Chapter 38
Chapter 38
Translator: Penny
Chapter 38
Where did this wind come from? (1)
After eliminating the Seojong Association, the morale of our Sword Guard soared to new heights.
Yet, surprisingly, this victory garnered less attention externally than our previous triumph over the Beast Squad. Perhaps because our opponent was the Black Association, Seojong Association was merely perceived as a group that had managed to hold them at bay.
This wasn't necessarily a bad thing. In a time when internal stability mattered more than external reputation, it was better to focus on strengthening our foundations.
The recent events had further solidified the unity within the Sword Guard.
While various factors contribute to internal cohesion, the role and image of the leader remain paramount.
When a leader demonstrates strong political acumen or, as in our case, overwhelming power, the organization's center becomes unshakeable, and internal bonds grow even stronger.
After all, following someone worthy of emulation is itself a worthy endeavor.
Gwanhwi arrived with news:
The Sword Guard members were saying they wanted to be like Captain. He also reported a significant increase in participation in the dawn training sessions.
It seemed the example I had set had become a guiding star for the Sword Guard members.
Seven or eight more members had come to learn the Dagger Technique. Counting those who had learned it earlier, nearly all the Sword Guard members were now seeking instruction.
I readily agreed to teach them as well. Where there are those who eagerly seek knowledge first, there will always be others who come later, driven by the same fervor.
I held no ill will toward the few who hadn't come to learn. Perhaps they simply didn't wish to. Both students and teachers must cultivate a generous spirit.
Gwangdu was truly working tirelessly.
Even in Dagger Technique, Gwangdu had started later than Gwanhwi but was showing faster progress.
This wasn't solely due to effort; Gwanhwi wasn't slacking off. Gwangdu simply possessed greater natural talent.
Within just a few days of learning, Gwangdu could accurately hit the target with one out of three daggers thrown from twenty paces away. At this rate, he seemed likely to hit all three within a month or two.
However, not everything was going smoothly.
The incident we had feared finally occurred: a fight broke out between the Martial Artists of our Minor Sword Guard and those of the Original Sword Guard.
By the time I arrived, the brawl was already over.
It seemed both sides had exchanged blows, but our side had taken the worse beating. Thanks to the intervention of Sword Guard members from both sides, they were now locked in a heated verbal exchange.
"Just because you're a senior doesn't mean you can do whatever you want!"
"This bastard still hasn't learned his lesson!"
"Strictly speaking, you're not even our senior, are you?"
This hot-tempered fellow was named Yanggu. As a former escort who had spent years honing his skills at the Escort Agency, his temperament was far from ordinary.
However, the moment I appeared, the rampaging Yanggu lowered his head and fell silent.
"Let me make one thing clear: that man is your senior. They're from the Byeok Clan Sword School's Main Sword Guard, and we're from the Minor Sword Guard. Understand?"
Yanggu weakly replied, "Yes."
At those words, the expressions of the Main Sword Guard martial artists softened slightly. Such matters were highly sensitive and needed to be addressed definitively.
"What caused this fight?"
Yanggu hesitated to answer.
"Do I need to ask twice?"
"No! It was my fault."
"I didn't ask who was at fault. I asked why you fought."
"Well... I was looking elsewhere while walking and bumped shoulders with him."
"So it was your fault for not watching where you were going?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you fight?"
"I tried to apologize, but he cursed at me first."
I turned to the Martial Artist from the Original Sword Guard.
"Is that true?"
"It wasn't a serious curse. Just a reflexive outburst."
I looked back at Yanggu.
"He says it was just a reflexive outburst."
Yanggu sighed. "When I saw his face... he looked just like the Green Forest bandit who killed my comrade years ago."
The onlookers gasped, their faces registering shock.
The martial artist who had fought Yanggu wore an utterly bewildered expression.
"Is this guy crazy?"
Frankly, he deserved to hear such words.
But I saw in Yanggu's slumped shoulders and bowed head a grief only someone who had lost a comrade could understand.
I turned to the martial artist who had fought Yanggu and asked, "What should we do? Want to fight this crazy guy some more? Or should we just make him apologize?"
"No, it's fine."
