Chapter 124 – The In-Laws’ House (2)

“Do you really want your lady to help you? You might end up being a coward hiding behind another wife.”

“Ah…”

“That’s difficult. The reason I came to the Pung household this time was to get formal permission for marriage with Pung Soso.”

Earlier, Pung Soso had clearly said that she was the eldest daughter-in-law. That means she has influence right below the head of the Pung family.

If I show a despicable side and lose points, I can’t make Pung Soso oppose our marriage later.

“It seems like you want to know what kind of person I am, so try your best.”

“Isn’t it enough to just say it?”

Pung Soso hit the shoulder of the head of the Pung family and scolded him.

“Grandfather, are you crazy?! Why are you torturing Jin Ganga all of a sudden! Stop it! Quickly!”

“Soso. Sometimes mixing in martial arts is a more certain way of introducing oneself than mixing in words.”

“Can’t you just mix words several times?!”

“Words can be embellished. It can be a lie, or it can be pretentious.”

…I think I understand this.

Even if you can’t show your true intentions like the masters of Hwagyeong, there are things that can be vaguely seen when you cross swords.

Habits, tendencies, and things accumulated so far. The body cannot lie.

Perhaps someone like the head of the Pung family, who is at a higher level than me, can see more.

Well, whether it’s during Pung Ojin’s time or now, the Pung family’s greeting method is still too aggressive.

“Ah! Greetings! I haven’t even greeted my father yet! There are other guests too! So for now…”

“Aigoo. Someone might think I’m going to eat someone. Don’t worry, just watch from there.”

As the head of the Pung family pushed her lightly, Pung Soso slid smoothly to the side like she was pulled by an invisible hand.

Unconsciously, my gaze turned to the side, and at the same time, I heard a loud scream from the front.

“Where are you looking!”

“Hup!”

The head of the Pung family, who had come close to my nose, swung his tilted sword. I quickly drew my sword and blocked it.

Thud!

No, how can the sound of a hand and a sword hittng each other be heard like this? And I didn’t even use my inner strength.

“This guy! Blocking again?! He’s still a weakling! Of course, he’s not the first to take our Soso, and he’s not going to take her as the second!”

“You’re saying the same thing you said when you first met me.”

“Well, I haven’t recognized you as a decent person like you yet!”

The head of the Pung family swung his sword again without saying a word. A series of strikes that connected from the upper left to the lower left and then to the lower right.

It was clear that the head of the Pung family didn’t hold anything in his hand. He simply straightened his four fingers and formed a su-do hand sword.

But that was enough.

The su-do technique of Oho Danmun, which would naturally tangle the hands if blocked without thinking, was reproduced through the su-do of the head of the Pung family.

However, this was a technique that I had experienced many times through my training with Pung Ojin and my martial arts with Pung Soso when I was on the island.

My body moved faster than I thought.

I forcefully blocked and dodged the attacks, and just before the final strike, I naturally moved to the left and out of the attack range.

…And then the head of the Pung family, who had rotated as if waiting, swung a powerful punch.

“Kuk!”

It was a blow that was difficult to withstand even though I reduced its power by striking it with my sword before my fist was fully extended.

No matter how close my Iron King Ho Sim Gyeol was to Daesung, my physical ability without using Mu Ryeong Shin Gong had its limits.

By the way, it was unexpected that he suddenly switched from su-do to kwon-gak-sul.

When I jumped back to relieve the shock, the head of the Pung family, who had rushed at me like a wild animal, frowned.

“So it’s true that you seduced innocent Soso and learned Oho Danmun!”

“Me? No, I didn’t!”

“What are you pretending not to know! Even though the head of the family said that Soso told you first, that clever girl wouldn’t do that! You must have deceived her!”

“It’s really not true!”

“Anyway, that’s what happened!”

…I don’t want to believe that they suspect me of saying that. It’s like saying, “Our child would never do that!” It’s a common thing.

I tried to explain, but the head of the Pung family swung his hand as if he wouldn’t listen anymore.

A series of strikes that smoothly connected su-do, kwon, and jang, without unfolding the technique as before.

A haphazard attack that relied on a strong body. Is he attacking me like this on purpose so that I can’t respond?

I raised Mu Ryeong Shin Gong and calmly blocked each attack one by one.

One strike, two strikes, three strikes. As I continued to block the attacks little by little, the head of the Pung family’s eyes widened.

“Look at this guy…? Does he think he’s showing off his strength here?”

“Soso, my father-in-law likes it when I do this. I think he would like it too.”

That’s right. Even though I strengthened my body with Mu Ryeong Shin Gong, I only used my inner strength to prevent my sword from breaking.

