Chapter 251

My prediction that Zhuge Gyun would win turned out to be spectacularly wrong.

By the time we reached the area where his duel and several others were being held, the crowd was roaring the Invincible Divine Sword’s name while Zhuge Gyun sat there in a daze.

“What happened? You lost?”

Zhuge Gyun gave a bitter nod.

“I was completely toyed with. I couldn’t touch so much as a hair on his head.”

Zhuge Gyun was a direct descendant of the Zhuge Clan, one of the Five Great Families.

As his epithet, the Divine Marvel Dragon, suggested, his true weapon was his brilliant mind. But he had also learned his family’s secret arts and was an exceptional martial artist in his own right.

Intelligence alone wasn’t enough to earn a place among the Ten Dragons and Phoenixes.

And someone toyed with him?

Then his opponent was clearly a league or two above him.

My curiosity piqued, I asked Zhuge Gyun, “Where is he?”

“He probably left right after the duel… Huh? There he is.”

I followed Zhuge Gyun’s finger and narrowed my eyes.

“That guy? The one stuffing his face with dumplings?”

“Yes.”

“…Hmm.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. There’s just something familiar about him.”

He wore a baggy robe and a bamboo hat pulled low over his face. I couldn’t make out his features or even his build, but there was something strangely familiar about the sight of him shoveling dumplings into his mouth.

Where have I seen him before?

At times like this, the direct approach was best. I headed toward the Invincible Divine Sword.

The closer I got, the less certain I became that I recognized him. But I did realize one thing.

He’s strong.

His posture was full of openings, and he looked so carefree that he didn’t seem remotely on guard.

Yet the energy I sensed from the Invincible Divine Sword was in no way inferior to mine.

Was there always someone like this around?

After a moment’s thought, I spoke.

“Excuse me.”

Chomp, chomp.

The Invincible Divine Sword’s mouth stopped in the middle of devouring dumplings as if possessed.

“You’re the Invincible Divine Sword, correct?”

“…”

“Sorry to bother you when we’ve never met, but I have something I’d like to ask.”

“…”

“Excuse me?”

What was wrong with this guy? Why wasn’t he answering when I was talking to him?

As I stared, the Invincible Divine Sword’s Adam’s apple bobbed beneath his bamboo hat.

Gulp.

“Ahem. Ahem.”

“…?”

“Ahem. J-Just a moment.”

After clearing his throat several times, he spoke in a low baritone.

But how should I put it? The voice was painfully forced.

“Why? No—I mean, what is it?”

“I have something I’d like to ask.”

“Please go ahead. No—speak.”

“…”

What the hell was this guy doing?

I regarded the Invincible Divine Sword through narrowed eyes. Perhaps sensing my suspicion, he tugged his bamboo hat even lower.

I’m starting to get a feeling about this.

I casually tossed out some bait.

“Oh, I should’ve introduced myself first. I’m Park Taekyung of the Taiyuan Park Family.”

“Huh? When did you change your surname?”

“…”

“…!”

An icy silence fell.

Realizing his mistake, the Invincible Divine Sword frantically waved his hands. Instead of the forced baritone, a clear, youthful voice spilled out in a rush.

“No, that’s not what I meant. The Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi is so famous that I already knew who you were.”

“Oh. I see.”

“Yes. Yes.”

“May I ask your name?”

“The Invincible Divine Sword.”

“Your name, not your epithet.”

“K-Kang Pung.”

What kind of Pung?

What a talent for names.

I let out a quiet laugh of disbelief.

There was no need to confirm it with the Qi Sense Skill. At this point, it would have been stranger if I still hadn’t figured it out.

“It’s been a while. Let’s talk somewhere quiet.”

“W-Why? I’ve never met you before.”

“Really? Then should I send a messenger pigeon to Huashan?”

“…!”

The Invincible Divine Sword slowly raised his bamboo hat.

A young man with an innocent face looked at me, resignation and delight mingling in his eyes.

“Hello, Benefactor.”

It was a welcome face I hadn’t seen in a year.

Laughing, I flicked the brim of Cheongpung’s bamboo hat.

