Chapter 123. Dong Bong-su vs Murong Bing (1)
"Please introduce yourself."
Even if he was going to knock him down, he must not lose his manners. He already knew well how he looked in the eyes of the crowd and Namgung Hye, but it would be troublesome if things got even worse here. Murong Bing knew that very well.
Dong Bong-su opened his mouth indifferently toward such Murong Bing.
"Dong Gwang-cheon."
Murong Bing's narrow eyes were torn even longer.
"Is that all?"
It was a question asking whether he had no nickname.
"That's all."
Heh.
At that moment, Murong Bing let out a sneer without even realizing it himself. Not having a nickname was practically the same as meaning he had just stepped into the martial world. Moreover, the very fact that he had climbed onto the preliminary martial arena meant he was neither a disciple of a prestigious family nor of a great sect.
It was ridiculous.
A saying like "a puppy that doesn't fear a tiger" must have been made for times like this.
[It's not too late even now. How about going back down? This young master is quite generous, so I'll try to speak well to Young Lady Namgung. Ha. Ha. Ha.]
Murong Bing sneered at Dong Bong-su through voice communication.
'Is he mocking me?'
Dong Bong-su had quite a lot of memories of being ridiculed, sneered at, and mocked throughout his life. Especially here in New Murim, it was even more so.
It was the result of hiding his excellence and pursuing the average.
Being ordinary was advantageous for hiding oneself, and wearing the mask of mediocrity was beneficial for hunting.
But.
Now there was no need for that anymore.
Dong Bong-su glanced once at Namgung Hye, who could be seen behind Murong Bing's back, and then spoke emotionlessly.
"It's not too late even now. The tournament's new rules are still in effect."
Murong Bing's eyes began to tremble violently.
"Are you saying that I should advance to the finals automatically?"
"That's right."
"If that were the case, I wouldn't have climbed onto the martial arena in the first place, nor would I have fought Brother Duanmu. And if you wanted me to advance to the finals like that, couldn't you have waited just a little longer and then climbed onto the arena, sir?"
"It's my will."
Twitch.
Now even the corners of Murong Bing's mouth were shaking, and his voice sank threateningly.
"What does that mean ...?"
Even though unbearable anger was surging up, Murong Bing did not lose his politeness. To the crowd, that made him look even more hypocritical.
Dong Bong-su did not answer. He bent down and picked up the dagger stained all over with Duanmu Gu's blood.
"I heard that on the martial arena, it's 'no questions asked,' but you talk too much."
"....Like Brother Duanmu, you too will come to regret it."
Dong Bong-su wiped the dagger against his clothes.
The snow-white blade was revealed and glittered roughly.
"You seem to have seven mouths and eight tongues."
Seven mouths and eight tongues.
An idiom used for a talkative person, and in a bad sense at that.
Murong Bing finally exploded at Dong Bong-su's indifferent insult.
"Eik!"
He distorted his jade-like face and rushed toward Dong Bong-su.
***
Paeng Ho-ryu actually had no interest at all.
No matter what an idiot like Murong Bing did.
He thought that watching the preliminary martial tournament was something he could watch or not watch, but because Murong Bing said that Namgung Hye would come out as an observer today, he followed him to Main Avenue. If a man of the Hebei Paeng Family had no interest in women, that would be an even funnier story.
So he just came out to watch fights and look at women as a spectator, but then...
Wasn't this idiot suddenly climbing onto the martial arena? After that, he babbled some strange things to Namgung Hye and obtained her approval to participate in the preliminaries. It was obviously a futile attempt to attract Namgung Hye's attention.
Thus the tournament started, and boos were poured down.
What an idiot.
He didn't know what Murong Bing was expecting, but why would people cheer for a guy who casually wagged his filthy lower half around?
A short while later, one of the people who had been booing Murong Bing—probably someone who seemed to have some grudge—climbed onto the arena, and the preliminary match finally began. But that person was beaten to a pulp by Murong Bing.
Just as expected.
One should end grudges as grudges and put one's strength into what is realistically possible, into what can be achieved...
'He brought it on himself anyway.'
Paeng Ho-ryu swept once over the long rustic saber nearly 1.65 meters in length that was hanging on his back and turned his gaze away. There was no need to watch the fight any further. Though he was a human with an insect-like disposition, Murong Bing was a skilled fighter. The preliminary participants here were not opponents he could be matched with.
In the first place, it didn't seem like there would be any more brave souls who could challenge that guy.
As his eyes scanned around, they soon turned toward Namgung Hye. Since watching the fight had become meaningless, all that was left was watching a woman. He now intended to fully appreciate Namgung Hye's bright appearance.
But Namgung Hye's behavior was strange.
Even though she was an observer, her head was turned not toward the martial arena, but toward a completely different place.
'What is she looking at?'
He turned his head toward where her gaze was directed.
The left side of Main Avenue, the roof of the Guest Residence Pavilion.
'Ha Seon-hyang?'
There was someone there whom he also knew well. A disciple of the Mount Hua Sect and one of the participants in this tournament.
'Is she looking at that woman?'
