Chapter 111

"Then I'll just trust you! Hahahaha!"

"Of course, of course! Just leave it to me, isn't a greenhorn of unknown origin just a handful! How can he dare to defeat me, a disciple of the Great Diancang Sect! The stage where one can win with just luck has long passed! To think that such a punk has come up to the fourth round... The rumor that the level of this Three Sages Martial Festival has dropped a lot was true!"

The person who was holding a wine cup in one hand and cheerfully clinking glasses with the many people surrounding him was none other than the rising star of the Diancang Sect, the Eight-Armed Divine Sword, Jeon Ok-gi, who was renowned as the next generation's sect leader material. This place was a restaurant called the Songpungru, and it was quite a well-known place in the Nanchang restaurant industry.

"Hahaha! This friend! As expected, he's magnanimous. I'll just trust you tomorrow. Do you know how much money I've lost because of that punk so far? It's not just me, but there are more than one or two friends who have ruined the board because of that punk. Who would have expected that the Wind-Breaking Spear, Eon Ga-yeong, would break his spear so futilely!"

"It's a coincidence, a coincidence! That punk was just lucky. From what I've heard, it seems that the Wind-Breaking Spear, Eon Ga-yeong, had suffered a major internal injury in the previous match! You all know, right? Eon Ga-yeong's opponent right before was the Shadow-Chasing Divine Step, Lee Hak-rim."

As Jeon Ok-gi spoke, everyone's faces changed to 'so that's what it was'. They were finally able to be satisfied because they had heard an explanation that they could understand and be convinced of.

"As expected! So that's what it was. I thought he was defeated too easily by the greenhorn in the last match... So there was such a situation! It was not unreasonable since his opponent was the Shadow-Chasing Divine Step, whose movements were said to be as fast as a ghost. Aren't the skills of the two evenly matched!"

As the bull-like, burly man who was drinking alcohol like water said a word, everyone nodded their heads with an expression that said, 'so that's what it was'. In fact, the duel between Eon Ga-yeong and Lee Hak-rim was a story from three weeks before the match with Bi Ryu-yeon. That period was enough to recover from most injuries if one just focused on recuperation. Wasn't that why the Three Sages Martial Festival was held over a long period of half a year? But among them, no one thought that Bi Ryu-yeon had won with his skills.

They were all busy belittling Bi Ryu-yeon's skills, saying that he had no choice but to give up the victory because of the injury he had suffered from Lee Hak-rim.

"Listening to you, isn't it too much? You have no eyes to see!"

For a moment, the laughter that had filled the drinking party disappeared as if it had been washed away. The people who had been in the middle of slandering him suddenly sharpened their gazes and stared at the direction from which the impudent voice had come.

"Who is it?"

A handsome young man with two bands crossed on his forehead revealed himself with dignity. He was carrying twin swords, which were identical like twins, crossed on his back.

"My name is Hyo-ryong."

Without caring about Jeon Ok-gi's glaring gaze, Hyo-ryong calmly received his gaze. Jeon Ok-gi, after scanning Hyo-ryong, who was standing calmly even in front of him, as if to search him, said.

First, what he had found out was that this punk was not a disciple of the nine great sects. Originally, the way he grasped a person he was seeing for the first time was by the opponent's origin. That was one of his most absolute criteria for judgment. Second, was the fact that he did not belong to the eight great families either. A huge power like a huge prestigious orthodox sect or the eight great families was bound to have a unique mark on their body that indicated their affiliation. Whether it was a character or the color of their clothes, there was no exception. Jeon Ok-gi himself was wearing a purple martial robe as a disciple of the Diancang Sect.

Seeing that there was no mark on Hyo-ryong's body, he came to his own conclusion that he must be a disciple of a worthless, shabby sect.

The next thing he thought was, 'This is why the miscellaneous things that are not from a prestigious family are no good', an arrogant and insolent thought.

"From the looks of it, you're a first-year student. Don't you think it's too impudent to interrupt while your seniors are talking?"

