Chapter 21
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Silent Orator (1)
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‘Why is that so unbelievable?’
My master told me that once a sword reaches a certain level, one can choose whether to cut or not.
He said only then could you be called a swordsman, and that it was a moral code anyone who learned the sword should naturally uphold.
“Young Master Tang is not a swordsman, so it’s natural for him to not know, but I don’t understand why you, Warrior Lee Geum-yeong, would say such a thing when you have learned the sword.”
“No, no. It’s not that you’re wrong, Young Master Jin. It’s just that the meaning… haaah!”
Though I didn't care for his attitude, it seemed Lee Geum-yeong also understood what I meant.
I nodded and infused my energy into the warrior’s body.
“Cough!”
The warrior coughed up black blood and opened his eyes.
His face contorted in pain as he let out a bloody cough, struggling to sit up.
“Where…?”
“This is… Young Master Tang, what’s the name of this inn?”
“It’s the Haengbong Inn, Instructor Jin.”
“Yes, this is the Haengbong Inn.”
I spoke to the warrior to help him regain his senses, placing a hand on his back and channeling my energy into him.
The influence of the curse worm had damaged many of his meridians.
“Cough! Cough! Thank you, young hero.”
“It’s nothing. But we just arrived in Haengbong County today and are unfamiliar with the situation… Young Master Tang, could you get us a room?”
“Yes, you there, attendant!”
With Tang Jin-seong’s help, our group moved to the rear building of the Haengbong Inn.
The warrior, whose name was Pyo Il-bong, introduced himself.
He claimed to be the top master of the Yichi Sect, but from what I could see, his skills were leagues below the Aro Sect warriors I had faced.
‘In terms of external and internal energy alone, the average disciple of the Aro Sect was on par with Young Master Tang.’
Although Tang Jin-seong’s skills were lacking, he was still the young master of the Tang Clan. A sect with a multitude of warriors stronger than the Tang Clan’s young master was no longer just a small, local school.
If Pyo Il-bong was truly the top master of the Yichi Sect, they wouldn't have stood a chance against the Aro Sect in the first place.
‘The Phantom Soul Pill?’
And the curse worm.
My senior brother, Je Yung-geon, was using the people of the Tang Clan to create the Phantom Soul Pill.
I had thought it wouldn't be a simple drug business for securing funds, but it was a far more serious substance than I had imagined.
“This should soothe your stomach.”
After we entered the room, I offered Pyo Il-bong a cup of warm tea.
Pyo Il-bong carefully took the teacup.
“Thank you. So… you wanted to hear the story? About our Yichi Sect and the Aro Sect?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Hmm, where should I begin? First, our Yichi Sect and the Aro Sect…”
Pyo Il-bong slowly began to recount the past history of the Yichi and Aro Sects.
The story he told was not much different from what I had heard from Tang Jin-seong and Lee Geum-yeong, who were well-versed in the affairs of the Sichuan martial world.
What I hadn't known was that the founders of the two sects were once lovers, that they had joined different sects after their breakup, and that the conflict began when the two founders returned to their hometown to settle down.
The grudge that started as a lover’s quarrel between the two founders had continued for decades, even to this day.
“But things have changed in recent days. The strength of those Aro Sect bastards has grown incomparably stronger than what we knew.”
“They suddenly became stronger, you say?”
“That’s right. Originally, the only difference between us was whether we followed the Qingcheng Sect or the Emei Sect, Daoism or Buddhism. Our levels were not that different. As you know, when country folk learn martial arts, unless something special happens, they all end up being more or less the same, wouldn't you say?”
The founders of the two sects had some talent, enough to catch the eye of the Nine Great Sects and become disciples. However, one couldn't expect the same talent from their fellow townspeople.
Of course, coming from Sinnae Village, an even more rural place than Haengbong County, I couldn't agree with his words.
‘What’s wrong with being from the countryside?’
I swallowed my dissatisfaction for the moment and listened to Pyo Il-bong.
He bit his lip and continued.
* * *
“Wait a moment.”
Pyo Il-bong, who had been reminiscing about recent events, was brought back to the present by Jin Je-yong’s voice.
He raised a hand, stopping Pyo Il-bong.
“So, in the end, the Phantom Soul Pill caused the two sects to fight a battle of life and death without limits, is that right?”
“Well, that’s correct, but…”
“So who is this person who gave you the Phantom Soul Pill?”
“His name is Ham Jeong-eun. He was once an escort for the Yangcheng Sect. After leaving due to some unfortunate incident, he was wandering about when we happened to meet.”
Jin Je-yong nodded.
“Whether the Yangcheng Sect is behind him or not, dealing with the Phantom Soul Pill comes first.”
“No, this is not something you can resolve by stepping in, young hero.”
In Pyo Il-bong’s eyes, this was not a matter this young man could handle.
Although the Yichi and Aro Sects were third-rate, they were still founded by disciples from the great Qingcheng and Emei Sects. He judged their martial skills to be a cut or two above other minor sects.
Moreover, the Phantom Soul Pill had elevated their skills by several levels and made them more ferocious.
“The Yichi Sect and the Aro Sect can no longer be reasoned with. I am grateful for your help, but there is no need to shed unnecessary blood.”
