Chapter 762: The First Time a Martial Artist Has Ever Greeted Me
Chapter 762: The First Time a Martial Artist Has Ever Greeted Me
Geom Mu-geuk stared intently at a distant point, his eyes sharp and piercing. After a long moment of scrutiny, he finally blinked and rubbed his eyelids.
“Ouch, my eyes sting,” he muttered.
He had been using his New Eye Technique to peer through the cliffs on the opposite side, searching for hidden crevices or mechanisms. But no matter how hard he looked, there was nothing unusual to be found.
Mu-geuk began to walk again.
“Youngest, where on earth are you hiding?”
The first place Mu-geuk had checked was the pond on the peak opposite the one where the fake Sword Tomb had been located. Those two ponds were the landmarks of Mt. Cheonmok, sitting like a pair of eyes on the mountain range. Since a decoy tomb had been on one side, he had wondered if the entrance to the real one might be submerged in the pond on the opposite peak.
Unfortunately, his search had yielded nothing. He had combed every inch beneath the water but failed to find a passage. Since then, he had begun searching the nearby peaks one by one.
It was no easy task. It wasn't as if there would be a signpost hanging somewhere labeled 'Tomb of the Successive Unorthodox Path Alliance Leaders.' It would have been designed so that a person might pass right by it even if it were right in front of them.
Could he really find a hidden tomb in the vast expanse of Mt. Cheonmok?
Even so, he couldn't simply rush around using his lightness skill out of impatience. He needed to remain sensitive to the changes in his own body or the vibrations of the Secret Casket.
The problem was this: if that final bead was hidden deep within the tomb, would his internal energy or the Secret Casket even be able to react to it? Until now, the Secret Casket had only reacted when he was in close proximity to a bead.
His only hope lay in the fact that this bead represented the final trace of energy.
Mu-geuk climbed the mountain, focusing his entire mind on his surroundings. As he walked, he emitted his qi, spreading his energy in all directions like a spiderweb to scan the area. He could feel even the insects rustling beneath the rotting leaves, but there was no other unique energy signature.
Well, that’s only natural. It would be stranger if it were easy to find.
After walking for a long time, the sound of rushing water reached his ears. Mu-geuk climbed down to a valley and washed his face in a stream. His reflection stared back at him from the clear water. For a fleeting moment, the aged visage from his life before the regression flickered over his current face.
Compared to the hardships of that time, this was nothing.
“Alright, let’s go find the youngest!”
However, despite searching thoroughly until late into the evening, he could not find the entrance to the tomb. Anyone unaccustomed to such a search would have felt anxious, fretting that they had missed something or were wasting effort in the wrong place.
Nevertheless, he knew he had to move on without lingering. Mu-geuk knew from experience that once you missed something in a specific spot, it rarely caught your eye no matter how many times you looked back. Therefore, one had to move to the next area without hesitation. Only by pushing forward like that could one search without becoming exhausted.
“Don’t worry. The one thing I’m better at than killing people is finding things.”
*
That night, Mu-geuk camped alone.
Until now, most of his travels had been in the company of others. But tonight, the camp was for him alone. He built a bonfire and made a comfortable spot for himself. Sitting on soft leather, he grilled meat and drank wine in the quiet solitude.
Crackle, pop.
He didn't mind the time spent staring at the burning fire while having a drink. In fact, he enjoyed it. He had always been someone who appreciated being alone. Looking back now, even the difficult times of solitude in his life before the regression hadn't been hard because of loneliness.
‘What if I can’t find the materials for the Great Regression Art? What if my life ends while I’m still searching for them?’
It was that kind of anxiety that had made things difficult. But in the end, he had overcome it. He had endured and made it this far.
So, he was entitled to hear these words—especially at the end of this journey where he had eliminated all of the Twelve Zodiac Kings.
“You’re doing well, Mu-geuk.”
Mu-geuk praised himself. Since his regression, he had praised others until his throat was dry, but he had lived forgetting to praise himself. He couldn't remember the last time he had openly complimented himself like this. Had he ever?
“Mu-geuk, you’re doing a really good job.”
Only the stars filling the sky sent down their twinkling applause for his quiet self-praise.
*
One Flower Sword Venerable stood alone, looking up at the night sky.
“Can’t you sleep?”
As she turned around, Blood Heaven Blade Demon was walking toward her. After parting with Mu-geuk and descending the mountain, they had stayed at an inn in the village. She was currently at the edge of the village, a short distance from the inn, having stepped out for a brief walk.
“I just can’t seem to fall asleep tonight.”
It wasn't just because she was in an unfamiliar bed.
“I keep seeing the image of the Young Cult Leader fighting.”
Blood Heaven Blade Demon wore an expression of understanding. He felt the same way. The memory of that battle would likely continue to stimulate and haunt them for a while.
