Chapter 236: His Time with the Women-1
Chapter 236: His Time with the Women-1
The Gwanggeom (Light Sword) Tomb in Deokchang, Sichuan Province.
The place where the relic of Gwanghyeopgeomgoe Jeong Myeong-gang, an absolute master from over fifty years ago, lay dormant had been a place hidden from the knowledge of all for a full forty-odd years before Seonwoo Jin and Dang Yeoeun entered it.
And so Gwanggeom Jeong Myeong-gang had been forced to endure forty-odd years of time, of deep solitude, dwelling alone in that place where no one ever entered.
It was all the price of the decision he had made to forgo rest even in death, in order to pass on the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance to those who came after him.
Honestly, it had been hard.
It had been an unbearably arduous time.
Though he had already ascended to the realm of an absolute being while alive and remained in a state where only his consciousness persisted after death, even for him, forty-odd years of solitude could not help but be a trial nearly too difficult to bear.
In that time, which flowed without his even knowing how it passed, there had been countless occasions when he contemplated simply giving up and entering his eternal rest.
At least, that had been the case until recently.
That was, until just a short while ago, when more than ten people had entered the Gwanggeom Tomb all at once.
"Ah, just teach me a little!"
"Teach you? Teach you what?! You won't even formally join the sect and you're asking me to teach you our sect's secret techniques?!"
"Yet you just taught them to my lord anyway?!"
"Is that brat the same as you?! Ah, just get away from me! Let me train a bit too!"
"Ah, so unfair! Really! Do you think I'll give up just because you're being so unfair about it?! I'm absolutely not giving up!"
"Ugh, tch! Honestly! Are you a leech?!"
Gwanggeom thought that his ears were aching from the fierce mental argument unfolding right beside him.
Even though, of course, it was impossible for him to actually have ears.
At that very moment right beside him, Jeok Ha-yeon, the younger sister of Jeok Ma-hyeok who had been an assassin of the Sichuan Assassination Gate, was chasing after Bi Sa-yeong and pestering him to teach her the Cheonpung Movement Technique.
Bi Sa-yeong had firmly stonewalled her, saying he could no longer teach the Cheonpung Movement Technique to anyone who was not a disciple of the Bi Sect, but Jeok Ha-yeon, together with her twin brother Jeok Ha-gun, would follow Bi Sa-yeong around with gazes full of admiration.
Gwanggeom inwardly nodded as he watched that sight.
'Those children have more than enough reason to. The way he's been showing himself lately is enough to surprise even me.'
Indeed, Bi Sa-yeong's recent growth was truly dazzling to behold.
His talent in movement techniques, which had been overwhelming from the start, shone ever brighter as his martial realm rose higher, and the realm of the Hwangnyong Musang Ganggi, which he clung to with such devotion that he forgot even to eat and sleep, grew deeper day by day.
Of course, it was only possible because Gwanggeom's advice and teaching were there.
The difficulty of the Hwangnyong Musang Ganggi was such that it absolutely could not be mastered alone without an exceptional teacher.
But even taking that into account, his effort and development were astonishing Gwanggeom at every moment.
And that effort of his was already bearing fruit.
That was because Bi Sa-yeong's martial prowess was overwhelmingly superior even among the people gathered here.
Now, neither Sa Gun-il, the Jeomchang Sword Dragon who had been one of the top talents of the Flying Dragon Thirteen Squads, nor Ya Unhyang, the Hyeolpyeonseosi who was counted among the most skilled of the young experts of the evil faction, could match him.
But the point Gwanggeom valued most highly about Bi Sa-yeong was not his skill.
'What is even more astonishing than his skill and the speed of his development is his diligence, which never lets his efforts waver in spite of it all. When he's reached such a level, he'd have more than enough reason to become a little arrogant.'
Despite currently growing at a sufficiently astonishing pace, Bi Sa-yeong was not at all satisfied.
He still burned his body as if ravenous, devoting himself even more fiercely to his training.
And Gwanggeom Jeong Myeong-gang, who could read the hearts of those inside the Gwanggeom Tomb, knew well what it was that made Bi Sa-yeong so passionate.
It was because, when Gwanggeom peered into his heart, he could see only one single sentiment there.
'A single-minded determination to become a strength for his friend Seonwoo Jin. Can one truly burn that hot from sheer resolve to give his all for a friend to whom he owes a debt?'
Gwanggeom could not help but be filled with admiration.
The Bi Sa-yeong he saw was nothing less than the finest talent, outstanding in both skill and character.
In some respects, he even seemed to surpass the Seonwoo Jin he had previously instructed.
