Heavenly Earth Hermit (1)
"This is both a thing to be grateful for, and a thing to be sorry for."
Seok Geum-ryong pressed his palms together with deep respect and prayed for the repose of Thousand-Year Great Slaughter, feeling profound gratitude for the creature that had offered up everything without reservation.
What had to be dealt with out of necessity should be used to the very end, he believed. Waste nothing. That was the proper path.
Swish, rustle.
So Seok Geum-ryong dismantled the Thousand-Year Great Slaughter with practiced hands and carefully put away the rare materials.
When he looked up at the sky, two full days had already passed.
For the sake of the people at Bukcheon-won and Seokma-gwan, who must have been worried sick, Seok Geum-ryong hurried back without pause.
-Shadowless Movement Technique!
He normally advanced with the Shadowless Movement Technique, but this time he almost couldn’t believe it.
Whoosh!
As he unleashed the Shadowless Movement Technique with internal power that had become even more profound after his transformation, his speed rose dramatically.
The difference had been subtle, but he knew better than anyone that even the smallest margin could decide victory, or life itself.
Fast. So fast.
Seok Geum-ryong returned to Seokma-gwan with the feeling that he was riding the back of a running tiger.
And the moment he returned, he immediately went to Golden Needle Venerable Yeo Gwang-rae and handed over the blood, flesh, and other portions of the Thousand-Year Great Slaughter that would rot the fastest, asking him to make blood poison wine and restorative pills from them.
"Ah, Young Lord. Just what in the world happened while you were away for these two days?"
Yeo Gwang-rae and the retainers of Bukcheon-won, who had finally reunited with Seok Geum-ryong after such a long time, asked with worried eyes.
Not only had he been gone longer than expected, but everyone was startled by the change in Seok Geum-ryong’s bearing and aura. You would have had to be blind not to notice it.
He had already been an exceptionally handsome young man before, but with his growth and this transformation layered on top of it, he had become almost unbearably striking.
"The matter is this..."
Seok Geum-ryong briefly explained how the strange disappearance of the horses in Seokma-gwan had been resolved, and how he had, after a fierce struggle, slain the Thousand-Year Great Slaughter, which had been drawn to horses by chance.
Of course, he left out the details about his transformation and poison immunity.
There was no need to say it. They would all learn eventually, and there was no one among them who would take offense at being told later.
"Ooooh! Truly astounding!"
"Though we lost a handful of rare horses, we were able to reel in the Thousand-Year Great Slaughter as well... this truly brings to mind the saying about fortune and misfortune changing places."
"The old man in that saying only gained a few new horses, but Young Lord, you have gained the Thousand-Year Great Slaughter."
The wise among them nodded, thinking of the story of fortune and misfortune at the border fort.
Compared with a few wild horses, he had achieved transformation and poison immunity, and beyond that had acquired a number of precious materials; he had surpassed the level of mere fortune and misfortune.
"To think there were such rare materials!"
Seok Geum-ryong first handed over the flesh and blood of the Thousand-Year Great Slaughter, the portions that would decay fastest, to Yeo Gwang-rae.
"I will stake my life as a physician and forge items worthy of these precious materials."
Golden Needle Venerable Yeo Gwang-rae nodded, making a bold declaration.
Seeing that confidence, Seok Geum-ryong felt deep trust.
If it is Physician Yeo, he will surely be able to use the Thousand-Year Great Slaughter’s blood and flesh to create all manner of rare inner elixirs or blood poison wine.
That left the bones, hide, scales, and the rest of the materials.
If properly dried, they could be preserved and handled for a long time.
But Seok Geum-ryong felt a little impatient.
Right now, I need an excellent sword.
His martial skill stood in the Zenith Realm, and his internal power was even greater than that; he needed a sword worthy of that level.
The Silver Bright Sword, a keepsake from his mother, was certainly a fine blade, but it was a short sword, and that brought its own inherent limitations.
