novelraw Chapter 167 : Chapter 167
Chapter 167 : Chapter 167
Chapter 167 - Hall of Judging Fakes
As many people flocked to Xi'an as Uma could loathe.
It could be called a kind of chain effect.
The next-generation disciples’ martial arts tournament to be held at Shaolin in a few days.
Xi'an was one of the major stopovers on the way to Shaolin.
This level of crowd was an unfamiliar experience even for the merchants living in Xi'an.
“Damn it. I can’t get through anywhere.”
It was when a hairy man selling fruit at an open-air market was moving an empty box.
“Hey. Gochil. Did you hear the news?”
A short man with a large mole on his cheek put his shoulder against the hairy man’s.
“Aish. Why are you doing this too? I’m already annoyed from being bumped into all over the place.”
“It’s so noisy, I can’t help it. Stop talking nonsense and listen to me.”
“Goodness. Hey Sobyuk. What’s the matter, making such a fuss?”
“You know the Diancang Sect, right?”
“Diancang Sect?”
A sneer suddenly appeared on Gochil’s annoyed face.
“Is there anyone in Xi'an who doesn't know the Diancang Sect?”
If the survivors of the Diancang Sect had heard these words, they might have danced with joy.
It was truly a sign of the changing times.
Ten years was enough time not only to change mountains and rivers but also to send the Diancang Sect, once a part of the Nine Sects One Union, to the far reaches of memory.
However, due to the romantic rumors that were heard day after day, people once again remembered the three characters for Diancang Sect.
They had annihilated the mountain bandits who had occupied their main base, enacted bloody revenge on the unorthodox factions that had annihilated them, and utterly crushed the newly rolled-in next-generation disciples of the True Dragon Sect.
Especially, the news that Biyoung had defeated Elder Yubeop of the True Dragon Sect was enough to cause a stir throughout the entire Central Plains.
Even the masters of the orthodox sects, who had not thought much of it until then, now had no choice but to look at them with new eyes.
The rapid change in the evaluation of the Diancang Sect was the same on the streets.
“Really? Didn’t you say a month ago that you couldn’t remember it well?”
At Sobyuk’s jibe, Gochil’s smile vanished.
“Stop the nonsense and get to the point. What about the Diancang Sect?”
“The next-generation disciples of the Diancang Sect have arrived in Xi'an now.”
“Xi'an? Here?”
Gochil turned his head from side to side with a startled look.
Well.
Considering their main base was in Yunnan, it was a perfectly possible route.
It was natural to want to witness the people at the center of the talk with one’s own eyes.
As Gochil widened his eyes and looked around, this time Sobyuk had a sneer on his lips.
“My goodness. Do you think you can see them when it’s this packed with people?”
“Tsk. Well, is there any description of their appearance? I really want to meet them.”
“Right. You never know what might happen, so remember their descriptions. If you happen to find them, be sure to tell me too.”
“Alright.”
“The martial arts uniform of the Diancang Sect is basically a dark navy blue. And there’s an embroidery of an eagle’s wings on the chest.”
“And, what else?”
“I don’t know how many came, but I heard their appearances are very special. Starting with Young Hero Biyoung, who has been rumored to be handsome from the start, there’s a young man who looks as reliable as a hero from an old book, a female swordsman who is said to have no rival in beauty in Yunnan, and for some reason, a man with big eyes who is terrified. And on top of that, a filthy-looking……”
“Wait.”
Gochil covered Sobyuk’s mouth with his large hand.
“Mmph! Mmph! Ptui! Why are you suddenly doing this!”
“They’re over there.”
“What?”
The tip of Gochil’s finger pointed in one direction.
Sobyuk’s wide eyes followed the direction of the finger.
Indeed.
In that direction, a good man and good woman dressed in dark navy blue were entering a building.
“They are the most handsome man and beautiful woman in the world. Their martial arts uniform is also navy blue. If they are not the swordsmen of the Diancang Sect, who else could they be?”
“Y-you’re right. Let’s go.”
However, because the crowd was so large, Gochil and Sobyuk could not easily cross the road.
Gochil couldn't hold back and raised his voice.
