Chapter: 748
When was the first time I felt the wall?
I can’t remember.
Not because there were never any, but because there were countless times.
Such was his life.
A life of facing endless walls time and time again.
They say that a life as an unmanned being is like that, but for Peng Zhou, nothing was more humiliating.
How can there be so many walls standing in front of me?
Surely, I would have understood if they were my seniors, but the ones that were abundant were my peers.
The first wall I encountered was the Sword Dragon.
He was the grandson of Namgung Jeolcheon, the head of the Namgung family at the time, and a figure who was likely to become the next head of the family.
Since he was around the same age, he was especially compared to Peng Zhou.
Since meeting the Sword Dragon, Peng Zhou had never once been able to seize the advantage over him.
In addition to him, there were also the White Dragon and the Little Dragon.
The Poison Dragon, the Sword Phoenix, and the White Phoenix, among others.
Although he was brought into the ranks of elite reviewed as the “Ink Dragon,”
even with that, Peng Zhou’s treatment remained unchanged.
He was still at rock bottom.
With the support and patronage of countless families, he barely managed to keep his position.
That was the kind of talent Peng Zhou had.
Ambiguous talent that was neither here nor there.
He was far too lacking to be called a genius, yet stood above being a dullard.
Just your average spot for ordinary folks.
For regular people, this may have been somewhat satisfying.
But Peng Zhou didn’t belong to that ordinary lot.
“I am… the son of the Tao King.”
The head of the Peng family and the current Tao King was Peng Zhou’s father.
He was known to possess a grave character and outstanding martial prowess.
As the head of the Four Great Families, his status was immensely significant.
However, his son, Peng Zhou, was always deemed inferior by comparison.
A comment often reserved for children who lack compared to their fathers.
Peng Zhou was that very person.
This became a hellish label to bear.
Blood relations with limited talent.
A talent that did not resemble that of his father.
While his peers kept evolving and improving daily, Peng Zhou found himself falling behind.
This gradually began to suffocate him and was the reason for his growing inferiority complex.
As time flowed on, and limits were reached.
An incident unfolded.
The Seasonal Yongbong Branch Meeting.
This year, amidst the usual martial arts competition, one particular announcement was made.
It was boldly declared that a divine dragon would be selected in this tournament.
While the term ‘divine dragon’ also implies a high-ranking officer in the Central Plains,
it symbolized the one who would lead the Central Plains in the future.
Consequently, significantly more crowds and interest were drawn than before.
Many people were curious.
Who would become the divine dragon?
This curiosity was palpable.
Would the Sword Dragon of the Namgung family rise to the occasion?
Or perhaps the White Dragon of the Murong family?
Would it be the Little Dragon or the Poison Dragon?
Despite countless discussions, there were some commonalities hinted at.
Foremost, there was a certainty that the divine dragon would emerge from the dragons and phoenixes, with no mention of the Ink Dragon.
This hinted at the outstanding positions held by the dragons and phoenixes during this era.
It also implied the location of the Ink Dragon.
When the Ink Dragon first heard this, he couldn’t suppress his anger and roared repeatedly.
However, an even more infuriating occurrence transpired shortly after.
That was the birth of the divine dragon.
Directly after the martial arts event concluded, the divine dragon was born as expected.
Surprisingly, the individual was not of dragon or phoenix lineage.
It was from Shanxi, a clan barely hanging on within the boundaries of the illustrious families.
Unrecognized and globally obscure, they had almost no renowned representatives.
Yet from such a place, the divine dragon was born.
A blood relative of the Gu family of Shanxi.
Divine Dragon Gu Cheol-woon.
The young man who first appeared at the Yongbong meeting overcame both the dragon and the phoenix to claim the divine dragon’s seat.
And such a fact…
“—That’s nonsense—!”
This outburst ignited the anger that Peng Zhou had been suppressing.
“How on earth could a nobody like you become the divine dragon—?”
One night, as the martial arts competition ended and everyone prepared to depart,
“That makes no sense… why would you—! Someone like you…!!”
Late at night, Peng Zhou sought out Gu Cheol-woon.
His face flushed red, and he was completely drunk.
Given the stakes involved, getting tipsy was not supposed to be easy, yet he had drank enough to get entirely plastered.
