Pay‑to‑Win King of Martial Arts (Novel) - Chapter 226 - It's Not a Feast Without Us (1)

Chapter 226: It’s Not a Feast Without Us (1)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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How long does it take to master a martial art?

There is no single answer. Some cannot master a technique in a lifetime, while others grasp it in the blink of an eye.

This is because there is bound to be a compatibility between a person and a martial art. For example, it is bound to be difficult for someone with a fiery temperament to learn the slow and gentle Flowing Cloud Sword Art.

“Aaaagh! How am I supposed to learn this!”

“Ahem. I told you to bend your arm outward.”

“Does that even make sense? Aaaagh…”

And even I, who believed I was talented in all martial arts, had a technique I could not master.

“Wait, why isn’t this working?”

Muttering some irritating words, Tang Se-ui twisted and rolled his arm like a woodlouse. It was an absurd and bizarre movement.

This was the Bone-Shrinking Art, a secret technique of the Tang Clan. Because they dealt with poisons and constantly studied their effects on various parts of the human body, the Tang Clan possessed a deep understanding of human muscles and nerves. Hence, such a bizarrely flexible Bone-Shrinking Art was possible.

I tried to mimic Tang Se-ui and roll my arm, but my elbow bone almost came out to greet the world.

“Normally, people with excellent physical combat skills learn it easily. Though it’s a bit delicate to call this a physical combat skill.”

Indeed. The Bone-Shrinking Art was probably not a physical combat skill. If it were, someone like me who possessed talent in physical combat should have mastered it instantly.

In truth, my body frame and height weren’t particularly distinct anyway. Still, I wanted to learn it just in case, but the Bone-Shrinking Art refused to grant me even a single move.

“Actually, there’s no real need for you to learn it anyway. The Imperial Court already believes you are dead.”

“Even so, it would be troublesome if someone recognized me.”

“Then you would be better off learning the Disguise Art instead. That is truly just a matter of manual dexterity.”

“Let’s do that.”

There are several methods in the Disguise Art. The easiest way was undoubtedly wearing a human-skin mask.

However, depending on the quality, a human-skin mask carried a high risk of being detected by a master with sensitive senses. Moreover, it was suffocating since the skin couldn’t breathe.

The Disguise Art Tang Se-ui spoke of was essentially cosmetics. I thought the only time I would ever wear makeup was after I died, so I never expected to wear it while alive.

Tang Se-ui led me to his tent, the Unit Leader’s chamber. In a corner of the room lay a chest, which held several bamboo tubes sealed with stoppers.

“Achoo!”

As soon as Tang Se-ui opened one of the bamboo tubes, a sneeze escaped me. It was due to a foul odor I had never smelled in my life.

“Gah! What is that smell?”

“It’s a bit complicated to explain. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand. We grind amethyst, apply heat treatment to the remaining powder, and then…”

“I understand. I will just stay quiet.”

No matter how many books I had read, I didn’t know such specialized knowledge. I decided to remain silent.

“Close your eyes. If this mixture gets into your eyes, you could go blind.”

“You say such terrifying things so casually.”

“It is the teaching of our ancestors. A known side effect discovered because someone actually went blind.”

“Tragic. But if you apply this to my face, I feel like I’ll suffocate from the smell.”

“It is fine. It will be neutralized when mixed with other substances.”

“I shall trust you.”

With those words, I shut my eyes tightly. I didn’t even open my mouth. Since getting it in the eyes could cause blindness, it was easy to deduce that swallowing it wouldn’t be good either.

“Don’t squeeze them too tightly. It creates wrinkles, so the makeup won’t apply well.”

“Ah, yes.”

The Disguise Art took longer than I thought. It felt like nearly an hour had passed. Sitting still for an hour with my eyes closed, mouth shut, and hands on my knees made me feel incredibly restless.

“All done.”

Only when I reached the point of wanting to open my eyes even at the risk of blindness did Tang Se-ui speak.

