Pay‑to‑Win King of Martial Arts (Novel) - Chapter 133 - Cleanup (4)

Chapter 133 – Cleanup (4)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Myeong-il and I waited outside the building for Yeo Hong-yang.

To be honest, I wanted to eavesdrop on the conversation between Yeo Hong-yang and Yeo Bul-jin too, but it was obvious that the guard behind them, the man named Mun-won, would never allow it. “Was it fun?”

Myeong-il asked out of nowhere.

“What?” “You kept smiling.”

“That was just me smiling to needle him as much as possible.”

“No. Your fake smile and your real smile are a little different.” I was slightly startled.

To think that the false smile I had honed as a merchant had been seen through by a child like this.

It felt like a tiny crack had formed in my pride. “How did you know?”

“I just know.”

“Most people can’t tell.” I clicked my tongue softly against my lips.

Myeong-il, apparently unaware of what an astonishing thing he had just done, merely stared blankly up at the sky.

That somehow made it even more irritating. “To be honest, it was funny.”

“What was?”

“The way that Merchant King was trembling all over while trying not to show how sincere he really was.” “I don’t know that old man well.”

“Then why can you see through me but not through the Merchant King?”

I nearly asked that, but stopped. At this point, I was far too deeply tangled up with the people of Wudang to call myself a stranger to them.

Feeling faintly embarrassed, I covered my mouth and gave a dry cough.

“Anyway, that Merchant King, you see. His hands were shaking terribly. He probably wasn’t aware of it himself.” “Were they?”

“Yes. He probably wanted to kick over all the flowerpots leaning against the wall and vent his anger on the plants right then and there.”

I snickered. Myeong-il looked at me wordlessly, as if I were pitiful.

Still, funny was funny.

At the same time, it did make me think the Merchant King was the Merchant King for a reason.

Of course, it was true that he could not very well get angry after trying to make me swallow a loss first. Even so, people were not entirely rational beings.

The way he guarded himself even against someone much younger than him like me and hid his true thoughts as much as possible was honestly quite impressive.

When I glanced at Myeong-il, he was not showing it, but he looked tired. That was understandable.

He was a boy who had done nothing but train in swordsmanship at the main sect.

We had spent months crossing the Central Plains and wandering about, so of course he would be worn out. “We should get moving soon.”

Looking up at the sky, I waited for Yeo Hong-yang to come out.

It took quite a while. Then again, those two were bound to have a great deal to say to each other.

From asking what on earth he had been doing while I snatched Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company’s bowl of rice away, to asking just what kind of person I was.

As I stood there looking at the sky, I heard movement from inside the building. It was the sound of someone coming out.

“About damned time you came out…”

I started to say it while waving, but then stopped. It was not the person I had been waiting for.

The one who came out was none other than the guard called Mun-won.

For a brief moment, the two of us looked at each other in silence. Mun-won came down the stairs toward where we stood.

Then he approached me slowly and spoke.

“If you act disrespectfully toward the Elder one more time, your head will leave your shoulders.” Mun-won seemed as though he meant to snarl that and walk away.

But Myeong-il did not stay silent.

“What you just said is an insult to Wudang.” Mun-won, who had been turning away to leave, stopped short and looked back.

“What did you just say, little Daoist?”

“My Junior Brother is a man of Wudang. Threatening someone of Wudang is an insult to Wudang.” “Since when did Wudang become such an inclusive group that it even protects its lay disciples?”

“Then since when did this merchant company become strong enough to threaten people of Wudang?”

There was almost a difference of two heads between Myeong-il and Mun-won. But the absent-minded gaze peculiar to Myeong-il was more than enough to face Mun-won.

“Listen, I am not one of this merchant company’s people. I am a man who personally guards the Elder. Did you think I would be afraid of some hook-nosed Wudang Daoist?”

Mun-won shot his pressure at Myeong-il.

That pressure was plainly more than Myeong-il could handle, and his complexion turned slightly pale. I waved a hand and dispersed it.

“How shameless, using that on a child.”

“A child? Once one steps into the martial world, things like that no longer matter.” “Calling Senior Brother a child?”