At Jeon Ok-gi's attitude of looking down on people, Hyo-ryong's double wick was set up like a blade. A faint but clearly sneering smile appeared on his lips.

"Then do you mean that a great person like a senior can slander a person in front of him like that? Don't you think that is truly shameful to see for a junior?"

Hyo-ryong's words were dignified, without a single bit of inferiority.

"Who do you mean by 'a person'?"

As if not to lose, as if to say 'where are you being so impudent', Jeon Ok-gi's voice became louder.

"Then who is that person sitting over there?"

Hyo-ryong's finger pointed to the place where their party was sitting. There, Jang Hong, who was quietly watching the situation, and Yun Jun-ho, who was fidgeting next to him, and Bi Ryu-yeon, who was diligently tearing at a whole chicken, not knowing whether he knew how the situation was going now or not, were sitting. It was Bi Ryu-yeon, who was busy with the work of cutting and disassembling food even though a problem had occurred.

Jeon Ok-gi's expression turned sour. He had not known that the person himself would be right there. Since he was drunk, he had not seen Bi Ryu-yeon's party, who had come up in the middle.

It was one thing if he hadn't heard, but to make such slanders when the person concerned was listening was an act that was not at all befitting of a prestigious disciple.

"Ryu-yeon! You say something too!"

Hyo-ryong had no choice but to make an absurd expression as he turned to look at Bi Ryu-yeon and spoke.

"Mnyam. Wha... are you... saying? Munch, munch!"

Now, Bi Ryu-yeon's mouth was full of food, and his tongue was busy tasting the food, so he had no extra ability to use for speaking.

"Then since the person concerned seems to have nothing to say, we'll be on our way. If you have something to say, say it on the duel stage! If you have the courage, that is! Hahahaha!"

And then, with an attitude that said there was no need or value in getting permission from the likes of you, they left the tavern in a group, striding. Hyo-ryong, who had been drained of energy by Bi Ryu-yeon's absurd action, no longer had the strength to drag the situation on. Thus, the confrontation was vaguely passed over, and Jeon Ok-gi's party, who also had something to feel guilty about, left the tavern in a group.

"That's why the vulgar things are no good! A man has no pride..."

They were punks who did not forget to say a word even as they went down the tavern. It was not Bi Ryu-yeon's party to miss that. It was clear that they had said it on purpose for them to hear.

"Aren't you angry? How can you so calmly put food in and digest it? You're not thinking that eating is more important than the insult you suffered from those punks, are you?"

Hyo-ryong, who had turned to look at Bi Ryu-yeon with an angry voice, said as if to question him. A fire was boiling in his stomach. To think that things that were less than insects were running wild, believing in a ridiculous background! He had been so upset that he had questioned Bi Ryu-yeon.

He had just shouted in a fit of anger, but Bi Ryu-yeon's answer was a masterpiece. Hyo-ryong, who had heard that answer, was so absurd that he burst into a hollow laugh and could not hide his sense of futility.

"Of course! It's a rare occasion where my two friends, Hyo-ryong and Jang Hong, have bought me a luxurious dinner for encouragement, so it would be a waste if I don't eat it quickly. If the amount I eat decreases because I'm arguing with those punks, that would be a big problem. It's a proper meal after a long time, shouldn't I enjoy it enough! Such a luxury is rare..."

It was Bi Ryu-yeon, who was still speaking peacefully, putting all his effort into the cutting work.

He had thought 'no way', but wasn't it a story that the chicken foot he was tearing at now was more important than settling the argument, than setting up his pride! It was a way of thinking that was absolutely impossible for a martial artist.

In fact, this place today was a dinner that Jang Hong and Hyo-ryong had prepared to congratulate and encourage Bi Ryu-yeon, who had been on a winning streak in the meantime.

But while he was diligently concentrating on his meal, he had heard a story that tickled his ears, and when he had looked, the punks who were his seniors were busy belittling Bi Ryu-yeon, who was a junior and a duel opponent. So Hyo-ryong had gotten angry and had stepped up. It was a place he had brought him to for encouragement, but he had had to listen to slanders unintentionally, so he had felt sorry for Bi Ryu-yeon.

