Chapter 335

Woon-jeong striking the brass bowl wasn’t simple rhythm-keeping.

Clang!

When the sound filled with internal energy rang out, the rising stars were flustered.

Their heads hurt as if they were splitting.

“Ugh, it’s sound technique!”

Clang!

Their bodies trembled and their legs lost strength, making it difficult to stand. The rising stars grabbed tables or leaned their bodies against them. Some staggered and fell.

Crash!

Things on the tables spilled over, creating chaos.

Clang! When Woon-jeong struck the brass bowl once more, the rising stars covered their ears in agony.

“The Heavenly Venerate issues vast vows, and if all sentient beings call upon the Heavenly Venerate’s name even once, he will appear before them. Then sentient beings will escape from all suffering.”

Clang!

“Those who know the Dao know when to stop, which means their minds are unmoving. Those who guard the Dao know caution, which means they know how to protect. Those who use the Dao know the subtle, which means they know how to distinguish between what people should do and what they should not do.”

Woon-jeong held the brass bowl and spoon, striking while reciting sutras.

“St-stop!”

“Stop it!”

The rising stars suffered each time Woon-jeong struck the brass bowl. Several had already fallen to their knees.

Not just one, but all nine at once!

Then one person leaped over a table.

It was the Zhuge family youth. Quite fiercely, he bit his lip to draw blood and escaped the sound technique.

The Zhuge family youth drew his sword from his waist while shouting.

“Everyone draw your swords! Stop that…”

At that moment, bang! came a sound.

The Zhuge family youth crashed through a table and was embedded in the floor.

“Guhh…”

His eyes rolled back and he foamed at the mouth.

Jin Ja-gang had broken his arm to lay him down, then was pressing his back with his knee.

As Jin Ja-gang stood up, he spoke quietly but with an intimidating voice.

“If you harbor killing intent and draw a blade, you must pay the price. The reason you’re alive is because you haven’t satisfied either condition yet. Do you understand?”

The rising stars’ faces turned pale.

They couldn’t believe the Zhuge family youth had been subdued in a single move.

But while Woon-jeong briefly stopped his sound technique, one more person moved.

It was Murong Cheon, one of the Three Dragons.

Murong Cheon’s movements were extremely nimble. Murong Cheon gathered his fist at his waist then thrust it toward Jin Ja-gang.

“Die, Poison Dragon!”

Jin Ja-gang extended his left arm and caught Murong Cheon’s fist with his palm.

Thud.

It was a palm technique that had even caught Hundred Step Divine Fist. A heavy sound rang out like hitting a sack of grain as Murong Cheon’s fist was blocked.

Murong Cheon’s face flushed red. He thought he would shatter the palm, but couldn’t give even a bit of shock.

“Gah!”

Murong Cheon kicked at Jin Ja-gang’s solar plexus with his toes.

Jin Ja-gang used only the Whirlpool Impact technique from Three Light Arts and pushed Murong Cheon’s foot away with Inch Force.

Thump!

Murong Cheon’s foot that had been kicking Jin Ja-gang went in reverse, causing Murong Cheon’s head to pitch forward and slam his face into the floor.

Jin Ja-gang stepped on Murong Cheon’s back and crossed his arms.

Then he said to Woon-jeong.

“Please continue.”

The rising stars were completely frozen.

Murong Cheon, whom they had trusted, had been subdued in just two moves.

Originally, some had thought the rumors about Poison Dragon were too exaggerated. No matter how skilled he was, it was hard to believe the rumors that Poison Dragon, younger than themselves, had fought on equal terms with martial world masters.

But seeing today, the rumors were never exaggerated. Originally, everyone here would have had to attack together just to buy time.

“Cow… coward!”

A young lady from Hong Sword Sect shouted. Jin Ja-gang looked at the Hong Sword Sect lady.

“For a master of your level to cowardly use sound techniques…”

Needles flew from Jin Ja-gang’s hands, spinning around.

Whirrr.

“Would you be satisfied if I faced you fairly one-on-one without being cowardly?”

“Th-that’s!”

Jin Ja-gang immediately reached out with Flash Severance technique.

Swish!

Needles embedded in succession at the Hong Sword Sect lady’s brow, below her throat, solar plexus, and above her navel.

The Hong Sword Sect lady couldn’t even move and only opened her eyes wide while making groaning sounds. Her face turned blue.

“Ugh… uhhh…”

Though he deliberately didn’t use poison, the nearby rising stars were startled and moved away from the Hong Sword Sect lady, fearing poison might spread.

Jin Ja-gang felt a strange sensation.

Even though most people here were probably older than him, he didn’t feel that way. Rather, he felt as if he was much older.

What could be the reason?

It couldn’t be just because his martial arts had improved that he felt this way.

Perhaps compared to these people who had their families backing them, Jin Ja-gang was carrying too much burden alone. That might have made Jin Ja-gang into an adult.

They even looked too young to him, so he wasn’t even angry.

Moreover, if these people, these families continued their current course, they would end up dying by someone – whether Taoist Haewol, Shaolin Temple, or anyone else.

Whether Jin Ja-gang lent a hand or not wouldn’t change the situation.

Thinking this way, Jin Ja-gang completely lost the desire to act.

It was ridiculous.

Since these people weren’t threatening to Jin Ja-gang and he thought they were going to die anyway, he didn’t feel like he was dealing with people at all.

Even the Zhuge family – to the Zhuge family, Jin Ja-gang was an enemy, but to Jin Ja-gang, the Zhuge family wasn’t an enemy.

“In the past…”

Suddenly Woon-jeong spoke in a serious tone.

“I didn’t know in the past, but seeing them makes me think. I too might have been like them, or could have become like them.”

The rising stars looked at Woon-jeong with suspicious eyes. What was he trying to say?

