Chapter 177

Chapter 177

Who is the strongest in Anhui?

Currently, the main force of the Sado Alliance fills that role, but up until just twenty years ago, everyone would have unhesitatingly answered the Namgung Family. Back then, Namgung’s prestige soared to pierce the heavens.

Namgung was a renowned sword family that, even among the Five Great Families, ran neck and neck with the Baek Ri Family at the forefront.

No one could deny that Namgung, possessing the Changgung Muae Sword  and the Jewang Geomhyeong , was a great sect. And.

That fact hasn’t changed much even now that Namgung has been defeated in war against the Sado Alliance and moved their base from their castle city of Hapbi to their main mountain, Cheonjusan.

At least until now.

“A bimucheop  has arrived from Uicheonmun.”

Cheonjusan. Namgung Family.

Namgung Hyeon, who had been sitting quietly in seiza before the family head, raised his gaze at the weighty voice of family head Namgung Yeoncheon. Namgung Yeoncheon’s expression was cold as usual, yet somehow looked displeased.

“I wonder which country bumpkin sect dares to send a bimucheop to our family. To think our family’s standing has fallen this far.”

“Couldn’t we just refuse?”

“We cannot. They cleverly sent bimucheop to all of the Nine Sects and One Gang and Five Great Families, so if even one place accepts, Namgung will become a laughingstock for our family’s decline.”

At Namgung Yeoncheon’s frowning appearance, Namgung Hyeon maintained silence before opening his mouth again.

“What are the contents?”

“All bimucheop are the same, aren’t they? Setting a date and time to compare martial skills.”

“This time they want to limit participants to three. A yak-gwan  division for those under twenty, an i-rip  division for those between twenty and thirty, and an unlimited division.”

“What do you think?”

“We can win.”

At Namgung Hyeon’s immediate answer, Namgung Yeoncheon frowned slightly. A reprimand followed.

“Winning is natural. I’m asking how you’ll win.”

“……How, you ask.”

“From what I’ve learned, the opponent is a newly established sect that opened only two years ago. The moment we give them even one victory, our family will become a laughingstock.”

Former Muryeokdae commander? Miraculous achievement in leading an exchange tournament to victory?

Such things mean nothing before the great Namgung Family. Our ancestors built Namgung by accumulating countless such achievements.

“We cannot show even the slightest opening.”

Can you win without losing even once?

At Namgung Yeoncheon’s questioning gaze, Namgung Hyeon fell deep in thought. It wasn’t a question he could answer immediately.

‘Three unrestricted bouts?’

The yak-gwan division bout would be manageable. Among Uicheonmun’s disciples under twenty, there’s only Seohwa, and from what I heard two years ago, Seohwa had only been learning martial arts for half a year.

No matter how abundant her talent, martial arts honed over just two and a half years couldn’t match Namgung Family warriors who had trained for over a decade since childhood. So the yak-gwan division could be won by an overwhelming margin.

The unlimited division would also be easy since Baek Riyun would compete from their side and Namgung Yeoncheon would personally enter from ours. No matter how excellent Baek Riyun is, someone not yet forty couldn’t defeat Namgung’s family head.

‘Can we win the i-rip division?’

Yes. That’s the problem. Whether we can win the i-rip division.

Baek Risan. Seomun Cheok. Wangpal. Seonwoo Gang.

The opponent’s main force is effectively concentrated in the i-rip division. Unlike the virtually unknown Uicheonmun, Namgung has much to lose, so giving up even one victory would result in enormous damage.

Then what are our chances? Can Namgung win without conceding even one victory?

Having organized his thoughts clearly, Namgung Hyeon opened his mouth again.

“We won’t concede a single victory. No, we will not concede one.”

“Your basis?”

“Because I will enter the i-rip division.”

“I hear there are some formidable youngsters.”

“Even so, it’s the same. Seonwoo Gang and Seomun Cheok won’t be my match.”

Seomun Cheok was originally inferior to him, and I heard Seonwoo Gang had to relearn martial arts after converting to the orthodox path and could no longer use his unorthodox techniques.

The one with the best chance would be Baek Risan, but strictly speaking, Baek Risan isn’t a disciple of Uicheonmun, is he? If limited to three, the probability of Baek Risan appearing is low.

“We will win.”

I have goodwill toward Uicheonmun. Because Uicheonmun is a place where excellent warriors and good people gather.

But this is separate.

“Uicheonmun will have to pay the price for looking down on the great Namgung Family.”

Anhui, Jamsan. An inn near Cheonjusan.

“Innkeeper! Two servings of Ohyangjangnyuk  here, one Juhongmudubu , and a bottle of Geomnamchun .”

“Yes, great hero!”

After confirming the innkeeper rubbing his hands together and entering the kitchen after taking the order, I sat down. Seonwoo Gang and Wangpal immediately sat across from me, twisting their stiff bodies. Groans soon followed.

“Ugh, I’m dying. Munju-nim.”

“Bear with it.”

“When can we take these off?”

“Is it difficult?”

“It is.”

Looking at Seonwoo Gang asking while gazing at the heavy weights attached to both arms, legs, and waist, I chuckled. Having experienced that training before, I knew well how painful that training was.

“They’re not heavy, are they?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Twelve geun  on each arm. Eight geun on each leg.

The weights hanging on Seonwoo Gang’s arms and legs total forty geun in weight. Not particularly heavy.

