Chapter 273: The Generation of Shooting Stars (1)
Recently, many stories had been circulating in the taverns of Henan.
"Did you hear the news?"
At the man's question, which he spat out with somewhat excited enthusiasm, the tavern owner, Bang Dok, frowned.
"I heard it. How could I not, when Brother Chang talks about it every day?"
"Ah, was I the one talking about it?"
The man, Chang Ui-jin, smiled awkwardly.
Well, he had been talking about it yesterday and the day before, too.
Then, the other men sitting at the same table showed interest.
"What are you all talking about?"
At that reaction, Bang Dok muttered, "Here we go again," and returned to the kitchen.
Of course, for Chang Ui-jin, who loved to talk, it was the best possible situation.
"Brother Don, you've heard the news that the Shenlong Pavilion is opening this time, right?"
"How could I not? They say it's opening for the first time in four or five years."
It normally opened with intervals in between, but this time, the gap was exceptionally long.
"Do you know who the Pavilion Master is this time?"
"Of course. I heard the Lord of Kunlun is visiting the Shenlong Pavilion."
The Lord of Kunlun, one of the Nine Sects and One Faction, and the hegemon of Qinghai.
The Sword of Qinghai, Bijin.
It was said that he would take the seat of the Shenlong Pavilion Master this time.
The Shenlong Pavilion was hosted by the Murim Alliance, and the one who sat in the Pavilion Master's seat changed every time the pavilion opened.
"The previous Pavilion Master was the Sect Leader of Wudang, I believe."
"That's why, right? They say the number of people who properly graduated back then can be counted on one hand."
The temperament of Wudang's Number One Swordsman was widely known throughout the Central Plains, so it wouldn't be strange if that were true.
"Still, if you look at Sword Peak or Shenlong, the ones meant to soar will soar anyway."
"That's true, but... Anyway, was that the important story?"
"Ha, as if."
Chang Ui-jin waved his hands in denial.
"If it was a story everyone already knew, would I have come this excited?"
"Then what on earth is it?"
"As the Sword of Qinghai comes as the Pavilion Master, the instructors are also being newly appointed, right?"
"I suppose so. Then aren't they selecting them from the Kunlun Sect?"
"That's also true, but..."
Creak.
Chang Ui-jin suddenly leaned forward and drew closer.
"I got this top-secret information from the Gaibang, you see."
"You said that top-secret information yesterday and the day before too?"
"...Ah, just try to read the room a little."
At Chang Ui-jin's whining, the man groaned, frowned, and leaned closer.
Satisfied with this, Chang Ui-jin whispered into his ear.
"The news is that the Plum Blossom Sword Queen is included among the instructors this time."
"...Huh?"
It was unexpected news.
It sounded quite fresh, but the man soon pulled back, looking disappointed.
"That's bullshit. Why would the Sword Queen go and be a mere instructor?"
"Then, do you think the Sword of Qinghai has so much free time that he's going to be the Pavilion Master?"
"Well, they pay you to do that."
"...That's true."
It wasn't just about the money; becoming the Shenlong Pavilion Master was something only those with great fame and renowned names in the Central Plains could do. That perception had taken root.
From a martial artist's standpoint, it was a kind of glory. It meant being a renowned figure acknowledged by the orthodox sects.
But when it came to the Sword Queen...
"She's not someone who would deign to be a mere instructor, is she?"
She was a heroine representing the Central Plains.
A master of Huashan who inherited the generational title of Sword Queen at the youngest age in history.
Moreover, the person with the most good rumors without a single bad word from the common people was none other than the Sword Queen.
When she reappeared after her whereabouts had been obscure for the past few years, many people even breathed a sigh of relief.
"She's at a level where she could be the Pavilion Master if she wanted to."
"If anyone were to be Pavilion Master, it would be the Plum Blossom Immortal."
In fact, it seemed the offer had been made to the Plum Blossom Immortal a few times, but she herself refused, saying she didn't have the strength to take responsibility unless it was for the children of Huashan.
But the Sword Queen as an instructor?
And at a time when the Kunlun Sect was taking full charge?
"I don't think the Sword of Qinghai would have accepted that..."
