Chapter 49
Perhaps it wasn't just empty talk when they boasted they would win.
Geum-myeong and Eun-myeong caught up to the children ahead of them in the blink of an eye.
The adults watching from the pavilion let out exclamations of awe.
“It's the Myo Clan's movement technique, the Cat Shadow Wandering Steps!”
“You've raised your children quite well, Master Myo!”
“Meow!”
Puffed up with pride at the sound from afar, Geum-myeong dove into the crowd of children running ahead of him.
Then, he began to trip them up every chance he got.
“Argh!”
“What is this!”
“Eek!”
Children fell and rolled across the stones everywhere, victims of Geum-myeong’s interference.
Those who barely managed to dodge Geum-myeong’s feet were struck by Eun-myeong’s Capture Hand.
“Ah, my duck egg!”
Splat!
A child whose wrist had been snatched away dropped their duck egg and burst into tears.
“Waaaaah!”
With the child breaking into sobs, the racecourse turned into a scene of chaos.
Eun-myeong’s next target was Deng Soso, who was diligently chasing after Namgung Baek.
Eun-myeong’s eyes flashed.
“That much is easy!”
Utilizing the Cat Shadow Wandering Steps, he soared into the air. Just as he was about to snatch the wrist of Deng Soso, who held the wooden ladle,
Whoosh.
Deng Soso lightly twisted her body, evading the maneuver.
And that wasn't all.
“How dare you!”
She let out a sharp cry and extended her fingers toward him.
“Yikes!”
Startled, Eun-myeong leaped backward.
If he were to have his meridians struck incorrectly by those fingers, his entire body would be paralyzed, leaving him rolling on the ground.
“Tsk!”
Deng Soso retracted her fingers, which had missed their mark.
“I’ll deal with you later!”
Eun-myeong spat out, fuming.
“Ptooey!”
After the failed acupoint strike, Deng Soso spat on the ground, then suddenly looked startled. She seemed to have realized that Namgung Baek was nearby.
“You're lucky, Myo Eun-myeong!”
Glancing around to see if anyone had noticed, Deng Soso shouted sharply and pressed forward again, closing the gap.
Hong-seol, who had turned her head to look back, was filled with admiration.
‘Wow! That girl, Deng Soso, is amazing!’
It was dazzling to see her counterattack instead of shrinking back against Myo Eun-myeong.
She seemed to be around her age, yet she was not only skilled in martial arts but also so brave!
‘I want to be like that too!’
Holding a small wish in her heart, Hong-seol quickened her pace.
Even amidst the commotion, the children in the lead were running calmly toward the finish line.
The leader was, as expected, Namgung Baek.
Behind him, Namgung Heuk and Hong-seol, disguised as Jeok, were following diligently along with a group of other children.
About halfway through.
Namgung Baek, who had been leading, suddenly came to a dead stop.
‘Huh, why is Brother stopping?’
The moment the children running behind him tilted their heads in confusion, a Telepathic Message from Namgung Baek pierced Hong-seol’s ears.
- When I give the word, jump upward immediately.
Hong-seol blinked, not understanding. She glanced at Namgung Heuk running beside her, but he was looking straight ahead.
‘Did Brother send the Telepathic Message only to me?’
To her, even though she was in the guise of Jeok?
It was the moment Hong-seol and a group of children were passing by Namgung Baek.
- Now!
With his message, Hong-seol leaped upward with all her might.
A beat ahead of her, Namgung Baek also jumped, focusing all his strength into the Bubbling Spring point on the soles of his feet.
The Namgung Clan’s Azure Sky Energy.
That blue energy swirled around his entire body and condensed into his soles.
And the moment he landed on the ground with a thud!
A massive blue wave of energy seeped into the earth, spreading out in concentric circles.
As the ground heaved violently, the children running everywhere tumbled over.
“Ah, my duck egg!”
“Argh, my feet are tangled!”
Duck eggs, not yet even hatched, flew into the sky from all directions.
Splat, splat!
The stones on the ground became slick with egg whites and yolks.
Even the children who had managed to avoid Namgung Baek’s footwork tripped one after another, stepping on the broken eggs.
That included Namgung Heuk and Deng Soso.
“Ah, this damn brother of mine!”
“Eek! My duck egg!”
Now, the only one left from the leading group was Hong-seol, who had jumped into the air at the right time.
“Keep running.”
