Episode 9
Chapter 3. Muryeong Hall (3)
“Who came?”
“It is Young Hero Moyong Gyeong. He declared himself to be a member of our group.”
“Ah, what a persistent bastard.”
Seonu shook his head upon hearing that Moyong Gyeong had entered the Thirtieth Group.
He had hoped against hope, but to think Moyong had followed him even into the Thirtieth Group, where the dropouts gathered.
“Surely no one else is coming in?”
Certainly, waking at the crack of dawn to enter the Thirtieth Group of Muryeong Hall had not been an outstanding choice.
Because of that, hadn’t a thorn named Moyong Gyeong followed him inside?
He had entered the Thirtieth Group deliberately to train in peace, yet he never imagined that idiot Moyong Gyeong would follow him in.
He had made the strange excuse that it was better to be the first to take a beating and that there were many dullards, entering early to secure his place, but he hadn’t expected this side effect.
Now that it had happened, he vaguely began to worry that someone else might enter the Thirtieth Group.
“Hey, it won’t happen. It can’t, it shouldn’t.”
* * *
“What are you doing?”
“I am performing a concealment technique.”
Muk Jigong let out a sigh and looked up at the ceiling.
The moment the fellow entered the room, he jumped onto the main beam and hid, saying he was performing a concealment technique.
Muk Jigong had someone bring the other documents and read about the sect of the young man on the main beam.
Baekdo Gate.
It was a thieves’ sect, and one he knew.
It was a sect famous for the so-called Three Refusals, and for thieves, they had rather amusing rules.
They did not steal from the righteous, did not steal martial arts secret manuals, and did not take everything.
Baekdo Gate was also famous for distributing stolen goods to the destitute, so commoners revered them.
Thus, even in the martial world, no one could easily antagonize them.
Originally they had not belonged to the Bukjeong Alliance, but a year ago they donated considerable funds and earnestly begged to be accepted as family of the alliance.
In exchange, they became affiliated with the Bukjeong Alliance and received the Muryeong plaque.
But the boy who came—the son of the Baekdo Gate sect leader—was a blockhead.
“What is your name?”
“I am O Bongdal.”
“You excel in qinggong and concealed weapon techniques?”
“Yes. None can follow my lead.”
“You are also outstanding in formations and mechanisms, and have considerable skill in earth escape techniques……”
“I pride myself that I am inferior to none in those as well.”
Muk Jigong began to wonder what to do with that fellow boasting of his greatness from atop the main beam.
But he suddenly recalled what the Baekdo Gate sect leader had said to him a year ago.
“My son lacks sense. He possesses trivial skill yet thinks himself quite remarkable. I came like this hoping that if he enters this place, he might come to his senses.”
Only now did he remember.
That was why he had sent the Muryeong plaque to Baekdo Gate.
“Which group were you thinking of?”
“There is no one in the world besides me fit to take the First Group.”
It was an absurd answer.
So Muk Jigong spoke.
“Go to the Thirtieth Group.”
This could not be.
How could a genius like himself be sent to the Thirtieth Group?
His grandfather and grandmother, as well as the elders of his sect, had endlessly praised him as a once-in-a-century genius.
But the Thirtieth Group?
This was definitely some trick his father had pulled.
Only his father did not believe he was a genius.
That was why he had brought numerous people to escort him all the way to the Bukjeong Alliance.
Guided by a martial artist, when he arrived at the Thirtieth Group’s quarters, he saw two worthless-looking young men and one rather beautiful woman to his liking training with a large saber.
*Ordinary fellows have to train that hard. Yep.*
A genius like himself achieved great results even with slight effort.
But those born ordinary had to suffer with their bodies like that.
He approached with an arrogant expression, yet not a single person pretended to know him.
Displeased by that, he coughed once.
*Ahem!*
Still, no one turned to look.
*These bastards. I’ll teach them a lesson.*
He took a throwing star from his waist and threw it at the shoulder of the fellow swinging the large saber.
*Clack!*
The man training blocked the throwing star effortlessly with the large saber.
*Is he a genius too?*
The moment this suspicion arose, the large saber flew toward him without hesitation.
*This much.*
He ducked his head to dodge, but the saber changed direction to match and struck his head.
