Chapter 152
Chapter 152
"I feel so refreshed."
The person who had frequently chimed in earlier and added strength to Mok Wigun's words. He was a middle-aged man with a dignified feeling.
"I am Hwangbo Gang of the Hwangbo family."
Huh? If it's Hwangbo Gang, he's the head of the Hwangbo family. And he's also the father of Hwangbo Jun and Hwangbo Ryeong.
"Ah. So you were the family head."
"I've heard a lot about you from the children."
Hwangbo Gang spoke respectfully without any hesitation.
"I've also heard about you from the two of them. So. Are you feeling better?"
"Thanks to you, I've recovered completely."
Seeing that he had recovered faster than expected, it seemed there was a skilled physician on that side as well.
"By the way, the formation is giving me a headache. Since there is no suitable formation in the family..."
Hwangbo Gang said, frowning. It's not common for a family or a sect to have its own formation.
"It's the same for Zhongnan. Still, we'll have to try to do something."
And so, the two of them walked, talking about this and that. Then Hwangbo Gang asked.
"I'd like to see my daughter's face. Would that be okay?"
"What's the problem with a father and daughter meeting? Let's go together."
And so, Mok Wigun headed to the place where the group was staying with Hwangbo Gang. And the father-daughter reunion took place. But.
"Aigoo. Why has our Ryeong's face become so haggard?"
Hwangbo Gang said, touching his daughter's cheek. It was an unexpected situation for Mok Wigun. In fact, he hadn't paid much attention to Hwangbo Ryeong's condition. Because there were so many other things.
But Hwangbo Gang was extremely worried. He was grateful that he had brought the inner core of the Thousand Year Fire Fox, but how would a father's heart feel when his daughter had to work in return?
Hwangbo Jun had explained everything he had experienced, saying that Mok Wigun was a good person, but from a father's point of view, it was not so. But when he saw his daughter's face after a long time and it had become haggard, his heart ached.
"It's okay. I've gotten much better."
"What? This is much better?"
Hwangbo Gang shouted. Her face is already half its size, and this is better? Hwangbo Gang turned his head away. Mok Wigun stealthily looked up at the sky. He thought this might be the first time he had avoided someone's gaze since coming here.
"Manor Lord Mok. Let's talk for a moment."
"Uh... shall we?"
Mok Wigun walked with Hwangbo Gang and cursed Pyon Juksu inwardly.
'Haa. This bastard. I told you to go easy on her.'
* * *
"It's not because of compensation, but because of the costs incurred so far, we can't quit."
Daoist Master Hyungwang said. The funds that went into preparing for the tournament were enormous. Even the preliminaries were of a considerable scale, but the finals were much larger.
"But will people all follow just because the Demon Dragon Manor Lord is making a fuss? If we push through, those who want to drop out will drop out, and those who want to stay will stay."
"It's not that simple. To be honest, what do they have to lose by not participating in the tournament?"
Besides, Mok Wigun had made a firm promise. That he would somehow get the amount of damage they had suffered from the Wudang Sect.
"There are even those who say they should at least get some money. They are probably those who won't be able to reach a high rank anyway."
"Hmph... How can people who call themselves martial artists think of money before honor?"
An elder of the Wudang Sect said so. But among the people from the Wudang Sect and the Martial Alliance gathered here, there was not a single person who believed that was sincere.
"So let's accept what we can accept and reject what we can reject and sort it out."
"Alright. Then first, what do you all think about making the score for the formation battle two points?"
Most were positive. They thought of the formation as an extra score they could get. So they thought that a score of two points was not bad.
"So if we secure four points in the individual battles, we win. That seems okay."
"Since everyone seems to think so, let's pass on the matter of the formation battle."
Hyungwang brought up the next agenda.
"This is a bit troublesome... the matter of observing."
"Ahem..."
Everyone had an uncomfortable look. They all didn't want to allow this. But the thing that the Demon Dragon Manor Lord Mok Wigun had most strongly insisted on was observation.
"It's troublesome. It's like this and it's like that."
"First, let's think about what's troublesome if we allow observation."
They all didn't open their mouths, but they knew. Taking bribes and manipulating. That was quite lucrative. So bribes were also exchanged to get that position.
"Hmm... besides the part that everyone is thinking of, there's no particular problem, right?"
"If the formation battle is settled at two points, I don't think that part will be a big problem."
Everyone was worried about the Zhongnan Sect. But the Zhongnan Sect had a fatal weakness. The ninth participant was the sect leader, Zeng Yaotian.
How big of a deal is it to be able to get one win for free? But what if the formation battle is two wins? You get three wins for free. In that case, wouldn't it be unnecessary to tamper with the match-up table? People thought this.
"I see. If the formation is like that, it won't be a big problem."
And so, it was settled to allow observation.
"In that case, can we conclude the discussion with the content that has been sorted out now?"
When Hyungwang asked, everyone said it was good.
"Instead, let's proceed as quickly as possible. The tournament is being delayed, so it's causing disruptions to various schedules."
"That's right. Proceeding quickly is the top priority."
