Book 14 Chapter 13

The New Face of the Seven Masters of Machon

"Sister Seollan. Who are they?"

Lee Jinseol asked as she watched him leave, accepting the seven escorts as if it were natural. It was believed that the quickest way to get answers about Machon Pavilion was to ask Eun Seollan, who was from there.

"The Seven Masters of Machon! … They can be called the personal guard and protectors of the Great First Young Master Bi."

Eun Seollan replied in a slightly stiff voice.

"So it was true! I suspected it, but the rumors were true!"

Jang Hong, who had been eavesdropping from the side, exclaimed. Why did he have to shout and startle everyone around him when he could have been surprised alone? Conscious of the cold, dismissive stares from those around him, Jang Hong awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Uncle, what's true?"

Bi Ryuyeon asked again.

"I've only heard it as passing rumors, but…"

Then, Jang Hong began to speak.

"There are six men and one woman who follow the Great First Young Master Bi, the hidden powerhouse of Machon Pavilion, like shadows. Each of them is so outstanding and extraordinary in their individual skills that it's hard to find a match for them. So, those who like to name things, the gossips, call the seven of them the 'Seven Masters of Machon'."

It was an unusually detailed story for a mere rumor.

"What? Guards? Then they're just mere henchmen!"

Bi Ryuyeon clearly knew what gentle dialogue was, better than anyone else. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to slip away from such remarks so seamlessly.

Eun Seollan shook her head.

"Young Master Bi, you shouldn't underestimate them. Although their names are not widely known in the martial arts world, it's only because they stay by the Great First Young Master's side and don't stray far from him, not because their strength and skill are lacking. They've simply had fewer opportunities. In fact, even within Machon Pavilion, there are only rumors, and no one has actually seen their true strength and how powerful they are."

She too had never seen their true abilities. She could only guess at their hidden potential based on the few moves they occasionally displayed.

"Even within Machon Pavilion, they are figures shrouded in absolute secrecy. In fact, their participation in this Mount Hua branch meeting was unexpected."

A feeling that this Mount Hua branch meeting would be unusual swept over her.

"It's strange that the title 'Seven Masters' includes a woman. She was a very flamboyant person…"

As Lee Jinseol said, the word "master" (傑) usually brings to mind men like heroes (豪傑) and outstanding talents (英傑).

"She is the unique female among the Seven Masters of Machon, Hyeolsimran Gyo Ok, the disciple of Honghwaseonja Okgyogyo, the leader of Cheongiren (千妓聯). Her specialty, which she briefly displayed earlier, is throwing needles. But it's not just that; any accessory in her hands can be turned into a hidden weapon. Moreover, she possesses a weapon far more terrifying than such hidden techniques. That is…"

"Charm."

Jang Hong interjected. Eun Seollan nodded.

"That's right. You know well. Her overwhelming charm, which seems capable of captivating any man, is her greatest weapon."

"Ah, it's only a little. If you think about what Cheongiren is, you'll understand immediately. It's a famous place, especially for men!"

"What kind of place is it?"

Lee Jinseol asked with eyes full of curiosity.

"Ah, well…"

Jang Hong seemed hesitant to answer. But as this squirrel-like young lady kept pressing him, he had no choice but to answer.

"It's an organization of courtesans!"

"Courtesans, you mean…"

Jang Hong nodded.

"That's right."

*Hwaak!*

What did she imagine? Lee Jinseol's face turned as red as a ripe persimmon.

"But not all courtesans are necessarily prostitutes. That's a common misconception. There are also 'Cheonggi' (青妓) who only sell arts like dance and song. Not all courtesans are 'Honggi' (紅妓) who sell their bodies."

Eun Seollan added.

"Moreover, in some places, men also sell their bodies. Although it's a minority. That's how the world is."

Jang Hong said mischievously.

"You're lying!"

Lee Jinseol exclaimed in surprise. It was an unknown world to her.

"Hahaha, you're still a naive young lady."

Jang Hong burst into cheerful laughter.

"But Cheongiren is different. It's a massive organization that secretly controls more than half of the martial arts world's pleasure houses. You can think of more than half of the pleasure houses in the martial arts world as being influenced by them. Of course, there's a separate overall leader, but almost all pleasure houses can be considered their sub-organizations. To be precise, it's not pleasure houses, but courtesans. In fact, they also play a role in protecting the rights of courtesans from pleasure houses. Sometimes their methods are said to be quite secretive and cruel. But for courtesans, who are socially weaker, their organization is like a savior. Therefore, they pass on what they see and hear to them without self-interest. Thus, the amount of information Cheongiren possesses is enormous. Furthermore, due to the nature of the organization, they have deep ties with power."

Jang Hong became quite animated when the topic of information came up.

"Moreover, there are rumors that the top courtesans there actually bewitch men and make them their slaves. There's a rumor that they gather beautiful young girls from a young age and teach them how to seduce and manipulate men through special training. If it's true, it's a chilling story."