That was one of the reasons this news seemed false.
"Why are you so suspicious? Don't be surprised later when my words turn out to be true."
"If your words are true, I'll buy you a drink."
"That day, this tavern's revenue will double."
Chang Ui-jin laughed heartily.
"Enough about that, tell us something else."
"Something else? Like what?"
"They say this Shenlong Pavilion is going to be unprecedented in history, right?"
"Ah."
At the man's words, Chang Ui-jin nodded as if he understood.
Because he knew what he meant.
The Generation of Shooting Stars.
In this current era, geniuses who might appear once every hundred years were a dime a dozen.
And among them, there were those who shone even brighter.
Now, with geniuses pouring down like shooting stars, it was called the Generation of Shooting Stars.
And among them, the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes.
The six dragons and three phoenixes were the ones who shone exceptionally among the multitude of geniuses.
"In the previous cohort, there were only one dragon and one phoenix, right?"
"That's right."
"Oh, there are five now?"
To be exact, the former Shenlong, Peng Woo-jin, and the current Number One Rising Star, Sword Peak, were from the previous cohort.
How great was the era back then?
The Shenlong Pavilion, established by the Wudang Sect Leader who was the Pavilion Master at the time, boasted a considerable level of difficulty even for educating the rising stars who were descendants of prestigious families and renowned sects.
Thus, it had the highest difficulty in history and produced the lowest number of graduates in history.
However, Sword Peak and Peng Woo-jin recorded the highest scores among all the Shenlong Pavilion graduates in history.
It was truly an overwhelming record.
"But this time, there are five such people..."
The timing was perfectly aligned.
It was the right age for the rising stars to enter the pavilion, and the circumstances matched perfectly.
It was a situation where everyone among the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes, except for Sword Peak, could enter the pavilion.
Excluding the yet-to-be-determined Shenlong, of course.
When it came to this, there was a certain topic of conversation.
It was a dilemma that everyone living in the Central Plains must have pondered at least once.
The greatest conundrum of the present.
"Who do you think will be the best?"
Who was the greatest among the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes?
At the man's question, Chang Ui-jin chuckled.
"Obviously, it's Sword Peak, isn't it?"
"Sword Peak isn't coming to the Shenlong Pavilion."
"That's true. Then who do you think it is?"
At Chang Ui-jin's question, the man fell silent for a moment before replying.
"...The Sleeping Dragon?"
"You pondered so hard, only to bring up that sleepyhead."
"Even taking that into account, it's true that the Sleeping Dragon is outstanding."
The Sleeping Dragon was lazy. He slept a lot, was lazy, and hated moving.
That was why he was the Sleeping Dragon.
It was said that his personality was such that he found even breathing bothersome, let alone swinging a sword.
Yet, despite such a disposition, he possessed an overwhelming talent that eclipsed others, so the Sleeping Dragon was able to enter the ranks of the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes.
"If that's the case, isn't the Thunder Dragon not bad either?"
"Ha, this guy. Everyone knows the Thunder Dragon was defeated by a newly emerging martial artist at the last Dragon-Phoenix Gathering."
The Thunder Dragon, the next young lord of the Namgung Clan, had failed to produce any outstanding results from the year before last up until last year.
"The Snow Phoenix and the Poison Phoenix... are still ambiguous. And I don't know much about the Fighting Dragon..."
"Then what about the True Dragon?"
"Ah, the one who recently received a new title...? But who are you?"
Chang Ui-jin was about to say something after recalling the True Dragon, but then observed the young man who had abruptly interjected.
They were clearly talking between the two of them, but at some point, an unfamiliar face had wedged himself in.
At Chang Ui-jin's question, the young man grinned and picked up a chicken leg placed in front of him.
"Ah, don't mind me. The conversation just looked so interesting I couldn't help but jump in."
"That's... my food..."
"I'll pay for the food."
"What more did our brother want to hear?"
The young man, who had somehow bridged the gap from a stranger to a brother, grinned and answered.
"I'd like to hear a bit more about the True Dragon. What do you think?"
"The True Dragon... Actually, he's a newly emerged martial artist who hasn't shown his face much since the last martial arts tournament."
