Episode 309. As Expected of the Martial Arts Alliance.
I had just sat down on the stairs when Saekma and Baekri Hyeok appeared and walked toward the front yard that I had swept.
I suppose I swept all that just to see this.
I looked up as a window opened above me, and the Ghost Demon was looking down at the front yard. From another window, the Eldest Young Master of the Baekri Clan and the young lady stood side by side, watching the front yard.
But the Martial Sword King and the Sword Demon did not open their windows.
Baekri Hyeok spoke to Saekma.
“……Apologize before you get beaten.”
I looked at Saekma.
If it had been simply for a martial contest, Saekma would have been running his mouth playfully, but his tone was heavy, as though he were truly in a foul mood.
“What apology? Are you speaking nonsense? Fine. I can apologize. But first, you must apologize to the Sect Leader for speaking rudely to the Hao Sect Leader and for calling him a madman to his face. Then I shall admit my own slip of the tongue as well. However, that will not be the end. You looked him in the eye and told him to come down, so we must finish this contest. Whether we apologize to each other before we fight is up to you. Baekri Hyeok, apologize to the Sect Leader first.”
Baekri Hyeok looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“What is the meaning of this……”
The voice of the Eldest Young Master of the Baekri Clan rang out.
“Hyeok, apologize to the Hao Sect Leader. It is your mistake.”
Baekri Hyeok looked up.
“What?”
“Are you so worthless that you cannot apologize for your wrongdoing? This is not the Baekri Clan. With such habits, you will inevitably get into quarrels with your other seniors and juniors.”
Baekri Hyeok looked at me, then slightly tilted his head to the side and cupped his fists in salute.
“I was discourteous to the Hao Sect Leader. I apologize.”
I stood up, dusted off my backside, and deliberately returned the salute with a solemn posture.
“Think nothing of it. Young Master Baekri, I have learned something from you. I laughed because I was so bewildered; please do not take it to heart. I have a condition where I cannot hold back laughter.”
After saying my piece, I sat back down.
Once they had roughly exchanged apologies, Saekma also spoke in a shrewd tone.
“Young Master Hyeok, I spoke unnecessary words in anger. I apologize.”
Saekma cupped his fists in salute to Baekri Hyeok, then looked up at the window and exchanged a greeting with his eyes. Then the Eldest Young Master of the Baekri Clan said:
“Young Master Meng, I did not know you were here. My younger brother Hyeok has a hasty and rough nature, so that is what led to this. Even if it gave you offense, I ask that you not injure him seriously.”
Saekma nodded with a disgruntled expression.
Baekri Hyeok narrowed his brow and looked up at his older brother.
“I will get hurt?”
Only then did the Eldest Young Master reply in an irritated tone.
“Baekri Hyeok, are you not going to come to your senses?”
Baekri Hyeok looked Saekma up and down anew.
“…….”
Saekma asked in a nonchalant tone.
“Are you ready? With your sword? Draw it or don't, as you please.”
For some reason, the words “draw it or don't” made me burst out laughing, and I hurriedly covered my mouth with my hand. Since covering just my mouth was hardly effective, I covered my nose as well.
Baekri Hyeok replied in a tone that suggested he finally understood the situation.
“I shall use my sword, but I will not draw it.”
At the implication that he would use it like a wooden sword, Saekma nodded without taking any stance whatsoever.
“I am ready.”
At this attitude of yielding the first move, Baekri Hyeok—whose temperament was somewhat aggressive—got riled up again.
Still, it was a shame that because of the Eldest Young Master, Saekma could not thoroughly crush him. Naturally, the Eldest Young Master of the Baekri Clan must have roughly gauged the levels of Saekma and myself. He must have thought that even if he stepped in himself, he could not guarantee victory, so with his younger brother standing in the front yard, it was tantamount to asking in advance to go easy on him.
Baekri Hyeok charged in.
Baekri Hyeok unleashed three consecutive techniques purely as a threat. Saekma, realizing his opponent was observing propriety, dodged the sword this way and that while retreating.
The fourth technique.
Having realized the situation, Baekri Hyeok's speed changed markedly.
He had already recognized that this was an opponent he could not defeat half-heartedly. However, Saekma moved quickly with a bizarre footwork that seemed to glide across the ground and struck Baekri Hyeok's shoulder with a palm strike.
