That’s Not How You Use Martial Arts

Chapter 7
The Attack (1)

『 Translator – Divinity 』

“As I said before, Paecheon Fortress reigned as the strongest sect in the murim for decades.”

The reason they were able to achieve that was partly due to the individual strength of the Fortress Lord, Ju Cheon-mu, and his skilled subordinates, but there was another major reason.

“It’s because we were of the Ju clan.”

Ju Hwa-ryeon looked at me as if asking, “Don’t you even know this?”

I told you not to overestimate me, but when did I say to underestimate me? Did you think I wouldn’t even know that?

“You mean the imperial family. Well, even if so, you’d be a distant branch, I assume.”

“…That’s right. How did you know we were a branch family?”

“It’s obvious. There’s no way they’d leave a direct descendant of the imperial family, someone with true dragon blood, stuck in a remote place like this for ten years.”

It was an easy deduction for me, but the others looked at me with surprise.

What’s so surprising? Do I look that stupid?

As I narrowed my eyes, Ju Hwa-ryeon quickly regained her composure and continued her explanation.

“Ahem, as you said, our Paecheon Fortress was originally established to monitor and control the Central Plains murim.”

That was why there were many members of the Ju clan within the leadership of Paecheon Fortress.

They had placed those with even a faint trace of imperial blood as leaders of the organization that monitored the troublesome Central Plains murim.

Hearing that, I grasped the overall situation.

“I get it. The Emperor used the branch families to monitor the murim, and the branch families, to prove their loyalty to the Emperor and avoid being purged, stepped forward. Right?”

“…How in the world…!”

Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped, not just surprised but astonished.

It was nothing special.

You would understand if you spent all day sitting in a hospital room.

Of course, that’s assuming the old man sharing the room was a historical drama addict and had the TV tuned to historical dramas all day long.

***

‘…Just who is he?’

Bang Jin-myeong, the leader of the Changcheon Merchant Group and former leader of the Skynet Division, Paecheon Fortress’s intelligence organization, couldn’t help but be astonished as he looked at the young man before him.

When he first heard about him from Young Mistress Seol-ran, his impression of Gun Ja-seong was simply that of a talented individual who was wasted in the countryside.

But that impression had already changed twice in this short time, which hadn’t even lasted an hour.

The first time was when Ja-seong blocked the attack of his bodyguard, Seo Hui.

In truth, Seo Hui hadn’t been unaware of Ja-seong’s skills; she had tested him under Bang Jin-myeong’s orders.

Since it was hard to believe that Ja-seong had won a spar against Young Mistress Seol-ran, who was said to be unrivaled among her peers in terms of martial arts, he had secretly ordered Seo Hui to test him separately. The result was more surprising than he expected.

He had not only effortlessly blocked Seo Hui’s surprise attack from the darkness but also cleanly deflected the subsequent attacks.

Of course, since it was just a test, Seo Hui hadn’t used her full power either.

Even so, it wasn’t an attack that a young martial artist of barely twenty could easily deflect.

Here, Jin-myeong reevaluated Ja-seong.

At the very least, it seemed that Young Mistress Seol-ran’s desire to have him join them wasn’t solely due to their ten-year relationship.

And this evaluation changed once more as he witnessed Ja-seong deduce the approximate situation with just a few words.

He had figured out that they were a branch of the imperial family just from the fact that Young Mistress Seol-ran’s surname was Ju, and after hearing about the purpose of Paecheon Fortress, he had grasped even the political situation of the imperial branch families.

‘Could someone like this really be the son of a rural landlord?’

Honestly, he was almost suspicious that Ja-seong might be a spy planted by the rebels.

But that couldn’t be. His behavior was too conspicuous for a spy.

Besides, he had already thoroughly investigated Gun Ja-seong and the Gun family.

The investigation revealed that the Gun family was just a wealthy landlord family like any other in a rural village.

They had a good reputation for generations, being generous and not excessively exploiting tenant farmers, earning them much respect in the area, but that was all.

And the young man in front of him was the beloved youngest son of that landlord family.

Although he engaged in various eccentricities, he had an unpretentious and warm personality unlike other sons of landlord families, earning him favorable reviews from the villagers.

To think such sharpness was hidden beneath that young master’s facade.

Did Young Mistress Seol-ran know about this?

‘It doesn’t seem so.’

Judging from Hwa-ryeon’s surprised expression, which was no less than his own, it seemed she didn’t.

Then did she simply desire him for his martial arts skills?

‘Just how skilled is he?’

Blocking Seo Hui’s hidden weapons was impressive, but since he hadn’t seen Ja-seong fight properly, it was difficult to judge.

