The direct descendant of Confucius and the head of the family at the ti was given a title that could be passed down from generation to generation by the country.
It was the Duke of Yansheng.
Kong Yong, the Duke of Yansheng of the ti, was impressed by Jae Seok-geon when the debate began.
'To bring in the Zhuge Clan.'
It was an unexpected decision, so much so that it was difficult to see it as the choice of Jae Seok-geon, a stubborn and obstinate scholar. He had been properly taken aback.
'A good move.'
It was definitely a good move. There was a point that scholars, who thought of martial arts, martial artists, and people of the martial world as just lawless violence, could never know.
Even after seeing the descriptions written in ancient books, they could not easily realize that it was related to martial arts. It was natural since the world they had lived in was different.
But Jae Seok-geon had brought a martial artist, not a scholar, to the debate and had dug into the blind spot.
'And since he's a person from the Zhuge Clan, it's hard to say that she's lacking in academics.'
The debate between the previous Duke of Yansheng, his father, and Zhuge Seon was a quite famous event.
Because it had proven that even in the martial world, there were people with whom one could share opinions, in the academic world where it was thought that martial artists were lawless and only revered the sword.
In particular, Kong Yong was honestly amazed at the scene where he showed the several descriptions ntioned in various ancient books directly with martial arts, opening the eyes of the scholars.
'He's prepared a lot.'
Still, Kong Yong was not shaken.
No, at least he had held his ground.
'Everyone, don't be anxious.'
Even though so of the people who had inherited Confucius's bloodline showed signs of wavering, Kong Yong held his ground firmly.
'It's not like it's the first or second ti.'
Dozens, no, hundreds, no, over a thousand years.
It was a martial art that had been hidden for a long ti.
There was no way it would be revealed by a logic that was no different from that incitent. Kong Yong was confident and had been consistently silent.
But even the great Kong Yong had no choice but to widen his eyes at the following scene.
"...!"
"G-Grandfather!"
"H-How can that woman do that?"
Even in the Kong Family Mansion, very few people had learned martial arts.
Not the branch families, but only the direct line, and it was a unique martial art that had been passed down so that only the direct descendant could learn it.
The martial art that Zhuge Seola was unfolding now, only three people recognized it and were astonished.
'Kong Family's... Rending Fist.'
Kong Yong's eyes twitched.
His unshakable mind, which had not been shaken until now, was violently shaken.
No matter how much he had cultivated academics and martial arts for decades, Kong Yong had no choice but to be agitated.
Although it was unbelievable what Zhuge Seola was unfolding, it was clear.
Kong Family's Rending Fist.
A unique martial art that was passed down only in the Kong Family Mansion, only to the direct descendant of Confucius.
The number of people who had learned it at this point, Kong Yong could count exactly.
Himself, his eldest son, and his eldest grandson.
Exactly three.
'How? How can the Zhuge family have the Kong family's Rending Fist?'
It was a martial art that only three people in the world knew.
But how was she demonstrating it?
'Was there a description of the Rending Fist being used in an ancient book?'
Zhuge Seola was now demonstrating the descriptions written in nurous ancient books with martial arts.
Then what about the Rending Fist?
'No! The Rending Fist is absolutely not there!'
Kong Yong shook his head violently. The other scenes she had shown were closer to techniques rather than martial arts. Since they were thods that could be used as long as one had internal energy, it was not easy for Zhuge Seola to imitate them just by looking at the expressions written in ancient books, but it was in the realm of understanding.
The Rending Fist was clearly different.
It was a martial art of the highest order with clear moves, containing mysteries, and a perfectly established system.
It was not a kind that could be imitated. Moreover, there was no description to imitate. Even for Kong Yong, who had mastered nurous books, there was not a single trace that described the Rending Fist.
It was not sothing that could be done just by seeing it in person, so what on earth was being unfolded before his eyes?
Of course, it was not perfect. Many things were omitted, and rather, so parts were more similar to the older ones.
'How...'
Jiiing!
