Chapter 142. Those Wearing Black Masks
“Old memories come back to me.”
At Hyeok Mu-gang’s words, Jegal So-myeong nodded.
“Indeed. I cannot believe forty years have already passed.”
Whenever the Murim Academy’s first break began, the two of them dismissed their guards and took a walk through the Murim Academy.
Because it was the first break, there were few people staying inside the academy.
When one lived for decades in a life where even a single day of rest was seen as a political move, one grew tired of people.
Perhaps it was only natural that two people who shared such similar feelings would visit the Murim Academy, where they could recall their pure days of old.
“The dormitory building has changed.”
At Hyeok Mu-gang’s words, Jegal So-myeong nodded.
“The old building was terribly poor, was it not? In my days, even Class A students shared one room among four people.”
“It must have been very suffocating for you, Grand Strategist.”
“Even so, I had many amusing experiences with my academy classmates. We would sneak out at night and run all the way to Yueyang. The fellow who is now the Sect Leader of Mount Hua liked pleasure houses so much back then.”
When Jegal So-myeong began telling the story with even a faint smile at the corners of his mouth, Hyeok Mu-gang also opened his mouth.
“I truly envy you. I have no such memories.”
“Alliance Leader, did you have no friends back then either?”
“Hm?”
At Jegal So-myeong’s words, Hyeok Mu-gang’s eyebrow twitched.
“Ah! I misspoke. I meant to ask whether you were devoted to training even then, but I ended up……. Hahaha.”
Jegal So-myeong tried to smooth things over, but Hyeok Mu-gang’s eyes had already narrowed.
“That is not it. I never missed being top scorer or Academy Representative, so I had no opportunity to experience communal life. As you know, Grand Strategist, the Representative Dormitory is rather secluded, is it not? ……Ah, right! You never served as Academy Representative, did you?”
“…….”
This time, Jegal So-myeong’s eyes narrowed in return.
“At the time, I deliberately did that to help that Divine Sword bastard of the Namgung Clan become the Representative…….”
“Were you perhaps not friends, but in a master-servant relationship?”
“Ahem! It was a decision for the greater good!”
“You two are friends now, are you not?”
At Hyeok Mu-gang’s words, which teased him to the very end, Jegal So-myeong let out a long sigh.
“Let us stop. What use are such old labels now?”
“Could it be…… that you are still in a relationship where you must follow the Divine Sword’s words?”
“You really are—!”
“Hahahaha.”
When Hyeok Mu-gang burst into laughter first, Jegal So-myeong, who had been making a stern face, also smiled after him.
“It is truly quiet and pleasant.”
“Everyone must be enjoying themselves heartily at their teacher’s sects.”
“Hm?”
Hyeok Mu-gang, who had been looking around, stopped walking.
“What is the matter?”
“It seems someone has remained in the Representative Pavilion.”
Jegal So-myeong sharpened his eyesight toward the direction Hyeok Mu-gang pointed.
“It is Jin So-un and the children of the Taeul Sect.”
“Did they not return this time?”
“Indeed. They must have been waiting quite a long time back at the Taeul Sect, too……. But it seems they are having a martial duel.”
“A martial duel?”
The two men met each other’s gazes and, without either saying who should go first, turned their steps toward the Representative Pavilion.
Whatever else one said, both of them were martial artists of the Murim who could not miss the sight of a fight.
“For something you shouted so boldly, this is rather cowardly. Four against one, is it?”
At Jin So-un’s words, Eun-ho, who stood at the center of the sword formation, swallowed hard.
He said that, but he was completely relaxed.
That meant he was confident he would not lose easily.
‘But it will not be that easy this time.’
Eun-ho was confident.
The experience he had accumulated through the Murim Academy Regular Exam, and the new knowledge he had learned from the sword formation masters inside the academy.
On top of that, there were the essential principles of two sects’ sword formations he had gained from Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran.
Having absorbed all of it, Eun-ho had advanced the White Tiger Sword Formation by one stage based on the Taeul True Scripture.
Before the bout against Eldest Senior Brother, they had tested the newly made sword formation against Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran, and Namgung Seon-hwa had even brought out the Emperor Sword Art, yet in the end, she failed to neutralize the White Tiger Sure-Kill Sword Formation.
