Chapter 86: Chapter 86
Cheon Woo-jin was in an awkward situation.
After Tang Bi-cheon departed, he had returned to the Black Tortoise Pavilion as if nothing had happened.
Yet a Daoist who looked as though he had draped all the gloom in the world over his head was waiting for him.
“Young Hero, I am ruined.”
It was Jin Un.
Unable to bring himself to tell the elders of Mount Hua in the Alliance that he had caused a ruckus and stormed out of the Dragon and Phoenix Society, he had come straight to the Black Tortoise Pavilion out of fear.
“Why did you leave the Dragon and Phoenix Society?”
Cheon Woo-jin asked. He also knew the fact that the expectations of Mount Hua were burdensomely placed upon Jin Un’s shoulders.
Jin Un parted his lips with a crestfallen expression.
Naturally, he intended to tell them that the Dragon and Phoenix Society was targeting his friends, Young Hero Cheon and Young Hero Song.
But this was the Black Tortoise Pavilion. There were too many listening ears. If he spoke carelessly and strange rumors spread, he had no confidence he could handle the fallout.
Even Jin Un, who was Mount Hua’s genius Plum Blossom Swordsman and assessed as someone who could live righteously without needing laws, could not disregard the power of the Dragon and Phoenix Society.
“That is…”
When Jin Un opened his mouth, the Black Tortoise Squad martial artists, including Zhuge Rin, pricked up their ears while pretending to focus on their training.
Sensing this, Jin Un let out a sigh.
“Could I speak privately with just the two Young Heroes for a moment?”
“Of course.”
Cheon Woo-jin shrugged his shoulders. At that, the Black Tortoise Squad martial artists smacked their lips as if disappointed.
* * *
Cheon Woo-jin, Song Yi-yeon, and Jin Un left the Martial Alliance.
It was due to Jin Un’s judgment that they could not completely deceive the eyes and ears of the Dragon and Phoenix Society within the Alliance.
The place the three settled into was a small inn that had no customers due to its notorious reputation for terrible food.
An inn operated by an old woman alone, she roughly brought out the alcohol and food the three had ordered, then immediately took a seat and snored away.
Her attitude of not caring about customers was actually better for the three of them.
“Speak.”
Sensing the old woman’s energy and confirming she was completely asleep, Cheon Woo-jin asked.
Song Yi-yeon also wore an intensely curious expression.
“The truth is, the Dragon and Phoenix Society is targeting the two of you.”
“…”
Song Yi-yeon and Cheon Woo-jin met each other’s eyes simultaneously.
Soon, both of them burst into a chuckle.
At that sight, Jin Un wore a bewildered expression.
“Did you already know?”
“How could we not?”
At Song Yi-yeon’s reply, Jin Un’s mouth fell open.
“Yet how can you be so nonchalant? It is the Dragon and Phoenix Society. The Dragon and Phoenix Society.”
Jin Un thought these two did not know the true might of the Dragon and Phoenix Society. Having heard about the Society often since childhood, Jin Un could comprehend their power.
Even though Tang Bi-cheon, the current president, was a considerable master and influential figure, the true power lay in the solidarity of masters hailing from the Dragon and Phoenix Society.
They were already deployed in large numbers among the key figures who made up or would make up the Martial Alliance, holding power to such an extent that even the current Alliance Leader could not easily deal with them.
Such people were blatantly targeting low-ranking alliance members. It could not be anything other than a truly bleak and terrifying situation.
However, at Cheon Woo-jin’s following words, Jin Un’s eyes practically popped out.
“I have ended up competing against Tang Bi-cheon in the sparring tournament.”
“Wh-What…!”
Jin Un sprang up from his seat.
It was something he could not possibly have anticipated.
Regardless, Cheon Woo-jin calmly continued.
“I cannot tell you the internal details. For now, I promised to keep it secret.”
“Just why on earth are you sparring with that man?”
“I said I cannot tell you.”
Sitting down weakly as if his legs had lost their strength, Jin Un wore a dumbfounded look.
“Do you know the rules of the sparring tournament?”
“I heard that all attacks are permitted as long as they do not inflict permanent injury upon the opponent.”
“Indeed. Fortunately, Tang Bi-cheon will not be able to use the Tang Clan’s peerless poison arts. But in the Tang Clan, there are many vicious things besides lethal poisons.”
Cheon Woo-jin merely shrugged his shoulders.
At his appearance of not being the least bit nervous, Jin Un felt suffocated and spoke.
“Young Hero, I don’t know what you discussed with that man, but how about treating it as if it never happened? Tang Bi-cheon is a man who never engages in a fight he will lose.”
Jin Un also knew that Cheon Woo-jin was nonsensically strong. Yet Tang Bi-cheon was also a man who had proven his own viciousness over a long period.
The Tang Bi-cheon Jin Un knew never did anything that would cause himself a loss. Furthermore, Cheon Woo-jin’s strength must have reached Tang Bi-cheon’s ears already.
Even so, that he would spar meant…
‘It means he has some hidden scheme or countermeasure.’
