Reincarnation of the Fist King Chapter 39

< After the King of Fists, after a hundred thousand strikes >

“How is your master? I haven’t heard from him at all.”

Dan Woo-seong answered honestly to the question of the leader of the Yoo Jeong-hong clan.

“There has been no contact. The circumstances are similar to those of the previous head of the Moyong family.”

Yoo Jeong-hong crossed his arms with a serious expression.

“Like Murong Chu? Originally, news of the King of Fists was rare, so isn’t that the reason?”

“Yes, it was disconnected.”

The words, “forever,” lingered bitterly in my mouth.

Yoo Jeong-hong was deep in thought and then replied like this.

"Then I will relay this news to the elders of Samshinilseong through my junior, Murong Chu. As wise elders, they will be cautious if there's anything to be cautious about. If there's anything to be learned, they will mobilize their forces."

"All right."

Yoo Jeong-hong spoke as if making a promise.

"I need to get stronger. If the demon appears, I'll have no choice but to fight like I used to. It probably happened before you were even born. I was there at the last fight with the demon."

“Are you talking about the Battle of Oreung?”

"It's known as the Battle of Orung, but there was another, lesser-known battle. The Samshin Ilseong fought over a single Demonic Grand Master. It was the turning point of the war. Who can possibly comprehend the misery of that moment?"

Yoo Jeong-hong's expression was deeply filled with regret. His pride seemed to have been severely wounded at the time.

"Every time I hear that the Sword God is still training, I think of that time. Even though it was the final battle that would determine the outcome of the Jeongma War, the Samshin Ilseong fought against a single man. It's a secret story I often tell my members. It's also why we must become stronger."

Yoo Jeong-hong looked at Dan Woo-seong.

"Come to think of it, if that Great Master of Magic left behind descendants, they'd be around your age. Junior, grow stronger. Overwhelmingly and selfishly…"

Danwoo-seong nodded, looking at Yoo Jeong-hong. The word "selfish" seemed strangely well-understood.

“I will do that.”

“I hope to see you at the Yongbongdaeyeon. Rest in peace.”

When Yu Jeong-hong pointed to the door as if to tell him to go and look, Dan Woo-seong quietly stood up and walked away, pausing for a moment. Since Dan Woo-seong didn't know anything about the fighting after the Battle of Oryung, he couldn't help but be curious.

“Who is the man who fought alone against the Samsin Ilseong?”

The Battle of Oreung was a long time ago. It was before he was called the King of Fist.

Yoo Jeong-hong said with a faint smile.

“What name could the pinnacle of magic have?”

Dan Woo-seong nodded. A nickname that neither Yu Jeong-hong nor Dan Woo-seong wanted to mention came to mind.

“Is he really dead?”

Cruel words flowed from Yoo Jeong-hong's mouth.

"I cut, cut, and cut again, then burned it. I collected the ashes and scattered them over Hwangsan, Wuyi Mountain, Taishan, Laoshan, and Ami Mountain. If that's the cause of the next disaster that befalls us, I'll be the first to draw my sword. If my descendants appear, I intend to dispose of them without leaving even the ashes."

Baekdo is just as cruel as Mado.

“I will step aside first.”

The figure of the leader Yoo Jeong-hong, left alone in the conference hall, did not look like the senior martial artist he had respected, but like a monster created by the times.

Just as the opposite of magic is not white magic, but another form of monster.

But Danwoo Sung thought like this.

'Would it have been different for me?'

It wouldn't have been different.

In a way, I thought that the world of martial arts, where the devil creates the white devil, and the white devil creates the devil again, and this cycle continues forever, is the Asura world.

Danwoo Sung also never denied that he was Asura.

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As Danwoo Seong left, the executives and elders who had been waiting entered the conference hall again.

Yoo Jeong-hong made the decision himself.

"Goo Yang-saeng should be punished with a weapon. The Grand Duke of the upper ranks is much stronger."

If the leader is like that, then so be it.

"All right."