“What about you, brother?”
“About what?”
He thought she was asking about the Young Cult Leader’s martial arts, but her question was about something else.
“About leaving the Cult this time. I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun in my life as I did on this journey.”
Blood Heaven Blade Demon nodded. He felt the same. How could a journey shared with Mu-geuk and the One Flower Sword Venerable be anything but enjoyable?
“It’s because Mu-geuk put so much thought into it.”
One Flower Sword Venerable nodded in agreement. “The Young Cult Leader seems to like you very much, brother.”
“Him? No way.”
He said that, but how could Blood Heaven Blade Demon not know Mu-geuk’s heart? How could he not see the boy’s intention to raise his standing in front of the One Flower Sword Venerable every time he spoke? How could he not know, seeing him provide those rejuvenating elixirs for them?
Yes, being able to recognize such feelings was a gift of travel that could only be received by leaving the Cult together.
“You’ve changed a lot too, brother. In the past, you wouldn't have asked that man to come with us.”
She had been inwardly surprised when he asked the Sword King to come to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Blood Heaven Blade Demon wasn't that kind of person. She had assumed he suggested it solely for the Young Cult Leader’s sake.
“It wasn't because of the Young Cult Leader. It was because of you.”
“Because of me?”
Blood Heaven Blade Demon said something she hadn't expected. “I thought you might want to fight him one more time.”
One Flower Sword Venerable looked at Blood Heaven Blade Demon with an inscrutable smile.
“It was a first for me. Three people who use the sword gathered together, and my skills were at the bottom?”
She could accept the Young Cult Leader being stronger than her. Not only had he mastered the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, but Geom Mu-geuk was a more special person than anyone else. But the Sword King was a different case. They had met as enemies, and he was a fellow swordsman.
Yet, she hadn't been able to defeat him. While the result appeared to be a draw, she knew the truth. She knew he had yielded a step.
“Shall I make a confession?”
Blood Heaven Blade Demon was startled. She was someone who rarely spoke so candidly.
“There was a time when I grew to hate the sword.”
Perhaps the greatest harvest Blood Heaven Blade Demon gained from this journey was his relationship with her. It was because she had come to reveal her inner thoughts like this. They had become comfortable before, but never to this extent.
“Now, now. The Sword Venerable hating the sword?”
At Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s joking rebuke, One Flower Sword Venerable drew her sword with a faint smile.
“No matter how much I practiced, there was no progress in my swordsmanship. It felt like I was stuck, wedged into something. Just thinking about it made me feel suffocated.”
Blood Heaven Blade Demon felt a pang of regret that he hadn't been able to help her back then. Thinking about it now, it wasn't a difficult thing to speak with her comfortably and share their inner thoughts. He should have gone to her first, apologized, and accepted her heart. Why had that been so difficult back then? Looking back, it was truly nothing.
“Then, the Young Cult Leader broke through that blockage in a single stroke and raised the ceiling of my martial arts. Once the ceiling was raised, all my problems were solved in that instant. That’s when I realized—all my problems had stemmed from my swordsmanship.”
Blood Heaven Blade Demon listened intently.
“But on this journey, the Young Cult Leader blew that raised ceiling away entirely. So, I don’t need to fight that man again.” She looked up at the night sky. “Because now, what’s above my head is the sky.”
Blood Heaven Blade Demon understood what her words meant. It was her declaration that she would truly go to the very end of the path of the sword, where no limits remained.
“Is it a blessing? Or a curse?”
He had said it out of concern for her, but it seemed it was a blessing.
One Flower Sword Venerable smiled and said, “The Young Cult Leader blew away our ceiling, but in return, didn't he breathe young life back into us? Let’s start over.”
Blood Heaven Blade Demon knew that her suggestion to start over referred to their martial arts. But at least for this moment, he wondered what it would have been like if those words had carried a different meaning.
However, he did not reveal those feelings. Even though the ceiling had been broken, she still maintained an invisible barrier between them. She was a woman who would take a step back for every step he took forward.
“Just don’t lose to that sword-swinging hack!”
And so, the two Demon Lords conversed, unaware of the deepening night.
*
The next day, Mu-geuk continued to wander through the mountains.
He emitted spiderweb-like energy from his body to find any unusual traces, and whenever he reached a vantage point with a clear view, he scanned the opposite cliffs with his New Eye Technique. It was a daunting and exhausting task, but Mu-geuk silently searched for the entrance.
“How do you like it? Is the view good from there?”
Mu-geuk looked toward a sunny hill halfway up the opposite mountain, where the tomb of One Flower Sword Venerable’s uncle was visible.