'...!'
At that mont, at the intense montum that seed to pierce his mind, Kong Yong's head turned.
It was a mistake.
In fact, he had felt sothing that had been continuously touching his intuition since before.
But Kong Yong had not been shaken.
'Internal energy...!'
Because it was internal energy. To show that he was reacting to the internal energy was to prove that he had internal energy.
But he could not ignore it until this mont.
The Rending Fist that Zhuge Seola had shown.
And the intense energy that pierced his mind.
Among the gazes of the nurous scholars, Kong Yong made eye contact with the transparent gaze that seed to be staring at him.
He was smiling.
'Kong Family's Rending Fist.'
'...!'
'Shall I show you everything to the end?'
At the telepathic ssage that dug into his mind, Kong Yong's face turned pale.
The secret of the Kong Family Mansion that had been hidden for an eternity.
'He knows. And perfectly.'
Kong Yong's face turned black.
* * *
Cheon Mubaeck smiled with satisfaction.
The debate that had started in the morning ended only when the night was late. Originally, when a debate where all the scholars gathered was held, the Duke of Yansheng would participate in the debate in person. That was the reason why it was held every half a month.
But Kong Yong had made an exception this ti and had not participated, and the debate had ended in a fizzle, and they had promised to et again in half a month.
Although so scholars said that they had been pushed back by the logic of Jae Seok-geon's side. In fact, a perfect conclusion had not been reached.
"That doesn't matter."
"It doesn't matter? I worked so hard."
Zhuge Seola, who had heard Cheon Mubaeck's muttering, made a crying face.
"No, thanks to you, it was a great help."
It was true.
Because Zhuge Seola had worked so hard in the debate, Kong Yong had finally reacted.
The ssage that had co to Cheon Mubaeck now was that.
"Because they asked to et separately with a sense of urgency."
"Really, they are martial artists."
"Since I showed them their unique martial art, they have no choice."
At those words, Zhuge Seola made a strange expression. Her gaze was so blatant that even Cheon Mubaeck found it difficult to et her gaze.
Cheon Mubaeck casually avoided her gaze.
"What is it?"
"In fact, rather than using the martial art properly, I was just imitating it, right?"
That was right.
Even if Zhuge Seola had sufficient talent among the later generation, she could not learn a martial art overnight.
The Rending Fist she had shown in the debate was no different from just imitating it.
But if she had just imitated it, they would have noticed. Wasn't the opponent none other than the head of the Kong Family Mansion?
She could not deceive them by just imitating.
So that is.
"The part you taught was the core, right? I was just imitating the core, so it looked plausible, right?"
"Well, that's right."
"Then a question arises here. How does Young Master Cheon know the unique martial art of the Kong Family Mansion!"
"..."
"To know the core of a martial art ans that you have a perfect understanding of the martial art itself and have grasped its mystery."
As Cheon Mubaeck was silent, Zhuge Seola smiled with a sense of triumph.
It was a difficult question for Cheon Mubaeck to answer.
Could he say that he had witnessed it through nurous reincarnations, that is, in the era when Confucius was alive?
And how could he say that he had thoroughly dug into and analyzed it while living as the Shandong Sword Hero, Wi Cheon-ak, and clashing with that martial art?
'Well, it's not like this has happened once or twice.'
Having lived through nurous reincarnations, there were tis when it was difficult to answer like this.
At those tis, Cheon Mubaeck had skillfully escaped the situation.
The thod was simple.
"It's a secret."
To be shaless.
"..."
Zhuge Seola looked at Cheon Mubaeck with a dumbfounded face.
Since he had said it was a secret, there was nothing more she could say.
"Isn't that too much? A secret."
"I'm sorry, Young Lady. Since a martial artist always hides thirty percent of his skills, it's because I have one or two personal secrets."
"..."
Zhuge Seola made a slightly disappointed expression.
No, she was actually disappointed. At the fact that there was a secret that he had to hide even from her. And at the fact that he would not tell her.
