Ghost Face - Chapter 270



Only Krnovel

Chapter 70. The Banquet is Held (2)

The banquet planned by Hoyeonsang unfortunately required the approval of the head of Cheong-eung and the head of Hongbok. This was because permission was needed to prepare, and professional personnel were also needed. However, if you ask why he couldn’t do even one thing as he pleased, even though he was the acting head of the Bangju, his pride was hurt, but he did it anyway.

The position of the Ark’s agent. It may seem plausible on the surface, but it lacks real power. Rather, the temple seems to be monitoring Hoyeonsang, so it’s clear that the master doesn’t trust him.

Anyway, speaking about the banquet, it was like this.

First, clear the square in front of the main gate of the Lion’s House. To do this, you need to get permission from the government in advance, and during the time the banquet is being held, you need to withdraw nearby merchants and control the entry of the general public. Even if it is a Lion’s House event, if innocent people are killed in droves after wielding swords, it will be difficult to clean up the mess.

After clearing the square, a large stage is set up in the center, and a tall cross frame is erected on top of it. The plan is to tie up Jo Baek-bing, the last survivor(?) of the Jo family, there.

And around the stage, there will be a banquet hall and audience seating, and Hoyeonsang himself will enjoy himself with the attendees. After eating and drinking, when the fun reaches its peak, the clown on stage will hold a lighting ceremony. The key to the stage direction is to have everyone laugh together while watching the spectacle of a woman who is being grilled like this.

Isn’t it quite exciting? For some people, it’s enough to make their blood boil.

If you play so noisily, many guests will attend, and among them, there will be a real swordsman. People like that would always show up at a place like this, even if they knew they would die. Then, from the fireworks to the fierce swordplay, it would be a banquet full of things to see, and it would be talked about for a long time.

By the way, Jo Baek-bing was a stand-in.

The vicious woman was swinging her knife and when she sensed her end, she committed suicide. It had been several days since then, and her body had rotted beyond use. So, she had found a woman who looked like her and had soaked her in poison. This was a measure taken in case the substitute, dying, would ruin the fun by saying things like she was not Jo Baek-bing.

By the way, why did Hoyeonsang plan such a crazy thing?

First of all, Hoyeonsang hated Jin Ga-yong. He pretended to be great and noble, and at the same time, he pretended to be righteous! Whenever he thought of him, he felt like his chest was weighed down by a stone, and it was hard to breathe. It didn’t matter if you called it jealousy. He was going to ruin him terribly and erase him from his mind forever.

But there was another trick besides this.

If Jin Ga-yong were called in, it would naturally be the case that many of the Hongbokdang in charge of preparing the banquet or the Cheong-eungdang in charge of controlling the surrounding area would be dispatched. If such a commotion were to occur, it is possible that a key figure in the Sajabang would be killed by Jin Ga-yong’s helpers(?) who suddenly appeared among the crowd attending the banquet. For example, someone like the head of the household… … .

Then what will happen?

Shouldn’t the Sajabang stir up the world of martial arts to find that unidentified force, even if it’s just for the sake of saving face? As such, a crisis is an opportunity. If it shakes, this position, which is only a nominal position, will gain real power. And he was determined to make it happen.

‘Your Highness, but did it really have to be done this way?’

After the patrol leader Hyanggye-cho left, Hoyeon-sang, who was left alone, suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Jang-an Ilgeom (長安一劍) Masik, who could be called his right-hand man.

“Huh? What? Do you feel uncomfortable with the idea of ​​‘ssuksak’ the old man who used to eat from the same pot as me?”

“Of course not. If it’s something fun like that, I welcome it anytime. It’s just a shame we can’t have a proper one-on-one fight.”

“then?”

“I’m talking about the daughter of the Jo family.”

“Hmm.”

When Hoyeonsang looked at him with a look that said, “What’s the problem?” Masik stroked his mustache and said,

“Your Highness, you know that I am not a good person, right? But this is a shameful thing to do. To insult the corpse of a dead person like that. And isn’t this the place we finished with our own hands? It is unmanly. I hope you leave cleanly.”

“Ha~ I guess I should apologize to you for being unmanly.”

“I’m sorry. But could you reconsider? At least give me a convincing reason… … .”

Hoyeonsang almost shouted at him to shut up right away. He said yes, yes, but he said, “Can’t you see anything?” But he held back. No matter what anyone said, the man in front of him was the best swordsman in the capital. He was someone who shouldn’t be treated like that. So he took a moment to control his anger and said.

“I can’t. To be honest, I don’t really like this decision either, but it’s absolutely necessary. Here’s why… I don’t think today is the day, so I’ll tell you another time.”

“I understand. If Your Highness says so, there must be a reason. I will wait.”

Masik took a step back as he said that, but there was an awkward air. He seemed to have something more to say, but he quickly nodded and left. He was not convinced, and the seeds of distrust had been planted.

“Was it…disappointing?”

Only then did Hoyeonsang realize why Masik’s eyes had flashed before he left. It was creepy. The head of Cheong-eungdang who had just visited was the same.

He pretended to be generous, but he was originally a meticulous person. He always observed his surroundings carefully and worked hard to eliminate any gaps. That’s why he always showed his relaxed and competent appearance to those around him and was able to live up to expectations. But recently, he has been having a lot of holes. It was hard to concentrate on something. His irritation and impatience grew, and there were times when he acted as he pleased.

Why is that?

Hoyeon Sang tilted his head.