Just like the Fighting Dragon, the True Dragon also hadn't made an appearance since his first attendance at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
What they had in common was that they both displayed overwhelming skill during their first attendance.
Especially the news that he had crushed the Thunder Dragon at the time and toyed with the Divine Star, the winner of the immediately preceding Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, like a plaything—had now reached a level that seemed almost exaggerated.
Moreover, wasn't he also the youngest among the current Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes?
I heard he hasn't even reached twenty yet;
The rumors were surely exaggerated.
But if they weren't exaggerated, the True Dragon was nothing less than the birth of a monster who would shake the Central Plains.
Yet, the Gu clan, which possessed both the Sword Peak and the True Dragon, refused to say a word, so the current consensus in the Central Plains was that it was definitely a false rumor.
"Even so, the fact that he defeated the Thunder Dragon and the Divine Star wouldn't be a lie, so couldn't we consider him on the stronger side?"
"Then how does he compare to the Sleeping Dragon?"
"The Sleeping Dragon?"
The man examined the young man who was asking something subtle.
Looking at him now, he was quite handsome.
With unkempt hair and sleep crust in the corners of his eyes, as if he hadn't washed in days.
Even so, his handsome face seemed to wipe all of that away.
"Hmm... No matter what, wouldn't the Sleeping Dragon still be better?"
"I see."
At Chang Ui-jin's words, the young man made a peculiar expression.
He looked slightly disappointed, or perhaps a little expectant.
"Ah, little brother. More than that, since you agreed to pay for the food, I'll tell you something even more interesting."
"Oh, what is it?"
The young man faced Chang Ui-jin with a face full of anticipation.
Chang Ui-jin, seemingly pleased with the young man's reaction, smacked his lips and was about to open his mouth.
At that moment.
"Senior Brother... What are you doing here?"
The person who approached let out a deep sigh toward the young man who had been trying to listen to the story.
Then, the young man made an "oops" expression.
"Damn, I've been caught."
"It's not that you've been caught... No, why did you run away in the first place... Senior Brother, don't tell me you're eating meat right now?"
"Junior Brother."
"Yes."
"This is meat made from beans. I'm saying it's not actual meat."
"Then do you call that chicken not Kkokkio, but Kongkio?"
"Haha, Junior Brother, that was funny, right?"
'' ''
...
"Alright, let's get up."
At his junior brother's expression of utter disgust, the young man scratched the back of his head and stood up.
As he put down the chicken leg he was holding, Chang Ui-jin looked up at the young man with a disappointed gaze.
"Don't worry. I heard a good story, so I'll pay the price."
"Oh, go carefully. Ah, little brother also seems like a martial artist..."
Chang Ui-jin finally spoke in a somewhat cautious voice.
From his appearance of wearing a sword, and his standing posture, he felt some inexplicable sense of dissonance.
"I do make a living by the sword to some extent."
"By any chance... do you have a title?"
"It's not a grand title, and I don't really like it either."
Chuckling, the young man tossed a coin purse containing the food money from his bosom to Chang Ui-jin.
"The conversation was fun. My name is Woo-hyuk. Let's meet again next time."
Grinning, the young man walked out of the tavern.
Following him, the figure called Junior Brother also went out.
Left alone again, Chang Ui-jin and the man wore blank expressions for a moment before opening their mouths wide in shock a short while later.
"Woo-hyuk... Woo-hyuk?"
Because it was a familiar name.
The young man's name was Woo-hyuk.
If Chang Ui-jin and the man weren't mistaken, he was definitely—
Woo-hyuk of Wudang.
A famous martial artist of Wudang born for this era.
At the same time, he was a figure called the great star of the Generation of Shooting Stars.
And his title was...
"...The Sleeping Dragon?"
The Sleeping Dragon of the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes.
He was the Sleeping Dragon.
"Heh."
The man, who had just been talking about the Sleeping Dragon, constantly recalled what he had just blurted out and tried to console himself.
Chang Ui-jin laughed hollowly as if he had met a ghost, then suddenly blurted out.
"...If I had known he was such a great person, I would have told him the most important thing."
