Chapter 29
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: A Master's Gift
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In the life I had lived, there was only one person I would call my master.
He inherited the spirit of an asura at thirty-six and was hailed as a man who had climbed out of hell.
The Red Turban bandits and demonic marauders would flee, trembling at the mere mention of his name, while for the Japanese pirates and foreign tribes, he was a literal hellfire that pursued them relentlessly.
His reputation was so formidable that even a winning side was said to cut and run at his arrival.
Asura Corps Commander Hwang Cheonho.
He was my only master.
He alone turned my wretched past into a brilliant present.
When my days were filled with territorial hostility and ridicule because of my background as a martial artist, he was the one who helped me be judged solely on my skills.
When I asked him why he was so good to me, he said.
Your eyes, your every move. They cry out for a hand to reach out, for help. How could I possibly ignore them?
Was that so?
It was a side of me I hadn't even known.
A soldier does not cry. And a soldier does not abandon his comrades. Nor will he judge them by their origins. I will create a world where common sense is simply common sense, so watch my back and follow me.
He told me that since I had joined the military, I too should forget my arduous past, become a soldier, and think like one.
Though I was part of the military, it felt like I finally had someone I could rely on for the first time.
I yearned for my worth to be acknowledged, and I spent every day in constant anxiety, fearing this trust might be broken.
But every time, Hwang Cheonho would tell me.
Is someone chasing you from behind? Thanks to your excellence, I sleep soundly at night. So, shouldn't you also trust me and sleep soundly?
That was the kind of person he was. The first master to enter my utterly destitute life.
I thought I would never have another.
I believed there couldn't possibly be another person who would give to me so endlessly.
I refuse, Great Young Lord.
He refused me outright.
Was receiving a formal bow so difficult?
Its fine. What does such etiquette matter? Besides, I do not wish to receive a masters reverence in this manner.
One moment he was a man of enlightened thought.
The next, he would revert to being a stubborn old man.
To think there was someone as obstinate as my maternal uncle.
I let out an empty laugh.
With all due respect, I am the Great Young Lord of the Namgung Family. It feels strange to say it myself, but taking the Great Young Lord as a disciple of swordsmanship would be interpreted differently by any other family.
At my words, First Elder Namgung Yeoul shook his head. He added that if he had cared for such empty titles, he would have chosen a different path long ago.
I have no taste for ceremonial, formal, or outdated etiquette.
The First Elder Namgung Yeouls eyes, shining as brightly as a young mans, were fixed on me.
If it truly comes from the heart, if its a feeling that genuinely wells up inside you, then perhaps. But I refuse to accept reverence that is given so evasively.
His words stirred a fire in the listeners heart. I didnt know what kind of passion he harbored, but I was certain that it was directed at me.
A flame ignited at the very wick of my heart, deep within my chest.
I understand. However, as being your disciple in swordsmanship will be seen in a different light, I will still consider you my master in my heart. I will act as such, so please do not stop me from doing so.
As you wish.
After saying this, First Elder Namgung Yeoul fumbled in his robes and took out a cloth-wrapped bundle.
What is this?
Being wrapped in cloth, its shape was unclear, but one thing was certain. It was no ordinary object.
A fragrant, natural scent, like one you would find in a lush, green forest, stimulated my nose.
Then, an acrid, burnt smell, almost nauseating, made me frown.
Realizing he was handing me something indescribable, I looked at the faintly smiling First Elder Namgung Yeoul.
...Dont tell me its a spiritual pill?
Your guess is correct.
My gaze followed Namgung Yeouls hand as he unwrapped the cloth, and I stared at the spiritual pill that held such a mysterious aroma. The pill, a dark, dense orb, looked rather unimpressive.
And yet, I trembled.
Across my past and present lives.
This was the first spiritual pill, the first spiritual medicine I had ever seen. It was the first stroke of fortune ever granted to me, someone who had never had any connection to such opportunities.
Did you bring this yourself, First Elder?
At my question, First Elder Namgung Yeoul shrugged.
It is merely the just reward the Great Young Lord has earned.
Are you talking about the Sword Branch Assembly? Are you saying this spiritual medicine is the prize?
Yes, it is also called the Heavenly Thunder Pill.
The Heavenly Thunder Pill you say?
Do you know of it?
Of course I did.
How could I not?
Even though I had been too busy trying to survive to pay any attention to spiritual medicines and pills, I knew what the Heavenly Thunder Pill was.
The greatest masterpiece ever created by the Namgung Family, a legendary spiritual medicine of the ages, said to be comparable to Shaolins Great Cyclic Pill.
The Heavenly Thunder Pill, said to have been created through an unprecedented method by the Medicine Sage Namgung Illyeo, a product of the esteemed sword family, the Namgung.
It was said that even he had dedicated his entire life to creating just three of these pills.
However, Namgung Illyeo never revealed the secret recipe for the Heavenly Thunder Pill. After his death, the Namgung Family officials reportedly followed the Medicine Sages past footsteps and devoted all their efforts to finding the method of creation.
Of course, those efforts were in vain. They said that no matter how well the family searched, they couldnt find it, as if it had been perfectly hidden. The method of its creation remains shrouded in mystery to this day, and that very Heavenly Thunder Pill was now before my eyes.
I have a feeling this is not something that happened within the bounds of my expectations. What have you done, First Elder?
The Sword Branch Assembly? The victor certainly deserved to be treated well.
But the Heavenly Thunder Pill was a reward that defied all logic for a mere victory.
You must also learn to fully enjoy the blessings and fortune you are given.
