Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 148

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 148. What Comes First (3)

“Wooooah!!”

The cheers echoing from the waiting corridor were louder than those from the audience.

Namgung Gwan swung his fist and shouted.

“Congratulations, Elder Brother!”

His terrifying vocal power was almost deafening, but the Moyong Sisters couldn’t complain about the noise.

‘He really won!’

Moyong Su Jeong’s face, colored with intense emotion, was flushed red.

‘He really won!’

Though her faith in her younger brother had never wavered, now that he had actually won the Late-Stage Expert tournament, her heart was trembling.

‘Father, Mother.’

She thought of her deceased parents.

It seemed like her two parents, whose faces she could no longer even remember, were smiling brightly.

‘Bi Ah has done it.’

If she weren’t the Family Head, she might have shed tears.

“Congratulations!”

“Congratulations, Family Head.”

The Jegal Siblings offered their congratulations to Moyong Su Jeong as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Moyong Su Jeong bowed her head.

“Thank you.”

“Haha, it looks like the Family Head should treat us to a big drink today, right? There’s no celebration like this one, is there?”

Jegal Lin smacked the back of her elder brother’s head.

“The Family Head is the one who’s happy, so why should she buy us drinks?”

“We couldn’t have won without our support!”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Even the Jegal Siblings’ banter was pleasant to watch.

“Congratulations, Family Head.”

Seok Woong, who had been standing far away with Kang Geun Cheong, approached with a face that looked ready to cry and offered his congratulations.

Moyong Su Jeong grasped Seok Woong’s hands.

“Chief Administrator, you’ve worked so hard.”

Tears welled up in Seok Woong’s eyes.

He hadn’t expected the usually composed Moyong Su Jeong to even hold his hands. The child he had treated like a nephew had gone through so many hardships to become Family Head, and it felt like this one moment compensated for everything.

“What have I done to deserve such words? You’re the one who has worked hard, Family Head.”

“It’s because the Chief Administrator has supported the Main Family House all this time that today exists.”

“Hehe.”

He wanted to say no, but no more words came out. If he opened his mouth now, he felt like he would burst into tears.

While everyone was immersed in joy.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen him.’

Neung Hyeong’s eyes were particularly sharp as he watched Moyong Bi’s back.

‘That sword technique that flows like silk.’

He recalled when he had fought that bastard.

‘Damn it! What’s the name of that sword technique?!’

‘Shut up and take one more strike!’

‘Crazy bastard, really!’

His spear technique was merciless yet persistent, and his sword technique was gentle yet extremely fierce.

The match was already decided when his heart was pierced by the spear, but at the end, that sword technique even took his head.

‘How irritating.’

Just then, Moyong Su Hyang muttered.

“I see.”

Glancing at his nemesis’s bloodline, she was muttering something with hazy eyes.

“Flame Dragon Blade… The flow is different, but that continuous technique… It’s not just fast and passionate… Fundamentally, gentleness must come first…”

It was clear she had realized something.

Neung Hyeong felt disgusted.

‘That bastard’s bloodline for sure.’

In the life-and-death battle with that bastard, he had definitely dominated at the beginning. Even though Demonic Energy didn’t work, there was clearly a difference in the level they had reached.

But as time passed, that bastard caught up to him, and by the end, they fought a truly close match.

Strictly speaking, even until the very end, that bastard was one step below him.

That made it even more remarkable. Not only did he cling on until the end with inferior skills, but he grew like a madman in the middle, jumping levels, and eventually won.

If he had been better than me in every aspect, I might have been jealous but wouldn’t have wanted to avoid him.

‘Still…’

Do I also have the blood of a warrior that I cannot abandon?

‘I want to fight him again.’

Even after death, he had replayed the fight with that bastard countless times.

There were definitely regrettable aspects, and even in his half-conscious state, he had gained what could be called enlightenment.

Perhaps with his current self, he could beat that bastard.

‘…Conversely, that bastard might beat me again.’

Forget it, let’s not talk about it.

‘Damn, even if I want to fight, it has to be possible with this body.’

While each person was either smiling or lost in thought.

‘Phew!’

Moyong Bi, who had sighed inwardly, smiled brightly.

“…Damn, finally one hundred thousand silver is in my hands.”

Winning was natural.

