Chapter 195
Jeok Mugun burned with determination to land that one hit.
No reason to drag this out. I’m going all-out from the start.
RUMBLE—
Power erupted from Jeok Mugun like a volcano.
“Ghk!”
“Kehk!”
The sheer force of it sent Jeok Wiun and Tang Un flying, but Jeok Mugun barely spared them a glance.
Right now, he needed to focus on one thing and one thing only—how to land a blow on Jeok Wigang.
“You’re using Nether Emperor Descent right from the start?”
“Why bother dragging it out? I’m going all-out.”
WHOOSH—
With the position of Lord of Heavenly Martial Castle on the line(?), Jeok Mugun charged at full strength.
“I swear I’ll put you in the seat of the Lord of Heavenly Martial Castle!”
His fist, packed with sheer determination, shot toward Jeok Wigang.
“Heavenly Palace Collapse!”
WHOOOOM—!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!
Jeok Wigang dodged with ease.
Jeok Mugun looked as though he had expected exactly that.
That bastard already knew everything about the Heavenly Martial Divine Art.
There was no way he could hit Jeok Wigang with a technique the man already knew.
In that case—
I prepared this for a day like today.
A triumphant smile curled across Jeok Mugun’s face.
Characters shimmered into existence around Jeok Wigang.
“Is that One-Stroke Heavenly Martial?”
Jeok Mugun did not answer.
The instant Jeok Wigang tilted his head—
“Got you, you little bastard! Take this! Heavenly Extreme Brush Heart!”
The characters had been bait.
They were meant to make Jeok Wigang think he was facing One-Stroke Heavenly Martial and lure him into lowering his guard.
This was the real attack.
It was one of the three ultimate techniques Jeok Mugun had created after attaining enlightenment.
The technique completely bypassed an opponent’s defenses and struck directly with Heart Swords.
Transparent Heart Swords filled every gap around Jeok Wigang before hurtling viciously toward him.
Go on, brat. Let’s see you dodge this.
Jeok Mugun was certain there was absolutely no way to evade it.
The moment Jeok Wigang took a single hit from this, he would hand over Heavenly Martial Castle immediately.
Just imagining it filled him with joy.
Then—
“Huh?”
TING-TING— TING, TING—
The Heart Swords were being knocked aside by Jeok Wigang’s hands.
What the hell was that?
With a perfectly indifferent expression, Jeok Wigang was swatting the Heart Swords away as though shooing flies.
Jeok Mugun felt hollow inside.
How much blood and sweat had he poured into creating Heavenly Extreme Brush Heart?
Watching Jeok Wigang deal with it so effortlessly drained away every last trace of his desire to keep fighting.
He still had two techniques left, but he no longer wanted to use them.
If Jeok Wigang blocked those just as casually, Jeok Mugun feared he might actually develop an inner demon.
Better to keep them hidden, refine them further, and save them for some future spar with this bastard.
“You startled me.”
Jeok Mugun stared at him in disbelief.
“You little bastard. At least change your expression before saying something like that.”
“I mean it. If this actually lands, there’s no way to dodge it. Why do you think I had no choice but to knock every single one away?”
Knocking Heart Swords aside with your bare hands is the ridiculous part!
The words rose all the way to Jeok Mugun’s throat, but he barely swallowed them back.
Heart Swords were supposed to persist until their creator dispelled them.
Yet Jeok Wigang had destroyed them with his bare hands.
It would have been less infuriating if he had at least struggled.
Jeok Mugun released Nether Emperor Descent.
“Huh? You’re stopping already?”
“That’s enough! I’ll just hand Heavenly Martial Castle over to some random bastard, so forget about it!”
From his expression, he looked genuinely upset.
Jeok Wigang sighed.
He had already dumped the True Martial Sect on someone else because running it was too much trouble.
Still...
Maybe he could do it until White Horse Heaven was dealt with.
His grandfather wanted it this badly.
“All right.”
“I said forget it! I’ll just make anybody do it!”
“I’ll take the position.”
“Fine. You do—... Huh? Wh-What did you say?”
“I said I’ll do it.”
“Y-You mean that?”
“Yes. But only until White Horse Heaven is dealt with. After that, I’m stepping down.”
“O-Of course! When the time comes, put whoever you like in the seat!”
“You’re really fine with that? You poured your heart into building Heavenly Martial Castle.”
