WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 50: Who Is the Winner? (2)
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The silence did not last long.
“Khahahahaha!”
It was because of Evil Heaven's wild laughter.
His joy was plain in that laughter.
In the worst case, he had even braced himself for defeat, so he must have been thrilled that we had won so easily against all expectations.
- Wow! How did you think of using that?
- I never saw that coming.
The SoDam Sword and the Southern Heavenly Steel Sword were amazed as well.
Even I had not been entirely certain.
If things went wrong, I had considered fighting while gradually mixing in innate life energy. But I had gambled that the Illusory Mind Eye might work if internal energy was sealed, and the gamble had paid off.
Fortunately, Ho GeumWon's mental strength was not as formidable as I had feared.
- I thought you'd end it moderately, but cutting off his arm was bold.
‘He was after my arm too.’
Truthfully, I had deliberated quite a bit in that brief instant.
Even if we had agreed to a life-and-death match, he was Second Venerable One Seo GalMa's disciple.
I did not want to kill him and create needless trouble.
Cutting off an arm was not a method I preferred, but it was the only way to subdue him in a single move without taking his life.
- Wouldn't targeting his dantian have been more effective?
‘...That would be no different from killing him.’
I knew better than anyone the pain of having one's dantian destroyed.
It meant death as a martial artist.
Moreover, if I had targeted Ho GeumWon's dantian before Seo GalMa, the master who had taught him Martial Arts, it would not merely have been an attack on his disciple. It would have been an insult to Seo GalMa himself.
Unless one was dealing with a truly bitter enemy, it was better to kill them than target their dantian.
- True. You've got a point.
- Un Hwi's judgment was correct.
In any case, the match was decided.
Unless Ho GeumWon had trained his left hand, he had no chance of winning.
No, even if he moved now, he would only end up with a hole in his throat. It was over.
Ho GeumWon's face was pale.
He was losing too much blood from his severed arm.
Swish!
I pressed the tip of my sword closer to his throat and asked, “Do you admit defeat?”
Ho GeumWon wore a pained expression.
Though he understood that he had lost, he seemed unable to accept it.
Just then, Seo GalMa tried to approach me.
Whoosh!
Evil Heaven stepped in front of him.
“Your disciple has not yet declared defeat.”
Seo GalMa's expression twisted viciously.
“Evil Heaven!”
“If you intend to interfere in the match, you will have to face me.”
Evil Heaven took a combat stance, ready to act at any moment.
I had never seen him assume a stance before ordinary enemies. Seeing this, Seo GalMa did not seem like an ordinary opponent.
Seo GalMa raised his voice in fury.
“How can this be called a match? Evil Heaven, did your disciple not use sorcery?”
He no longer bothered with formalities.
He apparently could not accept falling victim to the Illusory Mind Eye as soon as the match began.
“What of it if a member of the force of evil uses sorcery? Do you intend to make such pathetic excuses in a match where life and death are at stake?”
As expected, Evil Heaven could never be beaten in an exchange of words.
Still, those words thoroughly provoked Seo GalMa.
“Excuses? Ha!”
Before he had even finished speaking, Seo GalMa struck with his palm.
Evil Heaven swiftly threw a punch.
Bang! Crack!
The instant their palm and fist collided, the wooden boards beneath their feet split apart and sprang upward.
They possessed tremendous internal energy.
The wooden floor beneath them had shattered merely from their clash.
“Khahahahaha! Excellent. It has been a long time since I have had a proper fight.”
Perhaps his fighting spirit had risen after exchanging a move, Evil Heaven shouted boldly.
Seo GalMa did not back down either.
“Hmph! Fine. Let us settle this! EunJae!”
“Yes!”
Whoosh!
At his shout, Go EunJae, who had been standing in a corner by the wall, threw Seo GalMa's treasured blade.
Seo GalMa caught it cleanly and tried to draw it.
Then someone stepped between them.
“Hm?”
“Blood-Hand Witch!”
