Chapter 72: Learning Yet Another Thing Like This (1)
Chapter 71 – Learning Yet Another Thing Like This (1)
“Baek Mu-geuk, victory!”
It was Murong Sin’s declaration.
The spectators all gasped, their mouths wide open.
They had thought there would be no more unexpected upsets.
However, the spectators were astonished once again.
It was a matchup between Tang Wu-gi and Baek Mu-geuk.
Was it not the Sichuan Tang Clan that commanded the world?
Furthermore, it was Tang Wu-gi, who was widely rumored to be the strongest in the Righteous Chivalry Academy after Murong Gang.
Yet…
“He, he lost? That Tang Wu-gi?”
“What is… this? Does that make any sense? What on earth happened?”
“That guy… did they say his name is Baek Mu-geuk? Isn’t he way too lucky?”
“This duel is invalid! Do it again!”
The cadets of the Righteous Chivalry Academy shouted in outrage.
Not only them, but even the commoners who came to watch could not easily accept the situation.
“Hey, if it’s the Sichuan Tang Clan… isn’t that place famous for poisons and hidden weapons?”
“That’s what I understand…”
“I heard the leader of the Red Wave Corps, the representative martial force of the Martial Alliance, is the eldest daughter of the Sichuan Tang Clan?”
“That’s what I understand…”
“Then that boy is the one who will become the next clan leader…”
“That’s what I understand…”
“Geez, is that all you have to say?”
“Why are you taking it out on me? I can’t believe this situation either!”
“Damn it! I lost all my money! When I go home, my wife is going to beat me to death!”
The spectators’ shouts, curses, criticisms, and cheers mixed together and flew into the ears of Tang Wu-gi, who had fallen out of bounds.
At this very moment, the one who wanted to deny reality more than anyone else was Tang Wu-gi.
‘What… on earth is this?’
He looked up at Baek Mu-geuk with hollow eyes.
Baek Mu-geuk stood blankly on the sparring platform, looking down at him with a somewhat vacant expression.
A face completely devoid of emotion.
He silently clasped his hands in a martial salute, turned around, and walked away.
‘What? Where… are you going? It’s not over yet! I’m still…’
Suddenly, Tang Wu-gi sprang up, kicked off the ground, and soared back onto the sparring platform.
“I’m perfectly fine like this!”
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The hidden weapons he pulled from his breast pocket and threw clawed through the air, flying sharply.
Tang Ye-seol, who was watching this from the VIP seats, sprang to her feet.
‘That idiot…!’
Swooooosh!
The two hidden weapons headed straight for Baek Mu-geuk’s back, and the spectators watching held their breath and widened their eyes.
Had there ever been such a case before?
A few years ago, there was a cadet who yelled at the top of his lungs because he could not accept his defeat.
There was also a cadet who insisted on fighting to the end, only to suffer permanent disability, have his dantian sealed, and leave the Jianghu.
However, there was no one who attacked their opponent despite their defeat being clear like it was now.
Just as the two daggers were about to lodge in the middle of Baek Mu-geuk’s back,
Flash!
A streak of light burst forth, and with a metallic clang, the hidden weapons were deflected.
Clang! Clang!
Thud! Thud!
The deflected hidden weapons embedded themselves side by side on one side of the platform.
The person who appeared, blocking Baek Mu-geuk’s back, was none other than the examiner, Murong Sin.
He stared at Tang Wu-gi with sharp eyes.
“Tang Wu-gi, I will say it again. You are disqualified by falling out of bounds.”
“…!”
“Get down.”
“I… I cannot… I cannot accept this!”
“The duel is over.”
“Damn it! I’m still perfectly fine! It was simply a mistake! Give me one more chance! Why did you even make falling out of bounds a rule in the first place? There is no such thing in actual combat, is there?”
“How pathetic.”
“…!”
As Murong Sin cast a look of genuine contempt, Tang Wu-gi’s body flinched.
Tang Ye-seol, who was watching this, bit her lip hard.
‘Just come down, U-gi! Don’t show such a pathetic sight!’
But Tang Wu-gi could not hear her inner thoughts. No, even if he had, he was not a younger brother who would listen to her.
Tang Wu-gi shouted, completely losing his mind.
“I only want to have a proper duel…”
“If failing to last even half a quarter-hour on the sparring platform isn’t a matter of skill, then what is?”