"There's a condition. If the Guyang family looks after the people for ten years, stays out of the jianghu affairs, and avoids any misconduct involving money or force, I will reduce their sentence to 'ten years of imprisonment.' This means they will be confined to the family. If the Guyang family causes trouble internally, or if Guyang Sheng causes another incident after serving ten years, then I will impose a life sentence. Tell them to refrain from harm if they don't want to be wiped out. Announce this to the world through the jianghu by the decree of the leader."

The members answered in unison.

“I obey your orders.”

"Treat the juniors at the top with respect, as guests. Guide them to participate in the Yongbongdaeyeon. While not members, they are men who will stand out among the later ranks. Treat them without discrimination."

The head of the executive branch alone responded to this question.

“I will carry out your order without a hitch.”

"Get out of here. And when work begins tomorrow, have Baek Han-kyung come to my office. I have something to ask you."

"All right."

Yoo Jeong-hong was a man of great courage. His reason for summoning Baek Han-gyeong was simple: to ask him about his journey with the Grand Duke of the Galaxy Merchant. Baek Han-gyeong was an honest man, and he believed he wouldn't utter unnecessary words. If the leader's thoughts and the members' opinions aligned, the Grand Duke of the Galaxy Merchant could be considered a worthy junior.

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'It's a hundred-year-old purifying ginseng······.'

The leader's expression was rather bland.

The Baeknyeonjeonghwasam was originally a magical elixir that could only be obtained by those who had shown great favor to the Amipa. Judging by the Amipa's willingness to offer this precious item at the leader's request, it appears the Baekdo faction still thrives under Yu Jeong-hong.

Baeknyeonjeonghwasam is a magical elixir that literally has purifying properties.

The more coriander you eat, the better. This is because it can quickly purify toxins along with the unki breakfast.

Quite a long time ago, when the Ami faction and the Sacheon Tang clan clashed for a long time over the supremacy of the Sacheon region, the immortal of the Ami faction began to cultivate the Baeknyeonjeonghwasam for future generations.

Of course, the two forces did not decide the outcome perfectly.

Because the Sacheondangmun gave up its hegemony and returned to Baekdo, which had a certain degree of flexibility.

The Sacheondangmun is, then and now, the most poisonous sect in the world. It was created to purify their poison, so even if its effectiveness in enhancing internal energy was somewhat lacking, its status as a world-class elixir could not be denied.

Danwoo Seong made a promise.

'I should get some Baeknyeonjeonghwasam.'

Since it was an elixir that had to be obtained in order to deal with the poison, I had already given up on participating in the Yongbongdaeyeon.

“Did the conversation go well?”

Baek Han-kyung, who had returned after reporting to his superiors, came back to see Dan Woo-seong, who was lost in thought.

Danwoo-seong nodded.

“I met the leader.”

"Oh, then things would have been much easier. That's good. I need to get my accommodations assigned. Would you mind going to the reception hall with me for a moment?"

Danwoo-seong said as he looked around the Murim Alliance.

"I don't want to be indebted to you, so I'll take a lodging outside like that little girl who's been drinking in the autumn wind and fallen leaves. By the way, I can't quite remember that man's name. I keep remembering him as "Autumn Wind."

Baek Han-kyung burst into laughter.

“The autumn leaves were the product of the Hwaeunwol Sogaju. Then I will accompany you to your lodgings.”

“Let’s go.”

Danwoo Seong, who was walking alongside me, asked something he had been curious about.

“Where does Baek Mu-in belong?”

Baek Han-kyung replied.

"We belong to the Special Operations Flying Dragon Squadron. Besides us, there are the Cloud Dragon Squadron and the White Dragon Squadron. They're all relatively young, and they're under the direct command of the leader. When the leader issues a transfer order, we're incorporated into our existing organization. Among us, we call that period 'graduation.'"

The leader always kept an eye on the young people.

He had a long-term plan to nurture these individuals and strengthen the martial arts alliance's power. Therefore, young martial artists like Baek Han-gyeong could be considered talents selected and nurtured by the alliance leader.

Danwoo Sung chose the largest room in the largest accommodation, anticipating a large crowd. Barring any special circumstances, he planned to practice in his room until the Yongbongdaeyeon ceremony.

