novelraw Chapter 186 : Chapter 186
Chapter 186 : Chapter 186
Chapter 186 - The Three Great Perilous and Harmed Faces of Murim
“Haha! Good morning!”
Early in the morning, even before breakfast was served.
A man with a face so frightening one would be afraid to see him in a dream came to visit the Diancang Sect’s lodging.
“………….”
Each person greeted the chatterbox in their own way.
Some with openly weary expressions.
Some turn their gaze to a distant place.
Some welcomed him reluctantly.
Some greeted him with a warm smile.
And…….
“Truly, no matter how many times I see that damn ugly face, I can’t get used to it.”
There was also one who expressed his feelings without any filter.
It was the Mad and Aberrant Man, Gwangyo, who had arrived at the lodging before Namgung Chu.
“Why must you speak so harshly?”
Namgung Chu growled lowly as he looked at Gwangyo.
The two things Namgung Chu hated most in the world were being interrupted and being called ugly.
It was fortunate that Gwangyo was a great senior in the Murim; if he had been an ordinary person, he would have ended up like the Mount Heng Sect disciple who had been struck in a vital spot.
However, Gwangyo did not care at all what Namgung Chu said.
“Khuhuhu. I’m just frustrated that I have to see your face before I can eat breakfast. I feel like my food won’t digest already.”
“Anyone who hears you would think you have a very handsome face, Guardian. Isn’t it the same for you, with people staring at you in the marketplace?”
“You cur! How dare you compare me to him?”
Gwangyo flared up and raised a hand.
At his momentum, Namgung Chu flinched and ducked into a corner.
The members of the Diancang Sect had to force bitter smiles at the sight.
‘He doesn’t mind being called a madman, but he seems to hate being lumped together with Namgung Chu.’
Biyoung thought so as he looked back and forth between Gwangyo and Namgung Chu.
Indeed.
Expressions like ‘a battle between a dragon and a tiger’ or ‘two masters of equal strength’ were meant for times like these.
Namgung Chu of Ugliness and Gwangyo of Madness.
If the two of them walked side by side down a street, it was certain that people would part for them like the Red Sea.
Biyoung, who had been observing the two with a colorful gaze, soon turned his head to look at another man.
Yes.
When it came to intense impressions, there was a person in the Diancang Sect who would be sad to be called second.
As if conscious of Biyoung’s gaze, a man bared his fangs at him.
“Why. What. What do you want to say.”
“Indeed… at this rate, it’s worth calling them the Three Great Perilous and Harmed Faces of Murim.”
“The Three Great Perilous and Harmed Faces? What’s that?”
Uma asked again, but Biyoung did not answer.
Under normal circumstances, it might have been used with a good meaning.
But the ‘eoljang’ Biyoung spoke of contained the meanings of ‘perilous’ and ‘harmed’.
Namgung Chu, Gwangyo, and Uma.
Right now, Biyoung was expressing it as a joke, but the Three Great Perilous and Harmed Faces of Murim would later be grouped together as fighters who ruled Jianghu and possessed terrifying appearances.
To avoid Uma’s somewhat suspicious gaze, Biyoung called out to Namgung Chu.
“Brother Chu. What brings you here so early in the morning?”
“What do you mean? The draw for the round of 16 will be announced soon. I came to check the bracket with you all.”
“With us? Not the other Five Great Family Clans?”
At Biyoung’s words, Namgung Chu discreetly shook his head.
“We may be called the Five Great Family Clans, but we don’t have any particular interaction among ourselves. The term ‘Five Great Family Clans’ itself was coined by people who like to name things.”
“Really? That’s a shame.”
“Hmm? What do you find a shame?”
“Um…”
Biyoung could not give a proper answer this time either.
He couldn’t just tell him to go blabber to his Five Great Family Clans buddies instead of them, could he?
He just made a suitable excuse.
“Hehe. It’s a good thing to interact with each other, that’s all.”
“I didn’t expect to hear such words from you. Besides me, there is one other direct descendant of the Five Great Family Clans who has advanced to the round of 16, but I have no personal acquaintance with him.”
“You mean Tang Gogwi, right?”