“Hahahaha! I trust you. You’ll find someone even better suited to Heavenly Martial Castle than I am and put them there.”
“That somehow makes it even more pressure.”
“Hahahaha! Say whatever you like! Hahahaha!”
Jeok Mugun’s laughter rang in every direction, as though he had just been handed the entire world.
Jeok Wiun, who had been listening, spoke up.
“Brother! If you’re going to take over anything, it should be the True Martial Sect! You’re the eldest son of the True Martial—”
THUD!
WHUMP—
Jeok Mugun had somehow appeared in front of him and knocked him unconscious with a single strike.
“Anyone who tries to take Wigang away from me will be chewed up and swallowed whole!”
Tang Un saw the flames in Jeok Mugun’s eyes and instinctively backed away in terror.
When Jeok Wigang looked at him, Jeok Mugun hurriedly defended himself.
“He was spouting nonsense! Once a successor has been chosen, that’s the end of it!”
Jeok Wigang shook his head.
Somehow, his grandfather seemed to be becoming more childish by the day.
What would people say if they saw the Heavenly Martial Emperor acting like this?
Well, he still carried himself with dignity in front of everyone else.
Probably fine.
*****
“So this is the True Martial Merchant Company?”
Jeon Ju, the Wondrous Arts Gentleman, began circling the grounds of the True Martial Merchant Company.
“Would you look at this? The formations are packed in incredibly tight.”
He continued inspecting the perimeter, marveling at everything he saw.
It was perfect.
Almost intoxicating.
“A formation this flawless... This is driving me insane.”
He could barely contain himself.
He wanted to meet the person who had created it as soon as possible.
As he made another circuit of the grounds, a martial artist dressed in black approached him.
“What brings you here?”
“Ah! I am a formation specialist known as the Wondrous Arts Gentleman. Have you heard of me?”
The martial artist shook his head.
“Heh. And here I thought I was fairly famous...”
“Do you have business with the Merchant Company?”
“I do. The formation surrounding this place was so beautiful that I stopped to admire it.”
At the words so beautiful, the martial artist broke into a grin.
“Of course it is. My lord created it.”
“Your lord? Your lord installed this formation?”
“That’s right.”
“I would very much like to meet him. Would you introduce me?”
“Hmm.”
The martial artist looked Jeon Ju up and down.
Just then, another martial artist approached.
“What’s going on?”
“You ever heard the title Wondrous Arts Gentleman?”
“Of course. That’s the lunatic obsessed with formations.”
“He’s famous?”
“Very. He’s one of the three greatest formation specialists in the Central Plains.”
“Really?”
The suspicion vanished from the first martial artist’s eyes, replaced by surprise as he looked at Jeon Ju.
“Why?”
“This gentleman says he’s the Wondrous Arts Gentleman.”
“Really?”
The second martial artist turned to Jeon Ju.
“But what brings you here?”
“He says the formation around the Merchant Company is so beautiful that he wants to meet our lord.”
“Ah!”
He looked at Jeon Ju.
“Would you mind waiting here for a moment? I’ll go ask my lord.”
“Thank you. I would appreciate it.”
******
“WAAAAAH!”
Listening-Eye Beggar was sobbing his heart out.
When he had awakened, every inch of his skin had been scrubbed pale, and he had somehow been dressed in gleaming silk clothes.
Even the bedbugs he had spent so long cultivating on his body had been completely exterminated.
“Stop crying already.”
Listening-Eye Beggar stared at Jeok Wigang through swollen eyes.
“Do you have any idea how I feel? I’m not a beggar of the Beggars’ Union anymore! I’m not!”
“You still have your knots.”
Even the knots had been scrubbed so thoroughly that they had turned white.
“Who in the world is going to look at these and think they’re Beggars’ Union knots? They’ll think they’re decorations!”
They were so clean that he had a point.
“And if I go back to a branch looking like this, do you think the kids will even recognize me? Never! I’m finished. It’s over.”
“If you keep crying, I’ll send you back to the Beggars’ Union.”
“Sniff.”
The threat of being sent back stopped his tears immediately.
Just then, someone approached.
“My lord! There’s a man outside calling himself the Wondrous Arts Gentleman. He’s been examining the formations.”
“Wondrous Arts Gentleman?”
“Yes. He’s a lunatic obsessed with formations, and he says my lord’s formation is so beautiful that he absolutely must meet you.”