It was Han BaekHa, the Blood-Hand Witch, who was serving as witness to the match.
“Please stop, both of you. What are you doing?”
Seo GalMa spoke angrily to the woman trying to mediate.
“Sixth Blood Star. This match is invalid. That brat did not fight fairly.”
“What do you mean?”
Seo GalMa turned and glared at me.
His eyes were so fierce that the look alone nearly made me dizzy.
But the hot innate life energy rising within my chest calmed my trembling.
Seo GalMa narrowed his eyes.
“I understand now! You master and disciple plotted this together. I should have known from the moment you suggested sealing internal energy before fighting.”
“Hmph! For someone bearing the title of Venerable One, you are truly pathetic for refusing to accept defeat. Who plotted anything?”
“I do not know what art he used, but your disciple must have been able to use internal energy.”
Seo GalMa was certain that I could use internal energy.
At that, Han BaekHa, the Blood-Hand Witch, spoke.
“Did you not personally use the Point-Sealing Art to seal Young Master So's internal energy, Second Venerable One?”
“That is why I said he used some art. Otherwise, how could that cowardly brat employ sorcery?”
I wondered whether he had noticed my innate life energy, but that was not it.
It seemed he had seen the Illusory Mind Eye and assumed I had used internal energy.
Han BaekHa shook her head.
“If you wish to blame Young Master So, I believe you should blame me instead.”
“What? What are you saying?”
“The Illusory Mind Eye that Young Master So used is something I taught him.”
Unexpectedly, the Blood-Hand Witch defended me.
I had planned to explain it myself if necessary, but it seemed I could leave it to her.
Seo GalMa responded to her defense as though he found it absurd.
“So that brat's sorcery, no, method, was your Illusory Mind Eye, Blood-Hand Witch?”
As expected, the Blood-Hand Witch's Illusory Mind Eye was famous even within the Blood Cult.
Not only Evil Heaven, but Seo GalMa knew of it well.
That was likely why he changed his words from sorcery to method.
“Then all the more reason he must have used internal energy...”
“The Illusory Mind Eye is not a method that uses internal energy.”
Seo GalMa frowned at her words, perplexed.
“The Illusory Mind Eye originated from Taoist mystical arts. Regardless of whether one possesses internal energy, it can be performed if the user has sufficient force of will and mental strength.”
Han BaekHa explained on my behalf.
However, her words were partly incorrect.
Covert Infiltration, the first stage of the Illusory Mind Eye, was only the foundation. It required an extremely small amount of innate life energy, so anyone could perform it with their natural vitality alone.
Still, thanks to her, the matter was smoothly explained.
“I deeply regret that my teachings affected the match, Second Venerable One.”
She gave a fist-and-palm salute and apologized.
Grit.
Seo GalMa ground his teeth as he looked at me.
Han BaekHa's explanation had deprived him of any justification to insist that the match was invalid.
If he continued calling it sorcery, he would only be insulting the Blood-Hand Witch's skill.
“Ha...”
Seo GalMa barely calmed his anger, shook his head, and said, “My disciple has lost this match.”
Then he hurried over to Ho GeumWon and used the Point-Sealing Art to stop the bleeding from his arm.
The point-sealing also eased the pain, and Ho GeumWon's face, which had been twisted in agony, relaxed somewhat.
After stopping his disciple's bleeding, Seo GalMa stared blankly at Ho GeumWon's severed arm lying on the floor.
- Why do you sound sorry for him?
‘That is not it.’
If I had not cut off his arm, he would have cut off mine.
This was not a situation where I could weigh such things.
I merely understood Seo GalMa's feelings.
He was likely troubled. He had personally said that neither side should blame the other even if limbs were severed or lives were lost.
Seo GalMa, who had been looking at the severed arm, spoke.
“I am impressed by the Young Lady's wisdom. You had anticipated this situation from the beginning.”
Everyone looked confused by his words.
But soon, I understood why he had said that.
“I never imagined you would show such resourcefulness to gain my support after Brother Hae's. You truly carry that person's blood.”
