Chapter 85 – What Was Her Name… (3)

It had been a day since yesterday, and the waiting room had become quite empty.

Do Yeo-jung had been chatting away next to me since the preliminaries.

Although Taebae’s words were useless, she always made sure to let me know who the passing masters were.

“I am Paeng Wol, the pinnacle master. There is no one in the younger generation who is better than me in martial arts.”

“I see that you are Jinryung of Sollim. You are a greedy man who is not even married yet. You are a top-notch master, but you directly begged the great monk Gwonjeol Hyunseung for help, so you cannot be ignored.”

“I am a shaman’s…”

Normally, I would have ignored the personal information of these people, but because I had to win, I listened carefully.

There were only two people who I couldn’t see any chance of winning against. Paeng Wol, the son of the martial arts master Dojeol Paengmu, and Gyeon Yong-jin, the son of the shaman Jang Mun-in.

Both were pinnacle masters and in their thirties, so it seemed impossible to beat them.

Fung Ki was not easy to deal with even if it was just a prayer.

“I think I can beat the rest somehow.”

Looking at the match schedule, I thought I could avoid a disaster of facing them before the semifinals.

Once I got to the semifinals, winning or losing didn’t matter…

“Oh, he will be Kang Hyeong’s first opponent. He is Yeongrip of Cheongseong. He is famous for his sword dance, the 72-Step Sword.”

For someone who was known as a master of the 72-Step Sword, he was a slow and generous-looking opponent.

But as soon as we got on the stage, I had to change my mind.

“I want to face Kang Yoon So-hyeop with my sword.”

The sword of Yeongrip, who declared what kind of sword he would use, was terrifying.

Shiiiiing

I was able to withstand the first thrust that came in.

But the 72-Step Sword, which gradually increased its speed as if it had seen my weakness, was quite difficult to deal with.

Even if I broke the sword aura with the Wind of the Earth, the next and the next sword aura continued to blow.

Generally, this kind of swordsmanship mixes fake and real moves to make it difficult for the opponent to understand, but all of this guy’s sword auras were real.

“Ugh…!”

But Yeongrip groaned.

I started to break through the waves of sword aura little by little, judging that I could break through enough to get out.

I created a dull tension like I did with Nam Gung-hye, and broke through all the sword auras that were rushing towards me.

Even though they were all real, the lack of weight in the 72-Step Sword could not compensate for it due to the characteristics of the 72-Step Sword.

“No way…!”

His eyes widened in amazement, but the 72-Step Sword became even faster.

I endured it while breaking it one by one.

It was like waves crashing as Yeongrip’s swordsmanship came at me from all directions, but the flow of his movements was different in each direction.

There were gaps in the flow where the central, left, and right movements didn’t completely align.

Before the tension could build up again, I slipped my hands, which had gathered tension, in like closing a door and shook off the tension.

Yeongrip tried to connect the torn waves of his sword aura again, but it was too late.

“…I lost.”

He tried to block my approach, but when my palm, which had no strength left, touched his belly, Yeongrip admitted defeat.

I lowered my head as I watched his fierce eyes turn into a defeated look.

“Thank you for conceding.”

“What conceding?!”

He laughed slyly and extended his hand to me. He seemed like a cool guy.

I shook his hand in return and the cheering of the spectators who had been watching us erupted.

It was embarrassing, but it felt good.

“Did you let me win on purpose?”

It was an endless question, but since it was Paeng Wol who asked, I first greeted him politely.

“Nice to meet you, Paeng Daehyeop. I’m Kang Yoon.”

“…I should have greeted you first. I’m Paeng Wol. So, can you answer my question?”

“If you’re asking about Ye Sohyeop’s 72-Step Sword, then yes.”

I could have broken the sword before the 72-Step Sword was fully activated.

But in the end, I didn’t move until the deadly tension was released.

“Why? If you’re a top-notch master who has observed your opponent’s match closely, you would have felt it. Why did you do that?”

“…You can’t be too hasty to win, can you? If you can learn something, you should learn it.”

“Ha…”

Paeng Wol laughed as if he was impressed.

“You’re arrogant. That’s not much different from saying you did it because you thought you could win even if you left it alone.”

“…”

“But that’s why I like it. A Kangho-in should have that kind of spirit.”

I felt sorry for Paeng Wol, who seemed to have taken a liking to me, but it was actually a lie.

I had asked him to show it to Nungfongyeon in the third round, which was the semi-finals.

If the top-notch master Ma Sohyang told him, there was nothing I could do, but if Nungfongyeon saw it, he would definitely think I was a fool.

If he recognized it, there was nothing I could do, and if he didn’t see it, it meant my skills were low, which was also fine.

“My father told me you learned a few moves from my aunt?”

“I learned a few moves, but…”

Stay in character.

As Paeng Mu-do was in his late 50s and Paeng Wol was in his early 30s, Paeng Wol remembered Paeng Yeon-hwa relatively well.

So when Paeng Wol approached me, I received him.

“I want to see Paeng Yeon-hwa…!”

I asked him to take care of the pregnant Dang Hye-won, but I wonder if he’s doing a good job.

It’s been a little over a month since Kang Yoon left the palace.

“Is there anything uncomfortable? I can’t come as often as Kang… Sohyeop, so if you need anything, please let me know.”

“It’s okay, new sister.”

Unlike Kang Yoon, who came almost every day, Paeng Yeon-hwa only came once every three or four days, which made her feel sorry for Dang Hye-won.