“You had better be careful this time.”
“If your training has been lax, know that you will undergo intensive training for the remaining period.”
“……Is that not a bit much? You said we were going to Dongting Lake for fun.”
“We are not going for fun. We are going for work and will only look around briefly.”
“Still!”
He had clearly said he would take them to Yueyang during the break, yet now he was suddenly attaching such conditions.
Was that not too harsh?
“As expected, Eldest Senior Brother’s temper is the greatest under heaven…….”
“What was that?!”
“Nothing.”
“So if you want to go sightseeing, come at me prepared to die.”
“!”
At the sight of So-un drawing the Black Dragon Sword, sparks flew in the four people’s eyes.
“Are you ready?”
At Namgung Seon-hwa’s question from her place as spectator, everyone from the Taeul Sect nodded at the same time.
“Then…… begin!”
No sooner had Namgung Seon-hwa’s signal fallen than So-un shot forward like lightning and thrust his sword in.
CLANG.
Dong-ryong, who was at the very front of the sword formation, barely blocked So-un’s sword, but because he was pushed back several steps, the sword formation failed to activate.
He had been blocked by So-un’s intention to destroy it before the sword formation activated.
“Eldest Senior Brother, we did not come this far so easily either! Hong Bullet!”
Along with Eun-ho’s shout, the sword formation changed into the shape of an arrowhead.
While Dong-ryong faced So-un, Sa-ryeon shot out and fiercely aimed for So-un’s vital points.
SWISH.
When the swift Minor Heaven Sword Art rushed in, aiming for his vital acupoints, So-un spun his body twice and retreated.
“Copper Force!”
The sword formation spread out like a fan, and Sa-ryeon and Geum-pyo stood to Dong-ryong’s left and right. The three of them began attacking Jin So-un all at once.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten exchanges passed, and So-un retreated two steps once again.
“Your attacks are fairly sharp. Shall I see whether your defense is also decent?”
So-un’s Black Dragon Sword began moving rapidly, scattering the Twin Heaven Sword Formula. Real swords and Illusion Swords scattered wildly in every direction, beginning to tighten around the four of them.
“Gold-Silver Armor!”
Along with Eun-ho’s shout, Dong-ryong and Sa-ryeon retreated, while Geum-pyo and Eun-ho stepped forward and faced the Twin Heaven Sword Formula.
Jin So-un’s Twin Heaven Sword Formula and the two men’s Twin Heaven Sword Formula.
The difference between them was that Jin So-un had spread the Twin Heaven Sword Formula wide, while the two of them unfolded it narrowly, creating an effect like a sword curtain.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.
When dozens of the Twin Heaven Sword Formula he had unfolded were dispelled all at once, So-un could not hide his surprise either.
“Were your hands and feet always this well matched?”
“We are in the middle of a martial duel right now, Eldest Senior Brother!”
“That is true, but it seems your coordination is better than I expected.”
At So-un’s words, Eun-ho smiled inwardly.
The secret of the Taeul True Scripture they had discovered while training as if their lives depended on it.
It was precisely the reason they had begun to think they could try challenging Eldest Senior Brother.
‘I should tell him, but not during this martial duel.’
Right now, he was their opponent in a martial duel, nothing more.
At this moment, this was a place where they would compare their skills thoroughly.
“Silver Illusion!”
When Eun-ho stepped forward and shouted, the other three retreated behind him and withdrew their swords all at once.
While So-un had not yet even properly grasped the nature of the sword formation, Eun-ho unleashed the Great Heaven Sword Art with all his strength and blocked So-un’s vision.
“It is interesting, but I do not think it is enough to go have fun in Yueyang.”
At So-un’s provocation, Eun-ho gritted his teeth.
“This is only the beginning, Eldest Senior Brother.”
Jin So-un, walking the Taeul Eighty-Thousand Divine Steps, began approaching Eun-ho while avoiding the Minor Heaven Sword Arts hidden between the Great Heaven Sword Art.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG-CLANG.
So-un, who had been leisurely knocking the swords away and entering the sword formation, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
SLASH-
With a small cutting sound, Jin So-un’s sleeve was sliced off.
“Huh?”
He had clearly thought he had cleared away all the real swords among the Illusion Swords, yet he had missed one of them.
