Chapter 23
Peng Gahyeok and Eon Juhye entered the secret room.
Jo Iljang asked with a puzzled face.
"Where's Tang Somun?"
Peng Gahyeok shook his head.
"He said he's not coming."
"Why?"
"I suppose... since they're in-laws for now."
Jo Iljang's face contorted.
"So? Is Tang Somun also sticking to that guy?"
"Don't speak carelessly. Somun is not that kind of person."
Peng Gahyeok growled lowly.
"It's because he's an in-law that it's difficult for him to openly participate, it's nothing else. Don't doubt Somun."
"If that's the case, then it's a relief... it's just that so many guys are backing out."
At Jo Iljang's reply, Eon Juhye chuckled.
"Isn't that more of a problem for the Nine Sects One Gang than us? We only have Zhuge Yeon, but half of the Nine Sects One Gang has left..."
Eon Juhye no longer called Zhuge Yeon 'older sister' but by her name, showing her hostility.
However, Jo Iljang could not answer and his face hardened. It was because it also contained a sneer towards the Nine Sects One Gang. Joo Jinsung, who had been quiet, replied for him.
"We still have more numbers."
"No. It's just that my older brother Namgung can't make time because he's training, it's not that he has a different opinion from us. The numbers are the same."
However, Joo Jinsung did not agree.
"Tang Somun isn't going to get involved in this, is he?"
Eon Juhye could not reply. In the end, the Nine Sects One Gang still had one more. At that moment, Jongri Hye intervened and drew their attention.
"We're not gathered here to have a numbers fight. Let's talk about Moyong Gi."
Jeonggak nodded.
"That's right. What's important now is Moyong Gi, isn't it?"
Peng Gahyeok looked at Jeonggak.
"What do you want to do?"
"What do you mean, what to do. We have to crush him."
Eon Juhye was hesitant.
"Is there really a need for that? Although he's showing promise now, considering his origin, he'll eventually be caught up."
Jeonggak shook his head.
"Think of the current Orthodox Justice Alliance Leader, Jinsan. It's not impossible for him to become like Jinsan."
Eon Juhye showed a sneer.
"So? The Orthodox Justice Alliance Leader is amazing, but what about it? If the masters of each sect decide to face him, it's not impossible, is it?"
"Moyong Gi has something that the Orthodox Justice Alliance Leader doesn't."
At Jeonggak's reply, Peng Gahyeok's eyes sparkled.
"The five rising generation martial artists of the Nine Sects One Gang and Zhuge Yeon?"
"To be precise, it's Myung Jin, So Moogyeol, and Zhuge Yeon."
"What about the rest?"
"His relationship with Baek Unseol has soured, and Woonhyun and Cheon Youngyoung are not that close to Moyong Gi."
"Can you be sure?"
At Peng Gahyeok's question, Joo Jinsung stepped forward.
"I confirmed it myself. I talked to Woonhyun."
"Hmm..."
Peng Gahyeok stroked his chin.
Eon Juhye still looked at Jeonggak with eyes full of questions.
"What about it?"
"The current Orthodox Justice Alliance Leader has no power base. Even if he receives the full support of the small and medium-sized sects, it's insignificant when you look at the whole picture. Of course, it might not be from the perspective of the Five Great Families."
Eon Juhye's face contorted. Jeonggak, pretending not to know, continued to speak.
"But that guy can have the power of Wudang and the Beggars' Sect on his back. He can also get help from the head of the Zhuge family. The situation is different from the current Orthodox Justice Alliance Leader. The Orthodox Justice Alliance will be split into three."
"Isn't that too much of a leap? For that to happen, Moyong Gi has to rise to the position of Orthodox Justice Alliance Leader or something similar..."
"The Orthodox Justice Alliance Leader met that guy. I've confirmed this as well."
Eon Juhye shut her mouth. Peng Gahyeok's eyes flashed.
"Is that true?"
"Of course."
"This is crazy!"
If this was the case, the future was not the problem.
If Moyong Gi and Jinsan joined hands, the Orthodox Justice Alliance might be split into three right away.
That would be a threat to their vested interests.
Jeonggak spoke again.
"We have to nip the bud before it grows bigger. We don't have time."
Eon Juhye had a troubled expression.
"Is there a way? It's impossible for us to attack Moyong Gi, and I don't think the adults will move either. I hinted at it to the elder from our family, but he showed reluctance, saying what the strategist had done."