“Aish. Stop blocking the way and move. Do you know who is over there right now……”
“Hey! Are you crazy?”
“What now!”
Sobyuk hunched his body like a rat and whispered in a low voice.
“Are you trying to advertise that the people of the Diancang Sect have appeared here? If the story gets out, this place will become a scene of chaos.”
“Hmm. Come to think of it, if it’s them……”
Already, with their appearances that brightened up the surroundings, there were more than one or two people stealing glances at the two.
Gochil and Sobyuk struggled to move towards the two people.
“By the way, isn’t that the Hall of Judging Fakes?”
At Gochil’s words, Sobyuk nodded his head.
“That’s right. Oh oh oh oh. They just went in.”
“Damn it. I should have recognized them a little sooner. The high-nosed Hall of Judging Fakes wouldn’t just let anyone in.”
“That’s true.”
Sobyuk also smacked his lips as if he was disappointed.
However, he couldn’t bring himself to give up and leave.
“What can we do? We have to wait.”
“How do you know when they’ll come out?”
“My friend. Do you think the opportunity to see the warriors of the Diancang Sect here in Xi'an is common? They are the ones who might become unparalleled masters in the future.”
“That’s…… true, right?”
Gochil, as if he had made up his mind, also found a spot near the Hall of Judging Fakes and sat down.
The box he was holding in his hand to carry fruit had at some point turned into a chair for the two of them.
***
The female swordsman of dazzling beauty, whose mere sight evoked a flower current, stopped in front of the Hall of Judging Fakes.
She soon looked to her side and moved her red lips.
“What do you think the probability is?”
The handsome man stroked his chin once and answered.
“At least more than half.”
“That much?”
The female swordsman who had asked the question opened her clear and deep eyes wide.
“If this wasn’t the original, the Yewi Twin Tyrants wouldn't have kept it so tightly wrapped up.”
The handsome man said so and slightly shook the object in his hand.
It was an object made of good quality silk rolled up and tied with a thin string, and the contents inside could not be discerned from the outside.
This was one of the items Biyoung had looted from the Hojubang’s base.
“That makes sense. If by any chance this is the original, then another enormous fortune will burst for the Diancang Sect.”
“What are you talking about? The Diancang Sect?”
“Yes?”
“It’s not the Diancang Sect’s fortune, it’s mine, this Biyoung’s fortune. I didn't raid the Hojubang on the Sect Leader’s orders, but on Sedong’s request.”
So.
You’re going to take it all for yourself?
At Biyoung’s slick words and actions, Jeong-i burst out laughing like a flower bud bursting open.
Then she gave a very warm evaluation of her junior brother.
“…………A materialist.”
“Ehei.”
Rattle.
As if taking Jeong-i’s words as a signal, the door of the Hall of Judging Fakes opened.
A middle-aged man, flanked by two beefy escort warriors, stepped forward and asked.
He had the image of a scholar who must have read quite a bit in the past.
“I am Jung-gon of the Hall of Judging Fakes. What brings you here?”
Biyoung smiled brightly and answered Jung-gon.
“We came because we want to get an appraisal of the authenticity of an item we brought.”
“An authenticity appraisal. What is the item?”
“It’s the original Jihwang Calligraphy Copybook of Master Namgung Dong.”
“!”
The man who had introduced himself as Jung-gon made an extremely strange expression.
‘What’s with him?’
It was true that Namgung Dong was a great calligrapher in history.
But what was the reason for looking at a perfectly fine person as if seeing a ghost?
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah…… my apologies. It’s just that it seems too coincidental to be a coincidence……”
“Eh?”
“You may not know this, but…… even here at the Hall of Judging Fakes, an appraisal of a great calligrapher’s original work is something that happens once or twice a year, if at all.”
“I suppose so?”
“But about an hour ago, someone came before you, Young Hero, asking to verify an original work of Master Namgung Dong.”
“Oing?”
Biyoung and Jeong-i looked at each other.
She asked in a slightly suspicious tone.
“Junior Brother. Did you perhaps hire someone to sneak another one out without us knowing……”
“My goodness. Do I look like that kind of person?”
It seemed she couldn't bring herself to say yes.
Jeong-i turned her gaze to Jung-gon.