"Is that damn story still important now? It was the Sleeping Dragon. If I had misspoken... Ugh..."
Leaving behind the man who shuddered as if getting goosebumps, Chang Ui-jin recalled the words he should have spat out inwardly.
'The descendant of the Sword Sovereign has appeared.'
Even Chang Ui-jin considered this to be a false rumor.
But if he had known he was the Sleeping Dragon, he would have told him just for the fun of it.
Chang Ui-jin was satisfied that he had secured one more entertaining topic of conversation.
Jingle.
He examined the coin purse the Sleeping Dragon had given him.
"I even earned free drinking money, so I can talk all night today..."
"Why are you like this, Brother Chang?"
.
....
!
...
As Chang Ui-jin froze, the man approached and examined the coin purse together with him.
"...Hmm?"
There was money inside the purse, but only about one or two coins were in it.
With this money, they couldn't even buy the cheapest noodle soup at the tavern.
"Please, can you not go around alone?"
"Junior Brother, people originally live in this world alone."
"...Ah... headache."
The junior brother shook his head and walked away.
The Sleeping Dragon, watching his junior brother, chuckled inwardly.
Along with that, he recalled the story he had heard at the tavern earlier.
'The True Dragon, huh.'
Was it last year?
It was a name he had briefly heard.
He heard the news that a new dragon had appeared, and he had also heard the story that this new dragon had mentioned him.
'They said he defeated the Thunder Dragon and the Divine Star.'
Even hearing the words didn't bring up any particular feelings.
In the first place, the Thunder Dragon was a guy with no fun and a low standard.
As for the Divine Star, he didn't have much to recall.
It was obvious just by looking that the people around him were puffing him up and petting him.
As if he was an expected masterpiece to be called a master.
He gave off the feeling of a manufactured master.
'How uninteresting.'
That was why it didn't really resonate with him.
He just felt languid and tired.
"I'm sleepy."
"...Didn't you sleep all day yesterday?"
"Junior Brother, sleep is something that makes you tired even if you sleep."
The Sleeping Dragon yawned and walked down the road ahead.
How much farther was their lodging?
He wanted to lie down quickly.
'It's noisy.'
The noise coming from around him was vividly heard.
The Sleeping Dragon hated this kind of noise.
"Senior Brother, isn't it quite deserted today?"
"Is it?"
"Yes, for a street in Henan, this is quite empty."
"To me, the noise is the same."
"...Yes?"
At the Sleeping Dragon's words, the junior brother looked around, but there were few people, and the atmosphere seemed more fitting to be described as deserted.
'It's noisy?'
The junior brother harbored doubts but didn't pay it much mind.
Because his senior brother often said strange things.
"For now, I just want to sleep..."
"...Huh?"
On their way to the lodging where the Wudang martial artists were staying, the Sleeping Dragon and his junior brother stopped walking.
Someone was walking toward them from the front, and it was a familiar face.
Just as the Sleeping Dragon had stopped first, the person approaching from the front also seemed to recognize the Sleeping Dragon, and soon smiled.
He was a handsome young man with equally quite good looks, just like the Sleeping Dragon.
Wearing a pure white daoist robe, an emblem symbolizing his sect was drawn on his chest.
It was a beautifully bloomed plum blossom petal.
There was only one place in the entire Central Plains that wore daoist robes with such plum blossom petals drawn on them.
As the Sleeping Dragon made a subtle expression upon confirming this, the handsome young man opened his mouth to the Sleeping Dragon as if he had been waiting for this.
"It's been a long time, Daoist Woo."
As the words were heard, a faint scent of plum blossoms brushed the tip of Woo-hyuk's nose.
About half a shichen after finishing a long journey and arriving in Henan with his companions, Gu Yang-cheon had to hear strange words from his attendant as soon as he arrived.
"...What?"
He asked back as if it was some nonsense, but the attendant's answer was the same.
"They say the Sword Dragon and the Sleeping Dragon are having a spar in the streets right now..."
"What?"
Gu Yang-cheon's brow deeply furrowed as he heard the words.
It was a pretty shitty story to hear as soon as he arrived in broad daylight.
...Those crazy bastards.
What the hell are they doing?