Ghost Face - Chapter 294



Only Krnovel

Chapter 74. It’s about to rain on the mountain, the pavilion is filled with wind (10)

There are two days left until the duel.

That day, more people came than the day before, and the area around the guest house was crowded. They couldn’t handle it, so they asked for help from Gwak Nan-hoe. Warriors were stationed throughout the village, and guests were lined up and waited at the entrance to the village.

“Why do so many people come here?”

“I think it was Mt. Mobuk who spread the rumor.”

“That beggar who raised one hand back then? Why him?”

“With so many people coming and going and the world paying attention, wouldn’t it be difficult to do something foolish? Well, for us, it would be encouraging to receive support.”

“Huh. That cheering, it seems like there are people who really receive it. They say that the bear has the talent, but the bastard makes the money. That bastard is like that bastard.”

The old man of Shandong cursed, causing Biho to scream ‘huh huh’. Yun Deok-sin, who had suddenly become a bastard, was so busy that he kept screaming in joy.

“In the end, it’s just us, right? The guys who came here to lend a helping hand are all just sloppy people.”

“Maybe so.”

“What’s the plan?”

“Tomorrow. Let’s get together and try to match things up.”

“Hehehe, you don’t have to try too hard. In the end, isn’t this all going to be decided by a sword fight? So just do it moderately. No one will say anything to you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. By the way, is there anyone among the contestants that you’re interested in? Oh, by the way, Ah-hu had his eye on Hyun-Bing-Ok-Su Gwak-Ja-ui. Since you killed her disciple, wouldn’t it be natural for you to come into contact with her?”

“Hmm, the Hoyeon Sang I want to kill the most is Jin Ga Yong. Then I’ll take on the Nakilgeom Yukjamun.”

“No way.”

“Look at reality. If not me, who else will take care of him? Are you going to ask Jin Ga-yong to take care of him too?”

“No, look at reality too. You said you would take care of two? In addition to the Sunset Sword, who else can you handle?”

“Ahem, then Jang An Il Geum and Mu Heun Bo? I’ll take care of the two of them, including the one who’s in charge of Chumyeon Dae’s deputy commander.”

“Hehehe, Lee Yangjo? Are you saying that knowing his true identity?”

“huh?”

“He is the one who killed the Jinmundoju, the first of the ten states.”

“What? If you’re the Jinmen Daozhu, weren’t you at the top of the list among the ten lords? Zhejiang Province is known as a dangerous place even in the Central Plains… Who on earth is Li Yangzuo?”

The ten-ju were those who were the masters of their own domain. The domain did not necessarily refer to the region, as it existed in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. They were bold in their actions, had extraordinary spirit and loyalty, and were devoted to the common people. In other words, it was a kind of praise for those who were respected in the extraterritorial region.

So, although they were collectively called the Ten Masters, not all of them were outstanding in martial arts. They weren’t called the Ten Masters because of their martial arts. However, at least some of them were recognized as being among the top-tier true masters across the country.

And the Jinmundoju Shangjunbo was such a person. But the fact that a mere leader of the Chumyeondae defeated him was something the old man of Shandong could not believe.

“It must be the hidden sword of the lion’s room. Jin Gongja and I guessed that he must have learned the art of the devil. Otherwise, it would be absurd for the elder to have suffered. That’s why I asked Gwak Nan-hoe specifically. He must also come out.”

“… … !”

The old man of Shandong looked at Biho with a puzzled face. Did he call him to get revenge all at once at this time? I understood his feelings. However, if what he said was true, the best player in the other camp was not Nakilgeom, but Muheunbo. If not, at least on par.

Is this something you can handle?

The old man found it difficult to confidently say, “Well, I’ll take care of it myself!” even as a joke. He soon groaned and asked,

“Then he will take charge of Jin Gongja.”

“Of course it should be like that.”

“Huh~ Then me?”

“Jang An Il Geum Masik. How is it? Are you confident?”

“Not two, just one?”

