Chapter 62 – Yongbongjihoe (7)
Standing in the open field, I faced off against Paeng Ojin with a complicated expression on his face, our weapons pointed at each other.
Hong Yeon-hwa was surprisingly quiet, as if she was just watching, thinking it was necessary to do so.
It was Paeng Soso who seemed uneasy.
He had taught me the techniques for this battle, but he was still so anxious. I had to show him that all the hard work I had put in so far was not in vain.
“Give me three seconds.”
“Then I won’t hold back.”
He was a master who had reached the level of Hwagyeong. He could handle anything I threw at him with ease.
So I went all out from the beginning.
“Hoo…”
I took a deep breath and raised my Mu-ryeong Shin-gong. My body’s abilities had suddenly become much stronger, and my inner energy was overflowing.
I struck the ground with all my might.
Thud!
The sound echoed loudly due to the excessive force I had put into it, but it didn’t matter.
I was able to charge forward quickly because of it.
“Huep!”
I swung my sword with all the momentum I had built up.
My most confident move, the Taesanabjeong.
It had absorbed an excessive amount of my inner energy compared to my level of skill, and the white sword energy contained the maximum power I could produce at the moment.
Clang!
But Paeng Ojin easily blocked it.
“Only two seconds left.”
Maybe it was just my mood, but it sounded like he had only two seconds left to live…?
Taking advantage of the freedom of movement that the Palbangbo had, I quickly turned around to Paeng Ojin’s diagonal back.
And I aimed for his side with a precise thrust.
Kang!
Of course, the Palbangpoongwoo was also easily blocked.
If I continued to rush in like this, not only would I not achieve any meaningful results, but I would also be hit by Paeng Ojin’s attack when the three seconds were up.
So I backed away with the Hengsocheongun, which was easier to adjust my posture with, in preparation for the next move.
Although I aimed for the lower part of his thigh, it was meaningless. It just kicked the shoe off his foot.
I can’t see any vulnerable spots to attack. But Paeng Ojin’s expression didn’t look too bad.
“I don’t know if it’s because he’s talented, his teacher is talented, or if he got it from somewhere else, but… he’s not bad compared to his peers.”
“…Thank you.”
I was at the peak of my level. But in the state of Mu-ryeong Shin-gong, I could produce a power similar to Paeng Soso’s intermediate level.
Of course, it was only in terms of power. Overall, I was a little behind.
Anyway, reaching the peak in your 20s is a very difficult task, unless you’re a special case like Oh Dae-se or Gupa-ilbang.
Chapter 62 – Yongbongjihoe (7)
Paeng Ojin seemed to be pleased with my performance, as I showed not only my momentum but also my skillful use of the sword.
The purpose of this battle was to show my abilities and gain recognition from Paeng Soso.
It was a good start, considering that.
“Now it’s my turn.”
He unleashed his energy as if he was crazy. Hong Yeon-hwa and Paeng Soso couldn’t help him this time, which seemed to make him happy.
…Is it really a good start?
I tried to shake off the anxiety that ran down my spine and readjusted my posture. And then I closed my eyes for a moment.
Suddenly, Paeng Ojin, who had kept his distance, approached me in an instant and swung a huge sword as big as his body right in front of my face.
Clang!
I managed to block the sword with my own, using the familiar Chosik of Ohodanmun. As Paeng Soso had said, he didn’t intend to kill me, so he wouldn’t use the Hwonwonbyeokryeok, which was a deadly technique.
However, the power he put into his attack was not something I could handle easily, even though it was adjusted to my level.
“Ugh!”
Just blocking it once made my whole body ache. I had to step back to relieve the shock, but I managed to hold my ground by forcing myself to stay.
If there was one thing I had learned from my duel with Paeng Soso, it was that I should never give him a chance to attack me, even if it meant enduring some pain.
Once my posture collapsed, he would dig into that weakness and completely destroy me, as that was the essence of Paengga’s martial arts.
“You have a good sense. Let’s see if you can handle this.”
Before I could readjust my posture, Paeng Ojin’s swordsmanship poured down on me with fierce energy.
At first glance, it looked like he was swinging his sword randomly, but each strike came at an angle that was hard to respond to.
“This much…!”
His power and finesse were on a different level than Paeng Soso’s, but I had seen this kind of attack many times before. I could handle this much.
The first attack came from the upper left, the second from the lower left, and the last from the lower right.
Although they were not particularly strong or fast, nor were they particularly tricky, if I tried to block each one without thinking, I would end up exposing myself to an opening that would leave me defenseless.
The only weakness was the slight gap between the second and third attacks.
I calmed my mind and faced his sword calmly. One, two, and there was no third attack.
I used the small gap to quickly step back.
“Tsk…”
Paeng Ojin seemed disappointed. With his fierce appearance, he looked like a real tiger who had just missed his prey.
