Chapter 160: v7c10 - Chivalrous Hero
Volume 7 Chapter 10 – Part 10 Chivalrous Hero
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Mount Beimang, the Gong Family Mansion, the martial arts arena.
The sky where darkness set in and stars shone brightly.
In the martial arts arena, torches and bonfires were placed in various spots, brightly lighting up the surroundings.
Was it for the guests who came upon the family’s invitation, the retainers staying at the mansion, or the grandson training in martial arts?
The martial arts arena of the Gong Family mansion fell not a bit short even compared to that of the Luoyang Sword Family.
Rather, it was far more luxurious than the Luoyang Sword Family’s martial arts arena, which emphasized only practical aspects, and exuded the mansion’s unique elegance, which was indeed a look befitting one of the Sixteen Imperial Capital Families.
“Mhm. The Eldest Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Family, known as that ‘Swordless One’?”
At the question of his fellow chivalrous hero, Gong Dam-ung, the grandson of the mansion’s master Gong Ryang, nodded his head slowly.
“Yes. Out of nowhere, he told me to have a duel.”
“What kind of…”
At that answer, the woman carrying a long saber on her back shook her head.
“I have absolutely no idea what that Eldest Young Master is thinking. Could there be something else he implies behind those words, by any chance?”
Gong Dam-ung groaned softly.
“Although I heard from Grandfather several times about his schemes being deep…”
They were complicated by the duel the Eldest Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Family, known as the Swordless One, had requested of Gong Dam-ung.
If it were commonly seen greenhorns, they might think of it as an opportunity to mock the Swordless One’s eccentric behavior or humiliate him, but…
These were chivalrous heroes called the ‘Four Heroes of Hwangho,’ and they were individuals whose names were known in their own right around Luoyang and Henan Province.
They, who had intended to gather at Gong Dam-ung’s mansion and have an after-party as usual, were flustered by the sudden situation.
Even if they were not to the extent of Gong Dam-ung, the heir to one of the Sixteen Families, each and every one of them came from a prestigious family of Luoyang, so there were none who would treat this situation lightly.
“…This matter was originally something Brother Gong should have refused on the spot.”
Gong Dam-ung scratched the back of his head.
“At that moment, the blood just rushed to my head…”
As everyone’s rebuking gazes gathered on him, Gong Dam-ung laughed “Hahat.”
“What. Since that Eldest Young Master also has a corner he is confident in his own right, is that not why he requested a duel of this Gong Dam-ung?”
He rotated his shoulders.
“It will be fine if I make sure he doesn’t even get a bruise. Will anything happen? Hahahahat.”
At the sight of Gong Dam-ung being his usual self, the remaining three sighed and shook their heads.
But at the same time, as usual, it was also a situation where Gong Dam-ung’s simple-sounding words served as a decent answer in a complex situation.
“…There is no helping it. You must make sure to not injure him as much as possible.”
“I heard a rumor that he is treated with cold eyes even within the Sword Family, but rumors are merely rumors.”
“If by any chance you cause trouble, from now on we will claim that we were the Three Heroes of Hwangho from the beginning, not the Four Heroes of Hwangho.”
At the last person’s joke, everyone laughed with a much lighter heart.
“Oops. There he comes.”
They quickly erased the smiles from their lips and looked toward the entrance of the martial arts arena.
Gong Ryang and Yeon So-hyeon, having finished all the necessary conversations, were approaching.
Toward Gong Ryang, who revealed his appearance sitting in the wheelchair pushed by servants, all of Gong Dam-ung’s comrades quickly saluted.
“We greet the Elder of the Gong Family…”
“Enough.”
Gong Ryang waved his hand, cutting off their salutations.
“Although the master of this mansion is Gong Ryang, the guest of honor is the Eldest Young Master of the Sword Family. The Eldest Young Master here is a busy person conducting grand affairs. Be grateful that he is personally splitting his precious time to bestow teachings.”
