The Farmer Who Ended Up Teaching the World’s Greatest Martial Artist - Chapter 54

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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 54

 

“Four people, just like yesterday?”

 

“The number is the same, but the members are different.”

 

“Different?”

 

“Three are the same. Only one has changed… I don’t know who it is. It’s someone I’ve never seen before.”

 

At Ju Yu-ryeon’s words, Yoo Eun-hyun wondered who might have been replaced. Since Seong Jung-hyeok and the veiled woman would definitely be there, it meant either Ji Heun-dong or Gong Yeo-ak had been replaced.

 

Indeed, Yoo Eun-hyun’s guess was correct – the three familiar faces among the four were the same three from yesterday, excluding Ji Heun-dong.

 

“I hope we’re not interrupting when you’re busy with work.”

 

Seong Jung-hyeok spoke with affected courtesy, but Yoo Eun-hyun brushed the dirt off his clothes as he replied.

 

“Not at all. I was just trying to relax a bit.”

 

“You seem so relaxed that I wonder if you think this duel is nothing special.”

 

At Seong Jung-hyeok’s words, Ju Yu-ryeon thought that might actually be true and burst into laughter.

 

Indeed, he looked so relaxed that anyone would think he was underestimating his opponents, and Seong Jung-hyeok seemed slightly offended. But Yoo Eun-hyun glared at Ju Yu-ryeon once as if telling her not to muddy the situation, then spoke politely.

 

“You know I’m bold by nature.”

 

“I suppose it could appear that way. Fine. It doesn’t matter. If you can afford such leisure, should I assume you’re fully prepared?”

 

“Of course. You may begin immediately.”

 

When Yoo Eun-hyun nodded, his group and Seong Jung-hyeok’s group split apart and took positions on opposite sides of the wide, untended grassfield.

 

“I am Gong Yeo-ak, who will serve as observer and witness for this duel.”

 

Gong Yeo-ak stood in the center, looking at both sides as he introduced himself. Since he was officially a neutral official in martial arts matters, it seemed he had been chosen to witness this affair.

 

“In this duel, each side will send out three fighters. If one side kills an opponent, they lose. The side that wins twice overall will have their proposed terms accepted. I will give both sides documents outlining the conditions. If you agree to everything, please affix your seals.”

 

After carefully examining the documents Gong Yeo-ak handed over, Yoo Eun-hyun passed them to Soo Hwa-seon and Ju Yu-ryeon for confirmation.

 

Soo Hwa-seon and Ju Yu-ryeon quickly skimmed through them before handing the documents back to Yoo Eun-hyun. But Yoo Eun-hyun simply remained still, and seeing this, Gong Yeo-ak approached him to ask.

 

“Is there some problem with the document’s contents?”

 

“The document is fine. But there seems to be an issue with fairness.”

 

“If there’s a problem, please tell me. I’ll correct it.”

 

“That’s what doesn’t seem fair.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Gong Yeo-ak asked back, but Yoo Eun-hyun turned his gaze from Gong Yeo-ak to address Seong Jung-hyeok.

 

“Councilor Gong serving as observer and witness happened without regard to our wishes.”

 

What Yoo Eun-hyun wanted to say was clear.

 

In a way, Gong Yeo-ak was no different from a judge for this matter, but his exact relationship with them was still unknown. However, recalling yesterday’s events, the possibility that Gong Yeo-ak was on their side couldn’t be completely ruled out.

 

“I am an official. I only follow principles and rules – I don’t take anyone’s side unilaterally.”

 

Perhaps thinking his honor had been impugned, Gong Yeo-ak frowned and spoke sharply. But Yoo Eun-hyun still shook his head.

 

“Considering what happened yesterday, I can’t simply trust that.”

 

“That was because of documentary issues…”

 

“When the documents favored them, you took their side, but when documents favorable to us appeared, didn’t you step back saying it wasn’t your concern? What guarantee is there that you won’t take their side again if it becomes advantageous to them?”