The martial artist turned away. Though he had called Yanggu crazy, he likely couldn't bring himself to say anything more after hearing about the loss of his comrade.
As the others dispersed, only Yanggu and I remained.
"What kind of friend was he?" I asked.
"We were classmates who became Escorts together," Yanggu replied.
"I see."
"That friend..." Yanggu sighed deeply before continuing with difficulty, "...he died because of me. I was too exhausted that day and couldn't wake up. My friend, thinking of me, told me to sleep longer and took the night watch alone..."
Yanggu couldn't finish his sentence. He lowered his head, clenching his fists tightly, his shoulders and back trembling violently. He was desperately holding back tears.
I looked up at the sky.
A clear, cloudless sky. How could it be so clear, without even a single cloud, when it couldn't even bring rain?
Yanggu spoke in a choked voice, "...I killed him."
I stared at the boy, his head bowed low, and said, "Perhaps."
Yanggu's trembling intensified.
I spoke calmly, "You, I, or anyone else might think that way. But there's one person... that friend of yours wouldn't agree."
A tear fell from Yanggu's eye.
I saw the tear land on the ground but pretended not to notice. It wouldn't be proper to acknowledge a man's tears.
"You've made a mistake, so you must face the consequences."
"Yes! I'll accept my punishment willingly."
"Fifty laps around the training ground without using your internal energy!"
"Yes!"
Yanggu sprinted toward the training ground.
Though I understood his feelings, I imposed this punishment for his own sake.
If news of a proper punishment reaches them, both the martial artists who fought and their comrades will likely let this incident pass. They weren't the kind of group that couldn't understand such things.
Yanggu ran across the training ground, and I watched him for a moment.
What's he thinking right now? Probably running while thinking of his dead friend.
I understood that feeling better than anyone. I had lost too many people during the long war, and I had even experienced the miserable numbness that comes from losing more and more people.
I hope Yanggu comes to me for a drink someday. Maybe that would ease his heart, even just a little.
Gong Suchan approached me with a joyful expression.
"We've achieved remarkable success with an unexpected investment. We anticipated a profit of 1,200 nyang, but we've earned 4,500 nyang. Considering the additional income from the Dongping Merchant Guild, we might be able to recruit not just forty new members next year, but eighty!"
"Oh, that's truly excellent news," I replied, sharing in his excitement. However, despite my enthusiasm, I declined his proposal.
"Nevertheless, we still plan to recruit only forty additional Sword Guard members as originally planned."
Gong Suchan smiled mysteriously at my words.
"Why are you smiling?" I asked.
"I'm relieved you're not being greedy. Though I rushed here in excitement, I suppose I secretly hoped you would say that."
Those were the words I should have said to him. He was calmly growing our funds, not making reckless investments.
There's an old saying: "An old horse always wants more beans." It means that greed grows with age.
During my time as Alliance Leader, I witnessed countless instances of elderly greed, most notably among the old men of the Elder Council. Their desires were utterly incomprehensible to me.
Being of a similar age myself, I constantly guarded against succumbing to the same fate, using them as cautionary tales.
The desire for progress and greed are fundamentally different.
I will strive for progress without succumbing to greed.
I cautioned Gong Suchan against reckless investments, urging him to maintain a stable, diversified portfolio.
"We can take things one step at a time," I said. "What matters is that we keep moving forward."
Gong Suchan bowed respectfully.
"I will keep that in mind."
I could sense our relationship gradually deepening.
Under the last rays of August, just days before September, the Sword Guard members swung their swords in training.
I watched their practice from the sidelines.
It had been five months since the Sword Guard was formed. Thanks to my intensive management, our Minor Sword Guard had completely settled into its role. To an outsider, it would seem as though the unit had been established for years. In reality, we demonstrated skill and unity comparable to Sword Guards that had existed for years.
Following our missions with the Beast Squad and the Dongping Merchant Guild, our Sword Guard undertook three additional assignments.
I accompanied them on one mission, while the members carried out the other two independently. Though some members sustained injuries during these missions, all were completed successfully. Of course, we also earned money—a total of 4,500 nyang from the three missions. A substantial sum.