But in a situation where a third party was rather getting angry, wasn't the person concerned busy with consuming food!

"Why did you just stand by? You're not that kind of person, are you? Do you have some other thought?"

Hyo-ryong asked, looking at the empty seat of Jeon Ok-gi's party, who had been busy chewing on Bi Ryu-yeon as a side dish and had been setting up a board until just a moment ago. If he had just stood by after hearing all that, he would have been branded as a punk with no guts. Of course, as far as Hyo-ryong knew, Bi Ryu-yeon was a person who had no connection with that kind of group at all. It was rather more amazing that he had just stood by.

"Mnyam, mnyam! Well, his bones will be a little sore tomorrow... Anyway, a punk like that is not even a post-meal snack! The shell is just shiny, but there's no substance... It's so... flimsy... it doesn't even have a proper taste to chew on. I wonder if the bones are strong..."

Hyo-ryong asked with a puzzled look, seeing Bi Ryu-yeon, who was diligently grinning and was single-mindedly tearing at a chicken foot. There was a story that had caught his ear.

"Is that the story of the chicken foot you're holding and tearing at, or the story of that punk who just left?"

"Well? Hehe..."

It was Hyo-ryong, who did not see Bi Ryu-yeon, who was just grinning and mumbling at Hyo-ryong's question, as hateful for some reason.

On the day of the duel! Jeon Ok-gi, who had appeared in the duel ground with a dignified gait, had to feel a puzzlement that caught his attention.

Jeon Ok-gi felt that the atmosphere was strange for some reason.

First, what had caught his attention was a group of 17 martial artists who were positioned around Bi Ryu-yeon.

Except for one of them, they were faces that he also knew for sure. No, they were so famous in the Cheonmu Academy now that he could not not know them even if he tried not to.

'Why are they here? Why are they here?'

They were people who were incomparably more famous than himself these days. Of course, he thought that he was not greatly inferior in terms of skill, but there was a significant difference in terms of name recognition. Unfortunately, that was something that even he acknowledged. No matter what anyone said, they were now the most watched new dragon and phoenixes in the Cheonmu Academy.

They were not the kind of people who would come to watch a fight between a skilled person of his level and a greenhorn of a mere humble origin. Of course, as far as he knew, it was so.

'Why are they gathered around that greenhorn like that? Then could it be that their purpose is that greenhorn...?'

Suddenly, his eyes widened. Because there was a thought that had flashed through his mind like a blow to the back of the head.

'No way, junior brother?!'

Then he could not be careless at all. Just the fact that he had such a close relationship with the Vermilion Bird Squad was enough to be wary of that greenhorn. This was the limit of the Eight-Armed Divine Sword, Jeon Ok-gi's imagination. Although it was a very common-sense development of thought... How could he have imagined it? And if he could imagine that, it was certain that that punk was the crazy one. Without even needing to go through a mental state verification.

But Jeon Ok-gi had seen something he shouldn't have. If he hadn't seen it, and if he could have pretended not to have seen it, his mind would have been at ease. It was already an irreversible thing.

"Huk! Wh..., what is that?! Did I just see a hallucination?"

He had rubbed his eyes a couple of times because he was so suspicious, but there seemed to be nothing wrong. Then what was that just now?

Jeon Ok-gi had unfortunately seen Bi Ryu-yeon coolly smash the head of the Thunderbolt Sword Dragon, Namgung Sang, who could be said to be the leader of the Vermilion Bird Squad, one of the Nine Dragons, without thinking. After seeing that scene, he had thought that that greenhorn punk was definitely dead, but Namgung Sang, who had been hit on the back of the head, was just grinning, not befitting his fame and skill!

Jeon Ok-gi, just in case, rubbed his eyes two or three times and pinched his cheek, but no particular abnormality was found in his eyesight, and since the cheek he had twisted and pulled was so sore that it hurt, it was even less of a dream.

