Chapter 23

Ch. 23

King of Fist Creates a Fortuitous Encounter 1

Dan Wooseong was escorting the young masters of the Gu Family back and returning to his quarters when he encountered the youngest, Lee Ja-eon, who had been busy with urgent matters - recognizing and bringing back a Jianghu-style messenger pigeon.

The youngest hesitated and asked.

"Elder brother, did the match end?"

"Yeah, it ended."

"Already?"

Lee Ja-eon blinked as if he had missed a good show, then asked carefully.

"I heard three people came, so how many times did you lose......?"

"Why do you think I lost?"

"Ah, I thought they probably did it like a wheel battle. If I had been there, we could have split up and competed."

Lee Ja-eon had been extremely careful with his words and actions since being beaten. Dan Wooseong sighed.

'If that had happened, it would have been two wins and one loss.'

Dan Wooseong said calmly.

"I just won them all."

Lee Ja-eon's eyes widened.

"Is it strange that I won?"

At his brother's question, Lee Ja-eon shook his head.

"Ah, no. You worked hard."

Dan Wooseong thought the youngest's back looked somehow lonely as he trudged away. Dan Wooseong swallowed a curse inwardly.

'Ah, what a real loser.'

When his brother won, he should have been happy, but he was disappointed because he immediately applied it to his own situation.

Dan Wooseong decided he needed to quickly implement the inevitable fortuitous encounter plan disguised as coincidence that he had conceived earlier. For that, he needed the help of his idle friends.

Dan Wooseong met with Lee Hwa-eon until evening to discuss something and prepared several items, then set out to meet his friends.

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"What could it be that he wanted to see us? It doesn't seem like he just wants to drink."

Although he said this, Sima Ge and Zhou Zi-liang seemed pleased to see their friend at a drinking gathering after a long time.

The three deliberately chose a private room and began their conspiracy. Dan Wooseong took out three promissory notes each in front of Sima Ge and Zhou Zi-liang and said.

"This is the advance payment."

"Oh!"

"Wow! What a windfall."

It was actually money taken from the Laughing Immortal Sect Leader. Since quite a lot of money had been packed tightly in the money belt, he felt like he was giving his friends spending money. Unlike Qiu Xiong, these friends weren't very well off, so they looked surprised and examined the promissory notes from various angles.

"Wow, if you're giving this much money as advance payment, are you asking us to kill someone? Killing is a bit troublesome, so I'll just beat them up nicely instead. Who is it? Just tell me."

It was Sima Ge's joke. Zhou Zi-liang laughed and replied.

"Hey, if there's someone to kill, you'd kill them directly now. You wouldn't ask us to do it. Come on, let's hear it. What's the matter? I have nothing to do anyway, so I'll definitely help."

Dan Wooseong looked at Zhou Zi-liang and Sima Ge and said.

"I'm thinking of creating a fortuitous encounter in Jianghu for the youngest. Listen first, then ask about anything you're curious about."

When the two nodded, Dan Wooseong continued.

"The youngest is a Jianghu Hero."

"I know."

"Is he still like that? That guy really can't come to his senses for long. He should just join a sect instead. But he wouldn't like that either, right? That room-corner Jianghu person."

Dan Wooseong grinned.

"I talked a bit with the second son, and the youngest seems to believe there was something near the Ahn Family, where I was recovering my body - that is, on Nine Flower Mountain. You two just need to prepare a fortuitous encounter there."

"Prepare? You want us to prepare a fortuitous encounter?"

"Failed Scholar, I'm trusting your cunning. Nine Flower Mountain is suitable from the start. The mountain terrain is rough and there are quite a few caves and caverns here and there. I've marked this on a simple map I made centered on the Ahn Family. It was also my walking route."

Sima Ge asked.

"I understand the Failed Scholar role, but what about me?"

Dan Wooseong looked at Sima Ge and said.

"You are our youngest's master."

Sima Ge replied with a dazed expression as if he had received a shock.

"I was a master? This can't be. I'm already accepting disciples...... Not a very pleasing disciple. Somehow I want to expel him as soon as I accept him."

"How many times have you seen the youngest?"

Sima Ge searched his memory.

"It's hard to see him even once or twice in a few years. Come to think of it, it's been quite a while since I last saw him."

Dan Wooseong pointed at Sima Ge's face with his finger.

"With just a little disguise, he probably won't recognize you. You could use a human skin mask, you can do that much, right?"

Sima Ge nodded.

"Accepted. But if I'm the master, what should I do? Couldn't you teach him directly?"

Dan Wooseong asked back.

"Me? The youngest doesn't respect me. Would you respect me if you were him? Just because I came back suddenly strong for that one reason alone."

"That wouldn't be it. You two fought often."

Dan Wooseong nodded.

"Actually, I beat him up a bit as soon as I returned."

"You did well. Ja-eon needs to be beaten a bit."

"I think the most important thing between master and disciple is respect. Even if the disciple later surpasses the master, not losing respect is what I think is the proper master-disciple relationship. In that sense, me teaching him wouldn't be efficient, wouldn't have good compatibility, and everything wouldn't be good anyway. I have emotions too, you see. I'd get confused whether I'm teaching or wanting to beat him up. The youngest has a personality that secretly deserves beating."

Sima Ge nodded as if he greatly agreed.

"Right. Right. Master and disciple should feel bonded through respect. But would the youngest respect me?"

