Martial Artists Speak with Swords (9)
“...I look forward to a good match.”
“Me too.”
Why is she staring at me like that?
Hye-ryeong tilted her head in confusion even as she cupped her fist in greeting, unsettled by the way Cheong Mae-hyang was staring fixedly at her—especially at her chest. No matter how many times she replayed it, the sight of a woman she had never met before gazing at her with a dazed expression, shaking her head, then drawing her sword was undeniably strange.
If this had been anywhere but the sparring platform, she might have asked if the other woman was feeling ill. Hye-ryeong’s lips parted.
“Miss?”
“...Ah. I’m sorry. Never mind that...”
Still, the match had to begin. Hye-ryeong slowly drew her sword and assumed her stance. Cheong Mae-hyang—known throughout the Central Plains as the White Plum Blossom and counted among its greatest beauties—did the same.
The stands fell strangely quiet as the male spectators forgot all about stances and etiquette, utterly absorbed in watching the two flowers about to clash. The only sounds breaking the silence were the occasional slaps to the backs of their heads.
Uncle said the White Plum Blossom is half a move, maybe a full move, above me...
“Let’s go.”
Hye-ryeong flowed forward like water, tracing the unpredictable paths of the Flowing Water Step to disrupt Cheong Mae-hyang’s focus. She would dart right, only to twist instantly and shoot left; she would advance, then suddenly retreat. That wave-like impossibility of prediction was the true essence of the step.
Cheong Mae-hyang held only the opening stance of the Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Sword Technique, her eyes tracking every movement. She wanted to understand the Flowing Water Step before they truly began to fight.
After all, every footwork technique eventually revealed set patterns and forms.
Grasping the footwork meant grasping half the martial art. That was why Hye-ryeong’s decision to reveal hers first and press the attack carried considerable risk, yet—
...I have to focus.
—the unexpected variable was the way her chest kept drawing the eye every time she moved.
No matter that they were both women, something of that size naturally attracted the gaze. Mae-hyang felt as if she, who should have been enchanting her opponent with plum blossoms, was instead the one being enchanted.
And in the exact moment Mae-hyang’s concentration wavered—
“Ha!”
Hye-ryeong’s sword lashed out for the first time. A simple diagonal slash from high to low. It carried neither form nor technique, and Mae-hyang deflected it with ease.
As if she had expected the block, Hye-ryeong spun along the path of the deflected blade and unleashed her first true technique: One Wave, Ten Thousand Waves.
Dozens of strikes crashed down like a breaking wave.
Each one carried ferocious momentum, threatening to swallow Mae-hyang whole. But the White Plum Blossom was a true powerhouse who had reached the round of sixteen. She was hardly going to fall to an opening exchange.
Her sword flashed like lightning, catching the sunlight as it struck Hye-ryeong’s blade away.
Once. Twice. Three times. Four...
The gap in their skill was obvious. Hye-ryeong withdrew her technique, spun clockwise, reversed her grip, and switched the sword to her left hand.
She switched hands?
Unlike ordinary sword arts that assumed right-hand dominance, the Hainan Thirty-Six Swords used both hands interchangeably to slice through an opponent’s defenses. Created through brutal fights against Japanese pirates, the style struck at blind spots with ruthless efficiency.
That same sword now aimed once more for Mae-hyang’s chest.
It was a moment that should have caused panic, yet Mae-hyang simply leaned back slightly and evaded. Her own chest was only modestly rounded, so Hye-ryeong’s thrust met empty air.
Mae-hyang felt an inexplicable sense of desolation.
“Tsk.”
Hye-ryeong flipped the sword back to her right hand and swung again.
Never relinquish the momentum when facing an enemy.
It was something William had drilled into her during every spar. Hye-ryeong refused to surrender the initiative, knowing that once she lost it, a clear inferior like herself would rarely get another chance.
“Huu...”
She drew a deep breath and let it out.
Her stamina was visibly fading amid the continuous fighting.
And that meant an opening had appeared for Mae-hyang to seize the offensive.
Soon, cold plum blossoms began to bloom along the edge of Mae-hyang’s blade.
“Oh! The Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Sword Technique! It really is as beautiful as the rumors say!”
