Chapter 133
Shangguan Hong tilted his head and looked into the carriage.
The timing of the laughter was exquisite.
As Shangguan Hong's gaze turned toward the inside of the carriage, Seomun Da-yeon hastily changed the subject.
"Is Master Shangguan Cheong-won doing well?"
"You know my grandfather?"
"I've met him before."
"Ah!"
Shangguan Hong nodded. His grandfather was like the wind, creating many connections here and there. It wouldn't be strange for Seomun Da-yeon to be one link in that chain of relationships.
Seomun Da-yeon glanced back slightly.
'Interesting children.'
Even considering the difference in their stages, if they were at the level of the Three Dragons and One Phoenix, their martial prowess should already surpass hers.
But perhaps because they were still young, their faces retained a youthful innocence.
The Sword Dragon Shangguan Hong and the Blade Dragon Peng Do-hyeong, and Fist Dragon Eon-hyo.
The Sword Phoenix Namgung Hye and Martial Phoenix Jong Mi-ryeo.
'Is it strange that they seem cute to me?'
If it had been her from not long ago, she would have been tense the moment she saw them. But now they just looked adorable to her.
Seomun Da-yeon knew what the cause was.
Snore.
She blushed at the snoring sound coming from inside the carriage.
'And with children around too… '
Someone with no sense of propriety.
Seomun Da-yeon shook her head vigorously.
When she thought about it, Wei Yan-ho was no different from these children. By age, Shangguan Hong was probably older than Wei Yan-ho. But Wei Yan-ho was already squabbling with the Sword Demon Gong Mu-jin.
'When I think about it… what kind of monster is he really?'
By age, he should be hanging around with these kids. Yet Wei Yan-ho already possessed the martial prowess to defeat Gong Mu-jin without injuring him at that age.
It was such an absurd situation that it hadn't felt real until now, but seeing these children made it hit home. Right now, she might be carrying someone who would leave his name in martial history.
'And I'll be remembered as his coachman.'
The more she thought about it, the more pitiful it seemed.
As if to comfort her sorrow, a village soon appeared with an inn in sight.
"We'll stay here tonight."
"Understood."
As soon as Seomun Da-yeon finished speaking, Gong Mu-jin leaped down from the carriage.
"Well then, let's get a room. Won't you youngsters help your senior organize the carriage?"
"Of course we should help."
Shangguan Hong nodded cheerfully.
Normally, as scions of prestigious families, they wouldn't be eager to tend to horses, but when they had the opportunity to meet the Sword Demon and receive his teachings, how could they not do at least that much?
Shangguan Hong and the others worked with the inn's stable boy to unhitch the horses from the carriage.
"…But isn't there someone still riding inside?"
At Shangguan Hong's words, both Seomun Da-yeon and Gong Mu-jin frowned simultaneously.
"Leave him be."
"Just leave him for now."
"What?"
As Shangguan Hong tilted his head, Seomun Da-yeon elaborated.
"Once he's done sleeping, he'll come out on his own when he gets hungry. Leave him alone until then. If you wake him unnecessarily, it'll only make things worse."
Shangguan Hong furrowed his brow. The more he heard, the more he couldn't figure out what kind of person was riding inside.
After roughly organizing the carriage and securing rooms, people came down to the first floor for their meal.
Gong Mu-jin smiled pleasantly as he greeted the junior disciples.
"It's delightful to see the pillars who will lead the martial world in the future. It's an honor to meet those whose fame resounds throughout the Four Seas."
Shangguan Hong bowed his head.
"It's an empty reputation."
"Hehehe, such excessive modesty."
Shangguan Hong smiled bitterly.
He truly believed that the reputation he had gained was empty. Being the top junior disciple at the Dormant Dragon Academy didn't mean he was the top junior disciple in all the martial world.
