Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: I Can At Least Massage Your Shoulders
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The foundational martial arts of the Plum Blossom Sword Art are the Illusion Sword and the Swift Sword.
Deceive the enemy with the Illusion Sword, exploit their openings, and finish them off with a swift strike from the Swift Sword. That is the proper direction Huashan Sect's swordsmanship should take.
However, influenced by the rigid orthodox warriors and Taoist factions, Huashan Sect's sword gradually lost its essence, becoming an overly straightforward style.
Orthodox martial arts prioritize cultivation, so they generally pursue upright swords. They view deception as lowly tricks used only by the unorthodox.
They don't understand. In the battlefield, where a single moment of carelessness leads to death, in a war where failing to kill the enemy means losing your comrade's head.
The swords of seasoned fighters who have endured countless real battles carry a fierce killing intent. It's not just the will to kill the enemy—it's the fierce determination to save comrades by slaying foes.
Unhak's sword lacked that killing intent.
"Faster. Swing your sword with the resolve to kill me."
That was why, when Unhak expressed his desire to grow stronger, I taught him killing intent first and foremost.
"Think of it this way: if you don't kill the enemy before you, you'll lose the most precious person to you."
"Uaaah!"
It had been about an hour since we began training.
Unhak's sword, pushed relentlessly to its limits without a moment's rest, was gradually filling with killing intent.
Extreme pain turns to rage, and the more intense the emotion, the stronger the will infused into it.
As expected, the best way is to drive him until he desperately wants to kill me.
Clang.
My sword touched the tip of Unhak's nose as his sword fell from his grip. A few strands of severed hair drifted to the ground.
The pressure of knowing that a slight further movement would have cost him his life made his legs tremble.
A single mistake leads straight to death. To truly internalize that fact, one must dip their feet into the brink of death.
"Pick up your sword. We'll continue training."
His legs should've buckled beneath him, but Unhak's eyes burned even brighter.
Clang! Clang clang! Clang!
Finally, after two full hours of ceaseless sword swings, Unhak collapsed to the ground.
Thanks to his persistent training regimen, his stamina was monstrous.
"Is your mind still sharp?"
"Ugh...... Yes......"
Unhak barely managed a response, his eyes glassy like a dying fish.
"The training ahead will be even harsher. If you think you can endure it, come back here tomorrow."
"If I do that...... will I become stronger?"
Unhak asked in a trembling voice as I turned to leave.
"If you endure it, you'll grow stronger than you can imagine compared to now."
I walked away, leaving the fallen youth behind.
"Will he be alright like that?"
Jegal Hyeon approached, having watched the training, and asked.
"He'll be fine. He'll definitely come back tomorrow."
Honestly, any normal person would refuse such brutal training.
Believing he'd grow stronger just by enduring it would be the strange thing.
But there was desperation in his eyes.
And he wasn't the type to abandon the hope he'd found for the first time.
The next day dawned.
We woke up and began breakfast at the inn, just like the day before.
And similarly, a familiar face approached and spoke to me.
"Young hero, as promised, I've returned."
Unhak clasped his hands together, his face utterly haggard, begging for guidance.
"You're here. This time, you've come at the right moment."
My meal was nearly finished, so I stood up immediately.
"Let's go."
From dawn until sunset, we swung our swords.
Not being from Huashan Sect, I couldn't fundamentally overhaul his martial arts.
All I could do was clash swords endlessly, drawing out his absolute best in every moment.
"Predict your opponent's movements. Constantly think of ways to win."
Like honing a dull blade, through bone-grinding effort, Unhak's sword grew sharper.
Ways to swing without letting the enemy see the tip, to twist trajectories out of sight, to deceive with footwork.
Movements impossible to master without real combat began embedding themselves into his sword one by one.
Only after ceaseless swings until the sun set and the moon rose high did he collapse, too exhausted to even hold his blade.
"Haa...... Haa......"
Unhak lay silently on the ground, his eyes gleaming with clarity.
Even without a sword in hand, his mind was still swinging it relentlessly.
He'd entered a state of no-self.
Sometimes, a warrior on the verge of enlightenment becomes so absorbed in the sword that they forget themselves, entering a realm beyond mere consciousness.
What they discover there shapes the rest of their life.
For an average warrior, a precious moment that comes once in a lifetime, if at all.
I quietly stood guard by his side as a protector.
How much time passed? Only when the sun replaced the moon did Unhak come to his senses.
"Ah!"
"Back with us?"
He shot to his feet, looking around in confusion. Then, regaining composure, he bowed deeply to me.
"Thank you for standing guard, and for granting me this profound realization."
A well-refined aura gently enveloped Unhak.
In just one day, he'd become a completely different person.
"Skip the thanks. Aren't you curious? How much stronger you've become."
As I drew my sword, he immediately assumed a stance, as if he'd been waiting.
Of course he was—dying to know.
How far could this overnight transformation take him?
"Here I come."
Plum Blossom Sword Art, Ninth Form: Plum Blossom Butterfly Dance.
