48 — I Don’t Understand Any Of This. (3)

“Forfeit? Wh-what, suddenly?”

Flustered, Jwa Go-Hak looked toward the rear of Baek Cheon. He wanted to confirm whether this was something they had agreed on among themselves.

But their reaction was not much different from Baek Cheon’s.

“A good decision.”

“Nothing is cleaner than a quick give-up.”

“W-wait a moment!”

However, Yu Han-Bin, who was not a Mount Hua disciple, seemed utterly unable to accept this situation.

“Forfeit? Forfeit all of a sudden? No, you should at least try. If you try, you might win, you know.”

“Hmm, that’s right. So… maybe the probability is something like a mouse beating a tiger.”

“Honestly, calling it a mouse is giving sahyung too much credit. A worm would be more appropriate.”

“A valid point.”

Hearing that, Yu Han-Bin said as if it were ridiculous.

“No matter how high the mountain, it’s not good to give up without even trying to climb it, they always say.”

“That’s certainly true.”

Jo Gul nodded as if pleased.

“So then…”

“But that’s when the thing to climb is an actual mountain.”

“Huh?”

“A person flailing to try and reach the sky is a foolish act. Isn’t it?”

Then Mount Hua’s disciples nodded vigorously in agreement. They nodded so crisply that for a moment it even felt solemn.

“…Weren’t we just talking about arithmetic? Do we have to start talking about whether arithmetic is the sky or whatever?”

“Ahem.”

The Mount Hua disciples, embarrassed, averted their gaze from Yu Han-Bin.

“But Jo Gul, you’re from a merchant family—can’t you do arithmetic? Though you already went out for riding, it’s strange.”

“What’s so strange about that? There are people born in the Southern Edge Sect who can’t even use the Southern Edge Sect swordsmanship.”

“Ah. Understood.”

“…Don’t accept it like that, you bastards.”

Baek Cheon, who spat the curse toward the back, looked back at Jwa Go-Hak with a ‘so what’ expression.

“Anyway, so we forfeit.”

“…”

“What, why?”

“…No, don’t you have any pride? Forfeiting a match.”

“Heh heh. That’s a strange thing to say.”

Baek Cheon scoffed and straightened his shoulders proudly as he spoke.

“Mount Hua’s pride isn’t so small that we’d stake it only on an arithmetic contest.”

And at the same moment, whispering sounds came from the rear.

“It sounds impressive if you only listen to the words.”

“The appearance is a bit lacking, though.”

Jwa Go-Hak stared blankly at Mount Hua’s disciples murmuring among themselves, then shook his head. What kind of things were these?

“Are you really forfeiting?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Ah, honestly. Why do you keep asking? I said we’re forfeiting.”

“…”

Jwa Go-Hak nodded weakly. He wanted to craft a scene of a proud victory, but if they didn’t want to fight, how could he force a match?

“Then this match is… a victory for the Confucian side.”

“Wow…”

The students, awkward-faced, exchanged glances and then applauded.

They should have been cheering, but something felt drained, so they couldn’t react wholeheartedly.

“We won.”

“Wow, nice.”

There was mixed emotion: students feeling uneasy despite winning, and the pathetic Taoists who lost yet kept their pride.

“In the end, it seems to be a draw.”

“That seems to be the case. Since they forfeited, it’s as if the exchanges balanced out.”

“…It does feel a bit deflating. Anyway, the important thing is the result.”

The elder scholars stroked their beards and looked at the students and Mount Hua’s disciples.

“Even competing in the Six Arts and there’s no decisive victor—this is, in truth, a disastrous outcome.”

“Is it necessary to put it that strongly? The Six Arts without poetry and music can be contested evenly. If those two categories were included, would we see this result?”

“Is that an excuse? The Six Arts are the domain of the gentlemen. Conversely, if those children matched the Taoists’ hobbies, could we have ended up with such a result?”

“Indeed… if those kids competed in archery or celestial way discussions, it wouldn’t even be a contest.”

In truth, Mount Hua’s disciples had no knowledge of archery either, but they had no way of knowing that.

“I thought they were squandering their lives on trickery like sorcery.”

As a strange emotion crept into the elder scholars’ voices, So Jung-Gyeong felt a smugness welling up.

“Didn’t I tell you? They’re not ordinary people.”

“Ahem. Even so…”

The elder scholars stubbornly shook their heads with sullen expressions.

“They have not yet passed the examination.”

“Why cling to such stubbornness? There’s face at stake.”

“It’s precisely because of face that we can’t concede. Even if we acknowledge their ability, we can’t now change the original conditions we set, can we?”

So Jung-Gyeong clicked his tongue at the elders’ obstinacy.

Their words were not wrong—principles are important. But So Jung-Gyeong knew that the importance of principle, depending on when it’s invoked, can lead to entirely different outcomes.

One more move was needed to break through the wall of their stubbornness. However…

So Jung-Gyeong’s gaze turned elsewhere. Their thinking was set too firmly. What if the students—who still had room to learn more of the world—were considered?

So Jung-Gyeong looked at the students with an intrigued expression.

“At least we’ve secured a draw.”

“That’s fortunate. At least face has been maintained, hasn’t it?”

As the students approached with words of relief, Jwa Go-Hak’s face contorted miserably.

“Are you celebrating a draw now?”

“Yes?”

“We, as students, failed to gain superiority over the Taoists in the Six Arts. And you’re happy and want us to dance? You pathetic lot!”

“S-sorry. That’s not what I meant.”

“Shut your mouth!”

“…Yes.”

Jwa Go-Hak’s face trembled.

It wasn’t just a draw. It was a draw barely snatched back from a near-loss. And even that was handed to them at the end when the others forfeited, as if thrown away for them to pick up.

What a humiliation.