*Damn it! There was a genius greater than I.*
* * *
Seonu, who had been writing talismans inside the room, came out and stared at the young man sprawled on the ground.
“What is this?”
“I don’t know. The moment he arrived, he threw a throwing star without warning, so I struck his head and knocked him out.”
“You must have hit him hard. He’s bleeding from the head.”
“The saber is so heavy that my attempt to go easy failed. I apologize.”
When Yu Gwang admitted his fault, Seonu shook his head.
“No. If he threw a throwing star, this is already being quite lenient. But who is this fellow?”
“I suspect he may be a new group member.”
When Do Yeong carefully expressed his opinion, Seonu’s face grew serious.
“This fellow seems quite abnormal.”
Five people who had entered the Thirtieth Group of their own will, and one person who absolutely had not wanted to but had entered the Thirtieth Group anyway, gathered and began their life at Muryeong Hall.
Around sunset, O Bongdal woke and realized he was still lying on the ground.
“You heartless bastards. Daring to do this to a genius……”
Fury shooting to the top of his head, O Bongdal asked the man sitting near his head and staring at him.
“Are you people human? Leaving a collapsed person just lying on the ground.”
“You threw the throwing star first.”
At the man’s reply, O Bongdal recalled the memory and hurriedly rose. Then he emanated an aura that seemed extremely ferocious to himself, though quite amusing from Seonu’s perspective.
“Just now was a mistake, but now I shall show you my true skill!”
When O Bongdal shouted confidently, Yu Gwang, Mi Jin, and Do Yeong, who had been training with large sabers, put down their weapons and sat down to watch.
“I suppose your concealed weapon techniques are remarkable?”
“I pride myself on excelling at everything more than others. I learned to read at five, and by eight I reached the five-star level in concealed weapons; everyone called me a genius.”
Perhaps thinking that much was enough to boast of being a genius, Seonu nodded.
“Then throw.”
As Seonu rose from his seat to face him, O Bongdal spread both hands with vigor and threw.
He threw them at both shoulders and both thighs.
But Seonu’s hands moved simultaneously as if he had several of them, and the four throwing stars were caught in his palms.
The three siblings of the Paeng family watching exclaimed in admiration, and O Bongdal was flustered.
*How can this be? How is that possible?*
It was the first time O Bongdal had seen a person’s hands appear to multiply like that.
“Do you have nothing else?”
At Seonu’s question, the flustered O Bongdal shouted vigorously again.
“My concealment technique—no one can find me!”
“Then hide.”
The moment Seonu’s reply ended, O Bongdal’s figure disappeared from that spot as if vanished.
O Bongdal himself thought he had vanished from that spot, but that was only his own thought.
His instantaneous movement was indeed fast, but not only Seonu—even the Paeng siblings could see clearly where he was hiding.
Seonu picked up a stone from the ground and threw it toward the shade of a tree.
*Thwack!*
*Urgh!*
With a scream, O Bongdal appeared rolling on the ground from the shade of the tree.
“Anything else?”
His forehead hurt so much he could not even hear what the opponent was saying.
O Bongdal rubbed his bleeding forehead with his hand and rose.
“I asked if you have anything else.”
When Seonu pressed him, O Bongdal answered with an unconfident face.
“I… I’m fast at qinggong.”
“Show me.”
At Seonu’s words, O Bongdal hesitated.
“Must I really?”
“Yes. Do it.”
The moment Seonu’s reply ended, O Bongdal performed qinggong with all his might.
But something flashed before his eyes, and an impact like being struck by a hammer on the chin rang through him.
Gazing at the sunset sky, O Bongdal lay back down on the ground.
*Was I not a genius but a fool?*
“This fellow is a fool.”
As if confirming it, when Seonu spat out the words, O Bongdal lost consciousness again.
*I was not a genius.*
Once O Bongdal quieted down, Seonu asked Yu Gwang, who was sitting and watching.
“What do you think?”
“He certainly seems to surpass the ordinary, but he appears to have learned things half-heartedly. His family’s protection was probably excessive.”
At Yu Gwang’s answer, Seonu spoke with a satisfied expression.
“I think the same. This fellow seems never to have fought a real battle before.”
