Chapter 11: Nine Dragon Society (5)

Nine Dragon Society (5)

Elder Yi’s blow sent Peng Woojin sprawling onto the dirt floor, where the Peng family entourage took him in.

Peng Ahui thanked Elder Yi, but seeing Peng Woojin’s face swollen red on one side, she wondered if this was really okay.

She had said he deserved it and that it was fine, but…

“It was mutually agreed upon.”

Elder Yi’s stance was firm.

“If the Peng family complains later, please make sure to tell them I had nothing to do with this.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely say I watched it all happen, and that it was you, you rascal, who egged this old man on from behind.”

“Wait, what crime did I commit to be dragged into this?”

“Hoh, since you didn’t stop what you could have stopped earlier, Yangcheon, it’s partly your fault too.”

What is this guy even talking about?

He dashed off like an arrow before I could even stop him and swung his fist – what could I have possibly done!

I wanted to say that, but seeing Elder Yi beat Peng Woojin to a pulp, I decided to swallow my words.

‘…Maybe I should tone down the recklessness a bit.’

Honestly, only someone like Peng Woojin could withstand that; if I had taken that hit, wouldn’t I have died instantly right there?

I decided to play it safe, realizing I could also get wiped out in one go if I wasn’t careful.

After a whirlwind schedule, I went to Wi Seol-ah, who was waiting, and saw her looking at Elder Yi with sparkling eyes.

“What’s with those sparkling eyes you’ve got right now?”

“Young Master! Bang! Crash! And he went down! It was so cool!”

She must be talking about Elder Yi beating up Peng Woojin.

…I mean, don’t people usually find that scary? Does it even make sense to call that monstrous display ‘cool’?

Elder Yi laughed heartily at Wi Seol-ah’s reaction.

“A pretty little thing like you knows what’s good!”

So, he took out a yakgwa (traditional Korean honey cookie) from his pocket and handed it to Wi Seol-ah.

“Since you gave me praise, I’ll give you a gift.”

“Wow! Yakgwa! Bear Grandpa is the best!”

“Bear? Hahaha! I guess that means I looked that strong, right?”

No, I think it’s just because your build is about the size of a bear.

It was something I couldn’t possibly say out loud, so I swallowed it.

Wi Seol-ah was technically a servant, so Elder Yi could have gotten angry at her disrespectful behavior, but he just laughed heartily, showing no sign of concern.

Was it because of Wi Seol-ah’s unbelievable looks, or was he just cutting her slack because she’s young? Either way, it seemed like it all blew over fine.

Leaving Wi Seol-ah, who had quieted down a bit after getting the yakgwa, I was called by Elder Yi.

“Yangcheon-ah.”

“Yes?”

“Earlier, I was about to say something but didn’t finish.”

Come to think of it, Elder Yi had said he found me because he had something to tell me.

As I looked at him as if asking what it was, Elder Yi continued.

“After the Nine Dragon Gathering ends, I need you to participate in some sparring matches.”

“Sparring matches, Elder? Are you planning to kill someone else…?”

“Who do you mean ‘someone else’! I didn’t kill anyone, you punk! And it’s not me, it’s you who’s going.”

“…What?”

What kind of bullshit is this?

“Me? Suddenly?”

Why would I suddenly participate in something so bothersome?

---

Around the time of the horse hour (around 1-3 PM), the Nine Dragon Gathering finally began. Because many collateral family members of the Gu family and martial artists from the Shanxi region participated, there were hundreds of people even after filtering them out.

Could this possibly be finished in one day, especially before sunset?

Of course, since I’m just sitting and watching, it’ll be more comfortable than the martial artists fighting on the sparring grounds or the Sword Guards acting as referees.

But why do I have this overwhelmingly uneasy feeling?

“I wish the sparring matches wouldn’t end all day.”

If time drags on, maybe I’ll get an excuse to escape.

The Nine Dragon Gathering itself was interesting to watch. People always get excited about martial artists’ sparring matches, and I was no different.

The way he thrust his spear was exhilarating. He was a martial artist who skillfully utilized the advantage of his spear’s length.