Jeok Wigang turned to Listening-Eye Beggar.
“You know the Wondrous Arts Gentleman?”
“Of course. He lives for formations and will probably die for formations too. Complete lunatic.”
“You know his face?”
“Obviously.”
“Then come with me.”
“Ugh.”
“What’s wrong? Didn’t you hear what the Union Chief said? He told you to become my hands and feet.”
“Fine.”
*****
“A pleasure to meet you. I am known as the Wondrous Arts Gentleman.”
“I’m Jeok Wigang, Merchant Master of the True Martial Merchant Company.”
Jeok Wigang glanced at Listening-Eye Beggar.
Listening-Eye Beggar nodded.
It was him.
“I hear you’re a master of formations.”
“Heh heh heh! What are you saying? It seems to me that the true master of formations is you, Merchant Master. I can hardly understand how anyone could create a formation this perfect.”
“Really? What did you think of it?”
“It is flawless. What astonishes me most is that you did not rebuild this place for the formation. You used the existing structures exactly as they were. And on top of that, you calculated the movements of everyone passing through this place and incorporated those movements into the formation itself...”
Jeon Ju paused.
“People. The people are the core.”
His eyes burned with fascination.
“How in the world did you create something like this?”
“Well... it just sort of happened?”
Jeon Ju stared at him blankly.
“You created a formation like this because it... just sort of happened?”
“I can just see the equations.”
Good heavens.
“What equations does this formation use?”
“You want to learn?”
“Yes!”
“All right. I’ll teach you.”
“What do you want in return?”
“Nothing. I’ll just teach you. Use it to protect people someday.”
“Y-You’ll simply give it to me?”
Such generosity.
Jeon Ju had never encountered anyone with a heart this broad.
At that moment, his heart began pounding wildly.
I want to serve him.
I want to spend the rest of my life at his side.
Thoughts like those flooded his mind.
Jeon Ju dropped to his knees before Jeok Wigang.
“I wish to serve you as my lord.”
Listening-Eye Beggar flinched in shock.
Countless people had wanted Jeon Ju, yet not one of them had ever won his allegiance.
And now the Wondrous Arts Gentleman himself was volunteering to become someone’s subordinate.
Staying beside Jeok Wigang meant being able to witness astonishing knowledge like this firsthand, the moment it appeared.
“Then let’s get along.”
Jeok Wigang did not even ask why he wanted to serve him.
He simply accepted.
“You’ll have me?”
Jeok Wigang nodded.
Jeon Ju bent low and formally paid his respects.
“I, Jeon Ju, the Wondrous Arts Gentleman, formally pledge myself to you, my lord!”
Without Jeok Wigang doing much of anything, one of the Central Plains’ three greatest formation specialists had just become his subordinate.
******
On Jeon Ju’s first day under Jeok Wigang.
Delighted beyond measure, he spent his time studying the formations Jeok Wigang had installed and eventually wandered all the way to the training ground.
“Th-This is...”
The instant he saw it, Jeon Ju’s eyes turned dreamy.
He began rushing from place to place, inspecting every corner.
“Good heavens, what is this? You can deploy formations like this?”
He darted around with barely contained excitement.
“Is this a Heavy-Pressure Formation? Training here would feel like practicing with boulders strapped all over your body.”
Then he spotted the area set aside for qi circulation and meditation.
“A formation that gathers energy into one place. And it’s even designed to filter out impurities. Good heavens. How did he ever think of this?”
Every formation was extraordinary.
Could he reproduce any of them himself?
Jeon Ju abruptly dropped to the ground, pulled out a brush, wet it with water, and began covering the floor with equations.
Who knew how much time passed.
Eventually, Jeon Ju grabbed his hair with both hands.
“No! I can’t do it! There’s no way I can create a formation like this!”
As he writhed in frustration, a voice came from above him.
“Who are you?”
Jeon Ju looked up.
A middle-aged man stood over him, one eyebrow twitching.
“Didn’t you hear me? I asked who you are.”
“I am Jeon Ju, the Wondrous Arts Gentleman. I’m a formation specialist who recently joined this place.”
“The Wondrous Arts Gentleman? That formation-crazed Wondrous Arts Gentleman?”
“That’s right.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
“I have entered my lord’s service.”
𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
“Wigang’s?”
Someone who addressed his lord by name so casually?
“Who might you be?”
“Me? Jeok Mugun.”
“What?”