Chapter 23
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 9.2
Chapter Title: Black Sword and White Do
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"At best, ten times."
At this rate, handling this heavy sword more than that would clearly require him to rest and recuperate for a while.
Whether he could wield it or not was a far more important issue for him than he'd expected.
Because only by mastering this heavy sword could he stand against true qi.
To be precise, it was only at this heavy sword's level that he could manifest a sword ring at the tip of his blade through technique alone.
An Hoe, who had paused with a hint of regret, looked at the two men still wearing shocked expressions and spoke.
"The White Lotus Sword Art isn't the only one with such a goal. The Cloud Mist Sword Art also ultimately aims for unity of mind and sword."
"...The Cloud Mist Sword Art does too?"
The White Lotus Sword Art and Cloud Mist Sword Art differed greatly even in the momentum and form of the sword they unleashed.
Most people wouldn't even think of their practitioners as from the same school upon seeing them.
Yet An Hoe saw that the essence of these two arts was similar because he recognized their purpose.
This was also why he prioritized completing their martial arts.
Once perfected, they would become at least twice as strong as they were now.
Above all, the techniques gained from unity of mind and sword would serve as a strong foundation for the supreme arts he planned to pass on to them later.
An Hoe assessed their conditions more precisely than they could themselves and gave his guidance accordingly.
Perhaps because of that, the two, who had initially felt awkward and struggled, soon began following his teachings naturally.
Then, something invisible started to take shape.
"Ah! This is it!"
White Do was the first to grasp it.
Having followed the guidance with almost no stray thoughts, he caught a glimpse of unity of mind and sword a step ahead.
With that alone, he surpassed the stagnation of several years, breaking through from Lesser Success to 8th Star.
'I can't lose!'
As his close friend achieved this ahead of him, Black Sword focused even harder.
In the end, he erased the last lingering doubt he hadn't been able to let go of.
And so, less than half a day later, Black Sword also reached 8th Star.
An Hoe smiled.
This meant they had taken their first step toward unity of mind and sword.
What they gained was immense.
Right away, they could now handle the momentum of their sword winds with far greater finesse.
Once they grew accustomed to it, they would reach the cusp of Peak realm.
The subjugation force, which had seemed ready to move by the third day at latest, didn't budge until the fourth.
It was partly due to cautious scouting, but mainly because they waited for the second shipment of supplies.
The vanguard had already set out early that morning, with the main force to follow upon the supplies' arrival.
An Hoe stayed with the main force.
Because his family was in charge of transporting the supplies.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason.
His certainty came from the information extracted from Mi Bang.
Among the intel pulled from Mi Bang—Blade Lord's right-hand man and commander of Red Bear Stronghold—much was high-grade.
That high-grade info included no small amount on Red Bear Stronghold itself, but what caught An Hoe's eye was the information related to Evil Spirit Castle.
"No matter how desperate, you can't mix water and oil."
Just as Mi Bang's side looked down on Evil Spirit Castle's warriors, they felt the same.
The castle lord in particular showed it openly.
Yet no major issues arose because of Mi Bang.
Once they realized he was a powerhouse they couldn't easily overcome, even those unorthodox folk bowed their heads without complaint.
But that Mi Bang was dead.
By now, the news must have reached them.
How things would unfold from here was obvious.
'The castle lord will pull out first thing.'
Of course, the protectors were stationed at Red Bear Stronghold, but...
They might keep them in check, but they couldn't stop the castle lord and Evil Spirit Castle's elites from fleeing.
"Would the protectors feel any different?"
Between holding Red Bear Stronghold to the end per Blade Lord's will or regrouping their full forces and retreating, nine out of ten would choose the latter.
Above all, contrary to appearances, the protectors didn't truly follow Blade Lord.
They followed Chief Protector Mi Bang.
And that central figure, Mi Bang, was dead.
Unless they sought separate revenge, there was no reason for them to stubbornly hold a death trap like that.
That was why An Hoe declared Red Bear Stronghold finished.
"No need to worry about the subjugation now."
In other words, Blade Lord's ambitions ended here.
The supplies arrived before noon.
An Hoe, who had been waiting, went to greet them and was startled.
"Young master... you're safe."
There stood Wang Sam, his face pale.
"...I didn't expect Manager Wang to come himself."
"How could I not?"
Wang Sam still couldn't forget the shock upon hearing the young master had joined the subjugation force.
No matter that the young master had reached Peak realm in wielding sword winds, he was only thirteen.
Far too young for the battlefield.
Above all, the battlefield wasn't a place where superior martial arts guaranteed safety.
Blind arrows and blades could fly from anywhere at any time, felling even the finest warriors senselessly.
Upon receiving An Hoe's letter, Wang Sam had blamed himself.
As the responsible party, he should have gone himself.
His anxiety peaked when he heard of the major battle during the supply transport.
He'd spent the past few days sleepless, tormented by worry.
"Please never do this again. For the family head's sake, you mustn't rush into danger."
"I understand."
Even after, Wang Sam nagged An Hoe, but An Hoe didn't find it annoying.
