Chapter 187

Taoist Bok-cheon looked at his disciple Woon-jeong.

Woon-jeong, who still didn’t understand why Jin Ja-gang and Taoist Bok-cheon were confronting each other, was tilting his head while reading the mood.

Taoist Bok-cheon turned his head away with an “Eying!” as if his insides were bursting.

“Fine.”

Taoist Bok-cheon’s permission was granted.

“While you’re within Qingcheng’s embrace, I’ll ensure no one can harm you!”

Only then did Jin Ja-gang acquiesce.

“I gratefully accept.”

“However!”

Taoist Bok-cheon’s killing intent had not yet subsided. Taoist Bok-cheon smiled with even thicker killing intent.

“I’ll have to confirm whether you had the qualifications to block my way.”

Jin Ja-gang seemed to have already anticipated this and didn’t refuse.

“You’re quite demanding with conditions.”

“I’m also impatient by nature.”

Taoist Bok-cheon lightly lifted the tree branch and waved it.

“You once, me once. We’ll exchange hands for a total of three rounds. If you don’t take a single step from where you stand now until then, I’ll forgive you.”

“I have no intention of seeking forgiveness, but I suppose I have no choice but to accept.”

“That’s right. If you refuse, I’ll drive you out immediately.”

“If I fail?”

“It’s fine. It’ll just end with you getting beaten. I’m not so heartless as to seriously compete with a young pup.”

“If I succeed? No, let me be precise. What happens if I push you back, Taoist?”

“That will absolutely never happen.”

“All those who blocked my path with all sorts of wickedness said the same thing at first.”

“So what? Did they all end up defeated by you afterward, groveling on the ground and looking up at you?”

Taoist Bok-cheon even giggled with laughter.

“Where did you learn such petty threats that only ruffians use…? What a badly spoiled brat.”

“Please grant me one request.”

“Giggle giggle.”

“Of course, if you think you’ll lose, you may stop.”

“Giggle.”

Woon-jeong knew that this was the laughter that came out when Taoist Bok-cheon was in a very bad mood, so he trembled with fear.

“M-Master. Please…”

“I told you to shut up! This one and that one!”

Taoist Bok-cheon shouted at Woon-jeong behind Jin Ja-gang while pointing with the tree branch. But suddenly Jin Ja-gang thrust his fist toward Taoist Bok-cheon’s solar plexus. Taoist Bok-cheon spun the tree branch in his hand and swept away Jin Ja-gang’s wrist.

Jin Ja-gang didn’t overextend and withdrew his hand.

“First round.”

“…!”

Jin Ja-gang had already declared that one round out of three had passed!

Everyone couldn’t help but be surprised by such brazenness.

No, more than anything, Taoist Bok-cheon was a senior who was decades older than Jin Ja-gang. To treat such a senior’s failure to yield the first move as having made the first attack would greatly damage Taoist Bok-cheon’s dignity.

Bian Bu retreated further back with Soso.

“Oh my, hmm. This seems rather dangerous…”

If they kept making Taoist Bok-cheon angry like this, there was no telling how much worse the atmosphere might become.

Woon-jeong also hiccupped in surprise.

“Hiccup.”

However, Dan Ryeong-gyeong said nothing. There would certainly be a reason why Jin Ja-gang was showing such an attitude.

Taoist Bok-cheon asked Jin Ja-gang incredulously.

“Are you joking?”

“I’ve been serious from the start.”

“How dare you use petty tricks in front of me? You’re turning something that could end with a few beatings into something that invites greater anger?”

“Petty tricks? Do you think it’s proper to do other things while facing an opponent, Taoist Bok-cheon?”

Taoist Bok-cheon’s face became increasingly distorted. However, there was still some laughter remaining. Laughing with a twisted face made him look much more grotesque.

“If you’re serious, I’ll respond seriously too. Make your move.”

“There’s no need for you to yield unnecessarily.”

“Ah, shall I? This is Qingcheng’s very ordinary Seventy-Two Wave Sword, and I’ll let you taste just the first sixteen swords of it.”

Taoist Bok-cheon began swinging the tree branch. Jin Ja-gang opened his eyes wide and watched the movement of the tree branch. The tree branch that had been flying in gentle arcs suddenly dropped.

