Chapter 4: Pa Cheon Sword
Murim Return was a world that suffered from the same insane power inflation as most wuxia stories. You could think of it as the Zimbabwe of the martial world.
So, what was the easiest way to resolve that inflation?
Fortuitous encounters, of course.
A thousand-year-old spirit herb, the martial arts of the previous supreme under heaven, a pet that could understand human speech—a spirit beast—and finally, a weapon with terrifying performance.
The first three were utterly useless to me, though.
Sado Hwan's body had blocked meridians, so even if I learned advanced techniques, I couldn't properly cultivate them. Due to the limitation of being unable to emit internal energy, I could only fake it—no way to unleash true power.
Spirit herbs were pointless for the same reason.
A spirit beast?
Given how weak I was, it'd probably treat me like a pet instead. Or just eat me.
That made a weapon the most essential thing for Sado Hwan.
In the original story, the protagonist Mu Jin had sweet-talked his way into raiding the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's secret vaults, arming himself with all sorts of divine weapons.
A dagger that extended when you pressed a button, a leather scroll made from spirit beast hide that created a barrier like the Unburnable Scroll, a longsword that could slice steel like tofu.
But there was one thing the protagonist desperately wanted.
He'd searched high and low for it, but never found it—not even by the final chapter. He eventually decided it wasn't meant to be.
It only appeared in the side stories after the completion, where the protagonist used it as a fire poker to tend the campfire.
That sword was right there.
How did I know, when I'd never seen it before?
Because the ground where the sword was embedded had the characters "Pa Cheon" carved into it.
As a diehard fan of the original Murim Return, the description of the sword immediately sprang to mind the moment I saw it.
Its length was just over three cheok, with the hilt wrapped in the leather of a seven-point black serpent, resembling the pitch-black night. A golden blood groove ran down the center, and the pearl attached to the hilt emitted an auspicious glow.
The sword, plunged upside-down into the ground scabbard-first, matched that description perfectly.
Pa Cheon Sword.
True to its arrogant name Pa Cheon, the sword possessed a strange ability to move through the air on its own will. Thus, it was also known as a haunted sword, or ghost sword.
In simple terms...
It was a sword that enabled Flying Sword!
If sword qi was proof of the Super Peak realm, then Flying Sword was its symbol.
In other words...
It was the ultimate item absolutely necessary for pulling off the perfect con.
Of course, it's not true Flying Sword.
True Flying Sword was one of the world's strongest techniques, infusing the blade with one's intent.
Compared to that, Pa Cheon Sword merely moved the blade in place of your hand.
The difference was like the sun versus a firefly.
But if Sado Hwan used it?
People would think it's the real deal.
Real or fake didn't matter.
"You need to see blood to come to your senses," I'd declare majestically while levitating the sword. End of story.
The enemies would bow their heads on their own.
That was the nature of martial artists—no, humans in general.
They pounce if you look easy prey, but bare their bellies and submit if you seem overwhelming.
"...Sado Hwan. So you know of the Pa Cheon Sword as well."
Lost in those thoughts, Mo Yong Su spoke up.
I'd thought he'd passed out or died, but apparently not.
"Of course."
"The one acknowledged by Pa Cheon becomes the supreme under heaven."
Mo Yong Su muttered.
There was such a legend passed down. That's why the 'original' protagonist had wanted it too.
Mo Yong Su's eyes blazed. He looked like he'd crawled out of hell just to settle a grudge.
Come to think of it, he had reason to feel wronged.
His side had plotted the scheme, yet here he was, wearing that mortal enemy glare.
"I shall claim Pa Cheon and take your life!"
The near-dead old man suddenly sprang up and lunged toward the altar.
I just watched, arms crossed.
Because the final passage describing Pa Cheon Sword had come to mind.
But beware, traveler, do not be deceived by Pa Cheon's auspiciousness. For it is a demonic sword that devours all you possess.
People saw that passage as mere advice or a lesson: don't get lost in the sword's sharpness.
But its true meaning was literal—no metaphor, no symbolism.
"Hahaha! Just standing there—are you afraid?!"
Mo Yong Su burst into mad laughter and yanked the sword free with his remaining right arm. The blade was as pitch-black as the hilt.
As if sucking in the light itself.
"Die, Sado Hwan!"
Mo Yong Su thrust the sword at me.
This isn't right?
I couldn't react in time. The blade headed straight for my heart.
But then—
Stagger—
Mo Yong Su, charging at full speed, suddenly wobbled like he'd been struck by vertigo.
The sword grazed my forearm instead of piercing my heart.
Just a graze, yet it sliced through my sleeve, blood welling up. The edge was no joke.
I barely felt the pain in my arm.
"Gaaahhh!"
Suddenly, Mo Yong Su screamed. Crimson veins bulged grotesquely on the hand gripping the sword, writhing like a throat swallowing.
The cause? Obviously, Pa Cheon Sword.
"Uwaaaah!"
Mo Yong Su rolled on the ground in agony. He tried everything to pry his hand free, but the sword clung like glue.
"My energy... my internal energy...!"
All his internal energy was being sucked up his arm.
