Chapter 236
236th Episode
He rushed toward Jin-sung as he was, and powerfully swung his sword down.
Clang clang clang! Kang!
Sparks flew as sword met sword.
Yang Gyo-jin’s sword was not much different from what I remembered.
‘It’s a sword that suits his nature well. Water can be anything. It can be a gentle stream, a pouring waterfall, or a storm that overturns a ship.’
Yeon-ryang once said…
…As he had assessed, it was still unconstrained and free-spirited.
Perhaps because the sword path, which changed directions at will, was not easily predictable, Jin-sung’s body was gradually pushed back as they exchanged blows.
Seeing Jin-sung lose his composure to the ever-changing martial art move, I couldn't help but admire.
There are times when even Jinseong disciple shows an opening.
When did that guy’s skills improve so much?
However, Jin-sung soon regained his composure as if he had never been swayed by his opponent, and began to calmly block Yang Gyo-jin’s sword.
He seemed to be quickly adapting to the guy’s sword path.
Just as the scales of victory visibly tilted toward Jin-sung, Yang Gyo-jin leaped into the air and thrust his sword, aiming for Jin-sung’s shoulder.
“Ugh…!”
Jin-sung twisted his upper body and hurriedly deflected Yang Gyo-jin’s sword as he retreated, but it was already too late; his right shoulder had been cut.
Red blood dotted his white Taoist robe.
“Got you with one hit. It was a bit weak, though.”
As Yang Gyo-jin provoked him with a smirk, Jin-sung frowned and clenched his teeth, gripping his sword tighter.
Whoo-oong!
Yang Gyo-jin’s pupils widened at the sound of the Pine Pattern Sword, now dyed pure white, vibrating and wailing.
Instantly wiping the smile off his face, he dodged Jin-sung’s sword and rolled across the floor.
Bang!
“Wow, Sword Dragon. You have a different personality than I thought… Eek!”
Bang!
“You were a bad-tempered Taoist!”
Each time Yang Gyo-jin tumbled across the bare ground to avoid the increasingly fierce sword strikes, shattered Blue Steel Stone fragments scattered in all directions, even flying into the audience seats.
However, with a single gesture from Grandfather, they lost their force as if hitting an invisible wall and fell to the floor with a thud.
“Tsk. What if the children get hurt? Not a single one of these guys is paying attention?”
Judging by how the fragments gathered into a corner on their own whenever Grandfather grumbled, he seemed to have tidied them up just enough so they wouldn’t interfere with the match.
Jin-sung, who had been pushing Yang Gyo-jin back, raised his Qi as if intending to end it right away.
His usually calm appearance was now fierce, and my mouth went dry.
It wasn’t Wudang’s sword.
It was Jin-sung’s sword.
Yang Gyo-jin, who had also raised his Inner Energy, kicked off the ground and stood up, blocking the sword that was aiming for his neck.
Kigigik! Kigigigik!
Barely shaking off Jin-sung, who was pushing him with force, Yang Gyo-jin coughed and turned his head to spit out blood, as if he had suffered internal injuries.
“Cough, cough! Ptooey.”
However, he didn’t seem to care much about the injury, and looked extremely excited.
“Wow. You’re stronger than I thought. Sword Dragon, you’re amazing. You’re the best Swordmaster I’ve ever met!”
Despite the pure admiration, Jin-sung didn’t respond and tightened his grip on the sword.
Blood droplets dripped down his right hand.
It seemed Jin-sung’s grip had been torn as he clashed with Yang Gyo-jin.
Yang Gyo-jin smiled playfully.
“Now you can’t use your right hand, right? I hit you twice.”
“…Since you have internal injuries, it’s a draw.”
Jin-sung replied with a blank face, calmly tearing his sleeve and tightly binding his right hand and sword together.
“No. I lost this one.”
“The match isn’t over yet.”
“I said I lost. My sword is on the verge of breaking. Still, I’m looking forward to it. What are you going to show me? Do you have a hidden Life-Saving Move?”
Jin-sung silently formed a Sword Seal Gesture and adopted a new stance.
As if that was his answer, Yang Gyo-jin wiped the blood from his mouth and straightened his body.
“I’ll go first for the last one.”
“Good.”
Jin-sung nodded and leaped toward Yang Gyo-jin.
The moment the two collided, a light so intense that it was impossible to look directly at the Martial Arts Stage covered the field of vision.
Kwa-gwa-gwang!
A roar that seemed to tear the air echoed.
Everyone held their breath and rolled their eyes, trying to figure out what had happened.
Soon, the dust that covered the arena slowly cleared.
“Th-there!”
Yang Gyo-jin stood smiling brightly on the remains of the Martial Arts Stage, which had been reduced to fine powder, making it seem pointless that the Blue Steel Stone had just been replaced.
“Aww, I wanted to hit him one more time.”
At the same time as his regretful mutter, the sword in his hand snapped in half with a snap.
On the other hand, Jin-sung’s sword on the opposite side was perfectly fine.
His hair, with the Taoist headgear removed and flowing down, fluttered in the wind.
Jin-sung took a deep breath, untied the knot binding his sword, put it in its scabbard, and respectfully clasped his hands.
“I have learned something.”
“That was fun.”