The Murim Alliance was practically a city unto itself. It had residential areas, along with every facility needed for daily life.

So it wasn’t particularly surprising that it had an entertainment district as well.

We settled into an inn tucked away in the most secluded alley we could find.

Other than the ancient, nearly deaf proprietor, there wasn’t another customer in sight.

“I heard what happened. You ran away on the way back to Huashan?”

“Yes. Right after Benefactor left with Grandpa Jeok.”

“Why? Huashan is practically your home.”

“I didn’t want to go back. Grandpa wasn’t there anymore, and I hadn’t seen much of the world.”

“Still, I’m surprised you managed to escape.”

“My Martial Nephews tried to stop me, so I used a little force. They probably wouldn’t have woken up for three days. I ran away while they were out. Hehe.”

“…”

Just how much force had he used?

Still, only someone like Cheongpung could have pulled that off.

Baek Museong might be known as Huashan’s Lone Crane and one of the Three Plum Blossom Elites, but Cheongpung was a true genius on an entirely different level.

Even a Third Rate sword technique like the Three-Talent Sword Technique became a Peak martial art when performed by him.

From what I had seen, no one could match the depth of his understanding or the speed at which he learned martial arts.

If there were another genius like him, it would probably be Jin Mukyung.

Lost in thought, I listened to Cheongpung’s excited account of his travels through the martial world.

I had expected as much, and sure enough, he hadn’t done a damn bit of martial arts training. His stories were all about roaming around, goofing off, and eating to his heart’s content.

“I ate dumplings in Sichuan, but they were spicy!”

“Ah, yes. How astonishing.”

“Dumplings in Guangdong and Hainan have seafood in them!”

“That makes sense. They’re near the sea.”

“Dumplings in Zhejiang Province…”

Had this bastard done nothing but eat dumplings all year?

By the time he started talking about dumplings in Hunan Province, I couldn’t take it anymore and cut him off.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“About what?”

“The Invincible Divine Sword. Are you going to keep this up?”

“Yes. Martial Nephew Baek Museong knows I’m participating in the Star-Array Grand Banquet. If I disguise myself like this, no one will recognize me!”

“…”

“Hehe. I’ve fooled everyone completely.”

I would have bet my right hand and my entire fortune that they had already found him out. I was even willing to double down.

No wonder there were so many Huashan disciples near the dueling platform earlier.

The Star-Array Grand Banquet was open to martial artists from across the world, so there were no real restrictions against hiding one’s identity.

But Huashan was one of the Nine Sects and One Gang. There was no question its disciples had noticed Cheongpung long ago.

And yet they were merely watching him from a distance.

At this point, this is basically a group hidden-camera prank.

They could make a whole movie out of it and call it The Cheongpung Show.

I clicked my tongue inwardly as I watched Cheongpung enjoying himself. Then a thought occurred to me.

“Then I guess we’ll meet later?”

The smile on Cheongpung’s face widened.

“I hope so.”

“You hope so?”

“Yes. I was curious how strong Benefactor had become. I’ve wanted to spar with you at least once.”

The feeling was mutual.

Cheongpung and Jin Mukyung were two of the reasons I had decided to participate in the Star-Array Grand Banquet.

“What do you think, now that you’ve seen me again?”

“Hmm…”

“Be honest.”

I leaned back against the old chair.

Amid the creaking sounds, Cheongpung was silent for a moment. Then he suddenly tapped the scabbard hanging from his waist.

“Grandpa used to say that martial artists should speak with their weapons.”

“He was right.”

Straight from the Sword Saint himself.

I let out a quiet laugh and rose from my seat.

“Where are you going, Benefactor?”

“To prepare for the finals. We’ll finish our conversation there. With our respective martial arts, of course.”

“The finals…”

Cheongpung slowly repeated the word, then nodded with an unusually serious expression.

“Good. I’m going to win anyway.”

“Big talk from someone who spent the entire year eating dumplings.”

“I trained sometimes too.”

“Sure you did.”

Ignoring Cheongpung’s disgruntled muttering, I paid the bill and left the inn.