“You know, don't you? That’s quite a propitious site. Traditionally, a propitious site must have a mountain behind it and water flowing in front…”
Among the books he had read at Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s house was one on feng shui. He suddenly recalled a passage from that text. As the thought struck him, Mu-geuk’s eyes widened.
“Ah, of course!”
Mu-geuk immediately leaped into the air.
“…The mountain ridges to the left and right should appear to embrace the site, the wind should be hidden, and the water should meander. The soil must be firm and not damp, and it should be red or golden in color.”
It was the description of a propitious site he had read back then.
“I have to find the propitious site!”
No matter how important secrecy was, this was still the tomb of the successive Unorthodox Path Alliance Leaders. When they first scouted the location, they would have certainly looked for a spot according to feng shui. It was an obvious point, but he hadn't thought of it until seeing the tomb of One Flower Sword Venerable’s uncle.
Mu-geuk flew between the various peaks of Mt. Cheonmok, searching for the most auspicious location. And finally, he found it.
“It’s here!”
It was Seoninbong Peak. It was situated in what could be called the most auspicious spot on Mt. Cheonmok. Mu-geuk went straight to the base of the peak. He didn't know for sure if the tomb would be here, but it was a wise choice to check the most likely locations first.
Mu-geuk climbed the mountain, observing his surroundings even more meticulously. As he ascended, he encountered an old man descending. He was an herb gatherer with a wicker basket strapped to his back.
“Good day to you.”
Mu-geuk bowed his head slightly in greeting as he passed. The old man stopped and looked at him.
“Are you perhaps a martial artist?”
“I am.”
“I was surprised. It’s the first time a martial artist has ever greeted me first.”
Mu-geuk smiled and gave him a formal fist salute. “I apologize on behalf of all the rude martial artists you’ve met.”
Startled by Mu-geuk’s unexpected reaction, the old man waved his hands in embarrassment. “There’s no need for that. I am simply humbled and grateful for your kind words.”
Since they had exchanged greetings, the two stopped for a moment.
“The scenery here is truly beautiful,” Mu-geuk remarked.
A field stretched out diagonally beside them. It was wide open in all directions, and grass that grew as high as an adult’s waist swayed in the wind.
“This place is called the Wind Garden, for it is a place where one can play with the wind.”
“Play with the wind?”
Just then, a long blade of grass carried by a gust of wind fluttered along with the breeze. It went this way and that, up and down; strangely, the wind blew from multiple directions at once.
“Isn't it quite interesting?”
It was a name and a place he would never have known if he hadn't greeted the old man.
“Well then, travel safely.”
After saying his farewells, the old man continued on his way. Mu-geuk watched his retreating back before turning his gaze toward the Wind Garden. The blade of grass from a moment ago was still playing there like a child.
Just as Mu-geuk was about to continue up the mountain, the words Dan So-jin had said before they parted suddenly came to mind.
— Seeing you, Young Cult Leader, I think of a person who is like the wind. I hope you continue to live a wonderful life, entrusting yourself to the wind like this.
Could it be?
It wasn't as if he had intentionally given him a clue, was it?
Mu-geuk’s gaze returned to the wind-swept field. A sloping field—there was no way a tomb entrance would be in a place like this. If he hadn't met the old man, he would have passed this place by without a second thought. It was far too open and exposed a space for anything secret to exist.
Was it because of Dan So-jin’s final words? For some reason, he felt drawn to it. Watching the blades of grass flutter here and there as they entrusted themselves to the wind, Mu-geuk walked into the field. He pushed through the grass that reached his waist.
And just as Dan So-jin had said, he completely surrendered his body to the wind.
Whoosh.
He walked forward with the wind blowing from behind. When the wind shifted and blew from the left, he walked to the right. His body and his footsteps were lighter than ever. Then, when the wind stopped, Mu-geuk stopped in his tracks.
Entrusting oneself to the wind! It was easier said than done. One had to feel the wind perfectly to move accurately. He had to stop exactly when he needed to and react immediately to the wind blowing from a different direction.
Mu-geuk moved exactly as the wind blew. In this moment, Mu-geuk became one with the wind. It was as if he were dancing with it. He kept moving, feeling as if he were doing something crazy, but he continued to surrender his body to the breeze.
How long had he been moving with the wind?
When he finally came to a stop following the final gust, Mu-geuk vanished with a short rustle. To anyone watching, it would have looked as if he had simply collapsed into the tall grass.
But Mu-geuk was no longer there.
Mu-geuk did not know that if one were to look down from above at the place where he had moved back and forth, the flattened grass had formed a single pattern. It was the symbol of a five-pointed star—the Five-Pointed Wind Star Formation.
Whoosh.
With a single gust of wind, the flattened grass returned to its original state in an instant, as if nothing had happened. In that place where the mystery had vanished, only the blade of grass from before fluttered in the wind.