“Brother!”
“Big brother!”
Seeing his two siblings run toward him with deeply aggrieved expressions from an ordeal he’d never experienced before, Mujin’s anger flared even hotter.
“Big brother! That kid started it….”
“I know. You don’t have to say anything.”
“Okay!”
With Mujin’s arrival, Soyeon lifted her chin as if she had gained an entire army, looking defiantly at Cheol Yong-un.
Cheol Yong-un was dumbfounded by the child’s expression, which seemed to say, *‘Go on, try something.’*
How dare a martial family that had just barely made a name for itself, hailing from the backwaters of Sichuan, act so bold?
“Did you just say we should settle this?”
“I did.”
“Then let’s settle it. What kind of orthodox warrior ganged up on someone like this?”
At his words, Mujin replied without a change in his expression.
“He must have done something to deserve it.”
“What did you say?!”
In that instant, Cheol Yong-un gripped his sword and took a step toward Mujin.
Had his patience been any shorter, he would have already drawn his weapon.
“‘What did you say’ is no way to speak to your elders.”
“…I see now why the children are so poorly raised. There was a reason for it.”
“The whelp from your household doesn’t seem all that well-mannered either.”
Cheol Yong-un was left speechless by Mujin, who refused to back down an inch.
It didn’t feel like he was dealing with a member of the Orthodox Faction at all.
How could he speak and act in such a manner with so many people watching?
It was like conversing with someone from the Unorthodox Faction.
“Are you trying to pick a fight?”
“If you want to fight, I have no intention of avoiding it. But if you draw that sword, you’ll have to see blood.”
Within Mujin’s indifferent expression, Cheol Yong-un saw eyes filled with immense killing intent and ground his teeth.
As the eldest young master of the Cheol Family, few from the Orthodox Faction had ever looked at him that way.
When had he, who was reputed to have surpassed even the Namgung Family in Anhui, ever been subjected to such defiant words and glares?
-Stop!
Just then, an old monk used his movement arts to intervene.
As the old monk stepped in, Cheol Yong-un clicked his tongue softly and released the hilt of his sword.
“Cheol Yong-un of the Cheol Family greets Great Monk Hyeon-u.”
Without even glancing at Cheol Yong-un, who was offering a cupped fist salute, Great Monk Hyeon-u approached Dojin, knelt on one knee, and met his eyes.
At this sight, Cheol Yong-un’s eyes narrowed.
His expression soured at the thought of being ignored in front of so many people.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Although it was obvious to anyone that the other child was the one who had been beaten to a pulp, Great Monk Hyeon-u’s concern was solely for Dojin.
The Great Monk had been worried sick that the child, who would one day master his insights and fulfill the grand plan of perfectly restoring the Hundred Steps Divine Fist, might have been injured.
“I’m fine, Master. I apologize for causing such a commotion.”
The moment Great Monk Hyeon-u finally let out a sigh of relief and patted Dojin’s head.
-Who dares to torment a disciple of Emei?!!
With a Lion’s Roar filled with internal energy, Abbess Jinhwa kicked off the air and landed in the center of the crowd.
Behind her, her Myeol-generation disciples and Jeong Su-ae, hailed as the new beauty of the Central Plains, followed suit.
Cheol Yong-un felt like he was losing his mind.
While he was still trying to process why the second son of the Yeomhwa Family was calling Great Monk Hyeon-u his master, Abbess Jinhwa of Emei, the Blood-Sweating Swordswoman, was now roaring at him with a face as cold as ice. The words wouldn’t leave his mouth.
“Wh-what, what is….”
Being on the bad side of an Emei Sect elder, especially in front of the new beauty of the Central Plains—a woman sought after by every unmarried man in the realm—was absolutely not something he wanted.
Her glare fixed on Cheol Yong-un, she then spotted Soyeon behind him and quickly went to check on her.
“Are you hurt? Is there any injury?”
Unlike Dojin, Soyeon was quick to grasp the situation and play her part.
“He attacked me from behind with the Seven Injuries Fist, so… my ankle is throbbing and aching.”
“Your ankle?!”
For a martial artist, joints were parts of the body that required extreme caution.
Once injured, a joint could never fully recover to its previous state.
“Let me see!”
Alarmed by the claim that Soyeon, who was naturally gifted with flexible joints, had hurt her ankle, Abbess Jinhwa examined the child’s leg.
Seeing the slightly reddened and swollen ankle, an aura as sharp as frost emanated from her body.
In truth, the injury was from when her kick had been blocked by Cheol Dong-ho, but that fact was of no importance to Abbess Jinhwa.
The most dumbfounded person of all was Cheol Yong-un, who had been watching the entire situation from a distance.
*‘How in the world can a child with an injured ankle kick so well?!’*
Overwhelmed by the aura of Abbess Jinhwa, a master who had reached the pinnacle and an elder of Emei, Cheol Yong-un couldn’t bring himself to say those words aloud.