It was as if he couldn’t endure it otherwise.
Upon his arrival, Gu Cheol-woon stared at him intently.
“Oh, I see.”
Then he continued as though struck by a realization.
“Is that you from back then?”
“What…?”
“It took me a moment to recall.”
As those words fell, Peng Zhou let out an exasperated breath.
The incident from the tavern came flooding back.
Are you saying you forgot me even after everything that happened?
“Haha… huh?”
A smirk crept onto Peng Zhou’s lips.
Why him, of all people?
Why does this insufferable brat continue to rise to a level he couldn’t even aim for?
He wasn’t from the Four Great Families or even the Conglomerates.
A nameless nobody appeared out of nowhere to snatch it all away.
He attempted to kill him by any means.
If it was impossible here, he thought about going back to deal with him through his family.
“You… became the divine dragon?”
It was a fleeting moment.
It took merely a few days to see the brat rise to a height far above his own.
A position he had longed for throughout his life.
So it was taken in just a matter of days?
“That’s absurd.”
He was acutely aware of his strength.
Knowing fully that it was easy for the brat to belittle him at the tavern, but Peng Zhou couldn’t come to terms with it.
The one who had looked down and stomped on him could become the divine dragon? Absolutely not!
“I see. Now I get it.”
That’s why I uttered things I probably shouldn’t have.
“You said Shanxi? What kind of tricks have you pulled?”
“Hm?”
As soon as his family was mentioned, Gu Cheol-woon gave a little nod.
“There’s no way it was done innocently. Certainly, there’s some sneaky business behind it; otherwise, it just doesn’t make sense.”
His vision blurred due to the inebriation.
Despite not being able to see clearly, he continued to speak while observing Gu Cheol-woon’s sharp, red eyes.
“What kind of sorcery did you employ? How could this happen in such a mediocre family that I had never heard of before?”
Indeed, sorcery was involved.
Otherwise, it made no sense.
“You said you were the son of a lord, didn’t you? What on earth did your father do? Or was it you who pulled the strings? If so, I want to know. What exactly did you do…?”
In that moment—
Peng Zhou’s sarcasm was abruptly silenced.
“Ugh.”
A fleeting sound.
With that sound, he felt his body tilt.
WHOOSH! THUNK!
His vision suddenly dropped as he fell to one knee.
What just happened? He couldn’t even comprehend the situation.
CRACK!
His head spun. What was this? Pain surged, leaving a throbbing ache in his cheek.
It was only then that he realized he’d been slapped across the face.
“This little brat—!!”
Peng Wu-jin tried to lunge forward in anger.
CRACK! Once more, his head was turned sharply.
Ugh…!
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
The sounds rang out in rapid succession. At each instance, Peng Zhou’s head jerked back.
GAG!
With a gulp, blood flowed from his nose and mouth, pooling on the floor.
As his cheeks burned with shame, Peng Zhou raised his head, swallowing the blood.
“Have I barked enough yet?”
There, Gu Cheol-woon stood, looking down with red eyes.
The same gaze as in the tavern, yet clearer in the dark.
SLURP!
Blood cascaded down his throat, soaking his torso.
In that moment, Peng Zhou could feel all the drunkenness ebbing away.
“This…!”
However, his anger remained unquenched.
What an utterly humiliating sight.
He thought he couldn’t accept being in such a state and tried to rise again.
BAM!
Ugh!?
Yet that too failed against Gu Cheol-woon’s mighty grip.
GRIP!
Ugh…!
With a sweep of Gu Cheol-woon’s hand, he lifted Peng Zhou effortlessly.
He battled against it, but the outcome was just the same as in the tavern—as if resistance would achieve nothing.
At that moment.
“It’s fortunate for you.”
Gu Cheol-woon spoke to Peng Zhou.
“I heard in Hanam not to kill others, so I won’t kill you. How fortunate for you indeed.”
At his words, icy goosebumps crawled up Peng Zhou’s skin.
The murderous intent concealed in each phrase plunged into his eyes, nose, and mouth.
“So, it’s a disappointment for me. If it weren’t for that, you wouldn’t have to yammer uselessly in the middle of the night.”
“Let… GO! I, I am… the Peng Clan—”
Peng Zhou struggled to say, but Gu Cheol-woon wouldn’t hear it.