So he wanted to set the Silver Bright Sword aside for sleeping and emergency use, and carry a proper longsword.
Of course, a true swordsman did not blame the sword, but if one was to express every force and intention in the swordsman’s hand, then a blade that fit like a glove was absolutely necessary.
"Shall we commission the artisans within Seokga Manor?"
Blue-robed Scholar Gong Sang-pil suggested.
The craftsmanship of Seokga Manor’s artisans was not bad by any means; they were first-rate. But Seok Geum-ryong still found the idea unappealing.
"That... will be the last resort."
He shook his head.
If the Thousand-Year Great Slaughter’s materials are handled well, they could become world-shaking weapons that define an era and a history.
He judged that the artisans’ skill did not match the quality of the materials.
Those who handled the finest materials in the Central Plains ought to be the finest artisans and master craftsmen in the land.
"Who are the best master craftsmen who could take on these materials?"
Seok Geum-ryong asked, looking around at the senior figures.
Materials like these could not be entrusted to some ordinary blacksmith or craftsman.
That was why he was asking who the greatest master craftsmen were.
"Master craftsmen and renowned artisans are all proud and strong-willed, and they tend not to interact with the world very well. In particular, those with the skill to handle the Thousand-Year Great Slaughter’s materials are extremely rare. I can think of only two."
At that, everyone was shocked and dismayed. To hear that only two people existed in all the vast world who could do it was enough to make them despair.
"Among them, the most accessible and most famous is probably Master Yang Dae-geon, the Golden Blacksmith of this manor... but..."
As Gong Sang-pil made the suggestion, he let the rest trail off.
Because he was.
"The closest subordinate of my eldest brother, Seok Dong-seo."
As Seok Geum-ryong said, Yang Dae-geon was an active supporter of Seok Dong-seo, a patron whose interests aligned with him.
There was no way he would help Seok Geum-ryong, who might well become Seok Dong-seo’s greatest enemy.
"Couldn’t we move him with gold?"
Seok Geum-ryong asked, hoping for the possibility.
"As you know, among the young masters and young ladies, there is no household more powerful or wealthy than Young Master Seok Dong-seo’s."
At Gong Sang-pil’s words, everyone had to concede the point.
"Then what about the second person?"
Fortunately, their finances were in good shape now, and they could afford to pay almost any amount of gold to secure the best craftsman.
But unfortunately, the second person was no easier to deal with.
"The genius, wicked, and treacherous artisan of the Demonic Sect, Master Devil Gyun Ji-myeong."
"This is..."
Seok Geum-ryong had inwardly believed he might be able to bring him over, but when he heard the title and name of the evil man from the Demonic Sect, following Yang Dae-geon, he frowned in surprise.
Master Devil Gyun Ji-myeong was no less skilled than Yang Dae-geon. In some respects, he was even superior.
But as a thoroughly loyal figure within the Demonic Sect, and one holding a high position there at that, the odds of him helping Seok Geum-ryong of Seokga Manor were vanishingly small.
Are there truly no craftsmen who can forge the finest sword and armor from the materials of the Thousand-Year Great Slaughter?
As they repeatedly ran into obstacles, some even suggested that they should simply sell the materials to a merchant and take a good profit rather than struggle for them.
Seok Geum-ryong himself had been considering whether to sell the Thousand-Year Great Slaughter’s materials for a gain when, at that very moment...
Yes. That’s it. That person exists.
Once again, a memory from his past life surfaced.
A man the world had dismissed as a madman or an oddball, yet whose abilities were extraordinary all the same.
He was also a master of medicine, pill refinement, and numerous miscellaneous arts, and his hands were so skilled that he had been counted as the greatest of the previous generation’s master blacksmiths. He was the greatest eccentric in all the world.
His name was Heavenly Earth Hermit Na Cheon-lip.
"Have you thought of someone else?"
