from the Pang warriors standing watch throughout the grounds.
Hmm.
It was Gwak Yeon, setting out on a night reconnaissance.
Something's definitely off.
He remembered the look Family Head Pang Chi-ung had given Pang Mu-gwang earlier. It might simply have been a signal that a spar only had meaning when the opponent was at full strength—but it had felt like something more.
What reason could there be to postpone even the spars they loved so much, right in the middle of a lively drinking party?
Ho-shin's sword dance ran longer than expected, but the Pang family I knew would never worry over something as trivial as going to bed a little late…
They had clearly glanced at that full moon and exchanged a signal.
Were they doing something in these pre-dawn hours that could not be missed?
Thump.
A great family rumored to be entangled with the Blood Cult. Gwak Yeon, who had come seeking that house among the Seven Great Families, drew a steadying breath and launched his body toward some corner of the clan manor.
Ta-dak.
Now it was time to uncover the secrets of the Pang family.