lrTMRYcDQlpveIKq4zOQOGww
jFc87vwJ3TR8FFXYADArycBcYX8gy
ANQx5RP4EiDB5KCId
Chapter 24
Southwest District of Akan-hyeon, Centered on the Baek Family Estate.
The bustling southern quarter, just southwest of the Baek family estate, was once under the control of one of the four dominant factions in Akan-hyeon—the Suhoji Assembly. Now, a carriage rolled through the district, carrying Baek Mu-ryang, his children, and the two heirs of the Jegal Clan—Jegal Seon and Jegal Seolha.
“Brother, if what you said is true, then the dark sects in Akan-hyeon should be thriving. But I don’t see them strutting around like you’d expect?” asked Jegal Seon while peering out the carriage window.
Baek Mu-ryang smiled, pride lighting up his expression.
“The number of dark sect thugs in Akan-hyeon has dropped sharply as of late, Brother.”
“Now that I think about it, didn’t one of the stories you told me about Yang-hwi have to do with those thugs?”
As they chatted, the carriage came to a stop in front of the largest inn located on the southern shore of Yuhang Lake.
Yuwaru, meaning where the flowing waters recline.
Gathered before the inn were the leaders of several martial sects affiliated with the Suhoji Assembly.
“Welcome. I am Yang Garyung, Head of the Suhoji Assembly. And you must be Lord Baek Mu-ryang of the Baek Clan, and…”
The man in the lead trailed off for a moment before continuing with heightened formality.
“You must be the renowned martial master known as The Unmatched Sleeping Dragon—Jegal Seon, heir of the Grand Jegal Clan.”
Though Baek Mu-ryang was clearly the one leading the party, it was Jegal Seon whom Yang Garyung acknowledged first.
Jegal Seon’s brow twitched for a moment, but he let out a hearty laugh.
“That’s right, Head Yang. My elder brother here had some business in this area, and I tagged along for the outing. I do hope I’m not an inconvenience.”
Though his tone was light, his words drew a clear line between host and guest—one not easily crossed.
Yang Garyung had no choice now but to formally greet Baek Mu-ryang.
“Though we reside in the same county, it’s rare that we cross paths. I am Yang Garyung, Head of the Suhoji Assembly and representative of the Yang Clan.”
In terms of age and status, there was no strict need to speak so formally to Baek Mu-ryang. But having used extreme politeness with Jegal Seon, who in turn called Baek Mu-ryang “elder brother,” Yang Garyung had no other option.
“Pleasure to meet you, Assembly Head,” Baek Mu-ryang replied, using respectful but relaxed language—making it clear that he had seen through Yang Garyung’s initial slight.
In that moment, the Baek family secured the first subtle victory in this unspoken contest of authority.
Watching quietly, Yang-hwi caught a glimpse of the expression on Yang Garyung’s face—the kind someone makes after biting into something bitter—and couldn’t help but smirk.
‘Uncle sure knows how to plant a hidden blade in his words.’
The entire exchange had been tipped in the Baek family’s favor thanks to Jegal Seon’s casual but calculated introduction.
No matter how powerful his martial arts, he was still the heir to the legendary Jegal Clan—the famed Sleeping Dragon of the martial world.
“Please, this way. Will the children be accompanying you as well? The participants for the martial contest are currently gathered elsewhere for preparation.”
Baek Mu-ryang looked at his three children and Jegal Seon.
“Brother, I think it’s best if we take Seolha and Yeon-Yeon with us. Let Hwi and So head to the contest grounds separately.”
“Ah, Father! I want to go with my brothers…” Baek Yeon-Yeon whined softly.
But Yang-hwi gently stopped her.
He had caught on to their father’s unspoken reasoning—he didn’t want Jegal Seon to be the only one showing up with a girl beside him. It would draw attention. Bringing Baek Yeon-Yeon helped normalize the scene.
“Yeon-ah, stay with Father and I’ll buy you something tasty later,” Yang-hwi whispered.
Baek Yeon-Yeon blinked, then beamed and nodded.
“You promise!” she mouthed.
And so, Yang-hwi and Baek Heon-So separated from the group and were led off by one of the guides.
“This way, young masters. The other participants are gathered in the rear courtyard.”
