Chapter 19
Paeng Seong-un, Seok Won, and Eon Yeong-je at first thought they had misheard.
But at So-ah’s following words, the two characters for “astonishment” were clearly engraved on their faces.
“I don’t want to hurt you. So put that sword away and apologize.”
Paeng Seong-un’s group looked into So-ah’s eyes.
Detached eyes that held no emotional turmoil.
To utter such words with such eyes meant,
‘At the very least, he’s a guy who has something to believe in.’
The boys thought.
That’s why they were even more angry.
Especially Paeng Seong-un, who extremely disliked the Moyong Family, felt like chewing So-ah to death right away.
“Did you say you were an external disciple of the Moyong Family?”
“Yes.”
“A person must take responsibility for the words they speak. You know that, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then you’re saying you’ll take responsibility for those words?”
“Why is your tongue so long? Hurry up and put away your sword and apologize.”
The Tang siblings were so bewildered by So-ah’s high-handed words and actions.
The So-ah they had seen, even if his martial arts were at a heaven-shaking level, was by no means a person who would intimidate others.
Of course, he was smart enough not to be taken advantage of by others, but this was the first time they had seen such a scary side of So-ah, so the two of them became nervous without even realizing it.
“Excuse me, Young Master Jin…”
Tang Il-gi opened his mouth to resolve the situation.
If a fight broke out, Paeng Seong-un’s group would be beaten to a pulp in an instant.
Tang Il-gi wanted to prevent such a disaster.
But.
“You arrogant bastard. You must be acting up because you believe in the background of the Moyong Family, right? As a senior in the martial world, I will teach you and that damn bitch a lesson today.”
Paeng Seong-un had crossed a river he could not return from.
‘Oh my… good heavens!’
Tang Il-gi wanted to cry.
***
“Stay here.”
“What? I’m going with you.”
“Listen to me. I’ll be back soon.”
Moyong Hwa froze at So-ah’s firm words.
Paeng Seong-un’s group was about to take So-ah to a secluded place, but So-ah told the Tang siblings and Moyong Hwa not to follow.
“Young Master Jin…”
A look of embarrassment appeared on Tang Il-gi’s face.
So-ah sent a telepathic message to Tang Il-gi.
[I know Young Master Tang’s position well. I’ll act with that in mind, so don’t worry too much.]
Since So-ah was going this far, Tang Il-gi had no choice.
“Hey, kid. Shouldn’t you get going?”
“Huhu, we instructors have no mercy. Prepare to die.”
“We’ll beat you to a pulp.”
Paeng Seong-un’s group sneered at So-ah and took a step forward.
So-ah also followed them.
The four of them walked quickly for about a quarter of an hour and entered a secluded forest.
“Kekeke, do you know why we brought you to such a quiet place?”
“There’s no one here to save you.”
“Promise me one thing. That you will never speak of what happened today. Surely you’re not planning to run to the Moyong family and tattle after getting beaten up, are you? Hahaha.”
Paeng Seong-un, Seok Won, and Eon Yeong-je burst out laughing and mocked So-ah.
But So-ah inwardly rejoiced.
“That’s great.”
“What?”
“A man’s word is worth a thousand pieces of gold. You guys better not think about tattling either.”
“What do you take us for! If we get beaten up by you, we’ll serve you as our big brother. You crazy bastard.”
The corners of Paeng Seong-un’s group’s mouths twisted sinisterly.
‘He’s manly. There won’t be any repercussions even if I beat him.’
As their insolent imagination continued.
—Thwack!
“Uh…?”
Seok Won felt a dull sensation in his head.
“S-Seok Won… you…”
“B-Blood… it’s blood!”
None of the three had seen how blood had started to flow from Seok Won’s head.
All they could see was Seok Won’s bleeding head and So-ah’s cold smile.
—Thwack!
“Ugh!”
—Thwack!
“Ack!”
Two loud noises and two groans followed again.
“What is this…?”