Thwack!

Jin Ja-gang couldn’t even react properly and was hit on the shoulder. The moment he turned his head to check, he was hit in the same spot once more. As soon as he grimaced from pain, the tree branch moved and struck Jin Ja-gang’s thigh.

Thwack!

His thigh went numb as if hit by a blunt club. His leg stiffened and he almost staggered backward without realizing it. However, Taoist Bok-cheon’s sword technique didn’t rest.

The tree branch immediately came up and struck his waist. Jin Ja-gang’s breath was completely blocked. When he extended his left arm to block the tree branch with his hand, it precisely struck the second joint of his index finger.

The moment he felt the pain of his finger breaking, Jin Ja-gang already felt a burning sensation in his wrist joint. The pain as if his wrist would fall off immediately followed.

If he just kept taking hits like this, this round would pass.

Jin Ja-gang gritted his teeth. While interfering with the tree branch’s path with his left hand, he extended his right hand.

However, Taoist Bok-cheon struck Jin Ja-gang’s left kneecap, making his body tilt to the left. By striking the ankle bone, he made Jin Ja-gang’s foot lose strength and completely collapse to the left.

Not stopping there, he spun the tree branch and struck the right jaw of Jin Ja-gang who was sitting down. Jin Ja-gang forcibly extended his right hand and stabbed toward Taoist Bok-cheon’s solar plexus with his fingertips.

A clear striking sound rang out from the empty right ribs.

Thwack!

It wasn’t enough to break the ribs, but it was a strike that seemed likely to crack them. Jin Ja-gang’s right hand, which had been stabbing toward the solar plexus, automatically stopped and his arm curled up.

Thwack thwack thwack! Thwack!

Right above the eyebrow. Behind the ear. The end of the collarbone. The ligament where the forearm bone and upper arm bone of the elbow connect. The very center of the back of the hand running down the middle finger. The protruding iliac bone just below the waist.

He had truly chosen to strike all the places that could instantly incapacitate Jin Ja-gang.

Stagger!

Jin Ja-gang’s arms and legs bent like a swastika and he almost fell over. Only at the last moment when Taoist Bok-cheon struck the iliac bone did Jin Ja-gang barely succeed in grabbing the tree branch.

What was even more surprising was that this had all happened in a very brief moment. It meant that in the blink of an eye, with a series of thwacks, Jin Ja-gang had been one-sidedly beaten.

He hadn’t managed even a single counterattack worthy of the name and had only barely managed to grab the tree branch that Taoist Bok-cheon had been using as a weapon. Jin Ja-gang held onto the tree branch and endured to avoid falling. If Taoist Bok-cheon had simply let go, Jin Ja-gang would have fallen over.

However, Taoist Bok-cheon, perhaps feeling a trace of mercy, held on and waited for him.

Still, it was very difficult for Jin Ja-gang to restore his body to its original state.

Taoist Bok-cheon had deliberately chosen to strike only Jin Ja-gang’s joints and bones. These were places that would hurt even if struck by an ordinary person, but having been struck with force by a master who had learned martial arts, the pain would be tremendous.

Moreover, after being hit in joints and bones to that degree, anyone would find it difficult to stand. The fact that Jin Ja-gang was still standing was remarkable in itself.

Grind grind grind, grind!

Jin Ja-gang gritted his teeth with all his might and endured. His arms and legs shook madly. He held onto the tree branch and squeezed out strength to the very end.

Tremble tremble tremble.

Even though his body wouldn’t have proper strength, Jin Ja-gang endured while trembling, on the verge of falling, with his arms and legs collapsing.

Bian Bu, Soso, and Woon-jeong watched this with expressions of horror, shrinking back.

Taoist Bok-cheon said as if spitting out the words.

“The first sixteen swords. If you can accomplish this in one breath, only then will you be treated as human in Qingcheng. The Seventy-Two Wave Sword contains seventy-two sword techniques in one breath. Of course, I already mastered the Seventy-Two Wave Sword twenty years ago.”

This meant that if Jin Ja-gang endured, next time he would have to withstand seventy-two attacks like the one just now!

