Episode 196
“Is that true?”
“yes. Judging by the speed of movement, they said they would arrive at Jeomchangpa in two days.”
It was a faster trip than I thought.
I was prepared to waste more than a month.
‘Thank goodness.’
The longer I stayed at the Yunnan branch, the stronger the influence of those who were dissatisfied with me became.
I was the one who argued that it was better to carry out the mission as quickly as possible.
‘I thought that in the worst case scenario, we might have to give up trying to contact the Beast Palace and enter Nanman.’
Fortunately, it didn’t seem necessary.
I sighed inwardly and sank into the back of the chair.
“If I do that, will it be okay for me to visit Jeom Changpa in two days?”
“yes. Jang Mun-in said he would provide a seat for us.”
“All right.”
I thanked the middle-aged monk who delivered the news.
After seeing off the Changyeon Dojo outside the branch, I headed straight to the training hall.
A mission is a mission, but there was something that had to be completed first.
Today was the day that Changin Dojang was scheduled to hold his last secret dance.
* * *
“······.”
Changin Dojang glared at Hong Seonghyeon with harsh eyes.
It seemed like they had become very angry after suffering two defeats.
‘It looks like there isn’t any room left.’
I laughed inwardly.
It was worth asking Hwang Ho-jin and provoking him.
‘It will be a dance that has great meaning for both Changin Dojang and Hong Seonghyeon.’
At the same time as the signal announcing the start of the dance, Changin Dojang kicked off the ground and rushed towards Hong Seonghyeon.
The pouring out of the four-day sword method.
Jeomchangpa’s visionary sword techniques flew in, filling Hong Seong-hyeon’s entire front.
Hong Seong-hyeon calmly attacked Shin-hyeong and swung his sword in return.
While Changin Dojang’s swordsmanship was fast and powerful, Hong Seonghyeon’s swordsmanship was hard and solid.
It was like watching a battle between a spear and a shield.
“Sigh!”
A furrow was carved between Changin Dojang’s eyebrows.
Could it be that Hong Seong-hyun held up better than I thought and became impatient?
His movements became more rough.
The sword energy, which narrowly missed Hong Seong-hyeon, roughly skimmed the floor of the training hall.
Hong Seong-hyun was not intimidated at all and exploited the opponent’s gap.
wickedness!
The Changin Dojang’s uniform was split on the sword blade that rose diagonally.
Blood flowed from the shallow cut on the skin.
Whoops! Damn it!
Hong Seong-hyun, who focuses on Dojang and defense and occasionally launches counterattacks.
A sluggish fight continued.
‘You’re good at it.’
Hong Seong-hyeon was determined to lead Bimu into a long game.
On the other hand, Changin Dojang tried to reach a conclusion as quickly as possible.
‘also. Is Changin Dojo’s skill still at the top?’
The power of the attack, the sophistication of herbivorous skills, actual combat experience, etc.
In all aspects, Changin Dojo had the upper hand.
However, if you were to ask whether the difference was overwhelming, it was not.
The outcome of the game could have been overturned by minor variables.
‘Originally, it would be Changin Dojo that would have the advantage in a long-term match.’
However, the current Changin Dojang had no time to spare.
High pride made the conclusion hasten, and Hong Seong-hyun cleverly exploited the resulting gap.
The sword strike fell diagonally and was aimed at Hong Seong-hyeon’s shoulder.
Hong Seong-hyeon spun the new type like a thunderbolt and swung his sword to strike it down.
Kaang!
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
The next moment, Hong Seong-hyun and Shin Hyeong forcibly penetrated into the gap between their opponents.
A precarious posture, as if it would collapse at any moment.
Hong Seong-hyeon’s back touched the upper body of Changin Dojang.
“······!”
Feeling a sense of crisis, Changin Dojang immediately tried to pull away, but Hong Seonghyun moved a little faster.
As if his posture had suddenly collapsed, he stepped forward with his left foot and twisted the new model.
Cheolsango (鐵山靠).
Teuong!
Following the heavy crash sound, the new model of Changin Dojo flew through the air.
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He somersaulted and landed on the ground, wiping the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.
Looking at the pained expression, it seemed like he had suffered some internal injuries.
‘The flow has passed.’
Hong Seong-hyeon, who had won, rushed like an angry wild boar and hit the Changin Dojang.
Hyeonsamun’s martial arts often focused on stability rather than splendor or strength.
They are monotonous, but that makes them even more flawless martial arts skills.
Changin Dojang, who had readjusted his stance, launched a counterattack step by step.
However, once Hong Seong-hyun gained victory, he never lost the initiative.
A fierce battle followed.
It was the opposite of the previous fight.
Hong Seong-hyeon took an active offense, and Chang-in Dojang focused on defense, taking advantage of the opponent’s gaps.
By the time we had exchanged about 200 seconds.
“Please stop here.”
I stepped between the two and announced the end of the dance.
Part of me wanted to let the fight end, but I felt like if the fight continued any further, both sides would suffer serious injuries.
As the time to return to Nanman was just around the corner, the two of them should not have pushed themselves any further.
‘Well, I guess this is enough.’
Changin Dojang with a horribly distorted face and Hong Seonghyeon with a bright expression in contrast.
It wasn’t a draw, but it was a battle where the superiority and inferiority became more and more divided as the second half progressed.
Both of them must have known.
If I had not intervened, the last person standing would have been Hong Seong-hyeon.