His opponent, unfortunately, was a swordsman. Spearmen and swordsmen have notoriously bad matchups.

Yet, the swordsman remained calm. While dodging the relentlessly advancing spear tip, his eyes stayed fixed on his opponent.

‘I think they said he was from a collateral branch.’

When the swordsman was first introduced, they said he was from the Gu family’s collateral branch. His name was Gu… something.

“Hap!”

Perhaps annoyed by the constant dodging, the spear was swung with force, slicing rapidly through the air. They said he was a former ronin, and the effort put into his polished spear techniques was evident.

However, impatience was poison.

Movements requiring more force than necessary hindered the continuation of his forms. The opponent didn’t miss the opening created by this.

The match was decided in an instant. The swordsman used his blade to push the spear shaft, which had struck the ground due to a failed technique.

Seizing the moment the spearman faltered, he charged forward without hesitation.

The spearman, having lost his range, had no other options. He tried to swing his spear again in desperation, but the sword’s edge was already at his throat.

After a brief silence, the spearman sighed and took a step back, conceding defeat.

His face was full of regret.

The referee quickly confirmed the result and announced,

“Gu Seonyeol wins,”

‘So his name was Gu Seonyeol.’

It was an impressive match, but it seemed he wasn’t a martial artist famous enough to be remembered from my past life.

Or maybe I just didn’t remember him.

“That kid is going to get selected.”

Elder Yi’s voice was filled with certainty.

Calmness as a martial artist was a huge advantage. Even I could see he was someone who would be selected eventually, if not now.

“How much longer is left…?”

Looking around, only half the participants remained.

I thought it would take much longer, considering they were selecting only about twenty people out of hundreds, but with many sparring grounds and matches finishing faster than expected, it seemed like it would end soon.

On the first day, I had wanted it to end quickly so I could go home, but now I was desperately hoping this time wouldn’t end.

I glared at Elder Yi with a resentful expression.

Elder Yi seemed to notice my gaze and said to me,

“Why are you giving me such dog-shit eyes?”

“Don’t misunderstand, Elder. It’s a look of respect.”

“You’re not just spewing dog-shit with your eyes, but your mouth too.”

Watching Elder Yi chuckle heartily as if finding something immensely amusing, I sighed.

The reason was the direct lineage sparring match scheduled after the Nine Dragon Gathering. Since the only direct descendants attending the Nine Dragon Gathering were Gu Yeonseo and myself, naturally, we were the only targets.

When I questioned why such a ridiculous situation had arisen, Elder Yi simply said it looked fun, and that Cheonsang Ilga approved.

His talk of ‘fun’ reminded me of Peng Woojin, who had been beaten senseless earlier.

‘Still, I can’t exactly beat up Elder Yi…’

Hitting him was out of the question, and besides, I doubted he’d even let me hit him.

“Don’t worry.”

I looked to see who it was and heard Gu Yeonseo’s voice.

“Nobody expects anything from you. You don’t need to worry about being embarrassed. Besides, we’re related by blood, so I’ll finish it quickly without hurting you too much.”

“…That’s a very thoughtful consideration. Thank you so much.”

I’m so grateful, I could just cry.

Gu Yeonseo clearly wasn’t even considering the possibility of losing.

That must be why he readily agreed to Elder Yi’s suggestion. He even looked happy about it.

It was only natural.

There was a world of difference between me, who lived without lifting a finger, and Gu Yeonseo, a genius, or at least a prodigy, who trained diligently.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to just forfeit quickly?’

My reputation was already non-existent.

Adding another stroke of ink to an already thoroughly stained name wouldn’t make it any darker.

“Yangcheon-ah, let me tell you something in advance.”

Elder Yi sidled up and whispered quietly.

“If you’re thinking of forfeiting, I might just give you a knuckle rap with a little ‘accidental’ force.”

“Surely not. There’s no way…”

This damn family… not a single normal person among them.

I felt like I’d said this before, but time doesn’t bend to my will.

