Chapter 249

The Thousand-Faced Fox. A fox with a thousand faces.

I had never seen a nickname that suited someone so poorly.

The old man, Song Ho, the Thousand-Faced Fox, had a build larger than that of most burly men, while his expression was as warm and genial as the grandfather next door.

He was about as far from a fox as a person could get—in fact, he was practically the exact opposite.

He looks like that grandpa. The one who stands in front of the chicken shop whether it rains or snows.

Put a pair of glasses on him, and they could have been twins.

But unlike me, who was thinking such carefree thoughts, everyone around us was tense as a drawn bowstring.

Anxious faces. I could hear people swallowing nervously.

The Thousand-Faced Fox…

He must not have gotten that nickname for nothing.

Once I corrected my thinking, everything began to look different.

The aura I sensed from Song Ho was that of a Peak master—nothing more, nothing less—but there was something else.

Something that had nothing to do with martial arts. Something else that only he possessed.

What is it?

As I stared at Song Ho’s profile, his head suddenly turned, and our gazes met in midair.

He beckoned me over, so I took a step toward him.

“So it’s you?”

“Pardon?”

“Jin Taekyung, the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi. I’ve heard plenty about how the Disciple of Great Hero Jeok Cheongang, the Fire King, performed exceptionally well in the preliminaries.”

Judging by the way he spoke, he seemed to have known Jeok Cheongang to some extent. I quickly bowed my head.

“Thank you.”

“And you’re also the reason there are so many more finalists in this Star-Array Grand Banquet.”

I had heard plenty of things about myself, but that was the first time I had heard anyone say that.

I tilted my head and asked, “Because of me?”

“Of course it’s because of you.”

A deep smile spread across Song Ho’s lips.

“Aren’t you the one who destroyed every mechanism and formation we had set up during the final assessment?”

“Oh.”

“Thanks to you, there must be a hundred more qualifiers. Because you destroyed the core, everyone else was able to pass much more easily.”

That happened?

Thinking back, it did seem like everyone had passed unusually quickly.

At the time, I had simply assumed that the locals were well versed in mechanisms and formations, unlike a foreigner like me.

“You didn’t know, judging by your expression.”

“Yeah, well. I’m completely clueless when it comes to that stuff.”

“Don’t you regret it?”

“Regret what?”

“Destroying the core of the mechanisms and formations. There could have been far fewer competitors than there are now.”

“Four hundred or five hundred. What’s the difference?”

“‘What’s the difference’…”

At my blunt response, Song Ho pointed behind me.

“That won’t be easy.”

I turned my head in the direction he pointed.

The martial artists filling the training ground—including the three idiots—were all looking at me.

There were more than five hundred of them.

Every single one was either a top-tier First Rate martial artist recognized anywhere under heaven or a Peak master.

Some were scions of prestigious families who had learned martial arts with every possible advantage. Others were wandering martial artists whose bodies were covered in scars, each one worn like a medal.

There really are a lot of them.

But it didn’t matter. Four hundred, five hundred, even a thousand—the answer would not change.

I looked at Song Ho and slowly opened my mouth.

“It doesn’t matter. All I have to do is win.”

“What? Ha! Hahaha!”

Damn, now that I had actually said it, I was embarrassed.

Song Ho must have loved my answer, because he threw his head back and laughed loudly. At the same time, though, I had drawn plenty of aggro.

I scratched the back of my head, which was beginning to prickle.

Everyone was thinking the same thing anyway. Why pretend otherwise?

Everyone had gathered at the Star-Array Grand Banquet with only one goal: victory.

In a situation like this, pretending otherwise was even more ridiculous.

“You’re an interesting young friend. Great Hero Jeok really raised quite a one.”

Song Ho patted me on the shoulder and laughed with satisfaction.

That was when a middle-aged supervisor, who had been on his way up to the dais, spotted him and stopped.

“Is that you, Sir Song? What brings you here…”

Song Ho’s hand slid from my shoulder.

“I heard the qualifiers had arrived, so I stopped by to see their faces. Aren’t they future pillars of the world?”

After looking over everyone with a satisfied expression, he turned around.