“Was that person’s item authentic?”
“It is still being appraised. Since someone came before you, it will take some time. Would you like to wait inside?”
“We will do that.”
“Ah. Wait a moment.”
Biyoung asked Jung-gon.
“That person who came first. Is he by any chance a terribly ugly person from Anhui Province?”
A strange light appeared in Jung-gon’s eyes.
“How did you…… do you perhaps know him?”
“I know a bit of history.”
Biyoung answered with a grin.
At his enigmatic answer, Jung-gon looked at Biyoung carefully, and Jeong-i also seemed lost in thought.
“If it’s alright, could we meet that person? Waiting idly seems like it will be quite boring.”
“I will ask for his consent. Please come inside for now.”
Jung-gon said so and led the way.
Jeong-i, who was walking alongside Biyoung at the very back, whispered.
“He is a very kind and polite person.”
“Haha. Really?”
“He can’t rule out the possibility that this is a simple fake and we are fly-by-night swindlers……”
“I don’t think so. As soon as he saw us, he checked the eagle emblem on our chests and our swords first, didn’t he?”
“Ah……!”
Meaning, he had figured out who we were from the very beginning.
“Have we…… become that famous in Xi'an?”
“Didn’t you hear when we were passing by earlier? One out of ten people is talking about our Diancang Sect. It must have surely reached the ears of this Hall of Judging Fakes.”
“I see……”
“Well, even if that wasn’t the case, he probably wouldn't have felt like doubting us much. Our appearance is kind of like that.”
“Kind of…… like that? What is?”
Biyoung unwittingly swallowed a dry laugh.
Was she speaking as if she had never looked in a mirror in her entire life?
This person needed a bit of self-objectification.
“There aren’t many beauties in this world as eye-catching as you, Senior Sister. Most people would want to hear your story.”
“…………!”
Jeong-i thought.
It was a relief that the passage leading inside was dark.
Her soft, white earlobes had turned red at some point.
Regardless, Biyoung felt a deep curiosity about the man who was said to have come first.
‘He must be his descendant.’
The arrogant and haughty World’s Fastest Sword.
During his activities in the Murim, he often threw age and generation to the dogs.
Because of this, he sometimes incurred the wrath of other sects and Murim families.
But there were a few martial artists that even the World’s Fastest Sword treated with respect, and that person was Namgung Chun.
The head of the Namgung Family Clan located in Anhui Province, and the person who fought on the front lines with the World’s Fastest Sword during the Heavenly Demon War.
Unfortunately, he met his end just before the final battle with the Heavenly Demon.
As the war became prolonged, his age, which was over sixty, became his downfall.
-Elder. I told you to go back now, didn’t I? If you’re the family head, you should be taking care of your family affairs. How long are you going to swing a sword here?
-Haha. My friend. If a person who is a family head just hides in the back, how will the descendants fight with their lives on the line?
-You frustrating old man…….
Who would have known that would be his last conversation with Namgung Chun?
The old general, who wielded his judge’s brush at the forefront more than anyone else despite having much to lose, was buried with the corpses of the unorthodox factions, thus fulfilling the duty of the privileged.
Amidst the chaos of war, he was one of the few people the World’s Fastest Sword considered an ‘adult’.
‘And…….’
Anhui Province was the region where the Namgung Family Clan had laid its foundation for generations.
Namgung Dong, who was renowned as a great calligrapher, and Namgung Chun, who had a connection with the World’s Fastest Sword, both lived their entire lives in Anhui Province.
‘The man who just visited the Hall of Judging Fakes also said he came from Anhui Province, right?’
If he found him and confirmed just one thing, all the pieces would fit.
It was a bit harsh to say this, but both the portrait of Namgung Dong he had seen in the past and the appearance of Namgung Chun he had seen in his past life had a clear characteristic.
And that was…….
‘He was a really hideously ugly man.’
How long had they walked?
When Jung-gon opened a door on one side, a brightly lit room soon appeared.
As Biyoung entered, he first checked the appearance of a man.
And then, he smiled a triumphant smile.
‘That’s him. That’s right.’
A hideously ugly young man was endlessly flapping his mouth inside.