“You’ve already figured it out. That’s right.”
Namgung Chu nodded.
Tang Gogwi was the direct descendant of the Sichuan Tang Clan, the ruler of the area around Sichuan.
Although there were already two giant sects in Sichuan, the Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect, no one dared to omit the Sichuan Tang Clan when discussing the powers of the Sichuan region.
In fact, unlike the two sects that operated only in the mountains, the Sichuan Tang Clan’s influence was rooted throughout the cities, and some public opinion considered the Sichuan Tang Clan to be the foremost in terms of influence.
Namgung Chu, recalling Tang Gogwi, shook his head from side to side.
“He’s a difficult guy to get along with in many ways. The weapon he uses, that high-and-mighty gaze of his. He’s a guy I don’t want to face in a match if possible. It would be best for you all not to meet Tang Gogwi in this round of 16 either.”
Eung Gajin looked at Namgung Chu with newfound eyes.
If he, who was so confident in his martial arts, spoke like this, then Tang Gogwi’s skills must be at an extraordinary level.
“Is-is the Sichuan Tang Clan that strong?”
Solbo asked with frightened eyes.
As a question was finally directed at him, Namgung Chu, with a look of ‘what a windfall,’ began to explain at length.
“His skills are one thing, but the martial arts he uses are quite tricky. The Sichuan Tang Clan is a place that traditionally uses poison arts and hidden weapon techniques.”
“Hic!”
Poison arts and hidden weapons.
For the rising stars with little experience in the Murim, these were types that gave them a headache.
And yet, a martial art that used both of them.
Namgung Chu’s words, ‘It’s best to avoid them if you can,’ certainly sounded plausible.
“I doubt he would use poison arts in a martial arts tournament. But the hidden weapons that the Sichuan Tang Clan throws around are all vicious things. If you’re not careful, you could be sent to the afterlife without knowing why. And another problem is… he’s just unlucky to be around.”
“Unlucky… to be around?”
“Yes. Have you seen his eyes? Because of his strangely drooping eyes, it feels like he’s looking down on you even when he’s just standing still. Just meeting that arrogant gaze made me feel like I was his subordinate.”
At Namgung Chu’s words, the crowd wore bitter smiles.
As the direct descendant of the Sichuan Tang Clan, it was obvious that he had lived a life of being revered by those around him.
And such a fellow was born with eyes that looked down on others.
In any case, it seemed clear that he was a fellow one would not want to face.
“The Sichuan Tang Clan…”
Biyoung muttered the name of Tang Gogwi’s family and was momentarily lost in thought.
The Namgung Family Clan and the Sichuan Tang Clan.
And the Five Great Family Clans.
As he was thinking about various things in his head, a message came from outside.
“Amitabha. Is anyone there? This is Goeng-geon.”
“Please come in, monk.”
Eung Gajin opened the door and greeted him politely.
“The bracket announcement will begin shortly. Would you like to eat first, or check the bracket first?”
The Diancang Sect, Namgung Chu, and Gwangyo looked at each other’s faces.
Even Gwangyo, a beggar by birth, went outside to check the bracket without a word of complaint.
***
“There are fewer people than I thought.”
At Solbo’s words, Eung Gajin nodded.
“It can’t be helped. Out of over a thousand participants, only sixteen remain now.”
“Aha…”
There would be those who remained on site after being eliminated, but there would also be a considerable number of people who had left, thinking, ‘Who cares?’
There was definitely a sense that the crowd had thinned compared to the first day.
Even so, a large number of people were still gathered like clouds.
Goeng-yul, who was standing on the stage, opened his mouth wide toward the crowd.
“From now on, we will draw the lots for the round of 16 matches. Unlike the preliminary rounds, from the round of 16, matches between members of the same sect may occur.”
At Goeng-yul’s words, the gazes of the crowd flew and landed in one place.
Biyoung and the other four swordsmen of the Diancang Sect.
Since other sects had at most one or two rising stars who had advanced to the round of 16, it was a level where it could be said that this announcement was practically aimed at the Diancang Sect.
“My lungs are about to fill with air.”
At the pouring gazes, Uma bared his teeth and smiled.