In fact, if you told an ordinary person to walk around with that much weight, they’d struggle and couldn’t sustain it for long. But for a warrior who uses internal energy, forty geun is fairly light. Even without using it, it’s a manageable level.

Then why does Seonwoo Gang find this training difficult?

The reason is extremely simple.

Because the weight changes daily.

“When you adapt it gets lighter, when you adapt it gets heavier—I’m dying. Really.”

“I know. The sword strike goes slightly over or slightly under, doesn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“The most important thing in honing technique is precision. And that precision must not depend on your body’s condition.”

Can you always fight standing on level ground?

That would be nice, but most battlefields where warriors’ lives are at stake aren’t flat ground like this but extreme environments like mountains, underwater, or swamps. Sometimes you must fight while running up walls, sometimes while fighting underwater pressure bearing down on your entire body.

Whether you can fully control your body when environmental changes are extreme makes a huge difference. This training is also to cultivate that control.

“You seem to have already adapted.”

“Yes.”

“How about following your sajeo’s  example?”

“Sajeo is young. I’m old, so my body isn’t what it used to be……”

“This fellow has nothing he won’t say before the munju.”

“Isn’t having a wide-open mouth my strong point?”

Looking at Wangpal and Seonwoo Gang’s contrasting reactions, I burst into laughter. And at that moment, the innkeeper brought out the Ohyangjangnyuk.

“Enjoy your meal!”

“Shall we eat?”

“Eat.”

As the innkeeper disappeared into the kitchen, Seonwoo Gang, who had been licking his lips at the Ohyangjangnyuk, picked up his chopsticks and stabbed at the Ohyangjangnyuk while asking.

“By the way, have you decided who will enter the i-rip division? Well, I’ll probably go.”

“No, Wangpal will enter the i-rip division.”

“……What?”

Seonwoo Gang dropped the Ohyangjangnyuk from his chopsticks while bringing it to his mouth after hearing my words, and I burst into laughter. But undeterred, Seonwoo Gang picked up the Ohyangjangnyuk that fell on the floor and put it in his mouth while asking.

“Not me or Seomun Cheok sajeo, but Wangpal sajeo will go?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Are you dissatisfied?”

“No, it’s not dissatisfaction, I’m just curious. I know Wangpal sajeo isn’t lacking, but still, wouldn’t my winning rate against the opponent be higher?”

“That’s right.”

“Then wouldn’t it be better for me to go if we want to win? Since someone who’s experienced Namgung Family’s Paegeom  even once should face them, considering it’s a special martial art.”

“……I can’t accept having a lower winning rate, but I agree with that part. Munju-nim. Wouldn’t it be right to send out Seonwoo Gang sajae if we want to win?”

“That premise is wrong.”

At my disciples’ questions, I shook my head with a small smile and continued.

“First of all, we’re not doing bimu to win. We’re conducting bimu to accumulate your experience.”

“Winning would be nice, but broadening your knowledge comes first. In that sense, there’s no point in sending out Gang-i and Cheok-i, who have experienced Namgung Family’s martial arts countless times. You’ve already accumulated that experience, haven’t you?”

“That’s true, but.”

“And regarding Namgung Family specifically, Wangpal will have a higher winning rate.”

“……Really? Is that true?”

“Yes.”

Paegeom is a special martial art. A difficult martial art for someone who has never experienced it to face.

But even so, Paegeom isn’t without weaknesses. There’s no such thing as a sword technique without weaknesses in the first place.

“What kind of martial art is Paegeom?”

“A martial art that most effectively projects one’s superiority……I think I heard.”

“Right. Fundamentally, Paegeom is a martial art that crushes the opponent. To use an analogy, it’s a typhoon. A typhoon to sweep up the opponent.”

“If you try to block a typhoon head-on, you’ll inevitably be overwhelmed. Few things can win fighting a typhoon with force against force. But is there nothing that can withstand a typhoon?”

“No. That’s not true.”

“Right. If your center is solid, you won’t be blown away even when swept up by the typhoon and can hold your position. And in Uicheonmun, the one with the solidest center is Wangpal.”

Seomun Cheok and Wangpal learned the same Yeokgigong , but their temperaments are completely different. If Seomun Cheok uses technique to create openings in the opponent and conducts combat by penetrating gaps, Wangpal is the complete opposite. He solidifies his own center and endures until the opponent reveals an opening.

“It will probably be good experience for you regarding Namgung Family’s martial arts.”

“Yes.”

“Then, let’s eat. The other children said they’d eat at street stalls.”

Looking at Wangpal answering silently, I smiled broadly and also picked up my chopsticks. And just as the innkeeper brought out the Juhongmudubu, a voice was heard.

“Ahem. Excuse me.”

Turning my head at the young voice, I saw a scholar in white clothing looking this way.

“Seeing how splendidly the character for righteousness  is embroidered on your clothes and you carry swords, you appear to be chivalrous orthodox martial artists from the martial world.”

“……And so?”

“Could you perhaps yield that Juhongmudubu to me? It’s food my father used to love.”

“……What does that have to do with the orthodox path?”

“That’s naturally the orthodox path, isn’t it?”

“What on earth does that……”

As I asked back, unable to understand the incomprehensible logic, the scholar frowned and straightened his shoulders. And the answer that followed.

“The orthodox path, by its nature, is a place that helps those in difficulty.”

“And I’m currently on a martial world tour and quite in difficulty. So please help me. If you’re a virtuous orthodox person, you should naturally do so!”

……What on earth is this person?