Chapter 50
“That was a performance mocking people! And you say it’s more beautiful than Danhyang’s playing?!”
“Are the people here deaf? Or are you mocking us with lies?!”
Bang!
The black-capped martial artist slammed the table. His eyes were bloodshot with rage.
“What are you saying? The White Tiger Hall Lord’s performance was perfect by anyone’s standards!”
“Exactly!”
“Are your ears broken or what?!”
The patrons of Cheonhwa Inn all spoke in unison, berating the two men for their harsh critique.
“What did you say?!”
Clang!
The buck-toothed man drew his sword, his intent to kill radiating off him.
“Are you all in league with that woman?”
When swords were drawn, the innkeeper paled and stumbled backward.
“What are you saying? The White Tiger Hall Lord’s performance was truly excellent. Even you would have realized it if you had ears, sir.”
“Ugh! You actually think that sickening vibration is excellent?!”
Judging by the blood vessels standing out in his eyes, he could not control his rage.
I covered my mouth with my sleeve and spoke softly, almost in a whisper:
“Oh my, you look fine, but it seems your ears aren’t working properly.”
Smiling gently, I saw the buck-toothed man’s face twist in disbelief.
“Y-You dare…! Do you know who we are?!”
“Of course I do. I’ve heard you’re from the Black Moon Sect.”
“Yes!”
“But are you really from the Black Moon Sect? You don’t seem very strong for that…”
“What did you say?!”
The buck-toothed martial artist’s face flushed red with anger.
‘Not all of what they say is false,’ I thought.
To them, my zither playing must have sounded horrendous. I had used the Transformed Tone Technique (Byeonhwa Ihyeong-eum).
It’s a sound technique that distorts music so that certain listeners hear it differently.
To them, the zither’s notes must have sounded like needles scratching iron plates, grating on the nerves.
The heightened rhythm of their pulses, like war drums, amplified their fighting spirit.
As a result, the two men drew their swords in rage to threaten me.
“I’ve heard that Black Moon Sect warriors are also skilled in performance arts… but you two are very different from that.”
My words gently provoked their nerves.
“Indeed, that’s true.”
“I heard Black Moon warriors are hypersensitive to sound due to their martial training…”
Whispers of doubt rippled among the spectators.
“Wasn’t the Cheonsaru of Black Moon Sect famous because they trained performers harshly to capture the hearts of high officials?”
As suspicion spread among the onlookers, the two men’s expressions twisted. The murderous aura practically pierced the floor.
“Are you really from Black Moon Sect, or are you impostors from the Hongsa faction?”
I added words casually to fan the flames of suspicion.
Perhaps due to the piercing gazes of the patrons, the furious black-capped man bit his lip in frustration.
“Fine! And what then?!”
Because my sound technique had made their senses hypersensitive, the man was speaking far too honestly.
Whispers circulated among the crowd:
“Are they really posing as Black Moon Sect members from Hongsa faction…?”
“They’re shameless…”
I had deliberately used the Transformed Tone Technique to make the innkeeper and patrons suspect these two men’s identities.
“Ugh!”
Finally, the buck-toothed man lunged his sword at me.
I narrowed my eyes and stayed still.
If they attacked cowardly, it would only benefit me.
“Anyway…!”
The buck-toothed man fired his technique toward me.
“Kill them all!”
The black-capped martial artist drew the two short spears from his waist and attacked me.
Clang!
Yeom Ji-hwa’s sword blocked the buck-toothed man first. The table collapsed with a crash.
Taking advantage of that moment, the black-capped man thrust his spear toward me.
“Lord!”
Yeom Ji-hwa parried the buck-toothed man’s attack and shouted.
The visible attacks posed no threat to me, yet I did not move hastily.
Of course, even just deflecting and countering could have killed them.
The issue was that I needed to subdue them in a way that wouldn’t reveal the full extent of my martial skill.
Just as I was about to discreetly pluck the strings again, I felt a surge of energy from a shadowed corner.
‘…Could it be the master in the navy-blue robe?’