- That old man has misunderstood, right?
It certainly seemed that way.
Because I had learned the Illusory Mind Eye, he seemed to believe that Evil Heaven had already entered her camp.
It was an understandable conclusion.
‘Ah...’
I looked at Han BaekHa, the Blood-Hand Witch.
A faint smile rested on her lips.
‘Ha!’
- What is it?
Only then did I understand.
I had found it strange that she stepped in to defend me.
Of course, she might have done so to ensure a fair match as the witness, but this had been her scheme.
By revealing that I, Evil Heaven's disciple, had learned her skill, she was creating the impression that he supported Baek Ryeon Ha.
She had even made use of this situation.
- She is a crafty woman.
Evil Heaven, Seo GalMa, and Baek Ryeon Ha.
I had thought it was merely a battle of wits between those three.
But an unexpected hidden player, Han BaekHa, the Blood-Hand Witch, had been lurking among them.
And that hidden player would do anything for Baek Ryeon Ha.
- That mad old man is awfully quiet.
At the SoDam Sword's words, I looked toward Evil Heaven.
He was frowning as he stared at Han BaekHa, the Blood-Hand Witch.
Normally, he would have exploded and insisted that was not the case, but he remained silent.
- Why is he doing that?
‘...I think he is letting it pass.’
- Huh?
Evil Heaven had already made up his mind.
He had decided to support Baek Ryeon Ha.
Therefore, though he had recognized Han BaekHa's scheme, he was pretending not to know.
The matter was not yet over, but if Seo GalMa yielded here and agreed to support Baek Ryeon Ha, there would be no need for the next match.
“Ahem.”
Tap tap tap tap!
As expected, I was right.
Evil Heaven also seemed to believe there would be no further match. He quietly approached me and released the point-sealing restriction Seo GalMa had placed on my internal energy.
Then one of the women who had been facing the bamboo blind turned around.
She removed the white face veil covering her face.
- Wow... Is that really that fatty?
The SoDam Sword could not hide its astonishment.
Everyone in the room felt the same.
I had thought she would become pretty if she lost weight, but I had not expected this much.
A small, slender face. Long eyelashes that slightly veiled her round eyes.
Her small, firm pink lips were beautiful enough to bring cherries to mind.
Gulp!
I looked toward the sound and saw Song JwaBaek staring blankly, even swallowing his saliva.
Go EunJae, Seo GalMa's second disciple, was no different.
True to that lecherous nature, Go EunJae's eyes shone with greed.
I too was greatly startled by her appearance, but only briefly. In her face, I saw the image of the woman with hair red as blood.
‘They really do look alike.’
After losing weight, she truly looked even more like that woman.
Then Seo GalMa, who had been staring blankly, dropped to one knee and paid his respects.
“Ah. I had heard the rumors, but you truly have recovered. Congratulations, Young Lady.”
As expected, he immediately recognized who she was.
Judging from this, though he had been speaking toward the bamboo blind until now, he must have realized that the real Baek Ryeon Ha was among the women in face veils.
“As expected, Uncle Seo recognizes me.”
“How could I not? You are exactly as you were before.”
- What a lie, and he says it without blinking.
The SoDam Sword clicked its tongue.
Do not be too harsh on him.
Perhaps she had not suffered from that illness when she was young.
She smiled at Seo GalMa, then slowly walked forward and bent toward something.
“Young Lady?”
She reached out for Ho GeumWon's severed right arm.
Baek Ryeon Ha's hand turned red as white vapor poured out. Soon, a frost-like layer formed over the severed arm.
She picked it up and handed it to Seo GalMa along with something else.
“What is this?”
Surprisingly, what she gave Seo GalMa was a plaque.
It was the same kind as the one I possessed.
“This is the plaque the Divine Doctor gave me. Fortunately, the Omnipotent Godly Doctor came to the Main Hall the day before yesterday for my final treatment.”
“How can you give up something so precious?”
“I hope it can be used to treat Young Master Ho's arm.”