While So-un was briefly surprised, Eun-ho’s shout rang loudly through the martial dueling ground.
“Star Illusion!”
Beside the Illusion Swords Eun-ho produced, the three others produced Illusion Swords at the same time.
Dozens…… no, hundreds of Illusion Swords filled the entire area, covering not only So-un but everything around him.
Even if they were Illusion Swords, the mere sight of them was enough to feel overwhelming pressure.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.
So-un swung his sword dozens of times in the blink of an eye.
However, his clothes began to tear little by little.
“This is…….”
At last, a voice colored with bewilderment burst from So-un’s mouth as well.
“This is only the beginning, Eldest Senior Brother!”
Eun-ho and the martial siblings grew triumphant and raised their momentum even further.
The splendid lights of Yueyang were flickering before their eyes.
“There is no helping it.”
Along with the low words that rang out, four Ten Thousand Swords emerged from So-un’s sword.
“That will not be enough!”
Eun-ho’s tone was full of confidence.
So-un looked at him and smiled faintly.
“You will know once you see it.”
At that moment, sword qi gathered upon the Ten Thousand Swords.
“Huh?”
“What the!”
“!”
Not only Eun-ho, but the other martial siblings could not hide their surprise either.
Ten Thousand Swords clearly should not have been able to use sword qi.
“Did you think I had been doing nothing but playing around?”
As the Ten Thousand Swords imbued with sword qi began to swing, the Illusion Swords created by the Twin Heaven Sword Formula began to vanish.
The Illusion Swords disappeared in an instant, like flying insects fleeing after meeting their natural enemy.
Eun-ho and the other three had no choice but to widen their eyes.
“That is so cowardly…….”
“Do you intend to say it is cowardly even after you die?”
“It is not over yet!”
After Eun-ho met the gazes of the other three and nodded, he shouted.
“Ten Thousand Illusions!”
From each of the four people’s swords, one Ten Thousand Swords bloomed.
Jin So-un sensed something strange from his junior siblings’ appearance and furrowed his brow.
HUUUUUM–
A strange vibration sound poured out from the sword formation.
At the same time, the four of them, who until now had merely seemed to match their hands and feet, now moved as if they had become one person.
An ominous energy wrapped around Jin So-un’s entire body, and an unprecedented pressure began to constrict him.
“What in the world…….”
The moment he tried to say something, another Ten Thousand Swords appeared beside each of the Ten Thousand Swords his junior siblings had produced.
“Hm?!”
A total of eight Ten Thousand Swords produced by the four of them.
Those Ten Thousand Swords moved at the same time, embroidering the Twin Heaven Sword Formula through the air.
Its radius was so large that it wrapped around the entire small martial dueling ground located at the Representative Residence.
SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, SLASH, SLASH!
THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD!
Where the Ten Thousand Swords danced through, marble was gouged out and trees were cut down.
It was truly a massive dance of swords.
A dangerous mist that seemed capable of grinding apart anything the moment it touched was approaching Jin So-un while protecting the four of them.
“Hah!”
So-un, who was just about to be struck by the dance of swords, felt more bewilderment than fear.
It was clearly the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven-Earth Sword Formula and the White Tiger Sword Formation he knew, yet how could there be such a bizarre form of attack?
‘Still, as Eldest Senior Brother, I cannot back down.’
It was admirable that his junior siblings were growing stronger, but for now, he still wanted to remain the wall they had to overcome.
“Try taking this too!”
The Sword Force unique to the Taeul Sect, created while enduring hundreds of curses committed by the Sword Demon.
So-un’s Black Dragon Sword created two Ten Thousand Swords.
Soon, Sword Force began blooming from the tips of the Ten Thousand Swords.
The Ten Thousand Force, which even the Sword Demon had evaluated as “fairly usable.”
“Uaaaaaagh!”
A spiteful shout bloomed from within the dance of swords.
As if even that delighted him, So-un threw himself into the dance of swords without hesitation.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.
With a series of explosions, the dance of swords and the Ten Thousand Force collided.
And then,
CRASH—! CRASH—! RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE……CRASH—!
Along with heavy impact sounds, the innocent marble and trees of the martial dueling ground were pushed away in every direction.
“Huff, huff, huff.”
“Haa, haa.”