A chill ran down his spine.
It was the scheme of that notoriously vicious Tang Clan, and no one else.
How could he not fear?
He could not possibly anticipate what kind of deed that man would commit atop the sparring platform.
In a voice filled with worry, Jin Un spoke once again.
“Young Hero, Tang Bi-cheon is far more vicious than you imagine. Furthermore, until you appeared in the Alliance, the term ‘peerless genius’ referred to him.”
For he was a man who had attained the realm of a Poison Human before even reaching twenty years of age.
The Poison Human spoken of in the Tang Clan was literally a human whose entire body was no different from poison.
While boasting an immense advantage in one-on-one duels, they truly shone in melee combat or warfare. Spitting poison with every exhale and rotting whatever their hands touched, how could anyone not fear them?
For that reason, in the Righteous Path martial world where war could erupt at any time with the Demonic Cult or the Unorthodox Path, a Poison Human was an existence whose value defied description.
Reminded of this, Jin Un wore a bitter expression.
“Even if Tang Bi-cheon harms you grievously through a scheme that crosses the line, in the end, proper punishment will not be meted out to him. Radical elders keeping war with the Demonic Cult in mind will object, and the Tang Clan will stake the clan’s destiny to protect its young patriarch. That is why I am afraid. Because no one knows what Tang Bi-cheon will do by exploiting that fact.”
Jin Un pictured Cheon Woo-jin succumbing to lethal poison, his entire body melting gruesomely here and there. Merely imagining it made his heart sink.
If that situation arose, would he be able to draw his Plum Blossom Sword and storm onto the sparring platform?
After thinking for a moment, Jin Un nodded his head.
‘Having already incurred a debt of life, it is only natural. Even if I am stripped of my qualification as a Plum Blossom Swordsman…’
Just as Jin Un was steeling his resolve with a worldly serious expression.
“It’s tastier than I thought?”
Having cleanly emptied a bowl of plain noodles, Song Yi-yeon patted his belly. At that sight, Jin Un’s eyes narrowed.
“Are you not worried, Young Hero Song?”
“Who? Tang Bi-cheon?”
“…”
Jin Un was lost for words.
Then Song Yi-yeon soothed Jin Un saying, ‘All right, all right,’ and spoke to Cheon Woo-jin.
“Young Hero Cheon, regardless of everything, you aren’t going to crush the skull of the Tang Clan’s young patriarch within the Martial Alliance, right?”
“Probably.”
When Cheon Woo-jin nodded, Song Yi-yeon patted Jin Un’s shoulder, saying, ‘See there?’
Looking at the two, Jin Un had nothing more to say.
Were they optimistic, or simply confident?
“Young Hero Song is also a target of the Dragon and Phoenix Society. For now, Young Hero Cheon, who agreed to fight Tang Bi-cheon, seems to be the priority, but the day will surely come when they threaten you as well.”
Jin Un was prepared to lay down his life for the two of them, yet whether that was so or not, the two seemed to have no particular concerns, which frustrated him.
“Thanks for your concern. To have our genius Plum Blossom Swordsman Young Hero on my side is truly reassuring.”
Song Yi-yeon simply smiled brightly.
Confirming the reactions of the two, his resolve firmly hardened.
He would inform the elders of Mount Hua of the truth. If by some rare chance they remained silent even after learning of the Dragon and Phoenix Society’s ugliness, his next step was to seek out the Alliance Leader.
If even then nothing changed, he would have to consider the entire Righteous Path rotten to the core.
Such was the extent of Jin Un’s resolve. A resolution to abandon everything and roam the martial world as a wandering vagrant if things went awry.
Just as the three finished their meal and were about to rise.
Song Yi-yeon spoke offhandedly as if in passing.
“For your information, I am going to nominate Young Hero Namgung Jin. Because it is a matter I must cut down at least once eventually.”
“…”
Jin Un also knew the relationship between the Anhui Song Clan and the Namgung Clan.
‘Young Hero Song has already cast it off.’
Standing in place, Jin Un looked at the retreating figures of the two who walked out ahead. Backs devoid of any worry or fear. The only thing that could halt the footsteps of such men was death alone.
For a moment, Jin Un felt like a fool.
The things he had panicked and fretted over like a restless puppy even felt as though they were nothing at all.
Suddenly, a book he had read in his youth came to mind.
It was a book penned personally by the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, who had led the golden age of Mount Hua.
– What adversity could possibly frighten a swordsman holding a single blade and treading a righteous path? Plum Blossoms in the Snow. For the plum blossom blooms even amidst the snow.
Somehow, reminded of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint’s words through the attitude of those two, Jin Un’s mind settled down completely.
If one was a swordsman, all one had to do was walk one’s own path.
If something contrary to one’s convictions blocked the path ahead, one simply had to slash through and advance.
Frozen in place like a stone statue, Jin Un continued thought upon thought in succession.
Walking ahead and turning his head to look at such a Jin Un, Cheon Woo-jin spoke in a low voice.
“I can understand why Mount Hua places its hopes on him.”
