Chapter 9
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: This Body is the Sword of Completion's Disciple (4)
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‘How dare they torment my disciple?’
It felt as if lava were churning in my stomach.
My disciple was crying. How much pain must he have been in to pour out his anguish in the middle of the street like that?
At first, my heart simply ached. Though Nam Gyeong was older than me, he was unequivocally my disciple—in a way, like a son to me.
Thinking of the torment Nam Gyeong must have endured from his seniors made my blood boil.
“My master used to say.”
I recalled my master's teachings to calm my anger.
He told me to never, under any circumstances, forgive those who touched my family or the people of our school.
He said that if it is evil, it must be cut down to prevent future trouble.
“Show no mercy to evil.”
As I revealed my killing intent, the Zengbimen warriors drew their swords. Without letting down their guard, they searched for an escape route within the cramped house.
But Nam Gyeong, Lee Geum-yeong, and Jeok-sam were already standing at the entrance, leaving them no way out without getting past them.
“So be prepared.”
The Zengbimen warriors flinched and raised their swords.
The moment I made up my mind, I could see the path of the sword leading to their bodies.
It was the same when I taught my disciples, but ever since I was a child, I could see the flow of the sword, the path it must take.
I don't know when I started seeing this path, but it was definitely before I was old enough to know any better.
After that, it was simple. If I let my sword follow the path I saw, I could subdue my opponent without fail.
‘Why doesn’t everyone else understand something so simple?’
After a dozen or so quick thrusts, the Zengbimen warriors collapsed without so much as a scream.
“Gyeong, this is the sword I taught you. The thrust.”
I flicked my sword clean in front of him.
“I-Instructor.”
Nam Gyeong looked miserable.
This soft-hearted disciple was all too quick to belittle himself. Even now, he still looked utterly devoid of confidence.
‘It’s a shame that Gyeong can’t even see the results of his own effort.’
It seemed a different method was needed to build Nam Gyeong’s confidence.
I patted Nam Gyeong's shoulder, then turned my gaze to his senior, Warrior Gwang. He was staring at me, his face pale with fright.
“There's no need for me to handle a member of the Righteous Alliance, is there?”
Though the unorthodox group Zengbimen and opium were here, I couldn't yet judge whether this man was truly evil.
I wanted to wring him out for being one of the seniors who tormented Nam Gyeong, but his punishment was a matter for the Righteous Alliance, and for Nam Gyeong himself.
‘That is what a master should do.’
My job was to help Nam Gyeong remember what I taught him and to help him find his lost confidence.
Nam Gyeong had always lacked confidence due to his perceived lack of talent. To remedy that, I had him practice a single sword technique for three years.
“Gyeong, this is the sword I taught you.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
“Your single thrust was the best among all my disciples. The blood and sweat you shed for three years will not betray you.”
“Yes... Instructor.”
“So draw your sword with confidence.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
Even as Nam Gyeong answered, he showed no confidence.
At this rate, the future would be a problem, even if he managed for now. My master used to say that for a martial artist, skill is fundamental, but confidence is next in importance. Without confidence in one's own abilities, one can't even display their true skill.
“This won't do. Let's go.”
“Yes, Instructor... Huh? Where to?”
Nam Gyeong, who had answered out of habit, tilted his head and asked again.
Where else? There was only one place to go.
“Zengbimen.”
“What?”
“We're going to Zengbimen.”
Nam Gyeong’s eyes widened, and he grabbed my trouser leg. He shook his head, his eyes welling with tears.
His terrified expression was like that of a newborn lamb.
I turned my gaze to Jeok-sam. This was when the eldest disciple should step up. The silver-tongued Jeok-sam would surely be able to coax the terrified Nam Gyeong into coming along.
Jeok-sam caught my glance, approached Nam Gyeong, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, just do as you're told. Tsk! How dare you refuse when the instructor has spoken?!”
“...”
Sniffling, Nam Gyeong rose to his feet.
I wondered how a kid like this could have become a warrior of the Righteous Alliance, but he was still a boy who had learned the sword from me for three years. His skill, at least, was certain.
“Ah! Wait. Before we go.”
I turned from my path to Zengbimen and approached Warrior Gwang, who was sitting there with a pale face.
He flinched again at the sight of me.
“Don't ever.”
“Eek!”
As I approached, Warrior Gwang jumped. But his legs seemed to have frozen, and he collapsed onto the floor.
Warrior Gwang dragged his stiff legs, trying to get even a little farther away from me.
I moved even closer to him.
“Touch my disciple again. Or else.”
“Hee, hee, hee.”
“I will come for you again. Even if the Qingcheng Sect or the Righteous Alliance is behind you, I will make you answer for your sins.”
Warrior Gwang's body trembled violently before his eyes rolled back and he began to foam at the mouth.
He was overacting terribly. My senior brothers, senior sisters, and even Jeok-sam, who had only learned martial arts for three months, could handle this much without difficulty.
“Alright, let's go.”
I tore my eyes away from the unconscious Warrior Gwang and called to Nam Gyeong and Jeok-sam. Jeok-sam acted as if nothing had happened, while Nam Gyeong, seemingly worried about Warrior Gwang's condition, followed me, glancing back several times.
And only Warrior Lee Geum-yeong kept looking back and forth between Warrior Gwang and me, tilting her head in confusion.
***
‘Seriously! There’s a limit to how much I can protect him!’
