Chapter 121 - The Opening (3)

Aaaah~~~ I do believe my head is going to explode~~~~

This isn't fun, and it doesn't look like it'll be a smash hit, either~~~~ Sob, sob...;;;

"Wooo!"

"At last!"

FWEEP, FWEE-FWEEP!

Cheers that seemed to shake heaven and earth, along with shrill whistles, rocked the grounds for some time.

The All-Under-Heaven Youth Sparring Tournament.

The martial tournament that had set young Murim heroes' blood boiling over the past year had finally, officially begun.

But just as Namgung Hye was about to descend to the observers' seats set up immediately below the north side of the platform, someone shouted.

"Please wait a moment!"

A figure mounted the platform a moment later.

He was a slim young man with unusually pale skin and fine, thin eyebrows. He was exceedingly handsome, yet there was something unsettling about him.

"Oh! Isn't that...?"

"That young master is...?"

His appearance caused a great stir among the spectators.

With one foot already on the stairs, Namgung Hye turned to face him. She had met the young man before and knew his name and background.

"What is the matter, Young Master Moyong?"

The young man was Moyong Byeong, the Moyong Clan's representative in the All-Under-Heaven Youth Sparring Tournament.

Moyong Byeong, the Heavenly Net Sword.

He was the eldest legitimate son of the Moyong Clan, the dominant power in Liaoning. But being the clan head's eldest son alone was not what had startled the crowd so.

He had another sobriquet as well.

The Purple Dragon of Liaoning.

It was the first appearance of one of the Nine Dragons that had sent ripples through the crowd.

"I hear that entrants from the major sects and martial clans designated by the Murim Alliance will advance to the finals without fighting. Is that true?" Moyong Byeong asked.

"Yes, and the Moyong Clan is on that list of martial clans. So..."

"I cannot accept such an absurd rule. Have you not considered that a hastily devised rule could undermine this tournament's prestige?"

"..."

Rather than answer his bizarre reasoning, Namgung Hye simply stared at him.

Automatic advancement without preliminaries. It was a rule that could only benefit members of the great martial sects, not harm them.

For the wider Murim community, too, the absence of those sects' successors meant more opportunities and better chances of reaching the finals. They had every reason to welcome it with open arms, and none to oppose it.

Yet here Moyong Byeong was, openly voicing his dissatisfaction with the Murim Alliance's arrangements.

BOOO!

Naturally, the crowd began to jeer, sheltering in the anonymity of their numbers. Moyong Byeong's final sobriquet played no small part in that reaction.

The Lecherous Dragon.

Like a dog in heat, Moyong Byeong had gone around meddling with women all over Liaoning, causing one incident after another. These were not mere rumors: several of those involved, his victims, were here in the crowd.

The jeers did not readily subside.

Namgung Hye made no particular effort to calm the commotion, either.

'One stupid would-be dragon has really gone into heat.'

She already knew why Moyong Byeong had insisted on stepping up as the first combatant and disrupting the proceedings. His lust-filled eyes, as narrow as his fine, thin eyebrows, were roving over her ankles.

'Filthy bastard. You'd freak out if I dropped my trousers here, yet you go swinging your own dick around without a care. Tsk.'

Disgusting though he was, there was nothing Namgung Hye could do about him at present, nor did she see any particular need to keep him in check.

Once the jeers had died down somewhat, she spoke without the slightest change in expression.

"Then what would you have me do, Young Master Moyong?"

Namgung Hye decided to grant Moyong Byeong's wish to show off before her. The fool had nowhere to stick his cock anyway; whether he waved it around or cut it off made no difference to her.

As though he had been waiting for those very words, Moyong Byeong answered at once.

"I request that this temporary provision be revoked, even if only in my own case."

A would-be dragon in heat, just as she had expected.

Namgung Hye gave a faint, incredulous smile, then nodded.

There was plenty of time, after all.

Wouldn't it be quite a spectacle to watch this would-be dragon, roused to lust by spring, rutting about among the insects gathered here? Ha ha, ho ho.

"What a truly splendid idea. Then please do us the honor of opening the tournament's very first bout, Young Master Moyong."

BOOOOO!

As Namgung Hye readily gave permission and stepped down, the crowd erupted in jeers once more. Moyong Byeong swept a fierce glare over the jeering spectators, then lightly cupped his fist toward her.

"My thanks, Lady Namgung."

Then he turned lightly and spoke, looking down his nose at the crowd below.

