Wuxia Alliance, I'm Back (1)
“I’m sorry for being nothing but a burden to you all.”
“Not at all. That’s just what people do—they help each other get by.”
Unexpectedly, our journey with him stretched far longer than I’d anticipated. It wasn’t anything complicated; traveling with a man who could barely walk slowed us to a crawl, and none of the villages we passed in that week were suitable places for him to settle. They were either too small or too hostile toward outsiders.
Finding a place to put down roots is never easy, but the visible disgust on people’s faces when they saw his condition made it worse. With his mobility so limited, finding work was nearly impossible, and no one felt any pressing need to take him in.
By the time we left the third village, every reaction he’d received had been the same. No wonder the smile he forced onto his face kept slipping into pure melancholy.
“Life in this world really isn’t easy.”
“A city might offer better chances.”
“Cities are colder than backwater villages. I’d count myself lucky if they only mocked me for being a cripple…”
“Still, there should be more opportunities than in some remote mountain hamlet.”
“You’re right, but… ha. I really don’t know anymore. When I first stepped back into the world I was so happy, yet I never imagined that happiness would shatter in less than a week.
Is it because I used to be a ronin, or because I’m a man who can’t even walk properly without crutches…?”
I let his laments wash over me and turned another page of the Three-Step Sword Art. Only the latter half remained, but it contained plenty of intriguing sections. I read it in snatches whenever I had a spare moment.
The sword must always be concise. Swinging it toward your intended target with not even an inch of deviation. That is the very pinnacle of swordsmanship.
Hmm.
Do not allow the tip of your sword to waver. Just as the sword path must be concise, so must your movements. Simplicity refined to the extreme becomes the most perfect sword path. One who realizes the true essence of the Three-Step Sword Art shall stand tall above the world.
“Uncle, does it even make sense when only the second half is left?”
“Roughly. The forms themselves are just vague descriptions, so it can’t be helped… but this man’s philosophy on the sword is genuinely interesting. It’s been surprisingly helpful.”
Simplicity.
Sword techniques that deliberately swung in wide arcs were extremely rare, so it was fair to say most swords pursued conciseness. The Three-Step Sword King seemed especially obsessed with that principle; the word “simplicity” appeared multiple times on every page.
Perhaps his footwork pursued the same ideal. Rather than the flashy, intricate steps common in the martial world, I needed something straightforward—even if it felt crude. At the very least, I needed it to complete my own technique based on Arrow Sprint Steps.
Only after finishing that could I truly move forward.
“Brother Kang, do you recall anything about the Thunderbolt Three Steps?”
“Thunderbolt Three Steps… I wanted that one myself.”
I wondered if Brother Kang had any useful information.
“Brother Kang, do you know anything about the Thunderbolt Three Steps—the Three-Step Sword King’s footwork?”
“…Swift and accurate. That was how people described his steps. Because he was faster and more precise than anyone alive, it suited his swordsmanship perfectly.”
“Was his manual ever found in a hidden cave?”
“Back then I was still a fresh-faced ronin, so everything I heard was secondhand rumor. There were stories about his manual, but… from what I remember, they were all nonsense.”
Perhaps the unpleasant memories soured his mood; his complexion darkened.
“What do you mean by nonsense?”
“I think the rumor was that his manual had been discovered together with a treasure map… My memory is hazy, but that was the story going around. Countless martial artists flocked to the Three-Step Sword King’s tomb because of it. I was one of them.”
“Any other details you remember?”
“…I believe the Heavenly Commerce Guild was the one holding the treasure map.”
“You remember that part clearly.”
“What else is there to do but chew over the past?”
I’d have to look into it later. Whether I sold the information at a high price or tried to acquire the remaining volumes myself.
Of course, only once I had some breathing room between other tasks.
“I understand. I’ll keep it in mind for later.”
“Benefactor, are you trying to collect the entire Three-Step Sword Art?”
“If possible.”
For now I needed to reach the Wuxia Alliance Headquarters and gather information. They would be monitoring the Demonic Cult’s movements, and I had to check on the Alliance Leader’s condition. From what I remembered, his death would occur in at most a year, or as soon as six months. I intended to move quickly.
If I could keep the Alliance Leader alive, the coming strife among the Five Great Families would resolve itself. The root cause of the growing conflict between the Five Great Families and the Nine Great Schools had been his death, after all.