Paeng Seong-un’s group was so bewildered that they looked at each other with incredulous eyes.
And they trembled like crazy at the intense pain that was pressing down on their nerves.
“I know my junior sister is rude. But you guys need to be beaten. First, you started the fight.”
—Th-th-th-thwack.
“You arrogantly drew your sword.”
—P-p-p-pak!
“You insulted the Moyong Family. You shouldn’t have done that, at least not in front of me. I’m someone who has received a favor from the Moyong Family.”
—T-t-t-t-thwack!
So-ah did not use the Ten-Second Invincible Arts.
Nor did he explode the internal energy of the Great Whale Heart Law.
So-ah just hit them.
He punched their heads, hit their noses, and kicked their sides.
But Paeng Seong-un’s group couldn’t resist at all and fell to the ground, rolling around.
So-ah was a master of brawling.
Therefore, So-ah’s hands and feet were as hard as any natural stone, no different from a blunt weapon. And thanks to his experience of being beaten with a green tree for two shichen by Moyong Cheon, he knew better than anyone where and how to hit a person to make them feel the most pain.
“K-Kuaaaaargh!”
“Aaaaargh!”
Only then did Paeng Seong-un’s group realize that something had gone terribly wrong.
If So-ah had drawn a sword and threatened their lives, they would have at least attacked with the determination to die, as befitting the rising generation of the martial world.
But this was not a duel or a bloody battle, but a one-sided beating, a merciless violence.
How could they have the will to fight when they couldn’t even see the opponent’s attack?
They could only face their time of repentance with the thought that they were screwed and the desperate hope that this beating would end.
“Y-Young Master Jin. Please stop… surely you’re not planning to actually kill us?”
“I’m sorry for starting the fight. Please stop…”
So-ah snorted.
‘What ridiculous guys. Pfft.’
He thought, how could they change their attitude so quickly without any sense of shame?
But he didn’t stop his hands.
[When someone tries to torment you, you must not show mercy so that they can never challenge you again!]
How could he disobey his grandfather’s teaching?
He was, after all, the top disciple of the God of War.
***
A quarter of an hour…
It was certainly a short time.
But for Paeng Seong-un’s group, it was a terrible nightmare that felt like ten years.
They were in pain.
And they were surprised.
It was to the point of being questionable how a person could find only the places that wouldn’t kill and inflict such painful and sophisticated beatings.
No bones were broken, and no internal injuries were sustained.
Of course, their scalps were torn and bleeding, but such external injuries were a daily occurrence for martial artists, so it was no big deal.
It was just that their faces were swollen ridiculously, their thighs were bruised black, and their muscles were torn, so they were in for a hard time for a while.
And it hurt like hell.
“This instructor shows no mercy.”
So-ah returned the words that Paeng Seong-un had said to him with a slight smile.
‘Th-This devilish bastard!’
‘H-Heeik!’
‘Is that a human being?’
The three of them shuddered at So-ah’s smile, but they kept their mouths shut like clams, afraid that the beating would resume if they talked back.
“But I’ll make a special exception for Young Master Tang’s position and stop here for today.”
“Th-Thank you. Young Master Jin.”
“Oh my…”
“My whole body… ugh…”
As the tension eased, their bodies seemed to ache even more.
So-ah looked at them and chuckled again.
‘They were so full of themselves, but there’s not a single tough guy among them. They’re rather gentle. Haha.’
So-ah thought.
If they were tough guys, they would have gritted their teeth and attacked even if they were beaten to death, but for some reason, the level of these guys who were called the ten great rising stars of the martial world was just this.
‘The rumors must have been exaggerated because they are the children of prestigious families.’
So-ah realized that they were much weaker in martial arts than Tang Il-gi or Tang Hwa-rin.
Even Tang Il-gi would never have been defeated so futilely or done the cowardly act of kneeling after a quarter of an hour of beating.
“Are you resentful?”
“N-No.”
“Resentful? We were the ones who were wrong in the first place!”