* * *
The Bukjeong Alliance had quite a high mountain behind it.
The mountain was called Mubong Mountain, and climbing to the summit was forbidden.
Muk Jigong was ascending in violation of that prohibition using qinggong.
As he neared the summit, a pavilion began to come into view.
And inside the pavilion, someone sat alone drinking by lamplight.
It was an old man with a fine physique, his white hair neatly tied with a hairpin in his head.
Muk Jigong approached the old man, respectfully bowed his head, and sat facing him.
The old man seemed to already know Muk Jigong would come; he took a cup from under the table, poured wine, and offered it.
Muk Jigong respectfully received it with both hands and drank, then lifted the wine bottle and filled the old man’s cup as well.
“All the Muryeong plaques have been collected.”
“Who were the noteworthy ones this time?”
“Baekri Yuha and Baekri Jong of the Baekri clan; Jongri Gongmyeong of the Jongri clan; Jegal Su of the Jegal clan; Hoyeon Jeong of the Hoyeon clan; Hwang Suho of the Hanam Hwang family; and Moyong Gyeong of the Moyong clan were worthy of being called prodigies.”
“The Baekri clan continues its reputation steadily.”
“It is only natural, being a clan that has produced Ten Great Experts. Also, group members have entered the Thirtieth Group. However, there is a rather unusual individual. Moyong Gyeong, known far and wide as a prodigy, followed that person into the Thirtieth Group. It would be wise to establish a foothold in the Thirtieth Group as well.”
“Handle it as you see fit, Military Advisor.”
The old man raised his cup and drank.
Then he looked down at the faint lights visible far below the mountain and muttered in a quiet voice.
“It has been nearly sixty years since this place was built.”
“Had it not been for the Alliance Lord, the righteous faction would have scattered in all directions.”
“It was all for naught.”
As the words were brimming with self-loathing, Muk Jigong hurriedly shook his head.
“That is not so. The Alliance Lord did your utmost. It was the Nine Sects and One Alliance that committed the wrong from the start, not the Alliance Lord.”
At Muk Jigong’s words, the old man formed a faint smile.
“It seems I myself am following the path of the Nine Sects and One Alliance that I so detested. The path of the ruined Nine Sects and One Alliance, I mean.”
“Alliance Lord……”
Tears flowed from Muk Jigong’s eyes.
The old man before him was the Alliance Lord of the Bukjeong Alliance and one of the Four Heavenly Kings under the heavens, the Sword God Ma Yeongje.
He had raised and established the Bukjeong Alliance and dedicated his entire life solely for the peace of the martial world.
“Jo Maengcheon—that friend’s insight was better than mine. I chose a successor based solely on martial arts, but that friend looked at character as well. I thought I was ahead at first, but before I knew it, I had been surpassed, had I not?”
Wishing to offer even a little comfort at the Alliance Lord’s words full of regret, Muk Jigong spoke.
“Still, the Young Alliance Lord has much room for growth.”
“There is no need to say such things for my sake. That fellow is already past fifty. Yet his interest lies only in political strife.”
*Haah……!*
The Alliance Lord, exhaling a deep sigh, poured and drank another cup.
“Before long, I shall meet that friend Jo Maengcheon. I wish I could see Daehyeong then as well. Since we are meeting here this time, I should have something to boast of. Only then will my pride stand before Jo Maengcheon. Yet no matter how I look around, there is nothing worth boasting of.”
“The Alliance Lord has already raised countless experts of the Bukjeong Alliance. Did not the Southern Martial Alliance also model its Ascension plaques after the Alliance Lord’s Muryeong plaques to accept prodigies?”
“Do you truly think so?”
When the Alliance Lord asked with a curious expression, Muk Jigong tried to answer yes but closed his mouth.
It was not so.
Others might not know, but he knew.
Whether it was called the Muryeong plaque or Ascension plaque, only the name and place differed.
From the very beginning, the Hundred-Eyed Divine Jo Cheonmaeng and Ma Yeongje had shared the same intention.
“I have committed a great sin against the martial world. I ignored the righteousness and chivalry of the martial world and pursued only strength. When I die later, never build me a tomb. I am afraid to lie in a tomb and receive the pointing fingers of others.”