At Murong Sin’s cold question, Tang Wu-gi froze once again.
half a quarter-hour.
It was true.
The duel between Tang Wu-gi and Baek Mu-geuk was decided in less than half a quarter-hour.
He did not even know how that half a quarter-hour had passed.
He had thrown hidden weapons and even released poison.
After that, he had retreated while dodging the sword Baek Mu-geuk wielded.
He had thought the opponent had some skill, but it was not that threatening either.
However, it was a bit frustrating.
Whether he tried to throw hidden weapons or administer poison, not a single opening could be seen.
Though he could block them easily enough, there was hardly an opportunity to counterattack either.
Baek Mu-geuk’s characteristic blank expression also became increasingly annoying as time passed.
Since he showed no emotion at all, there was no way to know what he was thinking while dueling.
While retreating and dealing with him half-heartedly like that, his footwork suddenly got tangled.
Right at that moment, seeing a sword thrusting toward his chest, he tried to avoid it, only to end up falling.
Of all places, out of bounds.
Without even being able to put up a proper fight!
Tang Wu-gi clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth.
Looking at Tang Wu-gi, Murong Sin spoke coldly.
“If this were real combat, you wouldn’t have been disqualified by falling out of bounds; you would have been disqualified from life. Consider yourself lucky that this was a duel.”
Murong Sin, curling up one corner of his mouth, glanced at Tang Ye-seol in the VIP seats.
Tang Ye-seol ignored his gaze and only glared at Tang Wu-gi.
‘Foolish bastard! Father… such a guy is the Young Patriarch of our main family. Even so, did you choose him over me? Simply because I am a woman? If so, I have no choice but to build my foundation here. I will succeed here to the point where Father will regret it.’
Meanwhile, Baek Mu-geuk, having received the notification of his victory, walked away nonchalantly with an indifferent expression.
Just before exiting the Grand Martial Arena, he suddenly stopped and looked back.
The spectators packed the stands.
Yet, in the direction where his gaze landed among them, Namgung Cheon was looking this way with a faint smile on his lips.
‘Namgung Cheon…’
‘Ho?’
Namgung Cheon, who was watching with his arms crossed, curled his lips and calmly met that gaze.
Was he not quite impressive?
Amidst the gazes of so many people, he had accurately singled him out.
‘His intuition is good.’
After exchanging gazes like that for a moment, Baek Mu-geuk turned around with his usual expressionless face and left the Grand Martial Arena.
Namgung Cheon chuckled and was about to move his feet when several cadets of the Dragon Heaven Academy approached and spoke to him.
“Namgung Cheon! That was truly amazing! You’ve really become strong beyond recognition!”
“That’s right! You are our hope!”
“We’ll be able to become like you someday too, right? Let’s get along well from now on!”
At the cadets’ chatter, Namgung Cheon sneered coldly.
How shameless of those who once stood by watching his life as a pushover or indirectly participated in it to change their attitude like this.
Even if it was because they were still young, if they had the slightest bit of conscience, shouldn’t they shut their mouths and lay low?
If they were guys who could not even make that level of distinction, they would surely cause even bigger trouble someday.
If it were his temper from the old days, his fists would have flown first instead of words, but…
“To become like me… does that mean you want to become the official pushover of the Dragon Heaven Academy? If so, I can help you as much as you want. Otherwise, do you want to become the child of the Great Killing Star? In that case, wouldn’t you have to be reborn?”
At his sarcastic tone, the surrounding atmosphere instantly became awkward.
“Ah… that, we just…”
“Hey, Namgung Cheon! Still, you’re going too far! When we’re acknowledging you like this, is there any need to bring up past events? Have an open mind and…”
“If you say one more word, I’ll beat you up.”
“What? Namgung Cheon! Don’t cross the line. Just as you have changed, the way we treat you has changed now, so…”
Thud!
Namgung Cheon’s fist, flying in an instant, ruthlessly smashed the cadet’s face.
“Urgh!”
Crash!
As the cadet fell and rolled on the ground, bleeding profusely from his nose, the surrounding cadets flinched and retreated.
Namgung Cheon looked around at the cadets with a gentle smile.
“I don’t really like repeating myself. Oh, and you said you changed because I changed? I’m sorry, but I’m still the same. Although I’m a man who doesn’t hold grudges, I make sure to distinguish between gratitude and grudges clearly. Wouldn’t that make a just world?”