“I won’t go blind if I open my eyes now, right?”

“Of course. I have processed it all so that it won’t run even with sweat.”

I opened my eyes. I could only faintly feel that something was applied to my face.

“If you need a bronze mirror, here it is.”

As if expecting this, Tang Se-ui handed me a bronze mirror. I took it and looked into the reflection.

“Ugh!”

Startled, I dropped the bronze mirror. Although I caught it on the top of my foot to keep it from breaking, my racing heart wouldn’t calm down.

“What on earth is this…”

I tilted the mirror to reflect other areas, wondering if he had played some trick on the bronze mirror itself.

But the bronze mirror reflected exactly what I pointed it at.

“How is it? The skill of the Tang Clan.”

Tang Se-ui said triumphantly. I stared at myself in the bronze mirror and gaped. It was so absurd that I couldn’t even speak properly.

“Ha, I am speechless.”

“Understandably so.”

I raised the bronze mirror again and stared at the reflection. Even knowing it was me, the face was terrifying enough to make my heart flutter.

It wasn’t just rough and rugged. With narrow eyes, pale skin, and scars precisely detailed on my cheeks and temples, I looked like an assassin who had carried out murders for thirty years.

“This is indeed the charm of the Disguise Art.”

“A charm, you say? A hollow laugh escapes me.”

“Anyway, as long as they don’t recognize you, isn’t that enough?”

“How is this even possible?”

“Originally, your skin was so good that the makeup adhered well, and since your features are clean and smooth, the dramatic effect stands out even more. Frankly, I was going to do a simple job, but once I started, it looked so good that I showed off a bit of my skill.”

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he looked proud after forcibly turning someone into a murderer. Talk about absurd.

“If even you were this shocked, imagine others. You’ve already got them intimidated from the start.”

“Haa.”

“Don’t you think it will be helpful?”

“…Yes. I suppose it will be helpful.”

I had no choice but to agree. Honestly, looking at this face, who would ever think of me as Muk Hui-yeong? In that sense, Tang Se-ui had indeed displayed excellent skill suited for the purpose of disguise.

“Understood. Please teach me how to do this.”

Although applying the disguise was indeed a skill, it didn’t require physical extremes like the Bone-Shrinking Art, so it was easy to learn.

Comprehending everything perfectly the moment I learned it, I wondered if this was what they called high comprehension.

I received the bamboo tubes containing the chemical mixtures. It was generous of him to teach me what was essentially a secret of his clan.

“If you use internal energy, you can easily alter your voice as well. Gently touch your vocal cords with internal energy and lower your pitch. The effect will double.”

“…Thank you for the excellent information.”

I washed off the makeup and tried it on my own in front of the bronze mirror. Since it took an expert nearly an hour, it took me over two hours.

“Ah, ah.”

In this guise, I had to speak in a low, cold tone, so I needed to get used to it.

After a few practices, a cold, murderous voice emerged.

Practicing while looking into the bronze mirror, I managed to tune my voice to a level that sent shivers down my own spine.

“Hmm, yes. The destructive impact is far too strong.”

I stepped out of the tent slightly. There was no one outside. Expanding my senses, they seemed to be gathered in another tent.

“If we leave like this, the Hainan Sect will surely face hardships.”

“But the Eastern Emperor…”

As I drew closer, I heard the sound of a discussion. Feeling that it was related to me, I quietly lifted the tent flap and stepped inside.

Since those inside were martial artists above a certain level, they naturally sensed the tent opening and turned to look at me.

“Whoa, damn!”

“An intruder!”

The moment they saw my face, they gasped in fright and drew their swords. Even Tang Se-ui, who was gathering opinions in the center of the tent, looked slightly bewildered.

“Calm down.”

“You villain! Looking at your face, you are no ordinary enemy of the jianghu!”

“I told you to calm down.”

A few impatient members lunged at me, but I immediately used the Seizing Art to disarm and subdue them.

“Stop!”