But at Cheon Mubaeck's following words, as if nothing had happened, Zhuge Seola's face brightened.
"If I were to tell my secret, I will tell you first, Young Lady, so don't be too disappointed."
What aning did that convey?
Zhuge Seola's mind first ca up with the fact that their relationship might develop to the point where he would confide his secret to her soday. And that Cheon Mubaeck was also thinking about that soon.
Zhuge Seola blushed slightly and turned her head.
"...I wasn't disappointed."
Cheon Mubaeck smiled brightly and stood up from his seat.
"Then I'll be back."
"...Um, be careful."
Cheon Mubaeck left to et Kong Yong.
Neung-heo, who was watching the scene, laughed as if he were dumbfounded.
"What, is she a wife sending off her husband to work..."
* * *
It was a familiar road.
And a familiar manor, and a not unfamiliar pavilion.
'Although it has been repaired a few tis, it hasn't changed much from two hundred years ago.'
Cheon Mubaeck's eyes sharply dug into the surroundings.
Although a few days had passed since he had entered the Kong Family Mansion while participating in the debate, it was the first ti in this life that he had co to the pavilion where the Duke of Yansheng stayed.
There were a few things that Cheon Mubaeck considered as the attitude a martial artist should have.
An attitude that he had never lost even through his lives.
A proposition that did not change even when he had reached the position of the number one in the world and had stood tall and looked down on the martial world.
'To grasp all the surrounding environnt.'
Cheon Mubaeck's eyes sharply scanned the surroundings.
The stone road, the beautifully decorated garden, and even the distance between the pavilions.
Even the elents that might seem aningless.
'If I have to flee, that side would be advantageous. And if I have to ambush, it would be better to do it from this direction. Since the wind blows between the pavilions, I should avoid fighting there as much as possible. If I step on the roof of the pavilion, I can see the parts that might collapse, so if I use that as a trap...'
Cheon Mubaeck's life was a life stained with swords and blood every ti, and in the midst of adversity and chaos, Cheon Mubaeck had researched and learned with his body how to survive and win countless tis.
Overwhelming martial arts? Absolute internal energy? To guarantee victory and hope for survival with just that, the place called the martial world was cold and cruel.
Sotis the weak sched against the strong, and the evil trampled on the good, that was the martial world.
He had lived his whole life in such a place. The martial world was life, a ho, and a huge wall that he had to challenge and overco. Because he had lived like that, Cheon Mubaeck was thorough. Cheon Mubaeck's brain had made countless complicated calculations every ti, and he had decorated all the environnts to his advantage.
It was strategy.
'To create an environnt that is advantageous to and a situation where I can win perfectly, and then fight.'
Cheon Mubaeck saw the possibility here.
'I might have to fight.'
He did not know if the eting with Kong Yong would go smoothly.
A sacred object was literally a sacred object.
If the Kong Family Mansion was keeping it, there must be a reason.
If it were an object that had been thrown into a warehouse and forgotten, it would not be difficult to receive it.
But what if it was an object that they also cherished?
'It's difficult to take it.'
So Cheon Mubaeck had to keep the possibility of 'what if' in mind.
'I might have to fight and take it.'
If the opponent had been just a scholar, even the great Cheon Mubaeck would not have chosen that thod.
Because no matter how much Cheon Mubaeck it was, he could not point a sword at soone who was not related to the martial world.
But the opponent was a genius with both literary and martial arts, and a person who had learned the martial arts of Confucius for hundreds of years.
Cheon Mubaeck had a hunch.
The realm of Kong Yong that even Zhuge Seola could not dare to peek at.
'The realm of entering the divine... If the martial world knew this fact, one of the positions of the Ten Great Masters of the World would be changed.'
A faint smile appeared on Cheon Mubaeck's lips.
And he entered Kong Yong's study.
The mont he entered, his lowered head was lifted, and a gaze that seed hard to understand was shot at him.
"You are..."
Kong Yong's mouth opened low.
(End of Chapter)
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