By now, Gong Sang-pil had a fair sense of Seok Geum-ryong’s character.
He also entertained the hope that Seok Geum-ryong might know someone besides the two men above.
"Why, of course there is. I’m talking about Heavenly Earth Hermit Na Cheon-lip, the great warrior whose ties to Seokga Manor are impossible to wash away."
Seok Geum-ryong spoke as though soothing anyone who might object.
"Oh! Oho!"
"Indeed, if it’s Great Warrior Na, he might be able to do it."
"But... after visiting this manor once, he left immediately and vanished. Hardly anyone knows where he’s gone."
"There were even rumors that he had died."
As the Bukcheon-won retainers said, Na Cheon-lip’s whereabouts were a mystery.
Once, he had lost miserably at a huge gambling house in which Seokga Manor held shares, but in the end, thanks to Seok Ji-sung’s help, his debts had been wiped away and he had been released.
As a token of his gratitude, he had given away no fewer than two rare Heaven’s Promise Pills, and one of them had found its way to Seok Geum-ryong, bringing him tremendous fortune.
"Yang Dae-geon of the Golden Blacksmith House would refuse, and so would Master Devil Gyun Ji-myeong. But if it’s Great Warrior Na, who has deep ties to our Seokga Manor, then the odds are much higher. He’s full of curiosity and deeply confident in his own skill, so there’s no way he’d pass up an opportunity to work freely with the materials of the Thousand-Year Great Slaughter."
Seok Geum-ryong spoke with certainty, steering the mood so everyone would be convinced.
But one problem still remained.
"Um... no one knows where Na Cheon-lip the Hermit is."
"That’s right. Some say he’s still locked up in a gambling den, while others insist he hit the jackpot and changed his identity into some high-ranking official."
Not even his current situation, let alone his place of residence, was known with any certainty.
Gong Sang-pil had even commissioned the Beggars’ Sect and Hao Clan to investigate, but to his surprise, both factions had failed.
Heh.
While everyone was panicking because they had no idea where he was, the Golden Young Master Seok Geum-ryong smiled.
That was because Heavenly Earth Hermit Na Cheon-lip was one of the very few close friends of Seok Geum-ryong’s past life master, the North Star Swordsman Woo Do-min, namely Chilseonggun.
Given that connection, I can roughly guess where he’s been hiding...
Using the ties and knowledge from his past life, Seok Geum-ryong ultimately chose Na Cheon-lip, not Yang Dae-geon or Master Devil.
"I think I have a rough idea where he is, so I’ll gather a minimum escort and go personally to recruit him."
Seok Geum-ryong prepared the smallest possible party for the journey, looking as if he might dash out at any moment.
Come to think of it, the Hermit will soon... I need to hurry!
There was a reason Seok Geum-ryong had suddenly become so intent as he wore that sly smile.
The reason was simple: at this point in time, Na Cheon-lip did not have long to live. He would die before very long.
For example, the method of consuming the Heaven’s Promise Pill that Seok Geum-ryong had obtained earlier had not been explained by Na Cheon-lip himself, but was only revealed little by little after his death.
The reason he had died without telling anyone was that he had lived like a scoundrel and been found dead from a life cut short.
Good. I’ll save Master Na Cheon-lip too, and use his talent to forge the finest sword and armor!
Seok Geum-ryong judged that Na Cheon-lip, more than the other two men, was the proper person to handle the Thousand-Year Great Slaughter’s materials.
Once his mind was made up, he did not hesitate.
What was more, Na Cheon-lip was the only master of Woo Do-min in his previous life, and one of the few close friends of Chilseonggun, the benefactor who had taught the secret single-heir transmission.
If he saved the master’s close friend and brought him under the roof of Bukcheon-won...
Not only could I recruit a uniquely gifted talent with the world’s greatest craftsmanship, along with medicine and all manner of miscellaneous arts, but... with that exceptional skill, I might even create a new cash cow for Bukcheon-won.