It felt like just yesterday that they had been attacked and chased to the Simao region, but now people were looking up to the Diancang Sect.
Regarding them as the new rising power of the coming new era.
“We will randomly draw the papers in the box and assign numbers from one to sixteen.”
The method of determining the bracket was simple.
Number one and number two would have a match, and the winner of that would face the winner between number three and number four.
It was a method where the two people who were drawn consecutively would face each other.
“I will now call the name of number one.”
Gulp.
Not only the sixteen participants but also the crowd held their breath.
“Tang Gogwi of the Sichuan Tang Clan!”
That guy is no gentleman either.
Biyoung grinned as he looked at Tang Gogwi, who had been drawn first.
As Namgung Chu had said, Tang Gogwi was staring at the bracket sheet with his characteristic condescending gaze.
A person who appeared to be a servant of his family was constantly whispering something next to Tang Gogwi.
“The name of number two is…”
Ahead of the announcement, Goeng-yul’s face hardened slightly.
A sharp-witted person would have realized what that meant.
Tang Gogwi’s notoriety must have spread within Shaolin as well.
“Jin Dong of Shaolin.”
“Phew.”
As soon as the name was called, Solbo let out a sigh of relief.
Although Uma scolded him for not showing a weak side, he thought it was better to be scolded than to face hidden weapons and poison arts.
“Number three is… Hong Myeong of the Mount Hua Sect!”
At the name Hong Myeong, the crowd raised their heads high.
It was because he was a genius swordsman from the Mount Hua Sect who was often mentioned as a candidate for victory in this tournament.
And at the subsequent draw, the hearts of the people surged with heat.
“Number four is… Biyoung of the Diancang Sect!”
“Ooooooooooh!”
It was a heated reaction that would have made Tang Gogwi and Jin Dong, who were announced earlier, feel awkward.
The Mount Hua Sect, considered one of the strongest powers within the Nine Sects One Union.
The Diancang Sect, which revived a fallen sect and brought a new wave to Jianghu.
A duel between the top rising stars of the two sects!
Just with the announced bracket, a cheer as if the martial arts tournament had started anew echoed.
‘What was bound to happen has happened.’
After hearing Biyoung’s name, Hong Myeong glared at the Diancang Sect group.
On the other hand, Biyoung simply waited for the next announcement with a nonchalant air, as if it were someone else’s business.
“The name of number eight is… Solbo of the Diancang Sect!”
Solbo, who had confirmed his name, scratched his head awkwardly.
He was satisfied that he had not faced someone from his own sect, but this made it certain.
‘I won’t be able to reach the finals even by a fluke.’
Even if he were to reach the semifinals, the one waiting for him there was Biyoung.
“Next, the name of number eleven is… Eung Gajin of the Diancang Sect!”
“!”
When Eung Gajin’s name was called, the members of the Diancang Sect each wore a bitter smile.
“At this point, I think we should call it a bad fate rather than a connection.”
The man whose name had been called tenth earlier approached Eung Gajin and said something meaningful.
Eung Gajin had no intention of denying it either.
“Indeed.”
Namgung Chu.
Following their last sparring session, the two were set to face each other once again in the martial arts tournament.
“Hmm. Let’s see…”
Gwangyo reviewed the bracket that had been decided so far.
Biyoung would face a swordsman from the Mount Hua Sect, and Solbo would face the last survivor of the True Dragon Sect.
And Eung Gajin and Namgung Chu would fight in the round of 16 on the opposite side.
The remaining swordsmen of the Diancang Sect were Uma and Jeong-i.
Uma, as if becoming subtly anxious, spat on the ground, and Jeong-i slightly raised her head to see who was left.
“Number thirteen is…!”
“Number fourteen is…!”
And, until the seventh match was announced, the names of the two were not called.
“Uh…?”
“If it’s like this…?”
When the seventh match was confirmed, Solbo’s pupils shook violently.
It was because the two names remaining in the container were naturally confirmed.
“Damn it.”
“Oh dear.”
It was pointless to draw the two remaining names.
Uma and Jeong-i.
It was the moment when the first match within the same sect was confirmed.