“Thank you for your effort.”
“······Thank you for your hard work.”
Hong Seong-hyeon and Chang-in Dojang bowed to each other.
Although he was trying to act calm, his trembling voice gave an idea of Changin Dojang’s psychological state.
‘It must be difficult to accept the current situation.’
He came from a humble background, had a poor background, and was even younger than himself.
Being driven to the brink of defeat by such an opponent must have been a huge psychological shock.
‘This will be enough to destroy your self-esteem.’
As I watched the back of Chang-in, who was helplessly leaving the training ground, I gave Hong Seong-hyeon a compliment with a glance.
Seonghyun Hong was wiping the sweat from the nape of his neck with a towel with a smile on his face.
* * *
My drawing room at Jeomchangpa.
I sat across the table from a muscular old man.
An angular face, short hair, bushy eyebrows and beard, bronzed skin, and ample muscles covering the entire body.
I could tell just by looking at its appearance.
That the opponent is a warrior with great skills.
The old man tapped the table with his index finger, as if showing his discomfort.
“Cheongmyeong seal.”
“Please speak.”
“Didn’t I tell you before? Don’t bother me with things that have nothing to do with the transaction. “If you violate this condition, I will no longer do business with the Jeomchang Sect.”
“I did.”
“Even so, they created a place like this.”
“I ask for your understanding. “It is a situation where even the Murim Alliance has no time to spare.”
“That is the Murim Alliance’s position. “It is not the position of the fortune-teller.”
“The Jeomchang faction is also one of the affiliated factions.”
“There is no reason to be here anymore. “I’ll just get up and see.”
While watching the two old men arguing, I took out a leather pouch from my pocket and placed it on the table.
Clang!
The muscular old man’s eyes narrowed at the heavy metallic sound.
“What does it mean?”
“If you help me, I will give you a generous reward.”
“Are you trying to placate me with money?”
“Jungwon’s voucher cannot be used in South Korea. “It was prepared entirely in cash.”
“This is ridiculous. “With just this little money…”
“For your information, everything in this bag is gold coins.”
“Let’s just listen to the story first.”
The old man changed his posture in an instant and placed his clasped hands on the table.
“······.”
I said ‘pick’ and laughed.
He was a person who traveled dangerously for a long time and continued to do business with fortune-tellers.
It would be even stranger if such a person had no greed for money.
“The request I would like to make to you is simple.”
“Wait a minute, let me point out one thing first.”
“Please speak.”
“From now on, when you call me, please use a different title.”
“yes? “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean it literally. “Now that I am no longer a member of the Beast Palace, I have no reason to be called an elder anymore.”
“······!”
I had a blank expression for a moment.
Now that I am no longer a member of the Beast Palace, what kind of bullshit is this?
* * *
A conference room in the Yunnan branch.
I called the group together and told them what had happened at Jeomchangpa.
“I have good news and bad news.”
“You sound ominous from the beginning.”
Hwang Bo-gyeong, the elder of the Hwangbo family, frowned and muttered.
I calmly spoke back, as if ignoring that voice.
“Let me tell you the bad news first. “There is no way to contact the Beast Palace.”
“what?!”
“What do you mean!”
A buzzing noise spread throughout the conference room.
I scratched the back of my neck and sighed softly.
In a way, it was natural for them to react so furiously.
Not being able to make contact meant that I had to enter Nanman at the risk of being perceived as an external enemy by the Beast Palace.
It could be said that this was the worst situation that everyone was concerned about.
“Today, during the day, I visited the Jumchang Sect and met with the elder of the Beast Palace. He said this to me: He said he no longer belonged to the Beast Palace.”
“Huh.”
“It’s an embarrassing story.”
Yang Ho-Gon, the elder of the Shinchang Yang family, sighed.
I thought it was fortunate that the elder of the Beast Palace showed up sooner than expected, but things took an unexpected turn.
An image of a muscular old man laughing heartily without knowing what others were thinking flashed through my mind.
When asked why he gave up his position as an elder and left the Beast Palace, he answered as follows.
[The Beast Palace has changed. It is no longer a sacred place for warriors. It has become a disgusting land where charlatans run amok.]
[······.]
To put it simply, he was so annoyed by watching the power struggle between the five factions that he quit his position as an elder.
Why does a person who values the honor of a warrior so much accept and swallow bribes with such relish?
“What’s the good news?”
A foot note in Botaam Biryonggak, Geomhu asked as if representing the curiosity of others.
“You heard the bad news first, now it’s time to hear the good news.”
“Fortunately, the old master said he would help us.”
“Labor and management?”
“I’m referring to the elder of the Beast Palace I mentioned a little while ago.”
“What help is an old man who is no longer an elder or anything!”
Hwang Bo-kyung shouted and pounded the table with an annoyed expression.
I looked back at him with cold eyes and warned him.
“Let me tell you this in advance. Never show such an attitude in front of labor and management. “It was difficult to obtain cooperation.”
“Now I have to cater to the barbarians.”
“······.”
“Let’s listen first. “How can he help us?”
Gamwon, the head of the Shaolin Temple’s Eight Great Houses, said while rolling his prayer beads.
I opened my mouth and thanked him with a wink for brightening the mood in a timely manner.
“The master said that although the position of elder was put down, the title of Great Master remained.”
“Daejeon Temple?”
“It is said that the title Daejeonsa has a special meaning in Nanman.”
martial arts,