The sparring time I desperately wished wouldn’t come arrived swiftly, as if mocking me.

As the sun set, lanterns were lit once more. With the conclusion of the Nine Dragon Gathering, a total of twenty-one individuals were eligible to join the Gu family’s Sword Guard.

The next day was a wrap-up party and festival. Of course, my schedule only covered up to the second day, so I planned to slip away quickly.

My original intention was just to observe and leave, but the problem was that things got complicated at the very end.

Having received so much attention, albeit for negative reasons, in my past life, I didn’t want to be noticed even for minor things now.

My plan was to live quietly, as if I didn’t exist.

Actually, it felt like I had deviated quite a bit, no, a lot, from the plan, but that was the idea.

I could see Gu Yeonseo already on the sparring grounds.

The way he held his sword loosely, combined with his upright posture, showed subtle signs of his rigorous training.

I really didn’t want to go…

I turned and said to Elder Yi, who was watching with a playful smirk,

“Did you really want to see me get beaten and lose in front of everyone like that?”

Seriously, he was a devilish old man, just like in my past life. Elder Yi gave a strange smile at my resentful words.

And then he said,

“Are you really thinking of ‘not’ winning?”

As I was heading towards the sparring grounds, I stopped at Elder Yi’s words.

“What strange thing are you saying now? What do you mean ‘not’ win? I mean I can’t win.”

“Yeah, yeah, if you say so, then that’s how it is.”

…Honestly, despite his bear-like appearance, he had the cunning of a fox inside.

Ignoring Elder Yi, I walked onto the sparring grounds.

---

The moon hung in the night sky.

It was a thinly sliced crescent moon.

After the martial artists, reeking of sweat, had all withdrawn, the sparring grounds were quite deserted.

Of course, there were plenty of spectators surrounding the area, but on the grounds themselves, it was just the two of us.

To think Elder Yi would use the Gu family’s direct descendants as entertainment during the Nine Dragon Gathering… even for him, wasn’t this a bit excessive?

“Aren’t you planning to use a sword?”

Gu Yeonseo asked me as I was warming up.

A sword? Did I even use a sword around this time?

The Gu family is a clan that uses both swords and fists. Unlike the Peng family, who solely used sabers, or the Moyong and Namgung families, who specialized only in swords.

Due to the nature of the Gu Yan Hwaryugong, it could be applied to all types of weapons, except for things like bows or hidden weapons.

Among them, they primarily used swords and fists, which had the highest utility.

And later, I realized that fist techniques suited me best.

“I decided not to use a sword; it just doesn’t suit me well.”

“You say that so easily, without even investing enough time to make that judgment.”

Gu Yeonseo wouldn’t know what I’ve been through, so he’d see it that way. I didn’t bother correcting him; it would just sound like excuses.

Gu Yeonseo said,

“Do you know how long it’s been since we last sparred?”

“I wonder.”

“It’s been a long time. I’ve consistently wished for this – a time when I could legally beat up my little brother, you know? Though I didn’t exactly want it to happen in front of such a large crowd.”

“Why do you say such terrifying things so casually?”

It was a memory too distant for me. A time long enough for my current memories to have faded.

However, the memory of my final confrontation with Gu Yeonseo in my past life was still vivid.

It certainly wasn’t a peaceful event called sparring.

At that time, Gu Yeonseo was pointing his sword at me. The blade was heavily imbued with red internal energy.

Crimson Flame Sword (紅炎劍).

That was the alias given to Gu Yeonseo in the Central Plains. I thought it was quite a fitting name.

His eyes brimming with tears, blood dripping from his mouth, a battered and bruised figure.

Yet, the intense killing intent he directed towards his own kin remained vividly etched in my memory.

‘Disgusting bastard, you, I will definitely kill you.’

It was raining then.

It wasn’t raining now.

Something that hadn’t happened yet, and something that should never happen if I could help it.

I had to keep reminding myself of that.

“I always wanted to do this whenever I got the chance. You always just ran away.”

His face still held the softness of youth, and his voice carried a childish tone.