“Then this old relic will take his leave. It was a pleasure, everyone.”

“…”

I didn’t answer.

It had only lasted for the briefest moment, but I had definitely seen it.

His eyes had narrowed thinly like a fox stalking its prey, and his gaze had turned sharp.

The Thousand-Faced Fox.

I was beginning to understand why that genial-looking old man had been given such a nickname.

What was he looking at?

And who had he seen—and what had he seen in them?

That gaze had flashed past in an instant, but it had definitely not been the gaze of a Senior looking at juniors far below him.

I was quickly scanning everyone’s faces when—

“Hey! Friend!”

At first, I wondered what kind of lunatic was shouting.

One person was waving enthusiastically, his booming voice echoing through the quiet training ground.

I recognized his face from somewhere and let out a deep sigh.

What? That bastard passed too?

The Always-Victorious Sword, Jongni Chu.

The sight of his broad smile made my curiosity vanish in an instant.

“All qualifiers, follow me.”

I had no idea how long we walked behind the middle-aged supervisor before we arrived at a long line of carriages stretching into the distance.

“Wait. Where are we going?”

I didn’t know who had asked the question, but whoever it was had surely drawn irritated looks from everyone around him by now.

The schedule after the preliminaries had already been explained several times.

The middle-aged supervisor answered in a curt voice.

“Luoyang.”

The Star-Array Grand Banquet’s preliminaries had been held on Mount Song with outsiders barred from entering, but the main event would take place in Luoyang, and the format would be different as well.

I had heard that spectator stands had even been prepared so people could watch the duels.

That was probably why people called the main event the true beginning of the Star-Array Grand Banquet.

“Everyone, board the carriages. It isn’t a particularly long journey, so we’ll arrive soon enough.”

Clip-clop-clop!

The instant the carriage doors closed, the horses’ hooves struck the ground with force.

I gazed out the window at Mount Song receding into the distance.

Three days of beautiful memories…

I wish that had been the reason.

The truth was that I simply didn’t want to look at the faces of the idiots riding with me.

“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“Fuck off. Don’t talk to me.”

The first to start was Jongni Chu.

But it was too soon to relax. The war had only just begun.

“Good heavens, gentlemen. Did you hear what that Fellow Daoist just said? ‘Fuck off’! What is he, some common street thug? How vulgar and undignified…”

It was Baek Woo, the Kunlun Cloud Dragon, one of the Ten Dragons and Phoenixes.

Without taking my eyes off the window, I said, “Shut your mouth. I won’t say it twice. And this ‘Fellow Daoist’ shit—I’ll turn you into cheese crust with the Flame Divine Palm.”

“What? ‘Shit’? You were speaking to this poor Daoist?”

“Yep.”

“You seem awfully high and mighty just because you happened to get ahead of me once in lightness skills…”

“Hey, you.”

I turned my head and stared at Baek Woo.

“I told you to shut up.”

Our gazes collided in midair. A brief silence passed, and we both reached out at the same time.

No—Baek Woo was half a beat faster. He made the first move.

Whoosh! Rattle-rattle-rattle!

And then everything was over in an instant.

Baek Woo’s eyes widened as both his wrists were immobilized.

“M-Moving second, yet taking control first?”

“Where do you think you’re going, throwing the first punch, you bastard?”

What mattered in a fight was not who moved faster.

The result. Only the result mattered.

I had definitely started later than Baek Woo, but I reached my target faster. That was all there was to it.

“Your grappling technique is a mess. Did you go all-in on lightness skills?”

“H-How did you…”

“What do you mean, how? You were weaker than me, and I was stronger than you.”

I grinned at his stunned face and continued.

“Now, you have three choices. Number one: take one hard hit from the Flame Divine Palm right now.”

“…”

“Judging by your expression, you don’t like that one. Number two: take the Flame-Extinguishing Divine Fist gently. For your information, I used it to bring down a cliff. If you think your body is tougher than a cliff, give it a try.”

“D-Does that mean there is no third option?”

“‘That mean’? What’s with the formal -so ending? You’re using haoche.¹ Are you from the Lower District Sect? I thought you were from the Kunlun Sect.”

