Jo Bongseok was glad to see Jangson Cheongi again.He had watched Jangson Cheongi since he was a child.Troublesome as he was, Jo Bongseok had never thought he’d done anything so grave as to be thrown out of the house.A single defeat can happen.How can a person grow strong without ever tasting defeat?If that defeat came at the hands of a comparable force, that would be understandable.It happens.Because they’re comparable.But if you lose to an opponent on a different level?That becomes a stain on the clan.Even so, Jo Bongseok thought expelling him had been too much.They’d kicked him out—then worried, apparently—because the Clan Head secretly searched for ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Jangson Cheongi’s whereabouts.When his trail went cold, he sent people out to look.When they still couldn’t find him, a single order went out.If anyone happened to see Jangson Cheongi, bind him and bring him in.Fail, and you’ll be punished.That’s why the clan’s warriors were making such a ruckus now that they’d spotted him.Catching Jangson Cheongi was a matter of their own lives.Even if he said he’d walk in on his own and greet the Clan Head, if he wasn’t bound that would be disobeying orders—so no matter what Jangson Cheongi said, they wouldn’t listen.Jo Bongseok thought the same.The Clan Head would obviously nitpick: why wasn’t he bound?Better to handle it cleanly than get chewed out.“Young master, let’s not waste each other’s strength. Submit quietly to being bound.”“Try it. I will never allow myself to be bound.”“Our young master. Looks like you found some stroke of fortune while you were away.”“Yeah. I found one. So come on.”“Hahaha! Our young master—shall I broaden my horizons and see what kind of fortune you found? And how could I go first? I’ll yield the first move.”“You ambushed me a moment ago.”“Hahaha.”Jo Bongseok laughed, a little embarrassed.In that instant—Jangson Cheongi’s figure flashed as he sped toward Jo Bongseok.Seeing the movement, Jo Bongseok wiped the smile from his face and looked surprised.It was definitely different from before.Had he really found some stroke of fortune outside?This wasn’t someone to take lightly.Jangson Cheongi, already upon him, attacked.FWIP—Blows came in succession, heavier than expected.Dodging nimbly, Jo Bongseok let out a sincere exclamation.“Wow! Our young master, you really did get stronger!”How admirable.He’d thought the boy had run away and loafed around.He’d been wrong.He’d been out there living hard in his own way.If the Clan Head learned that Jangson Cheongi had returned this strong, he would forgive him.Even so, he had to bind him.Orders were orders.Jo Bongseok watched Jangson Cheongi’s movement closely.He still seemed short on real combat experience.Well, where would he have gotten real combat experience?His forms were painfully textbook.There was no variation at all.Move that orthodoxly and any decent master would read it clean and counter immediately.Jo Bongseok was no different.He’d had several chances to counter, but he let them go.He was trying so hard.He didn’t want to disappoint him.FWIP-FWIP-FWIP—Jangson Cheongi’s attacks came again.Slipping aside with ease, Jo Bongseok spoke.“Young master, you’ve gotten stronger, but you need live combat. I’ll be your first real duel.”Jo Bongseok’s eyes changed.Playtime was over.It was time to suppress and bind him.“Time to submit to being bound.”At Jo Bongseok’s words, Jangson Cheongi snorted.“Hah! Do it if you can.”“Yes, yes. All right, then I’ll get serious.”Up to now Jo Bongseok had only dodged; now he reached out his hand.His epithet was the Lightning Sword.He’d earned it for swinging his blade as fast as lightning.He had no sword now, but he struck at Jangson Cheongi with his hand in its place.SNAP—He thought his hand, shot out in an instant, would seize Jangson Cheongi.But—FWISH—Jangson Cheongi slipped past his reach instead of being caught.“Huh?”He’d reached out in earnest—How did he dodge that?The instant the question rose—A fist sheathed in a faint bluish Astral Qi was already at his nose.“Ugh!”He’d been thinking for a heartbeat too long; startle kicking in, he threw his head back.BANG—Jo Bongseok barely avoided Jangson Cheongi’s fist and truly broke into a sweat.No—was that a fist of Astral Qi?Was he actually trying to kill him?Jangson Cheongi’s voice came.“Whew, did I scare you? I assumed Corps Leader Jo would obviously dodge.”“Haha. R-Right.”“Seeing you move seriously made me think I had to get serious too.”“Huh? You weren’t serious until now?”“No. I can’t have Corps Leader Jo getting hurt, can I?”“Huh…”If that was true, it was astonishing.He was curious now.About Jangson Cheongi’s real skill.“Then I’ll attack you seriously, young master.”Jangson Cheongi crooked a finger.“Come on.”Smiling coldly at that sight, Jo Bongseok kicked off and shot forward.FWISH—Leaving an afterimage, he was suddenly right in front of Jangson Cheongi, launching a strike.He thought that one couldn’t be dodged.So he thought—yet Jangson Cheongi flowed his attack to the side and even countered.SLASH—“Khk!”He hadn’t expected a counter, and took a solid hit.Thankfully he had raised a Protective Astral-Qi Veil to disperse the impact, so it wasn’t a mortal blow, but the struck spot throbbed.Feeling the pain rising from his abdomen, Jo Bongseok was genuinely impressed.Was it really true he lacked real combat experience?That response just now was impossible without a wealth of live fights.Jangson Cheongi spoke.“Do I look like I lack live combat?”“Sir?”“That’s what you said, wasn’t it? Am I wrong?”“Y-You’re right.”“Corps Leader Jo, you’re simple. If someone acts like a rookie with no live combat, you let your guard down? It could be a lie. That’s how you get hit.”When Jangson Cheongi lectured him, Jo Bongseok blinked in chagrin, then let out a small laugh.