In an instant, Baekri Hyeok spun around and responded with a left palm strike.
Thwack!
That rascally Saekma had struck with a palm like it was nothing, but just from the sound, one could tell he had put quite a lot of inner power into it.
Moreover, this was a move designed to induce an honest contest of palm strength from the very beginning.
From the start, the gap between them in skill and internal energy was vast. Only when levels are somewhat similar does a fight last long; with such a gap, it was only right for the match to end quickly.
Baekri Hyeok quickly retreated three or four steps and tried to set his stance.
But his stance would not hold.
The flustered Baekri Hyeok struggled to steady his breathing and raised his sword, only to stagger once more.
“Huh?”
Saekma deliberately watched him with his hands clasped behind his back.
“…….”
Baekri Hyeok's appearance was growing more and more unsightly. He staggered, his posture collapsing from the knees down, then planted his face in the front yard and trembled all over.
It seemed the Jade Flower Ice Energy had penetrated his body.
A clatter sounded from above, and then I heard the Eldest Young Master and the young lady coming down the stairs.
Saekma looked at me.
His expression showed that his anger had still not subsided.
Still, since he was demonstrating considerable patience, I threw a remark toward him.
“You held yourself back well.”
Saekma made a bitter smile.
The young lady, who had run down to the front yard at some point, said while checking on Baekri Hyeok.
“Brother!”
At that moment, the Martial Sword King's voice rang out.
“Stop making a fuss and bring him here.”
The Eldest Young Master, who had arrived, hoisted Baekri Hyeok up and looked at Saekma.
“……Young Master Meng, it is rather ambiguous whether you showed mercy in your hand or not.”
Saekma looked at the Eldest Young Master.
“This much is mercy enough.”
The Eldest Young Master nodded.
“I shall remember it.”
“Remember it as much as you like.”
The Eldest Young Master, who had been glaring at Saekma, took his younger brother and went into the quarters. The young lady, left in the front yard, looked at Saekma, who had once been a prospective marriage partner.
“……You were Meng Lang?”
Saekma answered while glaring at the young lady.
“I am.”
The young lady spoke in a cold tone.
“I am sorry that the marriage talks were one-sidedly broken off. But your conduct became known even to the Baekri Clan, so there was too much opposition.”
Saekma looked at her so fiercely that he seemed about to grab her by the hair at any moment.
“Is that so? It was not a marriage I wanted from the start, so all the better.”
The young woman swept inside before the Lust Demon had even finished speaking. At her rudeness, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Left alone in the front yard, the Lust Demon’s face was turning red.
This time, the young woman picked a fight with me as I stood there grinning.
“Why do you keep laughing?”
I answered, somewhat taken aback.
“I laughed because you have no manners, young lady. You’re no different from Baekri Hyeok. It’s true that Mong Rang’s behavior has been poor all this time, but if you’re going to apologize, then just apologize. Don’t mock him with petty sarcasm. Senior Lord Sword King built up that reputation with great effort, so why are his children like this?”
“What did you say?”
“Your tone, your gaze, your posture, your actions—everything is steeped in the pride of being from the Baekri Family. That sort of pride should be shown off only at home. If you flaunt it outside, it’s unpleasant to look at, so you’d best keep it in moderation.”
“You—!”
“You?”
Just then, a crack— rang out from one of the rooms. It sounded like something, perhaps a table, had been smashed to pieces.
The Lord Sword King’s voice was heard.
“Yeong-ah, come upstairs.”
“Yes.”
Baekri Yeong glared at me, then went inside. I looked toward the source of the sound and muttered.
“What broke? That’s destruction of Martial Alliance property.”
There came a sliding sound, and then the Sword Demon’s voice was heard.
“Disciple.”
The Lust Demon looked up.
“Yes, Master.”
“Before you even earned fame in the jianghu through your martial arts, you have already become famous.”
“Yes.”
The Sword Demon was a merciless man.
“I have always thought that being called an illegitimate son or a child born out of wedlock was neither your fault nor something you should be ashamed of. But if your conduct at Baekeungji has become this widely known, then that is indeed something to be ashamed of. Is this not the consequence of your own behavior?”
“It is.”
“Go take a walk to calm your mind.”
