CLS-Chapter 186

Chapter 186

Setting aside what kind of person he is, no one questions his abilities. At least not now.

But back then, it was different.

Even if you talked all day about Wei Yan-ho having the ability to shatter mountains and divide rivers, most people would just scoff at you.

Why?

Wouldn’t you be the same?

Since you’re not a martial artist, you might not understand this feeling, but let me ask you this: if I told you that my three-year-old grandson at home could smash rocks with his fists and uproot trees with his bare hands, how would you feel?

Right, exactly like that.

You’d think I was talking nonsense.

But what if it wasn’t just one or two people who saw it?

You’d start to wonder.

If more than twenty people said it, you’d have no choice but to acknowledge it.

But just because you acknowledge it, does that mean you’d understand it?

Even if you saw it with your own eyes, it would be hard to believe.

That’s where the disconnect occurs.

You’ve probably heard enough testimonies about Wei Yan-ho’s martial prowess by now. But when you actually meet him and see Wei Yan-ho with those half-rotten mackerel eyes, all the stories you’ve heard up to that point seem like lies and feel strange.

That’s what they were fooled by.

Of course, a martial artist shouldn’t let their guard down, but even you wouldn’t expect a three-year-old child to suddenly leap over your head and kick you in the head when fighting them.

If that actually happened to you, could you confidently say “I wouldn’t let my guard down and could block it”?

Right, that’s exactly it.

That’s why complacency is so frightening.

Everyone thinks they don’t let their guard down, but when faced with a situation beyond their expectations, what should be a normal response becomes complacency.

The Alliance Leader probably felt that keenly at that moment.

***

“…I have lost.”

Sima Cheon-se’s voice was unbearably bitter.

How could it not be?

At nearly a hundred years old, the man once hailed as the greatest fist under heaven had been defeated by a young upstart—without even properly using his hands—so it would have been stranger if he had managed to maintain his composure.

Of course, he felt wronged.

If he hadn’t been complacent, such a result wouldn’t have occurred.

But having traversed countless battlefields, he knew.

That complacency was precisely his skill level.

If this had been actual combat, his head would have been severed before he could even open his mouth. The word “complacency” was something only the living could speak. The headless cannot talk.

Whatever the reason, the fact that he had lost remained unchanged.

The way to preserve his last remaining pride was not to make lengthy excuses, but to gracefully acknowledge his defeat.

“Oh? Are you acknowledging it?”

“I must acknowledge it.”

As Sima Cheon-se smiled bitterly, Wei Yan-ho withdrew the sword that had been touching Sima Cheon-se’s shoulder.

“I have lost.”

Watching Sima Cheon-se mention his defeat once more, Wei Yan-ho’s lips curved into a strange arc.

“You’re a true man.”

“…I appreciate the compliment, but right now I can’t be confident in calling myself a true man.”

“Victory and defeat are common occurrences in military affairs.”

Sima Cheon-se didn’t respond and let out a sigh.

‘I had become complacent in peace.’

Though he thought otherwise, having lived in a martial world without conflicts for a long time, he seemed to have dulled considerably compared to the razor-sharp days of the past.

If the same thing had happened ten years ago, he wouldn’t have been defeated so helplessly.

But…

‘It’s all excuses.’

No reason could reverse his defeat. A loss was a loss.

“You’re strong.”

“You’re too kind.”

“…Absurdly strong.”

“I’ve heard that before. Hehe.”

Wei Yan-ho scratched the back of his head.

“I thought this wasn’t proper etiquette, but I felt it was something I had to do right now.”

“Indeed it was.”

Sima Cheon-se stepped back two paces. Then he clasped his hands together neatly and bowed his head while performing a cupped-fist salute to Wei Yan-ho.

“I have received great teachings from Young Master Wei Yan-ho of the Guangdong Wei Family. I thank you for giving enlightenment to one who bore the name of martial artist yet was losing the soul of a martial artist.”

Wei Yan-ho was startled and hastily returned the cupped-fist salute.

In an awkward posture, Wei Yan-ho spoke.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

Sima Cheon-se raised his head and answered with an utterly resolute expression.

“If it hadn’t been for you, I would have spent my time without even knowing I was becoming dull. Then naturally my martial arts would have regressed, and I would have fallen behind the times. It was a painful lesson, an utterly painful lesson. I’m grateful, truly grateful.”

“…I just thought it was the fastest way to end the sparring match…”

Sima Cheon-se burst into low laughter.

‘What an interesting lad.’

With martial prowess like this at his age, it wouldn’t be strange if his arrogance pierced the heavens. That would be perfectly natural, and people around him wouldn’t necessarily consider it bad either.

When someone untalented acts arrogant, it’s laughable, but when someone talented says they’re talented, who would say anything about it?

Humility is something that only applies in ordinary situations.

If someone like Wei Yan-ho were humble, it would actually be annoying. If he were humble, others would have to bury their heads not just in the ground but underground.

But this fellow didn’t seem particularly interested in the martial arts he had built up, rather than being humble.

Should I say he accidentally became a master when he didn’t even want to?

“Anyone can tell. Even searching through all of martial history, there wouldn’t be anyone with such skill at your age.”

“…Why are you doing this?”

“I don’t know if you’re a genius or a prodigy, but no genius or prodigy could dare compare to you.”

“I’m getting anxious…”

“On top of that, you defeated me too. No one has ever defeated this Fist Extreme Sima Cheon-se in a single move, and there never will be.”

