Chapter 49
Was all that boasting about winning really empty talk?
Geum-myeong and Eun-myeong quickly caught up to the children who had surged ahead.
The adults watching from the pavilion let out exclamations.
“The Mysterious Cat Technique, Myo-Yeong-Yu-Bo (Cat Shadow Leisure Walk)!”
“You’ve truly raised your children well, Master Myo!”
“Meow!”
Hearing the distant cry, Geum-myeong shrugged proudly and leaped into the group of children running ahead of him.
He began tripping anyone in his path, sending them tumbling.
“Ahhh!”
“What’s going on?!”
“Eek!”
Children who fell under Geum-myeong’s feet rolled over the stones.
Those who narrowly avoided his kicks were caught by Eun-myeong’s Geum-Na-Soo.
“Ah! My duck egg!”
Thwack!
One child dropped a duck egg, clutching their wrist in pain, frowning in despair.
The crying child turned the arena into chaos.
Eun-myeong’s next target was Deung So-so, who was chasing Nam-gung Baek diligently.
Eun-myeong’s eyes sparkled.
“This will be easy!”
As he leapt into the air using Myo-Yeong-Yu-Bo, he aimed to snatch the wooden ladle from Deung So-so’s hand.
Whoosh!
Deung So-so twisted lightly, evading the maneuver.
But that wasn’t all.
“How dare you!”
She let out a high-pitched shriek and extended her fingers threateningly.
“Yikes!”
Startled, Eun-myeong jumped back.
If the strike hit a pressure point wrong, it could paralyze her completely.
Tch!
Deung So-so withdrew her finger in frustration.
“I’ll deal with you properly soon enough!”
Eun-myeong muttered through gritted teeth.
Pfht!
Failing to strike, Deung So-so spat on the ground forcefully, realizing, it seemed, that Nam-gung Baek was nearby.
“You’d better count your luck, Myo Eun-myeong!”
Casting a glance around to see if anyone had noticed, Deung So-so called out fiercely and surged forward again.
Hong-seol, glancing back, was impressed.
“Wow! That Deung So-so is amazing!”
Instead of shrinking back, she was boldly countering Eun-myeong.
She must be about the same age, yet she’s not only skilled in martial arts but also fearless!
“I want to be like that too!”
With a small wish in her heart, Hong-seol picked up her pace.
Amid all this chaos, the children at the front kept calmly running toward the finish line.
The leader, as expected, was Nam-gung Baek.
Following him were Nam-gung Heuk, and Hong-seol disguised as an opponent, chasing alongside a group of children.
About halfway through, Nam-gung Baek suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.
‘Huh? Why is my brother stopping?’
As the trailing children tilted their heads in confusion, a telepathic message from Nam-gung Baek reached Hong-seol’s ear.
– When I say, jump straight up.
Hong-seol blinked, unsure of what was happening. She looked at Nam-gung Heuk running beside her, but he kept his eyes forward.
‘Did brother send this only to me?’
Only to her, disguised as an opponent?
As Hong-seol and the other children brushed past Nam-gung Baek, his next message came.
– Now!
With his signal, Hong-seol leapt upward with all her strength.
A moment before, Nam-gung Baek also sprang into the air, concentrating all his power into the Yongcheon point (湧泉穴) on the soles of his feet.
The Changtian Sword Technique of the Nam-gung family.
A blue aura swirled around him, condensing on his feet.
And then—Thwak!—as he landed, the immense blue energy seeped into the ground, spreading outward in concentric circles.
The tremor toppled children running nearby.
“Ah! My duck egg!”
“Argh, I tripped!”
Duck eggs, barely formed, flew into the air in all directions.
Plop, plop!
The ground was smeared with egg whites and yolks.
Even those avoiding Nam-gung Baek’s skill slipped on the broken eggs.
Nam-gung Heuk and Deung So-so were among them.
“Ah, damn brother!”
“Eek! My duck egg!”
By now, the only one from the lead group left standing was Hong-seol, who had jumped into the air in time.
“Run quickly.”
At Nam-gung Baek’s urging, Hong-seol snapped back to focus and began sprinting ahead with all her might—but hesitated.
“Haa, haa… Brother… or rather, Big Brother?”
“I, ah… have someone waiting for me.”
Leaving those words, Nam-gung Baek turned, his cloak flaring behind him.
He looked like a white wolf in a snowy mountain, teeth bared.
“What… what’s with that guy?!”
Geum-myeong and Eun-myeong stopped dead in their tracks, running up.
“What’s going on here?”
Around Nam-gung Baek, several children lay groaning on the ground.
Above them rang Nam-gung Baek’s cold voice like a snowstorm.
“No one will pass beyond this point.”
Behind him, only Hong-seol continued down the cleared path unhindered.
“This is insane!”
“Move! I’ll show you who the real winner is by catching that kid!”
The burly Geum-myeong shouted fiercely.
Nam-gung Baek glanced at Hong-seol running far ahead, then returned his gaze to the brothers before him.
“I don’t know the exact reason, but surely this is your fault, right?”
Confused, Geum-myeong and Eun-myeong frowned.
“What the hell is he saying?”
“Yeah, bro… maybe he’s just bluffing?”
The Myo family had long harbored a rivalry with the Nam-gung family. Their people dismissed Nam-gung Baek’s reputation as exaggerated stories, since he rarely appeared in public.
Bolstered by this, Geum-myeong shouted.
“Hey! If your skill is so great, prove it in front of this elder!”
“Yeah, Nam-gung Baek! Our brother is the best! No way you can compare!”
Nam-gung Baek’s gaze remained deep and cold as he observed their antics.
Why do they only realize after getting hit?
Haa.
He exhaled lightly and moved the wrist holding the wooden ladle.
The egg on the ladle shot into the air.
He easily snatched it with his left hand.
With his right hand, he aimed the now-empty ladle at Geum-myeong’s face.
“Changtian Great Sword Technique, Form One.”
A wind streaks through the blue sky,
It moves, yet remains invisible to the eye.
“Wahaha! The egg fell off the ladle, so Nam-gung Baek, you’re out!”
Geum-myeong pointed his pudgy fingers, laughing wildly.
“No, shut up, bro! You only need to put the egg on the ladle when moving forward.”
Eun-myeong snapped, embarrassed Geum-myeong lunging at Nam-gung Baek.
“I’ll go first!”
Swish.
Geum-myeong froze mid-step approaching Nam-gung Baek.
“Hey, bro! What’s wrong?!”
Eun-myeong shouted, but Geum-myeong only trembled, silent.
A tuft of coarse hair had been cut off and landed on his shoe.
“Ha… if I’d taken one more step, my nose would’ve been cut off!”
How could a blunt wooden ladle cut hair?
“What are you saying, bro! Is he using sword energy or something?”
“I-I don’t know! But the hair was definitely cut!”
Regardless of their arguing, a corner of Nam-gung Baek’s mouth curved in a brisk smile.
Renowned as one of the greatest geniuses in Nam-gung history, he could concentrate his inner energy and focus it into a sword, even if he was still too young to fully control sword energy.
In a fleeting instant, even an old wooden ladle could become a sharp blade.
Nam-gung Baek was that precise, balanced, and concentrated.
He lifted his chin, twisted his lips into a smile, and announced clearly:
“Changtian Great Sword Technique, Form Two.”
When wind follows wind, it becomes a storm.
Frightened, Geum-myeong and Eun-myeong clutched each other’s sleeves.
“W-what do we do, bro? He’s going to attack again!”
“I don’t know! Figuring out your head is your job!”
