༺ Fifth Chapter – Dragon Phoenix Tournant (17) ༻
It was funny to say, but Mok Riwon also had his own kind of romance.
The first martial arts tournant he entered after stepping foot into the martial arts world.
The romance of exchanging swords with the strong opponent he t there and discussing righteousness and chivalry with them.
If you were to talk about this Dragon Phoenix Tournant, that opponent would naturally be Namgung Jincheon.
That was why he couldn’t hold back his anger.
No, he couldn’t endure the unjustness.
He wanted to discuss righteousness and chivalry with his opponent, but he was being misunderstood as a child lover by that very person. It was driving him insane.
“No! I really don’t have such tastes! I like mature and sharp-looking beauties!”
When his frustrated cry rang out, the servants who followed Namgung Jincheon started whispering.
“Sharp and mature…”
“Doesn’t this sound exactly like the Poison Phoenix…?”
“He’s gone. Fallen. Totally smitten.”
At their gossip, Mok Riwon’s face turned bright red.
“N-No… That’s not what I ant…!”
“Oh myyy, look at how red his face is turning.”
“My goodness…”
He was so embarrassed he wanted to hang himself in sha.
But that wasn’t sothing he could do in soone else’s ho.
His mind was praying that soone would intervene in this situation.
“Soah, go to your room.”
Namgung Jincheon stepped up.
He handed her over to a servant with his usual emotionless expression and waved his hand back and forth.
The servants left.
Namgung Soah was just glancing at Mok Riwon and repeating the words, ‘mature’ and ‘sharp’.
“S-Sword Dragon! I really don’t have such tastes…!”
“No need to explain. I don’t care.”
He said that and tried turning around to leave.
“W-Wait!”
“What is it?”
“I feel too wronged! I clearly told Soah! I can’t be your husband!”
“I said I don’t care. Whether you have bizarre tastes or Soah considered you her husband.”
Freeze–
Mok Riwon’s movent stopped.
His expression began to frown with doubt.
It was because of the discomfort rising in his head.
“…Even towards your younger sister? You have no interest in Soah’s matters either?”
Perhaps that was the reason.
They were clearly family with the sa blood coursing through their veins, but Namgung Jincheon seed to have no feelings even towards his own sister.
No, even looking back on what had happened thus far, it seed he rarely expressed any form of emotions.
In the current instance, he looked just like a person whose emotions had all dried up.
“Do I need to care?”
Namgung Jincheon’s chilling blue eyes glared at him.
Mok Riwon scratched his cheek, not knowing how to answer, then hesitantly blurted out.
“Well… Nonetheless, she’s blood-related, so you can show so interest, can’t you?”
“Is that a reason?”
“I believe so. Why not? Don’t they say blood is thicker than water? A hero is soone who protects his family. That’s what I know at least.”
“I never said I would beco a hero.”
What could those words an?
Mok Riwon had such a question.
His doubts weren’t for trying to figure out the hidden aning of those words.
It was just a theoretical question about the sentence itself.
He was confused.
“If you aren’t going to beco a hero, why are you learning the sword?”
“Power is a ans. The stronger, the better. Especially in this martial world.”
“…A ans for what?”
“All under heaven.”
Namgung Jincheon was monotone even while saying that.
“A ans to grasp what I should rightfully have in my hands.”
Mok Riwon’s eyes slightly widened and then sank.
His fingertips curled, and his open hand beca a fist.
What he wished to say was filled with disappointnt.
“…You are just sharpening your sword to cut.”
“All swords exist to cut. Whether it’s life, honor, or status.”
“There are also swords to protect.”
“That is a deviation from the purpose of a sword. A sword exists to cut.”
“The one who wields it is a person. If the person holding the sword desires to protect others, then it can beco a sword to protect.”
“It’s inefficient. If you truly want to protect sothing, you should hold a shield instead. If not, build an impregnable fortress that none dare to look down upon.”
“It’s because of that inefficiency that one can beco a hero.”
“I’ll say it again. I never said I would beco a hero.”
Mok Riwon finally understood Namgung Jincheon.
He was a ruthless person.
No, he was a heartless person.
He was a person who made him recall sothing he had heard from Mok Seon-oh.
–A sword lacks judgnt. It cannot discern friend from foe, nor tell apart good from evil. A sword only has the will of its wielder.
The words he had uttered to comfort him after he realized his true nature, the mory of that mont was resurfacing.
–What does it matter if a sword appears slightly tainted or unsightly in form? If the hand that wields it knows of chivalry and righteousness, is that not enough? Then, would that sword not be considered a hero’s sword?
If you were to say that the intention of the swordsman determines the will of the sword as Mok Seon-oh said, then his sword would be a heartless sword.
His values were ones that directly contradicted the values Mok Riwon learned throughout his life.
Of course, Mok Riwon had no greater authority to argue with him over those teachings.
If there were a hundred people, then all a hundred of them would have different values.
However, Mok Riwon still felt regretful.
“Why do you say those things?”
It was regretful that Sword Dragon Namgung Jincheon of all people held such values.
He was born under the Emperor’s Star.
A na that would rule over this land.
Still. Mok Riwon couldn’t help but feel regretful that soone who should have overflowing love in his heart for the common folk was so heartless.
“Sword Dragon, can’t you help others? You have the ability, the status, and the power to do so.”
Isn’t he different from ?
Isn’t he soone who is capable of receiving the expectations and blessings of all just because of the star he was born under?
Isn’t he a man who can make the world more righteous with his blessings?
