Chapter 20: Chapter 20
VWOOM!
Ji Dae-ho erupted with explosive internal energy, generating gale-force winds around him.
How powerful? He stood perfectly still, yet the ground beneath his feet cracked into spiderweb fissures.
Unequivocally, his martial arts revolved around the principle of heaviness, a divine art of monstrous strength.
‘As expected of the Guardian Dragon Hall Master. At this level, I’d need the Thunder Circulation Method, White Thunder, and everything those old men at the Martial Alliance taught me just to have a sliver of a chance.’
But by any calculation, that wouldn’t end well.
The Seventh Young Master was too low-level to read the difference, but Ji Dae-ho was different.
A clever tiger capable of gauging power at a glance.
The brief use of the Thunder Circulation Method earlier might be dismissed as a fluke once, but if it continued, the tail would be caught.
So he needed to hide his cards here.
Right. That was correct.
RAAARGH!
‘At this rate, I’ll die first!’
FWAASH! Jang I-seo and Ji Dae-ho launched simultaneously. More precisely, Jang I-seo saw Ji Dae-ho springing forward and pulled his foot back.
But the movement was on a different dimension from before.
Ji Dae-ho closed the distance in a flash. His strike slammed into Jang I-seo.
“Kak!”
Even with crossed arms blocking, the impact twisted his innards.
SLAAASH!
He’d been driven back so far that the floor bore two long grooves from his feet and a trailing smear of blood from his coughing.
“Hm?”
Ji Dae-ho tilted his head, uncomprehending.
“Was that earlier movement a fluke? Your internal energy seems poor, too.”
Thanks for the honesty, damn it.
“Are you hiding something? You can’t. Show me what you’ve got!”
“This is insane.”
The opponent wouldn’t stop until this side was completely broken. But he couldn’t use his full power, and having committed to being an adjutant, he couldn’t afford to be crushed mercilessly either.
In that case…
FWIP! This time, Jang I-seo chose to advance, not retreat.
‘I’ll engage him until it works.’
“A real man. Come. I’ll oblige!”
Ji Dae-ho charged as well.
A slugfest erupted.
SMACK, SMACK, SMACK, SMACK!
An exchange so dazzling the eye could barely follow. Jang I-seo held the edge in technique and strike count. Ji Dae-ho pressed forward with raw toughness and overwhelming power.
A calm, chilling battle with no trace of amusement.
But beneath the surface, both were spiraling into astonishment.
‘Insane. There’s no internal force behind it, so where does this strength come from…?’
‘The more I see, the more extraordinary… He looks unremarkable, but every single movement contains the essence of countless martial arts. A face I’ve never seen. Where on earth did he learn to move like this…?’
THUD!
Simultaneously, Ji Dae-ho’s fist and Jang I-seo’s elbow buried themselves in each other’s chests.
“Gah!”
“Hm…”
But the outcome was decisive. Jang I-seo skidded back, dropped to one knee, and coughed blood. Ji Dae-ho merely brushed himself off and stood tall as a mountain.
Yet the victor’s expression was far from pleasant.
It was colder. More bitter.
“Disappointing.”
He even voiced his disappointment.
One reason.
In this exchange, he’d seen Jang I-seo’s limits clearly.
‘His movement has reached the peak, but he’s never trained in a proper cultivation method. Truly impure and meager. Or is his dantian damaged?’
Ji Dae-ho’s assessment was accurate.
Jang I-seo had never learned a proper cultivation method.
This had been predetermined from the moment he was chosen as a Hidden Pavilion spy.
It was unavoidable to deflect suspicion as a spy, and it was also the limitation of his Nine-Orifice Body, a constitution hopelessly inadequate compared to his innate perception and talent.
So even the Hidden Pavilion had always lamented his potential.
‘If only he’d been normal instead of a Nine-Orifice Body. I wouldn’t have sent you. You would have become a martial master of the righteous path.’
Martial master. An arrogant word.
But coming from the men who said it, it was no empty boast.
The Alliance Lord and the elders had said it themselves.
Naturally.
He was a child who absorbed the supreme martial principles they’d grasped only in their twilight years like water poured onto the ground.
Jang I-seo was the greatest prodigy in history, and simultaneously a mere mortal with clearly defined limits.
“Let’s end this.”
Ji Dae-ho’s eyes blazed tiger-bright. VWOOM! A storm-like aura poured from his body.
Jang I-seo swept his sweat-soaked bangs back and exhaled raggedly.
Guardian Dragon Hall Master Ji Dae-ho. A true powerhouse. One of the few absolute masters he’d met since entering the Demonic Cult.
Despite himself, fighting spirit surged, and he ground his teeth so hard they nearly cracked, frustrated.
‘If it were up to me, I’d love to counter with the Thunder Circulation Method… but not today.’
Unfortunately, his true calling wasn’t martial artist but spy, Jang I-seo.
So it was time to end this fight as scripted.
Jang I-seo urgently turned his head and sent a signal with his eyes. Mao, watching blankly, pointed at himself and mouthed.
‘Me?’
Yeah. You.
RAAARGH!
Ji Dae-ho, fully prepared, lunged again.
Simultaneously, Jang I-seo launched his body. But the direction was wrong. Not forward, not back. Sideways.
Specifically, toward a stupefied Mao, whose pupils were quivering.
“Seventh Young Master, dodge!”
Me? Why? Why should I!
Profound confusion, but no time to question.
“Urgh!”
Before he knew it, Jang I-seo was in front of him, grinning. He scooped Mao up and spun them both around.
RAAARGH!
Ji Dae-ho’s fist bore down, about to strike them both.
FWOOSH!
It stopped dead in front of their faces, leaving only a rush of violent wind.
“Hah, hahahaha.”
Mao stared at the enormous fist halted before his eyes and let out a laugh of relief.