Eun-ho and the other three were sprawled on the ground, panting for breath.
“Not bad.”
By contrast, Jin So-un calmly sheathed his sword.
The four people looked at him and could not hide their regret.
“What was that at the end?”
Judging by both the amount of inner arts they had and their accomplishment in the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven-Earth Sword Formula, one Ten Thousand Swords should have been the limit of what the children could produce.
However, the children who had formed the sword formation at the end had each created two Ten Thousand Swords.
“We just named it Synchronization.”
“Synchronization?”
“Yes. When we match our sword formation together, at a certain point, we can use more qi while expending less strength.”
He was describing an effect similar to the Shared Qi phenomenon produced by Shaolin Temple’s One Hundred Eight Arhat Formation or Wudang Sect’s Yin-Yang Taiji Formation.
“Haha! That is remarkable.”
“Yes, and we lost in the end even with that remarkable thing.”
“Still, it was enough.”
“Enough to go to Yueyang?”
At Eun-ho’s words, So-un chuckled.
“Yes, enough.”
At So-un’s words, the junior siblings who had been collapsed in exhaustion sprang to their feet and cheered.
“Eldest Senior Brother, by the way, when did you learn Sword Force so cowardly?”
At the same time.
The two men who had ended up watching the children’s martial duel while walking through the Murim Academy could not leave even after the duel had ended.
“……How did it seem to you?”
At Jegal So-myeong’s question, Hyeok Mu-gang nodded.
“The Taeul Sect does not have only Jin So-un.”
“Indeed, does it?”
“The Taeul Sect will soar higher than I thought.”
“Will it merely soar? I think it will make the whole world resound.”
“Grand Strategist, you seem quite pleased with this situation.”
At Hyeok Mu-gang’s words, Jegal So-myeong smiled faintly and asked,
“Which child do you like?”
“I am tempted by the child named Dong-ryong. Incredibly, he seems to be a child who overcame the Heavenly Killing Star.”
“It is fortunate that we do not overlap this time. I like the child named Eun-ho.”
“Oh…… Is he a talent usable in Mantongbu?”
“I will have to look into whether he is as capable as Jin So-un, but judging by his skill in operating formations, I think he would adapt sufficiently to Mantongbu.”
“To that degree?”
“Did you see how he changed the sword formation according to the opponent in an instant? That is impossible without a good head.”
At Jegal So-myeong’s excited appearance, Hyeok Mu-gang also nodded.
That was how impressive the martial duel of the Taeul Sect children had been.
“By the way, when did that child Jin So-un grow so much in such a short time?”
“Indeed. I nearly fainted when that bastard drew out Sword Force.”
“He is truly a child whose potential cannot even be measured. I look forward to it.”
Although they had not been able to finish the quiet walk they wanted, the expressions on the two men’s faces were utterly satisfied.
“Dongting Lake!”
“It is vacation!”
The place we chose as our destination for this break was Yueyang in Hunan Province, where Dongting Lake was located.
“We are not going to have fun.”
“Yes, yes, of course. Still, it is not as if we must only work.”
Eun Seol-ran and Murong Jae-hwa had also wanted to follow me, but because of remedial lessons and personal training respectively, the two of them ultimately had to remain at the academy.
“By the way, what exactly is the work you have to do in this splendid Yueyang?”
Seong Mo-ran, who seemed to have already blended into Yueyang’s splendid streets with luxurious silk clothes and accessories, asked.
“There is someone I need to seduce.”
“Yes?”
“……Yes?”
Seong Mo-ran and Namgung Seon-hwa’s heads turned with a creak like wooden puppets.
Had I said something that strange?
“Se-seduce?”
“…….”
“The word seduce is a little strange. To be precise, it would be more accurate to say I need to respectfully invite him.”
The recent letter sent by Jegal Cheon-gi contained complaints that procuring the components needed to complete the Mechanism Formation was becoming increasingly difficult.
There were many good blacksmiths near Hefei as well, but there were no people who could be called artisans.
The components supporting a Mechanism Formation that operated in a complex and delicate manner were not something that could be made with ordinary skill.
That was probably why Jegal Cheon-gi had ultimately failed to complete the Mechanism Formation in my previous life.