"I understand. We will proceed like that."
Hyungwang answered and chuckled. Because he knew that those people were not being so urgent because of the schedule.
The reason so much money went into the Heavenly Martial Arts Assembly is because that much can be extracted. And the extracted money is settled and divided. The Wudang Sect takes the largest amount, but there are also those who take money for themselves.
'It's the people here. The ones who hold power and money.'
They are the ones who use that to create a stage and take profits. That's why they want it to proceed quickly. So that they can get the money quickly. Hyungwang was also aiming for that position. But he had not yet reached that level. You could say he was located right below such people.
But he would soon rise to that position. Soon. Then he would stop cleaning up after these people. Thinking so, Hyungwang moved to the meeting hall.
"Then can we proceed like this?"
The formation battle and observation. Since the organizers were making concessions on those two things, the meeting proceeded smoothly. There was nothing much to talk about. Only Mok Wigun meticulously went over every detail. And he wrote it all down.
"Haa. What is it now?"
When Mok Wigun raised his hand again, Hyungwang sighed. He wished he would stop, but Mok Wigun seemed to have no intention of ending it.
"Is giving advice only possible for people from one's own sect?"
"Isn't that a matter of course?"
"No. Since the purpose is to improve skills to fight against the Demonic Cult and the Blood Cult. Then I thought anyone should be able to give advice."
In terms of justification, that's true, but that is something that cannot be tolerated.
"That's not allowed. It's only possible for one's own sect."
"I understand."
Hyungwang was a little surprised. He had thought he would find some other reason and make an issue of it, but Mok Wigun had obediently backed down. It was the first time this had happened since he had raised his hand and spoken today.
"I see. Then now, the end..."
"Wait a minute."
"Haa... what is it nowww?"
Hyungwang's voice was full of annoyance.
"What about the individual competition?"
"What about the individual competition?"
"When resting in the individual competition. I thought anyone should be able to give advice then."
Hyungwang momentarily paused. In the sect battle, since they had entered under the name of a sect, that was that, but he had not set a standard for what to do in the individual competition.
"Is it possible if there is a personal acquaintance? Or does this also have to be a person from a sect?"
Mok Wigun said as if muttering. Hyungwang thought about it.
'If I say it has to be a person from a sect, those without a sect will make a fuss, right?'
What's more important than anything is that the tournament must proceed quickly.
"Let's make it possible if there is a personal acquaintance."
He thought this would not be a problem. Because you just have to find an advisor within the limits of what you can do. At that answer, Mok Wigun smiled stealthily. And then he wrote that content on a paper and said.
"Alright. This is what we talked about today. The secretary is organizing it separately, but it won't be a problem that I wrote it down, right?"
Everyone looked at the content. There was nothing that would be a problem. Because he had really written down exactly what they had talked about today. Hyungwang also looked, and there was not a speck of anything strange. When everyone had confirmed that, Mok Wigun held out the paper.
"Alright. Everyone, please put your seal here. We also need to have evidence."
"Alright. Instead, we'll start the measurement right away and proceed according to the schedule."
Hyungwang said to end the meeting quickly and proceed with the tournament.
"Alright. Let's proceed with the tournament right away."
The other people put their seals, and finally, Hyungwang left his mark under his title and name. And so, after many twists and turns, the tournament began.
* * *
"I've been waiting."
Hwangbo Gang greeted Mok Wigun with a happy face.
A spacious training ground attached to the lodgings prepared by the Hwangbo family. There, the participants from the Hwangbo family were gathered. It was to practice the formation.
'This is all because of that bastard.'
Pyon Juksu. It was because of that damn bastard that he had to go through this trouble. He should have gone easy on Hwangbo Ryeong.
He had given Hwangbo Ryeong an excessive amount of work because he was doing something else. But Hwangbo Ryeong was not a person who did things in moderation. She either didn't do it, or if she started, she had to do it properly. So she was getting thinner by the day.
Then she had met her father, Hwangbo Gang, and Hwangbo Gang had protested to Mok Wigun. He had received the Thousand Year Fire Fox well, but how could he treat his daughter like this?
'If he had just spoken rudely, I would have shouted, but since he came out politely and was sobbing... Tsk...'
He didn't even protest strongly. Hwangbo Gang just said it as if complaining. Asking him to consider the heart of a parent who thinks of their child. That was even more killing. So he said he would be careful in the future.
'But with that, the feeling of apology didn't go away...'
He can't sleep if he doesn't repay the debt in his heart. So he said he would teach him the formation he knew. Hwangbo Gang knew that Mok Wigun was special. So he gratefully accepted.
"Alright. Get ready!"
Nine people, including Hwangbo Gang, took their positions. The Nine Palaces Demon Subduing Formation. It was a modified version of the formation used to fight the Demon King's army when he was in the other world. It was because he thought it suited the martial arts of the Hwangbo family the best. A formation that felt powerful rather than flashy, and strong rather than fast.
The people of the Hwangbo family were all preparing with a serious look. Mok Wigun confirmed that the preparations were finished and then shouted.
"Open the formation!"
(End of Chapter)
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