“Understood.”
The Lust Demon turned away like a child who had been thoroughly scolded. He had won the spar, yet the one utterly dispirited was, rather, the Lust Demon.
‘Wow, raising a single disciple properly really isn’t easy.’
I called out to the Lust Demon as he walked away.
“Hey, Young Master Mong.”
When I called him in that odd way, the Lust Demon looked back.
“What?”
“If you see a pretty alliance member, don’t go flirting again. Just take a walk.”
The Lust Demon stared at me with a truly dumbfounded expression.
I said to the Lust Demon.
“What? What are you looking at? Hurry up and get lost.”
The Lust Demon let out a deep sigh and turned away.
At this rate, the Sword Demon might not gain enlightenment through the sword, but attain the Dao while teaching his disciple.
In any case, the Lust Demon’s movements were different from before. It seemed he had mixed ice arts into his footwork. In a short time, we had fought all sorts of enemies several times over and accumulated experience. Whenever we rested, each of us continued pondering our own martial studies.
Naturally, it was a period in which we had no choice but to grow rapidly.
Upstairs, the Lord Sword King was shouting as he scolded his children, but the atmosphere was not all that serious.
Listening to that conversation,
it seemed the Lord Sword King had spent his days with his nerves and concentration scattered, his mental strength drained because of his children.
Just then, I heard someone speaking from beyond the wall outside Wolhagwan.
“……Master, is the food at the Martial Alliance good?”
“It is. To me, the food at the Martial Alliance is the most delicious in all the jianghu.”
“Then why haven’t you brought me here until now?”
“Im Sobaek dislikes me.”
“Why?”
“Because I eat too much.”
Then the two men burst into laughter at the same time.
“Wahahahaha.”
The disciple said,
“Don’t I eat more than you, Master?”
“You’ll be chased out soon too. Hm? Look at the way that fellow walks.”
“Mm, he walks well. As expected of the Martial Alliance.”
“He doesn’t seem like an alliance member.”
As I listened to their conversation, this thought occurred to me.
It was not only the Fist King from my previous life who had been an idiot; I now realized his master had been an idiot too. In other words, it seemed one idiot had designated another idiot as his successor and taught him martial arts. Before long, two men appeared at the entrance to Wolhagwan. My eyes did not go to their faces first, but naturally to their broad, imposing shoulders.
The rare muscle monkeys crossed the front yard I had swept with a broom, looking at me as they came.
They were the Fist King of the present generation and the young idiot.
Still, since he was the master whom the idiot from my previous life had respected, it was only right to show proper courtesy.
I stood and cupped my fist.
“Senior Fist King, welcome. I am the Hao Sect Master, I Jaha.”
The master and disciple started in surprise, then looked at each other.
“He says he’s the Hao Sect Master.”
“I heard him too.”
“I heard he had no manners?”
“I guess the rumors are different from the truth.”
“How fascinating. To see a famous person in person.”
“I know. As expected of the Martial Alliance.”
The two approached like muscular monkeys who had discovered a strange fruit, then looked me over from all sides.
The Fist King said,
“How did you recognize me? Isn’t this our first time meeting?”
I nodded.
“At a glance, you are clearly the Fist King.”
“Is that so?”
As they drew closer, the two looked to me like a small monkey and a large monkey. The Fist King of the present generation was about the same height as me, but the idiot from my previous life was a head taller than us.
The Fist King was no ordinary build either, but that idiot from my previous life was such a giant that people could not help but stare if he merely walked down the street.
The Fist King introduced himself.
“Clearly the Fist King at a glance, you say. Strangely enough, that makes sense. I am the Fist King.”
The idiot from my previous life introduced himself as well, and I heard the name I Gun-ak from the person himself for the first time in a long while. Yet strangely, it felt as if I had met him only a few days ago, without the slightest sense of incongruity.
The Fist King said to me,
“……Sect Master.”
“Yes.”
“Let me feel your body.”
“Mm.”
A sigh escaped me. Before I could even answer, the Fist King came up and groped my forearm. He touched my shoulder and tapped my stomach as if knocking on a watermelon. If I stayed still, he seemed ready to examine my entire body, so I had no choice but to stop him.
“Hey, enough already.”
“My apologies. It’s a habit.”
