The Farmer Who Ended Up Teaching the World’s Greatest Martial Artist - Chapter 55

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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 55

 

Yu Yeop and Hong Ju-gwi, who had left their seats at Yoo Eun-hyun’s suggestion, settled on a hilltop at an appropriate distance.

 

It was an exquisite location where they were nearby but couldn’t see the sparring match. They could secretly watch if they wanted to, but Seong Jung-hyeok wasn’t someone who wouldn’t notice even that much, so they didn’t bother trying.

 

“Deputy Leader. Do you think they can win?”

 

There was a reason Hong Ju-gwi asked Yu Yeop this question. Though the two were close friends of similar age and rank, Yu Yeop had higher martial arts prowess, having entered the Yeonhwa-gyeong realm.

 

Yu Yeop seemed lost in thought for a moment at Hong Ju-gwi’s question, then nodded his head.

 

“If it were a single match, the Euiseonsu-ga side might have been at a disadvantage, but pushing for a best-of-three seems to have worked in their favor.”

 

“Is that so? No matter how famous the first daughter of the Cave Blood Master was as a prodigy, it’s been over 20 years, and seeing her living in seclusion in a place like this…”

 

Hong Ju-gwi trailed off. As if sensing his thoughts, Yu Yeop spoke first.

 

“Ju-gwi. I understand your concerns. It’s because of that veiled woman, isn’t it?”

 

“I can’t hide anything from you. Yes, that woman definitely bothers me. I could at least sense the internal energy of the others, but I couldn’t gauge that woman’s strength at all.”

 

“It was the same with my perception.”

 

“…You couldn’t judge her either?”

 

Hong Ju-gwi’s eyes widened as he asked again at Yu Yeop’s words.

 

“Then…”

 

“At the very least, she’s a master who has reached the Yeonhwa-gyeong realm. And if she’s such a master…”

 

“She’s likely a Maegyo Follower. Is there definitely something here?”

 

“Wouldn’t there be a reason we were dispatched here?”

 

“That’s true, but… Deputy Leader. No, Master Yu. Are you perhaps hiding something?”

 

Hong Ju-gwi looked at Yu Yeop and asked, but Yu Yeop nodded as if it were obvious and readily admitted it.

 

“Of course there is. Originally there wasn’t, but something came up.”

 

“I suppose you can’t tell me what it is.”

 

Knowing Yu Yeop’s character well—that he would have spoken up already if it were something he could share—Hong Ju-gwi smiled bitterly and didn’t press further.

 

“Let’s look around while watching the outcome of the match.”

 

“We should. Things seem fine for now, but… we should be ready to jump in if necessary, right?”

 

Yu Yeop answered Hong Ju-gwi’s question with a smile instead of words. The two began focusing their senses on the sparring location while keeping their eyes on the broad slopes of Mount Taishan.

 

*

 

Since Yoo Eun-hyun’s group had already decided on the order of fights, Yoo Eun-hyun turned his head back and gave a signal.

 

Ju Yu-ryeon stepped forward with light movements, puffed out her chest, and spoke confidently.

 

“I’m Ju Yu-ryeon of the Euiseonsu-ga. Who’s my opponent?”

 

Speaking with a spirited expression, Ju Yu-ryeon seemed overflowing with confidence without a trace of fear. Seeing that Ju Yu-ryeon didn’t appear nervous at all, Yoo Eun-hyun looked at their opponents with a relieved expression.

 

Wondering who would come forward, he looked at Seong Jung-hyeok, the veiled woman, and the stranger he was seeing for the first time, but there seemed to be no movement from their side.

 

Only the unfamiliar man was fidgeting as if he might or might not move, looking restless, which made Yoo Eun-hyun inwardly puzzled.

 

‘What’s this?’

 

Seong Jung-hyeok looked at the hesitating man, let out a light sigh, then struck the man’s back as if telling him to go forward.

 

“Uh, ahhh!”

 

Even his scream came out timidly and hesitantly as the man staggered forward and faced Ju Yu-ryeon. The young man of moderate height and quite thin build seemed completely lacking in confidence, appearing nervous.

 

But regardless of that, he didn’t look weak as a person.

 

The young man, who seemed to have been forced out by Seong Jung-hyeok’s push, stared intently at Ju Yu-ryeon in front of him. Finding it frustrating that he wasn’t saying anything, Ju Yu-ryeon placed her hand on her hip and spoke.

 

“Aren’t you going to reveal your name?”

 

“Chukhoban’s Small Leader. Ho Won-jik.”

 

At Ju Yu-ryeon’s urging, Ho Won-jik hurriedly cupped his fists and bowed his head with an “oh right” expression.

 

“Nice to meet you. Shall we start right away?”

 

Since they already knew each other’s purposes, Ju Yu-ryeon immediately suggested they begin, but Ho Won-jik looked flustered at her words and said,

 

“Be, before that, I have a proposal.”

 

“A proposal? What kind of proposal?”

 

“If I win… co, come with me.”

 

“What? I think I misheard something?”

 

But perhaps Ho Won-jik’s proposal was beyond imagination, as Ju Yu-ryeon asked back with a dazed expression.

 

At that moment, everyone present had similar expressions.

 

“That habit never gets fixed even with age…”

 

Only Seong Jung-hyeok muttered while holding his head as if troubled. Judging by Seong Jung-hyeok’s reaction, Ho Won-jik seemed to act like this often. As if confirming this, Ho Won-jik spoke again.

 

“I like you.”

