Book 2 Chapter 16

The Hoayajeon (Tiger Fang Estate) Intrusion Incident

The sun was warm, the wind gentle, and the air still.

The silent wind made the sky vast,

And the flow of clouds across the boundless blue sky was exceedingly leisurely.

Witnesses spoke in one accord.

They said it was a warm afternoon that day.

The weather that day, though seasonally winter, was not like winter,

But rather clear and bright like a warm spring day…

It was an afternoon, like any other, where the sunlight shone down, warm and silent. Had that incident not occurred, it would have simply been remembered as a peaceful, pleasant winter afternoon. But an event that made that day a very special one for the warriors of Hoayajeon occurred due to the visit of two people. It was an unexpected lightning strike that no one could have foreseen. Uninvited guests shattering the peace of a tranquil afternoon. They were Biryuyeon and Yeomdo. Although only two in number, the impact they created was comparable to a disaster.

Due to the visit of these two, the warriors of Hoayajeon were left with indelible humiliation and an unforgettable sense of defeat, etched deeply like a vivid brand that would never fade.

"We made a promise."

Biryuyeon said in a playful voice. Yeomdo nodded as if to say, "I understand."

"Even so, I refuse to be addressed informally. We must maintain proper conduct."

Yeomdo nodded again, his expression unyielding. A satisfied smile spread across Biryuyeon's lips.

"Then let's go."

Biryuyeon turned and led the way, with Yeomdo following silently behind. In the direction they were heading was a martial arts estate named Hoayajeon.

Normally, the main gate of Hoayajeon should have been wide open, as if to welcome everyone. But that was not the case now. It was firmly and tightly shut, refusing to open. For a first-class sect of this caliber, it was customary to keep the main gate wide open from sunrise to sunset and receive guests, unless there were special circumstances – such as women being forbidden, the gate being sealed, a special ritual in progress, being located in a secluded area, or strict rules prohibiting contact with the outside world.

Typically, two guards and a disciple responsible for receiving guests would be stationed at the main gate to greet visitors, record their names in the guest book, and then guide them to the reception hall or their destination. This was the code of the martial world. Therefore, it was inconceivable for a first-class sect like Hoayajeon to refuse guests in broad daylight. In principle, even if the visitor were a beggar, they should not be turned away to maintain the sect's reputation; this was an unspoken law.

However, even such general customs were not being followed in the current martial world. It was bothersome to deal with dirty and troublesome beggars, and the enormous cost of entertaining guests was difficult to bear. Therefore, they selectively accepted only invited visitors. If they accepted every visitor who came, Hoayajeon's wealth would be depleted in an instant, and all its residents could easily end up on the streets. Thus, uninvited guests were not welcome, while invited guests were treated with utmost hospitality. These practices had become commonplace in all sects.

Even so, this was Namchang, home to one of the greatest powers in the martial world. Even the beggars passing by had to be suspected of being martial arts experts. This was because more than half of the beggars here belonged to the Beggars' Sect.

In such a reality in Namchang, a first-class sect like Hoayajeon would have a constant stream of visitors. Therefore, Hoayajeon could not afford to be negligent in entertaining guests and was doing its best to provide hospitality as circumstances allowed. Until a few days ago, this was clearly the case. Every visitor to this place had received generous treatment. But for some reason, that was no longer the case.

This meant something special was happening. The reason was none other than Gam Unsu, the second disciple of Ho Cheonsang, the leader of Hoayajeon, who was preparing for the entrance examination for Cheonmu Academy. For this reason, Hoayajeon had kept its main gate firmly locked for the past few days, shrouded in silence. It was a small gesture of consideration from Master Ho Cheonsang, who wished for his disciple Gam Unsu's success. For someone facing a major examination, any disturbance was absolutely forbidden; it was more harmful and fatal than poison, as it would disrupt their mind and weaken their concentration.

Therefore, to prepare his beloved disciple for the Cheonmu Academy entrance examination, Ho Cheonsang had locked the main gate and maintained a silent facade, requesting composure and restraint from his surroundings. He had also asked the villagers around the estate to be discreet and restrained in their behavior. There was no one in the vicinity bold enough to refuse Hoayajeon's request and sing loudly in defiance; thus, Gam Unsu could prepare for the special entrance examination in a quiet and serene environment. Even though it was a special admission, there were still those who failed, so he could not afford to be negligent in his preparations.