-The children of the Yeomhwa Family are disciples of Emei and Shaolin?
-When did that happen?
-A disciple of Great Monk Hyeon-u, no less.
Hearing the murmurs, Cheol Yong-un’s mind raced.
But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t figure out how to navigate this situation.
When an elder of the Shaolin Temple and an elder of the Emei Sect were glaring at him as if he were their mortal enemy, what could he possibly say to escape this predicament?
Just then, another group flew into the arena.
-Everyone, please retract your auras.
As the deep voice echoed, the crowd’s attention shifted to the newcomers.
They were Taoists, dressed in black robes.
“It has been a long time, you two.”
Seeing the Taoist from the Kongtong Sect offer a cupped fist salute, Great Monk Hyeon-u and Abbess Jinhwa shifted their gazes from Cheol Yong-un and reluctantly pressed their palms together in greeting.
“It has been a while.”
“It has.”
The Kongtong Taoist stepped in front of Cheol Yong-un and spoke.
“I came because I heard a vassal family of Kongtong was causing a disturbance. My, it seems a rather awkward situation has unfolded.”
“Indeed. The fame of the Cheol Family is said to shake Anhui, and now it seems they no longer see the likes of Shaolin as anything worth noticing.”
At Great Monk Hyeon-u’s furious words, the Taoist smiled and waved his hand.
“Oh, please, calm yourself. From what I hear, it was just a small squabble between children. Is there any need to escalate things? As if the Cheol Family would dare to look down on the great Shaolin Temple. Yong-un, isn’t that right?”
“Th-that’s right! I apologize for the disturbance.”
Cheol Yong-un quickly bowed his head.
No matter how powerful his family was in Anhui, this was Henan.
Moreover, this was the Shaolin Temple of Mount Song.
No one from the Orthodox Faction would dare to challenge Great Monk Hyeon-u here.
“A children’s fight shouldn’t turn into a fight between adults. Not with so many of our comrades watching. I believe it would be best to end things here.”
His words were not wrong, so Great Monk Hyeon-u glared at Cheol Yong-un one last time before nodding.
“Let’s do that. However, you must apologize to Family Head Hwa.”
At the word ‘apologize,’ the corner of the Taoist’s benevolent smile twitched.
He was not unaware of how this whole affair had started.
The duel in Shuangliu. While Hwa Mujin of the Yeomhwa Family might have gained great fame from it, the Kongtong Sect had lost much.
Most notably, Jayul, the Master of the Law Hall, had secluded himself after his defeat and had yet to show his face.
It had been a legitimate duel, and the outcome had been decided, so they couldn’t complain behind his back. But there wasn’t a single Taoist in the Kongtong Sect who felt friendly toward the Yeomhwa Family.
That was why the Cheol Family must have orchestrated this incident—to restore Kongtong’s tarnished reputation.
Seeing Great Monk Hyeon-u insist on an apology even after he had personally stepped in to mediate in front of so many people, Jasa, the Master of the Great Sword Pavilion of Kongtong, felt a twist of irritation.
“An apology? That makes it sound as if the Cheol Family was entirely at fault. It takes two to clap. Why should only the Cheol Family apologize? If apologies are to be made, shouldn’t both sides offer them?”
A subtle pressure was embedded in the words of Jasa of the Kongtong Sect.
Abbess Jinhwa flared up at this and retorted.
“Can you not see that the daughter of the Yeomhwa Family is injured?!”
“If we’re talking about injuries, is this side any better?”
Jasa pointed to Cheol Dong-ho, who was trembling in a corner.
They had been so focused on Soyeon and Dojin that only now did they notice the battered Cheol Dong-ho huddled in the corner.
His eyes were even more swollen than before, barely able to open, and the footprints all over his face and body were a sorry sight.
“…”
“…”
Seeing the boy’s injuries, Soyeon’s slightly swollen ankle seemed like nothing in comparison.
“Ahem.”
“But that boy insulted my older brother first!”
Soyeon quickly interjected.
At her words, Jasa looked at her with a gentle smile that hid the intensity in his eyes.
“Child, it is not polite to interrupt when high-ranking elders of the martial world are speaking.”
His face was smiling, but his eyes were not.
Seeing Jasa speak to his younger sister that way, Mujin took a step forward, shielding Soyeon.
“Then is it alright if I interrupt?”
“…”
Jasa’s smile vanished as he looked at Mujin, the man known as the Hidden Dragon of Sichuan.
“Do you have more to say?”
“I do. This incident began as a dispute between the Yeomhwa Family and the Cheol Family. Shouldn’t the parties involved resolve it themselves?”
“…So you insist on turning a children’s fight into a fight between adults.”
With the smile completely gone, Jasa’s face turned as cold as a different person’s.