"You all seem to know me already, but allow me to introduce myself first. I am Moyong Byeong of Liaoning, and it is an honor to open today's All-Under-Heaven Youth Sparring Tournament. Which hero will join me in the first contest to determine who is superior?"

His smiling provocation soon silenced the grounds.

Moyong Byeong knew full well that scarcely anyone in the crowd would step forward to challenge him.

Such was the difference between spectators and participants, between jeering and actual combat.

Anyone could mock and jeer behind the mask of anonymity. Finding the courage to challenge someone with a reputation was another matter entirely.

'Insects are only insects, after all.'

Now settled in the observers' seats, Namgung Hye shook her head. She had expected at least one or two insects to leap out with some spirit. Disappointingly, they apparently lacked even the courage to challenge a would-be dragon.

Time slipped uselessly by.

Bored from the very outset of the tournament, Namgung Hye raised a hand to cover her mouth as she yawned. While she was at it, she tilted her head from side to side to ease the slight stiffness in her neck.

'Hmm? That man...?'

Just then, she spotted a man standing at ease with his arms folded on the distant roof of the Guest Pavilion. Her mouth snapped shut.

It was the man she had encountered on the final day of tournament registration.

Dong Gwangcheon.

Another variable, who had appeared at the Murim Alliance with Eulji Tae on the very day Jong Jihang and Mad Cloud arrived in Zhengzhou.

He had been so ordinary that she could make nothing of him, but something about him had changed. She could not pinpoint exactly what it was. Yet the air he exuded...

In just a few days, he had gone from ordinary to extraordinary.

How?

It happened just as Namgung Hye was studying the rooftop.

THUD.

With a heavy landing, a challenger finally arrived on the platform.

Unlike Moyong Byeong, this man in black robes had a small, agile build and a fierce gleam in his eyes. Most peculiarly, short sabers and daggers hung all over the front and back of his torso.

A strange expression crossed Moyong Byeong's face at the sight of him. It was rather like the look one might wear after swatting a fly off one's head, only for it to settle on the back of it instead.

"Four-Armed Flying Saber. We meet again here."

Though nowhere near Moyong Byeong's equal, Danmok Gu, the Four-Armed Flying Saber, was a fairly well-known rising expert in Liaoning Province. But Moyong Byeong was not frowning merely because they hailed from the same region.

"Indeed, Young Master Moyong. It is a genuine pleasure to see you again after three years."

At the mention of three years, Moyong Byeong looked even more as though he had bitten into shit.

"What happened then was an accident."

"... Did I say anything about that?"

"..."

In truth, Danmok Gu bore an old grudge against Moyong Byeong.

His younger sister had dated Moyong Byeong, only to be discarded. It had not ended there: devastated by the breakup, she had ultimately taken her own life. Danmok Gu had gone to the Moyong Clan to confront him, only to be beaten senseless and dragged out like a dog.

That had happened three years ago.

That brief exchange was enough for the crowd to realize that something had happened between the two.

The grounds grew noisy again.

"Four-Armed Flying Saber! Give it your all!"

"Brother Danmok! Moyong Clan or whatever, smash him to pieces!"

The crowd's cheers further contorted Moyong Byeong's face. He had stepped up to impress Namgung Hye, only to make himself look even worse. To top it off, the entire Moyong Clan had suddenly been cast as something like a common enemy of Murim. He was beginning to wonder whether anyone would have a good word for him even if he won the tournament.

His attempt to show off had left him worse off than before.

Moyong Byeong's gaze turned chilling as he stared at Danmok Gu.

"You will regret this."

"Ha ha ha... Are you saying you intend to kill me? All the better, then. My death would disqualify you."

[1. Anyone who kills an opponent shall be immediately disqualified. All combatants must hold back.]

That was the clause among the newly introduced rules to which Danmok Gu referred.

Moyong Byeong's sharp eyes grew sharper still.

"I do not make empty threats."

Then he charged at Danmok Gu like lightning.

Having already anticipated a surprise attack, Danmok Gu swiftly drew five throwing sabers from his chest in a single motion and hurled them at Moyong Byeong.

CLANG!

Moyong Byeong's sword moved as though shaking out a net, knocking every throwing saber down in an instant. It was the Heaven's Net Sword Art, the pride of the Moyong Clan.

WHOOSH!

Without losing momentum, Moyong Byeong continued his charge.

"...!"

Startled, Danmok Gu retreated sharply. Moyong Byeong was far faster now than he had been three years ago. He had expected improvement, but not a difference this great.

For three years, he had gritted his teeth and devoted himself to revenge. Picturing his younger sister's smiling face, he had thrown his flying sabers and flying swords again and again.