It was Tang Se-ui who brought order to the situation.

“My word. Even though I was the one who taught you the Disguise Art, it is truly flawless. You look like you’ve killed at least a thousand people. I almost fell for it myself.”

As he spoke, two flying needles were clasped between Tang Se-ui’s fingers. He too had reflexively prepared to throw them at me. Though he belatedly hid his hands behind his back, he couldn’t escape my eyes.

“Calm down, everyone. This man is the Eastern Emperor. I taught him the Tang Clan’s Disguise Art.”

“I-Is that really true?”

“Unbelievable.”

Once my identity was revealed, everyone chimed in. Indeed, the disguise suited me remarkably well.

Still, I wondered if I should adopt a slightly different face. This one was so sinister that it attracted everyone’s attention.

“In any case, what were you discussing? I believe I heard my name mentioned.”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

“Yes. It’s nothing, so go ahead and rest.”

The people avoided my gaze at my question. Seeing Tang Se-ui also smile and usher me out, it was clear that something was going on.

“I asked what it is.”

“It isn’t something you need to know.”

“Is there anything I shouldn’t know?”

Though it was embarrassing at first, I decided to fully leverage the title of Eastern Emperor. To them, I was a grand figure worthy of a posthumous title.

When such a person pressed them, they had no choice but to yield.

“It’s nothing major.”

Tang Se-ui spoke hesitantly.

The core was simple. The original goal of the Geonjeong Unit was to eliminate all the unorthodox forces scattered across Hainan and restore peace to the island.

However, since I had suddenly appeared and would be traveling with them, they had to depart without fulfilling that purpose.

“Doesn’t the Hainan Sect exist anyway? That is originally their duty.”

“You know the might of Hainan’s unorthodox factions right now. The Southern Sea Divine Sword alone cannot withstand them.”

The opinions of the people were sharply divided. Those in favor of eliminating the unorthodox sects kept glancing at me, but they still spoke their minds.

A curiosity arose, so I asked them.

“I know the Southern Sea Divine Sword to be a tremendous peak master. Are there unorthodox masters in Hainan capable of pressuring such a man?”

“Ah, yes. Of course, defeating the Southern Sea Divine Sword in a one-on-one duel would be difficult, but if two or three of them gather, even the Southern Sea Divine Sword will be in danger.”

“Two or three? Who are they?”

“They are the Sect Leader of the Namwon Gang, the White Bone Sword Demon; the Forest Lord of the Sea Beast Forest, the Cold-Blooded Sovereign; and the Society Leader of the Shinyuan Association, Yama’s Twin Halberds.”

“Hmm.”

I furrowed my brow. Those were villains whose notorious names even I had heard of in my past life on the mainland.

The important thing was, as far as I knew, they should have already been dead. It was quite famous news that they had been captured and executed by the Martial Alliance.

Perhaps because I had changed the future of the jianghu, they had survived. With the Central Plains itself in chaos, they must have escaped to Hainan without being captured.

“We should clean them up before we go.”

I concluded simply. They had likely debated this for a long time, all because of me.

Since they believed I needed to head to the Wudang Sect as quickly as possible, those who prioritized my safety argued for leaving Hainan immediately. But their debate would easily end if I stepped up like this.

“Will that really be alright?”

Hwangbo Un-hyeong, who was an acquaintance, asked cautiously. I nodded.

“What is the purpose of an orthodox sect’s existence? Is it not to crush the unorthodox factions and save the world and comfort the people?”

“That’s correct!”

At my words, the people raised their voices in unison.

“It is said that a virtuous man walks the grand path. No matter how pressing my circumstances, we must do what needs to be done before we go. I learned that this is the duty of the orthodox.”

“Indeed!”

“Instead, let’s finish them off as quickly as possible. It’s true that time is precious.”

It was a moment when the morale of the Geonjeong Unit members surged a hundredfold. I thought that perhaps I, the former Company Lord, might actually have a talent for being a Sect Leader.