So it was only natural that the two siblings, Jeok Ha-yeon and Jeok Ha-gun, who were seeing him for the first time, followed him around in admiration — he was more exceptional than anyone else and yet never neglected his efforts for a single moment.
Just then, when Bi Sa-yeong continued to pay her no heed, Jeok Ha-yeon came scurrying over to Gwanggeom to tattle on him.
"Master Gwanggeom! Bi Sa-yeong orabeoni called me a leech! How can he use the word leech for a pretty and cute woman like me?! Please scold him, Master!"
At that, her twin brother Jeok Ha-gun, who had been watching with his arms crossed and a pitiful expression, muttered.
"If you really were pretty and cute, Brother Sa-yeong probably wouldn't have used that word."
"What did you say, you?!"
"Huh? I said the beautiful one is Lady Ya Un-hyang, and the cute one is Lady Cheon Ju-eun, didn't I?"
"You really—!"
Gwanggeom looked at the two twin siblings, who had started fighting yet again as they always did, with a gaze that had suddenly grown warm and fond.
The affectionate Cheon Ju-eun and those two children often gave Gwanggeom the feeling of being grandchildren rather than disciples.
Grandchildren, a thing he had never once had even when he was alive.
And the grandchildren he had only gained after death did not possess merely cute appearances.
With exceptional talent and diligence besides, they were growing by leaps and bounds with each passing day.
Watching them, who had been mere second-rate warriors when they first came to the Gwanggeom Tomb, grow into first-rate upper-level martial artists before he knew it, Gwanggeom could feel a sense of pride as if he were nurturing sprouts shooting up rapidly.
Gwanggeom looked upon the two adorable siblings with warm eyes for a moment, then suddenly turned his head to look toward the others.
There, where his gaze landed, he could see six people sparring in groups of two.
They were Gyeon-jung, who had been the second kill of the Sichuan Assassination Gate; Sa Gun-il, the Jeomchang Sword Dragon who had been the second squad leader of the Flying Dragon Thirteen Squads; Jeok Ma-hyeok, also of the seven kills of the Sichuan Assassination Gate and Seonwoo Jin's direct subordinate, along with Cheon Ju-eun, the Quick Blade Cat Maiden of the Thirteenth Squad; and Na Seo-yu, the vice squad leader of the Thirteenth Squad, along with Ya Unhyang, the Hyeolpyeonseosi who was said to be one of the Five Great Beauties of the Evil Faction.
Gwanggeom's eyes turned toward the ones who were sparring most ferociously among them.
It was precisely the sparring match between the two people, Gyeon-jung and Sa Gun-il.
The ninth move of the Sail Sword Technique.
Houyi Shooting the Sun.
Shweeeeeek!
Sa Gun-il's sword unleashed a full six strikes of the One Strike technique in a single sword stroke.
He had finally broken through the wall at which he had been stuck for the past several years, limited to only five strikes of the One Strike.
At this, Gyeon-jung looked upon the threatening sword strike and instead smiled with elation.
"Euh-heuheuheuheu!"
And then, recklessly, he boldly threw himself toward the six One Strike thrusts.
"Hu-woop!"
Ti-ti-ti-ting!
His dao, focused like a blade tip, succeeded in deflecting four of the One Strike thrusts.
But not the remaining two.
He was forced to take the two thrusts he could not defend against with his own body.
Puh-puk!
Seeing that sight, Gwanggeom frowned and murmured regretfully.
"Oh dear...."
But he knew well that Gyeon-jung had not been struck by the sword because he failed to defend.
He had defended only Sa Gun-il's fatal attacks, and with his remaining capacity, had deliberately ignored Sa Gun-il's strikes in order to launch his own offensive.
It was because he knew that if he didn't do at least that much, the spar would end with him merely defending against Sa Gun-il's Sail Sword Technique with his current level of skill.
He had truly been trying to find an opening to attack his opponent by sacrificing his own body, as if waging a life-or-death duel.
As if to prove that fact, Gyeon-jung, whose left arm and stomach had been pierced, gritted his teeth and immediately swung his dao, slashing toward the opening in Sa Gun-il he had found — his shoulder.
It was a move that gave flesh to take a life.
Shaaak!
In an instant, Gyeon-jung's lethal counterattack enveloped Sa Gun-il like a flash of light.
It was a move that the Sa Gun-il of just a short time ago could never have received.
But unfortunately for Gyeon-jung, Sa Gun-il was also not the Sa Gun-il of a short time ago.
He had been growing at a terrifying pace ever since breaking through that wall.
Thanks to that, even after using the ultimate technique called Houyi Shooting the Sun, Sa Gun-il's defense did not waver, and his sword, returning to its original position before he knew it, spun like a pinwheel and deflected Gyeon-jung's dao.