“Ah...”
An exclamation escaped Seo GalMa.
I too was inwardly impressed.
I did not know how she had obtained the Divine Doctor's plaque in the meantime, but I had not expected her to use something so valuable at such a perfect moment.
Just when his first disciple had lost an arm and he was standing there in despair, she gave up that precious item without hesitation.
Thud!
The result was as expected.
Overcome with emotion, Seo GalMa even bowed to her.
“I am deeply moved by the Young Lady's grace. How could I ever repay such kindness? Why have you not paid your respects yet?”
At his shout, Ho GeumWon, despite his injured body, tried to kneel and bow.
She stopped him and helped him back up.
“It is all right. If this allows Uncle Seo's disciple to renew his resolve for the main cult, how could it be a waste?”
Her kindness worked exactly as intended.
Even if it had been deliberate, she had readily given away a precious treasure.
The response that Seo GalMa, who had received such grace, could give was already decided.
Thud!
Seo GalMa struck his forehead against the floor and shouted loudly.
“Second Venerable One Seo GalMa wishes to serve Young Lady Baek Ryeon Ha, who carries our lord's blood, as our new lord. Please accept this with your generous heart.”
Baek Ryeon Ha smiled brightly at the sight.
Thanks to skillfully accepting Han BaekHa's scheme, she had gained the loyalty of Second Venerable One Seo GalMa.
- The final winner is Baek Ryeon Ha after losing weight.
‘Is that so?’
- Huh?
Evil Heaven, who had been watching with satisfaction, stepped forward and prepared to kneel.
It seemed he intended to ride the momentum and swear loyalty to her as well.
Then I stopped him.
“Please wait a moment, Master.”
Evil Heaven frowned at me.
“What are you doing?”
“It is not over yet.”
“What?”
At my words, not only Evil Heaven but Han BaekHa, the Blood-Hand Witch, and even Baek Ryeon Ha looked at me with puzzled expressions.
Evil Heaven tried to say something through sound telepathy, but I spoke first.
[Master. Please leave this matter to me.]
[...]
Evil Heaven looked at me as though he could not understand what I was thinking, then eventually nodded.
I approached Baek Ryeon Ha and offered a fist-and-palm salute.
Swish!
“Hail the Blood! Hail the Blood! Hail, hail the Blood! So WoonHwi, disciple of a Venerable One, challenges the Young Lady to a match.”
‘!!!’
Everyone looked at me as though I had lost my mind.
Even Baek Ryeon Ha seemed flustered, her beautiful brow furrowing.
Naturally.
She must have intended to let the matter pass without bringing it up.
Baek Ryeon Ha's sound telepathy reached my ears.
[What are you doing, Young Master?]
[Am I unsuitable as a prospective spouse?]
Her face instantly flushed red.
But she quickly regained her composure and spoke in a subdued voice.
[Are you doing this because you truly wish to marry me?]
[Not necessarily.]
[What?]
She shot me a glare.
When she had been fat, I had not noticed it, but now even that glare was pretty.
When I merely smiled without a word, she asked with a puzzled look.
[...What exactly are you planning?]
[I am merely following the Young Lady's own words.]
[That is...]
She was left speechless.
She had clearly said herself that there would be a match, so she could not deny it.
If I had firmly decided to be loyal to her, I might have naturally let this pass as well. But this would be too disadvantageous for both my master and me.
Baek HyeHyang's side still held greater power, after all.
[If you defeat me, you will obtain what you want. Why hesitate?]
Baek Ryeon Ha bit her lower lip tightly.
I knew why she hesitated.
She had seen the result of my match with Ho GeumWon while our internal energy was sealed.
She must have feared that she too could not guarantee avoiding the Illusory Mind Eye.
But as someone who had to lead a faction, she had no choice but to take responsibility for her own words.
At last, she spoke.
“Fine. I accept your challenge.”
At the same time, different words came through sound telepathy.
[...State what you want.]
I barely suppressed the urge to let my lips curl upward.
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