“Not at all!”
“Don’t be too disheartened. I learned martial arts by enduring hellish training in an environment you can’t even imagine.”
So-ah was certainly smart.
After beating people up like that, he was now trying to appease them.
It could be called a natural talent for handling situations.
“I, you see…”
So-ah began to speak in earnest.
It was the moment his talkative disposition was unleashed.
So-ah explained in great detail and persuasively, from the cause and process of the incident to why they had no choice but to be beaten.
‘Could it be…’
‘A chatterbox…’
‘Is… he?’
Paeng Seong-un’s group was inwardly dumbfounded, but they listened intently, afraid that they would be in trouble if they dared to interrupt.
But as they listened,
‘Strangely…’
‘I’m getting drawn in!’
‘Hah… to think that this devilish bastard had such hardships!’
So-ah was now even preaching to them about martial arts.
In the midst of this.
“Now! Therefore, you must keep your promise, right?”
“What?”
“You said you would serve me as your big brother.”
“Oops!”
“But you guys are two or three years older than me, so it would be a bit strange for you to serve me as your big brother, right?”
“Th-That’s right, it would be a bit strange!”
“Then let’s do this.”
“Yes?!”
“We’re friends now.”
***
At first, they were resentful.
Of course, they also felt angry and briefly thought about making this incident public and officially protesting to the Moyong Family.
But Paeng Seong-un soon changed his mind.
‘Certainly… So-ah’s martial arts are the strongest in history. For there to be a master of such a crazy level at that age, it just doesn’t make sense. He’s definitely much stronger than that jerk Namgung Mun. No, what is Namgung Mun? Even a key figure of a decent sect wouldn’t be a match for So-ah.’
At that thought, his anger naturally subsided.
‘Perhaps this is…’
It might be an opportunity.
It was clear that if So-ah came out into the world, there would be a seismic shift in the martial world.
Then wouldn’t it be better to line up with So-ah, who would become the top of the martial world, now?
‘Besides, it’s not serving him as a big brother, but becoming friends…? Isn’t that pretty cool?’
It was a rather pathetic thought.
If anyone found out that the dignified and uninhibited young master of the Hebei Paeng Family was having such a petty thought, they would surely laugh at him.
But what did it matter?
Embarrassment is only for a moment.
It is the truth of the world that a well-made connection can sometimes become a tremendous power.
***
So-ah and Paeng Seong-un’s group returned after half a shichen.
The Tang siblings and Moyong Hwa, who were on the verge of going crazy with anxiety, breathed a sigh of relief when So-ah returned sooner than expected.
And they were astonished.
It was because the faces of Paeng Seong-un’s group were swollen.
To the point where anyone could infer the traces of one-sided and merciless violence.
But they were maintaining a forced smile.
While cautiously observing So-ah’s reaction.
“Seong-un, Won, and Yeong-je.”
“Yeah.”
“Right.”
“So-ah.”
The faces of the Tang siblings and Moyong Hwa were drawn with astonishment at the completely changed tone of the four people.
“Apologize to my junior sister.”
As So-ah said, Paeng Seong-un’s group immediately opened their mouths.
“Young Lady Moyong. I am sorry.”
“My words were harsh.”
“Please forgive us!”
Moyong Hwa still had a dazed expression.
How on earth could this be explained?
But just then, So-ah spoke to Moyong Hwa in a heavy voice.
“Junior Sister.”
“Uh… yeah?”
Moyong Hwa was bewildered at herself for answering after hearing the call of “junior sister.”
“You apologize too. Hurry.”
Why?
Moyong Hwa felt like she had to listen to these words unconditionally.
‘Why… why is that…’
Moyong Hwa still had no intention of apologizing.
But for some reason, an unknown emotion and pressure made her open her mouth.
“I… I’m sorry too. Young masters.”
Only then did So-ah gently pat Moyong Hwa’s head and smile.
“Good job, Junior Sister.”
(End of Chapter)