Woon-jeong sighed.

“Whew… sound techniques really are the best. I’m glad I learned sound techniques. If I had learned swordsmanship or something, I would have been beaten all the time.”

Woon-jeong looked pleased with himself.

“Well then, since that master hasn’t come yet, I’ll continue reciting sutras until he arrives.”

The rising stars’ faces twisted like they had eaten shit.

“The Heavenly Venerate says…”

But then Jin Ja-gang spoke.

“No. He’s here.”

“What?”

Jin Ja-gang picked up chopsticks that had fallen on the floor. After gathering an armful of chopsticks about two spans long, he went toward the door.

Then he held the chopsticks between his fingers and raised his arm.

Jin Ja-gang lowered his stance and kept his arm raised, ready to strike at any moment while watching the door.

Spin spin spin. The chopsticks rotated between Jin Ja-gang’s fingers.

The room was instantly filled with tension. Even the rising stars swallowed dry saliva.

Woon-jeong had never seen Jin Ja-gang this excited before. His face was flushed.

This wasn’t fear, terror, or nervousness, but something more fundamental. Something like the ferocity or cruelty nested in human nature… anger… such things seemed complexly intertwined in that expression.

Thud thud.

Footsteps approaching the room from far outside the door could be heard.

* * *

“Sir…”

“Shh.”

The Yellow Crane Tower woman guided a Righteous Alliance master to the door then tried to open it. But he stopped her. He even put his finger to his mouth to signal her to stop from speaking.

He stood before the door.

His hair was neatly tied up with a hairpin, and he wore an expensive blue-green silk robe that hung down to his ankles. But under the robe, a glimpse of a wooden prosthetic leg rather than a foot could be seen.

He touched his one-eyed eyepatch.

Throb throb.

He had heard Poison Dragon was here.

But his eye socket ached like crazy. This was a warning of danger and at the same time a sign of joy that Poison Dragon was nearby.

“You’re watching me…”

Beyond the door made of latticed windows and wooden frames.

Six steps, or perhaps seven steps away.

Instantly.

Swish!

A dot flew in through the latticed window in an instant.

He caught the dot flying toward his brow with three fingers – thumb, index, and middle finger.

It was an ordinary wooden chopstick painted with black lacquer. Of course, unlike those seen in markets, it was a luxury version with red and gold patterns carved on it.

Of course, it was still a wooden chopstick. But the internal energy contained in it was by no means trivial. He could tell by the feel when it touched his fingers.

He had grown.

Become stronger.

The mischievous little brat had now grown into a proper master.

No longer the little kid he could have crushed with his fingers, but one who could receive his full effort.

Indescribable ecstasy surged up.

Mang Ryo smiled with a hair-raising face. His hand holding the chopstick trembled finely as he held back from laughing out loud.

With a face baring all his teeth and mouth stretched so wide his lips might tear, Mang Ryo threw the chopstick back with all his might.

* * *

It’s coming!

Jin Ja-gang didn’t move.

Whoosh!

The chopstick that flew from outside the door through the latticed window grazed past Jin Ja-gang’s hair. The chopstick flew straight across the room and out the window. The chopstick disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

Just from that, one could tell what level the opponent outside the door’s internal energy was at.

The corner of Jin Ja-gang’s mouth rose.

Jin Ja-gang threw another chopstick. Once again, the chopstick shot through the latticed window to outside the door.

Crack!

The chopstick pierced through Mang Ryo’s tied-up hair and flew behind. Cut hair fluttered down and his topknot came undone. The chopstick embedded more than halfway into the pillar behind.

Mang Ryo placed his hand on his loosened hair, pulled out his hairpin, and threw it forward simultaneously.

Jin Ja-gang didn’t move this time either. Even though the hairpin tore his earlobe and blood splattered as it passed.

Thud. The hairpin embedded deeply in the wall inside the room.

The rising stars quickly ducked, afraid of being hit by the flying objects.

Jin Ja-gang drew and threw another chopstick.

The chopstick embedded in the upper part of Mang Ryo’s shoulder. At that moment, Mang Ryo grabbed the back part of the chopstick. The chopstick couldn’t penetrate Mang Ryo’s shoulder and stopped there.

Mang Ryo pulled out the chopstick. Blood flowed from the hole in his shoulder.

Mang Ryo threw the chopstick.

But the opponent, Jin Ja-gang, showed no sign of avoiding this time either.

“This bastard…”

Mang Ryo’s smile deepened. Killing intent slowly flowed out.

Thud! Ping! Ping!

The Yellow Crane Tower woman nearby couldn’t understand the situation at all.

Without even entering the room, with a door between them, he was exchanging hidden weapons with someone inside.

The speed was getting faster and faster.

Pop pop pop.

The sound of cutting through wind was sharp enough to sting the ears.

Catching and throwing, then receiving the returned hidden weapon and throwing again.

But if it didn’t seem like it would hit, or didn’t seem fatal, they didn’t dodge.

Thanks to this, Mang Ryo had holes punched throughout his body and was gradually becoming stained with blood.

However, his blood-soaked face was laughing like a demon.

The Yellow Crane Tower woman trembled.

The latticed door where hidden weapons were exchanged was also splattered with blood.

Jin Ja-gang’s body was also soaked in blood. His forehead was torn and blood flowed steadily from his chin to his neck, and there were several holes in his arms and legs.

Chopsticks were even embedded in his thighs and forearms.

The rising stars who had lowered themselves under tables to watch got goosebumps. They unconsciously chattered their teeth in fear.

“Crazy…”

Crazy. They couldn’t be doing this unless they were insane.

What was good about this situation that they were acting like this!

Jin Ja-gang, even while bleeding profusely, was laughing with his eyes rolled back and fangs bared as if enjoying it.