Of course, just the fact that he had blocked those hidden weapons so easily was undeniable proof of his talent.

‘I’d like to see it once.’

At that very moment, as Jin-myeong was thinking about wanting to see Ja-seong fight, Ja-seong suddenly jumped up from his seat and turned his gaze outside.

“Young Master?”

“What’s wrong?”

The others called out to him, puzzled by his actions, but instead of answering, Ja-seong asked a question.

“Are there more people coming?”

“Hmm? Ah, no. There aren’t…”

He answered unconsciously, and suddenly, the outside became noisy.

Kraagh!

A person’s scream.

Hearing this, everyone’s faces hardened.

“So it seems like this time it’s a real attack.”

Muttering in a strangely excited voice, Ja-seong immediately ran outside.

***

I expanded my senses to check if there were any other hidden people nearby and detected a group approaching the school.

At first, I thought it was just more people coming, but instead of entering through the gate, these guys jumped right over the wall.

And then I heard the scream.

The female assailant on the roof had launched a surprise attack.

Wow, was this a real attack this time?

Feeling my heart pound at the thought of a scenario I had often seen in martial arts novels unfolding before my eyes, I rushed outside.

Clang! Kang!

As soon as I opened the door and stepped out, the intense metallic sound of steel clashing against steel struck my ears.

Outside, the female assailant who had attacked me earlier was surrounded by about five people, her sword drawn from its sheath on her back.

And behind those five, a middle-aged man stood with his arms crossed, looking imposing.

“Hmm?”

He looked at me as I emerged from the door and tilted his head.

“I’ve never heard of a young man being here. Who are you, young master?”

“I am the chief disciple of this Cheonpung Martial Arts School, but who are you? It doesn’t seem like you’ve come with good intentions.”

Now that I’ve introduced myself, it’s your turn. Who are you and where did you come from?

But when I asked this man to introduce himself, he suddenly put on a regretful expression.

“Ah, you must be the son of the wealthy landlord in this village. What a pity for such a promising young man. How did you get involved with the rebels…”

“…Rebels?”

He meant traitors, right? What was he talking about out of the blue?

As I frowned, unable to follow the conversation that was proceeding in a strange direction, a shout erupted from behind me.

“You bastard, Neung Baek-seo! How dare you come to this place…!”

It was Merchant Leader Bang Jin-myeong.

His previously friendly face was now contorted like a demon’s as he glared at the middle-aged man, his eyes practically shooting lasers.

What? Did they know each other?

At the Merchant Leader’s shout, the middle-aged man called Neung Baek-seo gave a sly smile.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the Skynet Division Leader? It’s been a while. I was wondering what you were up to all these years, and here you are, playing merchant? Suits you well.”

“You filthy rebel…! How dare you show your face here!”

Two men, each claiming the other to be a rebel.

Caught between them, I couldn’t help but stand there speechless.

Seriously, what was going on?

Could someone please explain?

As I was clicking my tongue in frustration, Neung Baek-seo’s gaze shifted to Junior Sister Jang… no, Ju Hwa-ryeon, who was standing behind me.

It felt strange to call her by a different name after ten years of calling her Junior Sister Jang.

Meanwhile, Neung Baek-seo’s eyes widened as he saw Ju Hwa-ryeon, and he gave a creepy smile.

“Could it be, Young Mistress? Huh, it seems ten years is a long time indeed. That little girl has grown into such a beauty. I wonder how her body has matured.”

Despite using the title “Young Mistress,” his tone was lewd, like a man flirting with courtesans in a brothel.

At his words, Ju Hwa-ryeon’s face hardened, and Junior Sister Chu’s aura turned menacing.

Finally, Master Wang-sam also contorted his face and roared with a voice that seemed to echo throughout the surroundings.

“You filthy dog! How dare you speak such vulgar words to the Young Mistress of Paecheon Fortress! Do you want to die!”

A powerful aura erupted from Master, as if responding to his emotions.

Oh, as expected of Master. His colorful insults were music to my ears.

Neung Baek-seo’s face stiffened for a moment at Master’s intense aura, but he soon regained his composure and smirked.

“Huh, huhu…! You, bodyguard. I knew you’d be with the Young Mistress.”

“And yet you dare to act like that in front of me?”

“Well, it’s because I have something to rely on, isn’t it?”

Snap!

Neung Baek-seo snapped his fingers.

And then, the school’s main gate suddenly shattered.

Kwaang!

A cloud of dust obscured my vision, and through it, I saw a dark figure approaching.

Soon, the dust settled, revealing the figure, and Master’s face hardened.

“You are…!”