“Hehehe, ow! Hehe…”
Baek Woo Jin was dumbfounded as Jegal Yeon Ji, who was cradled in his arms, kept laughing and then wincing in pain over and over again.
“Can’t you just pick one?”
“Hehe…”
It seemed she had decided to just keep laughing.
As he made his way to the infirmary hall to show the bleeding Jegal Yeon Ji to the physician, the image of Yoo Hwa Yeon from before they left the stage came to his mind.
She didn’t look well either.
Unless she has reached a level where she can freely control her internal energy, making any recovery in her current state would be nearly impossible. She had twisted her body unnaturally to dodge the attack and even launched a powerful counterattack, so it was hard to imagine how bad her internal condition must be.
At the very least, competing in the Dragon and Phoenix tournament will be difficult.
Her internal injuries were not something that could be healed in such a short time. Even if she decided to compete, she would struggle to display even half of her usual strength.
She’ll handle it well enough.
In the memory of “Baek Woo Jin”, she was a capable woman. She wouldn’t ignore the severity of her internal injuries and cause bigger problems for herself.
Besides, she also has that Gong Soo.
Since he was the young master of the Namgong clan, he would likely have plenty of medicine effective for treating internal injuries, so if she wanted it, he would give it to her without hesitation.
But…
There was one thing that concerned him more than anything else. It was the final attack she had delivered after sustaining those internal injuries.
It had been a highly irritable and emotional attack. If she had considered the extent of the internal injuries she would suffer, it would have been enough just to aim her sword at Jegal Yeon Ji’s neck instead of launching a full technique. So why did she make that choice?
They seemed to be talking about something before the match… Could it be…?
The thought crossed his mind that they might have exchanged some harsh words, so he glanced down at Jegal Yeon Ji.
“Heheh… hehe.”
“Haha.”
No way, that couldn’t be it.
Baek Woo Jin was certain that this pathetic creature couldn’t have angered someone to that extent.
When they arrived at the infirmary hall, he gently laid Jegal Yeon Ji down before the attending physician.
The physician carefully examined the wounds on her arms and legs, then looked up without much concern.
“She’s lost a fair amount of blood, but the wounds aren’t too deep.”
The physician instructed a passing nurse to bring warm water and clean cloths, then handed Baek Woo Jin a jar of healing ointment.
“Soak the cloth in the water the nurse brings and clean her wounds. Then, apply this ointment evenly to the injured areas.”
“…You want me to do that?”
When the flustered Baek Woo Jin asked again, the physician told him to look around.
When he turned his head and observed his surroundings, he noticed quite a few patients lying on the beds. Judging by how they were all clutching their stomachs, it seemed like they might have all come down with food poisoning at the same time.
“It seems that some of the food stalls used spoiled ingredients. Because of that, the infirmary is on the brink of being overwhelmed. I hope you can understand.”
Looking at the patients groaning around him, it was clear that there was nothing he could do.
“I understand.”
“Kyaah!”
As soon as he responded with a nod, Jegal Yeon Ji who was lying down let out a shriek of delight.
Seeing her like that, Baek Woo Jin quickly pushed the physician who had a somewhat bewildered expression on his face.
“Come on now, the patients are waiting. Don’t mind us and go about your work.”
“Th-Thank you.”
The physician left just as he was pushed, and once they were alone, Baek Woo Jin glanced at Jegal Yeon Ji who was sneakily watching him and spoke up.
“Miss Jegal.”
“Yes…?”
“Are you a pervert?”
“Hieup!”
What is this? Why does she seem to be expecting it?
Seeing her face flush red as if she liked it even more, Baek Woo Jin subtly shifted away from her slightly.
An awkward silence stretched between them until the nurse returned. She put down the basin of warm water and the cloth and left quietly.
“Let me see your arm.”
“Yes.”
Jegal Yeon Ji eagerly extended her arm, as if she had been waiting for this. Baek Woo Jin couldn’t help but laugh. She was a woman he couldn’t quite bring himself to dislike.
He soaked the cloth in water and gently wiped away the dried blood that had crusted over like a scab.
“Ah… ooh…!”
Soft coquettish moans kept pricking at Baek Woo Jin’s ears, though he couldn’t tell if they were from pain or pleasure.
“Can’t you stop making those sounds?”
