Chapter 10: The Real Flatfish
I stared at Hong Chosam’s Flatfish-like face. When I subtracted the deep wrinkles and added a touch of youth, the face of the Flatfish I had killed yesterday overlapped perfectly.
Goosebumps.
That ant Flatfish was Hong Chosam’s son. No wonder the reaction was a bit extre when Flatfish got beaten up; I guess there was a story behind it.
A beggar fathering a child? One might think that, but it wasn't sothing to be looked down upon. It was fine as long as he was raised well.
I suppose Hong Chosam raised him well enough with the money earned from committing all sorts of dirty deeds. That must be why he grew up to be such an insolent bastard.
Hong Chosam’s bloodshot eyes stared directly at . Smirking back at him, I spoke.
“I think my eyes looked like that when we first t. Now the situation has reversed, hasn't it? How does it feel to fall to the very bottom of the gutter, Hong Chosam?”
“…Did we first et two days ago?”
“Shut up. If I say so, it is so. Where do you get off talking back to the ‘Acting Chief’? A re excommunicated disciple. You pathetic bastard. If you truly wanted to be the Chief, you should have put in more effort when you were young. Did you try to buy the seat with money now that you're old? From Baek Cheon… ah, that was a slip of the tongue. Forget it.”
Since there were too many witnesses, I couldn't talk about Baek Cheon and the Dark Heaven Society.
Co to think of it, what happened to the Trackless Divine Beggar? I'm sure he fared well on his own. If Baek Cheon had manifested, he would have handled himself appropriately.
The fingers of Hong Chosam, who held his pole with both hands, twitched.
I also took a step toward Hong Chosam. eting exactly at the midpoint, our two figures beca entangled, unleashing the trajectories of sword paths and poles.
Swish, the scent of blood brushed past. Red blood flowed from where my skin was grazed.
Hong Chosam’s pole swung violently toward my neck. I lowered my waist to dodge the strike and imdiately kicked the charging Hong Chosam away.
Boom, a thunderous sound of sothing breaking echoed briefly, and from the smoke rising where Hong Chosam had crashed, a flying dagger flew toward my eyes.
I quickly raised my sword to deflect the dagger, and as soon as I saw Hong Chosam reflected in the pure white blade, I turned and swung my sword.
Hong Chosam’s pressing pole and my blocking sword collided with an eerie sonic boom. As soon as I felt I was being pushed back, I tripped Hong Chosam to break his balance and slamd my fist into his head.
Hong Chosam’s Flatfish-like face, shimring with a colorless barrier, flew far away. Protective Qi.
‘It doesn't seem like his ntal image is mixed in yet.’
If it were, it wouldn't be transparent but would have displayed its own unique color.
Since I had put a fair amount of strength into it this ti, Hong Chosam flew quite a distance, crashing through all sorts of things. In my ears, sharpened by the fight, sounds of heavy impacts echoed, followed by the sound of him catching his balance with a screeching stop of his feet.
“Successor… don't mock .”
Hong Chosam’s voice, like iron scraping together, echoed, and a half-moon shaped aura rushed toward at an insane speed.
Sword Force, the superior version of Sword Qi, is not particularly preferred. While it is obviously stronger, it consus an enormous amount of inner Qi.
Look at that blue light of aura flying toward . How much energy is contained within it? Especially the aura Hong Chosam sent; it was no different from a mass of pure energy, yet for so reason, it was quite thrilling.
As expected, I was no match for Hong Chosam in terms of inner Qi. Even after eating the snow ginseng, it was hard to overco the years of an old man.
I stared at the incoming aura and spoke through gritted teeth.
“Revenge for the snow ginseng. Hong Chosam, you lowlife bastard who is worse than a Flatfish. The snow ginseng died because of you. I will take your life in place of the three year mourning period.”
I too roused my Sword Force and split Hong Chosam’s aura in two. A massive amount of energy left , to the point where I could feel it draining in real ti, and I felt the noble sacrifice of the snow ginseng.
‘Ah.’
Thinking of the snow ginseng that was crunched and chewed up because of Hong Chosam, my heart ached as if it were being torn into ten thousand pieces.
I resented the herbalist who woke the snow ginseng that had been sleeping deep in the ground for a long ti. Ultimately, the herbalist digging up the snow ginseng was just an attempt to sell the elixir to a person of the Jianghu.
“These crazy Jianghu bastards… I’ll kill them all.”
With that intent, I cut the arm of Hong Chosam as he rushed toward . A 'slash' sound echoed crisply.
Sword and pole, fist and fist, clashed and clashed. And clashed again.
While dancing with my sword and cutting the body of the lowly beggar who believed he was clean, I looked into Hong Chosam’s eyes. Two pupils that were beginning to lose focus and go hazy.
A state of selflessness. He was obtaining the enlightennt to move to the next realm in a life-or-death struggle.
That ant.
This old man called Hong Chosam had never once fought a battle with his life on the line until now. And yet he blad his own talent?
Energy began to flow from the nose of Hong Chosam, who was instinctively performing defensive forms with his pole, and three flower buds began to form above his head.
“Three… Flowers Gathering at the Peak.”
Soone’s murmur whispered in my ear on the wind. The Harmonious Realm in the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions, the Ultimate Demonic Realm in the Demonic Way. The realm of a supre master. Hong Chosam was entering such a realm.
I used the Cot Slash of the Fast Sword Forms to cut down Hong Chosam’s thread like hope, like a gardener’s indifferent snip of the shears.
The three flower buds scattered like ashes. So did the vain dream of the old man Hong Chosam.
Elder Dog, or rather the son of a bitch, whose mind had returned to clarity, began to vent his rage while trembling all over.