The fool from my previous life asked his master about the state of the fruit.
“How is it, Master?”
The Fist King looked at me.
“It seems you learned martial arts rather late, yet you’ve somehow reached this level. Impressive.”
“Is that so?”
“Why? Did you learn early?”
“A bit late.”
“Right?”
“Yes.”
“Even if I look generously, the traces of intense external arts training on you don’t go back more than three or four years. Don’t neglect training your external arts either. When combined with internal energy, there are times when it shines. In the midst of a fight, your muscles recover faster than your internal energy does. If you end up fighting an equal opponent to the bitter end, what saves your life won’t be internal energy, but external arts.”
“Yes.”
The Fist King looked at me with a solemn expression.
“……I’ve often heard rumors of your exploits. Now that we’ve met, I’m unexpectedly glad to see you.”
Beside him, the fool from my previous life, I Gunak, chimed in.
“He’s too thin. Seems like he doesn’t eat properly. Doesn’t sleep properly either. His personality must be too sensitive. You can see his temper just from his eyes.”
The Fist King said to his disciple,
“That’s not something you say in front of the person concerned.”
“Even though it’s a compliment?”
“Yes. It wasn’t exactly a compliment.”
“Understood.”
The Fist King apologized to me in his stead.
“He’s been living only in the mountains, so he’s quite honest.”
“I understand.”
“Few people understand that. You’re broad-minded.”
Suddenly, the Fist King looked up at the building and said,
“I heard the Sword King arrived first. Is he inside?”
“Yes.”
The Fist King raised his voice and said,
“Hey, you old geezer Sword King, I’m here. Come down and let’s have a bout. Wouldn’t you feel better fighting before breakfast? After I beat you senseless, will you even be able to swallow your meal?”
Wow, just like that?
His skill at provocation was rather impressive.
The Military Sword King’s voice rang out.
“You brat, did you come down because you got sick of mountain greens? Go stuff yourself with that Martial Alliance food you like so much.”
Wow, the Sword King’s tongue was no ordinary thing either.
The Fist King chuckled and looked at his disciple.
“……That fellow called the Sword King got scared right away.”
The fool grinned.
“He sure did.”
When I started snickering, master and disciple suddenly burst into laughter as well.
“Hahahahaha.”
“Ahahahahaha.”
For a moment, I felt as if we had become the three fool brothers, but I couldn’t help but keep laughing too. The master and disciple, who had pursued the pinnacle of fists only to become fools, were just too funny.
The Fist King tapped my arm and said,
“Sect Leader, let’s have a meal together later.”
“Let’s do that.”
“Let’s go in. The bedding at Wolhagwan is very comfortable. You’ll fall asleep in no time. The bathing area is very spacious too. It’s well made.”
The disciple answered his master’s words.
“As expected of the Martial Alliance. Master, I can sleep anywhere as long as I close my eyes.”
“That’s a bit too carefree.”
“Is it?”
“You need to know how to stay tense too. Look at that Sect Leader. He’s so sensitive that he probably won’t be ambushed easily. A martial artist needs to have that side as well.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. I really was right to come. There’s much to learn.”
As I entered Wolhagwan, I watched the chattering Fist King and the fool I Gunak.
In any case, that Fist King master and disciple pair were peculiar beings.
They were such fools by nature that they didn’t seem to have come here from the start to torment Im Sobaek.
They must have run all the way here simply because they wanted to watch a fight.
So I decided, as I pleased, to consider those foolish master and disciple as reinforcements. I had a feeling that if I subtly sowed discord or merely sprinkled a bit of seasoning on my words, the matchups would become a little easier.
After all, the fun in watching kings is seeing kings grab each other by the hair and fight.
By the way, even though the fool I Gunak had not yet become the Fist King, he already looked strong.
If I considered matchups between the lecher, the eldest young master of the Baekri Clan, and the fool I Gunak right now, it was no children’s fight.
Just as the fool said.
Was this, indeed, the Martial Alliance?
The strong of the era were gathering one by one.
Their target would be the Martial Alliance Leader, Im Sobaek, but it was my role to keep harassing the kings along the way. Well, there was no grand meaning to it.
Bullying a pathetic man in ordinary times was no fun.
But bullying outstanding men was tremendously entertaining.