As soon as we emerged from the narrow, dark alley, we ran into a familiar face.

“Jongni Chu?”

Jongni Chu smiled and waved.

“Oh, we meet again. It seems we must be bound by fate.”

“What fate? It’s probably just a coincidence. What are you doing here?”

“I came to grab a bite.”

“Here?”

The secluded alley held only a few shops lined up beside one another. Even those looked so old they were on the verge of collapsing.

It didn’t look like a good place to find a meal by anyone’s standards.

But Jongni Chu nodded calmly.

“I had some thin noodles at a nearby street stall, and the vendor told me that shop’s dumplings were exceptionally good.”

By sheer coincidence, he was pointing at the sign of the very inn Cheongpung and I had just left.

“Really?”

“Of course. Apparently, it’s a hidden gem known only to a select few. Have you tried it?”

Cheongpung, who had already pulled his bamboo hat low over his face, abruptly joined in with his awkwardly altered voice.

“They’re incredibly delicious. No, I mean, delicious they are.”

Jongni Chu turned toward Cheongpung.

“I don’t believe we’ve met. Would it be rude of me to ask who you are?”

“The Invincible Divine Sword, Kang Pung.”

“Now that is an impressive epithet. I’m Jongni Chu, the Always-Victorious Sword. I hope we’ll get along, friend.”

“F-Friend?”

Cheongpung raised his bamboo hat slightly and stared at Jongni Chu before nodding furiously.

“Great! No—I mean, good! I’m delighted! You’re the first person who’s ever asked to be my friend!”

“…Enough. That’s more than enough.”

Why didn’t he just walk around with Cheongpung of Huashan written across his forehead?

Jongni Chu smiled gently as he watched Cheongpung bouncing with joy while I tried to calm him down.

“It seems you already have a good friend at your side. In any case, I’ll see you next time, friends.”

“Yeah, let’s just happen to run into each other once in a while. Not too often.”

“Farewell! Farewell, my friend!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

He dipped his head and disappeared into the dark alley.

Once we stepped onto the bright, sunlit street, Cheongpung grinned.

“He seems like a good person. I can just tell.”

I offered him some serious advice.

“Not everyone who likes dumplings is a good person.”

“Oh, I should have told him to dip them in only a little soy sauce.”

“…”

He really didn’t listen to a word I said.

Cheongpung’s concern proved unnecessary.

Jongni Chu never entered the inn.

His steps didn’t stop even after he passed it.

How long had he walked through the dark alleys tangled together like a maze? At last, in a place containing nothing but a few rats and filth, Jongni Chu stopped.

A quiet voice slipped from his lips.

“The Invincible Divine Sword. The more I think about it, the better that epithet sounds. What do you think?”

The moment he finished speaking, the silent alley erupted into motion.

Swish, swish, swish! Pak!

Three streaks of light shot toward Jongni Chu’s vital points.

At the same time, a small masked figure shot into the air. His steps as he ran along the wall were swift and stealthy as the wind.

His qinggong¹ was exceptional, and his concealment technique surpassed even that. Just as the masked man gathered his strength to leap—

Thud.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?”

“…!”

“Come down. Let’s talk.”

An immense force pressed down on both his shoulders. Breath brushed the back of his neck.

The masked man’s plummeting body trembled as if struck by lightning.

How can this be?!

He had completed hundreds of missions, but never once had anything like this happened.

Overwhelming. Irresistible.

Never had those words felt so real. He realized that only one path remained to him.

Pavilion Master, it seems this is as far as I go.

The face of the superior he had loyally served for decades—the Thousand-Faced Fox—flashed before his eyes.

Just as Shadow Killer—the Hidden Shadow Pavilion’s finest agent, whose name had since been forgotten—was about to bite down on the poison pellet hidden in his tooth—

“As expected of the Hidden Shadow Pavilion. Not a moment’s hesitation. But…”

Tap, tap.

Lightning-fast fingers struck Shadow Killer’s entire body. A low voice burrowed into his ears as his body stiffened.

“You should have known who you were following.”

Consumed by utter despair, Shadow Killer felt his consciousness plunge into the abyss.