Episode 21. Stopping with a sickle what could have been stopped with a hoe
The Gyeongcheon swordsman Lee Mu-ryang became a master known in Henan Province with only the six-combined swords of the Hwasan faction. The six-combined swordsmanship is a basic swordsmanship, but even the disciples of the main temple had difficulty understanding its secrets. After accomplishing this difficult task, he became the leader of the Nanyang Shangfang.
Of course, I didn’t think that the opponent, who was desperate to avoid it from the beginning, would stop it.
Ga-ga-ga-gak.
The sound of metal grinding was loud.
Imoo-ryang’s eyes widened as he looked at the swordplay.
Stuck?
The sword and the sword that had been stabbing without mercy were stuck together and sparks were flying.
“Ah! Surprise!”
Yeonjeokha shouted and swung his sword back and forth.
It seemed like he was swinging it around haphazardly, but there was a certain rule to it. It was the anti-magic technique he had learned from debt collector Tak Go-myeong last year.
Brim. Brim. Brim.
Imoo-ryang stepped back hesitantly and kicked away the sword.
The power in the sword was so great that it felt like the hand holding the sword was going to be torn apart.
However, Imoo-ryang was more focused on the sword that was coming towards him than on his own hand. If he had taken the sword head-on, it felt like his sword would break.
As the storm passed, Imoo-Ryang let out a sigh of relief. This was because he thought his opponent had used all of his magic from start to finish.
As the saying goes, the first time is difficult, but the second time is a little easier.
As I was thinking that, the tip of the stick fell back to the ground.
‘That’s right! Here we go again!’
Imoo-ryang secretly raised his power.
Now that I’ve seen it once, I plan to find an opening and fight back this time.
At that time, Park Do slowly came up diagonally.
Urrrr.
Suddenly the wind stopped. It seemed as if a faint thunder could be heard from somewhere.
Now that I think about it, I think I raised the sword straight ahead, not diagonally.
‘What, what is this pressure?’
The next moment, the pagoda that had been circling in the air fell down to Jeongsu-ri.
‘Huh! What the heck?’
No. The Omimubyun contains ten thousand changes in a single sword. However, the swords falling on my head now are three strands. The terrible thing is that I can feel ten thousand changes in each of them.
“Eww!”
Imoo-ryang blocked Jeongsu-ri with his sword and screamed without realizing it.
He even pulled up the sword he was holding in his left hand to protect his head.
Yeah.
A clear, crackling sound was heard from above.
‘You survived?’
The moment I felt relieved, blood spurted out of both my arms.
This means that the three-strand pottery was not an illusion.
Then, I felt a tingling sensation in both my arms and they gradually fell down.
He tried to quickly turn his energy and gain strength, but the flow was blocked at his shoulder. It seemed that the sword had torn not only his skin but also his bones.
Yeonjeokha approached Imoo-ryang, who was standing there dumbfounded.
Imoo-ryang asked with a sorrowful face.
“What do you plan to do with me?”
“What shall I do? The person who said he would cut down everyone regardless of age or gender.”
Imoo-ryang said urgently.
“Please save me.”
“If you promise not to fight with O Bong San Chae in the future.”
In fact, I didn’t have that much of a grudge against him, so I didn’t even think about killing him.
“I promise.”
“Sir, you’d better keep that promise.”
“Okay.”
Yeonjeokha waved his hand as if telling him to go away.
Imoo-ryang walked towards the warriors above him with both arms hanging down.
After walking a few steps, Imoo-ryang turned around as if he remembered something. He was curious about the name of the last technique.
But he couldn’t bring himself to ask and walked away again.
The warriors of Nanyangshangbang, who had witnessed the defeat of their leader, packed their bags without saying a word.
As the Nanyangsangbang departed, the bandits began to escape one by one through the broken planks.
After a while, the bandits confirmed that Nanyangsangbang had descended the mountain and shouted for joy.