“To obtain power for the sake of wielding it… Is that not…”
Mok Riwon hesitated, knowing his words would be rude.
However, he still ended up uttering those words.
“Is that not exactly the way the Unorthodox Path would think…?”
Namgung Jincheon’s eyebrows slightly rose.
“It’s different.”
“What’s different?”
“They have no order.”
He continued as if stating an obvious fact, without showing even a speck of change in his emotions.
“They have no order. However, I do. I can establish my will under an unshakable order, so what I will achieve is an ideal Orthodox Path.”
Only now did Mok Riwon realize.
‘Ah…’
Words wouldn’t get through to this man.
This man was truly arrogant and firm, with no gaps in him.
But there was one fortunate thing.
Clench–
His hands rolled up into a fist, and his mouth hardened into a straight line.
Looking at Namgung Jincheon with a determined will, he said.
“…Then Sword Dragon, you must prove it.”
“Prove? It’s not sothing necessary for .”
“No. You must. To none other than .”
Namgung Jincheon examined his expression.
Because he had never heard such words before, a foreign feeling was rising within him.
“Prove what?”
“That your ideal is truly right, that you are soone who is worthy of saying such things.”
Mok Riwon’s qi leaked out, along with his uncontrollable emotions.
“This is the martial world. Therefore, Sword Dragon, you must prove your qualifications to through strength.”
“It won’t be difficult.”
“It will be difficult.”
Mok Riwon gauged. The difference between them, how far behind his inner cultivation was, the skills he had seen so far, and also the moves he had yet to show.
A smile ford on his lips.
‘There’s a scene that cos to mind.’
This argunt reminded him of a certain scene from the book that influenced his life.
He felt very pleased.
“In Chapter 1 of Tales of the Martial Heroes, the protagonist Sword Hero said.”
The protagonist of the first chapter had an overwhelming popularity even in the non-mainstream book called Tales of the Martial Heroes.
He said this while giving a lesson to an arrogant martial artist.
“Those who think of trials lightly cannot beco true martial artists.”
Who Mok Riwon loved the most was the Demonic Hero.
That great will overca even his own nature to uphold chivalry.
But it was fine to be different now.
Mok Riwon wanted to be a trial that would teach chivalry to a man who would shine brighter than anyone else.
“…How arrogant.”
Namgung Jincheon responded that way, but he didn’t have a displeased expression.
“However, I look forward to it.”
He was rely expression his own pleasure at a kind of provocation he had never experienced before in his life.
“Try to endure for three seconds.”
With that, he turned around and left.
* * *
“Did sothing happen?”
In the quarters of the courtyard house, Tang Hwa-seo asked him upon seeing that his expression was different from usual.
“Hm! No. I just t the Sword Dragon for a while!”
“The Sword Dragon? What kind of conversation did you have?”
“It was about the upcoming match.”
Tang Hwa-seo was surprised.
Not about Mok Riwon, but the fact that Namgung Jincheon would even engage in such talks.
“Did he talk about those things? That’s strange. I have never seen him have a conversation about a match even once.”
“Well… It was a one-sided conversation.”
When Mok Riwon smiled awkwardly, Tang Hwa-seo made an ‘Ah’ sound and chuckled.
‘Sohow I can picture it.’
She imagined this sociable man clinging onto Namgung Jincheon and chattering away without end.
“You didn’t cause him any trouble, right?”
Mok Riwon flinched.
-Is that not exactly the way the Unorthodox Path would think…?
The words he said in the heat of the mont. It was clearly an insult.
Tang Hwa-seo’s eyes narrowed.
So Mok Riwon, startled, began shaking his head vigorously.
“I-It wasn’t that big of a mistake! The Sword Dragon didn’t get too angry at my words either!”
“Not that he didn’t express his anger?”
“…”
In fact, he had the feeling that might be the case and broke out in a cold sweat.
Tang Hwa-seo sighed.
“Reflect on it. And make sure to apologize.”
“Understood…”
Mok Riwon beca sulky.
She thought he looked like a scolded puppy, so she stroked his head while giggling and asked.
“So are the preparations for your match going well?”
“As always!”
“That’s a relief. I hope you achieve a good result in the match.”
“I will. I believe I will win.”
“Confidence is good, but…”
“It’s certainty.”
Tang Hwa-seo blinked.
Then, Mok Riwon asserted with his signature radiant smile.
“The Sword Dragon cannot defeat .”
Tang Hwa-seo’s lips quivered, not knowing how to respond to him.
Confidence was good of course.
His spirit to smile before the match ahead of him was nice to see, very much like Mok Riwon.
However, wasn’t there a difference in level?
Namgung Jincheon had reached the Pinnacle of the Peak Realm.
The inner qi he possessed was already at the level of a decent Supre Realm martial artist.
Compared to that, Mok Riwon was at the first cycle, which was average among Peak Realm martial artists.
His swordsmanship was excellent without a doubt, but in terms of delicacy and explosive power of his qi wave, it was true he was far behind Namgung Jincheon.
Thus, Tang Hwa-seo asked.
“…Why are you so certain?”
Mok Riwon felt her hand that was stroking his head stop and noticed the worry in her eyes.
So he smiled brightly enough for her not to worry and said.
“I will never lose to soone who is not a hero.”
The answer he gave was, as expected, very much like him.
It was funny in a way.
A strange situation occurred where both sides entering the match were convinced of their own victory.
But in the end, a match ultimately had a winner, and a loser.
A week passed like that.
And the last match of the Dragon Phoenix Tournant, in which no one was certain of the outco, began.
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