So the person I thought I should try persuading was none other than Jang Do-won, with whom I had once formed a connection.
He was the greatest artisan I knew.
“I think he will probably be quite difficult to bring in. It would be fortunate if I can persuade him before the academy course is completed.”
“What kind of person is he for Young Master Jin to put in that much effort?”
“He may not seem that impressive on the outside.”
No, perhaps his rough temperament would instead make them frown.
But was it not true that the most brilliant gem was hidden in the deepest part of the mine?
Not only the Mechanism Formation created by Jegal Cheon-gi, but all the Fifteen Divine Armaments that had been divided between the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Clans in my previous life would gather in the Taeul Sect.
My heart swelled just imagining it.
“Brother, you said this one was mine.”
“What is yours is mine, and what is mine is mine.”
“…….”
By the way, even though Miss Seong Mo-ran had gone to the trouble of bringing us to a fine restaurant, why were these three brothers eating like beggars?
“Eat slowly. No one is going to take it from you.”
At my words, Geum-pyo roughly wiped the greasy corners of his mouth.
“We know that too, but whenever we eat something delicious, we somehow feel anxious that we will be attacked or interrupted.”
No, even at the Taeul Sect, they were always fed properly, and I had never made them miss meals while taking them around.
Why were they so possessed by starving ghosts?
I truly could not understand…… no, I could. Ahem.
“……By the way, there are quite a few warriors who look like they belong to Diancang.”
Just as Seong Mo-ran said, at nearly every other seat in the restaurant, men and women wearing martial arts uniforms that showed their affiliation with Diancang were sitting.
“Yueyang is a place strongly influenced by Diancang.”
“Hunan Province is filled with powerful sects, including the Mount Heng Sect, is it not?”
“That is true. However, Yueyang has the Yuwol Sect, a lay-affiliated sect of Diancang, and the Changseong Sect, which has maintained a close relationship with the Diancang Sect.”
Both the Yuwol Sect and the Changseong Sect were sects ranked within the top fifty of the One Hundred Eight Peaks.
Thanks to those two sects, the Diancang Sect had been able to tightly grip Yueyang, which could be called the foremost tourist destination in Hunan Province, in its hand.
“Heeh, Young Master Jin knows all sorts of things.”
By the way, even compared to the Diancang Sect’s martial arts uniforms, and with the splendid Seong Mo-ran and Namgung Seon-hwa beside them, the three brothers’ black martial arts uniforms looked truly shabby.
As for me, I originally liked black and dressed this way because of that. Thanks to the Head Maidservant of my residence paying attention to me, I went around wearing an elegant embroidered martial arts uniform. By contrast, the boys’ outfits looked a little pitiful.
It would be fine if we at least had martial arts uniforms that could symbolize our sect.
But for the Taeul Sect, which had only recently thrown off patched clothes, preparing martial arts uniforms embroidered with the sect’s symbol was absurd in itself.
Because I felt needlessly sorry, I was just thinking that perhaps I should have the boys’ clothes tailored before meeting Jang Do-won.
“Where did those beggar bastards come from?”
The inside of the restaurant was clearly noisy, yet the sound of the insult was heard distinctly.
I looked around, wondering if perhaps it had not been directed at us, but as befitted a fine restaurant, the guests were all wearing colorful silk clothes and gold ornaments.
As expected, we were the only ones who could be mistaken for beggar bastards.
Not only the Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers, but even Seong Mo-ran’s face hardened.
As if there was no need to wait, Namgung Seon-hwa pulled the hairpin from her hair, held it like a blade, and sprang from her seat while radiating killing intent. Then she strode toward the place the voice had come from.
“Who was it? Who was it that called our cute little brothers ‘beggars’?”
“…….”
What was this? Namgung Seon-hwa had clearly said that to defend us…….
Why did it hurt?
At any rate, the opponent who had called them “beggars” was not beaten to a pulp by Namgung Seon-hwa’s hands.
Because Namgung Seon-hwa’s body froze at what he said.
“Why, is that not Miss Namgung Seon-hwa?”
“…….”
A voice raised as if he had met a welcome friend.
The man surrounded by those splendidly dressed people smiled and greeted her, then rolled his eyes and looked this way.
“I wondered who it was…… so it was you bastards?”
Thick contempt filled the man’s voice.