“S-Sorry….”
When she looked at him with those moist pleading eyes, something stirred within him; it was a strange desire to tease her. He quickly shook his head, tried to dispel the thought, and began reciting a Buddhist scripture in his mind.
Maha Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra….
He felt that if he let himself slip now, he might open a door to a whole new world.
After finally wiping away the blood on her arms and legs, he applied the healing ointment. His fingers made direct contact with her wounds, which caused her moans to grow louder. This made it even harder for him to keep his composure.
“There, all done.”
“Mmhh…”
Jegal Yeon Ji got up from her seat with a disappointed look on her face.
“Let’s go eat.”
He said that in an attempt to ease her disappointment, and Jegal Yeon Ji followed with a smile.
***
The Dragon and Phoenix Gathering had begun.
Baek Woo Jin who was standing on the martial stage exchanged a glance with his opponent Hwangbo Jun Geol who was staring at him with a determined expression on his face.
During the preliminary matches, his aura had been as wild and sharp as the fangs of a beast, ready to tear everything apart, but now it had become much more subdued.
“I’ve been waiting for this day.”
The reduction in his outward sharpness only made the blade honed inside him even sharper.
“Begin the match!”
Hwangbo Jun Geol, who stood a head taller than Baek Woo Jin, lowered his gaze to meet his opponent’s. Like a predator waiting for its prey, his calm aura was betrayed only by the menacing force in his outstretched fist.
“Good.”
Baek Woo Jin couldn’t help but admire him.
The atmosphere and attitude around him had changed so dramatically since they first met that Baek Woo Jin found himself starting to appreciate it.
“Since it seems you’ve handled the first task well enough—”
Instead of reaching for the sword at his waist, Baek Woo Jin moved his hand toward the gourd at his side.
While the audience, the key figures of the Moorim Alliance, and even Hwangbo Jun Geol all wore puzzled expressions, only Jegal Yeon Ji and Shin Ye Hwa were struck with shock.
As Baek Woo Jin opened the lid of the gourd, a rich aroma of alcohol spread across the martial stage.
At that moment, Hwangbo Jun Geol’s brow furrowed.
“I suppose it’s time to give you a second lesson.”
With those words, Baek Woo Jin poured the liquor from the gourd into his mouth.
“What, he’s drinking on the martial stage?”
“Tsk, tsk. He’s nothing but a madman.”
Some were left speechless, others criticized him, and some were so dumbfounded they couldn’t say a word.
Meanwhile, Hwangbo Jun Geol remained in his stance and showed no change in expression.
Though he was slightly surprised, he had known from the start that his opponent was an unpredictable man capable of anything on the martial stage.
A hiccup slipped from Baek Woo Jin’s lips. In contrast, his eyes grew more focused and calm than ever before.
The contrast between his eyes and mouth made Hwangbo Jun Geol swallow hard.
As I thought, this is someone I can never underestimate.
Every action he took caused his opponent to drop their guard. It was so light and frivolous that even he felt it was enough to justify his own carelessness during the preliminary match.
The same was true now. Even though he was staggering as if he were drunk, he wasn’t affected in the slightest by the jeers and criticism that filled the air around him.
“Haaah!”
A single breath filled with internal energy has many advantages.
The shout, expelled from his lower abdomen, made his muscles harder and led to a momentary increase in strength.
Not only that, but the fierce roar occasionally diminished the opponent’s momentum. It was similar to how herbalists or mountain men would unknowingly fall to the ground when they heard a tiger’s roar in the mountains.
While the second effect seemed ineffective against the opponent in front of him, the first effect added enough explosive power to Hwangbo Jun Geol.
Hwangbo Jun Geol’s foot slammed into the ground with enough force to leave a mark on the stage as he closed the distance, his fist hurtling toward Baek Woo Jin’s vital point with ferocious speed.
Like a paper doll fluttering in a strong wind, Baek Woo Jin’s body swayed. It was so natural that it created the illusion that Hwangbo Jun Geol’s fist had intentionally missed him.
This extremely fluid movement rendered Hwangbo Jun Geol’s attack ineffective before it even made contact.
“Softness overcomes hardness.”
It was almost identical to the movement Baek Woo Jin had shown in the previous round of 16 against the daughter of the Peng clan.
“Hmph!”