As the giant of the Imperial Capital’s political arena named Gong Ryang treated the Eldest Young Master using honorifics, the complexions of the comrades grew even worse.
“….”
Gong Dam-ung, who had ended up dragging his comrades into a clearly troublesome matter, swallowed a sigh inwardly and introduced himself to the Eldest Young Master.
It was the courtesy generally accepted before a duel.
“Although it is embarrassing, I am Gong Dam-ung, who is called by the name ‘Herculean Vajra’ among fellow Jianghu members. Having coincidentally formed a connection, I studied under Shaolin’s Vajra Arhat Art…”
“We will omit the courtesies.”
Yeon So-hyeon cut off his salutation.
“As you heard, I am a busy person. Do not make me waste my time.”
“…!”
To think these were words spoken while holding hands behind his back, so arrogant as to have no equal.
Momentarily enraged, Gong Dam-ung was about to ram straight into Yeon So-hyeon, but thinking of his comrades, he carved the character for patience in his heart.
“The first move…”
“…you take it.”
The Eldest Young Master, full of loopholes, looking down on them with his hands behind his back as if he had become some Grandmaster of a martial arts sect.
At the too confident attitude, Gong Dam-ung’s comrades checked Yeon So-hyeon’s appearance once again, just in case.
Not a single trace of having learned martial arts could be seen from him.
“…I understand. Then.”
Gong Dam-ung immediately took a deep step forward and stretched out his pot-lid-like hand without declining.
Unsuited to his size, it was a speed that an ordinary person would not even be able to properly react to.
He intended to grab the Eldest Young Master by the scruff of his neck and end it with a simple choke.
At that moment, his eyes flashed.
“…Ugh?!”
What had happened?
‘What is it? What happened…?’
Simultaneously with his eyes flashing, Gong Dam-ung felt as if his mind went blank. “…?!”
From the mouths of everyone watching that sight, an exclamation mixed with surprise burst out unconsciously.
Simultaneously with Gong Dam-ung narrowing the gap deeply, the Eldest Young Master’s body moved half a step back like a ghost and rotated once.
In doing so, the Eldest Young Master’s spinning back kick that popped out along with the rotation had spun Gong Dam-ung’s jaw.
In that spinning kick, there was neither colossal strength nor unprecedented internal energy.
It was merely a perfect counterattack utilizing the opponent’s strength and rushing force, hiding substance inside void.
That single move was so exquisite that it seemed to those watching as if the Eldest Young Master’s heel merely tapped Gong Dam-ung’s jaw lightly and passed by.
“U-ugh?!”
As his senses gradually returned, Gong Dam-ung, realizing he was kneeling, raised his head abruptly and tried to spring up from his spot.
However—
“U-ugh…?!”
Approaching before he knew it with his hands behind his back, Yeon So-hyeon was pressing down on his giant head with one hand.
Yeon So-hyeon’s low voice flowed into his ears.
“Since you quit the public office where dirty and filthy people run rampant, did you think you would now try to become a proud chivalrous hero?”
“Grrrrr…!”
He wanted to refute somehow, but if he did, it felt as though his neck would snap right away.
“It is obvious even without me personally listening to your story.”
Gong Dam-ung, whose face was flushed red, stood trembling while tensing his veins, but the Eldest Young Master’s tone was completely peaceful.
“Having the chivalry and righteousness you harbored in your heart since youth, you tried to do something in politics, but since every single thing did not work out as you intended, you must have felt only frustrated.”
He pulled up the Vajra Arhat Art and tried to escape the grip somehow, but it was not even close.
It felt as if he had become a rock being crushed in the deepest part of Mount Tai.
“Then, after flying into a temper and ramming into the opponent once, you must have felt refreshed. You did not even have to worry about the aftermath thanks to the reputation of your grandfather and family.”
The Eldest Young Master’s gaze containing a sneer met Gong Dam-ung’s bloodshot gaze.
“So you must have thought, this is my path. Ruminating on the pleasure when you threw that high-ranking official that day. Let’s establish chivalry and righteousness using my born strength and martial bones. You must have thought like”
“this.”