“Blooming plum blossoms at such a tender age—what a promising talent!”
The atmosphere in the stands ignited the moment the signature art of the Huashan Sect appeared. It was only natural. These people had traveled great distances precisely to witness the martial arts of the Nine Great Schools and Five Great Clans they had only ever heard about in stories.
William’s eyes gleamed as he watched Mae-hyang’s sword.
She’s shaping her internal energy into plum blossoms and scattering them. In terms of dazzling the eyes, that would be quite terrifying in real combat.
On a battlefield that demanded absolute concentration, anything that could break focus was a serious headache. William therefore judged the Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Sword Technique to be a genuinely powerful art.
“...At this rate, I’ll be pushed back.”
“Indeed.”
Just as they said, Hye-ryeong was gradually driven onto the defensive.
It was inevitable.
In the martial world, one’s realm represented the gap in skill. For a lesser expert to defeat a superior one required either monstrous talent beyond imagination or the direct favor of heaven.
Hye-ryeong was an outstanding raw gem, but she had not yet been fully polished. It was only natural that she would be overpowered by the more refined Mae-hyang.
“The initiative has been taken.”
“The Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Sword Technique is also known as the ‘first glance, certain kill’ art. Its dazzling splendor seduces the opponent, disrupts their sword path, confuses their vision, and tangles their footwork. It truly deserves to be called one of the greatest sword techniques under heaven.”
“...It’s been a while.”
“Haha, it has indeed. Young Master Wi. Have you been well?”
“As you can see, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying myself in the tournament.”
Jegal Hyeon-sang hid his face behind his white feather fan, just as he had during their first meeting, and gazed down at the sparring platform.
“I’m glad to see you’re enjoying the event so much.”
Why is he here?
Did he simply come to chat? When William looked at him with open suspicion, the strategist smiled with his eyes.
“A mere idler passing by happened to spot an old friend and decided to say hello. Please don’t overthink it. Ah, and two days after the tournament ends, there will be a rather large drinking party... What do you think? I know some excellent friends who—”
Idler?
Friend?
“I’ll consider it.”
“Then I shall see you again soon.”
Jegal Hyeon-sang turned away as though his business was concluded.
“I hope you enjoy the rest of the matches.”
He left with that same enigmatic attitude still wrapped around him like a cloak.
“The winner of this match is the White Plum Blossom, Cheong Mae-hyang!”
“Hiiing... Uncle, I lost.”
“You did everything you could.”
There had been a fundamental gap in their strength from the beginning. For someone who had only just stepped into First-class to push her opponent that hard was already an impressive feat.
As a form of comfort, I let Hye-ryeong rub her face against my palm and thought about the proposal Jegal Hyeon-sang had left behind.
What was his real purpose?
Simple networking?
The unnecessarily suspicious atmosphere made it impossible to get a clear read. At least he didn’t seem to harbor any malice.
“Benefactor, then I shall take my leave.”
“Ah, go and do well.”
Since it was Mok-gyeong, the protagonist of the original story, she would probably win without any trouble. I saw her off with a few encouraging words, then sat back down and chatted with Hye-ryeong.
“How did it feel facing her?”
“Umm... My eyes were so dizzy the whole time! At first she seemed flustered, so I pressed the attack, but... everything got blocked so easily. It felt like it worked better than when I spar with you, but once I fell into the defensive I didn’t know how to escape.”
“It’s your first time facing a sword art that disrupts vision, so that’s only natural. Don’t worry about it too much. Just get stronger.”
For a girl who had only recently entered First-class to perform that well against someone in the middle stage of First-class was already a stellar showing.
“Will I really be able to get stronger?”
“Of course.”
That much I could say with absolute certainty.
In the original novel she had reached the Super-first-class realm at a young age through sheer, bone-carving effort. There was no reason she couldn’t achieve the same potential in this world.
It was like holding a lottery ticket I already knew was a winner.
“I’ll help you reach that realm, so don’t worry too much.”
“Yes...”
I don’t know what she found so pleasing, but Hye-ryeong leaned against me with a bright, bashful smile as we turned our attention to the next match that was about to begin—Song Mu-han versus Dan Mok-gyeong.
I wondered how long Song Mu-han would be able to last.