In my memory, his voice was much more mature, his appearance fully grown, unlike his current self.

However, the way he pointed his sword at me was the same.

Although it was a wooden sword, not a real one, it looked so much like the image from my memory.

While I was lost in thought, Gu Yeonseo spoke.

Thanks to that, I could snap back to reality.

“I hate you.”

It was far from a kind statement, but it certainly jolted me back to my senses.

“I know.”

It was obvious, wasn’t it? He made it so clear, how could I not know?

“I hate that you were born the child of a prestigious family, the head’s child at that, yet you don’t try. And I really hate your trash-like personality.”

“I know, but hearing you say it hurts a little.”

I understand. If I were in his shoes and met someone like my past self, I’d feel disgusted too.

‘It’s funny, maybe I’m a little different now?’

Even I wasn’t sure about that yet.

“Begin!”

Elder Yi shouted, channeling his internal energy. Caught off guard, my ears rang.

As if he’d been waiting, Gu Yeonseo kicked off the ground and charged. There was no talk of yielding the first strike out of consideration for the weaker opponent.

I could feel intense heat radiating from Gu Yeonseo as he closed the distance.

It was the aftereffect of Gu Yan Hwaryugong reaching the third stage. A sweltering energy permeated the surroundings.

‘He really doesn’t intend to hold back even a little bit, does he.’

The sword he swung drew a steady arc, speaking volumes of Gu Yeonseo’s training.

I took a step back, twisting my upper body to dodge the sword strike.

Gu Yeonseo’s eyes widened. It looked like he hadn’t expected me to dodge.

But he immediately changed his technique. The rapidly incoming sword strikes were all aimed at vital points.

The minimum body movement within my capabilities. Trying to channel excessive force with my weak body would only make it stiff.

The subsequent sword strikes were undoubtedly fast and deadly, but I managed to dodge them by moving half a beat faster.

I could already feel my breath shortening.

My mind was preoccupied with thinking about where and how I should lose to end this naturally.

“You’re still just dodging everything, aren’t you!”

Gu Yeonseo shouted as he swung his sword.

Gu Yeonseo’s transparent malice was paradoxically so clear it felt visible.

After a few more exchanges,

Grind-

Gu Yeonseo gritted his teeth, perhaps because his techniques weren’t landing. His initial relaxed posture was nowhere to be seen.

What could possibly be making him so impatient?

He soon created some distance behind him and shifted his stance.

Something began to rise from Gu Yeonseo’s wooden sword like heat haze.

It looked dangerous just by looking at it.

‘…I definitely shouldn’t get hit by that.’

Gu Yeonseo, now at the third stage, had channeled Gu Yan Hwaryugong, albeit minimally, into the wooden sword. This meant he was close to the fourth stage.

It was just crudely forced internal energy, making it quite unstable.

I glanced towards Elder Yi; he was resting his chin on his hand, watching with apparent interest.

He didn’t seem inclined to help at all.

‘…Damn it, how can I pretend to get hit without making it obvious?’

Getting knocked down by that would be perfect, but it looked too dangerous.

‘What should I do.’

A faint red aura flickered around Gu Yeonseo’s wooden sword.

His hand trembled uncontrollably, likely unable to handle the channeled internal energy.

“Without doing anything, without talent or effort, just because you’re the son…”

Perhaps channeling too much internal energy at once, Gu Yeonseo seemed delirious, rambling incoherently.

As I said, I understood Gu Yeonseo’s feelings.

I vaguely knew what frustrated him, and even his malice towards me felt justified, so I could accept that too.

However.

“If you’re going to live so pathetically… why didn’t you just disappear, like your mother did.”

“What?”

Gu Yeonseo leaped, channeling his strength, and thrust his sword. The force was such that the sparring ground floor where he stood cracked.

However, the sword, fueled solely by anger, was rushed and lacking.

I twisted my body and dodged the sword.

As his target vanished, Gu Yeonseo lost control of his momentum and staggered.

Gu Yeonseo tried to regain his balance quickly, but…

Without hesitation, I struck Gu Yeonseo across the face with my hand.