Chapter 72: A Familiar Stench
Could this grudge possibly be trivial?
The long fight against the Demonic Cult.
Battling one skirmish after another often ant we couldn't stop at villages. In those tis, we had to make do with preserved rations.
I had just picked up my satchel, which I'd carelessly thrown aside before a fight.
- Hmm? Why is my jerky missing?
- Nom nom.
- Hey, Brother Jang. That jerky?
- Hmm? What are you talking about? Did you write your na on the jerky?
- My wife made my jerky, so its color and scent are different. Isn't that mine?
- Oh, your wife made it? I'm sorry, I ate it all.
- …….
- I-I’m sorry. I didn't know it was sothing like that. If I had known, I wouldn't have eaten it.
- Divine Fist Beggar. If you're a mber of the Beggar's Gang, act like one. You could have just asked to share.
- No, that's.
- ?
- I was begging.
- You didn't say anything, so how is that begging?
- I was just a bit late in saying it. Hehet.
Right.
I almost killed him.
My self-control was useless back then. As I charged at him with Mukheun, the surrounding martial artists had to stop .
The funny thing was that other martial artists had also had their food stolen. When they charged at him, I was the one who stopped them.
The shaless beggar who created that situation was none other than Jang Gangcheon.
This guy, now standing before on the sparring stage dressed in a white robe.
“Jang Gangcheon, the Divine Fist Beggar, youngest disciple of the Dragon Head Gang Leader.”
“What? How did you know that?”
“So slls can't be washed away, no matter how much you scrub.”
“What? I washed so much, though.”
He sniffed himself.
“No. The stench of a thief.”
“A thief?”
“There is such a thing.”
“?”
Jang Gangcheon tilted his head.
“A mont ago you were glaring, and now you call a thief. Ink Sword Great Hero, are you perhaps confusing with soone else?”
Not at all.
I rember that shaless face that stole and ate food all too well.
After eating so well and fighting, didn't he beco a vice-gang leader at a young age in ten years, and wasn't he even considered a candidate for the next gang leader?
“I didn't recognize you at first because I've only seen your dirty face. But the way you pounce on food is still the sa.”
“Only seen my dirty face? Have we t before?”
“I ant I saw a poorly drawn wanted poster of you.”
It was nonsensical gibberish I spewed out randomly.
But there was indeed a huge gap between his usual dirty beggar appearance and his current form in a white robe.
The robe made him look even more ridiculous.
“A beggar hiding his identity just by washing his face.”
So the mbers of the Beggar's Gang can do this too.
A simple face wash had the effect of a disguise.
But then.
“Keuk.”
At my last words, Jang Gangcheon let out a groan.
What is it?
He was flustered until just now, but his spirit hadn't broken.
What part of my words?
“Hiding your identity.”
“……”
“Washing up.”
“Keuk.”
Ah?
“Wearing clean clothes.”
“Keuk.”
“Using utensils neatly.”
“Kuaaak.”
“With a clean face.”
“St-stop.”
He's ashad of his own appearance?
Most people are ashad when their dirty appearance is exposed.
Jang Gangcheon was the complete opposite.
“Hoh?”
I'd found the point of sha for this shaless man.
“It was just for information gathering. I had no other intention.”
He waved his hands, trying to act nonchalant.
I can't let this go.
An opportunity to repay my grudge has appeared right before my eyes.
“How about this?”
“What do you an?”
“Really? If you're so confident, I'll reveal your identity in front of everyone.”
“What? Why?”
“You said you were confident, didn't you?”
“No, that's.”
Jang Gangcheon’s eyes turned toward the crowd.
People had been concentrating intently, wondering what we were talking about on the sparring stage for so long.
“N-no! I can't reveal my clean self in front of so many people. Anything but that, please!”
“Hahahahaha.”
Laughter escaped .
The mont his identity was revealed to , his weakness was caught.
“Then there is one other way out.”
“Your eyes look strange. What way out?”