What he wanted was money. Once he got the prize money, nothing else mattered.

Just then, Hong Wi from across spoke up.

“What was the name of that sword technique?”

“Hmm?”

“Won’t you tell me the name of that sword technique that defeated me?”

Though the medics had hurried to take him down, he stood proudly in that spot until the end and asked.

At first glance it looked like excessive blood loss, but in reality, aside from his whole body stinging, it couldn’t even be considered a serious injury.

“It’s called Gold Shadow Blade.”

“A blade like a silk shadow… It truly suits it well.”

“Your swordsmanship was also considerable.”

Hong Wi spoke with a drained face.

“Considerable… I see.”

It should have been evaluated as not just considerable but extremely threatening. Though he hadn’t achieved great mastery, let alone half of it, his master had said that Swift Wind Continuous technique was no less than the martial arts of the Nine Great Sects.

Hong Wi turned around.

“I’ll request another sparring match later.”

I won’t accept it, you brat.

Moyong Bi, who couldn’t deliver a fatal blow to the defeated opponent, looked toward the organizers.

Jeong Gal Ryun and Lee Mu Ho, the head of Gold Flower Trading Company, walked over.

Lee Mu Ho’s face was still dark. Having to congratulate the winner on the duel stage where his child died must have been unbearable.

But he was a great merchant who ruled Hubei. Sometimes there were times when he had to smile even while shedding tears of blood.

“Congratulations.”

Moyong Bi silently cupped his fists.

Lee Mu Ho’s face became even more complicated as he looked at him.

Though he was a half-abandoned child, this damn bastard had apparently humiliated his daughter.

Even if she was a lacking child, a child is still a child. Moreover, since she was a daughter who bore the name of Gold Flower Trading Company, he couldn’t help but be angry.

If the bloodlines of Namgung Clan and Jegal Clan hadn’t been there, he would have immediately called this bastard over and given him a beating.

In the midst of it all, when he heard that it was his daughter’s fault, far from giving a beating, he had to apologize instead.

And he didn’t miss this opportunity.

“Before congratulations, I heard you had some trouble because of my worthless daughter recently. As a father, I’m sorry I couldn’t come apologize in advance.”

“It’s fine.”

It wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear.

Lee Mu Ho suppressed his rising anger and spoke.

“For this tournament, we didn’t announce the prize publicly. We didn’t want to be evaluated as worldly.”

In fact, given the nature of sparring tournaments that determine who’s stronger, it could be considered quite worldly even without prize money.

But ordinary people don’t think that far. It’s Jianghu martial arts business, after all.

Moyong Bi understood him.

Of course, understanding and expectations were somewhat different.

‘More than a hundred thousand nyang? They’ll give more, right?’

Lee Mu Ho smiled bitterly and said.

“I’d like to give prize money, but since we want to avoid being called worldly, giving prize money would be a bit much, wouldn’t it?”

“…What?”

What kind of bullshit is this?

To the dumbfounded Moyong Bi, Lee Mu Ho delivered a solid blow.

“However, I’ll give you a treasure no less valuable than prize money. As you know, if Mu Dang Faction provided the previous tournament’s prize money, this time we’re providing the prize.”

“Pr-prize, you say?”

Lee Mu Ho looked at Jegal Ryun.

Jegal Ryun, as if he’d been waiting, untied something from his back.

The cloth-wrapped object clearly looked like a sword at first glance.

“Unwrap it.”

“…”

“Moyong Sohyeop?”

“Yes? Ah…”

Seeing him bewildered, Jegal Ryun smiled.

So even this young man who showed inhuman insight could be flustered. Rather, this side of him seemed more human and pleasant to watch.

“Take it.”

Moyong Bi received the long cloth-wrapped object with trembling hands.

‘Crazy, no way.’

As he unwrapped the cloth, a sword revealed itself.

Lee Mu Ho shouted toward the audience.

“We present the North Wind Sword to the winner, Young Master Moyong Bi!”

The audience was shocked.

“N-North Wind Sword? You mean that North Wind Sword?!”

“Wooooah!”

“The Alliance Leader has truly shown great generosity!”

North Wind Sword.

The North Wind Sword was the personal weapon of Pae Hong, who had achieved great merit in the past war against Seongheolgung, a famous sword comparable to any divine weapon.