The firmly locked iron gate of Hoayajeon was a silent pressure demanding the utmost composure. It clearly indicated that refusal and rejection were out of the question. This silent pressure had been quite effective, and the surroundings of Hoayajeon were now as silent as if a swarm of mice had died. This naturally made everyone within the estate on edge, and their heightened nerves put the gatekeepers, the guards of the main gate, under immense pressure due to their excessive duties.

Today, the guards on duty at the main gate were two members of Ho Mujeon, Hoayajeon's main combat unit. Ho Mujeon was the largest and most powerful martial force within Hoayajeon, consisting of two main divisions under the commander, with each division having six platoons, and each platoon having three squads. These two individuals belonged to the first squad of the infamous Tiger Extermination Squad, known for its ferocity, and were named I Gwanjeong and Son Gonwu. They were inseparable friends and rivals within the Tiger Extermination Squad, secretly vying for the position of the next squad leader through both martial prowess and intellect. However, even these two were not on duty today with good spirits and a strong sense of mission. They were there only because it was punishment duty; otherwise, who would want to stand guard at this tedious main gate?

The duty of the main gate guards during the day was not only to secure the gate but also to thoroughly check all visitors to the estate, report their purposes, and sometimes even run errands for guests. Therefore, it was a tiresome and exhausting job for everyone. This was a universal and very common practice in most other sects as well. Consequently, the guards in such positions were usually either individuals without rank in their respective squads or those assigned to this duty as punishment for misdeeds.

These two individuals, who were vying for the position of the next leader of the Tiger Extermination Squad and were considered senior members within the squad, had been caught a few days ago engaging in a drunken sparring match fueled by excessive drinking. Unfortunately, their master, the commander of Ho Mujeon, who was on patrol at the time, discovered them. As a punishment, they were sentenced to guard the main gate for the entire month. This was essentially punishment duty.

Still, they should have been grateful that their drunken sparring match, which was strictly forbidden by the sect rules, ended with such a light punishment. Although they were sentenced to a month of punishment duty at the main gate and a thousand repetitions of basic training in the Fierce Tiger Swordplay, it was truly fortunate that the disciplinary action ended there.

Drunken sparring – especially with real swords – could end a life in an instant due to even a moment of carelessness, hence the extremely severe penalties. Nevertheless, the fact that I Gwanjeong and Son Gonwu received such a mild punishment was due to the intervention of the commander of Ho Mujeon, who had a soft spot for them. However, placed in such a situation, it was inevitable that their nerves would be on edge. Therefore, both were in an extremely gloomy state.

At that moment, not one, but two uninvited guests visited Hoayajeon. This group consisted of Biryuyeon, who looked completely unremarkable, and Yeomdo, who, dressed entirely in red, was impossible to overlook wherever he went.

Yeomdo, with his intense presence like a blazing sun, and Biryuyeon, dressed in ordinary black with his long black hair casually tied back, were certainly an unlikely pair. The two stopped silently in front of the main gate.

"Estate!" "Fang!" "Tiger!"

Biryuyeon loudly and clearly read the characters on the plaque, one by one. The plaque hung on the main gate of Hoayajeon was written in a calligraphy that exuded courage like a tiger, which, in Biryuyeon's interpretation, read "Estate Fang Tiger."

"Estate Fang Tiger…?"

Yeomdo, seeing that Biryuyeon seemed to be reading the plaque, asked for clarification because the pronunciation sounded very strange. Even after checking with his own eyes, which were not those of a blind person, it clearly read Hoayajeon, so why the sudden Estate Fang Tiger? However, Biryuyeon, unconcerned with Yeomdo's curiosity, calmly replied.

"Oh, you didn't know? I read the horizontal inscription from left to right. And I interpret it from right to left. You didn't know?"

Of course, he didn't know. How could he?

"You read from left to right and interpret from right to left?"

Was that even logical? It was as absurd as a passing dog scoffing. Reduced to two characters, it was dog sounds; explained in three, it was dog nonsense. Yeomdo, stunned by Biryuyeon's eccentric and absurd answer, gaped. His eyes, fixed on Biryuyeon, blazed with intense spirit, clearly expressing his firm conviction.

'Crazy bastard!'

Of course, he didn't show it outwardly. His life was precious, after all…

"Then how do you read a book…?"

Yeomdo still couldn't hide his awkwardness about using a semi-honorific when speaking to Biryuyeon. Therefore, Yeomdo's sentences always ended in informal address, but then, realizing his mistake, he would quickly switch to a semi-honorific, making his speech sound strange. His tone was entirely uncharacteristic. Initially, there had been much debate between the two about this issue of honorifics. However, after Biryuyeon's ruthless punishment, Yeomdo soon realized that it was more beneficial for his own well-being to change his tone and agreed to the use of honorifics.

