Chapter 164: The Cunning Bastard (2)

‘Got him! You are finished here today. No matter how strong you are, you cannot possibly handle me and the more than thirty members of the Dark Heaven Guard Unit’

Thinking so inwardly, Yang Gwak took the upper stance and waited as Yong Hwarin charged toward him with his sword.

As soon as Yong Hwarin entered within three jang of Yang Gwak, he poured the gathered energy of three cycles into Yang Gwak’s two Yongcheon Acupoints in an instant.

Boom!

When Yong Hwarin stomped down with Jin Step, Yang Gwak infused all his internal energy into his sword, taking a cutting posture.

However, Yong Hwarin, who had come within three jang, suddenly flew over Yang Gwak’s head with a speed faster than lightning, extending far into the air.

Yang Gwak stood frozen with his sword still in hand.

He was so shocked in that moment that his qi trembled, and he nearly fell into Qi Deviation.

He had never expected that the one who had charged at him so boldly would actually leap over him and run away.

“Ha ha ha ha! Seems we don’t have any liquor to share for a drink today! Let’s have one next time! Farewell, Yang Gwak!”

Even as he fled, Yong Hwarin provoked him further, and Yang Gwak felt like his blood was about to boil over.

“You… you! You cunning bastard! I’ll tear you apart! I’ll butcher you into pieces!”

All Mak Gyo could do was stand by and watch his lord continue cursing as if casting some kind of spell.

Never before had his lord been humiliated like this.

Even within the sect, others were wary of Yang Gwak’s temper.

Yet, on this expedition, his lord had been utterly humiliated.

As a strategist, Mak Gyo could understand how his lord must have felt.

‘Sigh… Now I finally understand what the Third Young Master meant when he warned me to be cautious of Yong Hwarin. I took it too lightly, thinking no one could surpass my lord’s pride.’

Mak Gyo sighed again as he watched his lord continue to curse.

The Namgung Clan was in chaos, busy recovering the corpses and treating the wounded after the battle.

Though it had been a victory, it came at a heavy price, and no one could find joy in it.

On top of that, the death of Danmok Gyeol had thrown them into a state of panic.

Namgung Sohong, who had recently become emotionally involved with Danmok Gyeol, had fallen into deep despair and collapsed, needing to be rushed to the medical quarters.

Seomun Yuwon was also so severely injured that he wouldn’t have been surprised to die today.

The other young masters of various clans had also suffered injuries of varying degrees.

Among the disciples of Mount Hua, Ho Cheongun and Poong Imso had received severe wounds.

They had exposed openings while trying to protect Sa Ilhyang and Ho Maeyok, which had resulted in their injuries.

The Three Chivalrous Sisters had also sustained significant sword wounds while protecting Seok Unjeong under concentrated attacks.

The only ones without a single sword wound were Paeng Giyok and Namgung Soomyung.

After their fight with Ihwa Palace, they had learned how to fight more effectively, allowing them to better protect themselves in battle.

Yong Hwarin watched Namgung Yoo as she loaded the Jiangshi back into the carriage and spoke.

“Had it not been for the Jiangshi in this battle, the sacrifices would have been far greater.”

Namgung Yoo smiled as she noticed Yong Hwarin’s particular interest in the Jiangshi.

“They were purchased as a precaution, but I never expected they’d be this useful.”

“Is that so? However, I am concerned this might cause trouble later.”

Namgung Yoo understood exactly what Yong Hwarin was implying.

She replied confidently.

“We didn’t create the Jiangshi ourselves, and Dongakbang has always manufactured and sold Jiangshi to martial sects. Since we bought them from such a place, I doubt it will be a major issue.”

“I only mentioned it because those who claim to be righteous sects tend to cling obsessively to such things. Did you purchase them for the formation of the Alliance of the Three Clans?”

Namgung Yoo found it surprising that Yong Hwarin, unlike others of the so-called righteous sects who usually looked down on the use of Jiangshi, showed no such reaction.

Among the younger generation of disciples who had recently gained fame, Yong Hwarin, now known as the Heavenly Central Sword Hero, stood out the most. Generally, those who gained such fame tended to become more conservative in their thinking.

That was why Namgung Yoo had expected him to disapprove of the use of Jiangshi.

Yet, Yong Hwarin showed no such disapproval.

Instead, he had even called their use a wise decision.

She could understand why the disciples of Mount Hua, who had once been quite friendly with her, were now distancing themselves after seeing the Jiangshi.

The Nine Great Sects had set their purpose as eradicating demons and purging evil, which often put them at odds with the martial clans.

While martial clans were flexible enough to make use of even demonic methods for the sake of benefit, the Nine Great Sects rejected such things entirely.

She could feel that the Mount Hua disciples were looking at her with increasingly disapproving eyes.

“Yes. You may not know this, Master Yong, but this isn’t the first attempt to form the Alliance of the Three Clans. It was attempted a hundred years ago as well, but for some reason, the sect leading the effort was mysteriously attacked and destroyed. This happened twice already, so we expected an attack this time too. When it was decided that the Six Great Clans would gather at the main house for the formation of the alliance, we purchased the Jiangshi, thinking we might one day be attacked by an unknown force.”

Yong Hwarin was certain that Namgung Yoo must have been the one who led that effort.

He also began to think that perhaps all the left-handed techniques she had learned were for preparing for moments like this.

After all, it was nearly unthinkable for a daughter of a noble clan to tread the path of left-handed techniques, considering the nature of such clans.

