Reincarnated Sword Ghost

Duel

In an instant, the guesthouse that had been full of people became completely empty.

The reason was that everyone ran out all at once at the shout heard from outside.

The servant and innkeeper, seeing this, were a little taken aback, but soon went about their business as if nothing happened.

It seemed this was not the first time such a thing had occurred.

Besides, the payment for the food had already been received in advance.

Jeong-un also slowly rose to his feet.

He had just heard that a fight had broken out between martial artists not far away.

He hadn't come to prevent clashes between martial artists as he had in Yangyang, but it was a good opportunity to get a feel for the atmosphere here.

'It's not like they're looking down on Shaolin.'

Above all, wasn't this village situated right in front of Mount Song?

It felt strange to see a fight breaking out in the very heart of a village that was practically next to Shaolin Temple.

Even just on the market streets, he had already encountered a few monks who appeared to be from Shaolin.

He was quietly curious about how they would handle the disturbance.

The noise was already filling the streets.

With that, he stepped outside the guesthouse.

"That's the Lady of the Shin Clan Manor."

"Isn't the Shin Clan Manor one of the most prestigious sword clans among those connected to Shaolin?"

"They say they're very close to Shaolin. Looks like they're here to participate in the Shaolin Assembly."

Jeong-un listened attentively to the words pouring into his ears as he walked slowly.

At the subtle wave of cultivated power in his steps, the common folk subconsciously parted to make way for him.

Now, he knew how to use true ki in this way as well.

Pushing through the naturally-formed circle of crowd, two young men and women came into view, facing each other.

Both appeared to be young martial artists, likely in their early twenties, each backed by groups of their companions.

The woman seemed to be the Shin Clan Lady he'd just heard mentioned.

The young man opened his mouth.

"Why are you so upset?"

"Are you really asking because you don't know?"

"It's not like I said anything that wasn't true. But why should Lady Shin be so angry about it?"

At this, the woman addressed as Lady Shin glared sharply.

"Not only did a sect unrelated to the orthodox factions dare to set foot here uninvited to the Shaolin Assembly, but you even insulted the grand Shaolin itself, did you not?"

'Unrelated to the orthodox factions?'

Jeong-un glanced at the group of men in green martial garb.

Unlike ordinary duel tournaments, the Shaolin Assembly supposedly only allowed invited orthodox sects to participate.

Judging from what he'd heard, the men had not been invited.

"Insult, you say? Ever since Heavenly Martial Hall was established, isn't it well-known that Shaolin only concerns itself with the surrounding region and ignores the livelihood of those elsewhere? If speaking the truth is considered an insult, then what can one say at all? Rather, isn't it Lady Shin who's insulted us by denouncing our sect as unorthodox?"

"This wretch! Everyone knows your sect doesn't belong on the righteous path!"

Unlike the exceedingly nonchalant young man, the woman's face was twisted in anger.

She was undoubtedly beautiful, but her sharp eyes made her seem fierce, and now her clear expression in the eyes was blazing, making her look even more intimidating.

Jeong-un cast a glance at one side of the crowd.

A group of Shaolin monks was silently observing the scene.

They made no attempt to hide themselves, nor did they seem inclined to intervene.

Even as the young man's words might have sounded like a direct provocation of Shaolin, they did not look particularly perturbed.

'They're not even trying to mediate?'

It was strange that while a conflict between martial artists erupted right in front of them, the Shaolin monks simply watched.

Wasn't Shaolin famous for watching over the local peace?

Then, Jeong-un caught the murmurs of the spectators.

"Look, there are senior monks from Shaolin here."

"Of course they'd be at an event like this. Who knows when those swords might turn against innocent people?"

"That's why folks like us can watch safely."

Each person chimed in, and in the eyes cast upon the Shaolin monks, there was clear admiration and respect.

The people completely trusted that Shaolin would protect them.

The reputation that Shaolin received the most respect among the common people didn't seem like an exaggeration.

'They let this kind of fight go?'

Jeong-un could vaguely guess Shaolin's policy.

As long as there was no direct harm to civilians, they probably refrained from intervening in disputes between martial artists.

Their quiet, hands-off attitude seemed like an unspoken pressure that martial matters should be concluded among martial artists.

"This is your final warning. Leave this land at once. As a righteous martial artist, I can no longer tolerate your outrageous conduct."

Finally, the woman delivered her ultimatum.

But the young man raised his voice, seemingly waiting for this moment.

"So the Shin Clan Manor, said to be an orthodox sword clan allied with Shaolin, would oppress the blameless like us so? And not even apologize for calling us unorthodox? Could it be, lady, that you are behaving so brazenly because you trust in Shaolin's presence?"

"What nonsense!"

The woman's eyes widened.

Clearly, she hadn't expected the man to bring Shaolin directly into it, and was visibly flustered.

The man looked around, shouting loudly, glancing at the Shaolin monks.

"Did you all see? We are Blue Sea Gate from Shaanxi's martial world! We heard Shaolin is gathering heroes from all over and holding a duel tournament, so we came from afar just to see it! Yet, Shin Clan Manor, said to be Shaolin's secular clan, insulted us for being unorthodox! If we retreat now, it's a disgrace to Shaanxi's martial artists!"

"......!"

A buzz immediately spread through the crowd, and all sorts of voices mingled together.

Not a few people seemed to think the man was not wrong. Jeong-un watched this with quietly curious eyes.

