Chapter 135
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Learning Has No Set Time (5)
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Seo Ryang, who had leaped from the carriage in an instant, didn't stop until he had run another fifty li.
*Skid!*
A moment later, Ma Dongpil also arrived. His face was flushed, a sign he'd pushed his movement technique to its limits.
"Hoo. As expected, Young Master, you are fast."
"It's nothing."
"But Geumho..."
Seo Ryang silently pointed behind him with his thumb. Geumho was already there, licking its front paw.
Ma Dongpil clicked his tongue.
"Geumho is... fast too."
"He is."
His tone suggested he wasn't surprised in the least.
"This guy is a mystical beast. The fact that he grew from the size of my forearm to as big as a tiger is inexplicable enough."
"That's true."
"Enough talk. Go start a bonfire. I'll go catch a deer. I feel like I'm going to die from an empty stomach after eating nothing but dry rations and jerky."
*Whoosh!*
He didn't wait for a reply. Seo Ryang and Geumho vanished in an instant.
Left standing there dumbly, Ma Dongpil soon began gathering fallen branches from the surrounding area. He could have handled the hunting himself, but the Young Master truly enjoyed doing things with his own hands.
After gathering a good amount of wood, Ma Dongpil dug a small pit, placed the branches inside, and lit a fire.
The sun hadn't set yet, but the weather was quite chilly. Spring had arrived, but the mountain nights were still bound to be cold.
Ma Dongpil, who stood on the verge of the Transcendent Realm, was a master who had long since become impervious to heat and cold, but the warmth of the bonfire was still comforting.
He stared at the crackling flames for a long while.
Ma Dongpil smiled faintly.
'I've also lived a rather extraordinary life.'
He had become a team leader in the Hall of Protectors at a young age, and now he was serving as the personal guard for a successor candidate.
To an ordinary member of the cult, his life was one of resounding success. He had undertaken many dangerous missions, but it was the lot of any martial artist to live through the threat of death.
'Will I continue to live this kind of life in the future?'
Ma Dongpil's eyes deepened.
'I'll be living a more dangerous one.'
The Young Master was planning to wipe the Righteous Heaven Alliance and the Iron Blood Fortress from the world.
He didn't know why the Young Master was so furious with them. But what was clear was that, unlike before, he had made a firm decision.
He raised his head.
The sky above the dense forest looked like the view a frog at the bottom of a well would have.
"...I wonder what kind of world awaits beyond that sky."
"If you're curious, try jumping."
"Hah!"
Startled, Ma Dongpil spun around.
Seo Ryang had returned at some point and was standing there with a large deer slung over his shoulder. The deer's neck was twisted at an odd angle.
Beside Seo Ryang, Geumho was panting, a hint of frustration in its expression.
"You're back quickly."
"Why do you think I told you to start a fire here? It's because I heard a deer's footsteps."
Ma Dongpil clicked his tongue. To think he had heard the sound of an animal's steps while moving at such a high speed.
*Shing.*
Seo Ryang drew one of his Meteor Twin Sabers, the Red Saber.
"Young Master!"
"Huh? Why?"
"Are you... planning to skin it?"
"Of course I am. Don't tell me you eat the hide too? What a peculiar taste."
"N-no, that's not it..."
"What's the problem, then?"
Ma Dongpil gulped.
"You're going to skin it with that saber?"
"The size is perfect, isn't it? The Dragon Scale Saber is out of the question, and the Seven Nights Saber is too long. Your Dark King Sword is about the same length as the Seven Nights."
Seo Ryang gave the Red Saber a little shake.
"It's incredibly sharp and short. Perfect, right?"
*That's not the point!*
Ma Dongpil almost shouted the words.
'To think he'd use such a fine weapon to skin a deer.'
Using a divine saber known as the "Blue and Red Northern Gale," a blade that could slice through steel in a single stroke, to butcher meat?
It was like summoning one of the Nine Great Demonic Venerables to take down a third-rate scoundrel. The mere thought of the deer's flesh touching that sleek, bluish blade made his head spin.
"Young Master. I can take care of..."