The onlookers felt so sorry for him that they wanted to tell him to stop.

However, Jin Ja-gang ultimately endured. He regained his balance from collapsing sideways, straightened his body, then bent forward and supported himself by placing his hands on his thighs.

“Huff! Huff, huff…!”

In the meantime, Jin Ja-gang’s entire body had become drenched in sweat. The places he had been struck were now beginning to bruise, with dark blue bruises appearing in various spots.

Woon-jeong shouted.

“Poison Dragon benefactor! Please stop now. No one will say anything if you stop!”

Taoist Bok-cheon glared at Woon-jeong while speaking to Jin Ja-gang.

“Now, this round has passed. What will you do? In the third round, I’ll fully deploy the Seventy-Two Wave Sword as promised.”

Jin Ja-gang wiped his sweat-soaked hair with his stiffened hand and answered.

“Of course we must… huff, complete the promised three rounds, mustn’t we?”

“I’ll acknowledge your tenacity at least. However, if you’re hit in the same places once more, you’ll surely be unable to use your arms and legs for life. Moreover…”

Woon-jeong shouted from behind.

“The Seventy-Two Wave Sword contains hidden killing techniques! Poison Dragon benefactor, please stop here. If you fail to block even one killing technique, you will surely die!”

However, Jin Ja-gang asked back as if mocking Woon-jeong’s dissuasion.

“So what?”

“What?”

“Since my skills are lacking, I’ve never thought I could survive against an opponent. So what does it matter whether it’s a killing sword or not?”

“Th-that’s…”

When Woon-jeong stammered, Taoist Bok-cheon cut off Woon-jeong’s words.

“This fellow is right. You stupid disciple, learn well. These are the eyes of someone who has rolled around the martial world until sick of it. This young one has quite thoroughly navigated through battlefields – his eyes are full of venom.”

“Ah…”

Woon-jeong could say no more and closed his mouth. He realized how seriously Jin Ja-gang was approaching this fight – no, not just seriously, but truly fighting with his life on the line.

“Let’s proceed to the third round.”

At Jin Ja-gang’s words, Taoist Bok-cheon sent a look telling him to wait a moment and asked.

“Before that, let me ask. You said you had one request of me – what is it?”

When Jin Ja-gang didn’t answer, Taoist Bok-cheon demanded again.

“You couldn’t even block a single second of the sixteen swords just now. Once I execute the Seventy-Two Wave Sword, you won’t last even a moment and will die. If you die, I’ll never be able to hear what your request was, won’t I?”

Jin Ja-gang answered nonchalantly.

“If I win, you can hear it.”

“Since that won’t happen, I’m asking. You met me for the first time today, so why are you risking your life to ask me to grant a request? Is it perhaps something like asking me to commit suicide myself, or to take revenge on your behalf?”

Suddenly Jin Ja-gang showed a mocking expression.

“Are you afraid? If you’re worried about what request I might make after you lose, you shouldn’t have accepted it in the first place.”

It was the same tone as before. Constantly provoking him saying if that’s how it was, he shouldn’t have done it from the beginning, so Taoist Bok-cheon also became irritated.

“Incorrigible.”

“This is the third round. Please make your move.”

Taoist Bok-cheon became even angrier and his face turned red. He had made the first attack twice against a youngster who wasn’t even a match for one second. But if he was told to make the first attack until the very end, naturally even if Taoist Bok-cheon won, it would be difficult for him to hear good words from others.

No matter how much the Taoists of Qingcheng Sect didn’t care about others’ gazes and did as they pleased, there were proprieties that had to be observed in the martial world.

“Insolent brat!”

Taoist Bok-cheon shouted. However, he didn’t make a move but suddenly put his hands behind his back.

“Seeing how you keep scratching my pride, you must have some scheme, so go ahead and try to your heart’s content! Whether it’s poison or whatever, before you die, do everything without leaving any future troubles and then die! Hurry up and make your move!”

Taoist Bok-cheon was no fool.

He knew what Jin Ja-gang wanted. Yet avoiding it was something his pride would no longer allow!

This was truly a trap that Jin Ja-gang had set, one that he had to fall into even knowing it.

Only then did Jin Ja-gang grin, baring his teeth.