Moreover, Pae Hong had served as Hyeon Mu Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance and died in battle at the end of the war, becoming tremendously popular among civilians as a martyr who fought until his death.

Naturally, the value of the North Wind Sword was immeasurable. The sword itself was remarkable, but combined with the fame and popularity of the person who wielded it, it was recognized as a masterpiece that couldn’t be obtained even with a thousand gold.

Everyone looked at Moyong Bi with envious eyes.

Though he used spear and blade techniques, the North Wind Sword was still an amazing gift. It could be said to be more valuable than receiving hundreds of thousands of nyang.

Of course, not for Moyong Bi.

‘Hey! You crazy bastards!’

North Wind Sword? Of course I know it.

I was the one who bestowed this sword upon Pae Hong.

‘Damn it! How am I supposed to sell this?!’

Pae Hong was indeed a wonderful man as rumored, and from the Alliance Leader’s perspective, he was an exemplary subordinate and soldier.

That’s exactly the problem.

If he had been a vicious bastard instead, I could have secretly sold it as stolen goods. There’d be no chance of getting caught, and even if I did, I could just say I sold it because I needed money.

Since everyone would know I received it instead of tournament prize money, there wouldn’t be anyone snooping around unnecessarily.

But since it was the sword that Pae Hong held and wielded, no matter how desperate for money, I can’t sell it.

‘Ugh.’

He was furious inside.

Logically, if they gave prize money in the previous tournament, they should naturally give prize money in this tournament too, right?

‘Isn’t that proper business ethics?!’

Of course, he couldn’t show that frustration.

This place wasn’t just for displaying my personal martial prowess, but also for Moyong Family’s reputation.

Moyong Bi inwardly shed tears of blood as he bowed his head toward the audience.

At his modest greeting, the audience cheered with envy and jealousy mixed in.

The Moyong Family people clapped with emotional eyes, the Namgung Siblings with infinitely joyful hearts, and the Jegal Siblings with simple congratulatory feelings toward Moyong Bi.

Only Neung Hyeong, who seemed to understand Moyong Bi’s feelings somehow, burst into breathless laughter while holding his stomach, but no one understood his laughter.

* * *

“Truly remarkable.”

At a distance where even masters of internal energy, let alone ordinary people, would have difficulty properly observing the duel stage.

On the roof of a very tall building, a man spoke with an indifferent face.

“Who would have thought Moyong would win.”

“Why? Is it exciting?”

It was a voice like jade beads rolling on a tray, but somehow mischievous undertones emerged.

The man shook his head at the woman’s question.

“It’s just kids fighting anyway. That level won’t set my heart on fire.”

“I get blood rushing to the top of my head just watching back alley thugs fight?”

The man glanced at the woman.

The woman, nearly as tall as the man with bold features, had an appearance that anyone would call a strong-charactered beauty.

But the man didn’t forget the cruelty and violence hidden within her appearance.

Even right now, wasn’t she reeking of blood?

“No killing during missions.”

“I got a little excited.”

“Did you touch Murim Warriors?”

“If scoundrels who learned rat-tail amounts of internal energy count as Murim Warriors, then I suppose they were Murim Warriors?”

The woman licked her hand.

She seemed to have washed it clean, but reddish energy still remained.

The man shook his head as if pathetic and turned his gaze back to the duel stage.

“Other things aside, that Moyong fellow’s blade techniques are quite surprising.”

“Oh? Enough for you to say that?”

“I’d have to observe properly to know for sure, but it’s no less than our sect’s first-class demonic arts.”

The woman’s eyes widened.

“That much? Wasn’t Moyong Family destroyed?”

“It certainly was.”

“Didn’t they say those guys didn’t have a single decent martial art left? That Ho Yeon Clan took everything away?”

“Who knows. Maybe there were martial arts hidden from Ho Yeon Clan.”

“If so, they would have conquered Hubei long ago. What kind of seed are those bastards.”

“There’s also the possibility they deliberately hid their strength.”

“Would that really be the case?”

“What happened with the Huobei Alliance?”

“What do you mean what happened? They were annihilated.”

“Good.”

The man turned his body.

“We’re going back.”

“Can’t we play around a little more?”

The woman pouted her lips as she watched the man launch his body into the empty air without even responding.

“He’s still so finicky. Makes me want to kill him.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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