"It's fine, man."
*Slice, slice!*
As the Red Saber swept over the deer, the hide was quickly peeled away.
Ma Dongpil let out an involuntary groan. The Young Master had finally committed an atrocity.
But that feeling lasted only a moment.
Ma Dongpil's eyes widened.
'Huh?'
The knife work, skinning the hide and scraping out the entrails with breathtaking skill.
'...'
It was fluid.
The short saber, perhaps two feet long, dismantled the deer with movements that were truly smooth. It didn't look like he was butchering meat; it was as if he were performing a martial arts form.
After roughly dressing the meat, Seo Ryang wiped the blade and held up one of the legs.
"The rest is all yours."
*Crunch!*
Geumho began to chew on the deer with delight. It started with the entrails, proving it was a true predator.
Seo Ryang broke off a moderately thick branch, sharpened the end, skewered pieces of meat, and began roasting them over the bonfire.
Ma Dongpil, who had been watching Seo Ryang blankly, suddenly asked.
"Young Master."
"Yeah?"
"May I ask you a question?"
"Why so formal? Go ahead."
"About when you were dressing the deer just now."
"Uh-huh."
"If I'm not mistaken, that knife work... wasn't that the martial art you showed me in the Solitary Bamboo Forest?"
Seo Ryang nodded.
"It's called the Three Sabers That Cleave the Heavens. It's a saber art you have to master before you can learn the Calamity Saber Art."
Seo Ryang turned the meat over. A savory, appetite-whetting aroma rose from the sizzling meat.
"It's not flashy, nor is it of a particularly high level. But it's a textbook martial art for the saber. If you master it, you can easily learn higher-level saber arts."
"..."
"You saw through it. That means your insight has grown."
"Ah, thank you."
"But what about it?"
He asked back as if he were the one who was puzzled. He was surprised by Ma Dongpil's insight, but his tone implied there was nothing special about using a martial arts form to butcher a deer.
Looking at Seo Ryang, Ma Dongpil could no longer feel exasperated or regretful.
'This is...'
He uses a divine weapon to cut meat, and he even incorporates a martial arts form to butcher it.
It might seem ridiculous at first glance, but it was no laughing matter.
'It wasn't just that.'
Ma Dongpil recalled Seo Ryang's actions up to this point.
When staying at his residence, he would always be training in the sparring grounds if he had nothing else to do. But when he was on a mission or traveling, it was natural to assume he couldn't train.
That's what he had thought.
'I was wrong.'
When traveling for a mission, he executed his movement techniques with his utmost effort. When cleaning his room, his hand movements were fast, swift, and precise.
It was the same during the Festival of Papiyas, when he was enjoying the festivities before meeting the Lord of the Demonic Sword House. Ma Dongpil and Wi Hongryeon had to struggle to keep up with Seo Ryang as he instantly wove through the sea of people. It was because every single step he took was infused with the ultimate principles of footwork.
And just a moment ago, even when traveling here, Seo Ryang hadn't matched his pace with Ma Dongpil. He had simply moved at the best speed he could muster, infusing his movements with the greatest enlightenment he could achieve.
'The martial way is infused into his daily life.'
He did not set aside a specific time for training. Even in a simple action like skinning a deer, he incorporated profound martial principles with masterful skill.
Whether sleeping, eating, traveling, or even joking with someone.
For Seo Ryang, every single moment was training, a chance for growth.
A look of wonder spread across Ma Dongpil's face.
"Young Master, you are truly... incredible."
"Incredible, my ass. I'm still a long way off."
"That's what makes you even more so."
"Huh?"
"The fact that you still think you're lacking is what makes you so incredible, Young Master."
He was the type to see things through to the end once he set a goal.
But it was more than just that. The truly incredible thing about the Young Master was that he lived every moment to the fullest, as if he had a destination in mind, even though he had never defined where the end was.
'One must immerse themselves this deeply in the martial arts, in life itself, to be called a true grandmaster.'
The realization he gained from something so trivial was immense. Ma Dongpil felt he could now be certain of how he should approach the martial way.