Wei Yan-ho said with a resigned expression.

“Fine. Now let’s talk about the main point.”

Sima Cheon-se made a very awkward face, fumbling with his lips before opening his mouth in a voice like a mouse crawling.

“…Let’s have one more match.”

“I knew this would happen!”

Wei Yan-ho flew into a rage.

“What do you mean you acknowledge defeat! You were going to ask for another match anyway!”

“No! No! I acknowledge it! Didn’t I say I acknowledge it? I lost the sparring match just now. I lost. You can go anywhere and say you defeated this Sima Cheon-se. But!”

Sima Cheon-se shouted in a booming voice.

“There’s no rule that says we can only spar once! You have to give me a chance for revenge! I lost just now, so let’s have another match!”

“No way.”

“Don’t be like that.”

Sima Cheon-se became desperate.

“You have to think about my dignity! If rumors spread that I lost to you in one move like this, what would happen to my reputation! Would I be able to show my face anywhere out of shame!”

“…Those are certainly understandable thoughts, but it’s not easy to say such things so openly. You’re quite something.”

“So let’s have one more match!”

“…No, I’m fine.”

“No! We have to fight!”

Sima Cheon-se spread both hands wide to the left and right and shouted.

“If you don’t have one more match with me, you can’t leave here! I’m the Righteous Martial Alliance Leader! I’ll surround this whole place!”

Gong Mu-jin looked at the training ground with a blank expression, then turned his head toward WeiJeong-han.

Among them, WeiJeong-han was the person who knew Sima Cheon-se best.

“…He’s always been like that.”

“You really have to experience someone to know them.”

Gong Mu-jin’s face flushed red.

He too had begged for another match after being defeated by Wei Yan-ho in one strike, but he hadn’t thrown such a tantrum.

‘Still, I understand your feelings, Alliance Leader.’

He had felt like the sky was falling, so how much more would someone of the Righteous Martial Alliance Leader’s stature feel?

“Do you absolutely have to fight?”

“Of course.”

“Then what will you give me in return?”

“Huh?”

Wei Yan-ho grinned.

“People need to give and take. I already did you a favor by agreeing to one sparring match, but if you want to fight again, I should get something in return, shouldn’t I? I think I’ve already shown enough courtesy to my elder.”

“What, what do you need?”

“Come over here for a moment.”

Wei Yan-ho and Sima Cheon-se huddled together and began whispering about something. Gong Mu-jin watched the scene with anxious eyes.

“What, what is he trying to pull now…”

Every time Wei Yan-ho made that expression, something happened. He had made that expression before scattering secret manuals around, and then after that, he set up a tent in front of the Righteous Martial Alliance.

‘After swindling the strategist, now he’s trying to swindle the Alliance Leader.’

It was fortunate that fellow was from the Guangdong Wei Family. If someone like him had emerged from the Demonic Cult, the martial world would have been in great chaos by now.

“That, that’s all it takes?”

“Yes.”

“I think I need to consult with the strategist…”

“If you’re not going to do it now, I’ll be leaving. Take your time consulting and come slowly later.”

“No, no! I’m the Alliance Leader – who would I consult with! I’ll grant it right now!”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

Wei Yan-ho pulled out documents and portable writing materials from his clothing.

Seeing this scene, Gong Mu-jin quietly clicked his tongue.

‘He carries those around with him.’

Calculating fellow.

He probably didn’t expect this exact situation, but he definitely always carried them so that whenever anything happened, the other party couldn’t back out.

“Please write it.”

“…Fine.”

Sima Cheon-se wrote something on the paper with a reluctant expression, then stamped it with his seal and handed it to Wei Yan-ho.

Wei Yan-ho grinned, then retrieved the writing materials and stood a little distance away from Sima Cheon-se with his sword.

“Shall we do it now?”

“Of course!”

“Don’t be complacent this time.”

“Hmph.”

Sima Cheon-se let out a deep sigh and looked at Wei Yan-ho.

‘Don’t be complacent?’

What amusing words.

No matter how flustered he had been, he was Sima Cheon-se. One who had refined his fist techniques for nearly a hundred years. Even though it was a hastily unleashed fist force, it contained the enlightenment and insights he had accumulated over his lifetime.

To be complacent when facing a swordsman who had cut through such fist force in one stroke?

‘I’d rather stick out my neck and ask to be killed.’

Actually, dignity didn’t matter at all.

If rumors spread that Sima Cheon-se had been defeated by Wei Yan-ho in one move, people would just brush it off saying “Hah, the Alliance Leader must have been joking.”

For something to be accepted as fact, it must be within the listener’s common sense. Facts that exceed common sense become lies.

The reason he insisted on sparring again wasn’t to restore his fallen dignity, but because he wanted to properly face Wei Yan-ho.

‘This was the feeling.’

There was once a time when he lived with this boiling passion filling his heart. The fervor he hadn’t felt since the great war with the Demonic Cult ended began to dominate him.

“Be careful.”

Sima Cheon-se smiled broadly.

“It will be different from before. I, Fist Extreme Sima Cheon-se, will properly show you my fist techniques.”

Along with those words, a terrifying aura began pouring out from Sima Cheon-se’s body like a storm.

Before the overwhelming internal energy that made his whole body tingle and pressed down on him, Wei Yan-ho’s face slowly began to contort.