He exaggeratedly shook his shoulders as if he felt cold just thinking about it.

"It's probably true. Otherwise, it wouldn't be like that."

Her expression suggested that she didn't like Cheongiren very much.

"Let me tell you what I know about the remaining six while I'm at it. It will be more convenient for you later if you know in advance."

In fact, her position was to prevent them from knowing too much about Machon Pavilion and to cause them trouble later. She shouldn't let them get comfortable. However, it seemed to be of no consequence to her at the moment. It seemed she had forgotten her own situation.

"The person who used a sword like an iron skewer to ambush Young Master Bi's close attendant was one of the Seven Masters, the sixth master, named Wu Jeong (無情), known as Canmu Iljeomhyol (殘霧一點血). In fact, only his name and alias are known, and all information about his personal history is kept secret. Even his origin is a secret. However, as can be seen from the attack just now, he is skilled in stealth and assassination, and wields a swift sword strike that is secret and malicious."

Bi Ryuyeon recalled the sixth attack from a little while ago.

"Indeed, that was the sword of an assassin. He is highly likely to be a very capable killer. And a professional at that."

Here, "professional" meant someone who had shed more blood with their sword. It was understandable for the descendant of a true assassin to hide his personal information so thoroughly.

"The person who used the chain sickle, attacking fifth, is Saengpum Gyeom O Munju. He wields the sickle with his left hand and the chain weight with his right."

"It was quite an unusual weapon. I'd never seen it before."

Bi Ryuyeon said, recalling.

"It must be a kusarigama. I've heard rumors that such strange weapons exist in 'Why', a small island country far from the Central Plains. Come to think of it, I've heard rumors that Machon Pavilion occasionally exchanges with warriors from Why."

Jang Hong, like a spice in a medicinal soup, chimed in again.

People marveled at how much he seemed to have picked up. At this point, it wouldn't be wrong to call him a "collection of rumors and gossip."

"Kusa… what?"

Bi Ryuyeon asked, as if asking what kind of unintelligible dialect he was speaking.

"Ku-sa-ri-ga-ma! That's the 'Why' word for that weapon."

Jang Hong repeated clearly once more.

"Wow, you know that too?"

"Well, I needed to!"

He didn't bother to mention that he could do a few more things besides this.

This uncle was not an ordinary uncle, after all.

"It's true. Some Buddhist sects invited people under the guise of martial arts exchanges with warriors from Why. He probably learned from one of those invited warriors. Their styles are very different from those in the Central Plains, so there's much to learn."

Eun Seollan confirmed his words.

"The fourth master is…"

Just as she was about to explain the fourth member of the Seven Masters, Jang Hong interrupted again. However, this time, his attitude was different from before.

"Sagyo Geom (蛇蛇劍) Baek Sayoung, age 28, his weapon is the unique martial weapon Sagyo Dokgeompyeon (蛇蛇毒劍鞭), his secret martial art is Sagyo Geom (蛇蛇劍) Sibiman-a (十二猛牙)!"

Jang Hong listed the information about him in a very business-like tone. However, his words subtly carried a sense of discomfort.

"Oh my! You know him very well, Young Master Jang!"

Eun Seollan said with admiration.

"Well, a little…"

Jang Hong seemed to want to avoid the topic, so he mumbled. Eun Seollan, being quick-witted, didn't mention it further and moved on to the next person. Everyone has one or two things they keep hidden in their hearts. This uncle seemed to have a bit too many of them.

"The third person who attacked with a whip was Do Chuun of Machon Samgeol, Sagalgeompyeon (蛇蝎劍鞭). He is the disciple and son of Sagalmaghonpyeon (蛇蝎魔魂鞭) Do Guk, the sect leader of Maengsamun (猛蛇門). He wields a black whip with a blade as if it were a part of his body, and as his name 'Sagal' (蛇蝎) suggests, his methods are extremely cruel and bizarre. His heart is as sinister as his appearance."

"That's right! His eyes were wide and slanted to the sides, and his chin was thin, making him look truly like a snake. When he glanced at me earlier, I got goosebumps all over my body."

Lee Jinseol said with a disgusted expression. It seemed the shivers from then hadn't subsided yet.

"There are widespread rumors that he has bad habits towards women. Jinseol, be careful."

Eun Seollan warned. It seemed he was a person with many bad rumors attached to him.

"The second person who performed seven consecutive attacks with a spear is none other than Jongri Chu, known as Chiryeonchang (七連槍). His alias was given because he wields seven spears simultaneously. When it comes to spears, he is a master whose equal is hard to find within Machon Pavilion. It is said that once he thrusts his spear, he turns everything, whether it be wood, rock, or person, into dust."

"I've never seen anyone throw a spear that fast before. It was incredibly fast. Especially the final seven strikes, their power was truly awe-inspiring."