Lee Geum-yeong wanted to stop Jin Je-yong from heading to Zengbimen.
According to Nam Gyeong, Zengbimen was the largest unorthodox sect in Jungrang Prefecture, boasting two hundred warriors.
It was not a place a mere swordsmanship instructor from the countryside could handle.
Even Lee Geum-yeong, who prided herself on being a master, had no confidence she could face Zengbimen alone.
“W-wait a moment, Young Master Jin!”
Lee Geum-yeong called out to stop Jin Je-yong. Jin Je-yong turned to look at her, his expression as relaxed as ever.
Not a hint of tension could be seen on his face.
“Is something the matter, Warrior Lee?”
“I mean, no matter what, what's the reason for storming a sect's headquarters without any preparation?”
“Do I need preparations to visit a small, local sect like Zengbimen?”
Jin Je-yong retorted to Lee Geum-yeong's words.
Then his gaze shifted from Lee Geum-yeong to Jeok-sam.
“Of course not. Not when the instructor himself is going.”
Jeok-sam replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
‘Seriously, these people!’
Lee Geum-yeong felt that this master and disciple were a lost cause. One was a country bumpkin who knew nothing of the world, and the other was a sycophant who endlessly flattered his young instructor.
“Warrior Lee, don't you have matters to attend to for the Righteous Alliance?”
“Matters... Tsk! Right.”
Her gaze shifted to the unconscious Warrior Gwang. Had he been poisoned? He looked as if he had fainted, unable to withstand Jin Je-yong's presence.
It was a situation she couldn't comprehend. In her experience, with only about half a cycle of internal energy, even projecting sword qi was difficult, and an act like crushing an opponent with one's aura was impossible.
That fact created a cognitive dissonance within her.
“Impossible! How can he have such a divine presence!”
Lee Geum-yeong was startled, but soon shook her head.
“No, this isn't the time for this. I have to follow Young Master Jin!”
Lee Geum-yeong left Warrior Gwang behind and immediately chased after Jin Je-yong.
Since Nam Gyeong already knew the location of Zengbimen, it wasn't difficult for the group to find it.
Nam Gyeong, though trembling with fear, followed Jin Je-yong's orders to the letter.
“Th-this is Zengbimen. Instructor, we're not really going to attack, are we?”
“And why not?”
As if out for a stroll, Jin Je-yong leisurely approached the guards at the main gate.
“Who are you!”
“What do you want at this hour? This isn't a place for country bumpkins to gawk at!”
The two guards gestured for Jin Je-yong to leave.
Jin Je-yong glanced at the two men and opened his mouth.
“I am Jin Je-yong, disciple of the Divine Sword, Master Jin Sang-ho.”
“So what?”
“Divine Sword? What? Some new kind of lunatic?”
As Jin Je-yong announced his identity, as he always did, the Zengbimen guard responded with a look of disbelief.
And as if accustomed to such a reaction, Jin Je-yong smiled and added.
“And I am your enemy.”
Before the words had even finished, a flash of light cut down the guard on the left. Seeing his colleague collapse, spouting blood, the other guard immediately took a whistle from his robes and blew it.
*Peeeeeeek—!*
The shrill sound of the whistle tore through the night air, and a commotion erupted from beyond the Zengbimen gate.
Lee Geum-yeong couldn't understand Jin Je-yong's actions.
With just four people, Jin Je-yong was storming a sect's headquarters, choosing a frontal assault without scouting the enemy or attempting a surprise attack.
No matter how confident he was in his skills, in Lee Geum-yeong's eyes, this was reckless and foolish.
“Young Master Jin, this is insane...”
“Gyeong, what kind of person is your master to you?”
Jin Je-yong cut off Lee Geum-yeong's attempt to stop him and questioned Nam Gyeong.
Nam Gyeong glanced around nervously, unable to answer.
He knew it too. In Sinnae Village, they called his master the strongest, the Sword of Completion, but after joining the Righteous Alliance and seeing the real world, he realized the Sinnae Sword School was nothing more than a small school in the countryside.
“Then what kind of sword did you learn?”
What he had taught Nam Gyeong was a trivial single technique, an ordinary thrust.
When Nam Gyeong failed to answer again, Jin Je-yong gave a bitter smile. Jeok-sam frowned.
“You don't know? Then watch. This is your master's sword, and thus, the sword you have learned.”
“Young Master Jin, stop bluffing in a situation like this...”
Just as Lee Geum-yeong tried to interrupt Jin Je-yong's boastful words.
Jin Je-yong swung his sword toward Zengbimen.
No one laughed at the sword that elegantly sliced through the air.
*Crack!*
The wall of Zengbimen split apart, and the five-story pavilion behind it collapsed without a sound.
“Wh-what? Th-this is?”
Lee Geum-yeong stared, unable to comprehend the scene Jin Je-yong had created.
The wall and building of Zengbimen couldn't have collapsed due to shoddy construction. That meant she had no choice but to believe that Jin Je-yong had truly caused this.
“N-no way?”
“Gyeong, are you still doubting our young instructor? What have you been watching for the past three years?”
Jeok-sam clicked his tongue and chided Nam Gyeong. It was as if his words were meant for Lee Geum-yeong as well.
He stepped forward in front of Zengbimen and spoke.
“The greatest Sword of Completion under heaven. This man is our instructor.”