Unlike yesterday, seamless strikes flew in from blind spots. The intervals connected fluidly, adjusting trajectories freely to match my steps.
Now he could align his sword path to my movements instinctively.
Clang! Clang clang!
Even as I blocked and parried, the transitions to his next moves flowed naturally.
But I couldn't just let him win like this.
Blood Heaven Asura Art: Asura Flash.
Clang!
I struck his blade aside, interrupting the assault.
Unhak readjusted his grip on the recoiling sword, dispersing the impact, and swiftly chained into the next attack.
Thud.
As I leaped back to evade, he predicted the motion from my footwork alone and closed in instantly.
Plum Blossom Sword Art, Thirteenth Form: Plum Blossom Chaos Scatter.
Feints and killing blows mingled in a shower of slashes around me.
It was a mid-sequence form Unhak had favored in his previous life.
Alright, time to match that.
Blood Heaven Asura Art: Heaven-Destroying Chaotic Slash.
I unleashed a barrage of slashes in response.
Clang clang clang. Clang. Clang clang.
The clash of blades echoed without end.
Unhak's sword qi scattered like whirling plum blossoms, clashing with my blood-red qi that dyed the air crimson, exploding outward.
After a prolonged exchange, the plum petals were stained red.
My sword, having knocked his aside, halted before his eyes.
"Good work."
I extended a hand to Unhak, who panted silently.
"Good work, sir."
With a relieved smile, Unhak grasped my hand.
He must be marveling at his own change.
Truth be told, even I hadn't expected him to grow this fast. I merely trusted the potential I'd seen in his previous life.
Surpassing my expectations, in just one night, he'd ascended to the peak.
If not for that monstrous talent—or me as his opponent—he'd rank in the top three at this Dragon Phoenix Tournament.
All that's left is to rely on luck.
"Young hero, do you need anything? Shall I fetch some water? I can at least massage your shoulders."
Since that day, Unhak's attitude toward me had become excessively deferential.
Even after receiving guidance, there's no need to treat a warrior from another sect like a master, yet he seemed to regard me as another teacher.
"Is that so? My shoulders have been stiff, conveniently."
"Leave it to me."
No reason to refuse the goodwill, so I'll accept it as offered.
He'd always been polite to me as his captain in the previous life, so it doesn't feel awkward now.
With seven days until the Dragon Phoenix Tournament, we boarded a carriage bound for Chang'an.
As Unhak's surprisingly skilled shoulder massage synced with the carriage's jolts over rugged terrain, I caught Jegal Hyeon glancing our way.
Unhak, who shared a camaraderie with him, suddenly massaging my shoulders must feel bewildering.
"You're probably the only one in the world who could make the Plum Blossom Sword Master Unhak, famed as the Greatest Plum Blossom Sword, rub shoulders. No one else under heaven, not even the Emperor."
"Ahem."
Feeling oddly guilty, I gestured for Unhak to stop.
"Just as there is no hierarchy in learning, how could position matter in showing respect for guidance? Give me the chance to repay you."
"You'll have more than enough chances ahead. No need now."
Unhak reluctantly released my shoulders and sat back.
In truth, he'd repaid me plenty in the previous life, so no debt remained—but I couldn't say that.
'Shouldn't I repay the captain's grace too?'
Your words before death suddenly resurfaced.
'I've never bestowed a life-debt level of grace upon you.'
'Aw, don't be like that. Just treating a guy like me as a subordinate is more than enough.'
Clutching your torso, reduced to upper body only, I desperately wished your breath wouldn't cease.
Knowing it was an impossible wish, mere longing.
'I'm just going to join our fallen comrades first. You know that, right Captain?'
'I wanted at least you to survive.'
Our vanguard unit, tasked with spearheading battles, lost members daily.
Few returned alive from the field.
I'd even given up memorizing comrades' names, leaving you as the sole one at my side.
'Live long, Captain. That's my final wish.'
I lived long, as you asked—long enough to slay the Demonic Cult Leader and avenge you and the others, yet survive.
And now, at the end, I meet you again and receive this repayment.
"Young hero, is something wrong?"
Unhak called to me, lost in reverie.
Maybe it's age—lately, I often sink into old memories.
"Nothing."
So much I wanted to say to you, looking at me curiously, but I could only wish again.
May you live long this life, without dying.
"Sometimes you seem far too much like an old man, young hero."
"Do I?"
"Oh, not in a bad way. You just have the air of a seasoned veteran, or our elderly master."
As expected of your sharp instincts. I'd lived hearing I didn't act my age, yet time catches up.
"Have you perhaps achieved rejuvenation?"
I thought it a joke, but Unhak's expression was dead serious.
"That's quite intriguing. I'm curious myself."
Jegal Hyeon chimed in, playing along.
These guys treating me like an old geezer to my face.
Well, not entirely wrong.
"Nothing like that. I've just aged faster than the years suggest."
The quiet journey with Flower Shadow had turned boisterous through Hwamong, heading clamorously to Chang'an.
For some reason, that lively atmosphere felt deeply nostalgic.