“Yeah. Don’t be sad. Let’s face reality.”

“… … .”

To be honest, in terms of reputation alone, Ma Shik was one level higher than the old man of Shandong. He was the best swordsman in Chang’an, the world’s largest international city, for the past twenty years. It was just an optical illusion that made the opposing faction’s list look so messy.

The old man from Shandong also knew this fact well. So this time, he couldn’t bring himself to be rude, so he was silent for a moment and then asked in a calm voice.

“Then what about King Hongmiwon?”

“I.”

“Haa~ Even if we leave aside whether that’s possible or not, then who on earth would be in charge of the Sunset Sword?”

“We should tell the Black Cat to hold out for a moment. The person on our side who took care of his target first will jump in and help out.”

“Is the Great Black Cat a hidden weapon or something?”

“No, he’s just a slayer. Well, he’s Gwak Nan-hoe’s left arm anyway, so he’s quite skilled for a slayer.”

“If that’s the case… huh, I guess I’ll be able to hold up pretty well.”

Biho shrugged.

“What do you know? If you can’t hold out, you’re screwed. To be honest, no one, including me, can guarantee that they’ll defeat their own goals. They’ll just kill each other. And the ones left will fight each other again and kill each other. Until one side is completely destroyed.”

“Hmm.”

The old man of Shandong sighed involuntarily at the words that reeked of blood. But Biho comforted him instead.

“But don’t worry too much. There is at least one thing I can trust. Tomorrow, when everything is certain, we will gather and talk. Is it still a bit difficult to talk about it?”

“It seems like you have some kind of plan.”

“Yeah. But if you don’t like it, then just shut up and have some fun like your grandfather said! So, you shouldn’t try too hard.”

“Oh my, am I trying to comfort you and instead being comforted?”

“Hehehe, what does it matter who does it? Between us.”

At Biho’s teasing, the old man of Shandong simply chuckled. Then, he felt a new thrill. Suddenly, he felt the desire to spare the bastard in front of him in this decisive battle, and that was why his body naturally gained strength.

***

It was that afternoon.

Biho was able to perform the eight steps of the Sixty-Saro Fengshui Hwan in one go for the first time thanks to Jin Ga-yong’s teachings. It was only once, and he tried three or four more times after that, but he kept failing. However, as the saying goes, starting is half the battle, and anything is difficult to start at the beginning, and the rest will be resolved over time. The problem was that time was running out. So after reaching an agreement with Jin Ga-yong, he began training to create change through five steps and forty sword strikes. Of course. Although this did not reach even half of the power that would come from eight steps, it was to get used to the feeling first.

While he was so absorbed in his training, Ho Ye-hwa came to visit him in a hurry. He said that an important guest had arrived and asked them both to come with him.

Biho was puzzled by those words. Jin Ga-yong would have been fine, so why did he have to go all the way? Then Ho Ye-hwa urged him on, saying that the guest had nominated both Jin Ga-yong and Biho.

“Who the hell are you?”

“In this case, it’s not so much who they are as where they came from. They are none other than the masters of the Cheongseongpa, a branch of the Gudaemunpa.”

“Cheongseongpa?”

“Yes. They introduced him as a Taoist monk named Nodosa who grew the wall and a middle-aged Taoist monk named Cheongwoo.”

“… … !”

Biho was hearing all these names for the first time. However, he could tell right away. When Ma-yeop, who was his brother, stayed at Cheongseongpa, his name was Cheong-an-geom. So, the people of the Samun, including the same ‘Cheong’ character and his superior, the ‘Byeok’ character, came to visit. Of course, they were not idiots, but real people.

***

If he had just taken off his uniform and worn the wall, he would have looked like any other simple country bumpkin you might find in any rural area. He was a typical example of an ordinary person. Except for the fact that his eyes sparkled like stars, he was just like that.