The back courtyard was filled with about a hundred children, each warming up with wooden swords or spears.
Even considering that over ten sects made up the Suhoji Assembly, a hundred still seemed excessive. Some of the boys looked as old as fifteen.
Ah, right. The Suhoji Assembly has martial academies too. Must’ve brought their trainees. Let’s see how good they really are…
While none of the children stood out for particularly refined technique, there was one whose raw talent might be worth watching.
As Yang-hwi was scanning the crowd—
“You two from the Baek family, right?”
Four boys walked up and surrounded them. The faint smirks on their faces said it all.
They clearly looked down on Yang-hwi and Baek Heon-So.
‘Looks like their parents filled their heads with stories about us.’
“Let’s hear some names. What’s yours?”
While Yang-hwi remained still, the younger and more naive Baek Heon-So stepped forward and performed a proper martial greeting.
“I’m Baek Heon-So of the Baek Clan! Nice to meet you!”
“I’m Yang Hak of the Yang Clan.”
Unlike Baek Heon-So, Yang Hak didn’t return the greeting.
It was a clear insult. Baek Heon-So’s cheeks flushed red.
Before he could lash out, Yang-hwi gently placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.
“So, the tournament starts soon,” Yang-hwi reminded him calmly.
“Hyung-nim…”
Kids. They’re always like this. Best to put them in their place early so they don’t become a hassle later.
He recalled how Baek Heon-So had been when they first met—brash, rude, and unwilling to acknowledge him as his older brother. But after establishing a clear hierarchy and tossing him a few carrots, the kid had become an obedient and lovable sibling.
Let’s leave it be for now. I’ll make sure he learns his place during the tournament.
Just then, a voice rang out across the courtyard.
“The elders have finished their talks! All young masters participating in the tournament, please follow me!”
Banquet Hall of Yuwaru, Lakeside of Yuhang.
On a hastily assembled stage, the adult guests were enjoying food and drink. Below the stage, two dueling platforms had been set up.
As expected—it’s a spectacle, just something for the adults to enjoy with their drinks. Typical.
“The competition is divided into a junior and a youth division. You can challenge any opponent, and the one with the most wins is the victor.”
A boy raised his hand.
“So we just step onto the platform to issue a challenge?”
“Yes, that’s correct, young master.”
As Yang-hwi was appreciating the simplicity of the rules, Baek Heon-So suddenly stepped onto the stage.
“I challenge Yang Hak of the Yang Clan!”
Apparently, he wasn’t willing to let the earlier insult slide.
It’s still too soon for him…
Though Baek Heon-So had been training for two years, most of it had been with third-rate techniques. He had only started practicing true martial arts a few days ago.
On top of that, Yang Hak was at least three or four years older.
But Yang-hwi didn’t stop him.
Even losing can be a valuable lesson.
At the referee’s signal—
“Haaap!”
Whack! Whack-whack!
As expected, Baek Heon-So didn’t win.
“The match is over! Victory goes to Yang Hak! Baek Heon-So has dropped his weapon!”
Still, he didn’t go down easily.
He fought well enough to shake Yang Hak’s confidence and wear him out.
Not bad, kid. You’ve grown quite a bit these last few months.
Compared to his previous life—not even worth comparing.
Looking up at the VIP seats, Yang-hwi saw Baek Mu-ryang smiling with pride.
Baek Heon-So returned to Yang-hwi’s side, dragging his feet, his face gloomy.
“I’m sorry, Hyung-nim…”
“Huh? For what?”
“I stepped up first… and lost. I’ve embarrassed the family name.”
“Before anyone thinks that, they’ll admire your courage for challenging someone older. Besides…”
Yang-hwi chuckled softly and patted his younger brother’s head.
“So what if you made a mess? I’ll just wash it clean.”
With a light tap of his toes, Yang-hwi launched into the air and flipped cleanly onto the dueling platform.
“Hooh! That was impressive.”
“His footwork’s no joke.”
“He’s young enough for the junior division… Has he been specializing in movement techniques?”
Hearing the murmurs from the onlookers, Yang-hwi lightly swung the wooden sword resting on his shoulder.
“So you’re Yang Hak from the Yang Clan, right?”