Chapter 62 – Yongbongjihoe (7)
Paeng Soso doesn’t look like a master, but rather like his deceased mother-in-law, which is a relief.
Paeng Ojin continued his one-sided attack, and I barely managed to hold my ground.
At first, he seemed disappointed, thinking it was just luck.
But as the attacks continued, he started to praise my instincts. It’s starting to prick my conscience.
However, as a master in Hwagyeong, he couldn’t be completely fooled. At some point, Paeng Ojin began to suspect me.
As I was wondering if I should pretend to be tired, his new move suddenly approached me.
Using the elasticity of his body, he accelerated rapidly and used the momentum to strike with a series of attacks, called the Chosik of Maengho Chullim.
Although this was the first time I had used this move, I had trained with Paeng Soso enough to reflexively block the attacks with my sword.
But then, Paeng Ojin suddenly stopped in the middle of the attack, causing me to swing my sword in the air.
Normally, this would be a foolish move that could result in a serious injury, but since Paeng Ojin was controlling his strength, he could stop at any time.
The problem was that I swung my sword in anticipation of the next attack, which was a weakness that could be exploited.
Moreover, the next attack was aimed at a structurally vulnerable area, and I swung my sword accordingly.
“Ah.”
…It was only then that I realized that I had fallen for the bait that I had thrown.
Paeng Ojin’s eyes were filled with disappointment, and then anger.
“Soso Ino-om! You sold the pillar of your family for a man!”
“Hyiak!”
Paeng Soso, who had been watching nervously from a distance, was startled and quickly hid behind Hong Yeon-hwa.
Of course, there was a height difference between them, so she couldn’t hide properly.
Although it was a cute sight that I had never seen before, I couldn’t focus on it now.
Oh no, I’ve been caught.
Paeng Ojin didn’t even care that we were in the middle of a duel and drew his sword. Then he walked briskly towards Paeng Soso.
“Mm…”
Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been tapping her chin and thinking about something, finally made a decision.
“Utcha.”
“Ho, Hong Unni?!”
With a subtle and skillful movement, she switched places with Paeng Soso, who was now standing in front of Paeng Ojin.
Paeng Soso, who had become a shield in front of me, looked betrayed, but Hong Yeon-hwa calmly replied.
“There’s nothing we can do about this situation. But don’t worry, we won’t die.”
“I feel like we’re going to die though?!”
Chapter 62 – Yongbongjihoe (7)
“Ugh. Is now the time for you to throw a tantrum, my lady?”
Paeng Soso turned her head with stiff movements like an under-oiled doll, revealing Paeng Ojin’s enormous expression of anger.
“Father, that’s not what I meant…”
“Do you know what you did?”
Paeng Ojin’s voice was calm, but the anger and disappointment were palpable.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”
“I don’t want to hear apologies. Do you know what you did?”
Paeng Soso cautiously replied, her eyes darting back and forth.
“…I leaked the secret technique of Gajeonmugong to the outside world.”
“No. That’s not it. Daughter, what you did was worse.”
Paeng Ojin let out a deep sigh.
“You betrayed all the ancestors of the Paeng family, betrayed me, and killed your beloved Jin Sohyup with your own hands.”
“What…?”
“It would have been better if you had just passed down the martial arts, but creating a secret technique and teaching it is a bigger problem.”
Even the most advanced martial arts would become useless if the secret technique was revealed, making it no better than a third-rate martial art.
Creating a secret technique was like declaring war on the opposing faction or family, and fighting until one side was defeated.
“Now that it’s come to this, the only way to prevent the possible leak of the secret technique is to kill.”
“Murder…?”
Paeng Soso’s face turned pale as she muttered.
“Of course, you’re my daughter and the lady of the house, so I could just retire and let you live off the family’s pension. But Jin Sohyup…”
He had to be killed.
Paeng Soso understood that and her face turned even whiter. She probably didn’t expect that the thing I did to avoid getting hit by Paeng Ojin would end up threatening my life.
As Paeng Soso trembled in fear, Hong Yeon-hwa intervened.
“Making a secret technique is like declaring war. But you don’t really intend to harm your lord, do you? And you can’t do it with my lady here.”
In the end, all that was left was to bring me into the family.
Paeng Ojin let out a deep sigh at Hong Yeon-hwa’s words.
“Ha…you’re right. But Soso needs to know exactly what she did wrong.”
“That’s why she’s been sleeping until now.”
Hong Yeon-hwa shrugged her shoulders, and I released the grip on the sword handle that I was holding.
I almost became a fugitive for a moment…
Paeng Soso also seemed to relax, wiping her chest and muttering.
“Thank goodness…I was afraid I would have to inherit the family’s position.”
…Soso?
What were you thinking?