Not only Mun-won, but unexpectedly Myeong-il also glared at me.

My true feelings had slipped out by mistake. I cleared my throat.

“A slip of the tongue, Senior Brother. In any case, stop picking fights and leave. If you’re a guard, just be a guard. You’re overstepping your place.”

“Youngsters these days have no manners.” In the end, Mun-won and I both let our pressure rise.

“Senior Brother, please step back.”

“No. As your Senior Brother, this is something I have to take responsibility for.” Unexpectedly, Myeong-il stepped forward.

It seemed that since he had started the quarrel, he meant to take responsibility for it himself.

But what could be done. His heart was admirable, but he was absolutely no match for Mun-won.

“Forgive me, Senior Brother.”

“Hm?” I touched Myeong-il’s sleep acupoint as he stepped forward.

Myeong-il collapsed as though falling asleep.

Before he could hit the ground, I caught him and laid him down at a distance. As if he had been waiting for me to return, Mun-won drew his sword.

It truly carried a vicious aura.

I did not know what sort of background he had. But it was clear that he was strong enough to sneer at Wudang.

“Today I’ll fix that rude mouth of yours.”

“Try it.” When my manner of speech changed into blunt, informal words, Mun-won’s eyebrows shot upward.

“Wretch!”

Mun-won kicked off the ground at once.

I darted backward and drew my sword. Even though I had retreated while drawing, his blade was so fast that our swords clashed right before my eyes.

“You blocked that?”

Confusion appeared in Mun-won’s eyes. Apparently, he had been certain I would not even be able to block his first strike.

When I knocked away the sword pressed against mine, Mun-won also sprang back.

“What are you? You think a mere merchant can block my sword?” “I’m not a mere merchant. I’m a lay disciple of Wudang.”

“Absurd. Even Wudang’s main-sect disciples of your age would have trouble blocking that sword.”

“I happen to have a bit of genius in me.” At my shameless answer, Mun-won looked ready to retort, then closed his mouth.

It was true that a lay disciple with this level of martial ability could only be explained as a genius.

At this point, I already had a rough idea of my own martial standing. At the very least, among those my age, I was a fairly formidable expert.

“I apologize for underestimating you.”

A sinister ghostly aura entered Mun-won’s eyes. Now that I too had swung a sword a few times as a martial artist and faced no small number of people, I knew what that was.

It was the kind of aura that only someone who had killed people could emit.

And not merely one or two people. Many.

That meant he was an experienced master.

Why such a man was serving as nothing more than a personal guard, I did not know, but I had no leisure to think about that now. “Hah!”

With a shout, Mun-won’s figure vanished abruptly.

In that instant, a shadow fell across my body. When I looked up, Mun-won was already above me, cutting down with the sun at his back.

I quickly turned my sword so that not the edge but the flat faced him, and blocked the blow with both hands.

Bang! My ankles throbbed.

The force was strong enough to gouge the ground where I stood.

If I had not used the principles Wudang taught me to divert most of the impact outward, it would not have been the ground that split apart, but my ankle bones. In the blink of an eye, fifty exchanges had passed.

Mun-won was unquestionably a tremendous expert.

I had no idea what sort of man he was, but it was obvious he must once have made a great name for himself.

All I could do was use Wudang’s principles to redirect and block as best I could. While I was sweating profusely just to hold him off, Mun-won’s attacks only grew fiercer.

Then pebbles kicked up from the ground flew rapidly toward my eyes.

As he stepped down with force, the ground flipped and sent them at me. Reflexively, I shut one eye, and Mun-won did not miss that opening, slashing from a blind angle.

This is bad.

That thought flashed through my mind. At that very instant, I heard someone shouting from far away.

“Stop!”

The sword stopped dead at my waist. Even if he had never meant to cut me in two outright, that did nothing to stop my flesh from trembling.

At the same time, both of us turned toward the source of the voice.

There stood Yeo Bul-jin and Yeo Hong-yang, both wearing startled expressions. “What is the meaning of this!”

“…A small dispute broke out.”

“No matter what, a guard trying to cut down a guest? Have you still not rid yourself of your old habits?” Yeo Bul-jin barked.

