Chapter 64
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Signs of Division (1)
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"Among the Demonic Cult's Five Emperors, the one with the strongest martial arts was the Black Heaven Asura, and the one with the greatest ambitions was him as well. Of course, the others weren't lacking in ambition either—they were always scheming to take me down and become the Great Heavenly Demon. So internal strife was inevitable, and their self-destruction was a result they had coming."
"In your eyes, what kind of man was this Infinite Sword Demon?"
Heh heh heh...
"He was different from the Demonic Cult's Five Emperors. It's astonishing that a man like that came out of the Demonic Cult."
For some reason, the Great Heavenly Demon seemed pleased.
Whether it was because of the emergence of the Five Great Sovereigns who succeeded the Five Emperors, or because he saw the Infinite Sword Demon who was so unlike them, it was clear he was delighted.
"Did the Infinite Sword Demon truly inherit the Blood Heaven Sword Demon's martial arts?"
The Great Heavenly Demon gazed up at the dark sky for a moment.
"The Blood Heaven Sword Demon's martial arts... They're all mere branches from the Demonic Essential True Scripture. Choe Geuk-yu, the Ancestral Master of the One Immortal Sect, originally coveted the Demonic Arts section, and I myself desired the Demonic Arts over the Divine Arts section. The Demonic Arts contained the Six Scriptures' martial arts, of which I bestowed five upon those exceptional talents and named them the Demonic Cult's Five Emperors."
"So the One Immortal Sect's Ancestral Master wanted the Demonic Arts at first too?"
Heh heh heh...
"Of course. At a glance, the Demonic Arts had far more techniques, and they looked stronger. Because of that greed, your Ancestral Master lost an arm and suffered a grievous leg injury."
Several years ago, I'd heard this story vaguely, but now I was learning the details.
"Do you think Choe Geuk-yu tried to check me for the peace and safety of the martial world? No, that's not it. He wanted to kill me out of personal grudge."
Though the Great Heavenly Demon was insulting my Ancestral Master, I felt no anger whatsoever.
"Why aren't you getting mad?"
Finding my reaction strange, the Great Heavenly Demon looked puzzled.
"Why should I get mad?"
"Aren't you a disciple of the One Immortal Sect?"
"I don't consider myself a disciple of the One Immortal Sect. I simply followed my Master to survive, and learned martial arts to survive."
Hah hah hah hah...!
The Great Heavenly Demon burst into hearty laughter.
Once he stopped laughing, he began spouting incomprehensible words.
"Merit is emptiness , and martial is also emptiness ."
"That sounds more like Divine Arts than Demonic Arts."
"In your view, what are day and night? Is it the world that changes? Or does it merely appear that way to your eyes? Did you think brightness is Divine Arts and darkness is Demonic Arts?"
Ah... His words were growing increasingly profound, making them hard to grasp.
But one thing became clear.
Until now, I'd thought of Demonic Arts as darkness.
In truth, Demonic Arts were soggy and shadowy.
While patrolling the village with the retainers, Seok Ja-kyeong stopped in front of the Si Family gate.
A large character reading "Seal " was plastered on the Si Family's main gate.
This was the mark announcing a gate-sealing. Any sect or family bearing that mark was off-limits.
"They picked fights with our Seok Family at every turn, and now look at them."
The Si Family had sealed their gates overnight.
All the men who wore swords at their waists, young and old alike, had been killed, leaving them unable to maintain the household.
Retainers of a sealed family could still go out for food or work.
However, they had to use the small side gate at the back, not the main entrance.
And even after going out, they couldn't proudly declare their affiliation.
Villagers gossiped that the Seok Family was responsible for the Si Family's sealing, but it absolutely wasn't.
Yet Seok Ja-kyeong didn't bother denying it.
He knew that as the family's prestige rose, so would that of its retainers.
He approached the Si Family's main gate, dropped his pants, and started urinating on it.
"Isn't that a bit much? Show some restraint."
A retainer on patrol with him frowned.
After pissing on the gate, Seok Ja-kyeong walked along the wall as if struck by a thought.
"Ja-kyeong. Where are you going?"
The retainer followed and asked.
Heh heh heh heh...
"We've come this far; we can't just turn back empty-handed."
After walking along the wall for a while, a small side gate appeared.
Seok Ja-kyeong waited a short distance away.
He waited there for nearly half a shichen, but no one emerged from the side gate.
"Let's head back."
"Just a bit longer."
His patience paid off. After about an incense stick's time, the side gate opened, and two middle-aged men stepped out.
They weren't Si Family retainers but servants handling chores.
Spotting the Seok Family retainers, the servants who had glanced around cautiously jumped in fright.
"What's got you so startled?"
Seok Ja-kyeong sneered as he approached.
"N-no, nothing."
The servants shrank back.
"Back in the day, you'd strut around the village with your heads held high, proclaiming you were from the Si Family. Bribing folks for favors, getting free drinks... Isn't that right?"
It was true.
When the Si Family was thriving, even their servants carried themselves with arrogance.
"Where are you headed?"
"T-to the inns, cloth shops, and butchers our Si Family runs. We're going to help out."
Seok Ja-kyeong's lips curled into a long grin.
As the saying goes, even a rich man takes three years to go broke.