Generally, those who entered the Dormant Dragon Academy for training were mostly from the Five Great Families, excluding the Nine Sects. Though occasionally core junior disciples from the Nine Sects would enter the academy, they generally tended to receive training within their own sects.
This stemmed from the fundamental difference between the Five Great Families and the Nine Sects.
The Nine Sects had countless techniques beyond their publicly known representative arts. Take Gong Mu-jin's Mount Hua – while known throughout the world for the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, it also contained fist and foot techniques like the Bamboo Leaf Hand and Six Harmonies Fist, as well as movement arts like the Dark Fragrance Dart based on the Purple Mist Divine Art.
In contrast, while the families' representative techniques were no less impressive than those of the Nine Sects, everything else was impoverished by comparison.
Even the Namgung Family, called the greatest family under heaven today, while their Emperor Sword Form and Iron Sword Twenty-Four Techniques were called peerless under heaven, few knew what fist and foot techniques the Namgung Family possessed.
So entrance to the Dormant Dragon Academy became essential for experience and martial exchange.
For this reason, being called the top junior disciple of the Dormant Dragon Academy secretly meant being the best among those excluding the core junior disciples of the Nine Sects.
"May I presume to say something?"
Martial Phoenix Jong Mi-ryeo spoke up.
"Oh?"
Gong Mu-jin looked at Jong Mi-ryeo with interest.
While he was indeed interested in the Sword Dragon Shangguan Hong, the person Gong Mu-jin was most interested in right now was undoubtedly the Martial Phoenix.
While the others' backgrounds were clear, almost nothing was known about Jong Mi-ryeo's origins. Yet she was someone who had seized the title of Martial Phoenix through her strong will toward martial arts and training that could be called excessive.
She was someone that Gong Mu-jin, who valued endless dedication and passion for martial learning, couldn't help but be interested in.
Meeting her in person, she looked even younger than he'd heard, which also drew his interest. If she had earned the name Martial Phoenix at such an age, her martial learning must be far superior to what it appeared.
"Speak."
"I've heard that Mount Hua's sword is peerless under heaven. As a swordswoman who uses the blade, I cannot let this opportunity to witness Mount Hua's sword pass by, can I?"
Though her voice was clear and melodious, the content was by no means light.
Gong Mu-jin spoke as if troubled.
Considering Jong Mi-ryeo's age, it would be appropriate for Yi Seol-hwa to face her. Though Yi Seol-hwa was his senior disciple, at least their ages were somewhat matched.
But in a situation where Yi Seol-hwa's internal injuries didn't seem completely healed, he couldn't recommend a sparring match.
'What if she gets injured?'
Previously, he would have pushed Yi Seol-hwa forward, saying that a martial artist who only wanted to fight in perfect condition was looking down on the martial world, but Gong Mu-jin had learned through Wei Yan-ho that loving one's disciple was like loving one's country.
"Unfortunately, Seol-hwa's internal injuries haven't fully healed."
Jong Mi-ryeo slowly shook her head.
"While it would be delightful to spar with Miss Yi Seol-hwa, if that's the situation, it can't be helped. But she's not the only one here who can use Mount Hua's sword, is she?"
Gong Mu-jin's eyes narrowed.
The faces of Seomun Da-yeon and the others also paled slightly.
Excluding Yi Seol-hwa, there was only one person here who could use Mount Hua's sword. Right now, the Martial Phoenix was requesting a sparring match with the Plum Blossom Sword Demon Gong Mu-jin himself.
"…Are you saying you want to spar with me right now?"
"Not a spar, but a request for teaching."
"Hehehe, they say the Martial Phoenix's greed for martial arts should be acknowledged…"
Gong Mu-jin laughed helplessly, then hardened his expression.
"I appreciate your will, but you should reconsider. I'm not someone who goes easy on opponents just because it's a spar. If you're going to cross swords with me, you should be prepared to lose your head, shouldn't you?"
It wasn't something to say to a junior.