I don’t know why, but both Pung Ojin and the head of the Pung family seemed to like it when I showed off my strength.

“What an arrogant bastard.”

The head of the Pung family muttered, his lips curling into a sneer. I guess that was the right answer.

Hooong!

The head of the Pung family’s attack resumed. It seemed a bit rougher, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t handle.

It was possible because, as Hong Yeon-hwa said, the head of the Pung family was quite predictable.

As I blocked his sword with mine, a dull thud echoed through the air.

At the same time, a sensation of greater impact than the sound ran through my body, making my bones and organs ache.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t had a chance to clash with someone with all my might like this in a while.

Hong Yeon-hwa and Pung Soso had helped me improve my weaknesses, and most other opponents couldn’t handle my strength.

Thinking about it, this moment, which was so absurd, strangely felt enjoyable.

The surroundings were now filled with spectators. It was natural since we were fighting on the street, not in a martial arts arena.

But I couldn’t see them properly. All I could see was my opponent in front of me.

“You’re pretty good.”

“I didn’t know much.”

Stronger, faster, more precise.

I repeated these three things in my mind and swung my sword again.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m foolish.”

“I couldn’t afford to be foolish.”

To me, Hong Yeon-hwa was like a guardian angel. If my sword was about to go astray, she would immediately correct it.

“Your strength is impressive…but it’s not natural. Are you a martial artist who specializes in explosive power?”

“It’s not just that.”

My Sim Sang sword transformed into the same shape as the sword I was holding now, and I felt a strange sense of unity.

It was a faint feeling, similar to what I had felt during the trials in a movie.

As I swung my sword, my body became lighter and lighter, as if something tangled inside me was unraveling. Or as if a tangled thread was being untied.

“Ah, and you also trained in external martial arts.”

“Thanks to Pung Ojin and Soso.”

Thanks to the Ho Wang Gong, my growth rate had increased even more.

The trajectory I had envisioned in my mind and the trajectory in reality were becoming more and more aligned. My body moved as I thought…no, it moved at the same time as I thought.

“You don’t seem to be panting at all.”

“As I said earlier…I thought the elder would like it more.”

The head of the Pung family chuckled and nodded.

“Hmph! It’s better to stretch than to cower like a coward! I thought you were just a mediocre swordsman, but you’re a pretty good one!”

“I’m still just a swordsman, though…?”

“Anyone who tries to take Soso away is a swordsman!”

“I heard that Pung Soso ran away because of an unwanted engagement. How did I allow it to happen?”

Was it because he was one of the better Pungs? If so, then I must be doing well now.

Or maybe it was because the head of the Pung family, Pung Ojin, forced it upon her.

“By the way…are you gaining any enlightenment right now? Your sword seems to be getting sharper.”

“That’s not it. I just…”

The image of Iljangro, who spread the Tao like his own body, suddenly came to mind.

It was possible because Iljangro could wield his body like the Tao, and in turn, wield his body like the Tao.

If I were to incorporate my inner strength, I could probably cut something like a real sword.

Well, if I could just imitate it to some extent.

“I just remembered a few things I had forgotten.”

That slight feeling made me think that I could do it too, that I had done it before.

A half-moon shape and a diagonal cut. A normal strike that was no different from before.

But there was one crucial difference.

Woong-

A sword energy like a whip rose above the sword.

The output was not particularly strong. It was just a bit too much for a greeting.

Iljangro, who put on a handguard to receive the sword energy, reached out his hand in confusion.

And at the moment they touched.

Cheng!

A clear metallic sound, like when two blades clashed, echoed through the air.

“This is…!”

Iljangro’s eyes widened like a lantern.

Basically, the nature of sword energy is determined by the medium that manifests it. Putting it in a blade makes it sharper, and putting it in a blunt object makes it more solid.

In other words, putting sword energy on a blunt sword guard is no different from putting it on a club.

But my sword energy had a clear intention, just like when it was on Iljangro’s hand.

I had succeeded in changing the nature of the sword energy without being bound by the medium.

It was like when I put a storm-like violence, a mountain-like solidity, and a light-like speed into the sword energy at the end of a movie.

Of course, compared to then, this was just a simple level of nature change.

But it was still not something that could be done at a postscript level.

“What is this…how…?”

Iljangro was still frozen with a blank expression. To be honest, I didn’t think this would really work, so I had nothing to say.

This time, it was just luck. I didn’t expect to feel this way all of a sudden.

Trembling hands, shaken by accumulated shock, hung the sword on my waist and took a defensive position.

“I greet you once again. I am Jin Sochan, who has come to seek permission for marriage with Soso.”