Chapter 66
Chapter 66
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Nameless Forest in Shandong
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I head to the place where the Shadowless Squad guys were going.
But surprisingly, there's no commotion. I thought it would blow up on its own.
Are they skilled? Well, martial arts attainment isn't everything.
A third-rate technique can kill a first-rate martial artist. If the environment and conditions are right, it's entirely possible.
As I near the building, not a single guy is standing outside.
Did they drag them inside? Not a drop of blood in sight?
I completely conceal my presence and slip inside.
Sure enough, Pajeong Sect guys are piled up in a heap on one side.
Whoa? Their chests are rising and falling—they're not dead.
I get closer and check: their acupoints are just sealed. They're merely unconscious.
Ah. No reason to kill them. They said they'd stage it like the Pajeong Sect tortured them into suicide.
Yeah, that makes sense. The Pajeong Sect can't have any missing teeth. So they didn't kill them needlessly.
I venture deeper inside. Several prison cells come into view, and I spot one guy standing outside a cell, scanning the surroundings.
Oh no. Have the rest already started the work?
That won't do. No need to make those guys die.
I immediately step back outside, take a deep breath, and shout.
"We're under attack!!! Under attack!!"
Then I leap onto a completely different building, hide my presence, and quietly observe.
The noise erupting around me. The murmurs. The clamor.
And five shadowy figures bursting out of the building.
Wow. They're fast.
The Shadowless Squad lives up to their name of No Shadow, huh? That's why they're so quick.
I watch the five from the Shadowless Squad fleeing and the crowd rushing this way, then slip away.
Time to go. With this much chaos, that prison over there must be empty by now.
I dodge the surging crowd, quietly hopping from building to building, and check the cell where the Heavenly Martial Physique guy was held.
The cell door is open. The cell is empty.
Looks like he got out fine. Then I guess I'm done here too.
Pajeong Sect has nothing to do with me anymore. No interest either.
I head to the forest east of the Pajeong Sect, and sense a single presence.
As I approach, the Heavenly Martial Physique guy is hiding his body, peering anxiously toward the Pajeong Sect with uneasy eyes.
Well, he made it out okay. That settles it.
"Hey."
As soon as I reveal myself, he startles, jumping up awkwardly.
He looks at me with anxious eyes.
"Did you bring the lock?"
His expression relaxes, and suddenly he flops face-down on the ground and speaks.
"Thank you for saving me. I will definitely repay this favor."
Hm. Polite guy. As expected, all he lacks is skill.
"Get up. Save the thanks for later. Just bury that lock in the dirt."
He scrambles to his feet and digs into the ground with his scabbard.
He digs a suitable hole, places the broken lock inside, covers it with dirt, and stomps it down with his feet.
Then he stands straight and waits politely for my words.
I like that. Proper posture.
"Follow me."
I move at a pace he can keep up with.
After traveling quite a distance to a spot where Pajeong Sect guys could never reach, I look back at him panting and barely keeping up.
What a shame. To have only that much with a body like his.
I wonder how much I can temper this guy. It's getting me even more curious.
"What's your name?"
"This lowly one is Yang Cheonhak from Jiangsu Province."
"Your sect?"
"I have none."
"None?"
"Yes."
"Then the martial arts you've learned so far?"
"Self-taught...."
"Where'd you pick up the manual?"
"I-I didn't pick it up! I paid a fortune for it...."
Sigh. He's awfully naive.
Or positively, pure-hearted; negatively, an idiot.
You can't put a price on a manual. And no manual bought with money is ever any good.
Well, without a sect or master, self-studying some weird martial art explains why he's like this.
"Age."
"Five years past my early thirties."
Twenty-five. Pretty late to start learning martial arts anew.
But it doesn't matter. I started from zero base at twenty-eight.
That makes me an expert in this field.
Probably no one knows more than me. I can say that with confidence.
"Do you know why I saved you?"
He blinks and shakes his head.
"If only a stream's worth of water flowed in the Yangtze River, how would you feel? If the ocean had just a basin's worth of water, what would your heart be like?"
"This lowly one... doesn't know."
"Fine. I'll show you. I want to see how far you can go."
He still wears a confused expression.
Was that too hard? Are my words that hard to grasp?
Then I should make it simple.
For a swordsman, there's something better than words.
The sword.
His reaction to this will decide things.
I didn't save him expecting gratitude. Saving him was easy anyway.
What I need is will. His own desire. Firm belief in himself. That sort of thing.
I form sword aura.
Night. Nameless forest. Faint moonlight. Beneath it.
An intangible sword takes shape in my hand.
