Chapter: 747
The time was just past noon.
The sun was high in the sky, but it wasn’t very hot.
That’s because the season was already transitioning into fall.
The wind blew gently, causing my hair to flutter wildly.
I don’t take care of it, so it makes sense that it would be a bit dull, but perhaps thanks to some miraculous transformation, my skin and hair are always in good condition.
‘Maybe that’s why it bothers me so much.’
Swish.
I grabbed my long hair and tied it back.
Now it feels a bit less uncomfortable.
As I hurriedly tidied up, the hair that was covering my eyes moved away, revealing my field of vision.
The first thing that caught my eye was the martial arts stage, cracked all over.
The clear traces of battles fought by Hwagyeong-class masters were visible.
They say they upgraded the stage after climbing the Palgang River, but seriously, where do these people spend their money?
I thought it was such a wasteful use of resources.
Thud.
I slightly relaxed my wrist and lifted my gaze, and now I see a person, stepping away from the stage.
One of them was a referee who looked extremely tense.
Honestly, I could probably say it was largely my fault.
‘It’s probably the aftershock of the last battle.’
I didn’t do anything significant in the fight against Youngpung, but during the duel with Shinryong, I kinda went a bit overboard there.
That’s likely why the referee is so anxious.
‘I feel a little bad about it, though.’
What can I do? If you want to make a living off your salary, you have to do whatever it takes.
From my own experience, I know that the salary given by the Murim Alliance isn’t that little.
Looking at his arm band, he seems almost like a lieutenant colonel, so he must be earning pretty well.
Then he has to earn his keep.
‘And then.’
Another reason the referee is so tense.
I slightly shifted my gaze to see the source of his anxiety.
Goooooo.
A giant nearly eight feet tall caught my sight.
With broad shoulders and bulging muscles, it was King Peng Zhou.
He was standing with his arms crossed behind his back, looking at me.
I could definitely feel something was different about him compared to last time.
‘That old man. He’s not messing around with his energy this time?’
Last time, he was spewing all sorts of energy and was acting all weird.
But this time, he was just calm.
The aura of a strong man was still subtly flowing, but I’d let that slide and move on.
All that overflowing energy had been calmly gathered within himself.
Yeah, it really looks good like that.
It was nice to see him not doing anything unnecessary.
However.
– Who’s going to win this time?
– Well, I guess it has to be the king.
– Oh, but Soyeomra defeated that Shinryong, didn’t he? There’s no way he would lose to King Zhou.
– Yeah, but King Zhou is one of the six pillars. It seems a bit weird for someone like him to be beaten by someone of a later index level.
– Are you implying that Two Dragons wasn’t at the later index level?
– …Well, that’s saying he’s the one to defeat the…
All kinds of noise pierced my ears.
Listening to each conversation, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
‘It’s utterly pathetic.’
How did King Zhou end up in such a state?
They’re talking about how there’s no chance of winning if they face me.
While it’s partly due to my value skyrocketing, it’s mainly due to King Zhou’s value plummeting.
‘Tsk.’
Perhaps aware of that, I could see his expression crumpling.
It’s a pity, but what can I do? I should blame the loser who got beaten.
Besides, honestly, the people’s interest right now isn’t just about the outcome of this duel; it seems to be more focused on something else.
That’s right, many people are wondering who would win if I fought Two Dragons.
This indeed is what many people are curious about right now.
The person who has both won and lost against King Zhou.
Soyeomra, who rose after defeating the youngest Hwagyeong, Shinryong.
Since the duel went awry and they can’t face each other directly, it only makes the curiosity grow.
Who among them is truly the stronger one?
Who is indeed the standard of the late-stage index?
Hah.
I’m so tired of this ridiculous ranking game.
What’s so important about it anyway?
‘Damn old man.’
I fumed, frowning slightly.
If such words grab this much interest, then it must mean the vision of the loser left quite the impression.
‘Things have gotten messy because of you.’