GRIP!
GRRRR!
His mouth opened wide.
Is this for real?
A sinking feeling crossed Peng Zhou’s mind.
“If you only have one wisdom tooth, it feels like a loss; let me help you out.”
That foreboding swiftly turned into reality.
CRACK!
“Ugh!”
With a swift motion, his last wisdom tooth was yanked out.
SHREEK—!!!
Just like before, the gap was blocked up again, the intense pain screamed as he howled.
Immediately after, Peng Zhou’s body collapsed onto the ground.
Gu Cheol-woon relaxed his grip.
Just as Peng Zhou thought he could writhe in unbearable pain…
WHAM!
“Gaaah!”
Gu Cheol-woon kicked the already broken leg once more, trampling down harder.
“Don’t move. If I put any more pressure on you, you’ll be a permanent wreck.”
“…Ugh… Agh… Huugh…”
“The son of the Tao King, Peng Zhou.”
“…!!”
As those words lingered, Peng Zhou’s eyes widened.
Gu Cheol-woon had explicitly said his name.
He clearly didn’t seem to know it!
“You…? How do you know my name… Were you aware and still did this to me?”
Did you create this scenario knowing I was a blood relative of Peng?
“Aren’t you afraid of the Peng family?”
Even as Peng Zhou shouted, Gu Cheol-woon’s expression didn’t flicker.
“Do you think that name will keep you safe?”
He remained utterly unfazed.
“If that’s what you think, why don’t you give it a try?”
Lowering himself to match Peng Zhou’s eye level,
“I fear nothing. If you can do it, go ahead. Try.”
“….”
SHIVER… SHIVER…
Peng Zhou immediately grasped Gu Cheol-woon’s arm.
He wanted to hide those trembling hands.
Watching Peng Zhou’s shivering limbs, Gu Cheol-woon turned around and walked away.
Then he spoke to him.
“From now on, I will turn my back. I’ll grant you an opportunity for a surprise attack.”
“What… What did you say?”
“If you really want to, go ahead. Just know this is your only chance.”
Dumbfounded, Peng Zhou questioned what he meant.
But Gu Cheol-woon didn’t utter another word.
CLANK!
Thereupon, he stepped slowly, honoring his statement.
While staring at Gu Cheol-woon’s back, Peng Zhou’s heart began to race violently.
A surprise attack, huh?
In this moment?
As much as he thought that, his hand was already gripping his beloved weapon.
Like he didn’t have a care in the world, Gu Cheol-woon continued walking.
And here was the mouth that had brought him so much pain—his teeth yanked out and humiliated.
Could he strike now?
Was he saying he could eliminate this nuisance right now?
CLANG!
Tension gripped the handle.
You expect me to stay still after suffering that? Absolutely not!
With that determination, he intended to pull out his sword.
WHOOSH!
But instead, he found himself paralyzed.
The image of those scornful eyes flashing before him remained etched in his mind.
The grip that ensnared his throat, the strength that had overpowered him; all lingered.
His teeth ground together.
I had to seize it.
I had to snatch it and swing it at this brat.
One.
“Agh.. Gah… Argh…! Damn…”
But in the end, Peng Zhou remained still, his hands weakly slipping away from the handle.
Fear overwhelmed him, and he chose to surrender.
At that moment—
“What a shame. You could have rallied support for your cause. Your own incompetence spared your life.”
From far away, Gu Cheol-woon’s voice echoed.
FLING!
Simultaneously, something rolled right in front of Peng Zhou.
It was the last molar that Gu Cheol-woon had just yanked out.
“Take it. It’s too disgusting to carry. If we meet again, do try not to bark carelessly.”
SHIVER!
Peng Zhou couldn’t muster a word, even as he listened.
Until Gu Cheol-woon vanished from sight.
All he could do was endure the pain at that spot.
That was the type of memory imprinted in his mind.
An unrelenting nightmare he would never forget.
Those eyes that once looked down at him.
And the trampling of his pride will never fade away throughout his life.
But why?
“GAAAH!”
Why am I suffering this fate at the hands of that brat’s son instead of that brat himself?
This thought flickered across Peng Zhou’s mind as he hung suspended in the air.
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