“Fuck! We are the owners of Mt. Obong!”
“Don’t come back here again, you little shits!”
“Wow!”
The bandits’ cheers echoed throughout every corner of Mt. Obong.
***
Sujuhyun Mansu Sangbang.
Early in the morning, the acting manager, Kwak Won-ho, rushed to Bangju’s office.
“My lord!”
“Yeah, what’s going on this morning?”
“The people I planted in Hagachon have returned.”
“result?”
“I guess it failed.”
The ark’s guardian frowned.
“If it’s a failure, it’s a failure. What do you mean it feels like a failure?”
“It is said that on the first day of entering the mountain, five people were injured, and the next day, they left Hagachon in a gloomy atmosphere.”
“Are there any more dead or injured?”
“There were none. They say that all the people who entered the mountain on the second day left in good health.”
“That’s really strange.”
“Yes. Given the gloomy atmosphere, it would have been normal for there to have been more casualties.”
“Has there been no contact regarding that from Namyangsangbang?”
“Not yet. I have pride, so even if the subjugation fails, I won’t tell anyone.”
“Tch! This is ambiguous.”
“There is already a rumor going around among the gangsters in Hagachon that ‘Namyangsangbang has been defeated.’ Based on the circumstances, it seems like what they are saying is true.”
“The Kyungcheon Swordsman was defeated? By that young thief? I can’t believe it. You said you were seventeen?”
“I know it to be like that.”
“Huh! Is that possible at the age of seventeen? Am I a Dharma Master or something?”
“Even if it was Dharma, it wouldn’t have been to that extent. Are you still thinking of sending the Patriarch to the shamanist faction? Or… … .”
Kwak Won-ho trailed off.
It was a bit burdensome because the review index was so excellent. If it was O Bong San Chae or a thief like that, it wouldn’t matter, but I was a bit concerned about Nok Rim.
“Or? Are you trying to say that we should bow our heads to Obongsanchae now?”
“Today, I suddenly had a thought, ‘That young thief and the leader of the Green Forest, Pacheonma-gun, might have some kind of relationship.’ If he wasn’t Pacheonma-gun’s person, how could he be that outstanding? And he appeared at a time when Pacheonma-gun was expanding his influence… … .”
“You don’t think that kid might be the hidden disciple of the Pacheonma Army, do you?”
“There aren’t many people in the Green Forest who can raise such a skilled person.”
“Hmm! That’s not entirely wrong. But we can’t just assume something this big. If it’s the Master of the Archangel, Cheonjisangin, he’ll be able to figure out whether that young boy is a disciple of the Pacheonma Army or not.”
Along with the words, Kwak Ja-ui took out a sealed letter from the table drawer.
“This is a letter asking for help in the subjugation of the Five Bong Mountain Clan. Send it to the Mudangpa through the General. You should separately take care of the five hundred nyang of silver.”
“Yes. But is that really okay? If that young thief is from the Pacheonma Army… … .”
That’s like poking a still beehive. The Pacheonma Army will start making a scene.
“Don’t worry too much. The Heavenly Merchant will not kill the disciple of the Heavenly Demon Army in public. If the Green Forest rises up, it will be a headache for the Shamanist faction as well. They will compromise to a reasonable extent.”
Only then did Kwak Won-ho’s frozen face open up.
I was a little worried earlier, ‘Aren’t you trying to block with a sickle what should have been blocked with a hoe?’
But when I hear the words of the ark, I feel reassured.
If you have the insight of a master like Cheonjisangin, you will be able to handle it well.
***
Mid-April.
Wudang Mountain in Hoguangseong (an old name for Hubei Province).
Taeheo Jinin, the leader of the shamanist faction, called the elder Cheonji Sangin to Jasogung.
Taeheo Jin-in smiled and asked as Cheonji Sang-in took a sip of tea.
“This time, I received Yongjeong tea as a gift from Seoho. I heard that you usually enjoy tea. What do you think? Does it suit your taste?”