Having shown off so exceptionally well changed my stance into a bothersome one.
Even if it’s the effect of my internal injury, it’s exacerbated by the fact that the defeated party ended up withdrawing.
Aren’t we just left unsure of everything?
People will never know who’s stronger between Soyeomra and Two Dragons.
This creates a shift in interest toward this side of the debate.
That was quite regrettable.
‘I should have taken them all if I could have.’
It feels like I’ve had to share half of it with the world.
‘Surely, this was a deliberate act.’
The dragon who leaves while applause falls, basking in all kinds of praises.
Could it be that the Pajeon expected this behavior?
‘…You never know.’
He seems like a surprisingly cunning individual.
It could very well be an action calculated entirely.
The problem is, we cannot challenge this logic.
‘It’s a pity, but what can I do?’
It’s already spilled milk, and besides.
‘There’s a way to deal with it somehow.’
That was at least a relief I had. As I pondered and nodded to myself.
“Where are you looking?”
At the voice of King Zhou, I snapped my gaze back.
“Are you, for some reason, thinking of something else while standing before me?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
I honestly apologized.
However, King Zhou’s expression didn’t change at all.
“… You are truly unbelievably arrogant. But then again, you are his son. It’s only natural that you turned out like this.”
“Hmm.”
I focused on my middle and ring fingers.
Recalling the words in my mind, I spoke.
“It’s only natural for children to resemble their parents… In that aspect, Lord Peng is quite lucky, isn’t he?”
“What?”
“Your son doesn’t resemble you, Lord Peng. In various meanings, isn’t that rather fortunate?”
Honestly, I think Peng Woo-jin is slightly better in my view, but that doesn’t matter for now.
As I spoke while smiling, the old man’s brows furrowed deeper.
“I swear, I think I need to rip that little mouth of yours open to make you quiet.”
“That really is a frightening thing to say.”
“The world has elevated you that it seems everything belongs to you? You’re truly full of yourself.”
Thud.
King Zhou’s demeanor slammed down hard.
Even upon viewing it again, it was still immense.
“Don’t get mistaken. I may have made a mistake against Two Dragons, but don’t think something miraculous will happen here.”
“Hmm…”
I scratched my cheek, listening to him.
“Lord Peng just keeps pretending to not notice.”
“Pretending not to notice?”
“Why do you keep calling it a miracle? You yourself surely know the most.”
I could see a slight tremor at the corners of King Zhou’s eyes at my words.
It appeared he understood what I was saying.
“Why do you keep wrapping it up, calling something so obviously inadequate a miracle? Does it make your heart feel a bit lighter?”
“…!”
Crunch.
A rough sound escaped from the corner of King Zhou’s mouth at that moment.
“You got your head knocked around a bit, didn’t you? Why do you keep saying such strange things?”
I spat out my words and looked around.
Simultaneously, I imposed a sound-blocking method.
It wasn’t a sound barrier, just enough to prevent noise from spreading.
“Stop acting silly and just hold onto your sword properly. Why do you keep flapping your jaw while looking so weak? How many times are you going to get beaten down like that?”
“This punk…!”
Eek—!!
King Zhou’s muscles bulged as if they were about to pounce at any moment.
Even while observing that sight, my eyes kept glancing around.
‘Time is… about an hour or so left.’
That was the remaining time. I ruminated while eyeing my surroundings.
This was the location of the organization gathering the support sent from the Central Plains.
I took a quick peek there and nodded.
‘Not bad.’
That should be acceptable.
After forming that judgment, I turned my gaze to the referee.
“It seems we are ready. Let’s get this started.”
“…Y-Yes?”
The referee appeared flustered by my words.
It seemed the referee also recognized that something was off with King Zhou.
“Feel free to start, no need to hesitate.”
I waved my hand.
Even while saying this, King Zhou’s aura grew more intense.
“I swear.”
His grip on the sword began to shake violently, expressing his displeasure with my attitude.
“I swear by my name. I will trample you right here!”