Baek Woo bit down hard on his lip.

“I-I am twenty-six years old this year. I am four years older than you.”

“Oh, four years. Then do you want to take four Flame Divine Palms?”

“Gasp!”

Baek Woo shook his head vigorously.

“All right. Say it again.”

“Is there no third option, please?”

“There is. Number three: keep your mouth shut in front of me from now on.”

“I’ll take that one!”

“Good. Let’s travel in silence.”

I released Baek Woo’s wrists.

A flicker of conflict passed through his eyes, but soon his expression fell, and he lowered his head.

Unless he was exceptionally stupid and shameless, that was the obvious response.

That takes care of one, at least.

I looked over the rest of them one by one.

Jongni Chu stared wide-eyed at me and Baek Woo in turn.

Gung Gibang stopped scratching his thigh, while Zhuge Gyun closed the book he had been reading so intently.

“Hey. Beggars’ Sect.”

“…”

“Does this bastard only open his mouth when he’s talking about shit?”

Gung Gibang was the quietest of the three idiots. Whenever he did speak, it was usually some curse-like remark that began with dog shit, continued through cow shit, and ended with horse shit.

He was filthy beyond belief.

“Anyway, I’m giving you a choice too. The same three choices I gave him. You heard them, right?”

Gung Gibang’s matted hair bobbed up and down.

“Pick quickly. This is a hassle.”

After remaining silent for a while, Gung Gibang finally opened his mouth.

“The Beggars’ Sect’s Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms is one of the five greatest martial arts in the world. Even if one masters only eight-tenths of it, there are few beneath heaven who can stand against him.”

“So?”

“Unfortunately, I have only mastered fifty percent of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms.”

“…”

Gung Gibang continued with eyes shining with determination.

“Therefore, I choose number three.”

“…”

I almost smacked him on the head, but I held back. It looked like my hand would get dirty if I hit him.

“Then keep your mouth shut from now on, Gibang. And use polite speech every time.”

“G-Gibang? Polite speech?”

“Might Makes Right. Haven’t you heard of it?”

“Even so, that’s a bit much…”

“Oh, right. You’re twenty-six too, aren’t you? You’re four years older than me, so do you want to take four Flame-Extinguishing Divine Fists?”

“…”

The wavering light in Gung Gibang’s eyes slowly settled.

He clenched his fists and shook out both hands.

Swish! Clack!

With lightning-fast movements, Gung Gibang formed a fist-and-palm salute and lowered his head.

“From now on, I shall call you Jin hyung.”

“Good.”

After neatly dealing with two of them, I turned toward the last idiot.

Zhuge Gyun had closed his book and was stroking a spotless white crane-feather fan.

“Galgyun.”

“My surname is Zhuge. My given name is Gyun.”

“Fine. Galgyun. You’ve already chosen, haven’t you?”

“Choosing is difficult.”

“If you still haven’t decided after watching the two Seniors in front of you, then you’ll end up a corpse.”

Zhuge Gyun looked at me calmly.

“My honored ancestor, Zhuge Wuhou, decided to enter public service after Liu Bei’s Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage.²”

“What the hell? I told you to give me a number, and this lunatic starts talking about Romance of the Three Kingdoms. So what am I supposed to do?”

“Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage. Since Wuhou opened his heart after three visits, this Young Master chooses option three.”

“…”

As expected of the Zhuge Clan.

Just look at the strategic buildup, dragging even his ancestor into it.

I might have to turn that crane-feather fan into a blood-feather fan.

Only one person remained, but Jongni Chu raised both hands as if surrendering with a sheepish laugh.

“This is frightening. I’ll keep my mouth shut the whole way.”

“Don’t keep pestering me. Understood?”

“I understand. If that is your wish, then so be it.”

I had no particular grudge against Jongni Chu, so I decided to leave it at that.

Just as I began enjoying the peace I had won after subduing the three idiots, the carriage slowed while racing along and soon came to a stop.

“We have arrived at our destination.”

I looked out the window.

Lofty walls dozens of jang high. A massive iron gate. And a signboard bathed in the gentle light of the sunset.

Murim Alliance