His body withered to a mummy in seconds. The warrior's physique, honed over countless years, crumbled pathetically.
"This... can't... be..."
Mo Yong Su, rolling on the floor, finally slumped, head dropping.
Clang!
The sword, which wouldn't release, finally dropped from his hand, as if sated.
There was definitely blood on it.
It had cut my forearm, so the blade should be bloodied. But no blood remained. Had it absorbed that too along with the energy?
A truly horrific sword, well deserving its alias 'ghost sword.'
It even sheathed itself automatically.
A mysterious blue light then swirled around the pearl at the hilt's end.
Mo Yong Su lay truly dead this time, body gone cold.
"Tsk tsk. Should've read more diligently and grasped the author's intent."
Who would wield Pa Cheon Sword? A martial artist versed in techniques.
What was everything to a martial artist?
Qi.
The power accumulated over decades to transcend humanity—that was a martial artist's all.
Pa Cheon sucked it dry, not leaving a single strand.
Like Mo Yong Su, any ordinary warrior who grasped it would have their qi drained and die.
A perfect fit for 'demonic sword.'
Of course, since Pa Cheon was forged for human use, there were ways to wield it.
Two methods.
First: Reach Super Peak or higher, freely controlling qi with intent alone. That blocks the flow into Pa Cheon.
And second...
I gripped Pa Cheon, dropped from Mo Yong Su's hand. Tense, of course.
"...All good."
As expected, nothing happened to me.
That was the second way to use Pa Cheon.
Suffering from a special blocked meridian constitution like Sado Hwan.
Sado Hwan's blocked meridians prevented emitting qi externally.
Only in the final chapter, amid a flood of fortuitous encounters, near-death trials, and tribulations, did he barely draw out his qi.
In other words...
In this state, Pa Cheon couldn't suck even a drop from this body.
Go ahead, stick in the straw. See if you can draw anything.
Pa Cheon vibrated faintly, but it had zero effect on me.
"Hmm."
I examined the sword closely, then tried drawing it quickly.
Shing—creak!
It didn't slide out smoothly; it caught midway with a grind, forcing its way free.
"As expected."
Even I had to admit, my sword-drawing stance looked awkward as hell.
I'd tested if some 'muscle memory' trope would kick in. No such convenient plot device here.
Hardcore difficulty, huh.
Sado Hwan from the cult had naturally learned martial arts, and Mu Jin knew a few tricks to protect himself as a con artist.
But me? Orphanage kid—I'd never properly learned kendo, taekwondo, nothing. First time touching a sword this long.
My sole way to survive this brutal Murim Return?
Prepare so I never have to draw the sword, no matter the situation.
Pa Cheon would be an excellent part of that preparation.
"Now, how does it work?"
I released my grip. Pa Cheon clanged to the floor.
"No, you're supposed to float in the air!"
No matter how many tries, same result. No levitating—just rolling on the ground with metallic clinks.
Then, an uneasy assumption I'd ignored flashed through my mind.
Some treasures required injecting internal energy to activate.
If Pa Cheon was one... it was a total dud.
"Haa..."
I sighed and slumped against the altar.
Relaxing from the tension, a sharp sting shot from my left arm wound.
Peering closely, it wasn't just skin-deep—the flesh was sliced fairly deep.
I tore a strip from dead Mo Yong Su's robe and used it as a compression bandage.
Watching the blood soak red reaffirmed this was harsh reality.
No dream could feel this pain or metallic blood stench.
What a shitty fate.
All I'd done was try hard to live, and now dumped into a wuxia world.
No clue if I could return. Getting caught in Soul Swap Great Law was ridiculous to begin with.
At this point, I wondered: What happened to the real Sado Hwan and Mu Jin?
If I'd entered Sado Hwan's body, where was Sado Hwan's soul? What about dead Mu Jin's?
Was Sado Hwan's soul maybe in my real-world body?
Anything but Mu Jin—Sado Hwan's soul in mine?
A foul-tempered cult fanatic concept nut in the modern world?
Great webnovel material for someone else, but nightmare fuel if it was me.
Pondering a way out, my thoughts landed on one person.
Cheon Gi-ja might know.
With his 'setting' of knowing all truths, he might know how to reverse Soul Swap Great Law.
Problem: He wandered the world endlessly—near impossible to meet.
Survive and find Cheon Gi-ja. That's my ultimate goal.
"..."
If only Pa Cheon worked properly, that path would be so much easier. What a shame.
Frustration boiling over, I spat a curse.
"You fucking idiot Sado Hwan!"
No blocked meridians, and I could've enjoyed murim life with a grin. Might not even want to go back.
Kicking in rage, my foot hit Pa Cheon's pearl.
Panicking it might shatter, I checked—fine.
But then—
Whoosh—
Pa Cheon suddenly floated up on its own.
"Wha-what?!"
It worked?
Joy was fleeting.
Pa Cheon unsheathed itself, blade tip turning to point at me.
And then—
What did you just say?
This insignificant parasite leeching off my body dares speak to me like that?
The voice echoing in my head was familiar.
"...Who the hell are you?"
The sword tip twitched as it replied.
I am Sado Hwan.
Pretending to Be the Heavenly Demon