“As for words…”
Jin Je-yong gently pushed Pyo Il-bong, who was trying to sit up again, back down and spoke.
“I may not be very good at it, but my senior brothers and disciples have always called me an orator.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Pyo Il-bong expressed his confusion at Jin Je-yong’s cryptic words.
The answer came from Tang Jin-seong’s mouth.
“It means a swordsman doesn’t speak with his mouth.”
Tang Jin-seong hated to admit what Jeok-sam had said, but after witnessing the divine skill of cutting out only the curse worm, he could no longer deny it.
A Sword of Completion had appeared in the mortal world.
* * *
I left Pyo Il-bong in Tang Jin-seong’s care and headed to the Yichi Sect first.
From his story, I sensed that the sect leader was involved with the Phantom Soul Pill.
“He couldn’t have just stood by while knowing the enemy’s power was growing.”
Lee Geum-yeong, who had followed me, analyzed the situation.
Just as he said, the group distributing the Phantom Soul Pill had already sunk its roots deep into both the Yichi and Aro Sects.
“It’s a truly vicious method. Who is this person you said is involved… this Je Yung-geon?”
“He is an expelled disciple.”
I said so for the honor of my master and our school.
I could tolerate him trying to kill or torment me. Brothers who didn't get along existed everywhere in the world.
But I could not forgive him for tarnishing our master’s honor.
“Still, since he is from our school, I must bury this before it gets any bigger.”
For now, it was happening quietly within the Sichuan martial world. But if the Phantom Soul Pill were to spread and become known throughout the Central Plains, Je Yung-geon, our school, and our master would inevitably be mentioned.
And in a very negative light.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
Upon reaching the Yichi Sect, I saw bloodshot-eyed warriors gathered in the training grounds.
They were fully prepared to attack the Aro Sect at a moment's notice.
Before they could spot me, I swung my sword.
“Guk!”
“An enemy…!”
“Is it the Yichi… Sect?”
The warriors of the Yichi Sect collapsed without even being able to breathe properly.
In their place, crushed curse worms lay beside them, spewing their poison.
“How can he take down over thirty opponents with a single sword strike…”
Warrior Lee Geum-yeong seemed to be muttering something, but I ignored him.
I immediately walked toward where the sect leader would be.
The Yichi Sect was smaller than the Jeungbyeok Sect. Inside, there was only a training ground, a manor, and a single three-story pavilion.
‘I have no ill will toward them, so I should handle this quietly.’
They were different from the Gyeongmun Sect or the Jeungbyeok Sect.
They were victims of Je Yung-geon and the group spreading the Phantom Soul Pill.
“Young Master Jin, it’s danger—!”
As I entered the sect leader’s hall, a flash of a sword flew at me.
It was a sudden ambush, causing Warrior Lee Geum-yeong to scream.
I tilted my head slightly to dodge the blade and thrust my sword into the Yichi Sect leader’s chest. The moment I felt the squirming sensation of the curse worm, I flung him aside.
“—ous… he is not.”
“No, he’s not. If it weren’t for this warrior’s warning, I would have had a hole in my forehead.”
I replied with a smile and turned my gaze to the sect leader.
Whether it was a side effect of the Phantom Soul Pill or the toll of the continuous war with the Aro Sect, his complexion was haggard as he gasped for breath.
“Are you from the Aro Sect?”
“I am not. I am Jin Je-yong, a disciple of Master Jin Sang-ho, the Divine Sword.”
“The… Divine Sword? Jin Sang-ho?”
“I came here to help the Yichi Sect and the Aro Sect.”
The sect leader stared at me in disbelief, then his shoulders slumped in resignation.
“I do not know who you are, sir, but I can tell you are a master I cannot handle.”
He spoke in a weak voice.
I had just introduced myself, yet he didn't know who I was. Though I was a newcomer to the martial world, I felt that the standards of its people were lower than I expected.
“Young hero, no, great hero. Can you save our Yichi Sect?”
The voice of the sect leader, Pyo Il-jeon, was filled with desperation as he spoke.
He had already lost his fortune to the group making the Phantom Soul Pill, and his disciples were dying day by day in the conflict with the Aro Sect.
Those who remained were addicted to the Phantom Soul Pill.
“Now that Jin Je-yong, disciple of Master Jin Sang-ho, the Divine Sword, has stepped in, you need not worry.”
I soothed the sect leader and rose from my seat.
Next, it was time to visit the Aro Sect, located just opposite.
“Oh! And Young Master Jin has treated the Phantom Soul Pill addiction of the sect leader and the disciples, so you can rest easy on that front.”
“T-Treated? No, how?”
The sect leader asked Lee Geum-yeong with wide, astonished eyes.
Lee Geum-yeong let out a long sigh.
“I know, right? With a sword? Just like that? Honestly, even I…”
“What? With a sword? Just like what? What?”
I couldn't understand why Warrior Lee Geum-yeong was sighing. Wasn't this something any swordsman could do?
‘I could do it before I was even ten.’
Of course, the first subject had been Jeok-sam.
A smile formed on my lips as I recalled Jeok-sam’s face at that time, his mouth agape, utterly speechless.