“Looks like I got a lesson from you, young master.”Not a word of it was wrong.It was a golden rule that made him reflect on himself.“I’ll take your words to heart, young master. Then…”In an instant, Jo Bongseok’s aura changed.“From here on, I’ll treat you truly seriously.”“You’d better.”The two men looked at each other and grinned. ****“Huff… huff… huff!”Jo Bongseok stared at Jangson Cheongi with a face that said he couldn’t believe it.He couldn’t believe it.They had traded hundreds of exchanges, and he still hadn’t been able to subdue Jangson Cheongi.No—He was the one being pushed back.How did that make any sense?He’d grown stronger than him in that short time?How could someone leap several steps in realm in such a short span?If that were possible, there wouldn’t be anyone in the martial world who wasn’t a master.‘Did he really obtain a stroke of fortune?’Worse, unlike his own fatigue, Jangson Cheongi didn’t even look all that tired.“Corps Leader Jo, if your stamina is this flimsy, what’ll you do in a real fight later?”Normally he would’ve bristled, but not now.“Young master. It seems you truly did obtain a stroke of fortune.”“I told you. I did.”“I never imagined you’d drive me this far.”“I went easy because you’re Corps Leader Jo.”“Hahahaha!”At the words “went easy,” he couldn’t help but laugh.Then his face hardened.“Don’t go easy. Show me your real strength. That’s the way you help me, young master.”Jangson Cheongi nodded.SLASH—“Guh!”Jo Bongseok, eyes quivering, stared at Jangson Cheongi who had closed in at some point and planted a palm in him.He’d been standing over there—He looked to where Jangson Cheongi had been.Jangson Cheongi’s figure blurred there and faded away.“Transposition…”He could even use Transposition.He had lost completely.“I… I concede. Y… young master…”Jo Bongseok collapsed.THUD—When he hit the ground, the warriors watching around them gasped.Jangson Cheongi, who couldn’t beat even chief-level fighters before, had just defeated a corps-leader-grade master.To grow like a storm in just two years—Even with a stroke of fortune, this was too fast.Just then, one of the chiefs shouted.“The young master must be exhausted—this is our chance! Everyone, charge!”At that, as if bewitched, people surged toward Jangson Cheongi all at once.Seeing the clan’s warriors rushing him, Jangson Cheongi grinned.“Well now. First time home in ages and the welcome is a bit rough.” ****Someone burst into the Clan Head’s Office at the Jangson Clan, breathless.“Clan Head!”At the sudden commotion, the Clan Head, Jangson Gunbo, scowled.“What is it?”“Y-You should come outside.”“What’s happened?”“Y-Young master Cheongi has returned.”“Hmph! Looks like he ran out of money. Well then—how beggarly a state did he crawl back in?”“Not beggarly at all. He’s returned more splendid than before he left.”“What?”Impossible.He should be sniveling and begging for forgiveness.Jangson Gunbo asked,“All right. Did you bind him the moment you spotted him?”“We did not.”“You fools take my orders for dung? I clearly commanded you to grab him on sight and bind him first.”“It’s not that they didn’t—it’s that they can’t.”“What?”“Right now the clan’s warriors are throwing everything they have at capturing the young master.”What was this nonsense?“What do you mean, throwing everything? Everything?”“Corps Leader Jo and several chief-level men have already gone down. Other corps-leader-grade fighters have joined in to seize him, but it isn’t easy.”Not easy?Even with corps leaders joining?No—more than that, Corps Leader Jo went down?The Lightning Sword?Absurd.He knew exactly what realm Corps Leader Jo had reached, and exactly what realm Jangson Cheongi had reached.Even if he’d trained for two years straight, he couldn’t possibly have closed that gap.And yet he’d won?“Didn’t Corps Leader Jo hold back?”“No! Corps Leader Jo fought in earnest.”Unbelievable.SCRAPE—Jangson Gunbo rose from his seat.“Where is Cheongi now?”“He’s at the front gate, facing off with our warriors.”“Let’s go.”“Yes!” ****In front of the main gate.The Jangson Clan’s warriors could not easily approach Jangson Cheongi.“Huff… huff! What is this? Why aren’t you coming?”Panting roughly, Jangson Cheongi looked around at the warriors.“Young master, any more and it’ll be dangerous. Please, submit to being bound.”“He’s right! We beg you.”“If you keep going, you’ll collapse! Young master!”At the earnest cries, Jangson Cheongi spoke.“How can warriors of the great Jangson Clan say such weak things! Come! I’m still standing!”At his shout, the warriors were thrown off.He was no longer the thoughtless boy they’d known.In two years, he had returned a complete man.They found him admirable and were proud of him.That was why they couldn’t rush him.For fear they might hurt him by mistake.So they had sent someone to inform the Clan Head.All they had to do was hold out until the Clan Head arrived.That was all—But Jangson Cheongi wouldn’t stay put.“If you won’t come, I’ll come to you.”“Y-Young master! P-Please, wait!”Frantically waving their hands, the warriors tried to stop him.But they couldn’t.Jangson Cheongi plunged into the mass of warriors.He laughed.“Hahahaha! Come on!”Seeing how genuinely he was enjoying himself, the warriors clicked their tongues.How could a person change this much?They prayed the Clan Head would arrive quickly.At that moment—A completely different savior appeared.“Hahaha.”A clear, buoyant laugh rang out.Jangson Cheongi knew exactly whose laugh that was.He turned his head and saw a welcome face standing there with hands clasped behind his back, beaming.“My little brother, it seems you’ve been well.”“Elder brother…”

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