Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: The Great Righteous Master, Yeo Hwan-jin
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I-bok bit his lower lip, trying to stifle a grin, and nodded.
“Yes. Swords. A man of your skill should be able to forge a renowned blade worthy of the Dangsan Forge, shouldn’t you?”
I-bok’s eyes glittered with greed as he looked at Bu Eun-seol.
‘He’s built up a bit of a reputation through repairs, and now he wants me to make something that brings in real money.’
Having seen through the man’s dark intentions, Bu Eun-seol spoke calmly.
“These are swords that were entrusted to me. Do you think it’s right for them to pass through other smiths’ hands?”
“That’s true, but…”
“Enough.”
Cutting him off coldly, Bu Eun-seol unhesitatingly picked up a pair of tongs and began to heat a sword in the furnace.
Disappointed, I-bok asked again.
“Is there really no way?”
Despite I-bok’s pleading, Bu Eun-seol remained silent.
‘The truth is, I couldn’t forge one even if I wanted to.’
He inwardly allowed himself a faint smile.
Like martial arts, metallurgy was not a skill one could master in a short time.
That was why Bu Eun-seol had focused solely on learning sword repair from Master Cheol.
Of course, he could fashion simple farming tools, but forging a sword—a far more delicate and complex process—was still beyond his abilities.
“I see. Well, carry on.”
After watching the unresponsive Bu Eun-seol for a moment, I-bok clicked his tongue and left the smithy.
Bu Eun-seol watched him go before turning back to his work and picking up his hammer as if nothing had happened.
* * *
—The Sip-ma-jeon-in of the Saryeong Gate has been slain by a Dae-ui-go-su of the Huashan Sect.
Suddenly, shocking news spread through the serene Murim.
A Sip-ma-jeon-in, an inheritor of the ultimate techniques of the Ten Demonic Sects—specifically, the one from the Saryeong Gate—had been killed in a one-on-one duel with a Dae-ui-go-su from Huashan.
—It must be a false rumor!
At first, the people of the Murim refused to believe it.
The ultimate arts of the Saryeong Gate, which had absorbed the essence of all spear techniques in the Murim, were considered the pinnacle of demonic spear arts, often compared to the Hwau Sword and the Hyeollyeom Saber.
And he wasn’t narrowly defeated or wounded before escaping, but slain?
But when it was revealed that the Enyang Escort Agency, commissioned by the Huashan Sect, had delivered the Sip-ma-jeon-in’s corpse to the Saryeong Gate, the Murim erupted.
Not long after, another rumor surfaced: the Sip-ma-jeon-in of the Baekma Temple had clashed with a Dae-ui-go-su from the Kongtong Sect, and the Sip-ma-jeon-in had fled with critical injuries.
—Has it finally begun?
From the very beginning, the Sip-ma-jeon-in were created to target the Dae-ui-go-su.
This outcome had been predicted ever since the Demonic Hall announced the Sip-ma-jeon-in project.
But there was one reason the people of the Murim were so shocked.
—Was the gap between the Dae-ui-go-su and the Sip-ma-jeon-in this wide?
How could the Sip-ma-jeon-in of the Ten Demonic Sects, the supposed pillars of the demonic martial world, be defeated so soundly one after another, without even putting up a fight against the Dae-ui-go-su?
As this fact became known, rumors even began to circulate that the Sip-ma-jeon-in were actually incompetent.
—The Demonic Hall must have been in a hurry.
In reality, all the Dae-ui-go-su had undergone seven years of grueling training at the Murim Alliance before entering the world.
For the Sip-ma-jeon-in, who had emerged after only three years since the project's announcement, facing the Dae-ui-go-su was a nearly impossible task.
Thus, among the gossipmongers who loved to wag their tongues, it was openly said that the Sip-ma-jeon-in project was already a failure.
* * *
A brisk autumn wind was now blowing.
More than two months had passed since Bu Eun-seol arrived at the Dangsan Forge.
During that time, he had relentlessly repaired sword after sword sent from the Jongnam Martial Academy.
Because of this, Bu Eun-seol became known in the Jongnam Martial Academy as ‘the blacksmith who repairs swords like a ghost.’
But since he never ventured outside and worked quietly within the Dangsan Forge, his reputation was confined to the academy.
Almost no one in Dangsan knew of him.
“It’s already been this long.”
As the sun began to set, Bu Eun-seol slowly rose from his workbench.
He had learned metallurgy from Wang Geol for a month and worked at the Dangsan Forge for two and a half months.
Now, only about half a month remained.