Mun-won lowered his head deeply.

“I am sorry.” “Sheathe your sword at once!”

At Yeo Bul-jin’s words, Mun-won returned his sword to its scabbard.

I sheathed mine as well. Only when the cold blades vanished from sight did the tension finally loosen.

Yeo Bul-jin approached me and lowered his head.

That action startled both Mun-won and me. “I apologize. My guard has shown an ugly side of himself.”

“Not at all. I was greatly at fault as well.”

“Thank you for saying so.” Yeo Bul-jin had certainly tried to make me swallow a loss, but there were still things to learn from him as a merchant.

Once Yeo Bul-jin apologized, Mun-won had no choice but to apologize as well.

“…I am sorry too.” “No. My words were harsh as well.”

That was how our clash came to an end, at least for the moment.

They say there is no one in the Jianghu you can afford to underestimate, and they were right.

Who would have thought that a man living under a hidden identity as a personal guard would be such an expert? Mun-won was shocked, but so was I.

Yeo Bul-jin said he would compensate me for what happened, but I had not exactly been blameless either, so I simply slipped away like an arrow.

It was finally time to return to Wudang after a very long while. * * *

After Muk Hui-yeong’s group left, Yeo Bul-jin and Mun-won shared drinks for the first time in a long while.

After all, from Yeo Bul-jin’s perspective too, it was only natural to feel bitter after being made to swallow a loss by someone far younger. “I am sorry, Elder.”

“It was not for my sake. I stopped it because of you.”

Yeo Bul-jin clicked his tongue. “If you had merely been an ordinary guard, I would have waited a bit longer before stopping it. We could have pinned the blame on him and sent him off to the Martial Alliance. It seems to me that a fellow like Muk Hui-yeong would be easier to kill now, while we still can.”

Yeo Bul-jin said those bloodthirsty words while calmly pouring himself a drink.

Mun-won accepted the cup in both hands. “But I cannot simply abandon you, can I?”

“I am ashamed, Elder. I ought to repay your trust, and yet…”

“You have repaid it more than enough. How many times have I already told you that you no longer need to protect me?” At Yeo Bul-jin’s words, Mun-won shook his head.

“No. You are a benefactor I must repay for the rest of my life.”

“They say there is no such thing in this world.” “That is the arithmetic of martial artists. Of course merchants would have no such arithmetic.”

Mun-won took the bottle and respectfully poured liquor for Yeo Bul-jin.

“Still, Muk Hui-yeong’s martial arts seem rather strong. Then again, Son Yeong-ui did say Muk Hui-yeong had defeated even a direct-line member of the Namgung Clan.” “Is that so? Remarkable indeed. No wonder.”

“Ha ha. Even so, could he really be greater than the last descendant of the Heavenly King Sect, which once dominated the land decades ago?”

A shocking statement came from Yeo Bul-jin’s mouth. The Heavenly King Sect.

The mysterious Qinghai sect that had disappeared ten years ago.

When the Heavenly King Sect dissolved, its people all vanished with it. Yet for Mun-won to be a descendant of that Heavenly King Sect, it was the sort of thing that would overturn the Jianghu if people learned of it.

“No. I am merely someone born with talent. But Muk Hui-yeong is different.”

“That is a strangely humble thing for you to say. You are a genius, and that fellow is not?”

“That is correct.” “No one could deny that you are a genius. Your title of Heavenly King Rising Dragon was not given to you for nothing. It was bestowed because you defeated all the younger generation experts of your day.”

This was not Yeo Bul-jin flattering him.

Heavenly King Rising Dragon truly had once been hailed, over a decade ago, as the greatest younger generation expert. No one knew that the Heavenly King Rising Dragon, who vanished together with the Heavenly King Sect, was here in Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company.

“Yes. And from what I saw, Muk Hui-yeong is not a genius.”

“Have you perhaps been away from the martial world too long and lost your touch?” “That may be part of it. It has already been five years since I began serving you. In that time, I have had no need to fight life-and-death battles. Even so, my eyes are still sound.”

Yeo Bul-jin tilted his head.