Jeonggak looked at Peng Gahyeok, but he also just shook his head.
"It's the same for us."
Jeonggak nodded.
"As expected."
"As expected? By any chance, you too?"
Jo Iljang intervened.
"That's right. He's a very cunning guy. I heard the Beggars' Sect leader is going crazy because of some trick he used. Don't you know by looking at how Diancang is not doing anything?"
Starting with Peng Gahyeok, everyone shut their mouths.
They had to crush him, but they couldn't see a way.
In the end, Jeonggak stepped forward again.
"In the end, we'll have to crush him."
Eon Juhye's face contorted.
"So what are we going to do with just seven? It might be possible after some time, but it's impossible right now."
The memory of being defeated by Moyong Gi without even being able to properly use her hands was vivid.
So, the words to crush Moyong Gi with just seven sounded unrealistic.
"It's not just seven."
Jo Iljang looked at Jeonggak.
"What do you mean?"
"We'll move the children from the small and medium-sized sects."
Peng Gahyeok showed a sneer.
"If that had worked, we would have done it already. Ostracism doesn't work, and with force, even more so..."
"Stop."
Jeonggak raised his hand and cut off Peng Gahyeok's words. Peng Gahyeok's face turned red. But Jeonggak ignored him.
"That's usually the case. But the mid-term examination is coming up soon."
Jongri Hye, who was quick-witted, was the first to clap her hands.
"That's right. That should work."
Starting with that, it did not take long for everyone's faces to brighten.
However, Peng Gahyeok, still with a cautious face, asked Joo Jinsung one more time.
"Are you sure about Cheon Youngyoung and Woonhyun?"
"Of course."
Joo Jinsung nodded with a face full of confidence.
Peng Gahyeok finally relaxed his face.
"Then it will be important to win the hearts of the children from the small and medium-sized sects."
Jeonggak nodded.
"We have to win them over for sure. If we can't nip the bud in the mid-term examination, there won't be a next time."
Peng Gahyeok's eyes narrowed.
"Nip the bud... how far are you thinking of going?"
Jeonggak shut his mouth. Instead, Jo Iljang's eyes were filled with venom.
"We have to at least cut off an arm."
***
It wasn't that he had made a useless excuse to Baek Unseol.
The night was solely for Moyong Gi himself.
It was a time to select what he thought was good from the opponent's sword moves experienced through the duels of the day and make them completely his own.
After going through the process of modifying the opponent's sword moves to match his own sword, he would repeat it until it became second nature to his body.
It was a necessary training for Moyong Gi, who had not yet reached the realm of the Mind Sword, where the sword follows where the mind is.
Of course, it was by no means an easy task. But this time was particularly more difficult.
Moyong Gi, who was sheathing his sword, his face contorted.
"This is really difficult."
Myung Jin's Taiji Sword Art was not difficult to digest. His sword, which moved according to the essence of Taiji, contained many changes. But it was sufficiently acceptable.
Although there were many changes, the sword path was basically drawn according to the principle of softness. And that was the part that Moyong Gi had focused on the most in the Demon Sealing Valley.
He could be proud that his understanding of using softness to overcome hardness would not be pushed back by anyone from the Wudang Sect.
Although it was tricky, it was not impossible to make it his own.
The problem was Zhuge Yeon's Formless Sword Art and So Moogyeol's Dog Beating Staff Technique.
The Dog Beating Staff Technique was especially more so.
It was because it contained much more elaborate and flashy changes than the Formless Sword Art.
"This is not just difficult, it's seriously difficult..."
So Moogyeol also could not show the true essence of the Dog Beating Staff Technique.
His understanding of the martial art was low.
However, for someone of Moyong Gi's level, it was not difficult to recognize its true value.
He could clearly point out the changes that So Moogyeol could not implement.
It was possible because Moyong Gi had reached the peak of technique in the martial world.
But even such a Moyong Gi found it difficult to completely grasp the Dog Beating Staff Technique.
There were just too many changes contained in each and every move, to the point where his head was about to break just by analyzing one move.
But what was more bleak was that there were seventy-two such moves.
Depending on how you used the moves and how you linked them, there were just too many ways the staff could move. It was too complicated.
"This is why there are no masters who made a name for themselves with the Dog Beating Staff Technique."