“Wang Cho! You goddamn bastard… to interfere with a martial artist’s enlightennt? Could you call yourself human! I will kill you. Do not laugh, Elder Un! Your mistake when you were young made like this. Yes, this is all because of you…”
I slowly shook my head and spoke.
“Elder Un is not here. I don't care what happened between the two of you. Do you still not know the reason you only gained enlightennt just now? Sothing that both I and the beggars here know? The reason you couldn't move further is simple. You weren't desperate. It's only natural that you couldn't grow strong when you tried to take the easy path by leaning on the power of others, Hong Chosam. Do not turn away from your faults by leaning on the word 'Qi deviation'.”
Hong Chosam muttered frantically to himself. Then, he gave a hollow laugh toward and spoke.
“Then has Successor ever been desperate? I wasn't desperate you say? Then did Successor obtain his current martial arts because he was desperate? Don't just laugh and answer .”
I postponed the answer to his question and looked around. I saw Eungsam, who was tense and clenching his fists.
Beside him was the gigolo-like Baek Hae, who was fanning himself with a white fan he got from sowhere and smiling at .
There was the Chief, who was pretending to be composed while pushing out the poison trying to invade his whole body, giving a thumbs up.
Far away, Hwa Pyeong, wearing a human skin mask, held up the middle fingers of both hands toward Hong Chosam.
There was the Trackless Divine Beggar, leaning against a tree with his black hem fluttering, waving and smirking at .
…And there was Baek Cheon, the Lord of the Dark Heaven Society, nodding toward with his characteristic blunt face.
Why was that guy here? As expected, the incident at the back mountain was indeed related to the Lord.
I smirked, turned my head, and t Hong Chosam’s eyes. Looking at those narrow pupils, I opened my mouth.
“You're right. I wasn't desperate. That’s why I’m trying to change. I’ve co to know a little bit about what ‘connection’ ans. Ridiculously, it’s only been two days. I am such a sentintal person. Hong Chosam, were you actually a good person? No. Both of us are far from living a proper life. So we have to change. Have you ever thought of such a thing?”
Hong Chosam did not speak. He simply inhaled, 'huff', and once again obsessively thrust his pole, aiming for my vitals.
I stepped on Hong Chosam’s foot and lunged into his bosom. Imdiately, Hong Chosam’s headbutt ca in, aiming for my chest.
Thud, my consciousness went hazy for a mont with the sound, but I bit my lip to snap back to reality. Since a pole is longer than a sword, it's advantageous for controlling distance. Hong Chosam knew that well.
In that case, I'll just end it without closing the distance.
I quickly raised my sword to parry Hong Chosam’s pole as it ca in with a long half-circle arc.
In an instant, I kicked the ground to spray sand into Hong Chosam’s eyes and imdiately began to swing my sword down.
Hong Chosam, who had closed his eyes tightly, gaped blankly. As if sensing his end.
The scattered Star Moon Sword Qi condensed once again into the sword.
Sun-Drenched Moonlight Strong Sword Form, Falling Star Martial Sword.
A cluster of stars fell upon the old and faded night sky that was Hong Chosam.
Looking at Hong Chosam, who had been split in half, I couldn't help but smirk.
“Ah. Chosam told not to laugh. It can't be helped. You idiot. Who do you think you're trying to fight?”
My whole body was filled with a sense of exhaustion. It was the aftermath of parrying Chosam’s aura earlier. I had overexerted myself because I tried to win without taking any wounds on my body.
Exhausting my inner Qi and the feeling of tiredness were things to be resolved through ditation and sleep.
‘I got grazed a few tis, but this doesn't even count as a wound.’
What a blessing that I didn't get an arm cut off. That’s a blessing indeed.
I watched the beggars flocking to my side for a mont and then fell fast asleep right then and there once again.
* * *
“My Lord, the Hungry Wolf has arrived.”
The aging voice of the Trackless Divine Beggar echoed through the large Great Hall.
A silence followed for a mont.
Then, seeing Baek Cheon nod, the Trackless Divine Beggar spoke again.
“The Giant Gate, the Wealthy Life, the Literary Star, the Chaste Star, the Martial Star, the Military Star… all have arrived.”
With those words, all the leaders of the Dark Heaven Society who had entered the Great Hall paid their respects to Baek Cheon at the head seat and sat in their respective chairs.
The Wealthy Life, the Axe Demon of the Green Forest, who was quick tempered, spoke first. One of the leaders ntioned when Wang Cho was caught in an Inner Demon before. He was also a predecessor expert belonging to the Green Forest of the Unorthodox Alliance, a coalition of Unorthodox Faction.
“Lord, is that truly the case? Wang Cho has beco a regressor? No, it’s true that we hoped for it, but…”
“It is true. He showed a clearly changed appearance even without my intervention. It is certain that there was intervention from the Celestial Palace.”
Next to cut in was an innocent, young voice.
“What shall we do, Lord? The Peach Blossom Land won't intend to just leave the beggar's growth alone.”
The sect leader of the Heaven Shattering Sect, a single inheritance sect, the Hungry Wolf, the Matchless in a Single Strike. He had beco younger after experiencing the fortuitous encounter of Bone and Marrow Rebirth. He was likewise a predecessor expert.
Baek Cheon, who let out a deep sigh, irritably tapped the table, 'tap, tap', and spoke.
“What else can we do? We must protect the beggar. Though I don't know if that bastard will follow our will. The day after he clashed with the Teacher of Heaven and n, he saw right through as I was staying far away. That goddamn bastard. He’s grown too clever.”
“Lord, take a breath. Why do you get so worked up whenever Wang Cho is ntioned?”
“I shall.”
After sighing several tis, Baek Cheon leaned his back all the way against the chair.
They say ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,’ but even though he hadn't taken a single step, the path ahead already felt bleak.
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