Yeon So-hyeon spoke to Gong Dam-ung as if whispering in his ear.
“Shallow fellow.”
It hit right at the mark.
“…Arghhhhh!”
Anger due to shame and humiliation filled Gong Dam-ung’s head.
He tried to raise his body using the colossal strength pulled up from the extremities of his entire body and the internal energy surging like an active volcano.
The more Gong Dam-ung, who was kneeling, exerted power, the more the paving stones beneath his knees shattered and cracked, the ground gradually sinking in.
But that was all.
Yeon So-hyeon’s pure-white hand pressing down on his head did not show even a tremor.
In front of Yeon So-hyeon, who was realizing the ultimate secret of deflecting a thousand jin with four ounces and neutralizing force, it was merely nothing but a simple trick.
“Because he did not follow the rules, you say?”
Yeon So-hyeon’s eyes mocked Gong Dam-ung’s shallow consciousness of reality.
“In this Central Plains land where the Gong Family is the most historic, how can there be a greenhorn who merely licks the surface of Legalism and follows it?”
A bit of force was added to his grip, and Gong Dam-ung’s body now began to gradually dig into the ground.
“Second place or whatever. In the end, preparing for exams detached from reality and memorizing knowledge to recite it in succession is proven once again by this to be of no help to reality.”
Yeon So-hyeon’s opposite hand flashed like lightning.
“Argh…”
Gong Dam-ung fell backward with a deflating sound.
It was because a few gold needles had been inserted into several acupoints before he knew it, paralyzing his entire body.
“You must live harboring a sense of shame toward true chivalrous swordsmen and heroes.”
Yeon So-hyeon clicked his tongue and dusted his hands.
“E-Eldest Young Master…! Your words are a bit too harsh!”
At first, they were Gong Dam-ung’s comrades who could not suppress their shock at the Eldest Young Master’s hard-to-fathom boundary being revealed.
But as Yeon So-hyeon’s blatant mockery continued, they finally could not endure it and stepped forward.
“Although it is true that Brother Gong had an explosive personality and failed to adapt to public office, the chivalry and righteousness in his heart are real! To mock even that is to throw mud at your own face, Eldest Young Master!”
“Brother Gong also merely could no longer tolerate the injustice and corruption of the rotten Imperial Capital after enduring and enduring again!”
Indeed, it was a cry befitting self-proclaimed chivalrous heroes.
“Endurance…?”
The appearance of countless Buddha statues he carved and carved again flashed through Yeon So-hyeon’s mind.
The moments of his past life when he had to endure and endure again flashed through his mind.
“Endurance.”
Turning around, he sneered at them again with his hands behind his back.
“Do you think you have done even anything close to what true endurance is?”
“Is it not the Eldest Young Master who speaks carelessly about people you do not even properly know?!”
“It is obvious without looking, and clear even with eyes closed, so what more is there to know.”
Yeon So-hyeon clicked his tongue.
“At first, you must have snooped around the lives of the commoners here and there, pouncing eagerly each time injustice caught your eye.”
The wind blew, shaking his black fine silk coat.
“What was the result of swinging your fists so excitedly and disrupting the lives of the commoners?”
Yeon So-hyeon continued his low scolding.
“The commoners, who could not take responsibility for the aftermath, must have resented you and pointed fingers. You too had no choice but to hide behind the family name to protect yourselves from the backlash of the ‘chivalrous deeds’ you committed.”
That scolding flowed continuously as if he were someone who had been at the scene.
“After that happened a few times, did you not, feeling intimidated, merely continue exchanging with renowned military officials or highly reputed warriors, wasting time by merely talking about chivalry or righteousness over drinks?”
“….”
Everyone kept their mouths shut, trembling violently.
It was because Yeon So-hyeon’s words, though originating from guesses, had some slight errors and were slightly different from the facts, but not a single word was wrong in the grand framework.