At Namgung Baek’s urging, Hong-seol snapped to her senses. She moved her small feet quickly, about to dash forward with all her might, but then hesitated.
“Haa, haa. Broth— no, Big Brother, what about you?”
“Ah, I have some people waiting for me.”
Leaving those words behind with an indifferent air, Namgung Baek turned, his robes fluttering.
He looked like a white wolf of the snowy mountains, baring its fangs.
“Wh-what, who does that bastard think he is!”
Geum-myeong and Eun-myeong, who had been running up, skidded to a halt.
“What just happened?”
Around Namgung Baek, four or five children were groaning on the ground.
Above them, Namgung Baek’s voice, cold as a blizzard, rang out.
“No one passes beyond this point.”
Behind his back, only Hong-seol was running alone down the well-cleared path without any obstruction.
“This is insane!”
“Get out of the way! I’m going to catch that brat and teach him who the winner of the Anhui River Crossing is!”
The burly Geum-myeong roared ferociously.
Namgung Baek glanced briefly at Hong-seol’s retreating back in the distance before turning his gaze back to the brothers in front of him.
“I don't know the exact circumstances, but I'm sure you lot are the ones in the wrong, aren't you?”
At Namgung Baek’s cryptic words, Geum-myeong and Eun-myeong both scowled.
“What is this bastard blabbering about?”
“Exactly, Brother. Isn't he just bluffing?”
Geum-myeong and Eun-myeong had heard the rumors that the eldest young master of the Namgung Clan was a peerless martial arts genius.
The problem, however, was the rivalry the Myo Clan held against the Namgung Clan.
The people of the Myo Clan often dismissed the rumors about Namgung Baek as nonsense.
They claimed it was just an exaggerated story because he rarely stepped outside.
Recalling that, Geum-myeong gained confidence and shouted.
“Hey! If your martial prowess is so great, then prove it before this master!”
“That's right, Namgung Baek! My brother is the best! You aren't even worth comparing to him!”
Namgung Baek’s eyes, watching them run wild, were as deep and cold as ever.
Why is it that these types only come to their senses after being beaten?
“Haa.”
With a small sigh, Namgung Baek lightly moved the wrist holding the wooden ladle.
The duck egg that had been on his ladle flew into the air.
He easily snatched the egg with his left hand.
Then, with his right hand, he pointed the empty wooden ladle right at Geum-myeong’s nose.
“Azure Sky Great Extension Sword Art, First Form.”
A single gust of wind stirs in the blue sky.
There is movement, yet it is unseen by the eye.
“Wahahaha! Your duck egg fell off the ladle, so you're disqualified, Namgung Baek!”
Geum-myeong pointed a chubby finger and laughed like a madman.
“Shut up, Brother! You only need to keep the egg on the ladle when moving forward!”
As Eun-myeong snapped at him, Geum-myeong, feeling embarrassed, lunged at Namgung Baek.
“I'm going first!”
Snip.
Geum-myeong, who had been approaching Namgung Baek, froze for a moment.
“Br-Brother! What's wrong!”
Eun-myeong, standing behind him, shrieked. Even at that, Geum-myeong could only chatter his teeth, unable to speak.
On the toe of his shoe lay a clump of coarse hair that had just been shorn off, looking black against the stone.
“I-I-if I had taken one more step, my nose would have been sliced off.”
How on earth could that blunt wooden ladle cut through hair?
“What are you talking about, Brother! Are you saying that bastard is using sword aura!”
“I-I don't know! But my hair was definitely cut!”
Whether Geum-myeong and Eun-myeong were arguing or not, one corner of Namgung Baek’s lips, holding the wooden ladle, curved into a light arc.
Namgung Baek was called one of the greatest geniuses in the long history of the Namgung Clan.
If he drew upon his internal energy and focused, he could gather a faint, sharp energy onto the sword he held.
Even though he hadn't reached the realm of maintaining sword aura due to his young age.
But for a fleeting moment.
Even an old wooden ladle could become a sharp sword blade.
And Namgung Baek was a boy with the concentration and sense of balance to pull it off.
He lifted his chin and smiled, twisting his lips. His voice rang out with absolute clarity.
“Azure Sky Great Extension Sword Art, Second Form.”
When the wind blows in succession, it becomes a storm.
Terrified, Geum-myeong and Eun-myeong grabbed each other’s sleeves tightly.
“Wh-what do we do, Brother! It looks like that bastard is coming again!”
“I don't know! Using your head is your job!”
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