Hearing that made me chuckle.
“I’ve heard that so many times… Yet, I’ve never seen anyone live up to that threat.”
Typically, those who utter such words to me either meet one of two fates.
Either they end up lying under my feet,
Or their throat ends up in my hands, leading to their demise.
So, where does King Zhou think he’ll end up?
“I won’t hold any expectations. I’ll just hope for the best.”
Crack.
I clenched and unclenched my fist a few times. Then I said,
“Just hold on for a moment.”
Bam.
I said, curling my fist.
“Just manage to last that long.”
That was my only hope for the King.
_________
[]
This was during the later phase of King Zhou’s reign.
It was a time when he was referred to as Mokryong (墨龍), rather than by his current nickname.
Now they call it Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes, but back then, there were only two phoenixes and five dragons.
Five dragons and two phoenixes.
This is a tale of that day when Peng Zhou was among them.
It was winter, not fall.
It was precisely when Yongbong Society was in full swing.
At that time, Mukryong was in a much angrier phase than he is now.
It was also a time when he was growing up a bit spoiled, nurtured with great care by the taekwondo king. A period when he faced several challenges regarding the talent he possessed.
Supported by one of the famed families known as the Four Great Clans, he had the skills to rise as a dragon, but it was just barely.
With the lesser, yet motivated, later era disciples of small medium-sized families looking to challenge him from behind.
And the noble family’s bloodlines blocking the way to the front, ensuring he couldn’t surpass them.
Everything seemed to push Peng Zhou into a corner.
It happened to be the day after Peng Zhou had been brutally defeated by the Sword Dragon Namgung Jin.
– This damn hair…!!!
Bam—!!
Peng Zhou cursed harshly and smashed the table.
– I… all I am is a parasite to that guy—!!!
Recalling the loss to the Sword Dragon, he continued to vent his anger, recalling the defeat during Yongbong Society.
The atmosphere in the tavern turned chilly.
Others crouched in fear, too scared to step forward, including the warriors who dared not intervene.
Though Peng Zhou was a later era recipient, he was also the next Sang-jo of the Peng Clan.
If harm were to befall him, nobody knew how King Zhou would respond.
For that reason, no one dared to touch Peng Zhou.
It was a widely acknowledged truth that King Zhou held a deep affections for Peng Zhou.
– What’s wrong with me, what am I lacking—!!
BAM! Clang! Clang!
The memories were painful.
I can’t even count the number of liquor bottles I downed, but being somewhat of a martial artist, I didn’t usually get drunk.
The bottles shattered and scattered across the floor.
Peng Zhou’s mind was as chaotic as those broken bottles.
Remembering how he rolled on the floor, crushed under the immense pressure of the Emperor Sword.
– Euaaaaahh…!!
BAM! BAM!
In the midst of wrecking everything in sight.
Something in the corner caught Peng Zhou’s eye.
Right after that, all the flirtatious women around him ran off in fear.
At a time when all those around were either fearful or awkwardly pressed against the walls.
Just one person.
Only one individual remained in the guesthouse, nonchalantly chomping down on food.
He ordered a small bowl of noodles and was quietly eating without a sound.
It was so absurdly calm that I almost didn’t notice him.
Gulp.
As the faint sound of swallowing trickled into the air.
– … What the hell, you.
Peng Zhou was irked and initiated a confrontation.
– In a situation like this, how can you just eat? Are you serious?
Frustrated, he hurled the wine bottle.
But once again.
Whoosh! Whomp.
The person eating nonchalantly caught the flying bottle and simply placed it back on the table without a fuss.
It was an entirely natural reaction.
At that very moment, Peng Zhou felt his expression distort in confusion.
The stranger looked directly at Peng Zhou.
– …!
Peng Zhou recognized the person and felt a shiver course through him.
For reasons unknown, the moment he locked eyes with the young man, his body involuntarily froze.
A peer around the same age as himself, with jet-black hair and blood-red eyes.