No matter how noisy the streets were, Dan Woo-seong shut himself in his room and cut himself off from the world for a while.

But the poisonous snake could not be avoided.

Dokjonghori Cheolmyeongho, who arrived at the Murim Alliance after three days, had already found Danwooseong's lodging after asking around in the Murim Alliance.

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“Hey, I’m here.”

Dan Woo-seong, who was practicing external martial arts in the room, immediately responded to Cheol Myeong-ho's voice.

“Come in. The door is open.”

Cheol Myeong-ho opened the door and came in, looked around inside, and said.

“Wow… It’s so spacious and nice. I even had trouble sleeping when I got here.”

Cheol Myeong-ho looked at Dan Woo-seong.

Before he knew it, Danwoo Sung's upper body had taken on a weight as heavy as a steel umbrella. The training wasn't just about Cheolmyungho. Witnessing the sweat streaming down his body, Cheolmyungho had no choice but to change his mind about cursing him the moment he arrived.

"I've filled it a hundred thousand times. I'm a man of my word. I've come by horse, by boat, and by horse again to ask the next question."

“Yeah, are you eating?”

Cheol Myeong-ho shook his head and replied.

“No? Buy me some food.”

“This beggar always asks me to buy him food. Today, you buy him food.”

"I get it."

“Go down.”

After a while, Dan Woo-seong and Cheol Myeong-ho came out after changing clothes and sat down to eat at the restaurant on the first floor of the dormitory.

“How does it feel to have achieved 100,000?”

Cheol Myeong-ho put down his chopsticks, rolled up his sleeves, and replied.

"See? This mark. There's no feeling or anything. Only my arms have gotten thicker."

“Eat first.”

The two men slurped their food down in silence. Danwoosung, so intent on training, ate with a combative air, like someone going to war. Meanwhile, he occasionally observed Cheolmyungho's gaze and expression, observing any changes.

He is a man who is originally a monopoly.

I had a feeling he wouldn't give up easily.

In that case, I was planning on giving him a slightly more challenging task. If the people Danwoosung would face in the future were monsters, then he planned to create monsters of his own.

Danwoo Seong returned to his room, grabbed his umbrella, and uttered some truly frightening words.

“Of the hundred thousand strikes you swing, only one in ten thousand will be useful.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Shut up and listen.”

"I get it."

Danwoo-seong concentrated, then with a measured movement, he casually swung down the iron umbrella. With a thud, the umbrella fell in a precise, straight line, stopping without a trace.

"If you want to block someone's attack, strike someone down, deflect a sword, or deflect a spinning sword, you must respond with the most effective downward strike you've ever swung. Otherwise, you're dead."

Cheol Myeong-ho, with a look of genuine surprise, focused all his attention on Dan Woo-seong's words. Somehow, he was beginning to understand Dan Woo-seong's ambiguous words.

"Of the hundred thousand downward strikes, the most efficient; of the two hundred thousand horizontal slashes, the most accurate; of the three hundred thousand, the fastest and most precise thrust; of the four hundred thousand, the most ingenious deceptions and counterattacks… These are selected, linked together in the most efficient manner, and then rearranged in order. This is the first method. These are then studied, refined, modified, and polished by the masters of the school, and perfected through repeated training, which is the swordsmanship. Is mastering the swordsmanship the end? No. Application and actual combat are two different things."

Before Danwoo Seong could finish speaking, Cheolmyeongho staggered and fell on his butt.

dump······.

His face was apathetic. He hated himself for barely understanding Danwoo Sung's difficult words. He probably wouldn't have suddenly understood better after hearing it a hundred thousand times, but he understood.

Cheol Myeong-ho swore with an almost crying expression.

"No, shit… Why is forensics so difficult? Aren't all the martial artists crazy? What the hell is going on? Just live a little. Ah, I get it. I completely understand why these kids are always getting caught up in the magic of the mind. They're just crazy! You crazy kids!"

<The King of Fists, After a Hundred Thousand Strikes> End

ⓒ Eugene Sung

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