"Do you avoid defecation because you're afraid of it? You avoid it because it's disgusting," was a saying that perfectly captured his sentiments at the time. It felt as if this saying was created solely for him. Biryuyeon, for his part, was using semi-honorifics for Yeomdo out of goodwill, considering Yeomdo's status and age in the martial world, even though Yeomdo had become his disciple by losing a bet and Biryuyeon himself didn't particularly care about such things. In other words, they had reached an agreement on appropriate mutual respect.

"Of course, books are simply read from top to bottom. Are there people who read books from bottom to top? I read horizontally written inscriptions from left to right."

Biryuyeon's gaze, as if asking why he would ask something even a three-year-old child would know, was unbearable for Yeomdo. Yeomdo couldn't shake the feeling that he was being mocked. The back of his neck felt stiff and tingly. What a bizarre and peculiar habit. Such actions could be simply described with four characters:

Utterly Useless.

Yeomdo, realizing anew that he had taken on a truly eccentric and nonsensical person as his master, fell into despair once more. Despite gaining this realization, his vision seemed to grow darker and more dim. He had long since given up counting how many times he had felt despair accompanying Biryuyeon. Although their master-disciple relationship was arguably nominal, Biryuyeon didn't seem to think so. He treated Yeomdo as if he were his late-stage disciple, making him do all sorts of tasks and ordering him around, which was an unprecedented humiliation for Yeomdo.

However, considering Biryuyeon's overall temperament, this was still relatively good. In his own way, he was still treating Yeomdo well. Wasn't Biryuyeon showing some respect to Yeomdo? His use of honorifics was also a result of this. Given Biryuyeon's personality, there was a risk of him flying into a rage if he felt too disrespected or treated carelessly, so Biryuyeon seemed to have calculated this in advance to prevent any such danger. Of course, the mere fact of becoming Biryuyeon's disciple and being treated in such a manner was enough to drive Yeomdo to the brink of madness. If he hadn't been brutally beaten by Biryuyeon at that time, he would have already lost his temper and gone berserk. The nightmare of that time was still vivid, which was why Yeomdo was keeping his emotions in check.

As Biryuyeon and Yeomdo concluded their intimate master-disciple conversation by the main gate of Hoayajeon and entered the estate, Gam Unsu, the second disciple of Ho Cheonsang, the subject of much gossip, was engrossed in his martial arts training. With only a few days left until the examination, time was tight even if day became night. Thus, Gam Unsu was pouring all his energy into his martial arts studies and diligently practicing. He was dedicating himself to the twenty-six forms of the sect's secret sword technique, the Fierce Tiger Swordplay.

Although it was a special admission and his success was practically guaranteed, the real challenge lay after entering the academy. This was because, in an institution like Cheonmu Academy, where all the talented individuals of the martial world gathered, what would others think if he displayed mediocre martial arts? He would undoubtedly be branded as incompetent, carrying the name of his sect.

In severe cases, if his lack of skill was recognized, he could be expelled without hesitation. Therefore, to avoid being inferior to others and to avoid bringing shame to his sect, diligent training was indispensable from now on. Naturally, setting everything else aside and dedicating himself to mastering the Fierce Tiger Swordplay was Gam Unsu's most important task at this moment.

However, there was a disturbance that interrupted his studies. The area outside the main gate briefly became noisy, then fell silent again after a couple of thuds. Although there was a considerable distance between his training ground and the main gate, his disciplined senses could not be fooled. His senses had been honed to the point where he could detect the sound of a falling leaf from over fifteen feet away. Of course, it was even easier to detect Biryuyeon and Yeomdo, as they were not trying to be stealthy. Gam Unsu, worried about what was happening, walked towards the main gate.

"Boom!"

At that moment, with a deafening roar that shook heaven and earth, the main gate was flung wide open, and two uninvited guests, unlike any he had ever seen or heard of, stepped into the estate. There was no room for contemplation; they were intruders. As the old saying goes, "The good do not come, and those who come are not good."

(善子不來 來子不善!)

Gam Unsu, gripping the exquisite sword at his waist, moved towards the main gate, where dust was still settling from the impact. He had great pride in his martial arts, gained through his training. He was confident that he had mastered the Fierce Tiger Swordplay to its highest level. But alas! Gam Unsu was incredibly unlucky today. His opponents were two monsters beyond human measure, returning to the mortal world. It was a severe miscalculation.