"Stop with the nonsense and take one of these. It's cooked well."
"Ah, yes."
And so, the two men and one beast heartily chewed on the meat.
After eating his fill, Seo Ryang leaned back comfortably against a tree. Geumho came over and plopped down beside him.
"Let's move out around dawn."
"Understood. But..."
"Hmm?"
A look of confusion appeared on Ma Dongpil's face.
"Why are you going back to the Red Snake House?"
"..."
"Not only is the inspection over, but that was the house with the most internal strife, was it not?"
"It was."
"It's unlikely, but it could be dangerous. They will certainly not treat you favorably, Young Master."
"That's why I called for the Lord of the Giant Whale House."
"I see."
"And..."
Seo Ryang's face was extremely serious as he stroked Geumho's head.
"I'm not going as an inspector this time. That's why I took off my inspector's insignia."
Only then did Ma Dongpil realize the insignia on Seo Ryang's shoulder was gone.
But what did he mean by that?
"If you're not going as an inspector, then..."
"I'm going to bring the Red Snake House under my command."
"...!"
Ma Dongpil's eyes widened in shock.
"You're going to bring them under your command?"
"Yes."
"H-how...?"
"The House Lord's injuries won't heal in a day or two. He'll need at least half a year to recuperate. Besides, the position of the Second-in-Command is vacant, isn't it?"
"That is true, but..."
"That steward fellow seemed quite capable. But while he can act as the House Lord, he can't become the House Lord. In other words, the Red Snake House is currently an ownerless mountain with formidable power."
Seo Ryang's eyes gleamed.
"It's perfect for making into prey."
He never thought the word 'prey' could sound so terrifying.
"Do you mean to make them your subordinates, Young Master?"
"Subordinates? Didn't we completely blow any chance of forming that kind of personal relationship just a while ago?"
"...?"
"A transaction, or coercion."
"...!"
"They'll be very useful in helping me become the next successor."
Ma Dongpil swallowed hard.
He was boldly declaring his intention to become the next successor. They had spoken of this before, but he had never revealed his goal so clearly.
Seo Ryang closed his eyes.
"I don't know if it'll work or not. I'll have to go and see."
"...Even if that were possible, would the Lord of the Giant Whale House stand by and watch?"
"Is that a problem?"
"The Lord of the Giant Whale House is the head of one of the Seven Houses. Isn't it highly likely that he'll disapprove of a fellow House becoming a stepping stone for one candidate?"
"Probably. But that's not much of a problem either."
"Pardon?"
"Because I plan on devouring the Giant Whale House too."
He thought nothing could surprise him further, but something even more shocking had come out.
"...The Lord of the Giant Whale House is the Sixth Young Master's father."
"I know."
"Will it be possible?"
Even as he asked, Ma Dongpil thought the question was somewhat presumptuous.
But it was also true that he was curious. Considering the fearsome drive and achievements the Young Master had shown so far, he thought it might actually be possible.
"Dongpil."
"Yes, Young Master."
"The things I've succeeded at until now—I didn't do them because I was certain they were possible."
"..."
"I just believe. I try it first, and if it doesn't work, I change direction. But until I change direction, I throw my life on the line and charge forward."
Ma Dongpil found himself smiling.
"I see."
"Right."
"Then I will do my utmost to assist you by your side, so that it may become a reality."
Seo Ryang smirked.
"Of course, you will. Considering all the gifts I've showered on you, you wouldn't be able to repay me even if you slaved away for the rest of your life."
"Haha."
For some reason, he laughed. Seeing the Young Master, who seemed to have changed yet hadn't changed at all, Ma Dongpil felt a deep sense of relief and joy.
"Get some rest for now. You must be quite tired from following me around."
"Yes. You should also rest well, Young Master."
"Alright."
Seo Ryang closed his eyes with a smile.
Slowly, gradually, his expression hardened.
'...The Red Snake House and the Giant Whale House don't seem like they'll be much of a problem.'
It was just that...
'The air is changing again.'
His extrasensory perception was quietly, cautiously...
And faintly, vibrating.