Chapter 578: Anyone Watching Would Think This Was the Demonic Cult, Not a Martial Arts Hall
Chapter 578: Anyone Watching Would Think This Was the Demonic Cult, Not a Martial Arts Hall
The Sword King’s gaze fell upon the shoes in his hand.
When was the last time he had received a gift like this?
“I rarely even wear shoes,” he muttered.
“That’s exactly why you should wear cleaner ones.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Since you usually walk around barefoot, doesn’t it make the shoes hanging from your waist stand out even more?”
“Now that I think about it, you have a point.”
The Sword King still hadn’t said thank you. He was clearly more flustered by this simple gift than he had been when Geom Mu-geuk drew his sword against him.
“Receiving something like this makes it awkward to ask for a favor later.”
Geom Mu-geuk didn’t ask what that favor might be. Instead, he deflected the comment with a grin.
“When you do ask me for a favor, just make sure to look down at your waist!”
After staring at Geom Mu-geuk for a long moment, the Sword King sat down and brushed the dirt from the soles of his feet. Then, right there in front of Geom Mu-geuk, he slid the shoes on.
“They fit perfectly.”
“Is my eye for detail ever anything less than extraordinary? It’s the same eye that will eventually see through your techniques and pierce your heart with precision.”
“Then I suppose I should stab those eyes first.”
The Sword King stood up and brushed the dust off his backside.
“By the way, why do you put them on so carelessly? What if I’d tampered with them?”
“If I died because I couldn’t recognize such a petty person, then I’d deserve to die.”
The Sword King pulled the old, tattered shoes from his waist. They were so worn out it was impossible to tell how many years he had owned them.
“Do they have some special meaning?” Geom Mu-geuk asked.
The Sword King shook his head.
“If these old shoes have any meaning, it’s probably just a testament to how little I’ve cared about what others think.”
“I envy you. I’m incredibly conscious of other people.”
“You are?”
To the Sword King, Geom Mu-geuk seemed more free-spirited than anyone he had ever met.
“I want to be a cool person to that person; I want to seem witty to this person. I want people to think of me first in a crisis. I want to be the protagonist of the moment. I’m conscious of everything. Even me being honest right now is because I’m conscious of you, Instructor. I want to appear like a sincere person.”
The Sword King could feel that Geom Mu-geuk wasn’t lying.
“Isn’t it exhausting to live like that?”
“It’s tiring, but it’s also rewarding. If I weren’t this conscious of others, would I even be having this conversation with you?”
Probably not. Their paths would have crossed in an entirely different way. Or perhaps, their story would have already reached its conclusion.
Whoosh.
The Sword King manifested Heat Yang Energy in his palm and incinerated the old shoes. He watched the flaming footwear for a moment, then strode away, leaving nothing but ashes behind.
Geom Mu-geuk shouted toward his receding figure.
“You can’t stab my eyes! They’re my best feature!”
*
Geom Mu-geuk called Lee An and Seo Jin to a deserted clearing.
“From now on, I will pass down the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique to Unit Leader Seo.”
Seo Jin looked at Geom Mu-geuk in surprise. She knew that over the past ten days, something had been exchanged between the Instructor and Geom Mu-geuk regarding the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique. And now, he was offering her the fruit of that labor.
Startled, she looked at Lee An. Her expression asked if it was truly alright to accept this so easily, but Lee An simply smiled and nodded.
Only then did Seo Jin look back at Geom Mu-geuk and bow.
“Thank you so much.”
Lately, she had been constantly thinking about how much she wanted to grow stronger. However, Ghost Arts were not the kind of martial arts that yielded results overnight, and she wasn't in a position to learn an entirely new discipline from scratch.
How could she not be grateful when Geom Mu-geuk offered to teach her a sword technique as if he had read her mind?
“If you’re teaching Unit Leader Seo, I’ll take my leave.”
Lee An tried to excuse herself tactfully. It was generally considered a breach of etiquette to be present when someone was passing down martial arts to another.
However, if Geom Mu-geuk had intended to send her away, he would have only called Seo Jin in the first place.
“No. You learn it too.”
“Pardon? Me as well?”
“It will definitely be helpful to have as a secondary sword technique.”
Geom Mu-geuk himself used the Nine Calamities Demonic Art as his primary martial art, but there were times he used the Flying Heaven Sword Technique. He used it against enemies who didn't warrant the use of his ultimate art. She would likely find herself in similar situations.
“There is something you must pay special attention to while learning. Think about why the original Yellow Dragon Sword Technique was reinterpreted this way.”
This was the most important part of the lesson.
“Think about how you would reinterpret it.”
Lee An asked with a look of surprise, “Am I even qualified to do that?”