…The real problem was figuring out how to approach him.
I’d have to think about that on the way.
“It’s getting dark. Let’s camp here for the night.”
“Uncle, are you going to train again today?”
“I have to. I still need to practice my footwork.”
My technique was far from complete. I had only mastered two applications so far. Compared to the dazzling, intricate footwork of the martial world, mine was still crude. Only steady practice and experimentation could lay the foundation for something truly my own.
“You’re off to practice footwork?”
“Yes.”
It wasn’t a secret, so I answered honestly. There was no way he could miss the sound of me repeatedly using Arrow Sprint Steps. Having lived in darkness, his hearing was sharper than any ordinary person’s.
“A master of your level still practicing footwork… I’ve heard the stories, but it feels strange hearing it in person.”
His voice carried a trace of bitterness. Perhaps he was remembering his own body, which could no longer perform any footwork at all.
He stayed silent for a long while, feeding the firewood Hyeryeong had gathered into the campfire piece by piece, lost in thought. Then, while I was preparing dinner with Mokgyeong before my training, he spoke.
“You. Would you like to learn my footwork?”
“…Pardon?”
His own footwork, given to me?
“It’s just something I learned during my ronin days—not an exceptional technique, but it’s served me well. It saved my life more than once.”
“How could I possibly—”
“It’s a footwork I can no longer use anyway. I’ll teach it to you. Consider it reference material for your own training.”
“…Thank you.”
For someone trying to create an original footwork, any technique was worth learning. I was practically a novice in that field; having someone explain it directly would be enormously helpful.
“Since I can’t demonstrate it myself, I’ll draw the foot paths on the ground.”
“Let’s begin after we eat.”
With this unexpected bounty, I stirred the pot with genuine pleasure.
“Thank you for everything until now.”
“Not at all. Isn’t it only natural for people to help one another? Take good care of yourself, and we’ll meet again someday.”
“That’s right!”
“Safe travels.”
After wandering in circles, he had settled in a small city that had nearly been consumed by war. He saw us off with a smile that mingled fear and hope.
I had already spoken to the two families there. They would treat him well.
“Hehe, Uncle! The Wuxia Alliance Headquarters isn’t far now!”
“We’ll arrive right as winter sets in.”
“I wonder what winter in the Central Plains is like.”
Europe hadn’t felt particularly cold, but this was a different land.
“Umm, I wouldn’t know! This is my first winter outside Hainan Island! And Uncle, you…”
Hyeryeong flapped her arms and subtly closed the distance between us. Any closer and our bodies would touch. She had shown some restraint while Brother Kang was with us, but now that he was gone, her self-control seemed to have vanished.
“Hehe.”
“…Benefactor, what will you do first once we return to the Wuxia Alliance Headquarters?”
“Rest a little, then figure out my next steps.”
I couldn’t exactly say, I’m going to pull strings behind the scenes to prevent the Alliance Leader’s future death, so I kept it vague. Mokgyeong nodded, then spoke again.
“Won’t you come with me to the Yunnan Dan Family…?”
“The Yunnan Dan Family?”
“Yes. The place you mentioned, Benefactor. I want to see it for myself.”
Yunnan and Hubei were quite far apart.
I scratched my head at Mokgyeong’s request, thinking it over. If the timing went wrong, the situation could become messy. Still, it was a place I needed to visit eventually. Mokgyeong needed to grow stronger, too.
“Once we reach the Wuxia Alliance Headquarters, we’ll make a plan.”
“…Thank you, Benefactor.”
A gentle smile bloomed on Mokgyeong’s lips. It was so beautiful that even I, a man, lost myself for a moment.
“…Uncle?”
The voice that snapped me out of it belonged to Hyeryeong. She puffed out her cheeks, flapped her arms, and shouted.
“I-I’m prettier!”
“Yes, yes. You’re pretty. Very pretty.”
You say it yourself, yet your face is turning bright red.
I soothed Hyeryeong while slowly spreading the aura from my mana core throughout my body.
Blood Wolf Steps.
The footwork Brother Kang had taught me over the past few days. The method of using energy was different, so I couldn’t perform it exactly as he did, but I had blended it with the technique I’d been developing. Once I finished preparing, I spoke to Hyeryeong and Mokgyeong.
“From here on we travel using light footwork. Understood?”
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
We shot forward at the same time, like arrows released from a bowstring.