Chapter 29 : The Duel
Jang Baekseo, who was thinking that, finally understood why Ju Yeongchan had been so unpleasant only after he had met the person he had to greet in person.
"No, no~ who is this? Aren't you the people of Mysterious Profound Sect who rule Gangjeong County?"
The person who came up and casually spouted sarcastic remarks before this side could even speak, Jang Baekseo did not know who that person was, but he could guess where he belonged just from the martial robes he was wearing.
"It's been a long time, Great Hero Hanyang Yul… I hope your family is well… ah! You can't be, can you? That's right, you can't be. The Qingcheon Sect, which has set up a household in the same county, must not have a single day of peace because of Mysterious Profound Sect, which rules Gangjeong County~"
The Qingcheon Sect!
It was a long-standing rival of Mysterious Profound Sect and at the same time, the sect that had been the reason why Mysterious Profound Sect had left the Qingcheng branch in the past.
As their relationship was what it was, the words in the conversation between Ju Yeongchan and Hanyang Yul were blatantly sharp.
Even at Ju Yeongchan's scathing answer, Hanyang Yul was not flustered at all.
That he was coming out so strong was proof that Ju Yeongchan was nervous right now.
It wasn't that. For the Qingcheon Sect, Qingcheng was their territory.
Even now, the blood relatives of the Qingcheon Sect were sitting in various key positions in Qingcheng, and as such, Hanyang Yul had nothing to be ashamed of.
Of course…
'Tsk! Did that brat come too?'
"…"
If only Cheongmu, the best master of Mysterious Profound Sect and at the same time, a transcendent master who was counted among the top ten in Sichuan, was not there!
As if he had noticed Hanyang Yul's gaze, Ju Yeongchan called Cheongmu first this time instead of Jang Baekseo.
"Haha! Cheongmu, come here and greet him. Great Hero Hanyang Yul is timid, so isn't he scared because you're standing there so silently?"
At Ju Yeongchan's words, Cheongmu calmly walked forward and showed the courtesy of a cupped fist to Hanyang Yul.
But.
"…Great Hero Cheongmu, for someone showing courtesy, your head seems a little high."
"My neck is a little stiff."
Although Cheongmu had a reluctant expression when Ju Yeongchan had called him, he was going one step further when he was actually in front of a person from the Qingcheon Sect.
It was a natural thing if it was natural.
The Qingcheon Sect and Mysterious Profound Sect had been at odds since the distant past, and that had continued from before Cheongmu had entered Mysterious Profound Sect until now.
No matter how serious Cheongmu's personality was, since he had lived in Mysterious Profound Sect, which was hostile to the Qingcheon Sect, from his childhood when his personality was not yet fully formed, he could not help but have a sense of hostility.
Moreover, recently, there had even been an incident where a blood relative of the Qingcheon Sect had unilaterally laid a hand on his disciple, so Cheongmu's antipathy towards the Qingcheon Sect could only become stronger.
Although Cheongmu came out with a high-handed attitude, Hanyang Yul could not say anything.
Among the people from the Qingcheon Sect who were here now, including Hanyang Yul, and of course, among the people of the Qingcheon Sect who were registered in Qingcheng now, there was no one stronger than Cheongmu.
'…If he were just a little easier to deal with, I would have found a suitable pretext to request a duel and crush his nose…!'
Although Hanyang Yul was shouting that in his heart, he could not bring himself to say such a thing to Cheongmu, who was in front of him, even if there was a one in a million chance.
Hanyang Yul, who was at the peak realm, was by no means a weak person in the martial world, but against Cheongmu, who had reached the transcendent realm and could freely handle powerful qi, he had no chance of winning, even if there was a one in a million chance.
Whether he knew Hanyang Yul's thoughts or not, Ju Yeongchan, who was excited that he had easily lowered his tail, called Jang Baekseo.
"Baekseo, you come and greet him too!"
Jang Baekseo, who had readily stepped forward at Ju Yeongchan's call and was greeting him while subtly expressing his level, saw Hanyang Yul's eyes and realized that something was wrong for a moment.
'Something is wrong!'
But before Jang Baekseo could announce that fact, Ju Yeongchan was already excitedly running his mouth.
"Haha! As you can see, he is the senior disciple of our sect's third generation. This brat, perhaps because he resembles his master, has already reached the second-rate level at an age where he is not even of age yet, you know?"
'Damn it! Stop! Stop for a moment!'
Ignoring Jang Baekseo's inner shout, Ju Yeongchan excitedly babbled on for a long time.
And by the time Ju Yeongchan's boasting came to an end…
"Ho ho… that's a very great disciple. Then, if you don't mind, it would be a great help if you would have a duel with a person from our sect, the Qingcheon Sect, as a test…"
'Damn it! Don't answer…'
Although Jang Baekseo was shouting in his heart this time too, of course, it was not received by Ju Yeongchan, and Ju Yeongchan excitedly agreed to Hanyang Yul's proposal.
Then…
"Han Mingang! Mingang! Come here!"
At Hanyang Yul's call, a young Daoist who was flirting with a female disciple of a sect participating in the branch meeting somewhere over there walked over leisurely.
And the moment they saw his appearance, not only Jang Baekseo, but also Cheongmu and Cheong Yeonah's eyes widened.
"Senior Uncle! How many times do I have to tell you to call me Jeongpung here?"
Han Mingang, no, Jeongpung, who was approaching while saying that, opened his eyes wide when he saw the people who were with Hanyang Yul.
At Jeongpung's appearance, Hanyang Yul instinctively realized that something had happened between Jeongpung and the people of Mysterious Profound Sect.
And seeing Jeongpung's eyes gradually contort viciously, it was obvious that it was by no means a good thing.
'Hehehe! Then that's even better.'