“You may not have heard of Bindo, who has long since cut ties with the secular world. However, although he pursued the life of a hermit, he was caught up in the dust of the secular world where his former companion, Byeokanja, was buried. Because of that, I have not been able to shake off even a single grain of dirt from my heart in recent years, and I have been very uncomfortable. It was at that time that I heard about you. That is why Bindo brought his disciple and came here in one go.”

The teacher of Byeok-an-ja, who was talking about Byeok-ja, was Ma-yeop. He looked back and forth between Jin-ga-yong and Bi-ho, then fixed his gaze on Bi-ho and asked.

“Are you protected?”

“Yes, sir. However, it is unexpected that you have come to me in person like this. I did not send the news of Brother Ma-yeop to Gui-pa because I was in dire straits and wanted help. I simply sent you to take care of your personal affairs.”

“Yes. I see your sincere heart.”

The wall nodded, acknowledging it.

***

What happened was that Biho had sent Ma Yeop’s broken sword and letter to Cheongseongpa through a messenger right before he went to war this time. The original plan was to finish avenging Ma Yeop and then personally go to Cheongseongpa with the relics. However, this time, he realized that his chances of survival were slim and decided to take action to get his affairs in order.

Biho wrote in his letter the stories he had experienced and the feelings of gratitude he felt.

He wrote that Ma Yeop completed his revenge by eliminating two of the Four Thousand and Eight Evils, and although he became a wreck after suffering from madness, he attained enlightenment and thus regained the appearance of a Taoist. He said that he was very happy to see him, and added that he planned to spend the rest of his life in Cheongseongpa and teach his disciples.

However, he wrote in detail about how he died an unjust death after getting caught up in the bloodshed of a fake mask while trying to help his unfortunate self on his way back, and how he must have done his best to protect the women until the moment of his death.

And Biho wrote about how much he had received from Ma Yeop. However, at the time, he was being chased by the evil Fake Mask and was also trying to reveal his identity, so he could not contact Cheongseongpa right away, and he wrote that he should have gone to see him in person to tell him, but circumstances did not allow, so he wrote this instead.

***

“But, child, you eventually called me. You have inherited the progress of the Gosik Ogeumdo from Ma-yeop, and have caught a glimpse of a possibility. How can I resist your curiosity?”

“Well, I wrote it to honor the virtues of Brother Ma-yeop, but it’s embarrassing to show it to you directly.”

Biho was embarrassed.

Of course, it was true that he saw potential in him, and that he would give up all other internal energy and focus solely on this practice. However, he felt hesitant. He was worried that if he showed poor skills and disappointed people, it would be a blow to Ma-yeop’s reputation.

“Surely I would expect something great from you, who has not even been familiar with Bindo for half a year? However, Bindo is something I have been curious about and pondered over for a long time, so I just want to check it out. Surely you would not turn away from the earnest wish of this old man who has come all this way, would you?”

“That’s possible. I just wanted to come see you confidently when you made a little more progress, so I was just a little flustered when you suddenly showed up here. That’s fine. Even though I’m lacking in many ways, I would appreciate it if you could be kind to me. Then, shall I move and show you right away?”

“Hahaha. It’s so refreshing and nice.”

In fact, Biho didn’t have to be particularly nervous or put in any special effort to demonstrate the Gosik Ogeumdo well. Before he knew it, this skill had become ingrained in his everyday movements.

So the group went out to the open space outside the guest house that was used as a training ground, and there, in front of many people, Biho showed off his Gosik Ogeumdo.

Eleven gestures of the five beasts.

The wall-crawler exclaimed, “That’s good!” and Biho was thrilled by the sound. From then on, he spread it quickly and slowly, sometimes violently and sometimes dancingly, repeating this many times.

By now, everyone around him had come out to watch Biho’s dance moves, and the old man Shandong’s mouth dropped open in surprise. At some point, Biho’s ancient dance moves were no ordinary ones. It was the Taoist technique that he had disparaged as a mere gymnastics for women’s health (in fact, this was something he had said to Biho to vent his anger during an argument).

The wall was so full of emotion that he muttered softly.

“It’s a fateful relationship!”

Episode 295