At the same time, the judge’s verdict echoed.
“Wudang’s Jin-sung, victory!”
The tournament was suspended due to the aftermath of the Martial Arts Stage being destroyed twice.
The ground, which had been hacked to pieces by the two men’s swords, was so deeply gouged that it was impossible to repair it today.
Despite the announcement that the afternoon matches would be postponed to two days later and the urging to leave, there were no complaints from the audience.
“Sword Dragon was amazing, but that Young hero was no match for him. To block that sword.”
“Being able to use Sword Energy at that age is already extraordinary. He’s said to be around twenty?”
Rather, they were busy talking about the 7th group match, saying they had witnessed a rare sight.
There were differing opinions on whether the 7th group should be disqualified because the Martial Arts Stage had collapsed, but Jin-sung safely became an eighth-finalist thanks to the Murim Alliance Leader’s testimony that neither of them had gone outside the Martial Arts Stage.
And…
“Sword Dragon. Can’t we do it one more time? I’ll buy you drinks. You know, show me that again. That, that last one.”
“I do not drink alcohol.”
“Then what should I buy you? Do you like noodles? Or dumplings? Don’t be like that, just one more time. Just show me one more time. I didn’t see it properly.”
“There is no reason for me to comply with your request…”
“Are you worried it will affect your next match? I’ll make sure it doesn’t. I’m confident I can control my strength well. Huh?”
“……”
Jin-sung sighed with a troubled expression, as if he couldn’t handle Yang Gyo-jin, who was circling around him.
I grabbed the leech’s neck that was spinning around Jin-sung.
“Yang Gyo-jin. Come here.”
“So-hye, you saw it too, right? Sword Dragon at the end…”
“Uh-huh, I saw it. Don’t bother Jinseong disciple and come here. Your treatment is over, right? Do-jang. I’ll take this idiot, so you don’t have to worry about him.”
“…Th-then, yes. I will be on my way, Young lady.”
Jin-sung paused for a moment, then nodded and turned away.
“Goodbye! See you again, Sword Dragon!”
Yang Gyo-jin, waving his hand at Jin-sung’s back, looked the happiest I had ever seen him.
He hummed a tune and fiddled with his broken sword.
“The Dragon is really a dragon. This is fun. I wonder if I can fight him again?”
“Yeah. I’m glad you had fun. But what are you going to do, having already lost? About the gambling?”
“Ah. That’s right.”
Yang Gyo-jin scratched his chin and smiled brightly.
“It’s okay. Mi-ryeo will lose some money, but Mi-ryeo has a lot of money!”
Yeah. Well, taking a scoop of rice from a rich household’s granary wouldn’t be noticeable.
Judging by how Jang Mi-ryeo had given him several pouches, telling him to diversify his investments, she seemed to have fully anticipated the current situation.
“Positive, that’s good.”
I chuckled and patted the guy’s back. It was much better than seeing him dejected after losing.
“Oh, right, So-hye. Let me sleep over.”
“Huh?”
“Since I was eliminated, they told me to pack my bags. But I want to see the other matches. I want to see all of Sword Dragon’s matches before I leave.”
“Heo-igo. They’re telling you to pack right away without giving you time to find another accommodation? Okay. First, I have to get permission from Grandfather…”
“It’s okay to come and play, but you can’t sleep over.”
“Hello. Grandfather!”
“Oh, yes.”
“You’re here?”
Oh my gosh. When did he come?
I swallowed hard and smiled awkwardly at Grandfather’s appearance, who had appeared without a sound.
I don’t miss the presence of most people anymore, but I still couldn’t read Grandfather’s presence.
Grandfather patted my head as if asking what I was so surprised about, and asked Yang Gyo-jin.
“Why the accommodation? Do you not have a place to stay?”
“Yes. It’s okay. I can sleep outside.”
“What are you saying, a grown woman? Hmm… It would be difficult to find a place to stay outside since the tournament is in full swing.”
Grandfather scratched his cheek, then gestured to us as if something had occurred to him.
“Follow me.”
Then he took the lead and began to walk briskly.
Grandfather, who strolled through the complex main headquarters of the Alliance as if it were his front yard, stopped in front of a guest quarters located in a remote area.
“Im Ga. Come out for a moment.”
“……”
“I know you’re in there. I said come out.”
“Haa.”
Just as I thought I heard a faint sigh, the Ghost Hand Divine Doctor, who had walked out slowly, opened the door and looked down at Grandfather.
He had a look that said he was annoyed to death, but Grandfather didn’t care at all and pointed at Yang Gyo-jin.
“Let this child sleep in the room next to yours.”
“…What are you talking about now?”
“She’s our puppy’s friend, so don’t touch her. And don’t give her medicine to put her to sleep because she’s noisy. Take good care of her and send her back when the time comes. I’ll take care of feeding her, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“Heo, what… Do you think I’m a babysitter? I don’t want to…”
“If you don’t like it, move out.”
“……”
The Ghost Hand Divine Doctor, with a look as if he had eaten poop at Grandfather’s scolding, sighed and opened the door wide.
“Hello!”
A contented smile appeared on Grandfather’s lips as he watched Yang Gyo-jin cheerfully enter the guest quarters.
Today, at least, was Grandfather’s victory.