Hanyang Yul, who was cheering, continued to run his mouth.
"Haha! Seeing the atmosphere, it seems you already know each other. How about it, Jeongpung? Would you like to have a duel with this child named Jang Baekseo, the senior disciple of Mysterious Profound Sect and the disciple of Great Hero Cheongmu? I think it will be a great help to you."
Jeongpung, who had noticed how the situation was going from the atmosphere, smiled viciously and readily nodded his head at Hanyang Yul's proposal.
"Alright, Uncle. I think it will be a great help indeed!"
At that sight, the flustered Ju Yeongchan tried to smooth over the situation, but the situation did not go as he had thought.
The participants of the branch meeting, who had sensed the unusual atmosphere, were gathering around them in groups of three and five.
In addition to that…
"Hahaha! Fellow Daoists of Sichuan who have gathered at the Qingcheng branch meeting! Here, there is a senior disciple with outstanding achievements from Mysterious Profound Sect, so I, Jeongpung, will try to learn a little from this boy!"
Jeongpung's voice, which was full of ridicule, echoed loudly in the hall, and more people gathered around at the appearance of an interesting spectacle.
Now, not even a piece of a smile was visible on Ju Yeongchan's lips.
Of course, Ju Yeongchan was not the only one who was flustered.
Cheongmu and Cheong Yeonah also tried to resolve the situation somehow, but since the atmosphere had already been formed, there was no clear way to do anything.
Moreover, if Mysterious Profound Sect, which was still in a position close to a stranger, were to back out here, the good impressions they had planted with Jang Baekseo's achievements would all be gone, and in the worst case, there was a concern that they would just become a laughingstock.
Nevertheless, Cheongmu tried to step up, but Cheongdo and Ju Yeongchan stopped him.
"Move aside. Are you telling me to watch my disciple be publicly executed?"
"S-Senior Brother… I know how you feel, but calm down! If you overturn the table here, not only will the work we've done so far be in vain, but a worse impression than before may be created."
"Yes, Cheongdo is right. No matter how much he is a blood relative of the Qingcheon Sect, he will not cause such a big incident, considering his position and the eyes watching… so for now, let's trust Baekseo…"
Cheongmu gritted his teeth as if he was not convinced.
In the bickering of the three, the only one who was calm was Cheong Yeonah. And Cheong Yeonah opened her mouth.
"Is this something to worry about so much?"
"Yeonah, what do you mean by that!? The opponent is a skilled person who has reached the first-rate level. No matter how outstanding Baekseo's achievements are for his age, he is still at the second-rate. How can you not be worried!?"
Unlike her senior brother, Cheongmu, who had lost his usual composure and was so anxious, Cheong Yeonah strangely did not feel any worry at all.
Of course, Cheongmu's words were completely right. With the difference in physique due to age, and even the difference in the level of martial arts, the result was obvious.
But…
'But why am I not worried?'
Baekseo's level was definitely still at the second-rate. If it were a real fight with a real sword, there might be a chance to win, but since it was a duel with a wooden sword, the chances of winning were close to zero.
Yet…
Yet, for some reason, Cheong Yeonah could not imagine Jang Baekseo losing.
'That's strange…'
While the people of Mysterious Profound Sect were bickering among themselves, the dueling stage was being prepared step by step.
The news of the duel between the senior disciple of Mysterious Profound Sect and the third-generation disciple of Qingcheng from the Qingcheon Sect spread quickly within Qingcheng.
And of course, that rumor also reached the ears of Grandmaster Gwangha, who had summoned them to Qingcheng.
"No, what on earth are these old men doing!?"
Of course, to attract the attention of the third power, it was right to stand out to some extent and give a good impression.
But there was a limit to standing out.
At their thoughtless actions, Grandmaster Gwangha was annoyed, but he flinched at a thought that suddenly came to his mind.
'Jang Baekseo, how will that child fight? The opponent is the third-generation disciple, Jeongpung. His level is definitely around the beginning of the first-rate… there's no way that child, Baekseo, will win, but… but…!'
Unable to bear his curiosity in the end, Grandmaster Gwangha threw away what he was doing and ran to the place where their duel was starting in one go.
In his heart…
'I'm going to stop those thoughtless people! I'm definitely… definitely! not going because I'm curious about how the duel will turn out!!'
While making that excuse.
***
Jang Baekseo and Jeongpung, who had stepped onto the training ground, stood silently, looking at each other from a distance of about five zhang.
The training ground was being maintained around them, and the area around the training ground was teeming with spectators who had already gathered like a swarm of ants.
The one who broke the silence between the two first was Jeongpung.
"Hehehe, you're that brat who arrogantly talked back to me at the Geumjo Merchant Guild, aren't you?"
"So what?"
"Haha! You're still arrogant even in this situation. Do you know that your precious master can't protect you this time?"
"That's right. You too."
Jeongpung, who did not understand Jang Baekseo's words for a moment, tilted his head and then, understanding the meaning of the words, contorted his face.
"You brat! The arrogance of a young brat has gone too far. I will teach you, an arrogant junior of the martial world, some manners today!"
Whether Jeongpung was angry or not, Jang Baekseo was letting his words flow with a listless face, as if he didn't care.
Although things had become troublesome, this was also an opportunity for Jang Baekseo.
'At that time, because of the situation, I couldn't beat him up properly!'
At the Geumjo Merchant Guild, since he was doing it while avoiding others' eyes, he had to handle the matter quickly, and as such, Jang Baekseo had not been able to beat up Jeongpung to his satisfaction.
'Yuhan, just you wait. Senior Brother will get revenge for you exactly 100 times over!'
While thinking that, Jang Baekseo slowly warmed up his body.
While thinking of the many ways to beat up Jeongpung…
(End of Chapter)