This is a great burden.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't tempted. If I didn't take it, I would regret it for the rest of my life.
That was why it was so hard to understand.
...You have a long road ahead of you. If the Great Young Lord truly thinks of me as his master, then consider this a gift for a disciple embarking on a perilous journey. Perhaps its because Ive gained a disciple in my final years, but I am so joyous that even my rusty joints feel as if theyve been oiled and move on their own.
As he spoke, Namgung Yeoul placed the Heavenly Thunder Pill in my hand.
I didnt know what he had given up or what he had wagered to obtain this. It surely wasn't something insignificant.
I could only watch as my face remained reflected in Namgung Yeouls eyes.
And just like that.
I felt my whole body itch once more at the overwhelming fortune of my present life. I should have been used to it by now.
Namgung Mubaek was getting a headache from the constant mention of a certain person by those who visited him day in and day out.
The Great Young Lord.
The Great Young Lord.
And again, the Great Young Lord.
Some argued that he should be stripped of his title and treated as a criminal for his sins.
Others insisted that he should be honored as a hero who had helped raise the Namgung Family.
And just when he thought he had overcome those hurdles and crossed that hill.
First Elder, what brings you here?
A great mountain stood before him.
The First Elder, a man whom even Namgung Mubaek, the master and head of the Namgung Family, found difficult to deal with.
You already know, do you not?
It seems that child has indeed brought a new wind to the Namgung Family. To think everyone would show so much interest in the Great Young Lord.
Even First Elder Namgung Yeoul had come to the Family Heads office because of the Great Young Lord.
It is a wind the Namgung Family needs.
If the Namgung Family is one to be shaken by such a trifle wind, the entire world will laugh at us.
Namgung Yeoul shook his head at Namgung Mubaeks cynical remark.
Why was the Sword Branch Assembly called as such? It is the Namgung's declaration to the world. And now, the Great Young Lords name is tied to that declaration. Everyone in Anhui knows, and it has become known to the Nine Sects and Six Great Families as well.
Why do you keep the Great Young Lord at such a distance? Are you wary of your other in-laws?
There were only a handful of people in the Namgung Family who could speak so freely to its master. One of them was Namgung Yeoul, who had protected the family for a long time.
Namgung Yeoul himself claimed he did not have much longer to live. Perhaps that was why.
There was little restraint in the words he directed at Namgung Mubaek.
Do you think I am one to be concerned with such trifles?
A storm-like energy surged and vanished in an instant, a vibration powerful enough to split a great mountain.
Even if the Six Great Families were his in-laws, they were not enough to hold him back.
Such was the position of the Azure Sky Divine Sword, Namgung Mubaek.
However.
Is it because he reminds you of the late Lady An?
At the First Elders next words, Namgung Mubaeks movements stopped as if by magic. At the same time, the scar on his cheek from the Iron-Blood Sword Saint An Baek began to ache.
It was not your fault, Family Head. For the relationship between father and son to grow so distant because of it
You have crossed the line. That is enough.
...Please, know just one thing.
The First Elder looked directly into Namgung Mubaeks eyes, which had hardened like stone.
When I look at the Great Young Lord, I am reminded of you in your youth. Your conviction, your spirit, and how you cared for your people.
That is why I hope even more that the Great Young Lord does not follow in the footsteps you have taken. I hope he becomes an azure sky that shines like an evergreen pine, rather than the Namgung being shaped by a changed Family Head.
First Elder Namgung Yeoul slowly rose to his feet, as if he had said all he needed to. Namgung Mubaek, who had been staring blankly at the elder, seemed lost in thought.
And then.
The Heavenly Thunder Pill that the Medicine Sage left for me. I will be taking it.
Namgung Mubaeks eyebrows twitched as his vacant eyes returned to focus.
That Heavenly Thunder Pill, the one that can cure the First Elders illness surely youre not giving it to the Great Young Lord.
Namgung Mubaeks expression changed drastically, as he was well aware that it was the only solution to the chronic illness that had plagued Namgung Yeoul for so long. In contrast, the elder himself simply chuckled as if it were nothing.
In my twilight years, I find there is no greater joy than giving everything to the disciple I have gained.
What in the
In time, I hope you too will come to understand, Family Head. This old mans feelings.
Gulp.
Without preamble, I swallowed the Heavenly Thunder Pill, and a sharp jolt shot through my head. Energy surged like a bursting dam, and true to its name, forged with thunder, it tore through every corner of my fragile body like a lightning strike.
All from swallowing one tiny spiritual pill.
From that single small clump, a raging tide rampaged through my body, and I felt as if I would lose consciousness at any moment.
Stay focused!
Flash!
At Namgung Yeouls booming roar, I grit my teeth against the dizzying pain and forced myself to stay conscious.
Kwoooaaaaaaar!
The faint energy I had accumulated with the Great Expansion Art swelled on the waves of the Heavenly Thunder Pill.
My entire system of major and minor meridians was cleansed, and the energy, long out of my control, began to roam freely everywhere. My whole body grew hot on its own accord.
All my blocked qi points were cleared, and impurities were burned away cleanly. Like new flesh growing, my meridians and vessels were reborn.
Was this the power of a spiritual pill?
Why did people become so obsessed with spiritual medicine?
I finally understood.
I finally understood why people would throw their lives away for a single small spiritual pill.
After the energy of the Heavenly Thunder Pill had passed through my entire system of meridians, it could no longer contain its overflowing power and now headed for my dantian.
This is the crucial part. I will guide you.
Namgung Yeouls hands touched my back.