For a human to train in martial arts is to gradually build a system of logic for subduing opponents.
That’s also why the sword styles of various sects differ despite all teaching the sa weapon. The logic each one holds is different.
If your opponent thrusts straight at you—how do you block it, and how do you counter?
At its most basic, it begins with tactical exchanges like this. But as one stacks those layers of logic, they eventually arrive at a greater insight that ties everything together. In the end, the one who completes the superior logic wins the match.
In that sense, Hwangbo Gweong was unfolding his own logic against the Azure Sky Sword Battalion. From Yeon’s perspective, it looked less like ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ a battle and more like a lesson—a martial arts masterclass aid at the Azure Sky swordsn.
“One tadpole, two tadpoles!”
Hwangbo Gweong shouted, delivering instructions like he was training students. Since he wasn’t taking their lives, you could almost call it a sparring session—albeit one seasoned with hellish pain.
“Guhh!”
One of the swordsn—tall, broad-shouldered, and well-built—scread as he was flung back.
None of the Azure Sky swordsn were smaller in fra than Gweong. Objectively speaking, he was at a disadvantage in both muscle and reach. Yet his logic alone was more than enough to demolish all thirty of their combat theories.
Just as Yeon was becoming absorbed in the spectacle, Cheongang spoke quietly beside her.
“Miss Yeon.”
“Yes?”
“You rember how I said the elder reminded of my father?”
“You did.”
“I might’ve been wrong.”
“What do you an?”
“I’m saying that—if it were him now—my father might not be able to defeat Elder Gweong.”
“Then that ans Grandpa Gweong is...”
At that mont, Namgung Myeong’s furious voice echoed out.
“Azure Sky Captain!”
In sync, the captain raised his sword high above his head.
“Form the Azure Sky Sword Formation!”
The students who had cast aside their pride began forming a formation. It was a sword formation designed for the weak to stand against the strong.
At the sight of their synchronized movents, Hwangbo Gweong’s eyes sharpened. But before the formation could even be completed, a thunderous sound tore through the air—sothing ca flying at them.
Clang!
One of the swordsn instinctively blocked the object with his blade. It was a small bead. The one who’d thrown it—Tang Jeonghu—casually pulled out another bead and tossed it into the air before catching it again.
“Trying to use a sword formation against one old man? Is that really what the Namgung Clan has co to? You’re not even at war. And you, you just blocked my bead with your sword. The edge of the blade, no less.”
At those words, Tang Soso flinched beside Yeon.
“Elder, please continue at your leisure. They won’t be forming that sword formation now.”
“You didn’t need to interfere.”
“I just didn’t like the look of it. Honestly, isn’t it a bit cheap? Of course, personally, I believe winning by any ans is fair ga.”
There was a spark of excitent in Tang Jeonghu’s expression. anwhile, the Azure Sky Captain barked new orders to his subordinates.
“Split the remaining forces in half. One group will complete the sword formation. The other will target the Tang Clan’s patriarch!”
The mont the words left his mouth, the swordsn charged at Tang Jeonghu.
He remained unfazed, flicking his hand and launching a series of beads. A few attackers were delayed by the staggered timing, allowing one swordsman to close in. It was a basic tactic when facing concealed weapons: break through the range gap.
“Father!”
Tang Soso cried out just as the sword ca crashing down toward her father. But Tang Jeonghu’s lips remained curled in a smile. A wave of deep blue energy exploded from his hand.
Boom!
“Gahh!”
The swordsman flew backward a long distance, his face pale. He rolled pathetically across the ground before quickly sitting up, pressing pressure points on his body and folding into a lotus posture. He had to halt the poison before it spread.
“Anyone who faces off against soone using hidden weapons always tries to close the gap like that. They assu we use them because we’re no good in close combat. But that’s a grave mistake—especially if your opponent is from Sichuan’s Tang Clan.”
Having said that, Tang Jeonghu looked at Tang Soso for the first ti since arriving. His eyes lingered aningfully on his daughter. Then, with a cold glint in his gaze, he began pushing back the Azure Sky swordsn in earnest.
As the Namgung siblings watched their family’s sword battalion crumble under the weight of two seasoned masters, their expressions constantly shifted. Namgung Myeong scread in frustration.
