Chapter 112

Chapter 112

Shaolin Temple Monks (4)

‘W-what is she doing right now!?’

This thought simultaneously crossed the minds of Jegal Jin-hee and Ryu Seol-hwa as they watched the sparring match.

Both women felt an unusual mix of emotions. One was anger at Tang So-mi, who dared to flirt with Mu-jin. The other was a worry:

‘Do I need to do the same?’

They were concerned that Mu-jin might favor such direct and blatant advances. Given that Mu-jin had a keen interest in legs, the cheongsam (qipao) Tang So-mi wore might be highly stimulating to him.

So, if Mu-jin showed any signs of wavering in this sparring match, they thought, ‘I should look into some clothes as well.’

However, whether it was fortunate or unfortunate:

“Amitabha.”

Mu-jin leaped forward with disapproval at Tang So-mi’s blatant actions.

Bang!

The force of his charge was so fierce that it nearly cracked the ground of the sparring stage.

Mu-jin’s body swiftly approached Tang So-mi, and without hesitation, he aimed a punch at her.

Even so, being a daughter of one of the Five Great Families, Tang So-mi, just before being struck by Mu-jin’s fist, performed an excellent evasion technique.

While evading sideways, she threw a concealed weapon, which she had somehow retrieved from her tightly fitted cheongsam.

However, Mu-jin’s Pasan Shinbo, a technique specialized in chasing opponents, allowed for sudden changes in direction despite its incredible speed.

Mu-jin darted toward the direction where Tang So-mi had thrown herself, and as for the concealed weapon she launched,

Ting! Ting!

It bounced off Mu-jin’s body with a metallic sound.

“!!!”

Tang So-mi’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected outcome, and Mu-jin, who had closed the distance in an instant due to her lack of defense, delivered a straight punch.

In a situation where evasion was impossible, Tang So-mi quickly raised her arms to block Mu-jin’s punch.

Bang!!!

With a tremendous explosion, Tang So-mi was sent flying out of the sparring stage.

A loss by ring-out.

Although it was a rather anticlimactic result, Tang So-mi found it difficult to maintain her composure due to the severe pain.

Her arms, which had blocked Mu-jin’s straight punch, were swollen and red, and despite hastily gathering her internal energy, her defenses had been breached, causing her blood and energy to roil.

In contrast, Mu-jin, who had not been able to perform the planned physical therapy completely, showed a somewhat rigid expression as he bowed to Tang So-mi.

“Amitabha. That was dangerous, Tang So-mi Shizhu.”

The reason Mu-jin said this was simple.

“I never imagined you would use poison during the sparring match, Tang So-mi Shizhu.”

Only after he had used his Pasan Shinbo technique did he realize that he had already been poisoned.

‘So, the initial laps around the sparring stage were to position herself downwind.’

By drawing attention with her legs exposed through the cheongsam, she had secured a favorable position for applying the poison.

He surmised that the moment she spread the poison was likely when she crossed her arms behind her back and leaned forward, using the contours of her body revealed through the clothes to distract, while surreptitiously spreading the poison with her clasped hands behind her back.

Initially thinking it was just a simple charm offensive, Mu-jin hadn’t anticipated such a cunning stratagem.

‘If this had been a real fight, I might already be dead.’

The most famous aspects of the Sichuan Tang Clan were poison and assassination techniques.

However, the use of deadly poison was prohibited in the Yongbongji Conference. What she had used was a type of paralytic poison, which had slowed Mu-jin’s body considerably.

Even so, the fact that he won so easily was due to the vast difference in strength, internal energy, and martial arts mastery, despite his slowed reactions.

In truth, when Mu-jin said ‘it was dangerous,’ he meant that Tang So-mi was in danger. The paralytic poison made it difficult for him to control his strength, and he had almost ended up putting a big hole in her abdomen by mistake.

Meanwhile, despite being defeated by Mu-jin, Tang So-mi wore a peculiar smile as she ignored the pain radiating from her arms and Danjeon.

“Didn’t you feel it was unfair?”

“I am aware that you used poison only after the referee signaled the start of the match. How could I call it unfair when I was poisoned due to my own negligence? Rather, I am pleased to have learned something important through this sparring match. Amitabha.”

He was sincere.

“Good. As long as you hold your head high, that’s what matters.”

“And my opponent wasn’t bad either. He recognized my martial arts.”

“Ha. To think such a disciple would emerge from the rigid Shaolin. Truly surprising.”

The stern-looking elder of the Sichuan Tang Clan smiled contentedly.

After exchanging a few more words with the elder and receiving some medicine, Tang So-mi spoke to Jegal Jin-hee, who was passing by her.

“Jin-hee unni, I look forward to our continued relationship~”

“...What do you mean by that?”

“There

are things like that. Hehe.”

Jegal Jin-hee felt a strange unease at Tang So-mi’s playful remark.

But she couldn’t dwell on it for long.

The reason she was passing by Tang So-mi was not to chat.

The next match was her turn.

‘This is quite an ironic draw.’

Although her turn was right after Mu-jin’s, due to the bracket layout, she would only meet him in the finals.

So, to reach the finals, she needed to focus on her match.

Her opponent was the only one in the second round who did not belong to one of the Five Great Families or Nine Great Sects.

A young swordsman from the Il-in Jeonseung Sword School.

But when it came to the match, his level was even lower than that of Hong So-il, who she had faced in the first round.

In retrospect, Hong So-il had been quite unlucky with the draw. He certainly had the skills to reach the second round.

Of course, he would have still been eliminated in the second round, so it didn’t make much difference.

“Well done.”

After winning her match with ease, Jegal Jin-hee cupped her fist in salute and stepped down from the sparring stage.

She looked at the young man ascending the stage as she descended.

When the man stepped onto the stage, cheers erupted from the spectators.

Naturally.

It was the match of the strongest contender for the championship in this Yongbongji Conference.

With an expressionless face, Namgung Jin-cheon ascended the stage, and Jegal Jin-hee steeled her resolve.

Her goal was Mu-jin, so she had little interest in Namgung Jin-cheon, but unfortunately, her opponent in the third round was none other than Namgung Jin-cheon.

Of course, that was assuming Namgung Jin-cheon won his match.

“Ooooooh!”

“As expected of the prodigy of the Namgung family!”

Like the first round, Namgung Jin-cheon won in a single exchange and wore an expressionless face as if it were a matter of course.

* * *

‘Is it because he’s the protagonist’s rival?’

Watching Namgung Jin-cheon’s victory, Mu-jin thought of Dao Yuetian, who had returned to his hometown.

‘That guy will be doing well, right...?’

The Dao Yuetian Mu-jin saw in the novel was the embodiment of hard work, so there was no need to worry.

Thus, Mu-jin turned his attention to the person he was currently concerned about.

The Shaolin disciple Mu-gyeong, who would be the highlight of today’s last match in the second round.

“Mu-gyeong, remember what I told you since the first round?”

The person Mu-jin was most worried about in this Yongbongji Conference was not Mu-yul but Mu-gyeong.

It wasn’t that he feared Mu-gyeong might lose control and kill his opponent during the match.

After being tormented by Hye-gwan for over four years, Mu-gyeong had managed to control his madness to some extent.

The problem was the strange habit he developed during his training under Hye-gwan. A dangerous habit that, if mishandled, could make him a public enemy in the martial world.