“I like the subtle fragrance and clean aftertaste.”
“If you like it, I’ll give you a bundle.”
Taeheo Jin-in took out a bundle of Yongjeongcha and secretly pushed it towards Cheonji Sangin.
“Hehehe, it would be strange to just accept such a precious item. Do you have anything to say?”
“Oh! You’ve already seen through my mind? Actually, the person who gave me the car is a man named Sangmucheon from Mansu Sangbang. I heard he’s a disciple of Sangin.”
“Yes, he is a student I taught briefly about twenty years ago. He came to see me yesterday to say hello.”
“I see. By the way, I heard that there are a lot of thieves in a place called Mt. Obong, and the merchants are suffering greatly.”
“I heard that too, but you’re so busy with work at your hometown that you don’t really have time to make time.”
“How about going out for some fresh air with your disciples after a long time? You can leave the management of Taehwagung to someone else for about two months.”
“Huh! You want me to take a break for two months? Are you sure that’s okay?”
The merchant grabbed the bundle of tea with a face that said he had no shame.
Two months of rest for one bundle of Yongjeongcha! It seems the Jade Emperor is quite fond of himself.
That afternoon, Cheonjisangin, the manager of Taehwagung Palace, went down Mt. Wudang with his disciple. Cheonjisangin’s shoulders shook as he walked along the road, having traveled to the world of martial arts for the first time in ten years.
***
Mt. Obongsan, Bobong-hyeon, Hanam-seong.
O Bong San Chae was bustling with people as the wind of construction blew unseasonably. They were rebuilding the houses that were torn down about a month ago by Namyang Sang Bang to build the access road and walls.
Originally, there were only two broken mooks, but Poongyeoncho wanted to build five. This was because the number of people who entered the mountains to become bandits had increased.
As money overflowed in Sanchae, Poongyeoncho hired carpenters from Hagachon. As a result, not only thieves but also ordinary people began to frequent Sanchae.
Poongyeoncho looked at the houses under construction with pleased eyes.
The newly constructed building feels like a home, probably because it was built by a carpenter.
What a house, not a shack, deep in the mountains!
It seemed like a dream to build a structure on my mountain ridge that was only possible on the scale of Daebyeol Mountain Ridge.
The fan owner, Tak Go-myeong, approached Poongyeon-cho, who was standing in the yard and smiling brightly.
“Big brother, don’t you like it too much?”
“Hehe, why? You don’t like it?”
“Tsk! Don’t get too excited, you might burn out at any moment.”
“Inma, don’t people live their lives struggling, not knowing when they’ll die? Live more positively. Why are you acting like that, when you even ate rice from a temple?”
Tak Go-myeong, who had been pouting, spoke sarcastically.
“Oh, yes. Since you’re building a new house, how about building a restaurant and bringing in a songwriter? It seems like there will be so many mouths that it’ll be hard to feed them.”
“Huh? That’s a good idea. I should come to the village chief of Hagachon and ask if there are any women willing to work.”
“Oh my! Brother. I was just thinking about it. Would a woman in her right mind come to the mountains and work?”
“What’s wrong? Carpenters and handymen come here to work and get paid. How many people do you think are in Hagachon these days who haven’t been paid by us?”
Tak Go-myeong scratched his head.
Now that I think about it, my older brother’s words seem to have some truth to them.
Just the amount of money that the Sanchae family spends in the Hagachon pubs and restaurants is enormous!
Poongyeoncho, who had been rolling his eyes, spoke in a determined tone.
“I have to meet the village chief today and ask him to get me some Chanmo. After hearing you say that, I suddenly want to eat a proper meal. You have to be careful not to let your family touch Chanmo. They say anyone who touches Chanmo will get their things cut off.”
“Really? Wow! Shit. I hope it goes well.”
The two thieves were chatting excitedly, not even realizing that dark clouds were gathering over Mt. Wudang.
Wuxia,