“You think you’ll walk away after crossing the Namgung Clan?!”
To which Hwangbo Gweong let out a booming laugh.
“You fool! Don’t you realize you’ve co too far to say things like that? This isn’t even Zhongyuan anymore!”
****
By the ti the fight ended, the sun had already passed its zenith.
Hwangbo Gweong hadn’t failed to keep his promise out of weakness. He had simply chosen to showcase the full spectrum of the Hwangbo Clan’s martial arts—as if he were demonstrating it to Yeon.
The Namgung siblings had no choice but to retreat, dragging their demoralized battalion and wounded with them. As proud as Namgung Myeong was, he wasn’t stupid. He now understood the true strength of Hwangbo Gweong and Tang Jeonghu—especially Hwangbo Gweong.
Having freely unleashed his qi for the first ti in a long while, Hwangbo Gweong was quietly reining it back in. Yeon turned to him.
“Grandpa Gweong, how did you get all the way here?”
“Heh. I figured sothing like this might happen, so I tagged along just in case.”
“We would’ve been in trouble without you. Thank you. You too, Clan Leader Tang.”
“Well, I’m glad I ca. That was fun.”
Hwangbo Gweong looked at Yeon.
“Yeon, you’re planning to go further north, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Sounds like you’ve learned sothing.”
“I have. I’ll explain everything later.”
“Good. I’ll look forward to it.”
“What about you, Grandpa?”
He nodded toward the direction the Namgung warriors had gone.
“I’ll follow those bastards back. Keep an eye on them.”
“Be careful. Especially once you’re back in Zhongyuan.”
“Don’t worry about . Judging by what I saw today, they’re nothing special. All that hype about the Namgung Clan? Just noise.”
“Still...”
He brushed off her concern with a wave of his hand, then turned to the others.
“Take good care of Yeon, all of you. The frog, the Shaolin monk, and the young lady of the Tang Clan.”
“Yes, Elder.”
Cheongang bowed on behalf of them all. With that, Hwangbo Gweong activated his lightness technique and vanished into the distance. Tang Jeonghu followed.
Once the two were gone, Yeon and the group returned to their tent to rest.
Cheongang closed his eyes imdiately and entered ditation—clearly stirred by the battle. Soso sat to the side, fiddling with her beads, lost in thought. Gongye flopped down again, seemingly determined to catch up on the sleep he’d missed earlier.
Yeon neither reviewed the battle nor tried to sleep. Instead, she spoke to Myoeun.
“Monk.”
[Hm?]
“You knew, didn’t you?”
[Knew what?]
“That the coachman was acting strange.”
[Yup.]
The relaxed response made Yeon bristle with irritation for a mont, but she controlled her emotions. Making a scene about it would’ve been ridiculous—and looking back, there had definitely been signs.
The coachman had left subtle marks at every stop along the road. At the ti, she’d thought it was just in case he needed to find his way back alone. Now, she could only admit she’d been careless.
“...I see.”
Her calm reply seed to catch Myoeun off guard.
[I thought you’d be angry.]
“No. There’s nothing to be angry about. Whether you tell or not is your choice.”
“Sorry. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure either. I just thought... maybe.”
This ti, Yeon remained silent in response to Myoeun’s apology. He continued, his voice softer.
“Truthfully, I was also curious to see what you all were capable of.”
“Our capabilities?”
“Yeah. Aside from Gongye, I didn’t really know what any of you could do. Actually, I don’t even know how skilled Gongye is now. I only saw him when he was a kid.”
“Well, in the end, you didn’t get to see much, did you.”
“That’s true. Those two just now were incredible, though.”
Despite his words, there was a faint trace of guilt in Myoeun’s tone.
“Anyway, I’ll keep my promise.”
“What promise?”
“That I’d tell you if I rembered anything.”
The sincerity in his voice—so different from his usual tone—made Yeon feel glad she’d held her tongue earlier. Despite his playful way of speaking, Master Myoeun wasn’t soone who could be won over easily. If it hadn’t gone this way, real goodwill might’ve been impossible to earn.
“All right then.”
As Yeon replied without bitterness, Gongye—who had been lying down—suddenly sat up.