According to the investigation into Muk Hui-yeong, he had not been at Wudang for very long even as a lay disciple. Then for someone like that to fluster the Heavenly King Rising Dragon within just a few years, did that not make him an astonishing genius?

And yet the Heavenly King Rising Dragon himself was saying that Muk Hui-yeong was not a genius.

“Then what is he?” “He is someone who has founded a house of his own. In the path of his sword, I see none of the flashes of brilliance and creativity that only a genius would possess. That is something only a person who has faced him sincerely can understand. Instead, he knows how to impose his own world upon the sword. It is a kind of sword one sees only from great masters who have gone beyond even the realm of talent.”

“Founded a house…”

Yeo Bul-jin let out a low sound. Those words were not something to be used lightly.

Mun-won was not the kind of man who would make such a statement carelessly.

“Then does that mean he stands on the same level as the Seven Exalts or the Five Great Sword Masters Under Heaven, those called great masters?” “No. That is not it. His house was not achieved through martiality itself.”

“Then if a smith who has hammered weapons for fifty years picks up a sword, does he wield it to that level as well?”

“No, not that either. Without talent for martial arts, it would be impossible.” “But you said Muk Hui-yeong is not a genius.”

“That is the strange part. When you watch him wield the sword, he clearly does not belong to the category of genius, and yet his accomplishment is something only a genius should be able to show… In any case, he is a strange fellow.”

At Mun-won’s words, Yeo Bul-jin clicked his tongue. There was no choice but to believe him, for the one saying it was Mun-won, once called the greatest prodigy in the Central Plains.

“Then he is greater than a genius.”

“Most of the younger generation among the Nine Sects and One Gang are geniuses. But only a handful ever break that shell called genius and become true masters in the real sense. He is someone who has gone unimaginably beyond genius.” Mun-won sighed.

“But ordinarily, that is created through bone-grinding effort and experience gained from outside. What is astonishing is that Muk Hui-yeong has had no time at all for such things to be formed. That goes against the proper order.”

“To the point that you would call it a violation of the proper order.” “Yes. The reason he was pressed back by me is only that he is not truly a genius and is not yet accustomed to the sword. If the time he had spent with the sword had been comparable to mine, I would have been sent flying before even one exchange had passed.”

“Remarkable.”

Yeo Bul-jin knew from experience that Mun-won was not a man who spoke nonsense.

He was honestly a little stunned. It was because he had never before seen Mun-won praise someone so highly.

Yeo Bul-jin let out a deep sigh.

In truth, he could understand some of what Mun-won meant. That was because, from Yeo Bul-jin’s perspective as a merchant, Muk Hui-yeong also looked like someone who had founded a house of his own.

Muk Hui-yeong even seemed highly seasoned as a merchant.

“They say that in chaotic times, people of ability pour forth one after another. It seems chaotic times may be approaching. Since someone with that much ability has appeared in the Central Plains.” Yeo Bul-jin smiled bitterly.

Mun-won too was slightly startled.

In the years he had served Yeo Bul-jin, he had never once seen Yeo Bul-jin praise another person so extravagantly. The two men, both stingy with praise, had for the first time found someone they praised together.

It was a thing to marvel at.

“Even so, this old man cannot simply sit still and be swept away.” “Old man? You are still vigorous.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

Yeo Bul-jin swirled his cup. It was a sign that it was empty.

Mun-won hurriedly took up the bottle and filled it.

“I can feel change approaching. A wave of change that no single person can possibly stop.” “Is that so?”

“Enough to frighten me.”

“So there are things that frighten even you.” “There are many things that frighten me. That is my shame. I merely do not show that fear. That is my pride.”

Yeo Bul-jin downed the liquor and then overturned his cup.

It meant he was done drinking. Yeo Bul-jin was originally the sort of man who, once he felt pleased with himself, decisively stopped drinking.

“Set up a meeting with the Zhuge Clan.”

“The Zhuge Clan?” “Because only the Zhuge Clan can check Wudang in Hubei.”

“Understood.”

Mun-won overturned his cup as well. The wave of change would sweep through the martial world of Hubei first.