“By all means, chivalrous deeds have their origin in self-redress, originating from the compassion of one who cannot simply watch and pass by those experiencing the same things as themselves.”
There was a reason Yeon So-hyeon could rebuke them like this even without knowing them well.
It was precisely because he ‘did not know them well.’
Because if they were true chivalrous heroes, true chivalrous warriors, there was no way he would not know them.
Because if they were real, their names would have been on the list of ‘Spring of Luoyang,’ or he would have heard of them through them.
Like Se-ah, the Lord of the Crescent Moon Pavilion.
Like Seo Rim-cheong, the Twin Shorea Trees.
Like the righteous thief of Daoist origin who was robbing the houses of the rich to help the poor in Luoyang even at this moment.
Like those who rolled up their sleeves and participated in the battle with the Black Bone Gang in the past, suffering large and small permanent injuries.
Since patriots who had purpose and acted had already joined the Spring of Luoyang, or were in the midst of receiving proposals from them.
“The purpose you harbor may be real, but no matter how favorably one looks at what you do, it is merely playing ‘chivalrous hero,’ cementing friendship and sharing exchanges among martial arts-trained playboys.”
In the end, one of them exploded.
“…Shut your mouth!”
But Yeon So-hyeon merely snorted loudly, flipping his coat back to flutter.
“Yes. Even the way your temper explodes instantly just from hearing a few offensive words is indeed like mere greenhorns.”
“Eek!”
The one who shouted at Yeon So-hyeon to shut up unleashed his momentum and executed his movement technique.
Was not drawing the sword worn at his waist the manifestation of his last conscience to avoid throwing mud on the name of chivalrous hero they possessed?
Or was it a narrow-minded heart that did not dare to point a blade at the Eldest Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Family?
“How foolish…”
Before Yeon So-hyeon even finished speaking, he, having pulled up unusual internal energy, was rushing in.
And Yeon So-hyeon’s left hand, which had been behind his back, was also slid forward slightly.
Before the punch he swung reached Yeon So-hyeon’s face, the concentration of force reached its peak in the fist Yeon So-hyeon slid forward.
Yang Family Secret Transmission,
Thunderous Sky-Piercing Cannon.
The secret transmission of the Yang Family force-releasing method unfolded without stamping feet, without distance, and without preparation time.
In the hands of Yeon So-hyeon, who had absorbed that secret transmission merely by watching and experiencing it a few times today, it was the moment the Thunderous Sky-Piercing Cannon was perfectly realized.
Along with a flashing light and an ear-splitting roar, the martial arts arena shook as if an earthquake had occurred.
While Yeon So-hyeon’s low laughter resounded, the thick cloud of dust gradually scattered.
“….”
Sitting slumped in front of Yeon So-hyeon with a dazed expression, the one shivered and looked back behind him.
“…!”
Not only were the paving stones behind him completely dug up in a straight line, but the force that stretched out endlessly shattered the thick wall of the martial arts arena as if exploding it, leaving only the traces of where the wall used to be.
He hurriedly fumbled all over his body, but there was not a single wound.
It was because Yeon So-hyeon had kept mercy in his hand.
He set the manifestation point of the Thunderous Sky-Piercing Cannon behind the opponent’s back and let the force flow backward, using the technique of striking the cow behind the mountain.
“…!”
Receiving gazes full of shock and astonishment on his body, Yeon So-hyeon said.
“Be ashamed before those who have nothing left to rely on in this world but their own two fists.”
Slowly withdrawing the hand he had extended, he returned to the posture of holding his hands behind his back and looked down at them.
Born while being crushed by the destiny of the Heavenly Killing Star, resisting and resisting again, he had been defeated and defeated again.
Finally, at the last moment of his life, the one who had even entered a contract with the ancient demonic entity known as the Scripture of Controlling Darkness and Shaking the Heavens to resist that destiny again said.
“You were born with an excellent background different from them, but you are merely dropouts who chose the easy path, unable to overcome your own tempers.”