The Free Sword

Translator : Elizabeth

Deep within the Golden Dragon Palace.

The Emperor's private chamber, where all outside noise was completely cut off.

The Emperor sat upon a high throne.

"Do you truly believe he will succeed?"

The Emperor asked leisurely, tilting his white jade teacup.

"His martial arts are not even worth discussing."

The Emperor’s gaze brushed over the teacup. Baekrok’s eyes remained calm.

"I am well aware of that. The Spirit Creature, Black Tiger. That monstrosity, which had disturbed the mountains and fields of this Cheondo Kingdom for decades, was cut down by a man with no background or connections."

The blood-soaked black fur and the massive form of the fallen tiger. How shaken had he been upon seeing it?

He was an Emperor who knew better than anyone how vast the world was.

However, to think a talent capable of cutting down a Spirit Creature single-handedly was hiding in the countryside...

"Had I not seen the Black Tiger's corpse with my own eyes, I would have dismissed it as the exaggeration of martial artists."

He swirled the teacup. The powder inside spread faintly.

"I do not yet know him. And he does not know me. So, Chancellor, let me ask you. How do you view this man named Mumyeong?"

Baekrok bowed his head silently.

He knew. He knew how starved for talent the current Emperor was.

At some point, the smell of blood had become a permanent fixture within the Golden Dragon Palace.

Poisoned tea, switched medicines, blades in the night. The palace interior was full of dark schemes, and recently, even the protective arrays of the Four Directions were fading. The Golden Dragon Palace was gradually becoming chaotic.

Amidst all this strife, the only person the Emperor could trust was the Chancellor sitting before him now.

However, Baekrok was not a martial artist. He was a man who had decided to hold a brush instead of a sword for his entire life.

That was why the Emperor had impulsively brought Mumyeong in.

He needed a sword. A sword to protect himself. A sword to silence this chaos. Even if it was a gamble with slim odds, he deemed it worth the risk.

Baekrok knew this, so he had no intention of lying. How could a loyal subject utter falsehoods?

"He is..."

He recalled his first meeting with Mumyeong.

"He is a peculiar man."

"Peculiar?"

"Yes. He has no greed. He has no desire for achievements."

If you accumulate achievements, I will give you a corresponding reward. Would you still refuse?

To this question, Mumyeong’s answer had been incredibly concise.

'Yes. I’m not really interested.'

The Chancellor was someone who had rolled around in the political arena for decades. It meant he was someone who could instantly tell that the answer wasn't flattery.

"It is not different from what I surmised."

The Emperor had also guessed as much to some extent. Back when he was searching for the martial artist who slew the Black Tiger.

The villagers had said:

'He defeated the bandits without asking for anything in return. He even shared most of the spoils.'

The people of the village where he first stayed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠also said:

'Sir. Mumyeong, that guy is a real man. Of course, he meditated all day or suddenly mumbled incomprehensible things, so he was treated like a madman sometimes. But he saved us from danger multiple times.'

They were all favorably disposed towards the man.

And in all those testimonies, there was one common answer.

'I asked him once. Why do you help people like that? And he said, "One who does not follow Chivalry cannot be called a man. I'd rather cut it off than live like a coward." Ha, truly, I thought it was just like him.'

A subtle smile spread across the Emperor's lips.

"Chivalry (Hyeop)... What an archaic word. To think there is still someone in this era who speaks such words."

"That is why he is even more difficult to handle," Baekrok said.

"A sword without ulterior motives is free, but that also means it is bound to nothing. Therefore, no amount of gold or honor will easily shackle him."

"Then can we not just give him wealth he cannot refuse?"

"It is hard to gauge how that would turn out... even with my insight."

The Emperor was silent for a moment before changing the subject.

"Enough. Let us return to the original topic. The Crying Ghost. Do you think he can reveal its true identity?"

"We shall have to wait and see. His martial prowess is truly outstanding, but a human body can never cut an evil spirit. That fact remains unchanged, even for a warrior who cut down the Black Tiger. Furthermore, his progress is currently minimal, so whether he can establish merit is even more unknown."

The Emperor nodded.

A record of a martial artist cutting down an evil spirit had never existed since the birth of the Cheondo Kingdom.

The Emperor didn't expect that much either.

"If there is even the slightest result, order his immediate return," the Emperor said.

"It does not matter if he fails to reveal the identity of the Crying Ghost. Even if he cannot solve it, it is fine. As long as we can create a justification to keep him, that is enough."