If he didn’t fight a Dae-ui-go-su within that time, he would be charged with insubordination against the Demonic Heavenly Emperor and be attacked by the masters of the Demonic Hall.
‘Is there no other way?’
Bu Eun-seol felt a sense of regret.
He had repaired every single sword from the Jongnam branch, but he had yet to find any trace of the Flowing Cloud Sword Style.
Of course, a master of the Flowing Cloud Sword Style would have no need to repair their sword, but he had hoped he might come across one by chance.
‘It can’t be helped. Still, I’ve managed to grasp the basics of Jongnam swordsmanship.’
Bu Eun-seol shook his head and picked up his hammer again.
Now that he was accustomed to repairing swords, his work speed was three to four times faster than when he had started.
This gave him more time to examine the marks on the blades.
*Freeze.*
But as he was tidying his workbench, Bu Eun-seol’s hand stopped.
He had heard the sound of very faint footsteps in the distance.
*Step, step.*
The footsteps were as faint as a crawling ant, their pace perfectly steady, without the slightest deviation.
*Click.*
Finally, the door opened, and a man dressed in robes as white as snow slowly walked in.
The man’s features were very neat, and the aura he exuded was like that of a celestial being.
This man in white, a true crane among chickens, spoke to Bu Eun-seol, who was hammering with his back turned.
“Are you here?”
Bu Eun-seol turned his head to look at the man.
In that instant, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes—not because of the man’s handsome features, but because of the way he stood.
‘This man is…’
A person’s stance can never be perfectly straight.
Not only is the ground rarely perfectly flat and even, but humans instinctively put more weight on their dominant leg.
But this man stood perfectly balanced on both feet, as if measured with a ruler, without the slightest error.
This was proof that the man in white’s sense of balance was unimaginably superb.
‘…An incredible master.’
He was merely standing with both feet on the ground, yet it seemed as if he carried the heavens on his back.
If such a man were to wield a sword, he would be able to execute sword forms of unspeakable solidity and stability.
“Who are you?”
At Bu Eun-seol’s question, the man in white smiled, revealing his pearly teeth.
“Are you the blacksmith who specializes in repairing the swords of the disciples from the Jongnam Sect’s Dangsan Martial Academy?”
“I am.”
The man in white looked at Bu Eun-seol, who was regarding him with a detached expression, with eyes full of interest.
‘A blacksmith who knows nothing of martial arts.’
The man in white was exuding a sharp aura that no martial artist could have ignored.
But since Bu Eun-seol maintained a nonchalant attitude, he assumed the man had never learned martial arts.
“Repair my sword.”
“Repair requests should be made to the attendant at the entrance of the Dangsan Forge.”
Bu Eun-seol added one more thing.
“For your information, the attendants have all gone home for the day. The forge will open again around seven in the morning, so you can make your request then.”
He then turned his back and sat at his workbench, resuming his hammering.
The man in white, who had been staring blankly, spoke with a strange smile.
“It would be troublesome for you if I were to make a formal request.”
But when Bu Eun-seol continued hammering without giving him a glance, the man in white gave a wry smile.
“If word got out that this Yeo’s sword was entrusted to you… from that day on, you would be repairing the swords of martial artists until your bones turn to dust.”
“What do you mean by that?”
As Bu Eun-seol turned, the man in white smiled brightly.
“I am Yeo Hwan-jin, the Dae-ui-go-su of Jongnam.”
A faint light shone from Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
The Dae-ui-go-su who had remained hidden like a divine dragon in the clouds, Yeo Hwan-jin, had finally revealed himself.
‘Why has he come to find me?’
Bu Eun-seol was tense inside but maintained a nonchalant expression.
“A Dae-ui-go-su… you mean one of those incredible martial artists from the righteous sects?”
“Do you still wish for me to file a formal request?”
When Yeo Hwan-jin smiled, revealing his white teeth, it was like a refreshing breeze.
Bu Eun-seol stared at that smile for a moment before letting out a deliberate sigh and extending his hand.
“Give me the sword.”
“A wise choice.”
Yeo Hwan-jin untied his sword and handed it over. Bu Eun-seol received it with both hands.
At last, he would be able to see the traces of the Flowing Cloud Sword Style, the foremost of the three great sword arts of Jongnam.
*Screee.*
As he drew the sword, a sound like a dragon’s cry rang out, and a blade radiating a cold chill was revealed.
“A fine sword.”
At Bu Eun-seol’s murmur, the man in white nodded.
