Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Translator: Penny
Chapter 47
Neither Blood Nor Tears (2)
Song Hwarin stood before the mirror.
The swelling had subsided considerably since the first time she'd seen herself, but her face was still puffy.
It felt utterly alien. How could the same person look so different just because their face was swollen?
Just then, Suran spoke from behind her.
"Are you smiling right now?"
"Huh?"
She hadn't realized she was smiling.
"I'm not a child. I can't just cry because I got beaten up, can I?"
"I can never forgive Young Master Byeok."
"Is that so?"
"Young Lady! Don't speak as if this is someone else's problem. This is a serious matter!"
"I have no intention of resenting him for this."
From that day onward, Song Hwarin replayed the fight in her mind countless times each day.
"I've sparred countless times since I started learning martial arts as a child, but I've never experienced a spar like that before. It was... something else entirely."
It felt like a real fight. No, it felt even more real than an actual fight.
"He's stronger than me. Much stronger."
"It was just luck," Suran said, though her words were tinged with frustration. Having witnessed the spar that day, she knew Byeok Ridan's martial arts were superior—stronger than Song Hwarin's, and even stronger than her own.
"Do you know what I thought when I was lying on the ground that day?"
"What did you think?"
"I felt relieved."
"Huh? Relieved? Why?"
Suran's shock contrasted sharply with Song Hwarin's calm demeanor.
"It felt like a weight had lifted from my chest. Do you understand that feeling? When you have something you need to do, but it just won't come together. You feel reluctant, annoyed. You know you have to do it, but time keeps slipping away. But that day, after finally completing that long-deferred task, I felt a sense of liberation. Like taking a bath after a whole year?"
"Good heavens! That liberation came from getting beaten up? I can't understand it."
Song Hwarin smiled faintly.
Yeah, I don't understand myself either...
At first, she thought the relief came from discovering Forms' weakness. But as time passed, she realized it was more than just that.
Byeok Ridan's words echoed in her mind.
"Sometimes, the only way to escape is to fully acknowledge the truth."
At the time, she had replied that she couldn't. She believed she could never change.
She gazed at her reflection in the mirror.
A swollen face.
Perhaps she was sensing a change in her reflection. Normally, she would have reacted with anger like Suran, but now she seemed pleased by her newfound restraint. Could it be that what she had truly desired all along was change?
Song Hwarin slowly walked toward the window, then stumbled. Suran rushed to support her, but Hwarin refused her help.
With her own strength, she reached the window and flung it wide open.
The scorching summer had burned itself out, and now a crisp autumn wind swept through.
"The wind feels wonderful."
Gwangdu, whom I had been waiting for, returned.
Unlike his usual self, he wore a solemn and serious expression. I could sense that his anger was the reason for this.
"As you instructed, Ma Jeongsu has purchased land on the outskirts of Jinan to build a martial arts school. The contract is already finalized, and they plan to begin full-scale construction soon."
Gwangdu had gathered precise details, including the exact location, scale of the project, and the number of workers involved.
This was precisely what had enraged Gwangdu.
"But Ma Jeongsu acquired the land at an absurdly low price."
"How much?"
"Ridiculously cheap."
"The owner wouldn't have wanted to sell it."
"Exactly. The original landowner refused to sell at first. But then..."
Gwangdu spoke with a furious expression.
"Shortly after rejecting the contract, an accident occurred, and his youngest daughter died."
"An accident?"
"A fire broke out in their home..."
Gwangdu choked up, unable to continue for a moment, as if the mere thought of it overwhelmed him. I waited calmly for him to continue.
"That's not all. The following month, his eldest son was thrown from his horse and severely injured, and the landowner's elderly mother died suddenly after eating something bad. The steward who had opposed the land sale was nearly stabbed to death by a drunken assailant. We reported it to the Martial Arts Alliance branch, but they couldn't find any connection between the incidents. In the end, the landowner sold the land and left Jinan with his family."
Gwangdu clenched his fists, trembling violently.
"Is this even allowed?"
He was convinced that the entire incident was a deliberate scheme.
His instincts were right. Such a string of coincidences couldn't possibly be genuine.
Though my heart had already turned cold, I showed no outward anger.
"Did Ma Jeongsu come to sign the contract himself?"
"No. Elder Flower Fan reportedly orchestrated the entire deal."
That vile old man!
I could guess what had happened. As an outsider, he must have needed to prove his worth to Ma Jeongsu.