The Dog Beating Staff Technique was a martial art that represented the Beggars' Sect, and if you mastered it, you would contend for the title of the best in the world.
However, the number of masters who had made a name for themselves with the Dog Beating Staff Technique could be counted on one hand.
And even that was several generations ago.
The martial art itself was excellent, but people couldn't keep up.
It was amazing that it had not been lost and had preserved its original form until now.
"I wondered why Sect Leader Hong was so confident..."
It was understandable. Since the martial art was like this, he couldn't even dream of breaking it even after seeing it.
Moyong Gi tapped his temple with his finger.
"What should I do about this..."
The word 'chicken rib' fit perfectly. It was tricky to eat, and there was little meat to eat.
But to throw it away, the taste was too good.
"Theoretically, it's right to use it..."
He had vaguely felt it since he had fought with the red-robed man in the Imperial Palace.
Moyong Gi's sword lacked the essence of illusion.
It couldn't be helped, as any move had a gap.
Moyong Gi's specialty was to quickly catch that gap.
There was no reason to induce a gap by deceiving the opponent with flashy changes. He thought it was a waste of strength.
"But I can't even dream of this."
No matter how good the taste, if you eat something that doesn't suit your body, you will definitely get sick.
The Dog Beating Staff Technique was just such a case.
If you tried to use it carelessly without completely modifying it, if you were unlucky, your ki and blood would get twisted. That was ki deviation.
And with the Dog Beating Staff Technique, he couldn't even dream of completely modifying it.
"Still, I have to do it."
He had a similar level of technique as the Moyong Gi before his return, or even higher.
To overcome it, he had to fill his own weaknesses.
Just increasing his ki would not solve the fundamental problem.
In that sense, the Dog Beating Staff Technique was perfect for filling Moyong Gi's empty space.
However, Moyong Gi shook his head.
"I don't think I can do it right now."
The risk was too great. In a state where he had not yet awakened to the essence of illusion, a top-class martial art like the Dog Beating Staff Technique was not something to be swallowed rashly.
The Formless Sword Art was the same. To swallow it, he had to build a foundation first.
"For now, the completion of the Orchid Eighteen Swords... no, the Orchid Thirty-Six Swords comes first..."
The Moyong family's Orchid Eighteen Swords was originally called the Orchid Thirty-Six Swords.
However, a hundred years ago, the latter eighteen moves were lost, and only the first eighteen moves were passed down. When it seemed there was no way to restore it, they started calling it the Orchid Eighteen Swords, and it had stuck.
As you can tell from the name of the martial art, the Orchid Thirty-Six Swords was a sword art based on change, like the Zhuge family's Formless Sword Art or the Beggars' Sect's Dog Beating Staff Technique.
However, the essence of illusion was concentrated in the latter eighteen moves, but when that was lost, only the simple and soft form of the sword remained.
And that was the reason why Moyong Gi was weak in the essence of illusion. If he could restore the latter eighteen moves, it would be much easier to use the Dog Beating Staff Technique.
"Restoration is impossible..."
No matter how high Moyong Gi's understanding of martial arts was, it was close to impossible to restore the latter half of the Orchid Thirty-Six Swords with only the first half.
Such a thing was only possible for the great masters of martial arts like Zhang Sanfeng of Wudang or Bodhidharma of Shaolin.
Then he had to find someone who knew the latter half.
"I have a suspicion, but no evidence."
Although it was unfamiliar because it was a spear, not a sword, it felt familiar somewhere.
Some of the moves of his spear art, which he sometimes reviewed, matched the sword paths of some of the moves of the first half of the Orchid Thirty-Six Swords.
It was too much of a coincidence to be dismissed as a coincidence.
"He won't confess obediently if I ask him to tell me..."
Unless he was a fool, there was no way he would.
Especially for martial artists who were obsessed with martial arts, it would be even more so.
"Aish! If he gets beaten a few times, he'll confess because he doesn't want to die."
In the end, Moyong Gi decided to use a simple method.
Sometimes, a simple method solves things more easily than a complicated one.
"But it's impossible right now, right?"
He was a considerable master. In the past, he would have easily beaten him, but right now it was a burden. In the end, he needed the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus that he had asked Myung Jin for.
Moyong Gi's face contorted.
"It's been a while since I asked, why hasn't it come yet? Is he going to eat it and run?"
(End of Chapter)