 

At these rather shameless words, Ju Yu-ryeon seemed to come to her senses and burst into a hollow laugh. Toward Ho Won-jik, who maintained his silence, Ju Yu-ryeon continued,

 

“Go ahead and try if you can.”

 

Ju Yu-ryeon’s words were cutting, but Ho Won-jik must have had quite thick skin, as even after hearing such words, he twisted his lips into a smile as if he liked her even more.

 

“Th, then I’ll take that as acceptance.”

 

At Ho Won-jik’s shamelessness, Ju Yu-ryeon also chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.

 

“If you’re going to make a bet, you should wager something too. I’d only lose if I lose, so what idiot would propose such a stupid bet?”

 

Ju Yu-ryeon’s words were completely correct, so everyone present, even Seong Jung-hyeok, nodded in agreement.

 

“If there’s something you want, te, tell me. If it’s what you want, I’ll accept anything.”

 

Whether he couldn’t think straight, Ho Won-jik immediately spoke, and Ju Yu-ryeon seemed pleased.

 

When she glanced at Seong Jung-hyeok, he seemed to have been looking for a chance to intervene and spoke as if he’d been waiting.

 

“What do you mean anything goes, you fool. That woman-chasing habit is exactly like your father’s. This is why I didn’t want to bring you, and sure enough, you’re causing trouble. This is different from usual. Don’t think unnecessary thoughts.”

 

Seong Jung-hyeok spoke to Ho Won-jik in a stern tone, as if warning him.

 

“But Uncle…”

 

“Didn’t I tell you to call me Vice Leader when we’re outside? This isn’t Chukhoban territory. Don’t think everything goes your way.”

 

“If, if I win, wouldn’t it be fine…?”

 

“What if you lose? When you don’t even know what the other party will wager? What if Chukhoban suffers great damage because of that?”

 

As Seong Jung-hyeok said, if this were Chukhoban territory, even if something happened, they could cover it up with Chukhoban’s power, and they had actually done so several times.

 

But this place was where Chukhoban’s influence didn’t reach much, and their opponents were the Euiseonsu-ga, one of the Seven Major Sects. This wasn’t a place where they could brush things off as a joke if something went wrong.

 

“But…”

 

“Win the sparring match first, then think about it. If you win, they’ll look at you differently too.”

 

Though Ho Won-jik pouted as if displeased, he couldn’t disobey Seong Jung-hyeok’s words and reluctantly nodded. Seeing this, Ju Yu-ryeon stuck out her tongue slightly as if to tease him and said,

 

“Maybe I’ll meet with you once if you really win.”

 

“Go, good. I’ll win and make you kneel directly…”

 

Ho Won-jik clenched his fist as if making a resolution.

 

Though there had been quite a few incidents, it finally seemed like they were properly ready to fight.

 

“Huuuu…”

 

Straightening his slouched posture slightly, Ho Won-jik regulated his breathing and began crudely drawing up his internal energy from the start. Since Ho Won-jik was the one in a hurry, this was natural.

 

Seeing this, Ju Yu-ryeon drew a slender soft sword from her waist. Though the soft sword didn’t look particularly sturdy, when Ju Yu-ryeon infused it with internal energy, it began emanating a light-like sharpness.

 

“The other side doesn’t have a weapon?”

 

“Chukhoban’s specialty is fist and foot techniques. It’s a martial art called Continuous Kick Breaking Fist.”

 

When Soo Hwa-seon answered Yoo Eun-hyun’s question, Yoo Eun-hyun looked at Ho Won-jik with interest. Indeed, just from the energy he was gathering, it seemed like a very powerful martial art.

 

Thwack!

 

And as expected, Ho Won-jik moved first.

 

He put his arms behind his back and charged at Ju Yu-ryeon in the peculiar stance of having his hands clasped behind him.

 

Ho Won-jik jumped up slightly and launched a side kick toward Ju Yu-ryeon. It was an attack filled with a sound like cutting through air and whip-like sharpness, but Ju Yu-ryeon skillfully twisted her body and easily dodged Ho Won-jik’s attack.

 

But as if that wasn’t the end, Ho Won-jik spun his body and launched an upward kick with his opposite foot. When Ju Yu-ryeon lightly dodged even that, he immediately followed with a downward kick, showing his preparation. His movements were smooth and agile, making even observers hold their breath.

 

“Oh… that’s flashy?”

 

The subsequent chain of kicks was impressive enough to make even Yoo Eun-hyun, who was watching, exclaim in admiration. The clean execution proved that Ho Won-jik’s training level was considerable.

 

“Hehe, better than I thought? I should get a little nervous?”

 

Ho Won-jik’s attacks were more fierce than expected, drawing admiration from Ju Yu-ryeon’s side as well. But that was brief, as Ju Yu-ryeon continued her provocation.

 

“Well, since you can’t charm women with words, a guy like you would need to be good at something like this to meet women. Of course, it’s the worst of the worst methods for charming women.”

 

Despite the continued provocation, Ho Won-jik seemed focused, showing no change in expression as he continued his series of attacks.

 

Whoosh!

 

“What!?”

 

And then, Ju Yu-ryeon, who had been dodging Ho Won-jik’s series of attacks well, cried out in shock and hastily twisted her body.

 

Ho Won-jik’s steady series of attacks had suddenly twisted and flown toward Ju Yu-ryeon.

 

Having missed that flow, Ju Yu-ryeon couldn’t help but be momentarily flustered.

 

Not missing that opportunity, Ho Won’s eyes gleamed as he immediately rushed toward Ju Yu-ryeon.

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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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