Chapter 139: Sparring Tournament-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: Sparring Tournament-1
"Huff... huff... Brother Namgung, did you know? They say those who reach the peak of the Plum Blossom Swordsmanship sweat the scent of plum blossoms."
I sprawled on the ground, gasping for air.
"Have you finally lost your mind from being hit in the head too many times? How dare you address your master by her surname so casually. Besides, I am a woman. I am not your 'brother.'"
"Oh, come on... just let it slide. I’m literally dying here."
"Are you? Well, I’ll at least give you credit for the persistence it takes to keep challenging me."
Sweat poured off me like rain, soaking not just my face but my entire body. The sensation of damp clothes clinging to my back was far from pleasant. It wasn't something I was getting used to, either.
"How many rounds was that?"
"I stopped counting after three hundred. And do you really think it’s appropriate to ask me that? My dear disciple."
Master spoke with an annoyed huff, her breathing perfectly steady. Seeing her already sitting in a meditative cross-legged position, it looked like today’s sparring was over.
Then again, we started right after breakfast, and it was already past noon. I had reached both the agreed-upon number of rounds and the limit of my physical endurance.
"Ugh... I really took a beating today."
Lacking the strength to even sit up, I muttered while still pinned to the dirt.
On our way from Sichuan to Anhui, I sparred with Master every single day. As the sessions piled up, the amount of time I could hold out increased. It was around then that I made a suggestion to her.
[You want me to use weapons?]
Since I didn't know who I’d face in the tournament, I asked her to face me with a weapon in hand.
[I specialize in fists and kicks. I doubt I’ll be much help to you with a blade.]
When Master gave that uncharacteristically hesitant response, I had wagged a finger at her.
[Hey, surely a master would be better with a weapon than the random riffraff in the preliminaries. You’ve got the fundamentals of a martial artist, don't you?]
Flattery really did wonders. Her nose went up in the air, and she puffed out her chest, muttering, "Ahem... you really think so?"
Anyway, after getting thrashed with various weapons, rolling in the dirt, and vomiting more than a few times, we finally reached Anhui. And since today’s session was over, my preparations for the tournament were essentially complete.
If I were to ask myself if there had been a dramatic change... I wasn't so sure. I still couldn't achieve Ignition, after all.
That didn't mean I had gained nothing. At the very least, I was confident I wouldn't be pathetically eliminated in the first round. Yeah, I could probably hold my own for two exchanges. Maybe three, if I got lucky?
"In-ho."
"Yes?"
As I forced my exhausted body up, lost in thought, Master stood up and addressed me.
"Why are you learning martial arts?"
Her face was strangely serious. I thought for a moment before answering.
"Are you really asking because you don't know? I’m learning because you’re making me. Argh!"
Master’s kick slammed directly into my thigh. My leg buckled, and I collapsed back onto the ground.
"Don't play word games with me."
Her voice had dropped to a low, somber tone. I lay there and actually gave it some thought.
Why am I doing this? If I just wanted to follow her, I could have just remained her servant. Why was I killing myself to learn martial arts that weren't even in my destiny?
"Well..."
"Even with a head as empty as yours, surely you’ve thought about it at least once."
Wow. Her tongue was as sharp as ever.
"It’s fun."
"Fun?"
Master furrowed her brows.
Yes, it was a simple reason.
"Learning martial arts is fun. My life never had anything to do with this kind of stuff, but now that I’m learning it, I’ve developed a greed to be good at it."
"......"
Master stared at me for a long beat before letting out a hollow laugh.
"Ha... martial arts are fun? You really are a strange one."
"Don't you find it fun, Master?" I asked back.
"I wonder. For me, martial arts were a necessity, not a choice. I’ve never really thought about it that way."
Tilting her head, Master looked toward a distant hill. They said Anhui lay just beyond that ridge.
"Well, I guess that makes sense. Especially for someone from the Namgung family."
"No, the Namgung family actually tried to strip martial arts away from me."
"Why?"
At my question, Master wore a bitter smile.
"Because I had no talent."
What is she talking about? The future Heavenly Demon, the one who would make the whole world tremble in fear, had no talent? That was the most original load of crap I’d ever heard.
"That’s impossible. You, without talent? If anything, you have too much of it."
"Hah. You’re likely the only person who would ever say I have talent. Even my own master said I didn't have much of a gift for martial arts."
"Well, then the Grandmaster must have misjudged you."
"Hehe... I appreciate the sentiment, at least. Regardless, I never stood out in the Namgung clan. On top of that, I was from a branch family, not the direct line. You can imagine how I was treated."
"I don't know much about the inner workings of prestigious clans..."
"My father proposed a political marriage for me. He always said that if I couldn't achieve greatness as a martial artist, I should at least be useful to the family through marriage."
"But Master, you’re still so young..."
As my voice trailed off, she laughed.
"Isn't it ridiculous? I was even younger back then. Forcing a political marriage on a mere child..."
Master turned her head away, hiding her face.
"But you still managed to become the disciple of the Flame Wheel Master."
"It was a stroke of heavenly luck. If my master hadn't chosen me during her brief visit to the clan, I would have been married off then and there."
Master shook her head as if trying to drive away a memory she never wanted to revisit.
"That is why the Flame Wheel Master is so precious to me. She helped me remain a martial artist, so I must live up to her expectations."
For someone so consumed by that kind of obsession, there was likely no room for something as trivial as 'the fun of learning.'
"Therefore, I will win this tournament and show them all."
I could feel a rigid, unyielding determination in her words.
"You’ll do great, Master. I guarantee it."
I spoke in a deliberately cheerful voice to break the heavy atmosphere.
"Hmph. And what good is a guarantee from a pipsqueak like you?"
She snorted, but I was relieved to see a faint trace of relief in her expression.
*
Master and I finally reached Anhui, where the Grandmaster—who had gone ahead with the horses—was waiting for us.
"You’re a bit late."
Perhaps because we arrived later than expected, the Grandmaster wore a stern expression.
"It was because I collapsed halfway through. I’m sorry, Grandmaster."
Before Master could say anything, I stepped forward and bowed my head.
"Right. I suppose that can happen."
The Grandmaster didn't press the issue and turned around. Master and I followed her toward the guest house provided by the Murim Alliance.
The unexpected encounter happened right at the entrance.
"Yeom-jin..."
A man with a cold impression grimaced the moment he saw the Grandmaster. It was clear he wasn't happy to see her. Behind him stood a woman with soft, bluish hair, looking quite demure.
"Well, look who it is. If it isn't the Ice Sword."
Ignoring the man’s reaction, the Grandmaster laughed boisterously.
"Are you here for the tournament?"
When the man called Ice Sword spoke, the Grandmaster nodded.
"It’s the easiest way to check my disciple’s progress, after all. I assume you’re here for the same reason?"
Yeom-jin shifted her gaze to the blue-haired woman, Cheong-yeon.
"......"
Cheong-yeon didn't look away, meeting Yeom-jin’s gaze head-on.
"I can feel you’ve grown since the last time I saw you. You might actually be a decent match for our So-yu."
"You say the strangest things," Ice Sword interjected. "To speak as if she is merely a match for your disciple... your arrogance knows no bounds, Yeom-jin."
I could practically feel sparks flying between the man and the Grandmaster. Meanwhile, Master and the blue-haired woman were also locked in a sharp exchange of glares.
Wait, what is going on here?
"So-yu... it’s been a while."
The woman spoke to Master first.
"...It has. Cheong-yeon."
After receiving Master’s greeting, the woman’s eyes drifted toward me.
"And who might you be?"
Was it just my imagination, or did Master’s eyes tremble slightly at the woman’s question?