Jang Gangcheon's face twisted strangely.
“It's fine, it's fine. Just lose the duel to .”
“Huh? If it's sothing like that. Since I'm caught anyway……. I'll go down gracefully.”
“What are you talking about.”
“?”
“Gracefully?”
“!”
Gracefully?
Did you say gracefully?
That's the key point.
“What do you want to do.”
“Just take enough of a beating to make look good.”
“That's… are you blackmailing with my weakness?”
“You clean Beggar's Gang mber.”
“Uwaaaah!”
“How about it?”
But Jang Gangcheon resisted stubbornly.
“Still, what's not possible is not possible!”
No matter what, he was a martial artist.
It wouldn't be easy to accept a proposal to just stand there and get hit.
But I had another bait.
“Look, they are picking two instructors now. The winner of the previous match, and the winner between you and .”
“So?”
“If you do as I say, I will recomnd you for the other instructor position, besides .”
“What are you talking about? What about the winner of the previous match? He's the one who gets it. Didn't you just say that yourself?”
“That man has grounds for disqualification.”
“Grounds for disqualification?”
At that mont, jeers erupted from among the spectators.
“What are they doing! Why are the two of them standing so close and whispering like that!”
The official in charge of the event also ca up onto the sparring stage.
“Please do not delay any longer. It's taking too much ti.”
I quickly threw a punch at Jang Gangcheon.
“There's no ti, so I'll skip the detailed explanation.”
He pretended to block half-heartedly, but he conspicuously revealed an opening.
With a loud crack, my fist exploded on his jaw.
“Gak!”
Ah.
A good sound.
The sound of an old grudge being released.
Crack, thud, thwack, smack.
Jerky, raw rice, grain pills, dried fruit.
The more I think about it, the more he stole and ate.
I planted fist after fist, with appropriately controlled power, into his face.
“Stop it! Why are you hitting so much!”
“Because you stole and ate a lot!”
“What are you talking about?”
I moved my hands even faster.
This is thrilling.
Before my regression, I had never hit a mber of the Beggar's Gang.
The Beggar's Gang was a White Path sect, and I too belonged to the Alliance, so it was natural.
But now, I was gleefully beating up a disciple who was next in line for Gang Leader.
Waduk.
His hard face turned left and right.
The feel of my fists was considerable.
I couldn't hold back and put more strength into it, pulling my fist back.
Jang Gangcheon’s eyes widened.
“What are you doing now?”
“A past grudge with a present fist!”
“So why do you have a grudge-”
Baaaaaam!
He couldn't finish his sentence.
Jang Gangcheon, who had taken a proper blow, fell off the sparring stage.
“Hoo. With this, the grudge is settled.”
Ah, I feel at ease now.
I guess revenge is sothing you should live to carry out. Refreshing. My insides feel so refreshed.
“Jang Sam?”
Wondering if he was seriously hurt, I looked down.
He was shaking his head and getting up, spitting out blood-mixed saliva.
“Damn it, that hurts like hell.”
He can still talk.
That should be enough.
“Alright, that’s all!”
The event official ca forward.
“The winners of all the matches have been decided!”
Following his declaration, the cheers of the spectators erupted.
“Wow! The Ink Sword Great Hero is truly overwhelming!”
“He defeated the Maksan Swordsman and the martial artist called Iron Fist all one-sidedly!”
“But what did he talk about with Iron Fist? Could they have rigged the match?”
“Rigged? What kind of rigging involves getting beaten up like that!”
“Right?”
Jang Gangcheon’s face was swollen red and blue.
Even those who had suspected rigging shook their heads after seeing his face.
“Who was it? Who said Iron Fist would win? I should have bet on the Ink Sword Great Hero!”
“I did! I bet on the Ink Sword Great Hero and turned my life around!”
As fates were decided, groans and cheers erupted from all over.
.
.
The winner of the previous match was a martial artist nad Yi Haksang.
And I beca the winner after him.