It was a face he recognized.
– Ha… I wondered who it was. Turns out it’s you.
He was, as I recalled, a descendant of the Gu family.
He was the first relative of the Gu family to appear at this Yongbong meeting and had achieved impressive results during the friendly competitions.
I remember hearing he was called the Little Dragon of the Shamans. Did he even manage to defeat that unfortunate bastard?
The name was likely.
– Gu Cheol… Gu Cheol-hyung?
– Gu Cheol-woon.
Peng Zhou clicked his tongue at the proclamation of the name.
The voice was deep and resonant.
– Yeah, Gu Cheol-woon. That damn brat. What do you want?
To his irritation, Gu Cheol-woon simply nodded and raised his chopsticks.
– Do you not understand by looking at me? I’m just trying to eat here.
– Who would think I’d ask something like that!?
Crash! Crash! Peng Zhou stomped towards Gu Cheol-woon.
He then grabbed the table, attempting to flip it over.
Thud.
– …!?
To his shock, the table didn’t budge.
Instead, Peng Zhou’s hand trembled as he exerted his force.
What in the world is happening?
Only when he glanced around in confusion did he realize why.
Gu Cheol-woon’s hand rested casually on the table.
Could it really be because of that?
I couldn’t believe it.
This scenario made it feel as if he was losing strength.
That was absurd.
I can’t say for sure, but among those in the later index, he considered himself the best.
There was no way I’d be outdone by some loser…
Whack!
– Huh!?
The table suddenly lifted and flew upward.
The recoil caused Peng Zhou’s posture to falter, sending him tumbling over humorously.
Plop!
Noodles cascaded down over Peng Zhou’s head.
BAM! Crash!
The table toppled to the ground and shattered.
– Oh no.
Gu Cheol-woon remarked in disbelief.
– I just wasted a good meal. I finally had something tasty after so long.
That was the end of his lamentations.
– … Ha… Ha ha…!!
In response, Peng Zhou erupted with laughter.
The laughter caused those around him to recoil in fear.
Because it was clear to anyone that he had lost his mind.
– This brat… do you know who I am and why you’re pulling this nonsense?! Do you really want to die? I’m from the Habuk Peng family…!
– Not interested.
Peng Zhou fell silent at Gu Cheol-woon’s disinterest.
– You little punk…?
Creak.
Gu Cheol-woon gradually rose to his full height.
Watching this, Peng Zhou’s eyes widened in surprise.
He was enormous.
Perhaps even slightly bigger than him.
– I don’t care about your name.
Thud.
His heart raced intensely.
From the moment he caught sight of Gu Cheol-woon’s eyes.
The red eyes gazed down at him.
At that moment, a strange feeling forced Peng Zhou to shrink back.
– What, what are you saying?
You see me, but don’t care?
– How dare you speak to me, you filthy little brat—!!
Whack!
– Crack!?
Peng Zhou seethed and prepared to move, but just then, an arm shot out, gripping Peng Zhou’s face and pulling it apart.
The giant hand effortlessly grasped his large face in one hand.
The other hand plunged into his mouth.
At first, Peng Zhou attempted to resist.
However, bizarrely, his body refused to budge.
It wasn’t like his blood veins were clogged, but rather he had only been snagged by the face, and yet his body froze solid.
Later on, he realized he had been overwhelmed by sheer life force at the time, but by then it was already too late.
Back then, Peng Zhou was completely powerless against the murderous aura rammed off by Gu Cheol-woon.
Crunch.
– Gah…!? Ack!!
His molars were completely dislodged.
Even at that moment, he couldn’t manage to fight back at all.
Afterward, his fingers touched the spots from which teeth had been removed.
And then.
Shhiiiiick—!!!
– Get out of here!!!
The heat from above blistered his injury.
Peng Zhou shrieked in agony.
Completely powerless to resist, he thrashed around in torment.
After struggling a bit, Gu Cheol-woon eventually released Peng Zhou.