What is this?

I literally hit the jackpot. No, the mega-jackpot.

The backyard of the Hyeonmu Hall was filthy rich with things that looked like wild ginseng. Medicinal herbs that looked precious to anyone's eyes were also overflowing.

"Wow, shit."

Come to think of it, the old geezer might have said something like this.

'Hyeonmu is a Spirit Creature of healing. Therefore, in the land where Hyeonmu's energy resides, vitality accumulates, and medicinal herbs sprout on their own. It is not just the Hyeonmu Palace. The Four Palaces each harbor different energies.'

Old man, did you send me here to improve my health? Because you felt sorry for kidnapping me?

Suddenly, I felt glad I came here. The Hyeonmu Palace now looked like a treasure trove.

"Hehehe."

Oh man, I can't stop smiling. I'm afraid my mouth might rip at this rate.

It was still early before nightfall. That meant I had plenty of time left.

I continued to dig up the surrounding soil. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Carefully pulling out the roots, shaking off the dirt, and even smelling the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fragrant scent.

Just then—Whoosh! Spiritual energy (Yeong-gi) was felt.

At a glance, it looked like wild ginseng. It was definitely decades old in size, but on the surface, it really looked no different from other wild ginseng.

But looking closely, the stem was unusually bright. The veins of the leaves shone with silver light, giving off a mystical atmosphere.

Could it be something like a Spirit Elixir (Yeong-yak)?

I immediately pulled it out.

Ah—this heavy sensation. No doubt about it. This isn't an ordinary one.

There was no way any beasts would be around the Hyeonmu Hall anyway, and no one to ambush me, so I consumed it immediately.

The moment I chewed, a bitter taste and hot energy ravaged the inside of my mouth.

I immediately sat cross-legged. Straightened my back and steadied my breathing.

I forcibly pulled the spiritual energy that was trying to scatter wildly through my blood vessels.

The hot current rode down my spine and fell below my navel again. In the process, I felt as if my muscles were trembling and my bones were shattering.

It was more accurate to say it was boiling rather than painful.

Crackle—Crackle— It felt like something was bursting in my Danjeon.

'Stay calm.'

Soon, as the energy stabilized, it began to flow naturally. Sweat formed, and a faint, turbid smell rose from my body.

This mystical ginseng had cleared out all the waste accumulated in my blood points and vessels.

My internal energy had become even more profound.

To handle this profound internal energy, I definitely needed a Cultivation Method.

But this isn't a martial arts world. Ultimately, it means there are no books with internal energy techniques written in them.

Then the conclusion is simple.

I'll just have to make one someday.

I don't know if it's possible, but with the way I am now, I felt like I could do anything.

"Ha—I wondered what you were investigating so diligently, to find you in a place like this."

At that moment, a cold voice came from behind me.

"Is this perhaps related to the Crying Ghost?"

I turned around to see Hyeon-bi standing with her arms crossed.

Her pale blue skirt and sleeves, made of light silk, swayed gently in the wind, and a jade pendant with a Black Tortoise pattern ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hung at her waist, making a low sound.

It seemed I was so distracted by consuming the elixir that I hadn't even sensed her presence.

That useless sister of mine, I trusted you so much.

"The land of this Hyeonmu Hall is not a place just anyone can touch. Even more so for outsiders. Things imbued with Hyeonmu's energy cannot be handled by ordinary people."

A gaze that looked at me like a bug pierced me.

"Therefore, ordinarily, you would deserve a flogging, but you are the Chancellor's disciple. So, I will let it pass this one time. But there will be no next time. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Honestly, as a thief, I had nothing to say. So I just obediently nodded my head.

"I felt it from the first moment I saw you, but you are truly an unreliable man."

With those words, Hyeon-bi shook her sleeves and quietly turned her back.

Phew—

She looks about the same age as my sister, but she sure is stiff about formalities.

Come to think of it, isn't the Crown Princess like the Emperor's wife? That old man, his taste is truly...

Putting aside useless thoughts, I gathered all the dug-up herbs and put them in my robe.

Just then, Hyeon-bi suddenly returned.

"Also, you smell. Go wash up."

Fuck.

Like that, the light of the sky slowly tilted, and the sunshine retreated. Shadows descended upon the dark blue tiles of the Hyeonmu Hall.

The Hyeonmu Hall was now completely engulfed in darkness.

And.

Around the time the silver crescent moon revealed itself between the clouds, the sound of crying was heard.