"Isn't it outrageous that so-called secular Shaolin clans act so arrogant! I want to see with my own eyes today whether their martial arts are truly righteous! With Shaolin's senior monks watching, I hereby publicly challenge Lady Shin to a duel!"

The crowd instantly erupted into cheers.

Now, they would finally witness that rare event—a martial artists' duel unfold right before their eyes.

'So that was the goal.'

Having gained some experience in the martial world, Jeong-un quickly sized up their intent.

They had deliberately provoked Shaolin's secular clan to create a scene that would draw everyone's attention.

By gathering a crowd and loudly staking their claim, they had set up this spectacle.

Since they wouldn't dare cross the great sect, Shaolin, they aimed to humiliate its ally instead, raising their own prestige by contrast.

At that moment, the previously flustered woman nodded resolutely and said,

"Fine! It looks like this was your intention from the start. All the better! I'll break you of such bad habits today so you don't run wild where you shouldn't!"

The crowd rapidly stepped back, opening up space.

No one fancied getting caught up in a martial artists' fight and dying for nothing.

Once enough space was made, the Shaolin monks quietly moved to form a barrier.

They seemed intent on protecting the people from sword moves that might fly their way.

Jeong-un watched the scene with interest.

It was his first time seeing a dispute between martial artists turn into a formal duel.

'So this is what it means to gain experience in the martial world.'

For Jeong-un, this was a living lesson.

The most striking thing was how the young man tried to establish legitimacy.

By shouting his reasons before the people, he made it awkward for Shaolin monks to intervene later.

Jeong-un carefully imprinted this scene into his memory.

He would surely use this strategy himself someday.

'Interesting.'

As Jeong-un inadvertently let a faint smile cross his lips—

As if by silent agreement, the entire place fell still in an instant.

The pair standing face-to-face reached for their sword guards in unison.

Both drew their swords.

Chakang, Kang!

Among those who mainly trained in sword arts, none lacked confidence in their swift sword.

As their swords were drawn, a flurry of swift sword moves erupted, fiercely meeting in midair.

Their accumulation inner power seemed roughly equivalent.

Both were adept at channeling true ki all the way to the tips of their swords.

At that level, they could be considered outstanding rising stars.

Kaang! Kang!

A series of sword traces tangled with loud crashes.

The shockwave of their Sword Ki tore into the ground, sending dirt swirling up above their heads.

To Jeong-un, who had experienced countless battles, it wasn't an especially impressive sight, but it was different for the commoners.

"Wow!"

"They're incredible experts!"

Cheers broke out nonstop among the bystanders, their eyes wide with astonishment.

With the Shaolin monks protecting them, they seemed to be enjoying the spectacle to the fullest.

'Heh.'

Jeong-un let out a soft chuckle.

Calamity that could bring about a bloodbath had transformed into mere entertainment.

'So this is what a duel with an audience is like.'

He glimpsed the significance of the Shaolin Assembly, hosted by Shaolin.

The great bell-ringing ceremony at the world's foremost temple.

A duel tournament inviting the best martial artists.

They wanted to display to the whole world—

That their influence remained supreme.

Chakang! Chaang!

At last, the duel was rushing toward its end. Many were still watching with sweaty palms, but to Jeong-un, the result was clear.

Frankly, neither had attained a truly rarefied martial arts realm.

At best, he could get a sense of the type of sword each aspired to.

That made it a duel enjoyable to the ordinary viewers—since the trajectory of the swinging swords could still be faintly followed with the naked eye.

"Wow!"

"Wow!"

To Jeong-un, the woman's path of the blade was straighter and clearer.

The young man's sword was nowhere near as sharp as his quick tongue.

His initial momentum was nowhere to be seen.

Far from counterattacking, he was just barely managing to defend himself, his expression desperate, his movements looking more like flailing than true sword moves.

'It's over.'

Just as Jeong-un recited inwardly—

Chaeng―

With a sharp slicing sound, a sword flashed in the sunlight as it spun through the air.

Thud!

It fell and landed point-first, stuck vertically in the ground.

"... I—I lost."

The young man, now empty-handed, weakly raised his hands in defeat.

Waaah—!

Cheers erupted.

The joy of victory and agony of defeat were laid out in stark contrast.

The Blue Sea Gate martial artists slunk quietly away into the crowd, their attempt at gaining fame ending in humiliation instead.

Meanwhile, the woman basked in her victory, breaking into a broad smile and raising her hand in response to the roaring applause.

Even some Shaolin monks gave her a gentle nod before departing.

"As expected from Shaolin—even their secular clans produce such impressive female expert!"

"Those guys really were unorthodox, weren't they? Not quite evil faction, but still shady."

"That was an amazing show. My eyes have been blessed today."

The woman's victory turned into praise for Shaolin itself.

The allied sect's triumph became the main sect's glory—a glimpse into the intertwined threads of the martial world.

Jeong-un slowly turned his head, taking in the scene.

Soon, the cheers began to die down as people left in their own ways, each carrying a rumor in their heart.

Soon, these would spread and grow in various directions wherever people gathered.

'So this is what the martial world is like here.'

A wry smile tugged at Jeong-un's lips.

Among the many sides of the martial world, he had witnessed another.

Compared to the bloody chaos of his last mission, this felt not just different, but almost alien.

Just as he was about to walk away—

A gaze was fixed upon him.

"...."

The woman who had won the duel blinked several times, her eyes wide in surprise.