Elder Flower Fan had committed an unspeakable act to maintain his wealth and power.
"I was furious, absolutely livid, but also terrified. How could a person do something like that?"
"Because they're not human. How could anyone who commits such atrocities be considered human?"
"Young Master! Punish them. Please, punish them severely. I'm asking because I lack the strength to do it myself."
Gwangdu's eyes burned with genuine sincerity. We'd been through many trials together, but this time, his anger was real—far greater than when he himself had been humiliated.
"I will," I said, my single word carrying more weight than a hundred.
Gwangdu understood the resolve in my answer.
"Thank you, Young Master."
The boy was growing, becoming a true Martial Artist.
"Yes, you should be angry. You must realize that we hone our martial arts to punish such evil deeds."
"I truly understand now. If you're weak, you can't do anything. I hate this helplessness more than anything."
"I'll help you lessen that feeling of powerlessness."
"Huh?"
I pulled a box from the leather pouch beside me.
"Open it."
"What's this?"
Gwangdu opened the box. Inside were three roots of Vigor White Bupleurum.
"What are these roots?"
"What the Martial Arts World calls an elixir."
"Gasp!"
Gwangdu was startled, his hand trembling as he held the box.
"T-this is an elixir?"
"Not a top-tier one. It's a lower-grade elixir."
"Still, it must be expensive, right?"
"Very expensive."
"How much?"
I told Gwangdu the honest price: nine thousand taels per root.
"Whoa! That's insane! Where can I find these? I'm heading straight for the mountains! I shouldn't have wasted time riding a horse!"
I chuckled, remembering how skillfully he had ridden back earlier.
"If anyone could just climb a mountain and find these, do you think they'd be this expensive?"
"True enough. But why are you giving me this?"
He probably thought I was joking when I said it would help alleviate his powerlessness.
"Yes, I brought it for you. Eat it."
"Really?"
"Would I show it off just to brag?"
Gwangdu jumped up in alarm.
"No! Absolutely not! Young Master, you should eat it! I can't accept this!"
Gwangdu froze again, just as he had when they'd shared a room at the inn.
Well, eating and sleeping are the most fundamental human needs, he thought.
"I'm fine. If something worth twenty-seven thousand taels touches my cheap tongue, it'll melt right off."
"I've already eaten. I bought this for you."
"Then have more."
"I can't eat any more."
"Huh?"
"It's like food. No matter how good something is, eating too much will make you sick, right? Elixirs are the same."
Not exactly the same meaning, but close enough, Gwangdu thought.
"Then give it to the Patriarch and Great Madam."
"I'll take care of Father and Mother separately. So don't worry and just eat."
"Still, this is so expensive... I don't know where you got it, but you should sell it."
"This isn't something you can sell. So eat it now."
"Young Master..."
Gwangdu sighed, hesitating repeatedly. He asked several times if I was truly serious.
He should know how precious this Elixir is, how much it could benefit him, after circulating his Qi and regulating his breathing. Yet he was still refusing, even though he clearly wanted to eat it.
It's because he's this kind of person that I don't regret giving it to him.
Gwangdu stared at me intently, his eyes asking if he could really eat it. I nodded.
"Yes, then I'll eat it. I'll serve you even more faithfully after this."
"Good. Serve me faithfully until you die."
Gwangdu sat cross-legged, cradling the box.
"How do I eat this?"
"Just chew them thoroughly and swallow. You'll feel a warm energy spreading through your body afterward. Then, circulate your Qi and regulate your breathing as we practiced, absorbing that energy into your meridians."
"Do you think I can do it?"
"I'll help you, so don't worry."
"In that case... all right. But should I eat them all at once, or one at a time while circulating my Qi?"
"Eat them all at once."
"Yes, sir."
If I weren't here to assist, it would be safer to consume one root at a time. Sometimes, absorbing an Elixir could fail.
But with my help, there was no risk in taking them all at once.
Gwangdu diligently chewed and swallowed the roots.
When all three had passed down his throat, I instructed, "Now, begin circulating your Qi and regulating your breathing."
He started circulating his Qi.
I channeled a wisp of Internal Force into his body to monitor his progress.
"Slowly, calmly."
As Gwangdu began circulating his Qi, he started absorbing the energy from the Vigor White Bupleurum. The small amount of Internal Force I had injected guided his own, facilitating the absorption process.