“Ink Sword Great Hero, please co up to the sparring stage for the winner's announcent.”
“?”
The person who spoke was not the martial artist who had been officiating until now.
“Is soone else handling the winner's announcent?”
“Yes. I am a clerk who handles docunts. There is sothing to be done right after the announcent.”
What could a clerk have to do at the winner's announcent of a duel?
Anyway, I followed him back up onto the sparring stage.
“Behold, the two winners of today's instructor selection tournant!”
The clerk shouted at the top of his lungs.
The spectators cheered in unison.
Those who had lost big money must have already left.
The remaining people had either won money thanks to the winners or were simply spectators.
“Ink Sword Great Hero Jin Yeomyeong from Luoyang!”
Compared to Yi Haksang standing next to , the cheers for were overwhelmingly louder.
“We have seen the esteed skill of the Sword Hero well!”
“Now, beco the Ink Sword Great Hero of Kaifeng!”
“Right! Settle down in Kaifeng altogether!”
I waved briefly to the people and turned my body toward the Virtuous Mothers' Association's seats.
“Then we will now recite the contract.”
Hmm?
A contract?
Is this why the clerk ca out?
But usually, things like this are drawn up separately after the tournant ends.
I understood the reason as soon as I heard the first clause.
“First, you shall not speak of anything you see or hear inside the complex. Anyone who violates this is one who has forsaken righteousness as a martial artist. Do you agree?”
Do you agree?
The thin curtain that concealed the Virtuous Mothers' Association beyond fluttered in the wind.
Amazing.
To ask for agreent while ntioning ‘righteousness’.
What does maintaining the secrecy of the complex have to do with righteousness?
But what if the tournant winner agrees in front of so many people?
From that mont on, it becos related.
A martial artist cannot break a word given with their righteousness on the line.
If they break it, the reputation they've built over a lifeti will plumt to the ground.
I was wondering how they maintained secrecy.
So this is the thod they've been using for outside martial artists who beco instructors.
Not only that.
This was a form of pressure.
Pressure to accept the rules of the Virtuous Mothers' Association in front of everyone watching.
It ant you could enter if you did, or stay outside if you didn't.
“I agree.”
The man nad Yi Haksang standing next to even nodded as he agreed.
Now that he's inside, he will follow all the other rules of the Virtuous Mothers' Association.
After Yi Haksang finished his answer, the clerk looked at .
Hmm.
What should I do?
I don't want to agree to those words that carelessly ntion ‘righteousness’.
But to enter the complex, I have to accept those words.
In that case.
Wooooong-
I raised Mukheun.
“Ink Sword Great Hero? Wh-what?”
The clerk stuttered and took a step back.
Woooooong-
Mukheun's cry grew louder.
“What are you doing! Ink Sword Great Hero!”
“Why are you drawing your sword!”
The family warriors of the Virtuous Mothers' Association also sensed sothing was wrong and sward in front of the curtain.
“Because Mukheun has always been the answer.”
“?”
People's gazes were fixed on Mukheun.
Beside , Yi Haksang was stealthily backing away.
Good.
Everyone is focused.
“There is sothing I must reveal in front of everyone.”
“?”
“Soone has participated in this martial arts tournant while hiding their identity.”
Below the stage, Jang Gangcheon’s mouth fell open.
“Hey. Ink Sword Great Hero?”
I paid him no mind.
“It is an utterly outrageous affair. To think an unidentified person has infiltrated an event to select an instructor for a noble family's complex!”
“Ink Sword Hero, just a mont. Didn't I take quite a beating? I'm soone who's never been beaten like this anywhere.”
“It is a matter that must be revealed and punished in front of all people. Yes! That is what should be done!”
“Punished? Punished just for washing up?”
Punished.
He must be punished.
“Exterminate the Demonic Cult!”
With a single shout, I launched Mukheun at Yi Haksang.
As always.
Demonic Cult mbers must be exterminated.
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