Every Tool Has Its Purpose
“Some people train from morning till night, but I can only manage one shichen. At this rate, I don’t know if I’ll ever get anywhere.”
“Same here. Damn it, I should’ve been born ten years later.”
“Why ten years?”
“If I had, I could’ve gone there and done nothing but train. I don’t get how the kids from there are floundering around just like us.”
The “there” Gwak Beom spoke of was the Byeongmachong.
The two men in their late twenties were natural talents, not products of the Byeongmachong.
“Their aptitude must have been terrible.”
“Sigh, if I’d gone, I’d have claimed a spot by now.”
The two were still trading meaningless chatter when a man and a woman entered the tavern and settled into seats deeper inside.
Im Jeong, who had been glancing at the woman, quickly turned away to hide his face.
Noticing his odd behavior, Gwak Beom scanned the room and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Don’t look around, you idiot. That’s Hongan-sal Lee Cheong-wol.”
Gwak Beom immediately ducked his head.
Lee Cheong-wol was a high expert of the Six Harmonies Faction, yet for some reason she seemed unable to eat or sleep without tormenting Im Jeong whenever their paths crossed.
She would grind him down with words, and the moment his attitude displeased her even slightly, she turned to violence.
The only reason Im Jeong was still alive was that she had never used lethal force.
Im Jeong and Gwak Beom’s hands sped up as they shoveled down food and drink. They planned to finish quickly and slip away.
But the plan didn’t last long.
Jeon Jo, one of Lee Cheong-wol’s subordinates, strode over and mercilessly slapped the back of Im Jeong’s head.
“Ugh! Why did you do that?”
“You bastards, you see our Hyangju-nim and don’t even offer a greeting? Do you really want to die?”
At Jeon Jo’s roar, both men scrambled over to Lee Cheong-wol and bowed deeply.
“Im Jeong pays his respects.”
“Gwak Beom…”
Lee Cheong-wol cut Gwak Beom off.
“You’re fine. But you, Im Jeong—pretending not to know me after seeing my face? Did you obtain some heaven-sent fortune in the meantime?”
“I simply didn’t wish to disturb Hyangju-nim’s pleasant time…”
“You’ve ruined my pleasant time. How do you intend to compensate me?”
Lee Cheong-wol stared at him with a peculiar glint in her eyes.
The old Im Jeong would have immediately thrown himself flat on the floor.
But after learning the Jincheonji Dobeop, his confidence had risen, if only a little.
“What would lift Hyangju-nim’s mood?”
When he dared to ask in return, Lee Cheong-wol’s face hardened.
“Your neck has grown quite stiff. It seems you’ve found something to lean on. Jeon Jo.”
At her call, Jeon Jo stepped forward at once.
“Yes.”
Lee Cheong-wol’s gaze returned to Im Jeong.
“If you can withstand three moves from Jeon Jo, I believe my mood will improve. What do you say?”
“I will try.”
“Jeon Jo, you heard him. Some Haomun grunt claims he can take your three moves. Have you been taking Haomun too lightly?”
“Hyangju-nim, may I kill this bastard?”
“Kill someone inside Chang’an Castle? Can you handle the consequences?”
“……”
Jeon Jo subtly avoided his superior’s eyes. Unlike the major powers of the murim, when small fries committed murder they were hunted down by the authorities.
“Just keep him alive.”
“Yes!”
Jeon Jo stood facing Im Jeong.
The guests of Seosi Tavern turned their attention to the pair.
The first to move was the stronger man, Jeon Jo.
His fist shot toward Im Jeong’s face like a thunderbolt.
Im Jeong twisted his upper body just enough to let the punch slide past and countered.
In that instant Jeon Jo’s fist opened wide, raking across Im Jeong’s face.
Slash—!
Blood sprayed from the nail marks on Im Jeong’s cheek.
Almost simultaneously, Im Jeong’s own fist slammed into Jeon Jo’s shoulder.
Jeon Jo’s torso shook and he staggered back half a step.
Though Im Jeong was the one bleeding, Jeon Jo’s face burned crimson with humiliation.
Allowing a single clean hit from a Haomun underling had wounded his pride.
“You son of a bitch!”
Jeon Jo charged like a wounded tiger.
Under that ferocious pressure, Im Jeong’s movements turned defensive.
The ingrained servility of Haomun, carved into his very bones, had finally awakened.
His initial confidence vanished; now he was frantic simply to block.