Seeing the other’s technique vanish, I retracted my plan.
“Die!”
When the distance between the black-capped martial artist and me was less than a foot (about 30 cm), a whirlwind swept through the inn.
An ordinary person wouldn’t have even seen the navy-robed man move, but I could clearly see his actions.
Powerful steps, like a tiger subduing its prey.
A heavy sword, like a falling meteor, engulfed the black-capped man.
Ka-ka-ka-kach!
With a roar of sparks, the solid blade scraped the spear’s shaft, redirecting it.
Another hand grasped the shaft, the sword now aimed at the black-capped man’s neck.
A ferocious blade that simultaneously defends and attacks like a predator.
“Ugh!”
It was a secret technique so intricate that one could hardly tell what he had done.
The black-capped man could not even think to push the sword away. He remained motionless as if the spear were stuck in a huge rock.
“Kuh!”
Blood spread along the navy-blue sword.
The difference in skill was stark.
Even Yeom Ji-hwa, who faced the buck-toothed man, swallowed hard.
The black-capped man’s wounds were not fatal.
But if the navy-robed master hadn’t subtly redirected the sword to avoid arteries, the man would have bled out instantly.
The black-capped man, pale as death, stared at the navy-robed master.
A tall figure, nearly seven feet (about 2 meters).
A broad forehead and short bangs gave a commanding presence typical of northern tribes.
“First,”
The navy-robed man spoke in a deeply resonant voice.
The aura he radiated was bluish, tinged with crimson killing intent.
“When you struck the innkeeper.”
His eyes resembled a predator’s.
“Second. When you threatened the performer playing the lute.”
The black-capped man, confused, opened his mouth:
“What does that mean…?”
“The number of times I’ve held back.”
The piercing, bloodthirsty gaze made the black-capped man sweat profusely.
“But the third…”
Hearing his voice, he trembled violently, as if facing a grim reaper.
“When you cowardly aimed your blade at an unarmed performer.”
The wrist holding the sword twisted slightly.
“That was absolutely intolerable.”
“Gahk!”
A crack appeared on the black-capped man’s neck as blood seeped out.
‘He’ll tolerate twice, but the third time is unforgivable,’ I thought.
The deadly words made the black-capped man raise his head as if bracing for his throat to be cut.
The control and precision were astonishing.
The man sheathed his sword, his navy robe fluttering, and then pressed his right hand on the Hongsa faction warrior’s martial point.
The black-capped man could no longer move, his eyes rolling in disbelief.
“Thank you for your assistance, Master.”
I nodded in acknowledgment.
“….”
Without lowering his blade, the navy-robed man regarded me carefully.
“Forgive me for intervening without permission.”
Perhaps conscious of me, he relaxed his previously fierce expression slightly and showed proper courtesy.
‘A tiger-emblazoned sword school, and navy-blue silk from Honam…’
From a few clues, I roughly guessed his identity.
But I pretended ignorance and introduced myself:
“I am Eun Se-ha, Lord of White Tiger Hall of the Eunpyo State. Thanks to you, a great burden has been lifted. May I know your name?”
“….”
The navy-robed man studied me silently, then bowed in return.
“Ho Hyun-dan.”
Murmurs spread among the onlookers.
“Ho Hyun-dan… the second son of the prestigious Ho Hyun Clan?”
The Ho Hyun Clan was one of the eight great martial families supporting the orthodox sect, a famed northern martial family.
“Could it be… Ho Hyun-dan, the Thunder-Sword Blue Tiger?!”
Gasps of shock erupted among those who recognized the nickname.
‘As I suspected,’ I thought.
A tall figure, masculine features, navy robe symbolizing the Ho Hyun Clan, and a taciturn personality—he reminded me strongly of the Ho Hyun-dan I had met in my previous life.
“Are the Thunder-Sword Blue Tiger and the White Tiger Hall Lord acquainted?”
The patrons whispered among themselves.
‘In a sense, we could say we know each other,’ I thought.
I had met him in my previous life. Ho Hyun-dan and I were less acquaintances and more… a fateful enmity.