Geom Mu-geuk nodded.
“More than enough.”
Geom Mu-geuk was certain that the process of contemplation would be more beneficial to Lee An than the sword technique itself.
Lee An realized it then. This training was yet another precious fated encounter. Geom Mu-geuk was always providing her with such moments.
Looking into her trembling eyes, Geom Mu-geuk gave a single nod. Instead of saying thank you, Lee An bowed her head deeply.
While the reinterpretation was more important for Lee An, the meaning was different for Seo Jin.
“Unit Leader Seo, you will stick with this sword technique for the rest of your life.”
He was certain she would likely never find a better one. The new Yellow Dragon Sword Technique, a blend of his and the Sword King’s interpretations, had been perfected into a peerless art.
She needed a proper sword technique. Once she became a true master of Ghost Arts, she might not need other martial arts, but she had to survive until then. Even then, knowing a proper sword technique would be far more useful.
Geom Mu-geuk taught the two women his reinterpreted Yellow Dragon Sword Technique exactly as it was.
His explanations were incredibly simple. As with any field, only those who truly understand a subject can explain it simply. The essence of deep martial studies was conveyed to the two women in easy-to-understand terms.
Both Lee An and Seo Jin were brilliant. Because of this, the transmission of the martial art was seamless. They asked questions whenever they didn't understand, and they discussed the techniques together.
Since Lee An was learning alongside her, they would be able to discuss and train together if Seo Jin encountered any difficulties in the future.
As the session was drawing to a close, a man arrived, handed a small slip of paper to Lee An, and vanished. He was a martial artist from Eun-wol.
Previously, Lee An and Seo Jin had been told to check Tongcheon Pavilion and Eun-wol for any information regarding the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Hall. Today, Eun-wol had obtained urgent intel.
Lee An relayed the information written on the paper.
“The White Snake Unit is on their way here.”
Geom Mu-geuk didn't look surprised at all, as if he had expected it.
“Estimated time of arrival?”
“It seems they’ll arrive around midnight tonight.”
Geom Mu-geuk looked down at Lee An’s Sun and Moon Sword. She had wrapped the scabbard in old cloth so it wouldn't stand out.
“It seems the time has finally come to stain that blade with blood.”
*
A carriage was racing down the road.
There were three people inside. One of the men spoke up.
“This is the first time in years that I’ve gone on an operation as the junior member.”
The man was the White Eighth Snake of the White Snake Unit.
Ever since he had entered the top ten among the hundred venomous snakes of the White Snake Unit, every mission had revolved around him. But today’s mission was different. There were three of them in the carriage, and the other two were both higher in rank than him.
The White First Snake and the White Fifth Snake.
These numbers, of course, represented their rank. In other words, the White First Snake was the most skilled master in the unit, second only to the Unit Leader. The White Fifth Snake was the fifth-ranked master.
The White Fifth Snake alone commanded a massive commission fee, so what about the White First Snake?
The White First Snake had completed several legendary contracts. The story of how he had single-handedly killed the Murim Alliance elder, Jacheong Sword, and escaped was a legend within the White Snake Unit.
“Is there something about this contract that I don’t know?”
He had joined this carriage yesterday after finishing another job, and he had been truly shocked to see the two men already inside. The White Fifth Snake had probably been just as surprised to see the White First Snake when he joined.
Regardless, considering the target of this contract, he felt he could have handled it alone.
“Surely this isn't a job that requires all three of us.”
The White Eighth Snake glanced at the two men. This was a first for him since he started working as a contract mercenary.
Finally, the White Fifth Snake spoke.
“Of course not.”
The White Fifth Snake looked at the White First Snake sitting next to him and said, “If this were a job that required all of us, would we even be able to return alive?”
It would have been a suicide mission. Of course, the White Fifth Snake didn't think that was the case, knowing the Unit Leader’s personality.
“The Unit Leader just smelled money.”
The White Eighth Snake understood the situation immediately. The Unit Leader was planning to squeeze the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Hall for all they were worth.
The moment the White First Snake was mobilized, the commission fee would skyrocket. The White First Snake’s name alone carried immense symbolic weight.
In short, it was a case of using a butcher’s cleaver to kill a chicken just to overcharge the client.
And would that greedy White Snake Unit Leader stop at just this contract? He would surely find a way to scheme and extort even more money.
He’ll suck every last measly coin they earned from that martial arts hall dry.
The problem was that someone running a mere martial arts hall had involved themselves with the White Snake Unit in the first place. How could such a naive person have known that once you step onto this path, there is no turning back? The beginning of treachery always appears perfectly polite and trustworthy.
In that case, he would have to handle everything himself. He couldn't very well make his esteemed seniors do the work.