This wouldn’t do. He couldn’t escape responsibility like this. No, this went beyond responsibility—it was a matter of pride.

Jwa Go-Hak snapped his head around and glared at Mount Hua’s disciples.

“So it’s a draw, then?”

“It’s a bit disappointing.”

“Still, it’s something, isn’t it?”

“If Jo Gul hadn’t fallen from his horse, you’d have won.”

“How long are you going to keep talking about the past…”

At their idle chatter, Jwa Go-Hak hardened his expression and tightened his mouth.

‘They’re not even happy after getting a draw against us?’

That fact wounded Jwa Go-Hak’s pride deeply.

Step.

Having made up his mind, Jwa Go-Hak strode purposefully toward Mount Hua’s disciples, then, wearing a bright smile, addressed them.

“A draw, then.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Jwa Go-Hak smiled more broadly and said.

“Congratulations. You may proudly be glad.”

“Hm?”

A vein slightly popped on Baek Cheon’s forehead.

“What did you mean by that?”

“Ah, sorry if it offended you. That was not my intention. I simply assumed you would, of course, be pleased.”

“Of course?”

“Isn’t that so?”

Jwa Go-Hak smiled brightly as if to show them and said.

“You who study the Tao—however much you may call it a hobby—didn’t you contest evenly in the very fields students practice? Ha ha ha. I suppose I underestimated the Taoists too much. I thought you’d win decisively. This is embarrassing.”

Grit.

Baek Cheon ground his teeth roughly as if they’d snap, yet externally he kept a faint smile.

“Ah, isn’t it too embarrassing to be openly joyful? Obviously the students showed mercy, leading to this result. Isn’t that right?”

“…Yes?”

At those words, Jwa Go-Hak’s smiling face flinched and stiffened. Baek Cheon grinned triumphantly and smirked.

“Of course. If you had truly been determined, how could we have produced this result? Hahaha. It’s ridiculous. If you reverse the positions and we had gotten this result in a favorable category, you’d be neck-deep in the irrigating stream by now, dead as could be. Hahahahaha.”

“Hahahahaha.”

“Haha…”

“Hahaha…”

After laughing for a while, the two suddenly glared at each other as if to kill.

“You ink-slinger bastard…”

“You blotter…”

The two, grinding their teeth, soon reached the same conclusion.

“Want to settle this with a match?”

“Good.”

“Which event?”

“Why chatter when there’s a good sword before us?”

“For the first time we agree. I was feeling irritated too.”

“But… are you sure? It would be quite a disgrace if that proud scholar got cut in half, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh ho. You’re concerned for me? How about worrying about yourself instead? If word spreads that you were beaten by a student and rolled on the ground, that proud face of yours won’t be able to show itself in the martial world.”

The two flashed murderous looks at each other once more, then turned their bodies sharply in unison.

“Attention!”

As soon as Jwa Go-Hak turned, he bellowed like a roar.

“A contest of the Six Arts is a draw without a victor!”

The students did not take their eyes off Jwa Go-Hak, waiting for his next words.

“But while draws may exist in examinations, there can be no draw in pride.”

“Ooooooh!”

No sooner had Jwa Go-Hak finished than the students screamed wildly. They too could not accept a draw.

“Therefore, we’ll determine the true outcome with a final match. The event for the final match is!”

Jwa Go-Hak declared, emphasizing his voice.

“A duel!”

“Wooooaaaah!”

A great cheer burst forth.

Hearing that cheer, Mount Hua’s disciples realized one thing.

That was that the students believed they would naturally win the duel.

“Why are they so pleased?”

“It feels like they think they can’t possibly lose to us.”

“What kind of confidence is that?”

Mount Hua’s disciples’ faces began to look oddly sour.

“They may have confidence, but this is a duel. We are Mount Hua’s disciples.”

“Those gentlemen who’ve studied books their whole lives are looking down on us?”

“These bastards, do they think Mount Hua is nothing?”

This isn’t writing, horseback riding, calligraphy, or arithmetic. It’s a duel.

And they dare to be sure of victory?

The rising indignation surged into a burst of fury. Jo Gul snapped and shouted.

“Are you going to sit still being disrespected like this? Chung Myung!”

“Huh?”

“You go! Kill them all!”

“What are you talking about? I went out for calligraphy, remember?”

“Ah…”

“Then let’s send out monk Hae Yeon. He can truly crush them all!”

At that, Yoon Jong waved his hand and protested.

“…Hold on. Mount Hua is the one being disrespected, but if we send Hae Yeon out it would make us look weak. They’re only tearing into the Taoists.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

If they sent out Hae Yeon, Jwa Go-Hak could easily finish him off like a post-meal snack, but that wouldn’t resolve the current situation.

Then…?

Mount Hua’s disciples’ gazes turned to one place. Preparing to receive that gaze, Baek Cheon straightened his back proudly.

This was finally the time for him to show the dignity of the senior disciple…

“Please, Sago.”

“Huh?”

Baek Cheon’s head snapped around.

“If it’s Sago, we can trust the result!”

“Show them your skill!”

“Amitabha. If it’s Taoist Yu Yiseol…”

“Leave it to me.”

“W-wait a moment!”

Baek Cheon urgently reached out to restrain Yu Yiseol.

“I-I should go.”

“Why?”

“What’s ‘why’! It looks like their biggest man is coming out, so of course I should go out!”

“Is that necessary?”

“I don’t think it’s really necessary…”

“Just rest, sasuk?”

These people… Baek Cheon trembled and turned away.

“I’d normally yield, but not this time.”

Sparks flew from Baek Cheon’s eyes. At the end of his gaze, he saw Jwa Go-Hak staring at him with an irritating look.

“That bastard—”

Baek Cheon gripped his scabbard as if to break it and flames blazed from his eyes.

“I’ll kill him!”