But Jeon Jo’s attacks could not be endured by blocking alone.
Soon the man’s fists began to sink into Im Jeong’s body.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
From then on Im Jeong could only curl up, covering his head with both arms while the blows rained down.
Just before Im Jeong lost consciousness, Lee Cheong-wol intervened.
“Enough.”
Only then did Jeon Jo stop punching and retreat.
He had been so absorbed that his shoulders heaved with ragged breaths.
Im Jeong, who had been crouched like a shrimp, collapsed to the floor.
Watching him, a faint tremor passed through Lee Cheong-wol’s eyes.
She quickly schooled her expression and spoke to Gwak Beom in a deliberately cold voice.
“Clean this up.”
Gwak Beom supported the limp Im Jeong and left the tavern.
The next day.
Inside the Anikheon of Jipdanhyang, headquarters of the Jeommun branch in U-seong Seonpyeongbang.
Dan Yeop once again began teaching the True Hundred Flow Saber Style to the party leaders, hyangju, and munwi.
The True Hundred Flow Saber Style, rooted in the Hundred Flow Saber Style, also consisted of four forms.
Yet progress was agonizingly slow.
The True Heaven and Earth Saber Style had been relatively easy because—although it contained difficult sections—it was based on Jeommun’s own exclusive arts. Even if only in outer form, the practitioners had absorbed it without much difficulty.
The True Hundred Flow Saber Style was different.
Built upon Seonmun’s exclusive techniques, it did not come easily to Jeommun experts.
It was true that the martial arts of all six branches had become known to one another thanks to the Byeongmachong, but they had merely referenced them; none had trained in them professionally.
Haomun’s martial arts were like fifty paces to a hundred paces—similar yet fundamentally distinct.
Had the Hundred Flow Saber Style been a supreme technique of the murim world, Jeommun would have pursued it with desperate fervor.
It was more complex than the Heaven and Earth Saber Style, but it was hardly a profound supreme art.
The Jeommun experts therefore treated the Hundred Flow Saber Style as nothing more than reference material and did not consider it a replacement for their True Heaven and Earth Saber Style.
Even though Dan Yeop taught until late into the night, the Jeommun experts failed to grasp even the first form.
Compared to how quickly they had absorbed the True Heaven and Earth Saber Style days earlier, the difference was like heaven and earth.
The Jeommun experts had predicted the result to some degree, yet they could not hide their disappointment at the miserable outcome.
Baek Cho-gong sheathed his blade and muttered, “Why is this so difficult? The original Hundred Flow Saber Style wasn’t nearly this hard…”
Vice-Munju Mok Un-saeng nodded. “Exactly. This is purely my impression, but the True Hundred Flow Saber Style feels as difficult as the supreme sword arts of the Five Great Sword Factions.”
“Is our True Heaven and Earth Saber Style not the same?”
“O-of course our True Heaven and Earth Saber Style is also excellent, but somehow… in terms of profound, mysterious changes…”
“So you’re saying our True Heaven and Earth Saber Style lacks profundity? Is that something a vice-munju should say? What exactly is the difference between the Hundred Flow and Heaven and Earth styles?”
“The original Hundred Flow and Heaven and Earth styles were similar, but once it evolved into the True Hundred Flow Saber Style, it seems to have undergone a complete rebirth.”
Vice-Munju Mok Un-saeng carefully watched Baek Cho-gong’s expression.
Each of the six branches took pride in its own exclusive martial arts.
When Mok Un-saeng praised the True Hundred Flow Saber Style, it was only natural that Baek Cho-gong’s stomach would twist.
In the end, Baek Cho-gong turned to Dan Yeop.
“Dan Gyodu, is the True Hundred Flow Saber Style truly superior to our True Heaven and Earth Saber Style?”
Dan Yeop answered in a calm, indifferent tone.
“Every tool has its purpose. The same is true of martial arts. If the True Heaven and Earth Saber Style is the introductory level, then the True Hundred Flow Saber Style is the next step.”
“Ugh! You’re saying our True Heaven and Earth Saber Style is nothing more than an introductory art?”
When Baek Cho-gong’s face twisted, Dan Yeop added an explanation.
“It is also the root art. There is no martial art better suited for laying a foundation than the True Heaven and Earth Saber Style. From now on, every Haomun member should begin their training in Haomun martial arts with the True Heaven and Earth Saber Style.”
Words can be heard in many ways.