“Whether it turns into one or not, what I’m saying is that the Kongtong Sect has no business interfering. You did the same in Shuangliu. Does the Kongtong Sect break out in hives if you can’t mediate?”
Jasa glared at Mujin for bringing up Shuangliu again.
“What did you just say?”
“You heard me. I heard that boy attacked from behind with the Seven Injuries Fist. Is that what Kongtong teaches its vassal families? To just start with the Seven Injuries Fist?”
“…”
Coming from Hwa Mujin of all people, Jasa had no reply.
Mujin was the one who had been struck by the Seven Injuries Fist as a child by Cheongbo-do and suffered from madness for many years.
What rebuttal could he offer to words spoken by him?
“…”
“The parties involved will sort this out, whether by making peace or seeing it to the end. I must ask the Kongtong Sect to step aside.”
“Hmph! I cannot stand by and watch a vassal family be persecuted. If you wish to determine right and wrong, you will do it before my eyes!”
Mujin stared silently at Jasa for a moment before shifting his gaze to Cheol Yong-un.
“Whether with swords or words, we started this. Shouldn’t we see it to the end?”
At Mujin’s words, the corners of Cheol Yong-un’s mouth twisted into a smirk.
It had been a long way around, but he had finally gotten the situation he wanted.
The process had been rough, and the matter had grown larger than expected, but as long as he defeated this man, everything would be resolved.
Orthodox Faction or righteous path, in the end, they were martial artists.
When disagreements arose, settling them with martial arts was the easiest way.
“Very well. If a dispute has arisen between martial artists, it should naturally be settled with martial arts.”
“Shall we begin immediately?”
As Mujin looked ready to strike at any moment, the Kongtong Taoist, Jasa, intervened again.
“Wait!”
-Are you truly confident? Your opponent is by no means an easy one.
-I am confident. Elder Jayul only lost because he couldn’t attack. My training is not so shallow that I would be disgraced by some country bumpkin from Sichuan.
At Cheol Yong-un’s words, Jasa studied him quietly.
It was true; he was a well-trained warrior, one that most of Kongtong’s first-generation disciples would struggle to last 100 exchanges against. It was only natural, as he was a true successor to their secret arts, unlike other vassal families.
-Do not let your guard down for a second. Do not show any mercy. Even if you end up killing him, I will handle the aftermath myself.
Cheol Yong-un nodded at Jasa’s telepathic message.
“Are you done yet?”
Jasa cleared his throat, reacting to Mujin’s question, which seemed to imply he knew they had been communicating telepathically.
“Ahem. Regardless of the outcome of this duel, neither side shall hold a grudge!”
“That goes without saying.”
“I agree!”
Neither seemed to entertain the slightest thought of losing as they answered sharply.
Simultaneously, the warriors standing near the two began to retreat to a safe distance.
If Great Monk Hyeon-u had not been present, a duel like this would never have happened.
No one would dare draw a sword in the front yard of the Shaolin Temple.
But with Great Monk Hyeon-u here, it was as good as having Shaolin’s permission.
Cheol Yong-un drew his sword without hesitation and charged.
-Zzziiing.
The long cry of the sword proved it was a fine blade as it flew toward Mujin.
Cheol Yong-un’s sword, sliding smoothly across the ground in a thrust, was indeed swift.
In response, Mujin simply took a step forward and extended his own sword, still wrapped in its bandages.
-Thwack!
!!!
-Wh-what was that…
-What just…
Without the sound of clashing swords, the victor was decided in a single exchange.
Just as Cheol Yong-un’s sword, which had been thrusting forward with great momentum, was about to reach Mujin’s chest, the flat of Mujin’s sword struck Cheol Yong-un across the cheek.
Struck in the face by a sword weighing a staggering 110 geun, Cheol Yong-un lost his balance, staggered, and swung his sword clumsily at the air.
A one-strike victory.
The crowd stared in disbelief at Mujin, who had ended the situation in a single move.
There were martial artists from Sichuan in the crowd, and naturally, there were those from Anhui as well.
Each had secretly hoped the master from their own region would prove stronger and had watched the duel with interest, but no one had expected it to be decided in a single strike.
Even Great Monk Hyeon-u and Abbess Jinhwa were surprised, not having anticipated such a swift conclusion.
But the people’s astonishment did not end there.
-Whump! Thwack! Whump, thwack!
“Ugh!”
-Thwack! Thwack! Thwack-thwack-thwack!
Applying the essence of the Army-Slaying Style, the flat of the 110-geun iron sword, moving with swift intent, began to mercilessly beat the fallen Cheol Yong-un.
*‘Like his siblings, like him.’*
Just like the two children who had ruthlessly stomped on Cheol Dong-ho, the crowd watched, stunned, as Mujin mercilessly thrashed his defeated opponent.