'Then what on earth did I just witness with these two eyes?'

Numerous question marks swirled in his brain without mercy, but there was no way a proper conclusion would come out. So he decided to pretend that he had not seen that just now. It must have been a hallucination due to the small tension before the match.

"It must be a delusion... Hahaha!"

But no matter how much he tried to hypnotize himself, his laughter was already completely drained of energy.

The reason why all the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad had been called out to this place today was a very simple and clear one. It was for the truly grand(?) pretext of cheering for Bi Ryu-yeon's duel.

Since they couldn't participate anyway, it was Bi Ryu-yeon's claim that they should at least cheer, and the Vermilion Bird Squad, which had no choice but to come out due to violence and oppression, had no choice but to shout the cheering slogans, crying and eating mustard.

Come to think of it, the reason why the Vermilion Bird Squad had not been able to participate in this Three Sages Martial Festival was also because of Bi Ryu-yeon, if one were to trace back its origin. Because he had instigated the fight between the Azure Dragon Squad and the Vermilion Bird Squad, they had not been able to participate in this Three Sages Martial Festival. But they could not bring themselves to refuse.

There was no way that the poor Vermilion Bird Squad had the ability to withstand Bi Ryu-yeon, who was brandishing his fists without hesitation, saying, 'In what country's law do the junior disciples not come to cheer on the day of their senior brother's match?'.

And so, they had become the sidekicks of Bi Ryu-yeon's matches every time. So there were also cases where the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad took the gazes that should have been gathered on the duel stage. No one understood why they were there.

But what could they do! It was the sorrow of the powerless...

Would the day when the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad would be freed from being Bi Ryu-yeon's playthings ever come? It might not come in their lifetime.

There were many fools in the world. That was the conclusion Bi Ryu-yeon had come to, looking at Jeon Ok-gi today. How could he be so foolish? It was truly amazing.

Could it be that if one just had the sign of a disciple of a prestigious orthodox sect, their muscles would double? Or would their bones become twice as hard? There was no benefit at all. It was just that there was a technique accumulated by a secret tradition, and that it was faster and more useful than what others had.

Even if one died and came back to life, a sign or a background would not give them a free transformation. But there were often idiots who mistook this. Jeon Ok-gi was a punk who belonged to that group. Even now, even though the signal announcing the start of the duel had sounded, wasn't he insolently pointing his finger at him? He was a punk who definitely needed mental education.

"What's with that hair? Are you ignoring me now?"

Jeon Ok-gi's index finger pointed at Bi Ryu-yeon's bangs, which were hanging down long and covering his entire eyes. His long bangs were considered an act of ignoring him.

"Well, I'll cut it if it's necessary. Or you can cut it if you have the ability. But I doubt if there's a need to cut it in this duel."

Bi Ryu-yeon said with a smile on his red lips, which were visible under his long bangs. Until now, Bi Ryu-yeon had never felt the need to cut his bangs in front of anyone. Besides, there was also the request of his master, the old man, whether he liked him or not.

"How dare you put a shackle on your own eye technique, which is the essence and life of martial arts, are you in your right mind? What on earth is the reason? Are you ignoring me, a direct disciple of the Great Diancang Sect, one of the nine great sects?"

Jeon Ok-gi suddenly shouted. He felt that he, a disciple of the nine great sects, had been thoroughly ignored by a greenhorn of unknown origin. That was something that was absolutely impossible in the realm of his imagination.

"You really like the word 'great'. Do the nine great sects feed you? Why do you keep bringing up the nine great sects and the prestigious great sects since yesterday? It's annoying!"

Jeon Ok-gi's face turned red with anger after hearing Bi Ryu-yeon's crooked and indifferent reply.

"Shut up, it's noisy! You're all talk. Just tell me the reason quickly. Otherwise, I'll cut you."

What was he going to cut? Let him try if he was confident. It was Bi Ryu-yeon, who just ignored him.

'The reason? Come to think of it, I probably started growing my bangs from that day...'

His long bangs had started from a trivial place.