Saying something is merely “easy” leaves a bitter aftertaste, but calling it the “root” or “introductory art” suddenly makes it sound profoundly important.
Baek Cho-gong seemed to feel the same; his expression brightened at once.
A short while later the munju, vice-munju, party leaders, and hyangju left the Anikheon first.
Im Song, who had been watching for an opening, hesitantly approached Dan Yeop.
“Dan Gyodu-nim.”
“Yes?”
“About the True Heaven and Earth Saber Style…”
Whatever he wanted to say, Im Song found it difficult to speak.
“What about it?”
“Is it truly nothing more than an introductory art?”
Dan Yeop tilted his head, puzzled, when Baek Yu-hwa cut in.
“Im Sashyeong, what kind of sudden question is that? Do you understand what he means, Dan Gyodu-nim?”
“I have no idea.”
Dan Yeop shook his head and turned back to Im Song.
Only then did Im Song speak.
“Last night my younger brother…”
He recounted how Im Jeong had returned from the tavern covered in bruises.
“…Jeon Jo is merely one of Lee Cheong-wol’s subordinates, a low-ranking member of the Six Harmonies Faction. It frustrates me that Im Jeong was beaten so one-sidedly by someone like that. He learned the True Heaven and Earth Saber Style too, yet nothing seems to have changed…”
“You’re being too impatient. How many days has it been since he learned it? I believe I mentioned this before. The True Heaven and Earth Saber Style is easy to learn, but the level of achievement depends entirely on the individual’s talent and effort.”
“Yes, that’s true, but…”
“Do you know what the introductory martial art of the Mount Hua Sect is?”
“The Six Harmonies Sword.”
“If you fight bandits the day after learning the Six Harmonies Sword, can you defeat them with it?”
“I suppose not.”
“Simply knowing how to imitate the forms of the True Heaven and Earth Saber Style does not make one an expert. I used it to sever the wrist of Heukru Protector No Jin-geon. Can you still claim it is merely an introductory art?”
“Ah… my thinking was shallow. I assumed that learning the forms alone would bring immediate change…”
Im Song admitted his mistake.
To think that someone could become an expert after learning the True Heaven and Earth Saber Style for only a few days!
Looking back, his face burned with embarrassment.
“There are surely people who became experts through the Six Harmonies Sword. The same applies to the True Heaven and Earth Saber Style. The old Heaven and Earth Saber Style would have remained nothing more than street thugs’ knife fights even after a hundred years of training. But the True Heaven and Earth Saber Style holds limitless potential depending on one’s achievement. Make certain your younger brother understands this as well.”
“Yes!”
Now freed from delusion, Im Song’s voice rang powerfully through the Anikheon.
Dan Yeop sheathed his blade with an awkward expression and turned away.
Baek Yu-hwa, who had been watching him, cautiously spoke up.
“Dan Gyodu-nim, are you free this evening?”
“Yeah.”
Dan Yeop nodded without hesitation.
To him, nothing was more important than time spent with Baek Yu-hwa.
“Then… would you like to have dinner together?”
“Sure.”
Im Song jumped in as usual.
“Baek Samae, can I come too?”
“Ah, well… I suppose you may.”
Baek Yu-hwa answered with a slightly reluctant face, but the oblivious Im Song beamed with delight.
“Where should we go? Manrihyang? Hwarakwon? Okru-chun?”
Famous restaurant names poured from Im Song’s mouth.
“Let’s go to Manrihyang,” Baek Yu-hwa said, a touch curtly, and took the lead.
At Manrihyang.
While eating, Baek Yu-hwa asked Dan Yeop in passing, “You seem to be in a good mood today?”
“Why?”
“Last time we met, you hurried past without stopping.”
“Did I?”
“I was worried, so I asked about Heukru and you only said ‘I went and came back’ before rushing off. Were you that busy?”
Dan Yeop knew Baek Yu-hwa had encountered the heart demon and gave a vague answer.
“A little.”
“Did that matter get resolved?”
“What matter?”
“You said you were busy that day, didn’t you?”
“Ah, it worked out.”
Sensing the conversation circling without progress, Baek Yu-hwa stopped asking.
He wasn’t avoiding her, so it seemed their relationship had indeed grown closer—yet something still felt slightly strange.
At that moment Im Song muttered to himself, “They say there’s a gathering on the first day of the first lunar month. It’ll be quite noisy this time, won’t it?”
When Dan Yeop tilted his head in confusion, Baek Yu-hwa…