 

“That’s…”

 

Gong Yeo-ak started to respond to Yoo Eun-hyun’s question but quietly closed his mouth. Since Yoo Eun-hyun’s words weren’t wrong, he had nothing to say.

 

“So what exactly are you demanding?”

 

Finally, Seong Jung-hyeok, who had been listening, stepped forward.

 

At Seong Jung-hyeok’s words, Yoo Eun-hyun spoke as if it were obvious.

 

“Since you brought someone to serve as witness, wouldn’t it be fair for us to bring people to serve as witnesses as well?”

 

“That’s fine, but who exactly…”

 

Seong Jung-hyeok’s group, who had been speaking up to that point, noticed something and urgently turned their heads toward the opposite direction from where they had come. At the same time, two people emerged from inside.

 

“Heh heh. We’re not late, are we?”

 

“It would be troublesome if we were late. Indeed.”

 

One of the two was a middle-aged man wearing gleaming blue Taoist robes with a well-groomed beard. The other was a bald middle-aged man whose clothes were torn and full of holes, making him look exactly like a beggar.

 

A Taoist and a beggar should have been an incompatible combination, but there was one pairing where they would fit together.

 

“A Taoist and a beggar… The Nine Sects and Cheonmu Alliance?”

 

Seong Jung-hyeok’s face, which had never once been troubled until now, immediately crumpled as he spoke with hostile eyes and voice.

 

“Oh my, have you forgotten me already? Seong Jung-hyeok? We’re both getting old together, so how can your memory alone be so hazy?”

 

The bald beggar with his head impressively gleaming in the high sun’s light acted familiar with Seong Jung-hyeok while speaking playfully.

 

Seong Jung-hyeok stared intently at the beggar, then finally seemed to recognize him and acknowledged him.

 

“Right. Hong Ju-gwi. It was you. Has it been about five years? I didn’t recognize you because all your hair fell out.”

 

“This bastard? That damp, roundabout insulting nature of yours is still the same.”

 

“What brings you, who should be begging for food at the Cheonmu Alliance, all the way to this mountain village?”

 

Seong Jung-hyeok and Hong Ju-gwi seemed acquainted but not on good terms, growling at each other as they conversed.

 

Thinking about it logically, they couldn’t possibly be on good terms. Then the Taoist standing beside Hong Ju-gwi stepped forward.

 

“Heh heh. Nice to meet you for the first time, Vice-Leader Seong. This poor Taoist is called Yu Yeop.”

 

At Yu Yeop’s self-introduction, Seong Jung-hyeok paused for a moment, then bit his lip slightly and muttered quietly.

 

“Deputy commander of the Jio-dae…”

 

At Seong Jung-hyeok’s muttering, not only Yoo Eun-hyun but also Ju Yu-ryeon looked surprised as they turned to Soo Hwa-seon.

 

The Cheonmu Alliance had a total of five major units.

 

There was Jeongeum-dae that fought with Cheonhwang Paewundae, Cheonya-dae where Son Jin-won served as commander, and Jio-dae was one of them as well.

 

While he had somewhat guessed that Soo Hwa-seon was plotting something, he never thought that Cheonmu Alliance masters would suddenly appear here.

 

“Is this your doing? This is our affair – how could you bring in outsiders?”

 

Seong Jung-hyeok, who also seemed completely unprepared for this, immediately turned his head to reproach Soo Hwa-seon.

 

But since this had all been discussed yesterday, Yoo Eun-hyun answered calmly.

 

“Weren’t you the ones who entered someone else’s house first? From our perspective, you’re all the same outsiders. Then shouldn’t we bring in outsiders who benefit us?”

 

“The martial arts world has its laws. The side that claims something first has priority.”

 

“I’ll return those exact words to you.”