Hwiriririririk!
Tta-dang!
It was the Hoepungmulyu Forty-Eight Swords, the Jeomchang Sect's greatest defensive sword technique, which he had been intensively training in accordance with Gwanggeom's recent advice.
In the end, Gyeon-jung's heartfelt counterattack, which had sacrificed his body, was forced to end in futility.
At that, Sa Gun-il immediately withdrew backwards, and the bout thus ended there.
It was because Gyeon-jung's injuries made it impossible to continue the spar.
Gyeon-jung sealed his own blood points to stop the bleeding and clicked his tongue as he murmured.
"Tch, what a shame. I thought I'd be able to land one this time."
At that, Sa Gun-il replied in a serious voice.
"It was a reckless method. But... it was threatening nonetheless."
Gwanggeom watched the two of them and clicked his tongue.
From what he could see, those two were alike in many ways.
There was the ferocity of not sparing their own bodies for the sake of a single bout, even though it was merely sparring — that was one point. And the fact that, though they craved Gwanggeom's advice more than anyone, they rarely stepped forward first to ask for his teaching — that was another.
Gwanggeom appeared beside them in an instant and spoke.
"You've gotten injured again. No matter how quickly wounds heal in this place, I've told you time and again to always take care of your bodies."
At that, the two men hurriedly bowed their heads.
"My apologies, Master."
"My apologies, Master."
Gwanggeom let out a sigh.
It was because he knew better than anyone that their apologetic hearts, and the extreme reverence they directed toward him, were both entirely sincere.
'But once they clash again, they'll recklessly burn their bodies once more.'
It was all because the two of them were cut from the same cloth.
Because they were competitors who found greater happiness than anything else in the act of staking everything on a momentary contest.
Just look at them now.
Even in that injured state, were both of them not as happy as if they possessed the entire world?
The single fact that they had fought a fine bout against a good opponent was what made them that happy.
From Gwanggeom's perspective, the ones who were the happiest training here were probably those two.
Gwanggeom, who was peering into their hearts as if looking at the palm of his own hand, ultimately had no choice but to give up on scolding them.
He let out a sigh and spoke in a voice that had softened considerably.
"Sit and circulate your energy while you listen."
"Yes! Master!"
"Yes! Master!"
The two men plopped down without delay and immediately entered a state of energy circulation.
At the hearts of the two who were so overjoyed just at the fact that they could receive his advice, Gwanggeom ultimately could not help but let out an incredulous laugh.
They were disciples who caused him no small amount of trouble, but who made him grow all the more fond of them in equal measure.
"Gun-il will have felt for himself that he has restored balance to his body by focusing on cutting and defense during this time. Now that the growth which had been stagnating due to an overemphasis on thrusting has resumed, going forward, he must master the sensation of maintaining his current balance. Jung-i...."
Gwanggeom continued offering advice to Gyeon-jung after Sa Gun-il, while also keeping an eye on the other children.
Thereupon, the sight of Na Seo-yu and Ya Un-hyang, who were burning with competitive spirit and accelerating each other's growth, entered his eyes.
He also saw Cheon Ju-eun, who had recently reached the peak realm but had begun to simply enjoy this moment itself rather than obsessing over growth, and Jeok Ma-hyeok, who was training desperately with hope in his heart after hearing from Ma Maeng-un, the son of the Life and Death Obsession, that his face — which had become a ruin after reaching a certain level — could be fixed once he rose above that realm.
Bae Jong-gwan, who had discovered the possibility of the Diamond Body Invulnerability within the Hwangnyong Musang Ganggi and clung solely to that, was also a little frustrating, but his sincerity was admirable all the same.
Watching them, Gwanggeom suddenly smiled warmly.
All of them were Gwanggeom's precious disciples.
They were talents who, each and every one without exception, possessed both the character and talent that would make it no problem to teach them the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance.
Even Ma Maeng-un or Do Mun-seung, whose skills were still lacking — were their characters, at least, not more admirable than any of the young people Gwanggeom had seen in his lifetime?
Gwanggeom suddenly thought.
'A truly unfathomable thing. That candidates for successors, whom I could never find no matter how hard I searched while alive, would appear all at once like this after my death.'
Gwanggeom could finally understand.
That he had at last escaped the solitude and regret that had tormented him for so long.
That his decision to maintain his consciousness and seek a successor even after death had, in the end, been the right one.
Gwanggeom suddenly thought of the two people who were not here.
The two successors who had brought him this happiness — Seonwoo Jin and Dang Yeoeun....
The two who were living their lives fiercely, each in a place far more dangerous than this place.