This meant that Gong Mu-jin was quite agitated right now. What swordsman would be pleased when a green rookie suggested they have a match?
"If one dies pursuing martial arts, wouldn't that be the most fitting death for a martial artist?"
"Hahaha!"
Gong Mu-jin nodded.
His anger was gone.
The Martial Phoenix's serious attitude toward martial learning pleased him. But since Mount Hua's sword had been challenged, there was no way he could just casually go through the motions.
"Good. Come outside. I'll show you just how great Mount Hua's sword is."
In the open area outside the inn, Gong Mu-jin and Martial Phoenix Jong Mi-ryeo faced each other.
Watching this scene, Yi Seol-hwa spoke to Seomun Da-yeon with anxious eyes.
"Sister, shouldn't we stop this?"
"We probably should…"
Seomun Da-yeon let out a deep sigh. She'd heard that Martial Phoenix Jong Mi-ryeo was a martial arts fanatic, but she hadn't known she was reckless enough to suddenly challenge Gong Mu-jin to a match.
'I hope nothing serious happens.'
The Gong Mu-jin she had observed so far was an unpredictable person. But if there was one thing certain, it was that he was the Plum Blossom Sword Demon Gong Mu-jin, and people don't change that easily.
He might seem like a nice uncle when entangled with Wei Yan-ho, but if that had been Gong Mu-jin's true nature, he wouldn't have been called the Sword Demon.
"You should be careful."
"My sword is sharp as well."
Seomun Da-yeon quietly approached Shangguan Hong.
"Shouldn't we stop this?"
Shangguan Hong sighed and shook his head.
"The Martial Phoenix isn't someone who can be stopped. When it comes to martial learning, she never backs down."
"Haah…"
She had thought there must be a reason why someone earned the name Martial Phoenix at such a young age, but she hadn't expected it to be this extreme.
Passion was good, but this was too much.
"I'll give you three seconds."
The Martial Phoenix nodded.
Then she instantly drew three sword strikes toward the air.
Gong Mu-jin's eyebrows twitched.
"…What is this supposed to be?"
"I've used all three of my sword strikes."
"Hehehehe…"
Gong Mu-jin laughed helplessly. Looking at it favorably, it could be interpreted as wanting to witness proper swordplay quickly rather than engaging in empty formalities.
But…
"Do you dare look down on me?"
The Plum Blossom Sword Demon Gong Mu-jin was a man of high pride. Such an act could only be perceived as provocation by him.
"I was going to go easy on you… Fine, I'll show you. See clearly with your own eyes what Mount Hua's sword is like."
A purple aura began flowing from Gong Mu-jin's body. Mount Hua's Purple Mist River Energy was being drawn up.
Yi Seol-hwa's complexion began turning pale. From her perspective, her master was very angry right now. In that case, this young girl called the Martial Phoenix wouldn't finish the match with her limbs intact.
'I have to stop this.'
But who could stop an enraged Gong Mu-jin?
Yi Seol-hwa's eyes turned backward. The carriage parked at the edge of the clearing came into her view.
Wei Yan-ho?
It might be a good idea, but unfortunately, her thought couldn't shine. Before she could even run over, the carriage door burst open and Wei Yan-ho walked out lazily, his face full of irritation.
"Ah! Why is it so noisy! It's so loud I can't even sleep!"
Everyone's attention focused on Wei Yan-ho.
'What's with that guy?'
As Shangguan Hong frowned, a strange change occurred.
Gong Mu-jin instantly released all the internal energy he had built up, cleared his throat, and looked at Wei Yan-ho.
"Are you awake?"
'Are you awake?'
Shangguan Hong's eyes widened.
Wasn't this too gentle a tone compared to what Gong Mu-jin had shown so far?
But that wasn't all. The real change came not from Gong Mu-jin but from Jong Mi-ryeo's side.
Jong Mi-ryeo's complexion visibly hardened upon seeing Wei Yan-ho.