Hwangbo Jun Geol snorted loudly and continued to throw punches without hesitation.
The Hwangbo clan was known for their ironclad stubbornness. If their opponent avoided their attacks, their response was simple:
Just keep attacking until they get hit!
This mentality was what shaped the Hwangbo clan. Decades ago, their persistence had played a great role in elevating the clan to the ranks of the Five Great Clans, but now, this very trait was leading to their decline.
Time flowed constantly and change came with it, but they refused to adapt, clinging only to the past. Their decline too was part of the inevitable flow of time and change.
Hwangbo Jun Geol had an extraordinary affection for his clan. This was why it pained him more than anyone to see his clan deteriorate with each passing year.
It was often said that the physical exertion between the attacker and the one evading is as different as night and day.
As if to prove this, both men were sweating but the amount of sweat pouring from Hwangbo Jun Geol far exceeded that of Baek Woo Jin.
“Is this really a martial match?”
“Fight properly, Baek Woo Jin!”
– Booooo!
One side attacked relentlessly, while the other evaded without end. The crowd erupted in jeers at the lopsided spectacle; most of their scorn was directed at Baek Woo Jin who focused solely on avoiding the attacks.
Watching Hwangbo Jun Geol pant and come to a stop, Baek Woo Jin finally spoke.
“Do you understand the second lesson now?”
Hwangbo Jun Geol caught his breath and glared at him. If the intention was to make him realize the shortcomings of his clan’s martial arts, then he was gravely mistaken.
“You think I don’t know that our clan’s techniques are not flexible?”
“Of course, you know. But nothing has changed, right?”
“If it could change overnight, it wouldn’t be called a problem.”
He had a point. A problem is something that weighs on your mind precisely because it isn’t easily solved.
However, problems can also be resolved in an instant with a flash of insight, even after hundreds or thousands of days of contemplation.
“The Hwangbo clan is currently in a steep decline.”
Hwangbo Jun Geol’s eyes turned fierce.
“Are you trying to disgrace my clan?”
“Just stating facts… I mean, the truth, aren’t I, you fool?”
As he faltered, Baek Woo Jin continued.
“If you want to revive your clan, you should doubt everything.”
“What do you mean by doubt everything?”
“Everything. For example, your clan’s martial arts.”
Hwangbo Jun Geol’s thick eyebrows twitched.
Doubting the clan’s martial arts was akin to denying the entire history of the Hwangbo clan.
“You bastard…!”
He felt humiliated. The very fact that he had even slightly listened to the words of such a man made him feel deeply ashamed.
He raised his fist again.
Seeing Hwangbo Jun Geol charge at him like an enraged boar, Baek Woo Jin sighed.
“Are you really that scared of having your martial arts questioned?”
“Shut up!”
His breathing was erratic, his strength was overexerted, and his upper body and lower body were moving out of sync. He was full of openings.
For the first time, Baek Woo Jin who had been solely evading moved in close to Hwangbo Jun Geol.
“As long as the spirit of the founder’s martial arts remains intact, isn’t that all that matters?”
“Ugh…!”
Baek Woo Jin’s fist slammed into Hwangbo Jun Geol’s stomach and made him groan in pain.
“Urgh!”
It was a counterattack that used the momentum of his opponent’s charge, so the impact was tremendous.
Baek Woo Jin approached Hwangbo Jun Geol as he struggled to stay on his feet with his face flushed red.
“Do you think change is just about throwing around flashy words? You have to change everything that can be changed.”
At that moment, Baek Woo Jin’s fist struck Hwangbo Jun Geol’s exposed chin.
Thud!
With a resounding crack, Hwangbo Jun Geol’s massive body crashed onto the floor of the martial stage.
“Baek Woo Jin wins!”
The moment Baek Woo Jin’s victory was declared, the audience who had been jeering just moments before fell silent. Then, one excited audience member shouted out.
“Drunken, it’s the Drunken Fist!”
When the people started to go wild with excitement while claiming the legendary Drunken Fist had been revived, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.
How quickly they changed from jeering to raving about the drunken fist and all.
Baek Woo Jin glanced at Hwangbo Jun Geol, who was still collapsed on the martial stage, with a bitter smile.
Though he hadn’t lost consciousness, he was staring into empty space with eyes that seemed to be filled with deep contemplation.
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