Gwangdu had diligently practiced his Cultivation Method and, being exceptionally intelligent, followed my instructions perfectly.
Sssssssst.
He absorbed as much of the Spirit Herb's energy into his meridians as possible.
"Now, calmly circulate your True Qi through the First Cycle."
Gwangdu calmly followed my instructions.
Soon, after circulating his True Qi through the Third Cycle, Gwangdu opened his eyes.
"Is it done?"
I nodded. His initial expression of disbelief at how simple it seemed quickly shifted to concern.
"Did it go well?"
I sighed, adopting a look of regret.
To my surprise, Gwangdu let out a sigh of relief.
"It went well, then."
"Why do you think that?"
"If it hadn't gone well, you wouldn't be wearing such a serious expression. You'd probably be smiling to reassure me instead."
This kid knows me too well.
I chuckled and said, "You're right. It went well. Go ahead and check your dantian."
Gwangdu closed his eyes and focused on his dantian.
A moment later, he snapped his eyes open and exclaimed, "There's an incredible amount of energy inside!"
"Ha ha, not quite 'incredible.' How much is there?"
"I have no idea how much this is."
"Well, that's understandable."
I placed my hand on Gwangdu's dantian.
The Internal Force within his dantian was equivalent to eight years of internal energy cultivation. He had absorbed three years from the first root, three years from the second, and two years from the third. If he had consumed them alone, he would have gained about five years' worth. With my assistance, he had gained an additional three years' worth.
"This is internal energy that would normally take eight years of cultivation to acquire."
"Oh my god! Eight years? Really? Are you serious? You're not going to say, 'Oh, wait, I meant eight days,' are you? Hahaha!"
Gwangdu jumped for joy.
I knew that feeling well. When I first started learning martial arts, the joy of advancing each stage was indescribable.
"Thank you, Young Master. Thank you so much!"
"Now you must be careful. Even though it's only eight years' worth, once your Forms are imbued with Internal Force, they'll possess power beyond anything you've experienced before. What used to be a mere injury could now be fatal."
"I'll be careful, Young Master. Very careful."
As for Gwangdu's martial arts training, we had previously agreed to tell people that he had encountered a master during our mountain cultivation practice and received instruction by chance.
With the exquisite precision of the South Sea Seven Forms, Gwangdu had already slain four Beast Squad members without any internal energy. Now, backed by eight years of accumulated internal energy, he would be virtually unstoppable. Even within the Main Sword Guard, apart from Commander Seo Jung, no one could hope to defeat him.
Gwangdu asked in a trembling voice, "This might seem like a foolish question, but does more internal energy always mean greater strength?"
"You could say that. But doubling your internal energy doesn't necessarily double your strength."
"Then what does it mean?"
"Internal energy certainly enhances the power of your Forms. However, the increase in strength isn't directly proportional to the amount of internal energy. It only affects the Form up to its maximum required internal energy level. Beyond that, the effectiveness depends on the user's understanding of the Form, their physical condition, mental state, and the depth of their comprehension of martial arts principles."
"Various factors influence it: physical stamina, psychological state, insights into martial arts, and more. But the most significant impact of internal energy lies in its sustainability."
"By sustainability, do you mean the ability to fight longer?"
"Exactly. Think of it this way: the more internal energy you have, the more Forms you can execute."
"Ah, I understand now. But Young Master, why did you give me this Elixir?"
"Well..."
"Because you care about me?"
"No. Because I was full."
Gwangdu glared at my teasing and asked, "You're not planning to use me as a human shield when you're in danger, are you?"
"Such things might happen in a fight."
"In short, he's a meat shield?"
"We call them sword fodder. Haha."
I said to the pouting boy, "Instead, I'll make you an immortal sword fodder. A sword fodder that can cut down even the most skilled masters. For my sake, and for yours."
Gwangdu's face lit up at those words.
"I'll work hard too."
Gwangdu was truly a joy to teach and nurture.
A Martial Arts Alliance instructor once said, "The more enjoyable someone is to teach, the faster they grow." Perhaps he was referring to someone like Gwangdu?
And Gwangdu, I'll keep my promise.
The decision was made: which wing of Ma Jeongsu's to sever first.
Elder Flower Fan.
This vile old man killed innocent people's parents and even their young child, all to satisfy his own greed?
Gwangdu, watch closely.
See how I'll bring this man to his end.