 

When the agitated Seong Jung-hyeok brought up laws uncharacteristic of a Mado-in, Yoo Eun-hyun snorted and said the same thing back to him.

 

After all, it had already been determined that Yoo Eun-hyun was the owner of this house from the past, so weren’t they the ones who had dragged this matter this far?

 

Finally, taking a long breath to calm his excitement, Seong Jung-hyeok spoke quietly again.

 

“The neutral way of stirring up fights and just watching from behind is still disgusting.”

 

“We’re the ones doing the dueling, so I don’t think we need to hear such words. As I mentioned before, we merely brought them as mediators.”

 

“…We’ll also discuss this among ourselves for a moment.”

 

Hearing Yoo Eun-hyun’s words that they at least wouldn’t have others fight in their place, Seong Jung-hyeok stepped back as if retreating. Meanwhile, Yu Yeop and Hong Ju-gwi approached Yoo Eun-hyun’s side.

 

“Thank you both for your help. I am Yoo Eun-hyun.”

 

“Heh heh. Nice to meet you, Young Hero Yoo. Rather, our alliance has received help. We’ve been able to make contact with them so easily. And I wanted to see Young Hero Yoo once as well.”

 

“Pardon? Do you know me?”

 

“I heard a little from Commander Son. Heh heh. We’ll discuss that part after this matter is finished…”

 

If he had heard from Son Jin-won, he would know about Yoo Eun-hyun. He didn’t know if the relationship with So Bi-won had been mentioned, but as Yu Yeop said, it wasn’t a conversation for now. Yu Yeop turned his head and briefly greeted Soo Hwa-seon and even Ju Yu-ryeon along with Hong Ju-gwi.

 

“I’d like to provide some other helpful information, but we haven’t been at the house long either, so we don’t have much information to offer.”

 

“Not at all, madam. You did well to request our cooperation. You never know what those Mado bastards might suddenly do, so we’ll serve as a deterrent. And we’ve also gained the ability to come here and investigate, so it’s killing two birds with one stone. Actually, no matter how much I think about it, there’s nothing here that they would want, yet the fact that they’re here was the biggest reason.”

 

“I was curious about that too. The rumors say they came looking for gold veins, but… if such things existed, we who have lived here longest would have known. I just happened to hear rumors that Heukryeon Trading Company’s upper management was continuously interested, so I thought maybe and sought out people from the righteous path, and it worked out.”

 

“Hmm. You did well. Especially Heukryeon Trading Company and Chukho-bang don’t move without Ma-gyo’s orders. There’s definitely something here that they want.”

 

When Hong Ju-gwi lowered his head as if deep in thought, his gleaming head shone even brighter.

 

‘Something the Maegyo Followers want… I feel like there was a similar situation before.’

 

“We also have conditions!”

 

Just then, Seong Jung-hyeok stepped forward as if their discussion was finished. Since the two were mediators, Yoo Eun-hyun was still the representative, so he also stepped forward.

 

“Please speak.”

 

“If the Cheonmu Alliance warriors are merely mediators, we’ll acknowledge that. But we cannot allow them to watch this duel.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“You must know that they and we are enemies. Then we would have to show our martial arts to them while dueling, which naturally cannot happen.”

 

This time Seong Jung-hyeok’s words also made sense, so Yoo Eun-hyun fell into thought for a moment.

 

While Yoo Eun-hyun who would be fighting could accept it, from Seong Jung-hyeok’s perspective, it was natural not to want to show his martial arts to Yu Yeop and Hong Ju-gwi, who were open enemies and could fight at any time.

 

“So what do you want to do? You’re not telling us to withdraw now, are you?”

 

“If telling you to withdraw would make you withdraw nicely, you wouldn’t be beggar bastards. You must also swear that you absolutely won’t interfere in this duel and will accept the results.”

 

“As long as you Maegyo Followers don’t pull any underhanded tricks, we have no intention of interfering. And we are also martial artists. We won’t unilaterally overturn results decided by duel.”