At that, Song Yi-yeon also turned his head.
“Holy hell. He gained enlightenment in the middle of all this?”
It was an expression of having attained enlightenment that anyone could recognize.
Song Yi-yeon felt as if his internal organs were twisting in real time.
Regardless, Cheon Woo-jin held the Crane Feather Fan and lightly surveyed the surroundings. At times like that, it was best not to disturb him and simply stand guard as a protector.
* * *
The day of the sparring tournament.
An endless crowd with literally no room to step flocked to the Martial Alliance.
Not only the youngest alliance members who were the participants of the duels, but also their seniors and families. Ranking officials who recalled their own youth while watching the young vigor. Disciplinary Hall martial artists glaring with watchful eyes to ensure no demonic fiends crawled in through any openings.
In addition, commoners and officials who came to watch the fights of martial artists, merchants, and gamblers were mixing together in a dizzying throng.
“Young Hero Cheon. Truthfully, I think I am trembling a bit.”
Song Yi-yeon abruptly confessed his feelings.
He thought that Young Hero Cheon would never tremble regardless of what enemy he faced.
So he had said it seeking a bit of comfort, but strangely, no response came back.
Song Yi-yeon turned his head to look at Cheon Woo-jin.
“…Again?”
At the truly immense crowd, Young Hero Cheon’s jaw was hanging wide open. Good grief, a young hero who did not even tense up before disciples of the Dark Emperor or Master Beop-jin, the greatest elder of the Righteous Path, turned like this whenever he came to a crowded place.
Just as Song Yi-yeon was feeling dumbfounded.
Thunderous roars erupted from amidst the countless crowd surrounding the spacious sparring platform.
Waaahhhh!
The sparring tournament had begun with an alliance member stepping onto the platform. The order of the matches was determined by the upper echelon after deliberation.
Naturally, the top five ranked recruits could not help but be in later order, and if an unremarkable duel were shown in the first match, the Alliance’s prestige would suffer.
Considering such factors, the carefully selected first runner was none other than Seok Do-myeong of the Seok Clan Manor.
His rank in the entrance examination was neither too low nor too high, and while the Seok Clan Manor fell short of the Five Great Clans, it was a family whose name was renowned in its own region.
Seok Do-myeong raised his hands with a truly confident expression, responding to the crowd’s cheers.
He was quick-witted and clever. To the extent that upon entering the Alliance, his goal was set on fostering friendships with the rising stars of the Five Great Clans and Nine Great Sects.
In fact, as a result of endlessly clinging to Jin Un, Namgung Jin, and Tang So-yeon, he had succeeded in building some rapport.
Naturally, he had also chosen his opponent for the tournament intelligently.
Seok Do-myeong slowly scanned the alliance members.
‘Choosing a peer is a foolish deed. If I choose someone too weak, I cannot show off, but if I choose one of the top five, I will only look ridiculous.’
In that case, it meant he had to choose from among the seniors.
If he won, he would properly engrave his existence upon people, and if he lost, it would be less embarrassing.
‘Of course, it is best to win if possible.’
After pondering all night like that, Seok Do-myeong had thought of an opponent who could not be more ideal. He had been anxious that someone might snatch them first, so how fortunate it was that he was selected as the very first runner.
An official vice squad leader of a martial force squad in the Martial Alliance, yet according to rumors, her skills were inferior to mere squad members.
That person who was granted the vice squad leader seat solely because even the Martial Alliance could not disregard the prestige of the Five Great Clans.
“I will nominate.”
At Seok Do-myeong’s declaration, the crowd instantly grew silent.
Soon, Seok Do-myeong looked toward a martial artist of the Black Tortoise Squad.
“As the first runner, I cannot make a dull choice. Vice Squad Leader Zhuge Rin. This junior requests a lesson from you.”
He added flair by subtly infusing internal energy into his voice.
Looking at the flustered Zhuge Rin, Seok Do-myeong harbored a smile inward.
‘As expected!’
He briefly entertained the blissful daydream of defeating none other than a vice squad leader, making a name for himself, and ultimately joining the Dragon and Phoenix Society.
Zhuge Rin’s beauty was famous even in the Martial Alliance. Seeing her flustered face, his heart softened slightly with a twinge of guilt, but life was inherently about harsh reality.
Just as Seok Do-myeong steeled his heart and gripped his sword.
Zhuge Rin stepped forward, scratching her head as if embarrassed.
At the same time, the crowd erupted into cheers once more.
However, something was strange.
Seok Do-myeong blinked repeatedly like an old man with dimmed vision.
Something bizarre was held in Vice Squad Leader Zhuge Rin’s hand.
It was not the soft sword characteristic of the Zhuge Clan, but a massive heavy sword that looked capable of lopping off a horse’s head in one blow.
Looking at Zhuge Rin stepping out with a shy smile while holding a barbaric sword larger than her own torso, the thought crossed his mind that perhaps something had gone terribly wrong.
“W-Wait a moment…”
Seok Do-myeong spoke in a low voice, but nobody heard.