And Jang I-seo.
“Are you alright, Seventh Young Master?”
Positioned squarely behind Mao, as if to prove a point.
“Yeah. Aside from almost dying because of you.”
“Glad you survived, then.”
Jang I-seo grinned. Seeing this, Ji Dae-ho’s eyes were strange. Specifically, he looked sulky. The unfinished fight left a very sour taste.
But he was a clever tiger.
He knew exactly what this situation meant. The aura flooding his body dissipated like wind, and his two legs planted like pillars.
He slowly shifted his gaze to Mao and asked.
“Someone you know?”
Mao glanced at Jang I-seo, then nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Who.”
Who, you say… Mao looked at Jang I-seo once more. Clicked his tongue, then answered flatly.
“My adjutant.”
“Adjutant…? I’ve never heard of the Seventh Young Master having an adjutant.”
“Congratulations. You’re the first in Cheonsan to hear it. Just happened a moment ago.”
What that even meant, Ji Dae-ho didn’t press further. If the Seventh Young Master said so, official documents would follow shortly.
More importantly.
“What’s your name?”
Ji Dae-ho’s interest now lay entirely on Jang I-seo.
He might have let his guard down and not gone all out, but the man had forced him back twice. With that young face, no less.
How remarkable was that? Ji Dae-ho was the kind of man who hadn’t yielded a single step even when a dozen men beat his back with club logs.
So of course he was surprised.
“Pleased to meet you. Adjutant Jang I-seo.”
“Age?”
“Twenty-eight.”
“Young-looking. What sect?”
“Just picked things up here and there, watching over shoulders.”
“Is unarmed combat your specialty?”
“No.”
“Liar. You just lied to me.”
“What are you doing?”
“…Ji Dae-ho.”
What was with this man? Jang I-seo furrowed his brow. But Ji Dae-ho kept staring at him like a cat that found a new toy.
‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Must be my imagination.’
An unease crept up his spine. But now wasn’t the time for that. The fight had lasted too long, and too much had been left unattended.
Jang I-seo looked at the assassins scattered on the ground and spoke.
“Assassins from the Slaughterhouse. They brazenly entered the Seventh Small Palace to harm the Seventh Young Master.”
The one who tried to harm him was you, not me. Mao muttered under his breath. Jang I-seo subtly replied that it amounted to the same thing.
“Hm…”
Hearing the full account, Ji Dae-ho finally peeled his eyes from Jang I-seo and immersed himself in his duty. Then his gaze caught a particular corpse. A head cleaved clean in half, as if a full moon had been split, leaving only the back portion.
Even a glance was enough to identify him.
“The top-knotted assassin, Mak-gwi. You did this?”
The circumstances left no other possibility. Jang I-seo, having no intention of hiding it, answered evenly.
“Yes.”
Having committed to being an adjutant, playing dumb would only invite more suspicion.
Besides, Ji Dae-ho had already seen enough of the fight to understand the mess. Examining the corpses would sufficiently explain this unexpected outcome.
Sure enough, Ji Dae-ho pried open Mak-gwi’s jaw, confirmed the cause of death, and frowned.
“Killed by a concealed weapon.”
Correct. This was the explanation for how Jang I-seo, whose internal energy fell below first-rate, had defeated an absolute master.
In reality, the Thunder Circulation Method was responsible, but.
“Well, as you can see, someone like me has to do whatever it takes to win. And I absolutely can’t stand loudmouths.”
“No need to justify. Common enough here, unlike in the righteous sects.”
“Right, well.”
Jang I-seo winced inwardly. Being a righteous sect member, sophistry had slipped out instinctively. Fortunately, Ji Dae-ho showed no interest and quickly wrapped up his examination.
“I understand the situation. I’ll need to take everything to the main hall for further verification… Will that be acceptable?”
Ji Dae-ho looked at Mao. He knew full well that if this involved the Slaughterhouse and the Seventh Young Master, it was a family feud with Ma I-sin at the center.
Mao turned his head with a sour expression.
But right then, Jang I-seo stepped forward, beamed, and spoke.
“Of course it’s acceptable. Investigate to your heart’s content. Pursue accountability to the very end.”
“You…”
“An assassination attempt on the Cult Leader’s adopted son. In the Seventh Small Palace, a designated sanctuary. I don’t know how things were handled before… but that won’t happen anymore. Not while I’m here.”
“I’ll do my best, but it won’t be easy.”
Ji Dae-ho shook his head. Similar incidents had occurred before. Discussed, then buried by consensus.
Naturally.
Ma I-sin was First Elder Ma Il-seong’s eldest son.
The Five Dragon Halls and the Elder Council already had a prickly relationship. Escalate this, and the Elder Council would cry targeted investigation and political persecution.
But,
Jang I-seo narrowed his eyes and asked softly.
“With evidence, suspects, and the organization’s name carved right into their skin. You find this difficult? I’m disappointed. Is this how the Guardian Dragon Hall operates?”
“What did you say?”
“Remember this, Hall Master. If you try to sweep this under the rug, I will formally challenge the Guardian Dragon Hall.”
Hah, the audacity. A fierce smile spread across Ji Dae-ho’s face. But the opponent, however young, was a Third Grade Ghost, adjutant to the Seventh Young Master.
“This is beyond my authority.”
Ji Dae-ho snorted and drew a line.
“Then perhaps I should seek an audience with the Right or Left Emissary.”
“You!”
“Or should I go to the Cult Leader?”
“Hah.”
This little shit… Ji Dae-ho sucked in a deep breath and pressed his already throbbing temples.
Looking at that smirking face, this wasn’t mindless bluster.
“What do you want?”
As expected of the clever tiger. At Ji Dae-ho’s question, Jang I-seo’s face broke into a radiant smile.