More than the money, these real-world missions served as a powerful motivator for the Sword Guard members.
Through real combat experience, the Sword Guard members developed a sense of belonging and a pressing need to improve their skills. They had come to realize firsthand that in the Martial Arts World, the weak die first.
My growing reputation and the respect I commanded needed no further elaboration.
My personal progress was also remarkable.
In the past five months since I began earnestly cultivating my internal energy, I had accumulated four years' worth of progress. I now possessed twenty-four years of internal energy.
To reach my goal of sixty years' worth—one Jiazi—I still needed thirty-six more years.
At this rate, I could achieve that in just four more years. If I were fortunate enough to obtain an Elixir, I could accelerate my progress even further.
Beyond internal energy, my physical stamina had improved beyond comparison to my previous state. I could now freely execute the first three Forms of the White Moon Sword Technique, the family's martial art, and the Soul-Chasing Asura Sword Art, my unique martial art.
Despite these achievements, I still felt occasional pangs of self-doubt.
No one at the inn spoke of my death anymore. It seemed natural, yet a strange bitterness lingered.
Yes, fine. Everyone fades into oblivion eventually. Even as I tried to accept this, there was something I couldn't truly understand.
Ma Bonggi had become the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, yet no one seemed concerned. How could they be so calm? It was as if the Martial Arts World I, as the former Alliance Leader, knew was entirely different from the one ordinary people perceived.
I resolved to interpret all this in a positive light.
The Cheon Hajin of the past was truly dead.
I am now truly Byeok Ridan.
Yes, in my final years, I lived like a fossil, trapped in a rigid mold. Now, I must live anew.
The wind that blew now carried a refreshing coolness.
Summer was coming to an end.
The storm's warning signs appeared in an unexpected form.
Yang Association Leader Jeong Yeo had secretly come to see me.
"Someone from the Heavenly Blade Gate has descended this time," he said.
"From the Heavenly Blade Gate?"
"Ma Jeongsu. One of Ma Bonggi's sons."
With so many children, I couldn't recall who he was.
Regardless, one thing was clear: the nature of their internal succession struggle had changed.
Becoming the official successor no longer meant inheriting the Heavenly Blade Gate, but rather the Martial Arts Alliance. The competition would undoubtedly become fiercer and more brutal.
"Ma Jeongsu met with the Shandong Branch Corps Head and reportedly asked him to gather all the sect leaders in this region."
"The reason?"
"He didn't specify, but..."
Jeong Yeo trailed off, and I nodded.
"It can't be for any good purpose."
As always, if the goal was noble, the means were of little consequence. Ma Bonggi's faction was already exerting its influence across the Martial Arts World.
"The Shandong Branch Corps Head refused."
"Refused?"
"Yes."
"What kind of person is the Shandong Branch Corps Head?"
"From what I know, he's a remarkably upright individual."
Of course, I thought. Not all Martial Arts Alliance members are rotten to the core like Gong Jong.
"Afterward, Ma Jeongsu came to our Main Association and pressured us to host a banquet. I told him I'd get back to him and immediately rushed here. What should we do?"
After a moment's deliberation, I said, "Tell him we'll host it."
Either way, if it wasn't the Yang Association, the Song Family Manor would be next. Refusing would create problems, and so would agreeing. It was better to handle this through the Yang Association, where I could at least exert some influence.
"Understood."
"Association Leader, have you secured complete control over the Yang Association?"
"Yes, you don't need to worry."
"Next time, you don't need to come yourself. Send your most trusted subordinate. If you trust them, I will too."
I knew well how a single word could profoundly change a person's heart.
With just one phrase, tofu-like loyalty could be forged into steel, or even existing affection could crumble away. The essence of politics lies in words.
"If you need anything, please contact me at any time."
"Understood."
When I first appointed Jeong Yeo as Association Leader, I hadn't intended to actively utilize him.
But as the political landscape shifted, the importance of the Yang Association grew steadily. Even in this immediate crisis, he was proving to be a great help.
After sending him back, I pondered the situation.
Was this the harbinger of a typhoon?
Or merely a passing wind?
We would soon know the true nature of this storm.