Seeing her control the Jiangshi, it was clear that she had researched them for a long time.

Yong Hwarin thought that perhaps only the Namgung Clan could make such a bold decision.

It was only possible because they had the power to act without worrying about others watching.

Who in the martial clans could possibly criticize the Namgung Clan, the most powerful of them all? And if they knew how to wield that power wisely like this, it was truly admirable.

There was a reason the Namgung Clan was the most prestigious and strongest among the martial clans.

Yong Hwarin was genuinely impressed and deeply enlightened by the Namgung Clan and Namgung Yoo, who had decided and acted in ways he himself hadn’t even considered.

“Even if others criticize you, if you can protect what is truly precious to you, isn’t that more important than any justification or pride? Better that than regretting later because you failed to act, knowing the danger.”

Because that had been the story of his own past life, Yong Hwarin could understand Namgung Yoo’s heart.

Namgung Yoo smiled softly and said,

“As expected, you are truly different, Master Yong.”

She had expected him to interrogate her about using the Jiangshi, but instead, he had shown support, which moved her deeply.

“If we fail to protect what’s precious to us because of pride or righteousness, what could be more foolish than that? We wield swords and cultivate martial arts not to uphold justification or pride, but to protect what matters to us, don’t we? So isn’t it only right to use that power to protect?”

Yong Hwarin had learned a lot from the Namgung Clan.

From Namgung Bi, he had learned martial arts, and from Namgung Yoo, he had learned the importance of breaking limits to protect what truly mattered. He owed them a great debt.

And from this experience, Yong Hwarin began formulating the concept of a perfect formation.

‘If I could incorporate Jiangshi into a formation, would there be anything stronger than that?’

From that moment on, Yong Hwarin began developing a strategy to utilize Jiangshi in formation tactics.

Even after two days had passed since the Namgung Clan had been attacked, the faint smell of blood still lingered in the air, refusing to fade.

For those two days, Yong Hwarin had done his utmost to assist in recovering from the damage inflicted on the Namgung Clan.

Meanwhile, Mu Iso and Paeng Cheollyeon had grown even closer.

The members of the Heavenly Central Ten were grumbling that their leader had been neglecting their training because of Paeng Cheollyeon.

But Yong Hwarin chose to leave Mu Iso alone.

In his experience, one could only achieve rapid progress in martial arts after going through the pain of heartbreak or the suffering of love.

Yong Hwarin had come to realize that martial arts were never just about martial arts.

Martial cultivation wasn’t simply about learning techniques or training the body.

Martial cultivation held a person’s life and philosophy within it.

Yong Hwarin believed that if a person spent their entire life honing martial arts without any life or philosophy within them, that could never be considered true martial arts.

‘The reason I progress faster than others in martial cultivation is because my soul is that of a fifty-year-old middle-aged man.’

Having experienced all the joys and sorrows of life, Yong Hwarin had no choice but to grasp techniques and reach enlightenment more quickly.

Because of this, Yong Hwarin didn’t mind if Mu Iso and Paeng Cheollyeon’s relationship ended in tragedy.

Regardless of the outcome, it would serve as nourishment for the two martial artists.

Love truly had the power to turn everything into hope.

Even though such a massive incident had occurred, the two of them went out of the clan grounds without a care.

Mu Iso felt that it was almost time to leave the Namgung Clan, so he wanted to buy Paeng Cheollyeon a meaningful gift.

He thought that if he gave her something valuable like jewelry, she might look at it and think of him fondly.

The two wandered around the marketplace for a while, looking at various ornaments, and their eyes were drawn to an obviously expensive Seobokjam (Jade Hairpin).

It was a high-end hairpin made of jade, intricately engraved with various patterns.

“Yeon Mae, I may not be able to give you a Golden Seobokjam, but I’ll gift you this Seobokjam.”

“Thank you, brother.”

Paeng Cheollyeon, who was usually lively and bold, was now acting like a shy maiden.

She never thought she would change like this after falling for someone.

After purchasing the Seobokjam, the two were on their way to a nearby tea house for a drink.

That was when Mu Iso heard the clash of weapons coming from an alley behind the tea house. He turned to Paeng Cheollyeon.

He didn’t want to ruin their quiet moment out of unnecessary curiosity.

However, as a martial artist, he couldn’t just ignore it if someone was in trouble.

Paeng Cheollyeon noticed his hesitation and smiled as she spoke.

“Iso brother, if someone was in great trouble and you just walked away without helping, you’d regret it deeply, wouldn’t you?”

When Mu Iso nodded, Paeng Cheollyeon took the lead into the alley.

“If it’s just a fight between some local thugs, let’s not get involved.”

Despite what she said, the sound of the weapons alone made it clear that the fighters were skilled martial artists.

There was a subtle infusion of internal energy in the clash of steel, ringing out with clear and sharp sounds.

When Mu Iso entered the alley where the fighting was taking place, he saw three men being attacked by five men in brown robes.

Both groups seemed unfamiliar and their affiliations were unclear.

But as the attackers turned their backs, Mu Iso’s expression hardened.

“Why are those guys here?”

“Do you know them?”

“I don’t know who the attackers are, but I recognize the ones being attacked.”

“Who are they?”

“They’re from the Sky Ocean Merchant Union. One of them is the Dart Master Do Gye-gong, known as the Great Breaker, and the one bleeding from the shoulder is another Dart Master of the Sky Ocean Merchant Union. I think his name was Oh… Oh Pyo-do or something like that.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep