Chapter 43: Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Each One's Move

Scholar Bang Wongeol had said:

With poetry , you'll definitely rank.

Aah... that my son would be last place...

Jayeong had also said:

Aiming for last place?

Seems fine. I think you can do it.

Everyone who read the poetry knowing my intent said this would do it.

"Look at that brazenly raised face. Completely lacking the skill to attend a poetry gathering."

"Didn't he just want to sit beside the Magistrate?"

Words heard while moving steps toward the boat.

The last remark stung a bit.

Though said thoughtlessly, that was precisely the truth.

"Scholar Bang, how about at least bowing your head?"

"Why would I bow? I'm dignified. I displayed all the skills I've honed and polished."

Again—I honed and polished for exactly two days.

Even the expression "honed and polished" was a luxury.

Yi Sangji and Woo Gohyeon scholars who took second and third respectively urged us.

"Since the Magistrate boarded the boat, it's our turn. Enough bickering, let's board."

Since they sat at different tables, they hadn't seen Guyang An lose his beads to me.

Their only interest: the Magistrate.

"Let's go, Brother Guyang."

"I was going anyway."

The boat's shape was peculiar.

Only a few oarsmen in the hold, no sail at all.

That is, the deck was completely open.

Though it seemed specially made for the poetry gathering—

'They removed all obstacles on deck for assassination.'

That would be the assassination side's intent.

While boarding, I met the Magistrate's eyes.

I trust only the Ink Sword Hero.

The Magistrate, two guard warriors, and four scholars including me who ranked.

Excluding guard warriors,

five small tables were prepared with each receiving dishes.

Dishes and alcohol were already placed, perhaps to minimize people on deck.

Magistrate Yang Daeryang at center; to the right sat first and last place—Guyang An and I; to the left sat second and third—Yi Sangji and Woo Gohyeon.

I expanded Eight Sensations.

Once more, I felt the unpleasant energy mixing water's natural energy with demonic arts' turbidity.

"Brother Guyang, relax your face. Aren't you the first to recite poetry?"

"Mm. If Brother Bang would just stop talking to me, my face would relax."

Yi Sangji and Woo Gohyeon frowned from across.

With lip movements, they told us to exercise restraint before the Magistrate.

The real purpose lies elsewhere.

On the boat, the Magistrate gave congratulatory remarks.

At the lakeside, the proceeding literatus raised his voice.

"Now, time to hear first place winner Scholar Guyang An's poetry!"

Everyone closed mouths so Guyang An's poetry could be heard well.

Autumn wind gently brushing the lake.

Even the sound of waves hitting the boat was small.

People finished preparing to fall into the ambiance the poetry guided.

I recited poetry first.

"Ah, round face cute as the sun. Taebok.

Plump fat face like the round moon. Taebok.

Sun light as a feather, holding from morning to night. Taebok.

Moon light as a feather, holding from night to morning. Lake."

No relation whatsoever to the poetry topic "lake."

Feeling a bit sorry, I put "lake" instead of Taebok's name at the end.

This can't be the right way to compose... right?

Brief silence continued.

Again—the autumn wind was quite refreshing—

"I didn't want to hear that."

The Magistrate's gloomy voice came from behind.

Glancing back, even the guard warriors who wouldn't know poetry were frowning.

It was so quiet the Magistrate's words reached everyone.

As if that were a signal, literati's shouts burst out all at once.

"No rhyme, just endlessly repeating Bok—terrible... can't even be called poetry!"

"Does he dare insult the Magistrate! It's also discourteous to Captain Guyang who opened the gathering!"

"What is that scholar's name? He should be expelled from among literati!"

"What even is Taebok, Taebok! With such poetic language—"

I could answer the last remark.

"Taebok is my child's childhood name."

The literatus preparing curses closed his mouth.

However, literati overflowed at the lakeside. From beside, another literatus supported him.

"Still, this isn't right! To compose poetry, one must—"

Letting their teachings flow through one ear, I looked at Guyang An.

"Is that so? But boarding the boat succeeded?"

"What good does boarding do? Just being shamed . Scholar Bang, can you even show your face in Luoyang now?"

Guyang An rose from his seat.

"Though I understand wanting to take the beating first and finish, shouldn't you have gone slower? After I recited poetry, you wouldn't have needed to recite."

"That's right. Because."

He spoke the last words in a small voice.

Yet it was heard clearly. The words that came through the lakeside people's shouting:

"After people die, the poetry gathering can't continue, can it?"

Eye pressure that would make an ordinary scholar's legs go weak.

But I'm not a scholar.

While Guyang An looked bewildered, I grabbed my face with one hand.

"I recited my poetry."

"Then it's the start?"

"Correct, it's the start."

With the gripping hand, I ripped off the disguise at once.

"Guyang An, if you who took first place die, the gathering ends there."

"I'm not Bang Yuyo but Jin Yeomyeong."

"Demonic Cult extermination."

Simultaneously I thrust out a palm strike.

Pueong—the sound of palms clashing occurred.

Guyang An who couldn't take proper stance was pushed back flying toward Yi Sangji and Woo Gohyeon scholars.

"Ink Sword Hero, here!"

One guard warrior threw Mukheun to me.

"Iron Eagle Blade, Fist-Bearing Beggar, be careful!"

I wasn't the only one disguised.

The Magistrate's guard warriors were Iron Eagle Blade Jo Gyucheon and Fist-Bearing Beggar Jogon.

Two people with suitable build and suitable martial arts.

Guyang An grabbed Yi Sangji and Woo Gohyeon and stood.