That didn't seem to be the case.
She, Ha Seon-hyang, also wasn't looking at the martial arena, and there was someone standing next to her whom Namgung Hye was presumably looking at.
'Who is it?'
It was a face he had never seen before. He wasn't a disciple of the Nine Great Sects nor a scion of the Four Great Families. At the very least, he had already greeted or was acquainted with all the promising juniors from the great sects who were here.
He was quite tall, and with long white hair flowing down in front, covering more than half of his face—a very slender man.
No matter how he turned over his memories, there was no such person in his head. Since he had an impression that would be hard to forget once seen, he was certainly someone he was seeing for the first time.
Just as Paeng Ho-ryu's head tilted slightly in curiosity, Murong Bing's first match ended. Whether it was a match or a beating wasn't clear.
The defeated person was hurriedly carried to the pill hall, and shortly after, Namgung Hye climbed onto the arena again to declare Murong Bing's automatic advancement to the finals.
Just at the moment when she took out the bell and was about to shake it.
Pop.
The person who had been standing next to Ha Seon-hyang leaped onto the martial arena. It seemed like he jumped without any preparatory movement, but in the blink of an eye, he had already arrived on the arena.
"…!"
It was an incredible Lightness Skill. Just from that single move, he didn't seem to be an unknown nobody at all.
"Please introduce yourself."
Murong Bing said with a slight frown.
"Dong Gwang-cheon."
As expected, it was a name he had never heard before.
"Is that all?"
"That's all."
No nickname? Was he someone who had just debuted in the martial world this time?
Heh.
Murong Bing let out a foolish snort. He must be looking down on his opponent. If it were him, he wouldn't show it so blatantly, but that idiot called Murong Bing was the kind of person who couldn't hide such things at all. Moreover, had he not seen his opponent's outstanding Lightness Skill?
'What a stupid bastard.'
Just as Paeng Ho-ryu was thinking that,
Murong Bing slightly moved his lips and sent some voice transmission to his opponent.
He couldn't know the exact content, but he could guess. He knew him well from usual. He must have sent a voice transmission telling him to just get lost.
Dong Gwang-cheon was not swayed by that—no, rather, he opened his mouth in a completely emotionless manner.
"It's not too late even now. The tournament's new rules are still in effect."
"Are you saying that I should advance to the finals automatically?"
"That's right."
"If that were the case, I wouldn't have climbed onto the martial arena in the first place, nor would I have fought Brother Duanmu. And if you wanted me to advance to the finals like that, couldn't you have waited just a little longer and then climbed onto the arena, sir?"
"It's my will."
"What does that mean ...?"
Is it recklessness? Or an expression of confidence?
Paeng Ho-ryu still couldn't decide. But the presence that Dong Gwang-cheon was emitting was so tremendous that it affected even himself below the arena.
Without answering Murong Bing, Dong Gwang-cheon bent down and picked up one of the daggers that Duanmu Gu had dropped on the ground.
"I heard that on the martial arena, it's 'no questions asked,' but you talk too much."
"...Like Brother Duanmu, you too will come to regret it."
Dong Gwang-cheon brought the dagger to his thigh and rubbed it back and forth.
Was it an illusion?
It felt like Murong Bing's existence was already not even in his eyes. To be able to act so leisurely in front of Murong Bing like that.
To offend one of the Nine Dragons? Among such young people, aside from the Three Stars, Five Phoenixes, and Nine Dragons, was there anyone who had such an air and such guts?
"You seem to have seven mouths and eight tongues."
Heh.
Paeng Ho-ryu laughed when he heard Dong Gwang-cheon's mockery toward Murong Bing. He didn't know what would happen later, but just being able to say something like that to the heir of the Murong Family was enough to be worth praising.
And.
He would bet that his strength as well...
Would be considerable.
"Eik!"
As expected, Murong Bing couldn't endure it and rushed at Dong Bong-su like a mad dog.
The second match began, and the gazes of everyone surrounding the arena, including Paeng Ho-ryu, Namgung Hye, and Ha Seon-hyang, were focused on the two.
Whoooong—!
Was he trying to kill him outright?
Murong Bing's sword fell viciously toward Dong Bong-su's head. Anyone could see that it was a killing strike.
"Th, that...!"
"Dodge!!"
The audience was in an uproar. The problem wasn't that the match would be decided in an instant, but that a human life was in danger.
And yet, even so, Dong Bong-su's expression as he faced the sword wind was calm beyond measure, and it even looked bored.
Swaeaak—!
Murong Bing's sword, not caring about Dong Bong-su's circumstances, slashed straight downward.
"Aaagh!"
"...Aa!"
Everyone turned their heads away. They couldn't bear to look. No matter how much one was a martial artist, the scene of a person being split in half wasn't something you could see that often.
Kkagang.
A clear sound rang out.
'Huh!?'
Only then did the people who had turned their heads turn their eyes back to the arena.
But!
Murong Bing's sword was stuck in the bluestone floor next to Dong Bong-su's foot.
Dong Bong-su was merely standing there straight, in that same posture holding the dagger.
Without even the slightest movement.
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