He rummaged through his belongings and pulled out a small liquor basket he’d brought from Hanam. It was barely big enough to be called a bottle, woven from willow twigs and tied shut with a leather string. It was the liquor Yeon had bought him as paynt for a bet.
“I just can’t sleep. Hoho.”
With a good-natured grin, Gongye untied the knot and popped the lid open.
The scent of alcohol spread through the tent, and he quickly waved his hand as if to disperse it. But the sll was better than expected. Even Yeon, who thought all alcohol slled the sa, found it surprisingly pleasant.
Gongye stole a glance at the others, then turned to Yeon.
“This is my deepest thanks, Benefactor Hwangbo. Twin Bridge Brew is this humble monk’s absolute favorite.”
“It slls pretty good.”
“Ohhh! Would you care for a cup?”
“Not really.”
Apparently not disappointed, Gongye just brought the bottle to his nose and flared his nostrils. Judging by the blissful look on his face, he hadn’t been exaggerating when he said it was his favorite.
‘Isn’t that borderline alcoholism?’ Yeon thought, when suddenly Myoeun’s voice entered her mind.
“That liquor, you know...”
“Yes?”
“Twin Bridge Brew. It’s actually a pretty decent drink.”
“I see.”
“The village that makes it has two bridges to the west. That’s why it’s called Twin Bridge Village, and the liquor is called Twin Bridge Brew.”
Yeon accepted the explanation without much reaction, but Myoeun kept going.
“After they brew it, they always do a quality check. They fill a cup to the brim, light it on fire to burn off the contents, then wipe the inside with paper. If not a single trace of moisture cos out, only then is it considered true Twin Bridge Brew.”
Was this a lecture on alcohol now, following the martial arts one? Yeon, growing bored, reached for the prayer beads.
“That village—that’s where Gongye was born. Twin Bridge Village.”
Her hand froze halfway.
“When Gongye’s father left him at Shaolin, he must’ve crossed one of those two bridges. I don’t know which.”
“You said he left him. What do you an?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. He had a kid, didn’t want to raise him, and dumped him at the temple. The mother died giving birth. The father—he was the wandering scoundrel type. You know the kind. Good at everything but never worked a real job in his life.”
The unexpected glimpse into Gongye’s family history made Yeon let go of the beads entirely.
“Does Gongye know?”
“I doubt it. He might have a vague idea, but I think he just believes he grew up in Shaolin.”
“That’s...”
“Even when he brought the baby in at dawn, he was dead drunk. Reeked of Twin Bridge Brew. If he didn’t have so old connection to Shaolin, he wouldn’t have made it through the front gates.”
“What kind of connection?”
“Don’t know. Nothing that special, from what I heard. Just enough that they couldn’t bring themselves to turn away a baby.”
Still, that was a kind of connection in its own right. Maybe it was simply that Shaolin saw value in compassion.
“But is it really okay to tell sothing even Gongye doesn’t know?”
“I don’t know either. I just felt like saying it.”
Yeon suddenly wondered if Myoeun and Gongye were closer than she’d realized. Myoeun’s words had sounded like he was making excuses on Gongye’s behalf—like family trying to protect one another’s dignity.
Co to think of it, she had briefly judged Gongye. She’d thought of the word “alcoholic.” Could Myoeun have picked up on that, too?
“It just ca to mind, so I shared it. I did say I’d tell you, after all.”
“Right.”
Watching Gongye nervously sip his drink, Yeon felt an emotion quite different from anything she’d felt before.
“Monk.”
“Y-yes?”
“I’m fine. Drink as much as you like.”
“Ah... yes. Hoho.”
Scratching his bald head, Gongye resud drinking. For so reason, Yeon found it hard to watch. She turned away, sat cross-legged, and closed her eyes. Like Cheongang, she entered ditation.
As the bittersweet scent of Twin Bridge Brew drifted through the tent, Yeon began replaying the movents Hwangbo Gweong had shown.
She revisited every detail, not letting a single mont slip. Within those techniques, she searched for the hidden logic. And at tis, she reimagined them in her own way.
Whenever her mind grew tangled, she cleared it—like wiping a cup with paper until no trace remained—and poured in new thoughts. The stream of insights felt so endless, she could almost get drunk on it.
And so, night deepened over the grasslands.
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