"Come close and I'll harm these two."

The two scholars' faces paled.

"What is this suddenly!"

The two were at a loss requesting rescue.

I wanted precisely that.

"Demonic Cult extermination!"

I sent flying one arm each from the two.

"This White Path bastard!"

Three demonic arts energies caught by Eight Sensations.

Not the oarsmen below.

Guyang An, Yi Sangji, Woo Gohyeon—all three scholars were disguised Demonic Cult members.

...Thinking about it, all three composed good poetry?

Demonic Cult members have considerable refinement.

"I'll kill you to prove loyalty to the Black Path King!"

Yi Sangji and Woo Gohyeon instantly activated demonic arts, but the severed arms couldn't be helped.

Jo Gyucheon and Jogon rushed the two Demonic Cult members whose combat power plummeted from serious injuries.

"Your opponents are us!"

"One-armed Demonic Cult members are easy!"

Guyang An left Yi Sangji and Woo Gohyeon behind and moved.

Toward the Magistrate?

He kicked off the deck and flew his body backward.

Gaze fixed on me in alert state.

He intended to enter the lake like that.

Increasing speed with Xun Trigram Technique, I kicked off the deck and went.

Whiiit—the passing autumn wind felt down to fine texture,

and I too became light like that wind.

I flew toward Guyang An still floating in air.

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I could catch him before he entered water.

'Would he stay still?'

Aura sense stood on edge.

Sure enough, hidden weapons burst from Guyang An's sleeve.

Flying daggers, flying knives, steel needles.

Fairly heavy hidden weapons flew.

'No. These are deceptions.'

Something flashed at the left edge of vision.

The rippling of sunlit water surface—it flew hidden in that light.

No, it flew. Toward the Magistrate.

I struck away the silver needle protecting the Magistrate.

Moving Mukheun as is—

Taang—I struck away the first flying dagger.

The flying dagger thus sent collided with the flying knife. The flying knife also collided with the steel needle.

The method when facing multiple hidden weapons.

Strike one hidden weapon to cause a chain reaction.

Of course, accomplishing this required tremendous experience.

Hidden weapons that dominated space as numerous points.

Mukheun connected lines between points and returned space to me again.

Up to here was one breath.

Starting another breath.

Guyang An's toes now touched the water surface.

I just needed to cut him with Mukheun.

From lakeside, another hidden weapon flew toward the Magistrate.

Guyang Je who'd been watching for opportunity personally threw a hidden weapon.

The momentum was serious. He'd definitely learned demonic arts too.

I threw Mukheun backward.

Wuuung—Mukheun receiving the Eight Trigram Unity Technique flew toward Guyang Je's hidden weapon.

In this gap, Guyang An entered water to his waist.

Not even splashing spray.

Indeed a water arts master. If he entered underwater, it would become troublesome.

I operated Xun Trigram Technique like the past.

First pulling inner power itself to its limit.

The hand that threw Mukheun.

I caught the wind passing between those fingers.

I grew the caught wind.

Wind that followed that wind, wind that preceded that wind—all wind around me entered my hand.

I threw the wind that became a small whirlwind toward where Guyang An was entering.

Wind and water clashed intensely.

Rotating wind pushed out water trying to stay in place.

For one moment, wind occupied that place.

With current achievement, only one moment.

Soon water would fill that place again.

"Demonic Cult extermination!"

Guyang An's entire body was revealed in the emptied space.

Rather, an entire body that lost balance caught in the wind.

Toward that body, from the opposite hand that scattered the whirlwind, I released a palm strike.

The sound of somewhere on the body being struck by the palm and breaking.

A trail of blood rose above the water surface filled by surging water.

I quickly climbed back on the boat and subdued Yi Sangji and Woo Gohyeon.

The first action needed to protect the Magistrate.

"Jin Yeomyeong, you bastard... Keuk!"

Jo Gyucheon and Jogon cheerfully beat the bastards trying to spout something.

"Shut up! You Demonic Cult bastards!"

"Resisting to the end? Taste the club!"

After perfectly subduing the Demonic Cult members, looking at the lakeside—

"Ink Sword Hero, Guyang Je escaped!"

Magistrate Yang Daeryang who came to my side shouted.

"Yes, I'm watching too."

Guyang Je's seat was empty.

Seeing the chair rolling on the floor showed how urgently he fled.

Scholars couldn't possibly stop him.

Also, weren't all other warriors at the gathering originally his subordinates?

"Since he personally made a move himself, and yet failed, he had no choice."

If the Magistrate assassination failed, accountability couldn't be avoided.

Rather, better for him to act himself.

Because another cult figure could take over the mission.

The opportunity was good too.

Jo Gyucheon and Jogon handled Yi Sangji and Woo Gohyeon; I headed toward Guyang An and the lake.

He probably thought no one could block if he acted. Unable to let that opportunity pass, he made a decisive move.

I prepared today's fight as one move,

just as the Magistrate made one move by attending the gathering,

he also made one move.

"Everyone here witnessed, so the crime is clear. I'll immediately issue an arrest warrant. Also, Banyang Trading will be thoroughly investigated. Illicit assets will be seized by the government, and all backroom businesses will be dismantled."

The captain threw a hidden weapon at the Magistrate.

Banyang Trading cannot survive.

"But Ink Sword Hero, weren't we trying to catch him to learn about this Black Path King? Is it fine to let him go ?"

Guyang Je wasn't the final goal.

My goal was the Black Path King.

"Just in case, I attached a tracker."

I wonder if they're following well.