“Why am I doing this? Come to think of it, the mask imitation was like that too. If I had followed the original plan, I should have stopped at just giving off a smell, but I couldn’t. It feels like putting the cart before the horse… … . Oh, shit!”

Hoyeonsang swore at the sudden, severe headache that came over him. It was a kind of pain that he could never get used to, like the feeling of a thin knife cutting a piece of his brain. Yes, I shouted in an unfamiliar, sharp voice without realizing it.

“It’s all Master’s fault! It’s because of that kid~”

Ouch.

Who am I talking to right now? Uh… Hoyeonsang looked around in surprise, then slapped himself on the cheek to come to his senses. Then he muttered to himself.

“Yes, now is not the time to think about other things. How could I forget the humiliation I experienced on the Yeonman Plains? That guy was suspicious of me from the beginning. That’s why he set me up to test me. So now… I have to seize the opportunity while it lasts. Time is of the essence!”

Hoyeonsang was talking nonsense that even he himself couldn’t understand. At this time, his face was distorted with anger, which in some ways seemed like a cunning and proud expression. Two conflicting expressions were simultaneously displayed on one face.

Towards the end of the war for unification, Master Guo Bu made a bold decision. He challenged the opposing leader, Jo Ban-san, the leader of the Jo family of Lushan, to a duel, suggesting that no more innocent blood should be shed and that the two sides’ best players should fight to the end.

The method was to select 10 people at a time and gather in one place to fight until the opposing side was completely destroyed. In addition, Kwak Bu-ui said that he and his great disciple would also participate, so he asked Jo Ban-san to bring his eldest son as well. He meant to end it cleanly while he was at it.

At those words, Jobansan said, “I understand your intentions, but why are you bringing 10 people with you?” and he replied as follows.

“This is a measure for both you and me. First, I will tell you my situation. To be honest, I feel like I am inferior to you, so I plan to receive support from my other comrades. Although our side may not have a single master as good as you, we have plenty of masters of similar level, including me. So considering your reputation, wouldn’t it be better to have ten people from each side step forward to balance things out?”

“Balance… In that case, why don’t we have 100 people come out at a time?”

“Hehehe, when the odds are against you, even though you’re cornered, do you think you’ll agree? But you’ll only do it if it’s worth a try. Also, if you call it a duel, it might look a bit odd to others if you go around in a group like that.”

“Let’s say that’s true. I can understand that it’s a decision for your own good. But what do you mean by it’s for my good?”

“Think about it. If you were to win a one-on-one duel with this thief, do you believe that our Mujin Alliance would readily admit defeat and hand over all the authority they have accumulated so far?”

“It will be difficult.”

“That’s right. But what if you were to simultaneously take out ten of the best players from the Mujin Alliance, including me? Even if you don’t want to admit it, you won’t be able to help it. Even though times have changed recently, our fight is not a war between nations, but a matter of martial arts.”

“In the end… if this group really wants to end the war, is it worth enduring such a disadvantage?”

“I’m giving you a chance to turn the tide in one shot. Instead, I’m attaching a condition that puts you at a disadvantage. At this point, it’s clear that our Mujin Alliance is ahead. So don’t misunderstand. If you refuse, we’ll just fight like we did before. But many people will die.”

“… … .”

And so the duel took place.

Of course, there was a trick here. The Mujin Alliance had already received support from five top-class masters from other provinces. On the other hand, the Anti-Mujin Alliance had persuaded some of the masters who were expected to go out with Jo Ban-san to not show up on the day of the duel.

That is why, when the duel actually began, only Jo Mok, the son of Jo Ban-san and the Sword of Wisdom, managed to do his share, while the rest were swept away without even being able to put up a proper fight. That is why he was able to beat the remaining Jo father and son. Jo Ban-san, who was revered as the greatest warrior in Shaanxi, fought alone and displayed his divine power by inflicting six casualties on the Wujin Alliance, but in the end, he was only human.

As a result, the Wujin Alliance was able to end the war early, and with this one duel, Gwak Bu-ui of Hangrak-do gained enthusiastic support from many warriors within the Wujin Alliance. Although he used trickery, it was because he took the risk and personally stepped forward to decorate the finale.

At that time, before the duel, Hoyeonsang asked his master Kwak Bu-ui, “The situation is clearly tilted in our favor, so why are you taking such a risk?” Kwak Bu-ui answered.

“We must capture a symbolic figure like Jo Ban-san while we can. Up until now, he has been reluctant to ask for help from his old friends, but who knows when he might change his mind? If the real big shots join his side, the flow of this battle could change. Not only that, if he were to lead his family and flee from Shaanxi, it would be a long-term problem. Therefore, when we have the opportunity, we should tempt the other side with terms that are difficult to refuse.”

Even to Hoyeonsang, his master’s words sounded quite plausible. The problem was that if that was the intention, they could have just fought amongst themselves, so why did they include themselves in the fight?

Hoyeonsang knew the topic. He was confident in his power and he had not been slacking off in his training. However, it was also true that he was still lacking in the realm of a master. He was saying that he was going to be dragged into the fight, even though he was clearly one step behind. In the middle of a ten-on-ten melee!

Was it a story about dying?

The master insisted that he should lead the fight, saying that he would be an example, and in fact, he was one of the six casualties of Jo Ban-san who fought. With a hole in his chest and half his neck twisted, it was not a problem that he was incapable of fighting, but anyone could see that he should have died.

If it weren’t for the power of the turtle shell.