Though he had clearly bulked up in the past few months, Yang-hwi had once been a beggar. As such, he was still rather small for his age—while Yang Hak was unusually large, even for someone his age.
So when a kid who looked two years younger spoke to him so casually, Yang Hak’s expression soured.
“Cocky little brat.”
“You’ll know if it’s cocky or not once we cross swords.”
“Hah, just like they say—ignorant pups don’t fear the tiger.”
Yang Hak gave a slight sneer and leaned in, speaking in a hushed tone so the elders couldn’t hear.
“You’d better be ready to lose a limb. I’ll teach you some manners.”
But Yang-hwi only grinned in response.
‘Now, how much should I show?’
He had two goals for entering this martial contest.
First—win the tournament and earn a reward from Jegal Seon.
Second—
‘Raise the Baek family’s standing and reputation. It’s hard to grow power overnight, but if people start whispering that a hidden dragon resides in the Baek Clan…’
“Both participants, ready yourselves,” the referee announced. “The match begins the moment the coin touches the ground.”
Yang-hwi nodded, having decided how much to reveal.
The coin flew high into the sky, glinting under the sun. And the moment it landed—
Clang!
A sharp, vibrating hum rang out beneath the clear blue sky. It sounded like an enraged hornet flapping its wings furiously.
Thud.
Just like that, the duel was over.
“Uh… Uhm… Since Young Master Yang Hak has lost consciousness… the victory goes to Young Master Baek Yang-hwi!”
Neither the children watching nor the elders seated above could fully grasp what had happened. There was no applause, no cheers—only silence.
Then, Baek Mu-ryang murmured under his breath.
“Realm of Phoenix Wings…”
The phrase was part of a note in the secret scroll Record of the Heaven-Covering Sword—the manual passed down from Yeo Hyuk.
If the practitioner condenses the first three forms of the fifty-four techniques into a single slash, the blade will flutter like the wings of a Phoenix. This is known as the Realm of Phoenix Wings.
‘Hwi… have you already reached the third phase of the Heaven-Shrouding 108 Sword Arts?’
It had only been two weeks since Yang-hwi mentioned he had reached the first phase.
And now, the third?
Baek Mu-ryang could only be astonished by his son’s talent.
“How… how could a child that age have such speed?”
“Did you see that slash? It was fast enough to make the blade sing!”
“He’s eight years old—how does an eight-year-old defeat a fifteen-year-old?!”
One by one, murmurs of disbelief turned into admiration.
And Jegal Seon, among them, had his eyes wide open, staring intently at Yang-hwi.
Standing amidst everyone’s stunned gazes, Yang-hwi gave a cheeky grin and launched himself into the air again.
He landed lightly on the teen division’s stage—just beside the one he had stood on before.
“It seems I don’t have any more worthy opponents in the junior division,” he said. “Might any of the elder young masters be willing to give me some guidance?”
The division between the junior and youth brackets was drawn at age twelve—the typical age when physical growth begins in earnest.
And now, this eight-year-old was openly challenging opponents up to fifteen years old.
The crowd once again erupted in murmurs.
“His technique was impressive, but this is just reckless…”
“Challenging someone up to seven years older? He’s just being cocky.”
“Seven years? That’s almost double his age! Haha.”
But Yang-hwi didn’t flinch. Instead, he pointed directly at one of the larger boys in the crowd.
“You there, big guy. Care to cross swords with me?”
The boy snorted.
“You beat Hak, and now your nose is in the clouds.”
“Hm, what’s your relation to Yang Hak?”
“I’m Yang Yeom of the Yang Clan. Hak is my younger brother.”
His brother? What are the odds? How convenient.
Yang-hwi gave a sly smile.
“Young Master Yang Yeom. If you don’t accept, everyone here will think you’re scared of an eight-year-old.”
“Hah!”
Yang Yeom leapt onto the stage.
“This works out just fine. I’ll avenge Hak right here.”
The referee gave the signal.
Yang Yeom charged instantly, far faster than his brother had been. His wooden sword arced through the air with surprising strength.
“Take this!”
---The End Of The Chapter---
Love the story💖? Read 20 chapters early, skip the ads, and help keep the translation going!
Comments