“Namgung Cheon…”
“I don’t care whether you bastards acknowledge me or not. I’ve never asked you to acknowledge me either. But at least live with a conscience, you bastards.”
After speaking, Namgung Cheon spat on the ground and walked away.
He had wanted to treat them nicely if possible, but were they not the ones who had participated in or stood by watching the harassment of his son?
Sure, let’s say all of that was fine.
It might have been difficult for them to easily stand up because they were walking on eggshells around Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang.
But is it something to be proud of to completely change one’s attitude just because the situation has changed?
Ugh, the more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t let it go.
As Namgung Cheon spun around and threw punches at them one by one, the cadets fell to the ground with screams.
‘Phew, I feel a bit refreshed.’
The fact that he hit them cleanly only once each, even in this situation, was proof that he was indeed a man who didn’t hold grudges.
Namgung Cheon dusted off his hands and turned his gaze toward the sparring platform.
‘Anyway, Baek Mu-geuk. Shall I test him? The next opponent was Yun Jong-seung, right?’
* * *
“Snore… Zzz…”
The sound of snoring echoed loudly in the room.
Spread-eagled on the bed, Yun Jong-seung showed no intention of waking up. In fact, looking only at his bruised appearance all over his body, it was a miracle that he was not dead.
How long had he been asleep like that?
Thud!
At the sensation of something hitting his chest, Yun Jong-seung startled and woke up.
“Heup! W-what? Argh…!”
Since it happened to be a bruised area, Yun Jong-seung writhed and rubbed his chest.
When he came to his senses, Namgung Cheon was already standing beside him.
Holding the Emerald Silk Sword, Namgung Cheon poked and prodded only at Yun Jong-seung’s painful areas.
“Can you really sleep right now?”
“Hic! Urgh! S-stop…! It really hurts. Argh!”
“Stop sleeping and get up. You have to prepare for the next duel.”
“Ah… the next duel…”
Yun Jong-seung muttered bitterly and hung his head.
Namgung Cheon glanced at him and asked.
“Why? No confidence?”
“I’ve managed to hold out somehow until now, but honestly, I think I’ll lose the next match.”
“Thinking about losing before you even fight. Your mental state is rotten. I will fix that mindset of yours once and for all this time.”
“Why are you suddenly acting like this? When I begged you to teach me how to get stronger, you only played hard to get.”
“Why? Do you hate it? Then go get pathetically thrashed and lose miserably.”
As Namgung Cheon turned around without any lingering regret, Yun Jong-seung quickly grabbed him.
“N-no! It’s not that! Teach me! Anything!”
“Have you come to your senses now?”
“Yes, just as you said, this is no time to be lying around. There are only three days left until the next duel.”
“Almost a full day out of the three has already passed. So get dressed in your training robes and come out.”
“Understood!”
Yun Jong-seung hurriedly got up and began to put on his clothes.
He did not know why the strict Namgung Cheon was suddenly trying to kindly teach him martial arts, but this was undoubtedly an opportunity.
‘Namgung Cheon…! I will become as strong as you too!’
When Yun Jong-seung went outside, Namgung Cheon was standing in a crooked posture, holding a saber.
Yun Jong-seung’s eyes widened.
“Why… a saber?”
“Because the weapon your next opponent uses is a saber.”
“Huh? Did Tang Wu-gi use a saber?”
“You don’t know yet.”
“What?”
“I have some good news for you.”
“W-what is it?”
“Tang Wu-gi lost the duel. Baek Mu-geuk has ended up facing you in the quarterfinals.”
“What…?”
Yun Jong-seung asked back with a blank expression.
For Tang Wu-gi to lose.
“D-did that Tang Wu-gi really lose? How? Why?”
“He foolishly got excited and rushed in, making a mistake.”
“A mistake…?”
“He stepped out of bounds and was disqualified. Therefore, you are very, very lucky.”
Yun Jong-seung still wore a look of disbelief.
Namgung Cheon said with a strange smile.
“Think about it. If you make it to the semifinals, wouldn’t it be the glory of your family? This is a golden opportunity. Since Tang Wu-gi made a mistake and lost, the table has been set for you. You’re not thinking of kicking it away, are you?”
“Did Tang Wu-gi really…”
“Yes, I told you so. Now I’ll even place a spoon in your hand with great kindness, so all you have to do is scoop up the rice and eat.”
Well, it won’t be easy, though.
Namgung Cheon smirked.