Lee Jinseol said in admiration.

"Indeed, with that speed and destructive power, he seems to be no less than the master of the Wu Yeongchang (無影槍), Chilpung Mukheun (疾風墨痕) Gu Cheonhak."

Jang Hong expressed his opinion, even mentioning the name of the former captain of Cheolgakbimadae. Then, Bi Ryuyeon said something.

"Ah! You mean that uncle who rode a horse with five spears, the ones called Oseong Muryongchang (五星墨龍槍)! Well, that uncle had five, and this guy has seven, so this guy must be much stronger!"

It was a peculiar calculation that would make Gu Cheonhak foam at the mouth if he heard it. It was hard to distinguish whether he was serious or joking.

"Let's just move on."

Jang Hong suggested the wisest course of action, and Eun Seollan nodded in agreement.

"Lastly, the person who attacked first using a giant sword, a deformed weapon, is the first ranked among the Seven Masters of Machon, Ma-geom Ik (魔劍翼) Chu Myung. He is the man officially recognized as the strongest among the Seven Masters."

"Come to think of it, his weapon was also quite unusual."

Bi Ryuyeon said, recalling the black object he wore on his back.

"It's a type of flying weapon called 'Heuk-eung-ik'. It's named so because of its jet-black luster. It's said that this black wing never misses its prey once it has targeted it."

However, Bi Ryuyeon had skillfully dodged the black hawk's talons a moment ago.

"He is very taciturn, but they say he possesses a terrifying willpower to carry out whatever he decides, no matter what. There is no information about his lineage or his master. This is not uncommon among the Seven Masters of Machon, which further fuels the suspicion of those around them, not to mention their curiosity. This is all I know about them."

Even for her, who could be considered a native of Machon Pavilion, this was the limit.

"I heard they usually operate only in the shadows and are rarely seen in the daylight… To appear all at once like this… I can't help but think about it again."

Especially Great First Young Master Bi was not someone who would act on a whim, without reason. However, the more he thought about it, the deeper he fell into a quagmire.

"Did you see his eyes just now?"

Bi Ryuyeon asked Na Yerim.

"Yes!"

Na Yerim nodded. Indeed, his eyes were not the kind that could be easily forgotten.

"Then, do you know what the meaning contained within those eyes was? Yerim, you might have been able to figure it out?"

"Somewhat. His eyes were filled with unwavering and solid conviction. As if it were the truth of this world! And perhaps to him, it was the truth of this world."

He admired her inwardly, thinking she was indeed amazing.

"That's right, you saw correctly. He is filled with absolute confidence in his victory. Without a shred of doubt or hesitation. That confidence is so intense it's like looking at the sun."

It was a light on a different level than arrogance. It was clear that he believed it to be an immutable truth.

"But what is that…?"

It was difficult to grasp the intention behind such a sudden question.

"Ah, it's nothing. When I see things like that, I get an urge to break them. Aren't you curious to see what kind of expression he'll make when his pride is crushed?"

Bi Ryuyeon grinned, saying frightening words as if they were nothing. Everyone stared at this unreasonable man with bewildered expressions.

'What is inside that head?'

The urge to open the lid and look inside tickled their bodies.

"The Seven Masters of Machon… To command such formidable individuals as if they were servants… Great First Young Master Bi! He is indeed no ordinary person!"

Jang Hong said, looking at the other side with wary eyes.

"He's definitely brought a lot of dark things with him!"

Bi Ryuyeon said with a confident voice.

"Deadly poison…"

He muttered in a low voice.

"It's definitely going to be interesting."

It was not a premonition, but a certainty.

'It might even be fun to watch how fatally poisonous it becomes…'

Bi Ryuyeon thought frightening thoughts as if they were nothing.

"Oh, dear!"

The old man watched the youngsters with a faint smile, his wrinkles stretching out.

"To burn so brightly! Youth is indeed a wonderful thing."

Even though the situation was so tense that blood might spill at any moment, the old man seemed completely pleased.

"Young people grow by fighting!"

According to the old man's theory, it would not be strange for wars to break out for young people to grow.

'It's good to see them so full of confidence.'

The old man thought so and was satisfied. Confidence, indeed, it was the privilege of youth. However, this privilege sometimes loses control and restraint, frequently runs wild, leads to self-conceit and arrogance, and finally turns into absurd recklessness.

"Victory…"

They surely didn't know yet. It would certainly be so. This was something they couldn't even hear from seniors who participated in the last tournament.

"Heh heh… I hope they don't get disappointed when they learn the reality and essence of this tournament."

The old man lamented, thinking it would break an old man's heart. A sigh naturally escaped him. However, despite the arguments his mind presented, a smile of uncontrollable joy hung on the old man's lips.

The old man was waiting for that moment. With a reverent heart, like a gourmand waiting for the main course…

Who could stop the pleasure of an old man who had lived long enough!