“Is your family busy? You’ve hired people, so don’t worry too much.”

Since Dang Hye-won had considered Paeng Yeon-hwa’s pregnancy and hired people, there were actually too many people.

In the end, it didn’t seem like she was pregnant.

Paeng Yeon-hwa changed the subject, feeling disappointed.

“Kang Sohyeop should be arriving at Soryeomsa and having a match right now.”

“If he doesn’t just do it as a side job and come back, and if he touches another woman again…”

Dang Hye-won imagined Kang Yoon being late for the match because he was following a pretty woman.

“But that place is Soryeom, Soryeom. It’s the headquarters of the Jungpa Mugong, and it’s a temple, so there’s no way to make more women there.”

“I still think he’ll make some…”

Dang Hye-won thought of some things she had made for him.

“A strong sleeping pill, deodorant, oil that’s gentle on the skin…”

It was unknown whether he had taken them, but she had a feeling that Kang Yoon would have taken them.

“Shall we make a bet then? The loser will be banned from contacting Kang Sohyeop for a week.”

“…New sister, that’s really risky.”

To Dang Hye-won, what Paeng Yeon-hwa was doing was nothing short of digging her own grave.

But she didn’t have the courage to accept such a risky bet, so she just smiled.

I had decorated the second round with a victory, leaving only one victory for the definite Guryong.

The opponent for the second round was once again a disciple of Cheongseong, who was skilled in Cheongpunggeombeop, but was not good at Yojungrip.

If you make it to the semi-finals, you will definitely become a Guryong, and two more people recognized by the Jungpa Myeongsuk among the four who lost in the semi-finals will become Guryong.

“But you can’t do that from now on.”

My mother knew that I was being bullied like Paeng Wol, so she warned me again.

Usually, there are no direct objections from the Jungpa Myeongsuk in this kind of play, so it’s okay, but if the opponent finds out, they will definitely hold a grudge.

While Mother seemed to be very worried, Father didn’t seem to care much.

“That’s just the kind of recklessness you have at that age, my dear. Your wife worries too much.”

“So should I suffer just like Sanggong did?”

Suddenly, Father shut his mouth, as if he had a similar record.

Just as Mother was about to start nagging in earnest, she stopped speaking at the sudden feeling.

When Mother and I opened the door and went out, we met again, we met again.

“Is it rude to come suddenly? Jegal Yeohyeop.”

“What are you talking about? Come in, Mae Yeohyeop, Neung Sohyeop.”

Maeso-hyang and Neungpung-yeon were setting up camp in front of our lodging, wearing Jungpa Myeongsuk hats.

But I didn’t mind seeing them like before. It wasn’t because I was speaking politely like before.

“I got you!”

Neungpung-yeon’s eyes, looking at me, showed no signs of caution, just ignoring me.

Maybe Maeso-hyang didn’t tell him, or even if she did, he was pretending not to know.

Maeso-hyang was subtly praising me, mentioning the upcoming match between the two sons.

“Kang Sohyeop was good at dealing with Cheongseong’s swordsmanship. Have you ever fought him before?”

“I haven’t fought him before. It’s my first time.”

“That’s amazing, isn’t it? Cheongseong’s swordsmanship is not something you can easily see through.”

Seeing that Neungpung-yeon was still watching me, it seemed like his goal was to make me cautious.

Oh, he’s not a teenager, he’s old enough to listen to his mother’s advice.

“I was lucky. I don’t know how many times I was surprised inside. I don’t have to worry about being disgraced when a master like Mae Yeohyeop watches me closely.”

Neungpung-yeon snickered slightly, as if to say, “Well, that’s true.”

I don’t know if he’s being cautious or arrogant, but I’ll be grateful if he falls for it.

I watched Maeso-hyang praising me with a relaxed mind.

‘Come to think of it, she’s not joking either.’

Until now, I had only been annoyed by her, but now that I thought she had deceived Neungpung-yeon, I felt relaxed and noticed Maeso-hyang’s beauty.

Unlike Mother, who was dressed in a simple traveling outfit, her appearance, dressed in a palace with many flowers embroidered, was beautiful.

Not only her face, but also the palace with many fabrics, it was enough to imagine her having a sexy body.

Will there be a chance to strip this woman someday and thrust my cock into her?

“Mother, you’re putting too much gold on Kang Sohyeop’s face. Won’t Kang Sohyeop feel burdened?”

Neungpung-yeon intervened in Maeso-hyang’s praise.

Now that we knew enough about this guy, let’s go, was the atmosphere.

“…Come to think of it, you’ve been staying here for a long time. I don’t know if it’s appropriate.”

“It’s okay, Mae Yeohyeop.”

Maeso-hyang must be bursting inside. As the two got up, Neungpung-yeon opened his mouth.

“I’m looking forward to the match tomorrow.”

Already speaking with an attitude as if he had won, I opened my mouth.

“What was his name… Neungpung-un Sohyeop? I’m also looking forward to it.”

Intentionally mispronouncing his name, Mother shook her head while Father subtly showed signs of liking it.

This nobleman also has a subtle stubbornness.

“…Don’t blame me for being too harsh!”

Neungpung-yeon’s face twisted as he forcefully opened the door of our lodging and went out.

But my gaze was fixed on Maeso-hyang’s buttocks as she followed Neungpung-yeon outside.