Dan Wooseong poured a drink each for the two and smiled.

"Of course, he's a master met through fortuitous encounter, so how could he not respect him?"

Sima Ge and Zhou Zi-liang burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! Ah, so that's how the story flows. Now I roughly understand the plan."

Dan Wooseong waited for his drinking friends and continued.

"There are several things lacking here. First, martial arts manuals are most urgent, but I'll look into it."

Sima Ge and Zhou Zi-liang waited for their friend's words. In some ways, it was also a playful request, but listening to what he said, there was a consistently serious aspect. They felt it wasn't just simple mischief.

Dan Wooseong said to Sima Ge.

"When I deliver the martial arts manual, you can learn it first and then teach it. Your martial arts skills are much better than the youngest's anyway. Even if you learn the same manual, there will be much you need to teach. If you were to fight the youngest in actual combat right now, how many moves do you think it would take to defeat him?"

Sima Ge tilted his head.

"Well. Ja-eon probably never had a proper master, right?"

"He didn't."

"I think I could win with one hand. That guy only cares about appearances."

Sima Ge was a man preparing for the Alliance entrance exam, and the youngest Lee Ja-eon was a man wanting to go out into Jianghu. The difference in level was clear. After all, he was a man preparing for Alliance entrance.

Dan Wooseong nodded.

"Then that's enough. But I have one request."

"What is it?"

"Treat him harshly. Since he can't rely only on the manual, it would help improve his skills if you think of teaching actual combat and keep sparring by beating him with wooden swords. Jianghu is actual combat."

Sima Ge nodded.

"Getting beaten is the fastest way to learn. The body learns the sword that way. Don't worry about that. I've been wanting to beat him up anyway and held back, so I'll beat him up satisfyingly at this opportunity. Of course, with a master's affection."

"Then I'm grateful."

Dan Wooseong held out a large key and a letter, saying.

"This is the Ahn Family key. This is a brief letter I delivered to the person managing the Ahn Family. You two can use the Ahn Family as a base to create the fortuitous encounter. Meanwhile, I'll obtain martial arts manuals and deliver them to the Ahn Family. I plan to send support occasionally when there's something to support you two with. I'll leave everything else entirely to you two. Think of it as rescuing one person and please take on this work."

Zhou Zi-liang held the promissory notes with both hands and replied.

"Honestly, the advance payment is too much for the work assigned. This is enough, so let's end the money talk here. It's work we could do even if you didn't give us anything, but you've taken too good care of us. Sima Ge, do you agree?"

Sima Ge nodded.

"Of course. Does Ja-eon use a sword?"

"He's the guy who used to sing that the sword is the king of all weapons."

Sima Ge stroked his chin and replied.

"Good. I should also do some proper training on Nine Flower Mountain at this opportunity. Is that place suitable for training?"

"There's no better place than that."

Dan Wooseong smiled faintly.

Although he hoped for the youngest's training, he inwardly also hoped Sima Ge would train seriously. In some ways, this matter included the meaning of Dan Wooseong supporting his friends in various ways, including financially.

It was because he wanted to confirm if the Failed Scholar had 'strategic' aspects, and using Lee Ja-eon as an excuse, he hoped Sima Ge would also face his destiny.

Moreover, if he left the youngest like this, he might run away to Jianghu, and there was a possibility he might meet someone like Gu Yanghu and go completely astray. Since family harmony brings success to all endeavors, he planned not to neglect family discipline.

Who knows?

If the fate of the man named Lee Ja-eon changed through various opportunities, that itself would be a good thing.

Dan Wooseong returned home late at night after conspiring about the fortuitous encounter with his friends.

Now it was Dan Wooseong's turn to prepare.

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Dan Wooseong briefly met the Twin Treasure Brothers, then returned to his room and sat at his desk.

He had no intention of buying martial arts manuals with money.

For his friend.......

And he planned to directly create sword techniques he wanted to teach his younger brother and personally write the manual.

Of course, he had never created sword techniques in his previous life. There was no reason for a man who practiced fist techniques to create sword techniques.

However, he knew more practical theories about swords than anyone else. Because he had to face countless swordsmen. In that sense, the sword technique created by the King of Fist would be an ultimate technique not easily found even in Jianghu.

To put it bluntly, it would be a sword technique that breaks sword techniques. He planned to quickly write a draft and then review it again. However, when he actually tried to write, the biggest problem was the name of the sword technique.

This alone required some time to think about.

Dan Wooseong crossed his arms and pondered various things. His own tendencies, Sima Ge's tendencies, his brother's personality...... He also thought about Sword Intent. He had no intention of making a move-centered commentary like stuffy old manuals. The King of Fist's martial arts always pursued overcoming moves with no moves.

He didn't expect the two to immediately grasp the ultimate meaning. Defeating swords with moves using swords without moves was a dream-like thing.

Dan Wooseong just thought he was opening a path.

After pondering, Dan Wooseong wrote the name of the sword technique at the beginning. Since he was creating a fortuitous encounter anyway, he planned to properly deceive. While thinking of names of sword techniques that came down only in legends, he changed the original nine (九) character to the character for ultimate investigation (究) and wrote it.

Thus, the name of the sword technique was Solitary Ultimate Sword (獨孤究劍).

It meant a sword technique that alone and lonely pursues the ultimate of the sword, so compared to the legendary sword technique Solitary Nine Swords (獨孤九劍), the meaning wasn't bad.

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