The White Eighth Snake stole a glance at the White First Snake. The White First Snake had his eyes closed and remained silent.
How much will he get for this contract?
Three times his own share? Five times? He would be doing all the work, yet the man at the top earned money just by showing up.
Of course, he had no complaints. One day, he too would sit in that position, earning money just by looking imposing.
The White Eighth Snake asked the driver, “When do we arrive?”
“We’ll be there before midnight.”
The White Eighth Snake said to the two men, “Once we arrive, please enjoy a drink. I’ll go and take care of it.”
At that, the White First Snake opened his eyes. Not a hint of carelessness could be found in his cold, snake-like gaze.
“If the Unit Leader...”
A profound internal energy could be felt in his low voice.
“...had sent the White Second Snake, it would have been for the money. But the fact that he sent me means there’s something weighing on his mind.”
The White First Snake slowly closed his eyes again.
“If you want to return alive, you’d best move with us.”
The White Eighth Snake bowed respectfully and agreed, but he secretly thought the White First Snake was just saying that to avoid the embarrassment of earning easy money.
Why so solemn? Anyone watching would think we were going to face the Demonic Cult, not a simple martial arts hall.
*
“Anyone watching would think you were learning some peerless divine art.”
The person who entered the clearing was Yeon Baek-jin.
Geom Mu-geuk had suddenly contacted him, asking to meet. He had said it was a matter of life and death and insisted they meet here at the appointed time.
What on earth is going on?
He had come to the meeting place feeling tense, only to find Lee An and Seo Jin practicing the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique. Both Geom Mu-geuk, who was teaching, and the two women, who were learning, were incredibly serious.
“But it seems a bit different from the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique?”
Geom Mu-geuk said with a smile, “They only started learning a few days ago, so they’re still unskilled.”
“That’s not why. It’s probably because that instructor taught them incorrectly.”
Yeon Baek-jin couldn't stop thinking about the temporary instructor he had met in his brother’s office. When he looked into it, he found the man was indeed a temporary instructor for the White Dragon Unit.
However, the students’ dissatisfaction was immense. He was teaching the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique in a bizarre way.
“I met that instructor in my brother’s office. My brother doesn't usually deal with instructors, but he was there.”
“So you met your brother.”
Yeon Baek-jin nodded. Remembering Geom Mu-geuk’s advice to go see his brother, he summarized the situation in one sentence.
“I went there to talk, but my brother made me draw my sword.”
He suspected that the reason Geom Mu-geuk had called him here today was also related to his brother.
“Why did you want to see me? You said it was a matter of life and death?”
He really wasn't the type of person to do this. He wasn't someone who would come running just because someone—especially a mere student—called for him. If it were a matter of life and death, he would usually have told the other person to come to him.
Whether it was because of Geom Mu-geuk, Seo Jin, or that beautiful woman, he felt like he was constantly being swayed by them.
Geom Mu-geuk delivered the shocking news.
“Masters from the White Snake Unit are coming to the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Hall.”
Yeon Baek-jin was stunned by the unexpected words.
“Is that information reliable? The White Snake Unit isn't a place that leaks information easily. How did you find out?”
“A martial artist from the White Snake Unit died by the sword of a mere White Dragon Unit student. Do you think they would just let that slide? So, I had people keep an eye on them.”
Yeon Baek-jin figured that if it were the Ghost Gate, they might be able to gather that much intelligence.
If this was true... His gaze naturally drifted toward Seo Jin.
“I will protect you.”
He wasn't the type of person to say such things to others, especially to a woman. But for some reason, his eyes kept being drawn to her. Besides, his brother was the one who had started all of this.
Even though it was a situation where she should have been grateful, Seo Jin showed no reaction.
Sensing something was wrong, Yeon Baek-jin looked at Geom Mu-geuk.
An even more shocking fact than the news of their arrival came out of Geom Mu-geuk’s mouth.
“The contract targets include not only Seo Jin but you as well, Great Hero Yeon.”
Yeon Baek-jin stood dazed for a moment, the shock hitting him with a delayed force. The words I can't believe it rose to his throat, but he couldn't voice them.
He had felt that it might come to this when he went to see his brother. But to actually try to kill him? To actually hire the White Snake Unit?
“Do you know when they’re coming?”
Geom Mu-geuk’s gaze shifted behind Yeon Baek-jin. He had intentionally called Yeon Baek-jin to this remote location at this specific time. He knew the assassins wouldn't miss such a perfect opportunity to find their targets in such an isolated place.
“It seems they’re already here.”
Masked men emerged from the darkness.
Yeon Baek-jin turned around, stepping in front of Seo Jin.
“If you want to live, stay right behind me!”