Whoosh! Thump!
He tossed the molar he had kept, then wiped his spit-covered hands on his clothing nonchalantly.
With an expression that seemed unfazed.
– I’ll consider this payment for the noodles.
A nonchalant comment that rang through.
That made Peng Zhou’s outrage pivot.
– Argh… ugh… you… you… you little brat…
As Peng Zhou cursed and sputtered, Gu Cheol-woon approached and locked eyes with him.
– Why.
– …!
– Do you have anything more to say?
– …gh… ugh…
– Go on. I’ll listen.
He wanted to curse back fiercely.
Do you know who you’re talking to? I am Pang Zhou from the Peng family.
He wished to shout such declarations and lay dominance over him.
But Peng Zhou couldn’t muster another word.
His instincts were screaming to him.
– He told me to go ahead and try.
Say anything more, and it might just cost me my life.
No, it definitely would.
Both Gu Cheol-woon’s eyes and Peng Zhou’s instincts pointed toward that conclusion.
– …Ugh… hgh.
Pride and fury welled up to his throat, but at last, Peng Zhou sealed his lips shut.
His pride didn’t hold more weight than his life.
– Hoo… uh…
Thus, Peng Zhou remained there, murmuring softly instead.
Gu Cheol-woon observed him for a moment before rising to leave.
– It’s fortunate that I didn’t ask for your name.
As he turned to leave, Peng Zhou could clearly discern his voice.
– You weren’t worth remembering.
Gu Cheol-woon’s hissing words felt like blades piercing through Pang Zhou’s pride.
Though he ground his teeth in anger, no words came forth until Gu Cheol-woon exited the inn.
Crack.
He clenched his fist tightly.
He made a vow.
I will kill that bastard.
No matter how, I will take him down.
Whether by returning to the family and using the power of my lord or confronting him directly.
I will not forget this humiliation and will undoubtedly take my revenge one day.
Yet, despite his thoughts, Peng Zhou’s desire never materialized.
Not long after, Gu Cheol-woon flew far, far away.
‘Gu Cheol-woon…’
The ingrained blade of resentment in his heart.
That resentment burned so strongly that he thought of using his own daughter as a pawn to arrange an engagement.
Even that plan became entangled and fell to defeat.
Peng Zhou has never forgotten that time.
That’s why it affected him even more.
– From the Habuk Peng family, Peng Zhou to Shanxi Gu Yangcheon.
There he stands before me.
That little kid who resembles that infuriating brat.
That little shit who possesses the same eyes from back then.
A damn lineage that even boasts talent shining just like its father.
Although he might not be too similar in looks,
His unique aura triggered all of Pang Zhou’s emotions.
‘If he had just crawled on the ground, I might have let it slide.’
Perhaps it was a direct reflection of his father’s nature, as he exuded arrogance and repugnance.
He didn’t even grasp the situation enough to challenge the head of the Peng family.
I can’t stand this.
That rascal Tulong.
That Gu Cheol-woon’s child too.
Tighten.
– Start!
I will break him.
I will tear him apart somehow.
Silent Iron.
Whoosh—!!!
The dark energy coiled and solidified around my form.
Seizing it, King Zhou launched himself forward with all his might.
The gap between the two shrank in an instant.
The moment when all sorts of emotions rained down upon Gu Yangcheon.
Bang!
Whirl—!!
Thud!
“…Huh…?”
Peng Zhou pondered.
Somehow his hands felt feather-light.
His sight blurred.
He checked his right hand.
It was empty. The attitude that should have been in grasp was nowhere to be seen.
Where did it go? How did it vanish so suddenly…?
“Oh god, damn it. Seriously.”
Anger echoed in his ears.
Whoosh!
In an instant, King Do-Wang’s perception underwent a drastic shift.
Thud!
“Gah!”
His face met the ground, buried beneath the stage’s surface.
“Grrrrraaaaah!!”
A scream erupted from the depths of his pain.
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