No matter how fallen the Si Family was, they still had assets yielding silver.
"The Seok Family will take over all those places. Tell them to clear out within three days."
It wasn't just words.
Seok Ja-kyeong drew his sword from his waist and slung it over his shoulder.
Terrified, the servants couldn't even respond.
Refusing here might mean losing their heads, and compliance meant surrendering the Si Family's wealth entirely.
"No reply?"
"W-we'll pass on the message."
"Good. And your necks are too stiff."
As Seok Ja-kyeong spread his legs wide while holding the sword, the servants dropped to their knees and crawled between them.
Heh heh heh heh...
After sneering at them thoroughly, he approached the side gate and kicked it hard.
Krunch!
The side gate flew off its hinges from the kick.
"Ja-kyeong. That's enough."
The retainer tried to stop him, but Seok Ja-kyeong bellowed toward the interior instead.
"Listen up, Si Family! If I catch any of you wandering the village, I'll cut your heads off on the spot!"
The Si Family interior was deathly silent.
With furniture installed, cooking utensils and food stocked, the construction on my new home was complete.
I toured my new house in high spirits.
Myeong-gak followed behind me like it was his own home, peering into every nook and cranny.
Only Myeong-gak and I were inside now.
The other three had rushed out after breakfast.
"Myeong-gak. How did you become the Divine Monk's disciple?"
Myeong-gak seemed thrilled just that I'd spoken to him.
He hurried to my side and began rambling about his past.
"This monk lost his parents young and was brought to Shaolin by my Master. There were many orphans like me there. Whether by innate talent or not, I easily picked up the martial arts taught by Shaolin's warrior monks. But in my immature youth, I lost interest in martial arts."
I regretted asking and quickly left the house for the river.
"One day, while the other novices practiced, I alone dozed off in the corner. Master happened by then. A novice tried to wake me, but Master stopped him, saying, 'Leave him be. If the martial world had only experts, where's the fun? There need to be those trampled, robbed, and unjustly slain for it to be the true jianghu. That one's destined for such a fate.'"
Whew...!
Myeong-gak let out a long sigh as he boarded the boat.
"Namu Amida Butsu, Kwanseum Bosal. Those words snapped me awake. From then on, I devoted myself to practice, caught Master's eye, and became his disciple."
I rowed to the river's center and began hauling the net.
"I've shared my untold past, so you share yours too, layman."
Today, I caught six decently large fish.
In good spirits, I sorted the net on the boat and cast it back into the river.
As I worked the net in silence and turned the boat, Myeong-gak smacked his lips in disappointment.
Smack...
"I once peeked while you did Breath Adjustment and Meditation. Black and white energies enveloped your body. Could your martial arts be Demonic rather than Righteous?"
Hah hah hah...
I'd meant to ignore him, but I couldn't help laughing.
I'd once thought the same as Myeong-gak.
But not anymore.
"Myeong-gak. Your standard seems to be white as righteous and black as demonic. Is white pure and black filthy? Whether white or black, the essence doesn't change."
Myeong-gak fell silent.
Only as I docked at the riverbank did a Buddhist chant escape his lips.
"Namu Amida Butsu, Kwanseum Bosal. My gratitude for this great enlightenment."
Clang! Clang! Clang!...
Swords clashed, sparks flying.
One was a seasoned middle-aged man, the other a fresh-faced youth.
Clang!
The swords met, and the young man's blade pursued the middle-aged man's into his guard.
Thud.
The sword halted before his throat, prompting the middle-aged man to lower his own.
"Impressive, Ja-kyeong."
"I'm still sorely lacking."
Seok Ja-kyeong bowed humbly.
The middle-aged man smiled in satisfaction.
"You'll be the pillar of the Seok Family someday. Give it your all."
"Thank you."
As Seok Ja-kyeong's spar ended, Gwang-u, who had watched from the side, stepped forward.
"Well fought."
The middle-aged man bowed and withdrew, and Seok Ja-kyeong asked Gwang-u,
"If I fully master the family's martial arts, can I become a true expert acknowledged in the jianghu?"
The bold question left Gwang-u hesitating on how to reply.
But he had to acknowledge the Seok Family's arts and Seok Ja-kyeong's talent.
"Well... The Seok Family's martial arts surpass any others. And... Young retainer Ja-kyeong, you'll become a great expert in the jianghu."
"Could I even surpass Instructor Gwang-u then?"
Seok Ja-kyeong had reasons for asking.
The family head had said Instructor Seok could surpass the Seven Star Lords and approach the Five Heavenly Kings.
How astonishing.
To Seok Ja-kyeong, who didn't even know the Seven Star Lords' faces, it was shocking enough to faint.
He still remembered that thrill.
Gwang-u felt a twinge at the impudent question but hid it.
Since he'd marry Seok Su-a anyway, they'd be family, so he thought positively.
"Among the young retainers, you're the standout. It's entirely possible."
"Thank you."
Satisfied, Seok Ja-kyeong returned to his room and changed clothes.
It was time for patrol after dinner.
Stepping out, he spotted Taoist Cheongpung of the Wudang Sect, Zhuge Ji of the Zhuge Family, and Namgung Hye of the Namgung Family.
'Someday, my Seok Family will rise above the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, and I will become one of the Five Heavenly Kings.'