Yang Cheonhak's eyes go wide. Yeah, it's shocking.
Anyone who's learned martial arts and stepped into the world of martial studies dreams of this realm.
Any man with ambition wants to reach it at least once.
I hold the intangible sword and quietly thrust it forward.
What should I do? What this time?
I showed Cha Ji-gyu the Crescent Moon. Against the Tang family girl, the Soaring Cloud.
So what should I show this guy?
Yeah. This'll do.
A guy who hasn't broken his shell yet.
A guy who doesn't know himself well.
A guy with the talent to spread mighty wings and soar a thousand li.
Something to open his eyes.
A sword to ignite passion for martial arts in his cowering heart.
Let's call this sword Self-Awareness.
Self-awareness. Recognizing and realizing one's own existence, potential, possibilities.
I swing the sword.
Not a deep cut. Just a sword to crack the shell.
A baby bird that can't break its own shell will die.
Miserably, without ever spreading its wings.
Nature, living beings—it's natural for the strong to survive.
The weak are culled, only the strong remain.
But humans are different. Humans stand above nature, yet don't cull the weak outright.
If we did, why would society or masters exist?
That's why I'm helping.
A little. Or maybe a lot.
To crack the shell and fly. To give him the proper chance he never had, so he can fully break free and spread his wings.
A thin but sharp fine sword slices all around.
The tip of a leaf. A pebble on a rock. The surface of the dirt. A bit of a bird's feather.
The world is clearly cut, yet doesn't fully realize it was cut.
A tiny change. A strike that would heal if left alone.
I sheathe the sword. The intangible blade vanishes from my hand.
How about it? Did your shell crack?
I saw it.
I saw Yang Cheonhak engraving my swordplay clearly in his eyes.
The Heavenly Martial Physique's superior senses. His eyes missed nothing of my sword.
Yeah. What you needed was someone who could properly teach you.
"Benefactor... I have one question...."
"Speak."
"Can I... Can I swing the sword like you too...?"
Even though the sword is gone, his eyes still chase my strike.
Stammering speech. Twitching hands.
Of course. You want to try it. Now you get it too.
That you can do it.
"Naturally."
"Then... then, please give guidance to this foolish and lowly one.... Please take me as your disciple."
Yang Cheonhak now speaks while trembling all over.
His gaze shifts from my sword strike to my face.
"That's natural too."
His face lights up. Then he drops to his knees right there and speaks.
"This disciple... offers his bows."
And he starts bowing.
One, two, three.... Nine times.
Like he's afraid I'll take it back, bowing frantically.
"Nine Bows Rite? But the Disciple Initiation Rite isn't nine bows."
"Pardon...?"
After the ninth bow, he lifts his head and looks at me with a bewildered expression.
Sigh. Well, a self-taught guy wouldn't know that. It's not that important anyway.
"Never mind. As long as the intent is there. Yang Cheonhak. You are now the first-generation disciple of Ink Sword Grove."
"F-First-generation disciple!? Ink Sword Grove...?"
"Do you even know who your master-to-be is, bowing like that? What if I were some demonic fiend from the cult over there—would you still do it?"
"Someone who shows such swordsmanship couldn't be a demonic fiend from the cult...."
"You never know. Rash, regardless."
"This disciple... will keep it in mind!"
And he slams his head down again.
How did a guy like that survive until now? Must be fate.
Tsk. Would've been nice if it was a pretty girl. Somehow ended up with a grubby guy as disciple.
"My name is Kang Jeong-un, Lord of Ink Sword Grove. That's enough—get up."
"Yes, Master!"
He springs up, grinning ear to ear, repeating my name over and over.
Like he'll never forget.
"How long do you think it'll take you to reach Chang'an?"
His expression turns serious as he calculates for a moment.
"About half a month...."
Now it feels real.
Yeah, that's normal.
The distance from here to Chang'an is like round trip from Seoul to Busan.
So for a guy with mediocre internal energy like him, that makes sense.
For me, it's a leisurely one-day trip.
"Then come to the Xi'an Merchant House in Chang'an by the first day of the new year. Find Manager Jang. Tell him I sent you—he'll know."
"Yes! Master! Understood!"
"Got travel money?"
"I'll manage!"
"No need. Here, take this."
I hand him a generous amount of silver. Can't have my disciple starve on the way.
"Don't come looking ragged. Take care of yourself."
"Yes! Understood!"
"Good. Head out now. Rest easy somewhere tonight. Avoid Taean on the way."
"Yes! Master!"
He must be thrilled. Attaches 'Master' to every sentence.
Well, when opportunity knocks, it'd be weirder not to be happy.