 

When Hong Ju-gwi nodded as if it were natural, Seong Jung-hyeok turned his head toward Yoo Eun-hyun this time.

 

“I take it that you also agree that if there’s any external interference in this duel or if you refuse to accept the results, you’re prepared to face any consequences afterward.”

 

“That’s correct.”

 

Seong Jung-hyeok turned his head back to Hong Ju-gwi and Yu Yeop.

 

“And as I mentioned earlier, we cannot allow direct observation of the duel. You’ll have to rely on sensing the energy from an unseen location.”

 

“That’s ridiculous!”

 

Hong Ju-gwi immediately shouted and glared, but surprisingly, Yu Yeop beside him restrained Hong Ju-gwi.

 

“That will do. However, so we can intervene immediately in case of emergency, we’ll watch from a place where only our sight is blocked. Would that be acceptable?”

 

At Yu Yeop’s proposal, Seong Jung-hyeok glanced toward his companions and nodded.

 

“Very well.”

 

No sooner had he answered than Seong Jung-hyeok returned to where his companions were. Hong Ju-gwi and Yu Yeop approached Yoo Eun-hyun’s group.

 

“The situation has become unfavorable. I’m sorry we couldn’t be of greater help.”

 

“Not at all. Just having you come here has been a great help. It’s enough.”

 

At Yu Yeop’s words, Soo Hwa-seon smiled as if she understood everything and expressed her gratitude. Seeing this, Yu Yeop and Hong Ju-gwi also smiled without saying anything else.

 

And Yoo Eun-hyun also bowed his head to the two men in thanks.

 

“Thank you both for your help.”

 

“Think nothing of it. We’ll be staying nearby. Well then.”

 

After receiving farewells from Yoo Eun-hyun’s group, Yu Yeop and Hong Ju-gwi readily accepted Seong Jung-hyeok’s proposal and disappeared into the forest using lightness skills.

 

Though they weren’t visible to the eye, deliberately revealing their presence to pressure Seong Jung-hyeok, their energy could be felt very strongly from close by—at this distance, it would be no different from watching the duel, just without seeing it directly.

 

Once the situation was settled, Yoo Eun-hyun handed the signed documents to Gong Yeo-ak, who had agreed to remain as the on-site mediator, then approached Soo Hwa-seon and Ju Yu-ryeon.

 

“Did things go according to plan?”

 

“It’s a bit different from what I expected, but this is sufficient. Though we made verbal promises, since the Cheonmu Alliance masters—who are more dangerous enemies than us—are here, they’ll inevitably have to hold back some strength and won’t be able to give their all. That should work in our favor, don’t you think? And now we have people who can resolve any unpleasant incidents that might occur during or after the duel, so there won’t be any complications.”

 

At Soo Hwa-seon’s words, Ju Yu-ryeon nodded in agreement but asked with a puzzled expression.

 

“Honestly, I thought they’d give up the duel when the Cheonmu Alliance masters revealed themselves.”

 

“Hmm. Actually, I was hoping for that too… It seems something more precious than I thought is at stake in this duel—precious enough that they can’t back down.”

 

When Yeo U-hui spoke while glancing toward where Seong Jung-hyeok was, Yoo Eun-hyun also nodded slightly.

 

“That Chukhoban vice-leader really seemed to want to go through with it, didn’t he? I wonder if there’s someone higher up pulling the strings?”

 

“Who knows. But now that we’re going to duel, let’s just focus on winning.”

 

Yoo Eun-hyun nodded lightly in agreement with Soo Hwa-seon’s words and approached Seong Jung-hyeok.

 

“We agreed that your side would designate the opponents. Does the order matter?”

 

“It doesn’t matter. We’ve already decided who will fight whom. Now, who will come out first?”

 

With those words, even the wind seemed to hold its breath as silence fell and tension circulated between the two men.

 

The duel was finally about to begin in earnest.

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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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