He just felt sorry and grateful.
"I'm sorry for being late, young master."
Only then did Wang Sam realize his grave rudeness and apologized.
An Hoe waved it off, then called over Black Sword and White Do, who had been watching from the side.
"These are the ones I've taken under my wing this time."
"I'm Black Sword."
"Please call me White Do."
Having no proper names, they introduced themselves by their nicknames.
They'd become orphans before receiving names.
Even their childhood names were lowly, spotty things unfit for long use, so they'd abandoned them.
When entering the martial world, they'd coined Black Sword and White Do for themselves, and the swords they'd chanced upon matched perfectly, making the names stick naturally.
Wang Sam was shocked to hear An Hoe had taken Black Sword and White Do under his wing.
He'd heard rumors about them while gathering intel on the subjugation force.
Not quite on White Wolf's level, but both were famed Peak realm experts in the area.
Top-tier mercenaries, not ones money alone could hire.
For An Hoe to have not just hired but adopted them left Wang Sam questioning if he'd misheard.
Catching Wang Sam's doubt, Black Sword hurriedly explained.
"We owe our lives to the young master, so we entrusted ourselves to him. No need to think it strange."
"Ah! So that's what happened?"
At the mention of owing their lives, Wang Sam nodded in understanding.
He'd heard that in the martial world, where bonds came first, people often entrusted themselves this way.
Only then did Wang Sam welcome them warmly.
"I look forward to working with you."
"Oh, treat us casually."
"No need to mind it."
Having even nagged their lord, Wang Sam's use of honorifics surprised them, and they urged him to drop the formalities.
But for Wang Sam, treating these mid-tier mercenary figures casually wasn't easy.
In the end, they settled on mutual honorifics.
An Hoe watched their exchange with a smile and said,
"I plan to bring in Officer Jeong as well."
"Hm. Bringing in Officer Jeong would be good for us. But will he abandon his post?"
"Probably. He seems held back due to his background."
"Ah! Then let me bring it up with him."
Having witnessed Officer Jeong's exceptional leadership en route, Wang Sam stepped up eagerly.
Above all, as a native of Juyang City, Officer Jeong would be invaluable for establishing a foothold there.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"That said, I hear the subjugation resumes. Are you sure it's safe?"
As Wang Sam voiced his concern again, An Hoe waved it off.
"No need to worry. We've already won big in the last battle, so this is just cleanup. Above all, I won't need to step in. Rest easy."
"If you say so, that's a relief."
Wang Sam said that, but he couldn't fully shake his worry.
Yet contrary to Wang Sam's fears, the subjugation proceeded smoothly, just as An Hoe predicted.
By the time the main force arrived, they'd already reclaimed over half of Red Bear Stronghold's territory.
Even this was due to the general's caution to minimize losses.
Any other commander would have taken over eighty percent by now.
"Tch. Looks like it'll end without me drawing my sword once."
"Yeah. Such a shame."
In other circumstances, they'd rejoice at earning merit without fighting.
The reason they felt regret now was their desire to test the unity of mind and sword they'd just awakened in real combat.
Though only at the outline stage, the difference in enlightenment was vast.
Their wish came true the next day.
"Who dares play tricks on Chief Protector?!"
As the mountain devolved into full chaos, five Peak realm protectors leaped into the fray.
'Five out of eight... impressive.'
Unlike what Mi Bang thought, the protectors' loyalty to him ran deep.
Charging into what was essentially a death trap suggested even the survivors might have planned for the future.
"Hahaha! I'm one of the tricksters."
"Madman..."
White Do charged out, blabbing as if begging them to face him, while Black Sword cursed under his breath but followed.
The protectors scowled at their arrival.
"Pathetic. You lot alone?"
"Well, I understand your feelings, but we were the ones there."
"And because of us, he couldn't escape."
"Escape? You bastards!"
Enraged at being portrayed as cowards fleeing while their now-deceased Chief Protector tried to run, they drew their blades.
Black Sword chuckled wryly at White Do's taunting antics, then drew his sword first and charged.
Showing astonishing spirit against five Peak realm protectors.
"I can't lose."
Fired up by his friend's display, White Do gripped his sword tighter and hurled himself forward.
White Wolf, arriving late to the scene, watched with shaken eyes.
Incredibly, Black Sword and White Do weren't being pushed back by the five protectors.
"Is this growth even possible?"
That was what stunned White Wolf.
The Black Sword and White Do he knew could handle three at best.
Yet in mere days, they were holding even against five protectors.
It defied his common sense.
He might understand if they'd consumed spirit pills to break through, but...
Their change wasn't that.
It was as if they'd undergone years of secluded training.
No exaggeration. The momentum in their swords had doubled in sharpness and precision.
"Hard to believe. But if the young master was involved..."
He thought of An Hoe, absent from the scene.
He'd witnessed Mi Bang's demise up close.
Recalling that made their rapid growth seem plausible.
"Still, gotta earn my keep."
Even in a stalemate, the protectors held the edge.
Facing over twice as many blades, stamina would inevitably falter over time.