“It is the Jade Water Sword, forged by the master blacksmith of the Jade Water Forge in Yongquan, Zhejiang Province.”
“But it is too old. It seems to be at least twenty years old.”
“You are correct. You know your craft well.”
A deep sentiment appeared in Yeo Hwan-jin’s eyes as he looked down at the sword.
“My master bought it for me as a gift on my sixteenth birthday. It may not be a treasured sword, but to me, it is more precious than anything.”
Bu Eun-seol now understood why a master like Yeo Hwan-jin insisted on using an old, ordinary sword.
A sword gifted by his master.
He wanted to cherish and use this sword for a long, long time.
“Can you repair it?”
At Yeo Hwan-jin’s question, Bu Eun-seol once again examined the sword carefully.
‘It’s different.’
Unlike the countless swords from the Dangsan Martial Academy he had seen so far, this one bore none of the same marks.
A glint flashed in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes, but Yeo Hwan-jin, standing with his back to him, did not see it.
“It’s possible.”
“How long will it take?”
“Fifteen days.”
“Too long. I will wait ten days.”
Yeo Hwan-jin said with a resolute expression.
“If it takes any longer, I will consider you unqualified to handle this sword and retrieve it.”
“Understood.”
Bu Eun-seol carefully placed the longsword on the workbench and said with a serious expression.
“Then come back in ten days.”
“I will.”
Yeo Hwan-jin smiled without malice.
But just as he was about to turn, he suddenly struck out at Bu Eun-seol like lightning.
*Whoosh!*
Yeo Hwan-jin’s two fingers sliced through the air, nearly touching the Tianzhu acupoint on the nape of Bu Eun-seol’s neck.
This was a dangerous point located on the spinous process of the second cervical vertebra; a slight misstep could lead to paralysis.
“…”
But Bu Eun-seol remained hunched over the workbench as if he hadn’t felt a thing.
Yeo Hwan-jin, watching him impassively, spoke again.
“Hey, blacksmith.”
Only then did Bu Eun-seol turn around, feigning surprise.
“You haven’t left yet?”
“May I see your hands?”
“My hands?”
As Bu Eun-seol looked puzzled, Yeo Hwan-jin spoke with a solemn expression.
“Show them to me.”
After staring at his serious face, Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to put down his hammer and hold out his hands.
Yeo Hwan-jin stared intently at the palm of Bu Eun-seol’s outstretched right hand.
Blacksmiths who have worked in a forge for a long time all have calluses on the hand that holds the hammer.
And on Bu Eun-seol’s palm, the calluses formed by the hammer were clearly visible.
“What is this all about?”
At Bu Eun-seol’s words, Yeo Hwan-jin seemed embarrassed and fumbled with his money pouch.
“I intended to pay you in advance.”
He placed a pouch of silver on Bu Eun-seol’s outstretched hands.
“This should be satisfactory.”
“…”
Bu Eun-seol glanced down at the pouch on his palm and coldly turned away.
“Then I’ll get to work.”
“Very well. I’ll be counting on you.”
Yeo Hwan-jin smiled and left the smithy.
After he was gone, Bu Eun-seol opened the pouch.
Inside was about forty nyang of silver.
It was enough for an ordinary family of four to live comfortably for two months, but to Bu Eun-seol, who had earned hundreds of thousands of nyang as a member of the Gusal Squad, it was pocket change.
“If I hadn’t learned the Art of the Crowing Cock and Barking Dog, I would have given the game away.”
Bu Eun-seol touched the calluses on his hand.
Using a secret technique from that art, he had even created and attached fake calluses to avoid suspicion of not being a real blacksmith.
“It was made from human flesh, so he could never have known.”
The calluses on Bu Eun-seol’s palm had been made from the skin of an actual blacksmith.
Therefore, no matter how sharp-eyed a master was, they would not be able to tell the difference.
“Hmm.”
Recalling the moment Yeo Hwan-jin had struck, Bu Eun-seol remembered what Sim Wol had once said.
—A Sip-ma-jeon-in can never defeat a Dae-ui-go-su.
Remembering the sharp energy that had poured from behind him, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
“That woman. This would require at least another year of time.”
The martial prowess of the Dae-ui-go-su, who had honed their divine arts in the Murim Alliance for seven long years, clearly surpassed that of the Sip-ma-jeon-in.
And having met Yeo Hwan-jin in person, Bu Eun-seol realized the time gap between them was at least one to two years.
“Excluding the five days I’ll need to examine the sword, I have just over ten days left.”
A fiery heat rose in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
In these ten days, he had to leap across a gap of more than a year.